#he's really going for hypocrite of the year huh?

[iamnmbr3]

@thecarnivorousmuffinmeta raises excellent points as usual. This reminds me that I've been thinking for a while about how Dumbledore's relationship with Harry may be impacted by the bizarre fixation he has on Tom.

We know from from Diary!Tom that Harry apparently looks a little bit like him. Plus of course, in some ways Harry literally IS Tom Riddle in the sense that he is a Horcrux and contains a piece of Tom's soul inside him and has some of his powers. But unlike Tom, Harry looks up to and is loyal to Dumbledore.

Perhaps he isn't quite as unconditionally trusting of Dumbledore as some might think (as argued well here by @hollowed-theory-hall) but certainly he does, in broad strokes, trust and like him in a way Tom never did (for understandable reasons).

Also, unlike Tom, Harry is not a skilled Legilimens (or indeed even allowed to be made aware of the existence of Legilimency and Occlumency for quite some time) and so Dumbledore also gets constant unfettered access to his mind, something that I think Tom denied him. We know that he read Tom's mind against his will in the orphanage but Tom probably got skilled enough at Occlumency to keep Dumbledore out pretty quickly. Certainly he was able to keep the details of opening the Chamber of Secrets and his creation of a Horcrux secret.

And even in the orphanage, I think we could argue that when he is described as having a "closed" look following Dumbledore's incursion into his mind, he may in fact be practicing an instinctive form of Occlumency already since it's something he had a natural talent for and his powers were already quite developed and since similar descriptions of "closed" expressions are often used in the books to give a visual cue to hint at when characters are magically guarding their thoughts.

So I think Dumbledore would've had very little opportunity to invade Tom's mind. Which is something that he seems to have quite a nasty habit of doing. The implication of the books is that he reads Harry's mind regularly. And not just Harry's. He presumably knows so much about what goes on and about the inner feelings and insecurities of students under his care - including Harry but also others like Ron for example - because he makes a habit of just casually invading their minds and reading their thoughts.

This is. Deeply creepy. (And that's not even getting into the times he apparently straight up made himself invisible and followed Harry around in first year to spy on him - I swear the more you think about Dumbledore the creepier you realize he is).

It's rather striking in this context that Hogwarts students don't seem to be made aware of the possibility that their minds can be accessed or taught how to defend themselves.

Given that he makes a habit of doing something so incredibly invasive and that he has a particular fixation when it comes to Tom, I would suspect that he found Tom's ability to deny him access to his thoughts and feelings deeply galling. (Though I'm sure he did all sorts of mental gymnastics to justify his feelings about it).

And then we have Harry - who looks something like Tom and has a literal piece of Tom's soul inside him and is connected to Tom through a mystical prophecy - but who unlike Tom gives him respect and unresistant obedience and (unknowingly) allows Dumbledore unfettered access to dip into his thoughts whenever he wants. Harry, is both the weapon that Dumbledore will use to punish and destroy Tom, and also the "good" and "pure" version of Tom who reacts "properly" to Dumbledore and allows him the things Tom never would.

This is not a true summation of Harry's character (or Tom's for that matter) but I think it may well be how Dumbledore sees it (partly probably at a subconscious level because I think he lies to himself almost as much as he lies to others). And I think that colors how he interacts with Harry.

Do you think Tom was the only student Dumbledore hated? I think Tom probably isn't the only Unfavorite Student and there are more out there that Dumbledore was successful at sabotaging.

(Side thought do you think Moody started out on Dumbledore's bad list but then worked very hard to "redeem" himself by trusting Dumbledore in all things and that's why he's so weirdly loyal to Dumbledore?)

Dumbledore and Hating People

The thing is that Tom Riddle does seem to hold a special place in Dumbledore's heart.

There are other characters we see who are also loathsome/have qualities that Dumbledore despises but it's in different ways/not to the same degree.

Dumbledore utterly loathes Lockhart, purposefully sets him up with the job so as to either destroy his reputation fundamentally or kill him. However, I'd say Dumbledore is contemptuous and dismissive of Lockhart. Dumbledore has 0 interest in the man beyond destroying him, and doesn't spend much time thinking about him beyond getting him in the castle and letting the curse do its work.

Dumbledore is dismissive and contemptuous of Cornelius Fudge, but again, doesn't focus on him much beyond pitying his shortsightedness and holding him in general contempt.

Dumbledore similarly doesn't love the Dursleys but it feels like that's in a way of he has 0 opinion or interest in Vernon and just... a very weird treatment of Petunia. I wouldn't even say he dislikes them, in fact, I think he likes the idea of them beyond the general disappointment in not treating Harry exactly the way he'd like (except they are doing that but he'll never say as much).

While we don't know that Dumbledore doesn't have stashes of memories he's painfully collected over the years, going to anyone who ever interacted with Tom Riddle and asking "please give me every memory you have ever had" only for the vast majority of them to slam the door in his face, given the focus he has on Tom Riddle it seems... unlikely...

Add this in with Tom's "dark glamour", the way Dumbledore talks about him, the way he pontificates about him as if he's a fictional character and Dumbledore is writing fanfiction and metas about the man, and we're looking at a... I'll call it a fixation where Tom hit all the right buttons for Albus Dumbledore in a way that other people just haven't.

Basically, the people we see Dumbledore hate just aren't hot enough (or are women so Dumbledore doesn't care).

I'll put it this way. Harry's easily Dumbledore's second fixation, he puts a lot of work into this boy, but Dumbledore's way less... into him is the only way I can put it, than Tom. Harry's there as a vehicle/means to destroy Tom and acts as a foil to Tom. Everything about Harry for Dumbledore is presented as "in contrast to Tom Riddle" and that's telling to me.

As for hating students...

I think most of the time Dumbledore just doesn't give a fuck.

With Draco who was actively endangering the student body, nearly killing several students to ultimately kill Dumbledore, and ultimately letting Death Eaters (including Fenrir fucking Grayback) into the castle where it's a miracle no one died/got lycanthropy Dumbledore was into it and a) knew the whole time b) did nothing to stop it because then Tom would hurt Draco. (It's too bad Katie Bell got cursed for six months in the process of that huh Dumbledore or you didn't approach Draco with that offer to give him clemency until the last five minutes of your life).

I doubt Dumbledore knows who Crabbe and Goyle even are.

And he seemed to favor the Marauders (rampant known bullies) and not care about Severus at the time and now thinks quite highly of Severus for having redeemed himself for love/following a narrative Dumbledore likes while also being unable to not do what Dumbledore wants.

He only cares about Ron and Hermione in relation to Harry and just likes the general idea of them (Dumbledore is very big on the "idea" of people).

Dumbledore and Moody

I don't think so.

We've seen the redemption story Dumbledore likes and that's Severus Snape's. Dumbledore likes a narrative, Moody having been disliked then just choosing to be a sycophant would be very unimpressive for Dumbledore because he'd see no reason for Moody to have changed/not an impressive enough reason.

It has to be for true love, friendship, some reason that is a compelling narrative to Dumbledore.

Everything for Dumbledore fits into these narratives from Merope dying in childbirth (she just didn't love enough), to Lily being murdered (she loved her son so much she sacrificed herself), to Snape (his love for her means he is now undyingly loyal to her son), to everything.

Plus, I don't get that feeling about Moody.

Dumbledore has plenty of people unquestioningly loyal to him, he cultivates the Order such that this is the case, it's not so much that Moody's an outlier for being so loyal but the fact that he is in the Order of the Phoenix at all means he must be this loyal to survive there (notice Percy is not a member). In the Order we're seeing the people who survived the litmus test of "actively not questioning Dumbledore in any decision he ever makes" (see HBP and the Christmas Party and shooting down of Harry's "Draco's up to something and Snape is too" for reasons that are simply "I trust Dumbledore completely" and nothing else).

If Moody wasn't like that, he wouldn't be in the Order.

So, I think Moody's just like the rest of them and I don't see a reason why he would have ever been different.

[midnight-pluto]

COMPARISON — scar

You know Scar, and you know why he’s so obsessed with this ‘Rover’ character — he’s told you why, but why does it still hurt watching him act as if he was a lovesick puppy to them?

contains: established relationship, the relationship is lowk toxic, jealousy, insecurity, rovers gender is left ambiguous, canon-ish, swearing, angst, short fic

a/n: scar is so pretty omg; also the lack of scar x reader content is CRIMINAL

‘IT’S JUST FOR the mission, it’s just for the mission,’ is what you kept on repeatedly telling yourself in your mind, but it really doesn’t look like it from your side.

You can tell that this ‘Rover’ is prone to noticing the little things and figuring out everything with just one piece of the puzzle, so you decide that it’s best to keep your distance from the matter at hand occurring in the village.

The conversation they were both having was being played clearly in your ear — a hidden microphone on Scar’s waist, his idea, not yours. He offered up this idea as a way to assure you nothing special was happening, but you wish you would’ve never accepted it in the first place.

Hearing the words Scar say would’ve been sweet, if only they were directed towards you. You weren’t dumb, you could hear the flirtatious undertone in his voice as he spoke to them.

Swallowing thickly, you take a look at the picture given to you previously as to what Rover’s appearance was like; suddenly Scar’s words made more sense in your head.

Their dark hair was disheveled but still managed to look effortlessly good on them; did Scar ever think of you that way whenever he saw you get out of bed? Their clothes complimenting their natural appearance beautifully; did the red and white of your clothes really suit you?

It took you years to achieve what you have with Scar now, but Rover was able to see and receive genuine interest from Scar in just a matter of moments.

Just listening in on their conversation felt like you were the one interrupting something, like you were third-wheeling your own boyfriend, as if you were a side piece in your own relationship.

Embarrassing.

“Huh?” you audibly let out, tapping your earpiece with your gloved finger multiple times. Only the sound of static could be heard. “Shit.”

Scrambling for your binoculars in your messenger bag, you shuffle them out and life them to your eyes to see what has occurred in the village below. Narrowing your eyes, you see that Rover had skillfully disabled the microphone on Scar’s waist with their blade.

“Of course,” you scoff out, dropping your binoculars back in your bag and proceeding to walk away from the scene.

Your terminal beeps and lights up and you pause, seeing that Phrolova had called you. “Leaving so soon?”

Huffing out a sigh at her words, “I see no point in staying.”

Humming in thought for a moment, she merely says, “Alright, go on then.”

The soil beneath your feet crunches underneath you with droplets wetting them at the same time; the sky is clear today.

SCAR’S EYES WIDENED at the sound of the mic clattering onto the ground, falling from his waist. “Well, aren’t you good? I thought you wouldn’t notice it so soon.”

“And I thought you said you didn’t want anybody else intruding on our conversation, seems kind of hypocritical to have a microphone attached at your hip,” they taunt.

“Perhaps,” he shrugs, burying down the feeling in his stomach. “But they too, were special to me, I just wanted to share a conversation with two very special people, and what’s the matter with that?”

“So they’re special to you?” they raised a brow, suddenly interested in the newfound topic raised.

Scar laughed at their attempt to get him to reveal information about himself, but he would never put you in jeopardy like that — never in a thousand years. “Did I say that?

“Well, it’s not like you’ll ever get to find out any time soon,” he stomps on the already broken microphone, smashing it to pieces.

Rover simply rolled their eyes, “Just give me back Yanyang so we can be done with already, I’m bored of your story.”

“And here I thought that we already established,” Scar took a few strides forward, “That you aren’t in the position to bargain.”

Unbeknownst to Scar, you had left your earpiece in, the sound of static becoming wonderful white noise to you. The unfortunate part was that you could only hear a few bits and pieces of their conversation out of context.

“…were special—“ were? What does he mean by that? Why is he using past tense? Is he saying that to fuck with them or because he thinks you can’t hear him anymore? Or are you just reading to far into it?

“..two very special people—“ it should only be one, shouldn’t there? Is he saying that Rover’s already as important — if not more important than you?

Harshly taking out your earpiece, you throw it into the dirt. Unable to let out a frustrated scream you let your anger out through crushing the earpiece under your foot.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, you glare back down at the shattered earpiece beside you. Rubbing the corners of your eyes, you begin to walk away, “The white noise wasn’t even that good anyways.”

a/n: not my best work — obviously — since i wrote this in an hour, on my phone, with fake nails. but i was feeling like shit so i dumped it all here, sorry kinda sorry

[holycrimin]

In honor of me getting my first ever TMNT Comic,

here's Leo with a crush who gets overly excited when gifted something they're obsessed/hyperfixated with (cough definitely not me cough)

while I did buy the comic for myself (it was an Eastman and Laird's TMNT adventure special) I wanted to explore this more because my brain is way too active and i need an outlet lol

pls dont blame me if its a little ooc, im trying my best and this is impulsive T0T

note: Reader uses they/them, Leo is a massive dork, semi proofread

2012!Leo x Expressive!Reader

Saw something he thought you'd like while on patrol,

"Hey guys, you think they'll like this?" He looks throught the window.

They snicker and shit on him (lovingly in a sibling way)

Whether it was a poster or figurine or comic, he's getting that baby just for you

Obviously he'd get it by paying because stealing would be wrong.

And by paying he means snatching it in the middle of the night and leaving a twenty with an apology note

Because that's what heroes do

anyway

Hops up to your apartment,

(with his brothers watching from the shadows because they absolutely cannot resist a good show. yes, even Donnie; like a true hypocrite)

He makes sure that neither your parents are there with you and he knocks on the window

You, with your ultra smart brain, immediately knew it was him because it was either that or a murderer that climbed up to specifically your window to murder you

which was unlikely, but hey, so was being friends with a giant turtle

You open your window and are immediately greeted with a shiny (not-so-brand new) comic/poster/figurine of the thing you talked about nonstop for weeks. maybe months. actually now that you think about it it mightve been year—

"Hey."

"Wh-"

"No way. NO WAY." You take it out of his hands (gently) and look at it in awe, before looking up at him with a dazzled expression

(If you squinted you could see sparkles coming off of you)

"What- Where- Dude. Where'd you even find this?!" A wide grin on your face as you look at him.

"Oh y'know.. Patrol and fighting bad guys, awesome stuff. Uh, then, y'know.. I found some merch that I thought you'd like."

"Dude he's seriously blowing this." one of the guys (mikey) whisper. "Yeah, he's worse than Donnie." he says, earning a 'Hey!' from Donnie.

Leo glares at them for a second before turning his attention back to you.

You let out a giddy giggle, "ahh! dude!"

"Dude." You set it down gently and put both of your hands on his shoulders. "I. Love you. So much. You know that?"

He blushes a little, "Well, I mean, it's not really a big de-"

"Not a big deal?! DUDDEE I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Is this a marriage proposal?" You say, shaking him a little.

"Wh- um.. What?" Leo lets out a weak chuckle, he feels his face heating up. "Because I accept. Let's get married, I love you so much. Oh my god, you have no idea-"

Ohhh god.

Yeah, that does it.

Well, even more than it already has.

"Whahahaha... Okay, uh, You don't really mean that, do y-" Oh.

"..Oh, sorry, is that too far? I mean, I do it with my other friends, but I'm not sure- Leo?" Yeah, no this is going to kill him. Kinda pathetic, huh? That a kiss on the cheek could send him spiraling just like that.

"Ah.. hahahah! Okay cool, haha.. uh, bye! I'll ah.. see you tomorrow? yep. Yeah. Okay, bye!"

He runs off.

Aw crap.

Did you do something wrong? God, you hope not. Maybe you should tone it down next time.

"Smooth moves brother, really got them falling for you."

"Shut up."

------------------------

Total writing time: idk like 15-20 mins?

Any fellow fic writers feel free to take inspo or even write a direct sequel to this, I just really like this idea and would absolutely love to read more abt it lol

[maoam]

Naruto most likely sees how the world around him works, and it affects his behaviour, especially since he craves for acceptance.

Notice the difference in his reaction when another guy says he likes him in part 1 vs part 2.

(Sorry for a bit poor quality, it was difficult to find an accurate translation, most were viz translations which didn't convey this convo very well). In part 1 he's just annoyed, because he doesn't like Kankurou as a person. He didn't even think about that "I like you" could have certain other implications. But in part 2 he's straight up creeped out by Kakashi saying the same thing, eventhough the meaning and intention is the same in both.

Naruto's reaction to Kurama mentioning his kiss with Sasuke was also way too over the top. Like really comical. Naruto was putting on a show in front of everyone. But whenever he's with Sasuke, he forgets all about this, he is fine with waxing poetry to Sasuke, or Sasuke being close to him...

My guess is since he went through puberty he also learned things about himself and thus started to become more sensitive to such things. Thus internalized homophobia.

Take this scene for example. He seems a bit uncomfortable being there. Sai was probably made to be like this (inappropriate, talking about p*nis all the time, being compared to Sasuke, challenging Naruto about his fixation on Sasuke) so Kishi could introduce more such themes into the manga. He's rather clever about this.

Another guess (it could be both combined) would be that since Jiraiya is so aggressively straight man (to the point he has to introduce himself by saying he's not into men lol) living with him for those years during the timeskip could have affected Naruto's mindset even more. But it's funny how Kishi keeps stressing over and over how Naruto finds Jiraiya's er*tic books boring. Also unlike Jiraiya who peeps on women for p*rverted reasons, Naruto does it as a prank, and in order to practice his oiroke no jutsu. Kishi is trying to show how they are different. I remember on one discussion forum one guy actually brought up he noticed Naruto's changed behaviour after he came back with Jiraiya! Like that he was even more gay and more sensitive to gay things. See, other people notice too.

Then he calls Konohamaru's boy-on-boy jutsu "nasty". Naturally, it's a shonen, Naruto can't have a comically interested reaction like Sakura to something like that, it wouldn't fly. Thus the internalized homophobia. But I also think he didn't want to see Sasuke who he's possessive over being with Sai like that lol. And Naruto really isn't one to talk considering what he came up with later.

Look how proud he looks. Little hypocrite. He's been working on those twink bods more than rasengan lol. Kishi wasn't very subtle with that comment. Also Kishi fought for this moment with his editors for YEARS because he just really needed to write this down. It was just that important to him...

Of course Naruto's repression comes up when it comes to Sasuke as well. Here he admits Sasuke is attractive, but then immediately backpedals on it. His real feelings just slipped.

Later, he was thinking about Sasuke, his mind consumed by Sasuke, but when Sakura and Sai appear his whole body language changes and he immediately claims he was thinking about a date with Sakura. He didn't want to be vulnerable nor let anyone know about his real feelings at the moment. He is hiding behind a heterosexual facade.

But sometimes Naruto doesn't even think of backpedaling on it. He is with his supposed "crush" yet unlike anyone else who would try to get closer or maybe flirt, he is just thinking about Sasuke. This is actually a moment that made many people raise their eyebrows. Including people who didn't like narusasu, or people who didn't ship anything. Specifically because it's written like a clickbait, as in Naruto says "he is happy" and Sakura going "huh?" and because she's his supposed crush who is taking care of him as I said most readers would expect next page have Naruto say something that would emphasize his crush on Sakura. But no, he goes on about Sasuke. No matter how much ss/nh insist we see gay everywhere, many other people picked up on Kishi's writing at many points during the story. But anyway, even with the internalized homophobia, Naruto's love for Sasuke is so strong he can say crazy things about Sasuke to other people and to Sasuke himself that things like "I'm starting to like you" (a completely average thing to say to another person) can't compare to, and still be unbothered by it.

Finally there is the interaction with Minato. Naruto wants to look good in front of his dad so he hesitantly agrees Sakura is his girlfriend, despite how in the previous arc we were shown that Naruto knew Sakura still likes Sasuke, and was angry at her when she tried to confess to him. So he is obviously not serious about Sakura being his girlfriend, but he is saying it to Minato hesitantly. Yet when his dad is leaving he doesn't want to lie anymore.... but he's also hesitant about admitting he hasn't found a girl like his mom wanted.

About the last part, I think it's referring to the armadillo scene? I think it was Kishi's typical humour, like how Naruto saw Haku in makeup and feminine clothing, and assumed Haku was a girl, but then was told Haku is a boy and went "oh okay, I didn't know that kind of thing existed". Here there was instead an armadillo that somehow looked like it was wearing makeup (??? idek or at least looked feminine) and since Naruto needed to write down whether the animals were boys or girls (a ridiculous cover up mission they made up to hide the war was going on from Naruto lol) but then it was flipped over with everyone else and Naruto saw its p*nis and went "even if heaven and earth switched places, a male is still a male". I guess Kishi likes this kind of thing lol... his d*ck jokes...

I know it says "the world might flip over" here but I know it's actually that proverb "even if heaven and earth switched places" that's often used in Japanese.

EDIT: this got flagggged by tumblr so I had to edit sus words.

[moon-river-me]

hey i saw you're open to requests!

What about a hotch x reader fic where he's reunited with an old friend on a case and he gets all flirty and flustered? No angst, happy ending if poss 👀

Aaron Hotchner x lawyer!reader

sfw, reuniting, fem reader <3 no haley or jack mentioned and no specific season

Eyes meet across the room. Warmth fills his gut. He knows those eyes, he memorized those eyes, he loved those eyes.

“Aaron?” your voice still sounded the same, like honey and warmth, like the soft and lulling pitter patter of rain on a spring’s night. Just how he remembered.

You made a B-line for him, at a determined speed. That’s another thing he remembered about you, so determined. Throughout all of law school you both would compete, for anything and everything, you almost always won.

“It’s really you, huh?” looking at him with so much admiration he needed to break the contact. “So, what’s a hotshot FBI agent doing here? Come back to beat the score.” You jest, hitting his elbow with your own. The score was something sacred back in your university days. It was a tally between you two, one that would update every time one of you got a higher grade, an award, a commendation, or stayed sober the longest, the last one was always biased. He fondly remembered nights of drunken giggles and takeout while watching badly written court tv shows on your thrifted couch.

“Oh no, those days are long gone. Any more tequila and my liver will go into failure.” A ghost of a smile paints his lips.

“I still get flashbacks after a mere whiff of the thing.” Your laughing sounding more of an amused snort, not caring who saw you. That was something Aaron always loved  liked about you, not once in the entire time he knew you did you ever care about how others viewed you. You were so uniquely you that he truly believes if another you appeared one day, the earth would stop spinning.

Emily and Morgan walked up behind him; he could see their smirks through the back of his head. “Hotch, I didn’t take you for a tequila connoisseur,” Derek was in view now, offering his hand to you, “Derek Morgan.”

“y/n l/n,” you state as you shake, “and you should have seen him in our second year of law, god I thought I was going to have to drag him to emergent care some nights.” Your words were embarrassing, but your eyes were filled to the brim with joyfulness, you make eye contact once again and it is as if the world stops. “But of course I was no better so I would be a hypocrite to say anymore.” You grin, your lip getting a slight tug from your teeth. Aaron felt himself blush as his brain began to create images of that lip, and those teeth, and that smile, and oh those beautiful eyes.

You noticed the change in his demeanor, you always had. Except this time, your eyes twinkled in victory. “So, what do you guys need?” you turn you head towards Emily, although your gaze is stuck like honey to Aarons eyes.

“We were told that you were the prosecutor for the case we are working on. We came to discuss some things about the trial.”

“Oh of course, let me just grab the file. One second.” You turned to walk to your office; it was just principle that Aaron followed you, no other reason.  “Come on agent Hotchner, the file isn’t going to find itself, I need your expert profiling skills to uncover it.” You laugh as you reach your office. Aaron looked at his very amused coworkers and felt the flush of his cheeks get 2 shades darker.

“I don’t know who she is or if they have a history, but he followed her like a dog.” Morgan states, a belly laugh following as he finishes his senses.

Emily observed you through the glass, your head thrown back in laughter, and Hotch’s eyes staring at you with something that could only describe as a child on Christmas morning.

“He is whipped.”

A/N

short and sweet but trust me I will start doing longer ones.

requests are still open, please give feedback.

ik it's not the best but I hope you like it.

[fivelila]

The other side of everything

I think all of you have read the repeated sentences about what's wrong with Fivelila. So I thought I'd write my thoughts on it and maybe some of my headcanon.

1) Age gap

Problem: Ritu is 15 years older than Aidan. Five and Lila have an age difference in both directions, mentally he is much older and physically she is older.

My take: About the age of the actors, I'll say this much - the opposite is so common and many people don't find it strange. For example, did you know that Julia Roberts was 23 when her film Pretty Woman came out and that Richard Gere is 19 years older than her? And I haven't noticed anyone being disgusted by how that's possible. I could find some more extreme differences, but I don't think I want to.

Aidan is 21 and yes, he did TUA when he was younger, but a lot of people still think he's a kid. But no, he's not. Deal with it.

My headcanon: Lila is older than she looks. And that's thanks to the Handler and the work she does for the Commissions. Does any of us know how long has she lived somewhere outside of time? Sounds like another possible parallel to me.

2) Lila was cheating on Diego

Problem: Lila was unfaithful to her husband.

My take: Lila made it clear that she wanted a break with Diego and wanted to reconsider their marriage. Yes, the circumstances ended up being pretty wild, but it was more than obvious that she wasn't happy in the marriage. Among other things, it was over six and a half years for her before anything happened with Five. There are countries where such a long separation between spouses could also help to bring about an immediate divorce if necessary.

I also think that the only thing that connected them the most was their children and not that they were compatible as partners. A completely natural thing that happens really often in real life when someone builds a relationship on desire, which they mistake with love.

3) Five is homewrecker

Problem: Five is the reasons why his brother's family fell apart.

My take: It's not true. Five was not the reason that Lila and Diego had problems in their marriage. Yes, she was still his brother's wife and that's a bit morally grey, but their situation was complicated enough (as I wrote in the previous point) and it's completely understandable. By the way, don't people like this family precisely because their morals are often a bit grey? I guess that's probably only true sometimes, huh?

4) Five cheated on Dolores

Problem: Five was unfaithful to Dolores

My take: Sorry, but this is the biggest piece of shit ever. If someone prefers a relationship that Five made up in his mind just to keep himself from going crazy and heal his trauma, then our fandom isn't the one that's wrong. By the way, if Dolores was real and played by Rachel Delduca, she's definitely older too! I couldn't find the exact age, but it's pretty obvious that she's older than Aidan.

5) Five killed Lila's parents

Problem: Five was the killer of Lila's family and Handler could have kidnapped her. Her family may be alive, but it won't change the past.

My take: Yes, this is about the only thing that could never work in another story. Lila gets her family back, but it doesn't change what happened to her. Still, I think even she knows very well what it's like to work for the Commission and what it was like when an order came down. Handler bears most of the blame, even though she wasn't the one who killed them.

My headcanon: I don't think Lila had clean hands either, though we never really saw that much in the story. Still, even she could have been the murderer of some random parents of some random kids because that was her job. For example, she killed several people on the Commission to get access to past records in the barn, so it would be a bit hypocritical for her to blame others for actions that she herself had done before.

If you have any other thing I should discuss, please post it in the comments, I'll do another post about it.

[dark-night-hero]

Imagine when Michael Kaiser realizes things a little far too late.

Imagine Kaiser wondering when did you started to be so cold? The thing is, you treated him the same as every, it something felt so wrong, so odd. When did you started looking at him like that? "Meine liebe? What's wrong?" He asked as he embrace you from behind and loooking up from the book on your hand, "Nothing." You smile at him, a smile that send shiver down his spine.

Imagine everything was the same as it was before, but he felt like something within you has changed, precisely the way you looks at him was far for different than before. It was so cold and a little hard to read. But you still lean on his touches, still return his smiles, you still kiss him on the lips whenever he would go out and come back from practice. Is he just over thinking?

Imagine it was one of those nights were he would take you to a five star restaurant for a meal, nothing special. He just wanted to take you, seeing you all beautiful and dressed up was enough for him. And yet on the entire meal you never said a word, he was unsure if it was just the fact that you were just preoccupied with the meal or maybe something else. He just hoped that its the former.

"Meine liebe." Looking up from your meal, Kaiser wipe off the sauce off the side of your lips with his thumb before bringing it to his mouth to get a taste of it. Upon seeing him act shamelessly, you felt blood creeping up your face. "Kaiser!" "What?" He chuckle. Everything felt so right.

Imagine, as the two of you ace each other on your bed. As you traces his tattoo all the way from the back of his hand up to his neck, he felt a shiver down his spine as he pulled you close to him, breathing your scent. "Kaiser?" He could only humm in return as his embraces tighten. "Do you have something you want to say to me?" Thinking about it for a moment, he chuckles, not noticing the way you stiffen. But then he slight pull away from you to give you a kiss on the lips. "Ich liebe dich."

Imagine, the truth is Kaiser loves you very much. Like really, he loves you so much. A far little than he could imagine. He when he walked inside the house, the one the two of you have been living together for half a year now and saw you looking so coldly like that. He stiffen. He don't know what he did wrong, nevertheless he must apologise. But does he really doesn't know?

"Meine liebe? What's wrong?" He asked as he hold you by the shoulder when you brush off his usual kiss of a greeting. "It's been half a year." You said and he nod, you must be talking about your relationship right? "So how was it?" "Huh?" "How does it feel to play with my heart?" "Huh?" He almost sounded as a broken record as he kept saying the same thing. He was confused, what are you talking about all of a su- ah.

"What did my brother every do to you to do me like this?" You glare at him. "And even if he does im fact did you something. Does I have anything to do with it?" "Wai-" "No! You wait! I waited two months Kaiser! Two fucking months for things to come out of your damn own fucking mouth and yet I hear nothing!" His heart was painfully beating on his chest as he sees tears started rolling down your cheeks quickly wiped away by you. "So I guess it's true, this. This fuckig relationship means nothing but a damn fucking bet to you?" You looked to hurt, betrayed when you said that.

Imagine the way his mouth open and close. As much as he doesn't want to say it wasn't a bet, that he truly loves you the, that it was love at first sight the moment you walked into the field that day to talk to your damn brother. He doesn't want to sound hypocrite, because he did in fact made a bet with Ness, but it was just a damn excuse on his part so that he could be close to you.

"Scheiße" You curse and once again he flinch. "I should have listened to Noa when he said you were a damn bastard." You spoke brushing off the ever ending tears on your face. "Are you satisfied now? If you are then leave. The half year mark you made with Ness is over, you can leave." When you see him unmoving you push yourself off the counter and shove him hard on the shoulder. "I said leave! I don't want to see your face!" It hurts seeing his face like he was hurting too, like he actually love you. And you know he does, but the trust has already been broken.

Imagine the way he pull you into embrace, letting you hit him if it means venting out the pain you were feeling right now cause by none other than him. "Let go." You said and he shakes his head. "Michael Kaiser, let go." Once again he shake his head and pull you tighter on his chest. "Don't make me repeat myself Michael Kaiser before I regret loving you." "Ju-" He clear his throat as his voice cracked. "Just a minute." Then there was nothing but silence.

Imagine, if someone were to see Kaiser getting kicked out of his own penthouse, others would think it was hilarious. But the truth is that you don't have anywhere to go, Noa doesn't approve of your relationship so you have nowhere to go. And as soon as the door shut behind him, he just stood there before sitting down, leaning against the door and on the other side, he could hear the sound of your cries.

"I mean it when I said I love you, you know? Meine liebe." And as if hearing that he said, only cries can ne heard on the other side. Kaiser was the type of person who would admit his own mistakes, at least to the person he cherishes the most. So he would wait, just like how you waited for the chances he didn't take. He would until you were ready to forgive him. If you could forgive and trust him again, he would.

[ⓒdark-night-hero] 2023°

[kittykattysstuff]

Warning: Incest.

Gojo satoru x fem!reader

“Let’s get married”.

Satoru declared as soon as you both were left alone. And those three words changed your world completely.

Being the sister of ‘The Strongest’ was far more difficult than people would have thought. It was not glamorous, as all your friends used to think. Yes, Satoru-nii was the best big brother you could’ve ever asked for, and you had no complaints whatsoever about him. However, the rest of the Gojo clan wasn’t as perfect as they liked to show to the outside. No. Far from it. In reality, they were a bunch of conceited, hypocrite and misogynistic senile people, whose only concern was to ensure Gojo eventually had an heir to keep the family legacy.

Your brother, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about getting married and giving the Gojo clan the heir they oh so desired. No, he was more concerned with pissing them off and, on the rare occasion he actually bothered to visit the family estate, dote on you.

You see, you were nothing compared to your big brother, who had inherited the most powerful family techniques in centuries. Despite having cursed energy, your abilities were average, nothing special. Therefore, your parents deemed you of no use, and didn’t let you attend Jujutsu High. You were a porcelain doll, collecting dust in the corner and just waiting to be married off to the best suitor your parents could find. To your utmost dismay.

They already had had the perfect heir. You were just an unplanned nuisance. Satoru was the real deal. And you were absolutely fine with that. Really. You saw the pressure your big brother had been subjected to from the moment he was born and opened his eyes.

The expectations the higher ups had on him, the way they wanted him to be a perfect little robot and follow their orders blindly. Satoru’s rebellion, however, was the last thing they expected. And that was your favorite thing about your brother. He never listened to anyone, only ever doing as he pleased. He knew no one would oppose to him. He was the strongest, after all. What could they really do?

As you two grew up, you were always joining Satoru-nii’s mischievous plans of ways to piss your parents off. You were his greatest ally in your household, and he was yours. Satoru-nii was the only thing that made life in the Gojo estate bearable. You were each other’s best friends.

The day he left to attend Jujutsu High, you were a wreck. You remember clinging to him for as long as you could, refusing to leave his arms, and when he got settled into his dorm and it was finally time to say goodbye, you were a sobbing mess. He was just as bad. The last thing he wanted was to leave you behind with your shitty parents, but he had no choice. And, with a heavy heart, tears rolling down his cheeks in a rare moment of vulnerability, he promised he would come back to you and when the day came, you would never be parted again. He pressed a tender, chaste kiss on your forehead to seal his promise. Which leads you to your current predicament.

“I’m sorry, what?”

You asked as you tried in vain to process his words.

“Let’s get married”.

Gojo simply shrugged, a smile on his face as he looked at you through his dark shades.

“How can you say that so nonchalantly? And what are you thinking about? For fuck’s sake, we’re siblings Toru-nii!”

“Oooh, swearing now, are we? You really became a big girl while I was away, huh”. He hummed, shaking his head amusedly.

“Focus, Toru-nii. Where’d you get this crazy idea from?”

You tried to make your big brother come to his senses. You were on the verge of having an aneurysm from the way he seemed so at ease with the whole thing. That wasn’t the worst thing, though. You were more worried with the fact you did not find the idea so bad. What was wrong with you? Maybe all those years living with your family had made you go insane. You shook your head, trying to get rid of such unholy thoughts.

“The higher ups are pressuring me to get married and have an offspring”.

Satoru said seriously, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat on your bed. You followed suit, sensing the shift in the atmosphere as you sat across from him, hugging your pillow close to your chest in an effort to create a wider gap between your bodies.

“They always have, nii-chan”.

You said softly, sympathizing with his displeasure.

“They’ve been trying since you became of age, and you always managed to avoid it in the end”.

Gojo groaned, taking off his sunglasses and rolling his eyes. If the situation wasn’t so serious, you’d be laughing from his childish antics.

“Ugh, I know. But this is not like those stupid dates they used to settle. They actually gave me an ultimatum”.

“Nii-chan-

You tried to placate his anger, before he cut you off.

“I know, right? Like, how dare they threaten the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in recent history?! The audacity of the old farts!”

He started to complain nonstop. This was your time to roll your eyes.

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to get out of this situation, Toru-nii. You always do”.

You smiled encouragingly. Your big brother was just blowing it out of proportion, exaggerating and making the details seem worse than they actually were.

“Except that this time I can’t, little sis. They said that if I don’t find a wife in one month, they will find me one themselves”.

Satoru looked you straight in the eyes, and damn, those baby blue eyes of his still made you weak in the knees. Ever since you were kids, he would always talk to you without a blindfold or sunglasses when he wanted you to do something for him. And you caved. Every. Single. Time. Of course, the bastard knew it all too well. Still, you kept your resolve.

“I don’t see what’s the matter. They’ve threatened you many times, and it never worked. Why’s it so different now?”.

“Mom and dad found you a suitor”. He declared, straight to the point.

You gaped at him. How did he know? It was partially true. Although your parents had already decided on the perfect husband for you, it had not been made official yet. And, until the announcement was formally made, you would hold onto every last shred of hope you had.

“It’s not official”. You replied, stubbornly.

“Come on, they already scheduled a date to make the announcement public”.

He said it with such certainty, you knew Satoru couldn’t be lying about this. Fear settled deeply in your heart. They had really scheduled a date? If your nii-chan wasn’t lying to you, and you knew he wasn’t, he never once did, then you were helpless.

“I-I’m sure that if I talk to them…”

“What, they’ll listen to you? They’ve been dictating your whole life since you learned how to walk, sweetheart”.

Unfortunately, Satoru was right. Trying to talk to them would be absolutely useless. You were stupid for even entertaining the idea.

“I know it is not ideal, sweetheart, but this is the best solution for both of us. Do you really want to marry the pervert Zenin Naoya?”.

You grimaced. That was totally repulsive. You could never marry him. The men from the Zenin clan were even worse than your own family.

“But, Toru-nii, this is wrong. We’re siblings!”.

You still tried to reason with him, but the words didn’t seem so firm coming out of your mouth. At this point, you knew you were trying to reason with yourself more than your brother. Oh God, you were just as sick. Picturing yourself getting married to your very own brother shouldn’t feel so good.

“Darling, I thought we had already crossed that line a long time ago”.

Satoru smirked, getting closer to you, your knees touching as he took the pillow from your hands and threw it over his shoulder in the bed. You gasped, eyes huge and mouth open like a fish out of water. You two swore you would never speak of this again.

“Toru-nii!”

You admonished him, refusing to face his bewitching blue orbs, instead focusing on the sage green wall in front of you.

“Oh yeah, I still remember when you came to my room in the middle of the night, wide eyed and with the cutest pout on your pretty little lips, begging me to teach you how to kiss-“

You put both hands on his mouth, silencing him.

“I was just fifteen!”.

“Well, you came to the right person. I’ve always been a great teacher, if you know what I mean”.

Satoru winked.

“Ugh, stop being so cocky”.

A beat of silence passed before Satoru cleared his throat.

“So, what do you say, sweet sis? It’s either you live the rest of your life in a loveless marriage, or you become the wife of your mature, amazing, sexy Toru-nii…”.

“Okay, okay, I get it!”. You stopped him before he got carried away.

“Say, if I agreed to this”. You eyed him carefully.

“Mhmmm”. Gojo encouraged you to continue.

“How would you make it work? I mean, last time I checked, marrying your sibling was illegal”.

Your nii-chan smiled widely, already knowing he had won the discussion.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ve got it all covered!”. He clapped, pleased with himself.

“You arranged it all before knowing whether or not I would agree?”.

“Is that a yes?”.

Satoru leaned even closer, playing with a strand of your hair while watching your face intently all the while. You immediately felt your cheeks grow warm. Being close to Toru-nii always made you nervous. He looked like a predator analyzing its prey, a hungry expression on his handsome face. You gulped.

“Toru-nii, stop teasing me”. You pleaded.

“You need to say the words, sweetheart”.

He whispered, face mere inches from yours. His hand was now caressing your cheek.

“Yes, nii-chan. I will marry you”.

“Good girl. Now, how about we put the lessons I gave you back then to use? I don’t want my future wife to feel neglected”.

Those were the last words he said before he pressed your lips together.

[mediumgayitalian]

Hiiiiii

Okay so I am absolutely obsessed with your writing .

Every day I check Tumblr to see if you've uploaded anything

When they move in together how do you think they will spilt the chores ?

And do you think their aesthetic would change as they grow older ?

Thank youuu

Love youuu

OH i love this. okay.

when they move in together, how do you think they will split the chores?

they do not.

they are in an interesting situation: nico has never had to do chores in his life. as a kid, he was the son of Literal Hades and an aristocrat, he for sure had people doing that shit for him. in the lotus, they presumably had room service. he may have had to do a few chores at the military school, but a) they weren't there for long and b) as an older sister with a younger brother, bianca was doing that shit for him. she ordered him to make his bed, he did a horrible job, she huffed and did it herself because it's more of a pain in the ass to make your brother do it again than it is to do it yourself. bianca i get you. after that he was homeless, so there was obviously no cleaning there, and then he lived in his father's palace. he has never so much as done a load of laundry except maybe hastily with a public washroom sink and a bar of soap. he barely knows what a mop is.

will, on the other hand, has been in charge of both a cabin and a literal infirmary since he was 13 years old. on top of that, if i am not mistaken (i'm so sorry i still havent read toa and tsats im getting there i swear), he grew up on a farm. his ass knows how chores work, in fact i would bet money that he gets a little obsessive when it comes to cleaning. he is acutely aware of how many germs are on every single surface ever. he cleans and he does it a lot.

this could go really badly, because habit would indicate that will would be doing all of the housework and nico none, which is Bad For Relationships.

however:

nico really likes will.

will is a massive hypocrite who overworks himself. he also is a bit of a control freak.

nico is also very, very observant.

i think, in the beginning of their friendship, even, nico noticed that will, like bianca, would let the onus of cleaning and tidying fall to him because 'no one else does it right', and also, maybe, it's just easier not to fight people about it. i think this would bother him. i think he would, in his inability to, like, be normal, impulsively challenge will to a cleaning contest.

and. like. will is a competitive person, okay. maybe not about things he knows he can't win, but when he knows he's good at something? he is not letting that shit slide. look at how fast he was to dunk on octavian, how prickly he got when nico doubted his ability to outrun the romans. if nico, who will knows damn well has done like four chores in his life, tries to challenge will, mr. antiseptic is my closest friend solace, to a cleaning contest?

he is going to sweep the floor with him.

pun absolutely intended.

from there things kind of spiral. at first it's a dorky ass learning curve, because nico loses every cleaning competition so so badly and quit fucking laughing, solace, you dickead, the windows are not that streaked and also watch me spray you in the goddamn eyes, huh, how do you like that and it's just kind of...fun. for the first time in a long time cleaning up doesn't make will quietly bitter.

plus, as an added bonus, nico helping will clean up makes it less invisible when he does it. now people are starting to notice that, no, the infirmary does not magically clean and organise itself, someone does that. and maybe a few more people pitch in to help. and maybe will realises, and maybe he smiles gratefully at nico when, for the first time in years, he has two entire days off, back to back, in the summer, for the first time in years. and maybe nico thinks he is going to collapse into dust because gods will has a nice smile. not that he cares or notices or anything.

do they need to keep having competitive chores forever?

no.

but does it make both of them kind of shyly pleased and happy to remember how they started? to remember how much their friendship means to them, first and foremost, and not just their relationship?

yes.

(also, by the gods, nico is going to beat will at laundry one day. he is. as soon as he learns to fold without creasing the whole stupid shirt it's over.)

how do you think their aesthetic would change as they get older?

not much tbh.

will is pretty happy in his cargo shorts, which, mood. and nico is very committed to his Prince of Darkness look.

they are gonna have to get used to like...regular weather when they leave camp tho. i think will might begrudgingly have to get used to pants. he hates jeans with a fiery passion and any kind of slacks, but he will accept track pants.

he is also into shirts with horrible horrible puns on them. especially medical puns. he and nico frequently fight over who gets to buy shirts with bone puns on them, because they both find it funny. their closet (lol) is quickly morphing into one monster.

will complains about wearing shoes every single time he has to wear something that isn't flip-flops (again, understandable). he likes buying off-brand white converse and customizing them, though, so those are acceptable.

he refuses to wear boots under literally any circumstances. there could be three feet of snow on the ground and dumbass will be wearing chucks.

while their t-shirt situation is pretty similar, nico literally doesn't wear pants that aren't jeans. sometimes he sleeps in jeans. (not to make will's eye twitch, noooo, of course not, sometimes he just Reasonably Forgets or is Reasonably Too Lazy to get changed)

nico does also, on occasion, wear button ups, sleeves folded to just above the elbow.

will likes these very much.

especially the green one.

the green one is Very Very nice.

as for hair, nico grows his out to shoulder length so he can tie it back. he doesnt keep it much longer than that, because too long and he looks like bianca -- he always looks like her, and he never forgets that, but its important to him to remember her while still being able to think of himself as a separate person. he cuts it when it goes past his shoulders.

wills hair is literally untamable. it grows where it pleases. he hasnt had a haircut since he was six years old and somehow his hair doesnt grow down to his waist. he has no idea how long it actually is. they tried to measure it once but it changed every two minutes. the literal only time it resembles anything close to maintained is when he wears it in two french braid pigtails :) nico likes to buy him elastics with little charms on them. he wears them to suit his mood, he has a whole collection.

[autumnbaguette]

Tokyo

June, 03.07 pm

“I told my therapist about you.” You said nonchalantly while opening the popsicle you bought earlier.

“Here.” You give one of the popsicle to Satoru as he sit down right beside you.

Satoru take the popsicle, his eyes looking at you. Seems like he doesn’t believe about the things you’ve said earlier.

You and Satoru sat down at the bench while watching the first year students taking turn running around the track. The weather is nice, clean blue sky with some splash of soft white clouds. Summer is here already.

“Really? You talk about Him also?” Satoru ask you, his eyes hiding behind the black sunglasses.

“ I spill everything and Her response wasn’t that good.”

Satoru smile as he bites into the popsicle. It was funny he thought, the way you talk about those serious issues in a laid back manner as if it doesnt even matter. Even though He also feels bad, you must have it harder that him.

“She prescribed me with lots of medication, I can’t even fall asleep by myself. Well, at least I can finish all those damn reports.”

You devour your popsicle since it melts quite fast. You knew Satoru is looking at you. He stops biting the popsicle some moments ago while you talked. He looks guilty. He feels guilty.

You looked at Him, raising your eyebrows. What is it? you thought.

“I’m okay, Satoru. Stop looking at me with those eyes.” you smile as you try to enlighten the mood. But his eyes stays the same.

“Do you believe that times gonna heal everything?” Satoru asked.

You look at him, puzzled by his sudden question. His hair swaying with the gentle breeze. He stop eating the popsicle, the heat melts it away. His eyes wanders far beyond the field, hiding his sadness away.

“I think so, but you have to be intentional about it. Otherwise time is just time. It’s what you do with time, Satoru. It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t put meaning in it.”

“Time is just time, that makes sense.” He’s repeating your words as if it was some kind of spell. He ate the last bit of the popsicle, smiling at it.

Satoru stands up, his hand sway away his pants, stretching out. He got this glimmers on his eyes, he look at you.

“Where are you going?” You ask

“To spend my time.” His grins got wider, his silly face is back again. “After all, I need to be intentional about it right?”

Satoru starts to run to his students, yelling their names saying some silly things. His steps lighter than before, as if some heavy weight has been lifted from his shoulders. You smile at him.

Time is just time huh? You whisper to yourself. You look up to the sky, the cloud is moving with the wind. Your mind wanders to the summer several years ago. For you, the time already stop flowing. Summer was a constant reminder about what was happening, also about him.

You let out a small laugh,

What a hypocrite.

[ruinofchimera]

It’s more convenient for me to analyze these arguments in depth in a separate post, so here we are. 1.

This is almost exactly what I’m suggesting, but you’ve managed to twist it. I wonder what exactly was so funny about Severus being attacked, humiliated, and threatened. In addition to this whole very “comical” situation, he was her friend. Let’s not forget this little detail. If this reaction seems absolutely reasonable to you, well, I wouldn’t envy your friends. I would never forgive such a reaction to my public humiliation, but maybe we have different standards for what should be called friendship.

In fact, she did join the mockery. Doesn't the use of a derogatory nickname, in addition to the mockery of his clothes, illustrate this enough? No, of course not, because she was just acting on emotion.

2.

Yes, I’m implying that Lily should have handled this situation with complete grace. Why shouldn’t she have, if she is the saintly and morally pure person you make her out to be? Why wouldn’t anyone expect her to be completely calm and polite in this situation? You expect exactly the same from a guy who was bullied and threatened in front of everyone. What are these double standards? Let’s make up our minds whether people still have the right to let loose emotions when they are being mentally destroyed, or whether there is no such right.

You state that Severus' words are not just a random insult, but a full attack on her identity and a bold sign that Severus associates himself with blood purists. You believe that this outburst of anger defines Severus. It doesn’t matter that he’s mentally broken at the moment. No. He had to behave with grace. He had to remain calm and polite. However, how he acted instead is seen as nothing more than malicious intent and a calculated situation (lmao, him being a mudblood too—and yes, anyone except pure-bloods is considered a mudblood by blood purists—definitely only confirms that his insult was well-considered and all). But does Lily play by some other rules? Doesn’t the same logic apply to her? Interesting. And I ask you to stop underestimating the power of bullying and abuse. That’s hardly on the same level, huh? If you're going to go into the emotional damage that Snape caused Lily with his insult, I can do the same. Severus’s mental state, already fragile from years of bullying and struggles with identity, was crushed even further by the realization that his only friend used the same cruel nickname his bullies had used to degrade him for years. Oh, and somehow she even managed to come up with a brand-new mockery to double the pile of bullying. She witnessed his public humiliation but joined the abusers at the first opportunity. And, of course, Severus’s trauma doesn’t mean anything. Only Lily’s trauma counts, given your constant highlighting of her hurt. 3.

No, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t think she’s a hypocrite for rejecting Severus’s apology after everything. I implied that she was a hypocrite because she forgave James, who never even apologized for his behavior. And this whole idea that she started dating him only after he changed and became valiant is not supported by anything at all. Sirius and Remus pointed out that James continued his bullying—just not on dates with her, but behind her back. Anyway, I don't really care about Lily's love choices. She has the freedom to believe in James' redemption, just as she has the freedom to reject Severus' apology. And she was not obliged to stick around. I've written this I don't know how many times, and I have little faith that this will be the last time because you people are still ignoring it. I wasn’t talking about their reunion; I was talking about a sense of remorse. Whether Lily forgave Snape or not, he felt guilty about his behavior and apologized. Lily never did. She didn’t think she had done anything wrong, and this is a significant difference between them. They both followed their emotions and hurt each other, but only one of them repented. Such things, whether you like it or not, say a lot. 4.

I hate to judge something by how it’s talked about. Show, don't tell, you know? The characterization of anything will vary greatly depending on the narrator and their biases. We explore the story through Harry’s eyes and hear the perspective of his father’s friends. If we were to study the story through Draco’s eyes and hear his father’s perspective on the events, I’m sure many things wouldn’t match. And this is the natural state of affairs. So forgive me if I don’t remember a single scene where Lily behaved like a good friend, and therefore I’m skeptical when someone proclaims her to be one. The fact that she justified her friendship with Severus to others can have a very double meaning. The fact that she defended him is also very questionable if she did so in the manner shown in the only scene of her "heroism." For me, this is all unconvincing, especially when, in contrast, we have the precedent of Sirius and James' friendship, which in some ways mirrors the situation of Lily and Severus, except for the differences that actually define the concept of friendship. Both Sirius and Severus grew up in abusive families, both had dark tendencies that were just expressed in different ways. But Potter stayed loyal to Black after the Prank, even though James was forced to sort out the situation by himself. Apparently, for James, the bond with Sirius was more important than punishing him for his recklessness, and this bond wasn’t broken. When Sirius finally decided to run away from home, he ended up with the Potters because he knew that James was fully aware of his family’s atrocities and, more importantly, ready to shield him from it. I could go into this for a very long time, but my main point is that I have no doubt James was a good friend. And I don’t even need to hear Sirius praise him for this. Show, don’t tell—this is exactly the case. Everything that has been shown of Severus and Lily’s friendship seems disturbing, and not just because of Severus' actions. That was the point of my previous post. 5.

Well, I started my original post with the phrase, "If you want to talk about her toxic friendship with Snape, don’t try to erase her contribution to the equation." Toxic friendship (mind that I didn’t say that only Lily was a toxic friend) and contribution to the equation (not her fault for ruining their friendship) are the key words. Lily Evans was the focus of my thoughts, but not the scapegoat. Don’t confuse these things. I didn’t delve deeply into Severus' contribution (though I haven’t ignored it in my post) because I’m not new to the fandom. In the more than 12 years I’ve been here, I’m well aware that the incident with the slur has been covered as much as possible.

Moreover, it is actively used as a way to shut down any discussion about Snape, conveniently omitting that Lily was, in fact, an active participant in this unhealthy dynamic, not a victim. And yeah, she wasn’t a good friend.

Although it depends on everyone’s understanding of friendship, I admit that some may consider her approach to friendship to be worthy. But again, you need to make up your mind: if Lily has the right not to be held accountable for her emotional outburst, then Severus does too. If the circumstances don’t mitigate words spoken in a state of distress, then Lily is responsible for her sudden bullying. Otherwise, it’s hypocrisy. I’m not going to be convinced that Lily was a suffering friend, if only because I’m fortunate enough to know what real friendship and support look like. Their friendship was toxic, but not solely at Severus' hands. He misstepped, and so did she. He apologized, she did not. That’s pretty much the whole story.

[certifiedwhore4slashers]

Fool

pairing: gf!wes hicks x fem!reader

summary: you were a fool to believe he was innocent and truly had died.

warnings: possessive behavior, yandere,gore, blood, murder, manipulation, faked death, parental death(not reader’s family), toxicity, obsession, etc…

It was sort of an inside joke in your friend group on how whipped Wes was for Tara, always there for her even when it was obvious she wasn’t into him.

So it didn’t surprise any of you he was the first to be at her side in the hospital. Sam of course was there.

However as killings continued, suspicions were raised. “Sam being back sort of ruins everything doesn’t it? Amber said.

You snorted.”You’re only saying that because you don’t like Sam.” “True! Chad pipes in. “Shut up, Pokémon onesie! Mindy teased.

“Well, She’s coming, Wes said.”When’s the last time Tara even saw her again?” “Five years, Amber said.”Sam’s like a troublemaker.”

“Wasn’t she like like thirteen? Amber, give her a break, You say softly. “You know who should get a break? Liv said grumpily.”Me. Vince keeps being a creep again!”

“Oh god, not Vince, You groan.”He’s such a weirdo.” You hear whistling coming in your way from the jocks. More specifically, the asshole named Landon.

“Hey sweetheart, want a ride home? He asks.

“I don’t think she wants to, Wes replied defensively. Your best friend since birth pretty much. You met him first before meeting Amber, Mindy, Liv, Chad and Tara.

“Huh, I don’t remember asking you, Landon hissed. His friends laughed at his response. “I’m sorry, I’m not interested in douchebags, You say, crossing your arms. "You playing hard to get turns me on, Landon smirks. "See you later, baby."

"Gross, You scoffed. "You okay, Buddy? Chad asks Wes. "I'm fine, He replied. Mindy smirks. "You don't seem fine." "Okay, I don't like him, so what? He hits on Y/N like all the time, He finished.

You nodded. "Hm, sounds like jealousy, Mindy jokes. "Oh come on, Mindy, we've been friends forever! You said. "Y/n is right, I'm not jealous, everyone doesn't like him, Wes defended.

He did have a very good point. Plus, jocks in general normally sucked. A few exceptions, of course, one being Chad. "I should be going, You replied." My Mom and Dad are going out so they need to lecture me on rules."

Liv chuckled. You sigh, getting up. Being by yourself wouldn't be so horrible. No, You loved being by yourself. As you expected, you were lectured on rules. However, good consequence from it. You were home alone.

You ordered pizza, since you didn't feel like cooking. You binge watched horror movies, drank some soda, since your alcohol cabinet was locked, your mom and dad knew you would drink.

truthfully, you didn't exactly mind. "Oh god, why are the blonde ones always so dumb? you scoff, judging the horror movie. You sigh, drinking your soda. "See, like, why do you even go there? obviously the killer will be there."

Your phone ringing interrupts you mid rant, making you annoyed. "hello? you say, picking up.

"Hello."

"Uh, hi, who is this? You say, curiously.

"is y/n l/n home?"

"Oh, you're speaking with her, You smile, wondering if someone you knew was calling, though, using the voice from stab, really?

"good, i really was hoping i could talk. This is Landon."

"oh my god, sorry, not interested."

"You really believed I was Landon, huh?"

You sigh of relief. "Oh, thank fucking god. Nice joke, Mindy."

“I’m not Mindy.”

“What do you mean? You say.”of course this has to be Mindy, the only one who would do a joke like that.”

“What’s your favorite scary movie?”

“Definitely not the one you’re referring to, You sigh, getting the popcorn from the microwave.”Maybe My Bloody Valentine.”

“Good one. But don’t you like the Stab Movies? Best horror franchise of all time.”

“Sorry, but it sucked, You say.”It’s disrespectful considering it’s based on real events.”

“But you’re watching it right now. Hypocritical of you.”

Your eyes widen, you were. Not because you well, liked the movies, but because you would want to judge them over and over. It was something you did with movies you sucked.

“How did you know that? You say, looking out the windows.

“I’m watching you right now.”

You pause the movie and check everywhere the creepy phone caller was.

“Well, where are you?”

“Right behind you.”

You didn’t want to look behind you, but did as Ghostface grabbed your throat, throwing you onto the table, your snacks spilling over. Everything on the ground.

You whimpered a little as your oxygen began running out, coughing and struggling to get some air. You squirm.

“Don’t move.”

You nodded, and stop moving. He lets go of your throat, so that wasn’t how he’d kill you. You ask, "Could you just kill me by now?"

"Now would that be fun?"

You sigh, closing your eyes, preparing for your death, seeing it now. Only pain. You groaned feeling yourself being stabbed. "No! Please! You cry out. You were in so much pain.

However, he stabbed you a few times more. You still lived, though. Blacking out, accepting your fate. But you woke up, surrounded by your friends.

"y/n! you woke up! Tara said. "Huh? You say, weakly. "Um, how do we say this? She finished. Amber sighed. "Wes and his Mom died." You see Sam and someone you don’t recognize.

"hi, i'm richie, he says awkwardly.”I’m sorry for your loss.” “Thank you, You replied. You couldn’t believe your best friend died.

Your head hurt, badly. You hit your head hard you assumed. “Oh god, You groaned, tears coming out from the fact your best friend was gone.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, Sam assured you. "i know, you frowned. You couldn't even imagine how he died. You felt horrible, you shouldn't have lived.

Amber seemed sympathetic but glared daggers at Sam. She didn’t like her. And made it fairly obvious. “I still am in so much pain, You groan.

“Maybe you need some sleep, Chad suggested. You nodded, deciding that’s what you really wanted. Some rest.

After a few hours you got some rest. You wanted to leave but you still had to recover, unfortunately. And by now you were by yourself.

Vulnerable.

At least you were filled with people around you. So not completely alone. You were bored, but having your phone, you would be fine. Something took you by surprise.

Wes had messaged you.

Or at least someone was using his phone to message you, taunt you. This was sick. But you couldn’t help but read the message.

It hurts doesn’t it?

This was confusing for a second, then you remembered he meant Wes.

Fuck you.

You were on read and didn’t get a response. Not for a while anyway. And you ignored further messages from Ghostface.

You eventually recovered enough to be discharged. And apparently the decision was to go to Stu Macher’s house. Why? You had no idea but went along because at least you wouldn’t be by yourself.

You sat on the living room couch, your friends with you. “I’m getting Deja vu, Mindy said. “You weren’t even born when Randy was here! You point out.

Liv and Chad sat together, though showing a bit more PDA than you can handle. “Whatever, you sigh. “Hey look, y/n, I get it, you’re grieving, Mindy said.

“I think I might just drink something, You frown, getting up and going to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, you hear something weird.

“Chad? Sam? You say, hoping it was at least one of them. But it wasn’t. Standing in front of you was Ghostface.

“Holy shit! Guys! You yell, as Ghostface lunges for you. “Y/n, what’s going on… FUCK! Chad said. Liv was nowhere to be seen.

“Look I have to find Liv, He said.”She accepted my request and-“ “okay! But it might be a trap! You say, Ghostface grabbing you from behind, scaring you as you screamed, violently kicking to get out of his grasp.

You should’ve seen this coming. But you didn’t. “Hey, asshole! Sam said, making Ghostface turn in her direction, hitting him and you getting out of his grasp.

It didn’t surprise you that there was another one. Richie seemed totally freaked out, and so were you. “I’ve seen this in like a million Stab movies! He said.

You had known that he hadn’t seen them prior, and watched them while supporting Sam. “Okay, but those movies sucked and aren’t accurate! You said.”So the most logical thing to do apparently was just run around and hope the killer doesn’t find you.

Nice.

You were already exhausted but nonetheless made sure you stuck by your friends. You didn’t trust Amber, and you hadn’t seen her so it was quite obviously her as Ghostface.

“Okay, it’s either Amber or Liv, I think it’s Amber though, You murmur. Tara would’ve been very offended if she had heard that.

When all of a sudden, Ghostface lunges out. And Sidney arrived. Out of everyone she pretty much knew how to deal with Ghostface the best.

“Run! Sidney said. You ran into Amber. Then apparently Liv, who was covered in blood. “Liv, what the fuck? You say.

“I found Chad! She sobbed. “We know it’s you! Amber yelled.”Stop trying to make yourself look innocent!” “Stay back, Sam said. Richie somehow appeared again.

That made you very suspicious. “Richie, maybe stay the fuck back yourself, You snap. “What did I do? He asks.

“The love interest is always a suspect, I said. “Calm down, Y/N, Sam said. Defending her boyfriend as usual. But everyone else, it seemed clear Richie was suspicious.

Gale had been knocked out and Sidney stood by you and your friends. “I swear I’m not the killer! Liv said.”Chad’s dead.”

Amber went from scared to smug.”I know.” She pulled out a gun, and shot Liv point blank, killing her. Everyone scrambled but Richie, who stuck behind, revealed to be the second killer.

“Ah ah, I wouldn’t move if I were you, Richie said to Sam, knife pressed on her throat, putting the voice changer on.”Surprise, Sam.”

Everyone steps into the kitchen, Amber cornering Sidney. “But that’s not even the best part! Amber said proudly, sticking by her older boyfriend, making you want to vomit.

She was fucking psychotic. But at the same time, Amber definitely was a victim in the sense she was groomed by Richie, but they both seemed fucked in the head.

A third Ghostface appeared. And that feeling appeared again. That dreadful feeling. Your intuition. Amber specifically looks at you. And that’s when you knew.

“Surprise, Y/N.”

Wes has a sick grin on his face, the mask off and his hand. “You killed your own mother? You ask, Jaw dropped.

“It wasn’t too hard, and besides, she was being a bitch, it had to be done, Wes said. He’d never call his mother that. He loved his Mom. It was sweet and, he was respectful.

This wasn’t the person you had grown up with and knew. This was a completely different person. “Don’t, Sam said.”Don’t let him get close, y/n.”

“I know.”

You wanted to, You so badly wanted to. But that wasn’t what you were going to do. You grabbed a kitchen knife, and when you really thought about it, you needed to kill him.

“Go on, do it, Wes smirked.”Kill me.” Amber and Richie only stood there like idiots but seemed proud. You put more thought into this. You needed to be logical.

It was clear that he was going off an obsession. Some fucked up feelings he had for you. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t kill you.

You were going to kill him, but not first. Instead, you plunged the knife straight into Amber, as she screamed out in pain.

“You’re next, you should run, Ghostface.”

You were such a fool.

[mxtantrights]

Bounded by blood and shadow (16)

azriel x magic!fem!reader

Kynas is not here. And he hasn’t been here since you last arrived. You used your abilities to try and hone in on anything and you got nothing back. It was useless.

“You should take a break.” Azriel’s voice comes from behind you. 

You sigh and turn around to face him now. 

There he stands. He’s finally ditched his leathers for something more weather appropriate. Sangri never had a winter season. It was always some type of hot. Warm, sticky or unbearable. The dry season just ended so right now it’s just warm.

You had given him clothes to wear, had left him on the side of his bed he didn’t sleep on before you got your start this morning. He looked like any other person here, besides the wings.

“Take a break and do what?” You ask.

Azriel shrugs his shoulders, “Come train with me.” 

“Train? Azriel if you want me to beat you again all you have to do is ask.” 

And that’s how you end up in the training room inside the palace. You hadn’t used it in so many years but you were used to it. The divots in the mats, how some of them were worn and easier to step on than others. 

Azriel circles you this time. 

You two had spoken a couple of words on the way here. He asked you how you slept, and you told him fine. Which was true. You didn’t have a nightmare at all last night. You asked him how he slept and he said fine, which you know was a lie. You heard him tossing and turning. But you didn’t question him about it.

When you two got to the room you showed him around. You showed him the weapons, the gear and the mats. 

He rushed you to get back to the plan, which was training. You didn’t really believe that. You don’t know what to believe when it comes to Azriel but him wanting to train with you? Unbelievable. 

You both agreed you wouldn’t use powers. 

You eye Azriel as he crosses in front of you. 

“If I beat you three times, do I get a prize?” You ask.

He smiles, actually smiles. You see how pretty his teeth are. Huh. You want to wipe that smile off his face.

Without another word you launch at him. He side steps you.

“You always launch instead of waiting,” he says.

You grunt, “I was taught in offense.” 

“I can tell. What you need is proper defense training.” He answers.

“That’s what the blood bending is for.” You reply.

Azriel clicks his tongue, “You can’t always rely on that to get you out of a fight.” 

He grabs your arm and pins it behind your back. Your back to his front. You feel his shadows sneaking up your legs.

“You’re relying on your shadows right now, hypocrite.” You snark.

Azriel lets you go, you put space between you and turn around to face him. He looks at his shadows, that are slinking back to him now. He has that same face he did when you told him about he shadow at your door, and when the shadow yanked you during your second fight with him. Confusion. His shadows are supposed to be a part of him, so why do they like touching you so much?

“One of them joined me last night for my bath.” You add.

Azriel looks at you then, eyes blown wide.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t do that—I didn’t even know about that.” He says.

You take him in for a second. How serious he looks, and how down right sorry he actually seems. His nose and ears turning a dark shade of red. And you can’t help yourself from laughing at the situation. You double over and hold onto your stomach. In between laughs you can see his face change into annoyance. Well, it is funny to you. Hilarious even. 

You fall to your knees with your eyes closed.

Somewhere between laughing you can’t catch your breath. It slows the laughter down and you open your eyes. You reach up to your chest and scratch at it. A dark flash goes across your vision. You look down and see multiple shadows skirting across your skin. 

You can’t help it, you fall to the mat on your back. 

And then he comes into view.

Azriel is kneeling down and asking if you’re okay. You can’t get a word out. You can’t breathe enough air into your lungs. You can feels the shadows and then you feel his hands. His hand over your chest, checking your heart. He then places his fingers on your neck’s pulse point. And you can hear his blood flowing in his veins. Its loud.

“Talk to me, what’s going on?” He says to you.

You shake your head at him, “I can’t. I can’t do this.”

“Do what?”

You take a sharp breath in. You feel his hand cradle the back of your head.

You can’t fight Kynas. As much as you joke about wanting to kill him, as much as you dream about it, you can’t do it. It means too much to you. Not only is he your ex husband, but he’s also the traitor that tried to sell out his people to the humans. It wasn’t just your pain embedded in this situation. A lot of people want the chance to kill him.

You shake your head again.

If you don’t want to be empress, you’ll have to kill him. You can’t afford to think like this, or to be scared. You can’t afford to make a mistake now.

“No one asked me to babysit you.” Azriel says suddenly.

You look at him, brows furrowed and lip parted. What was he talking about right now?

Seemingly he can read the confusion all over your face, so he clarifies his words.

“When you came to visit Velaris. None of them asked me to watch you before Amren came.” 

You take another breath. A big one now, deeper. The sound of his blood becomes lower and lower. You take him in now. You know what you said earlier about his eyes, and how he might’ve had at least a dozen scorned lovers somewhere. And Elaine misses his dearly. 

Maybe if you knew him for long enough you would miss him.

You still can’t quite understand what he’s saying to you. 

“Why?” You ask him now.

He looks at you for a moment. You can feel his hand, still at the back of your head. And how his thumb is softly moving back and forth. There is no need for it. And yet you don’t pull away. As your breathing evens out and you start to come back to your senses.

“I wanted to get to know you. For myself.” He answers.

There is no room for you to confuse that. He wanted to know you? Well it’s not like you were overly mean to him. He wasn’t mean to you either. It’s just—well, you had thought that he was only looking for information about you. For Nesta, For Rhysand. For whoever else in the inner circle wanted information about you.

“Is that why you’re pretending you’re stuck?” You question.

Even though, at this point, it’s not a question. You have enough sense to connect the dots. He’s trying to get to know you, and with all the curiosity around you the only place he can do so freely without wondering minds watching him is in your home. Your home which he is the only fae allowed to enter. 

Azriel nods his head as answer.

You feel his shadows remove themselves from your body. Then he removes his hand from the back of your head. He makes sure to do so softly. You keep looking right at him as he does all of this. He sits back now, knees up and his arms around them. You sit up on your side.

“Quite a predicament we find ourselves in, shadow singer.” You say.

He chuckles, light and soft. Not words you’d used to describe him upon first meeting him. But now, now things are very different.

“Indeed, blood bender.”

-

By the time night time falls you’re in bed. In your hands is one of the many scrolls your brought with you from the library. You’ve been thinking it over and over in your mind. Having to kill Kynas might not be the way to go. Who knows if he’s alone in this wicked plot. What if his death sparks a revolt? What if his death is just the first in a long line of deaths you’ll have to complete?

In your hands right now is the scroll for stripping his powers. Should it come down to a nasty fight, having this in your arsenal wouldn’t hurt. That way you won’t have to kill him, he’ll just be powerless. 

In the hallway you can hear footsteps. You put the scroll down on the bed.

“It took you a while in there, I hope you didn’t leave a mess.” You speak.

Azriel had left the room about an hour ago for a snack. You doubt Illyrians have snacks. How could he obtain all that muscle if all he had were tiny meals. He needed to eat at least four times a day. And there were no cleaners inside the palace to tackle what could be a large mess.

On your wrist the shadow seems to tighten the slightest bit. It makes you look at your wrist. You watch the shadow unravel itself and run up your arm. 

Something is wrong.

You get out of the bed slowly, trying to keep your footsteps quiet. Which wouldn’t really matter if you think about it. You flick your arm out and form a  blood blade the size of your arm out. You creep closer and closer to the door, trying to pick up on anything that might tell you what’s going on. 

As you get behind the door you feel it. Three people were outside in the hallway. Three. Azriel, which you already felt and two others.

You don’t wait. You pull the door open even more and walk outside. There waiting for you in the hallway is your brother, your ex husband, and Azriel.

“Nice to see you again, wife.”

[jcollinswrites]

JC!!!

No you did not make a father/son RO choice 💀

I just saw this and ofcourse you did 🤣😭

It's gonna be me in Honor amongst thieves all over again.

Now i have to ask another two parter question:

Sorry, i know I'm annoying 😑

1. How would Namer's son actually feel about him dating an MC around their age?

And 2. Much more importantly.

TOTALLY HYPOTHETICAL!!!!!

Completely

I never do this....

Clearly!!!

But say you struggle to really choose between the ROs. And you kinda romance more than one....🫣

How would the ROs react to that? Are some of them very jealous? And who would have the most rivalry dynamic among the ROs if MC was interested in more than one RO.

Just for shits and giggles... i completely have no problem with this in every other game.........

Also hiiiiiii!!! 😇💕

No you did not make a father/son RO choice 💀 I just saw this and ofcourse you did 🤣😭

Huh? I did?

Oh wait. I did. Oops 😇 Could be father/daughter too 🙃

1. How would Namer's son actually feel about him dating an MC around their age?

Very weirded out. They would be uncomfortable around MC for a long time. I think they would need some years to get used to it. If MC is cool about it, then maybe sooner, but I don't think Ahmose could ever really be friends with that MC, not on a deeper level.

you struggle to really choose between the ROs. And you kinda romance more than one....🫣

I thought about this for a long time, and I came to the conclusion that I will do locked romance routes. Not because I don't like jealousy scenes (I love them), but I think I already have way too many variables in the story to be able to implement a who-dates-who/ break-up/get-together-again thing. It would just be too much to write and I'm already writing A LOT.

So, my current plan is to make a choice in Chapter 4 (up to change), where you choose your final RO and get stuck with it 'til the bitter end. I'm sorry if this disappoints some readers, but I think this is the best solution for me to be able to deliver a quality story.

How would the ROs react to that? Are some of them very jealous? And who would have the most rivalry dynamic among the ROs if MC was interested in more than one RO.

For the aforementioned reasons, this ask is not spoilery then, so here you go 😀

I think Narmer would be the most jealous lol. He would try not to show it, but he really wouldn't like it if MC suddenly starts showing interest in someone else. (ESPECIALLY if that other person is his kid, then he would be pissed off. Unless the MC is a teen. Then he would go YES go choose Ahmose you idiot)

Qenna would take that as an opportunity to push the MC towards the other, clearly better, more emotionally stable, not-a-trainwreck potential love interest. It would hurt them like a bitch, but they would still do it.

Zaia would sulk. They would be conflicted between wanting to prove that they are clearly better than that other nobody, but at the same time, Zaia would realize that MC would probably be better off with a fellow human.

Tabiry would be a bit jealous. But she also knows that the MC is a person with free will and a free heart, so she would try to up her game, but otherwise, wouldn't interfere. She would sulk in private.

Ahmose would be a bit heartbroken. I think they would just go for advice to Qenna, who is actually not the worst person to ask for advice, and Qenna would tell them to have confidence, be themselves, and let the MC choose what they want. (bit hypocritical, but that's Qenna in a nutshell)

Long ass answer lol, but thanks for the messages! ✨ (you are not annoying)

[actiniumwrites]

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 12

synopsis: new years parties aren’t really your thing. luckily wriothesley is there to keep you company

characters: wriothesley x gn!reader

wc: 445

warnings: fluff, slight angst, wriothesley being kind of a little shit, reader does not enjoy parties and is very much an overthinker, not proofread

notes: this was supposed to have like 4-5 different characters in it but i hated how their parts turned out and was only able to salvage wriothesely’s. this probably would’ve been better if i had more time but alas work has taken over my life 🥲

It’s freezing when you step out onto the balcony. So cold you can feel your skin being pinched and the sniffles forming in your nose as the seconds pass. Still, it’s better than being suffocated by the air of the party inside.

You only get a grand total of twenty-eight seconds alone.

A familiar voice jests from somewhere behind you, “What? The party not good enough for you?”

You cross your arms over the ledge of the railing, a breathy laugh that shows in the cold air falls from your lips, “Yeah, actually. It sucks.”

Wriothesley snorts as he comes to stand directly next to you, only his back leans against the railing, opposite to the way you’re facing, “Well hey, at least you’re honest.”

You feel his gaze on you and you can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking about. Why he’s even out here wasting his time with you instead of the party inside.

Everyone was having fun except for you. He shouldn’t be forced to endure your suffering too, you think to yourself. New Years is meant for resolutions and finding the positive in the year before the negatives weasel their way into your mind. You’re aware it’s hypocritical given your current situation, but how else were you supposed to feel?

“That should be your resolution.”

“Huh?”

“To stop overthinking,” he clarifies, staring ahead at the see-through glass doors he faces, “You’re wondering why I’m out here, right?”

Your brows furrow as you lift your head from where it was once resting on your crossed arms. Part of you winces from the sudden icy breeze that blows against your face, the other from the shock of being read so easily. You don’t give in, “Go back inside, Wriothesley.”

“Yeah no thanks. I’d rather spend my time with you,” he says, a bright and knowing smile on his face. You hate that he knows how to push your buttons. You also hate that you can never stop yourself from smiling when he smiles too.

“So cheesy,” you mumble so quietly he misses it.

The time flashes brightly on your phone: 12 AM. Despite the glass of the doors being so thick, the sound of cheering makes it through, interrupting your moment of peace. Faint laughter and the sound of the television announcing a happy new year makes you realize you had entirely missed the grand moment you were here for altogether.

You turn to look at Wriothesley only to find his blue eyes already on you. “Happy New Year,” you whisper, leaning a little closer and finally giving into him just like you always did.

“Happy New Year,” Wriothesley says, closing the gap.

[vanillablankcanvas]

Sable's Secret

Even with his eyes closed he could feel Sable freaking out.

Sable's voice shook. "Promise me you won't freak out."

"Sable, baby I promise."

He heard Sable try to control her breathing as she exhaled slowly and she placed something weighty in his hands.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

...

..

.

John Dory blinked in confusion at the object in his hand.

"Oh" he said softly as he recognised it.

Sable's heart dropped and her shoulders sagged.

"Is this pine?"

.......what?

"Eh?" Sable replied with the most elegance she could muster.

"You shouldn't be using pine that's just silly. Gets all bent all out of shape and cracks at the slightest breeze. Willow wood is where it's at! It more flexible."

Sable was utterly baffled by his reaction.

"It... you don't think it's weird?"

"That you have a wooden leg? Pffft noooo."

Sable's eyes darted around the room in confusion. Surely he's bluffing?

"Is this a joke?"

John Dory looked up from the leg to find Sable starting to visibly shake. He quickly placed the leg down on the table and held her hands.

"Sabe, I'm not joking...why would you think I'm joking?"

She couldn't look at him.

"You were really scared to tell me, weren't ya?"

She could only nod a little bit.

"What happened?"

She brought her gaze up to meet his but didn't reply.

"We were in the tunnels...."

***

Flashback to teenage Sable running through the tunnels with her parents. The Bergens had already discovered they'd escaped and were trying to dig them out.

Sable was running alongside her parents. The shaking from the Bergens footsteps and shovels cause the tunnel to rumble and Sable loses her footing and falls.

Just as a Bergen shovels through the dirt above her.

Right through her leg....

Flashforward a a year or two later

Sable is in a makeshift hospital in the forest. The Pop Trolls are trying to rebuild their society but she can't do much to help.

Only her parents visit her.

Not Summer

Not Sage

Not Sonnet

Not Scout

She fell into a dark place.

She was grey for a short time.

After that, the only thing she found herself being able to do was read. She found comfort in the books. She found an escape. This was her beginning towards her extensive education and her acting career.

***

"So when you didn't wanna go swimming?..."

"Yes"

"The long ass skirts?..."

"Yes"

"The 'always turnin up to stuff too early' thing?"

"I prefer not to have an audience if I am forced to use stairs."

"....No dancing?"

She turned to him sadly. Her ears drooped.

"That one hurt the most."

"So the reunion rumours...?"

"I did not refuse the reunion because I am, as they said, 'too good for my pop star past'. I physically cannot do the dances anymore!"

"Do the other Sugar Girls know?"

"No. You are now one of the very few who knows."

"I'm honoured."

Sable tried to smile but she really couldn't.

John noticed she had gone quiet in her thoughts.

"Babe, I've met Trolls with lost legs before. Heck, I've met Trolls with eyes made of glass, some with more scars than skin, one guy had half his stupid face missing, trust me it was an improvement! A wooden leg isn't scary."

"This-" she gestured to the leg "-Is an everlasting reminder of the most horrible time of my life. I was alone and afraid and-"

"-and you survived!"

Sable gasped. Tears began to formed.

"And you're here! You coulda thrown yourself in hole and never come out but you said 'not today' and look at you now! You're a smokeshow who kicks the ass of everything thrown her way. " He playfully punched her arm "Myself included!"

She wiped the tears before they had a chance to fall and leaned against his shoulder.

"Will you tell me what happened to your hand?"

John looked down to his glove. He sighed and slowly took it off.

"Well I guess you showed me yours, I gotta show you mine now huh?"

"Jonathan Dor-" she stopped short when she saw his exposed hand.

The hand did not look good at all. She felt like a hypocrite having thought that. At least her stump had been cared for and healed properly. John's hand looked like it had been crushed and had no care given to it at all.

"How?"

"For a while, folks from all over thought I was the last Pop Troll. They hadn't taken a liking to Pop yet so I had a bounty put on my head. They thought they could get ridda Pop for good. Some Yodeler was on my tail, got me with an ice pick."

Sable was shocked and blinked at him almost not believing him.

He tried to flex his hand, but not much happened. "This thing kinda reminds me of when I was alone too but-"

"-but you survived. Just like I did. And look at us now."

He used his now ungloved hand to grab hold of hers and bring it to his lips for a gentlemanly peck.

"So you really don't care about my leg?"

"Nah, makes me love you more."

"John?"

"Yah babe?"

"You realise that is the first time you've said that to me?"

"What?"

She looked at him waiting for him to connect the dots.

"........I said the L word?"

"You did."

"...No I didn't"

"I heard you"

"...I take it back"

"John Dory-"

"-Nononoono, nope it didn't happen." he covered his ears.

"John!"

"Nopenopenope, didn't happen!"

"I love you too, you moron!"

He stopped and uncovered his ears.

He smirked as he ran over and scooped her up bridal style.

"Leg, shmleg! What is so wrong with you that you somehow love me back?"

Sable could only laugh as he pulled her close.

Yeah

Leg shmleg

There is also an NSFW reason she was hesitant to tell him if anyone wants to know 😏