#i actually like all the characters so far and i finally get what y'all were on about carlos

[teotheratking]

ABOUT JEAN: The monthly discourse

Damn and I thought we were past monthly Jean discourse, y'all are quite off schedule this time.

I do think it's funny how Jean-Heron Vicquemare continues to be The Public Enigma with what could be equivalent of 5 minutes of screen time. All of his appearances can be put into 3 groups: worrying/searching for Harry, watching over Harry, spending 45 minutes on insulting him. So it only makes sense how his discourse as well is surrounded by conversation, what is his relationship with Harry? Him being Harry's Satellite officer is like another added layer to how his whole existence seems in a constant orbit around the center of the Earth - Harrier Du Bois.

When discussing both of these characters I think it is crucial to strip them down layer by layer. When we're doing this Harry and Jean, I think we see far too quickly, how similar they are even with many differences: both are addicts, depressed, having facial scarrings and, of course, both are cops.

When looking at them from purely 'superior and subordinate perspective, they remind me of Robert Eggers script from The Lighthouse (2019) particularly this bit:

The Lighthouse explores the themes of capitalism and perpetual cycles of new and old generations: Young and Old.

We can see similar themes explored in DE as well. The game isn't afraid of constantly putting the players head into the mud, saying: "Yeah, it is that shit." RCM is a constantly moving system that lures people in with the promise of help for community and spits out a hollow husk of their former selves. Though I would say it doesnt do that either as most of them die before ever reaching retirement age.

Harry is surrounded by old dog imagery.

Particularly dogs that are about to be put down or are already dead. I particularly love this segment of the game with Joyce - it is clear that in this segment the black dog licking his wound is Harry, who's getting put down by the system he works in. But what I think makes the scene even better is what follows it:

Every officer's fate in RCM is the same.

It's the years of violence, brutality, system that eats those, who help and enables those, who hurt. It's speed, alcohol, never ending poverty, and as years go by another officer is closer and closer to finally pull the trigger on the old dog that you have become.

One final act in the Disco Inferno.

And there's inescapable horror in all of this: seeing what you will become, what you're bound to become. Looking in the mirror and staring at your partner's reflection - ever present reminder: "This will be you in 10 years to come."

When Jean says "trying," what he actually means is "functional." Having context of RCM system and inherent ableism of it, I think it's safe to say, that "to try" means "to succeed."

Jean isn't anymore functional than Harry as he is simply younger. Harry through entirety of the game is experiencing raining bonefire of decades of drug abuse and effects of poverty and long lasting emotional physical abuse. Meanwhile, Jean is yet to experience the crashing sun. He has 10 years to do so.

In perpetual vortex that is this sinking ship, partnership and comradery, become essentials for survival. Harry and Jean form particularly tight bond, tight enough that both can't evade speculations about their sexuality or type of relationship they have, thus "hetero-sexual life partners" are born.

I see a lot of people insisting, that those two relationship, that they had is what we can see right now in the game: partnership that feels more like a race of self destruction, while putting sticks in each other's metaphorical bicycles. To see which one falls first. But I feel this is complete controdictory to what we hear from the game:

"Trouble in paradise" - I wouldn't use those words if my two coworkers, who try to sabotage each other on the daily would finally get into all consuming fight. Though what do I know about male-centric workplace humour.

No matter, which way you choose to look at it, at the events of Disco Elysium, Jean's and Harry's relationship is at their absolute worst. Rock bottom. Maybe even beyond it, though that depends how one evaluates forgetting 44 years of your life except lost ex goes into equation. What we see is culmination of their every moment together - good and bad, which erupts into terrible earthquake.

Finally, what we see of Jean and Harry's relationship is supposed to be merely introduction, or at least was (Kurwitz pls, let me read the scripts). By small bits and pieces Luiga has decided to reveal to the public is that Jean is supposed to be one of main partners of the second game featuring The Return.

This doesn't deny Jean's role as The Jury or The Executioner in the Final Tribunal. He represents RCM's bigotry, ableism and hypocrisy of it all - a broken system of a destructive cycle - ouroboros eating it's own tail. However at the end of the day he's as much a person as any other in Elysium - full of complexity and nuance, the verdict of we simply do not have enough information of.

Finally at the end of this... I don't know what to even call this, I have no idea how one would arrive to concrete conclusion, that is either: "Jean good' or "Jean bad." All game's characters are some kind of moraly grey - this isn't a MARVEL movie or a fairy tale that people want it to be. It is a commentary of cultures that we all have grown up in. For me DE really resonates from Baltic States history and culture context, because this is all I've ever known.

[rocksalt-and-pie]

haha no im fine yeah no i just started watching the winchesters and yeah i guess i literally burst into tears when the first episode ended with dean right there on my tv screen but it's fine i just haven't seen him in a while and he's kind of like my best friend you know haha and also he like died a couple of years ago but yeah no we thought he was dead but yeah it's complicated so but yeah im fine haha

[crumblinggothicarchitecture]

Y'all wanna know about a gender-non-conforming knight from 13th century France? No? That's okay- I'm fine with talking to myself.

I'm obsessed with gender performativity in early medieval texts- so obviously I had to know everything about Le Roman De Silence.

To preface-

So, long before there was the Marvel Cinematic Universe- there was the interconnected works of the Arthurian Legends. The original superheroes- King Arthur, Merlin, Morganna le Fey, and the rest of the cast. However, one of the lesser known (only arguably canonical) interconnected texts of the Arthurian legend hails from France. People argue over whether or not to include these texts as part of the cannon of King Arthur because it's technically french- and the french-english divide between characterization of all the main players of Arthur's court is remarkably different. Much research on this suggests the discrepancy of characterization is largely due to distance between where the stories originate, and sociopolitical tensions between the French and the English. Either people were too far apart to share stories- thus too far apart to keep characterization uniform, or they fucking hated each other enough to mess up the characterization on purpose. For example, many of the French portrayals of King Arthur paint him to be a rather terrible person, where English portrayals are generally more kind to him.

All that aside- many people will disagree that Le Roman de Silence should even be part of the Arthurian legend canon anyway- because it only mentions Merlin at the end of the poem and because it's a super french poem.

The main storyline is about this character named Silence. From the Old French Poem- Le Roman de Silence.

Gender? No- Never heard of it.

The latter half of the story in this poem is predicated on a complex mediation of Nature vs Nurture. What happens is that a baby is born into a wealthy family, and for sociopolitical reasons, the family decides to raise the girl baby as a boy. They name this child "silence." Silence grows up with full access to an education, as was typical for the boy children of aristocratic medieval families- this education becomes important later as Silence wrestle with where they fit into the larger social structure after maturing into adulthood. Essentially, they find the idea of marriage too boring and would like to be a Knight or Explorer instead. (I love them.) Anyway, it's fascinating to me that the conceptual ideas of nature and nurture are personified into being something like "deities" which are overseeing the growth of Silence through the ages- and so we get these deities commentary.

Silence wants to be a knight- so Nurture brags about being right that gender is more performative than it is biological. Then, later Silence grows up to be remarkably "pretty" and according to the deity of Nature- they brag about being right that biology and gender are intrinsically tied. It's such a thought-provoking mediation on gender as either performance or pure biology that I forget it was written in the 13th century- long before Freud or Lacan or any of the others who became hyper fixated on human presumption of gender as either a social category or a biological necessity.

I argued in a paper, once, that the narrative itself does actually finally end on the note that Gender is a performance, and it is tied into social roles only so the ruling class can have control of the population. That is why the stories ending shifts into horror-genre-esque of Silence marrying into the upper-ruling class.

I also have a strong urge to write a Fanfiction of Silence as a knight- who does not meet a sad fate but rather lives happily as a knight and eventually marries a princess. Okay- Okay? fine I said it. I said it-

Social pressure to marry?

The story takes a dark turn, however- when the King demands Silence to reveal themselves in front of the court. Obviously, even the author of the story was aware that misogynistic social standards would not allow for people to ever really be free of gender stereotypes and roles. So, Silence is then forced out of the adventurous lifestyle of a knight and into a marriage. Also, this is the place in the story where Merlin makes an appearance (I have a theory that Merlin is representative of the devil, and the author really hated that all AFAB people were forced into marriage back in 1200's. So that's why the devil shows up when all the bad shit is happening to Silence).

Inevitability and dismay-

What I find particularly interesting about this poem is the fact that the end, as Silence is forced into marriage and back into "proper" social roles for their assumed biological characteristics, is the fact that it is written like an early attempt at gothic horror!

So, one of the stipulations for something being a "gothic horror" is 1.) old, archaic, twisted buildings. (this blog is indeed named after my fixation with gothic horror elements, it's interplay relation to social reform, as its emphasis on decay as the tonal necessity for social indemnification). Anyway, the other most important aspect of gothic horror- is an overwhelming sense of desolation, isolation, and loneliness.

Sure, Silence is forced into marriage- but even with the forthright writing style of the author, we, as readers, are struck by Silence's loneliness. Thus, the "happily ever after" part of the storyline wherein the characters get married, as it traditional to chivalric romance, is recriminated against in subtext. Now, we have a moment in which the "happily ever after" is a creation of horror rather than peace.

Ending the narrative with marriage as equivalent to a loss of freedom and a sense of evermore-present loneliness, cumulating in the edifice of horror-struck fear in Silence at their own new future, is a remarkably bold social statement coming from a 13th century author.

I just think it's a really interesting text on the thematic points of negotiating Gender identity, in broader terms of performance and social roles, as much as it is a critique on the total social control that the monarchy held over the people of 13th century France.

Edit: I need to add that Silence themselves consistently rejects the idea that they are AFAB and instead only ever refers to themselves as "Silence" or "the knight"

[eroguron0nsense]

The Mysterious Mysteries of Mr Sir Crocodile (Character Analysis)

(Apologies in advance for discrepancies from my usual tone and for holding off on everyone who voted for this on my last poll. Honest to God I hope y'all enjoy this in some capacity because I've been procrastinating on this meta so long it's derailed ALL my other One Piece writing and I only accomplished it through addy-fuelled mania)

This was such a fucking pain to write. I really wanted to say something about Crocodile and what makes him so fascinating that wasn't like, another fan theory or just a set of headcanons, but that's easier said than done?? We could boil it down to immaculate design, screen presence, attitude, or just the fact that he got brought back as an unlikely ally who shocked everyone by saving the protagonist, but I don't know that those factors in and of themselves make for a villain who's become such an object of fandom obsession.

Whatever it is, it's certainly not backstory or depth, because 24 years and hundreds and hundreds of chapters after his introduction, we still know nothing about Sir Crocowani's past beyond a vague confrontation with the Late Great Edward Newgate (that apparently like, ruined his dreams or something?), and some totally-not-just-a-threat-to-out-him-if-he-betrayed-the-alliance blackmail material the Queen of the Queers is holding over his sandy reptilian ass. I was born and grew into adulthood in the time it took Oda to tell the world fuck all about where he's from or his inner thoughts, or his actual honest motivations and traumas.

All we have about this character are questions. Why did he save Luffy and Ace –very conspicuously after both of their lineages were revealed to the world– against all logic and reason? Does he have ties to the revolutionaries? Is he the long-lost son of Rocks D. Xebec? Did he bounce on Comrade Dragon's Monkey D and squirt out the fucking Warrior of Liberation? I assume Oda's going to tell us more about him, but at this point, he's managed to keep a tighter lid on Sir Crocs, Inc.'s past than the fucking Secret History

You may be wondering, dear reader: what the fuck is my point? What is there, at this final stage of Long Running Pirate Manga, for me–Frankie EroGuroNonsense, OP Tumblr Community Z-lister with like, 7 mildly popular meta posts under my belt–to write about the legendary Sir Krokorok that hasn't already been said or theorized? What eagle-eyed observations did I make while rereading Alabasta and writing toxic Crobin fanfic? Am I going anywhere with this? Sorta. Yeah.

Let's start with listing things we actually know about Crockpot, in roughly chronological (??) order: –attended Gol D.'s execution way back when he was my age, along with anyone else who's anyone from his generation.

–At some point, met and was known well enough by Iva that she could effectively blackmail him

–Made it far enough on the Grand Line, somehow getting to the New World, and managed to pick up an 81,000,000 bounty (low end for a warlord, presumably scouted fairly early in his career)

–Wanted to be Pirate King until he gave up on it, not 100% explicitly confirmed but most likely due to getting his ass beat so badly by Whitebeard that he settled for picking off small fry and racketeering behind a government desk job. This makes him profoundly relatable to the rest of us depressed fucking losers who acquiesce to our own mediocrity.

–At 30, after presumably licking his wounds for a hot minute, sets up shop in Alabasta, comes up with a clever evil plan to quietly build up enough arms to conquer the world with a WMD, and then gets his years-long bioterrorist coup attempt foiled by a 17-year-old.

The rest we know: after a brief moment of glory as the unsung MVP of Impel Down/Marineford, he immediately reverts to Failguy Mode, gives all his money to a literal clown, and consequently gets roped into the neverending uncontrollable PR nightmare that is Cross Guild. It's still super vague and we know little to nothing about his past before the Alabasta Saga (for all we know he had a fling with King Cobra)

...Onto his personality and mannerisms. This shit's a lot more revealing. Superficially, he's everything: immaculate Bond villain levels of charismatic villainy, unbelievably ostentatious, dripped out like a Pimp, constantly smoking cigars, absolutely dripping with smugness and grease and disdain. Owns exotic pets and a giant casino, and spends every waking moment either grinning like a maniac when he's got the upper hand or storming around in a fucking mood when anything goes mildly wrong.

He's also pretty hardened underneath all that, obviously couldn't have lived a day on the grand line or survived Impel Down Torture otherwise. But even in Alabasta, Crockery gives off an air of being distinctly more grounded and willing to get his hands dirty than other flashy, established villains who flaunt their wealth and status. A big part of it is just his really hyper-masculine indomitable tough guy persona, but even early on he's very much micromanaging his operation, fighting people hand to hand in (as opposed to, say, Doffy, who literally puppeteers people while lounging around) and makes a point to keep almost all of his followers at a distance and rely on them as little as possible. He rants a bit about how dreams and whatnot are pointless follies, as One Piece antagonists tend to do, and repeatedly taunts Vivi about how her idealism can't save her, but with the context that he wanted to find Laughtale himself, it feels a lot like projection.

The character trait that's harped on a LOT in canon, and probably the most pertinent one to whatever demons he has, is Croconaw's profound pathological distrust for everyone around him. It's a huge part of what makes him a good early foil to the Nefertari family and the Straw Hats, whose collective strength is derived from organic human connection; Crocalor, by contrast, makes sure that up until the very last moment, he keeps most of his people so distant from him that they genuinely have no idea he's even their boss. His relationship with Robin is interesting, but he turns on her immediately when he realizes she either can't or won't give him the location of Pluton and has his dramatic stabbing/"I forgive you" lines about how he never trusted her or anyone from the start. He says the same shit to Mihawk when he suggests they join forces, even citing their mutual distrust as a kind of paradoxical justification for why they'd actually work well together.

Arguably the only exception is Daz Bones, but even that relationship is still a pretty reserved one; one of the few traits Daz exhibits is a similar avoidance of human connections to his boss and even though they've ironically formed a bond despite it, I can't imagine that they're emotionally close. I find these more explicit declarations of paranoia a lot less indicative of what's actually going on in Croconut's head than subtext, but I feel inclined to mention them just because it more or less tells us that his background/trauma has something to do either with betrayal or alternatively just being jaded and deprived to the point of self-isolation.

Krookodile's character gets a little bit more interesting when we get to see him again in Impel Down being a smug little manipulative rascal right up until he gets blackmailed by his endocrinologist, which is definitely medical malpractice but also funny as hell. I also appreciate that literally the first thing he does after getting out of his cell is change into a big coat and cravat to keep up appearances, but it's not until Marineford proper that things get really complicated. Saving Luffy and Ace is the first selfless thing we see Crobat do–while yelling at Luffy that he needs to protect what matters to him properly, no less– and he just keeps fighting for them after that, teaming up with his most hated rival crew to cover Luffy's retreat and telling the entire WG to go fuck itself multiple times over. He fights everyone on sight with no regard for his own safety, talks mad shit to Doffy, and demonstrates a genuinely compelling amount of honest to god chivalry.

For a short time, we see Crocomotive less as a really entertaining cartoon villain and more as a person with hidden, profound emotions and a confusing moral code that's seemingly incompatible with the vicious little creature we met in Alabasta. We come to understand, in a few very brief lines that give us way more questions than answers, that Cromagnon has deep-seated, emotional convictions he actively suppresses, and that whatever baggage he has is probably tied to wanting to or failing to save something of his own. His resentment of Newgate, who he really really wants to have a go at (despite theoretically no longer caring about the ambitions of his youth) is indicative of a desire to revisit the fight that probably ruined his dream and ego, but it's also tinged with a deep-seated grudging respect for a living legend.

Crock–Afire Explosion's obvious seething hatred of Doffy also gives us a few more insights into what's wrong with him. On a surface level, it makes sense that he dislikes a profoundly obnoxious, even flashier fellow warlord who achieved more or less the same goal he set out to in a shorter time, fucks with his business, and then mocks him/tries to recruit him right after his very public defeat and imprisonment. He postures a lot, especially with his lines insisting he's on a higher level and that Doffy could only ever join him as a subordinate, but he's visibly steamed in their initial encounter and clearly hasn't liked him for quite some time. I bring this up because if we stretch our interpretation a little (for the sake of my argument), Croc Holliday's distaste for someone who's (outwardly) so much like himself and embodies all of his villainous characteristics from back in Alabasta might also suggest that deep down, he doesn't actually like the things they have in common; he sees right through Doffy because he's done the same shit and he hates what he sees.

Having gone over all that, I've come up with some key characteristics of Crocomelon that I'll use going forward:

–Extremely performative: puts an ungodly amount of energy into maintaining a carefully curated persona, and projecting a certain amount of power, masculinity, and prestige. Not necessarily an unnatural or inauthentic one, but a constructed and purposeful one nonetheless

–Deep-seated paranoia, hidden secrets; probably intertwined. Keeps personal details on tight, tight lockdown, probably afraid of being known.

–Constant projection of his own insecurities and failures onto other people, making a point to be uniquely cruel in Alabasta to an idealist who loves her people and a dreamer who wants to be the Pirate King.

Ironically, he demonstrably respects and defends two people–Luffy and Whitebeard–who theoretically embody everything he hates or scorns (ambition, goodness, love, connection, romanticism, greatness in the traditional sense) and he intensely dislikes the villain most like himself, or at least the one who shares a lot of his worst characteristics (ostentatious manipulative scheming rat bastard backed by people stronger than himself) –The Grinch's heart grew three sizes at Marineford because of like, the compelling power of brotherly love and reminders of his youth or something

SPECULATION, CONCLUSIONS??

The difficulty with writing anything definitive about Crocko's Basilisk is that he's such a mystery, which functionally lets the fanbase project literally whatever weird personality traits, potential backstories, or anything else they could possibly come up with onto him. So I want to be clear that I have absolutely no interest in theorizing about the specifics of his past or secret identity or potential baby daddy or anything along those lines; I'm only interested in what we can infer about his personality by extrapolating from canon. And the conclusion I keep coming back to, the one that I'm convinced is true on some level, is that Crocodile is living a lie and he fucking hates himself. Everything he does, from how he acts to what he claims to believe, is a desperate effort to cope with his own insecurity and failure and cover up a past version of himself he's deeply ashamed of.

Now, unfortunately, Oda did not conceive of Crocodile as a trans man but stories belong to the people and we can do what we want let's forget about that and play it straight because he's constantly performing gender as a means of compensating for a deep-seated shame and self-loathing from whatever traumas and secrets he keeps hidden. Even assuming he's a cis man, he deliberately chooses a hypermasculine persona with a Capital V Villain moniker and pimp outfit and speech pattern he's carefully curated to project masculine power–physical, political, and financial–and we know it's performance because we see him break kayfabe and get legitimately fucking angry whenever he's confronted by a person like Luffy, who's crazy and brave enough to try and do what he couldn't and risk everything for love and hope that he cannot bring himself to feel for another person, or reminders of the past he tries so desperately to bury.

The lessons he's wrongfully obtained from his past are as follows: Idealism is a weakness. Dreaming is a weakness. Connections to other people and being known are crippling liabilities (If he is, in fact, trans and closeted, that's all the more reason to be existentially disgusted by what he used to be). All the hope he brought to the Grand Line, all the excitement of trying to carry on where Roger left off, needs to be purged and buried because all he got to show for it was loss and humiliation. But he can't stop wanting more, and ironically, after he gives up on conquering the Grand Line, he ends up chasing the same fucking poneglyphs and weapons because his ambition's still there; it's just compromised and much more jaded.

Everything he does that's seemingly contradictory makes sense when you realize that Crocodile resents his failure and wants to avenge himself. He makes a big show of talking down to Luffy and Vivi's petty ideals and shit-talking Newgate and his family, but he still wants to fight Whitebeard like he did way back when and help Luffy protect what matters to him. He hates Doffy, who's honestly just a more successful schemer than he is because it's a constant reminder of what he settled for when he took that warlord post and fucking gave up. He claims to trust no one, but he keeps Daz by his side and rewards his loyalty because he can't help but trust someone who respects him so deeply and follows him to the ends of the fucking earth long after losing the material incentive to do so. He claims to look down on people who aim for the stars and fight for love and joy and freedom and yet, in his most vulnerable moments–not in the face of violence or imprisonment, but when he's emotionally compelled to defend a child and help save his brother–we see how badly he wants that for himself.

TLDR: Crockman Holic is deeply insecure in his masculinity, desperately needs psychological help, and his character/potential redemption arc in One Piece is just dealing with his midlife crisis.

[chaos-in-deepspace]

L&DS Zayne: Tug | 18+ Drabble

I saw a tiktok and this came to mind and I ran to write it ngl. Hope y'all enjoy it. Also I finished Rafayel's part for the Panda Outfit series but I'm too lazy to actually reread my work tonight so I'll post it eventually...

Pairing: Zayne x Reader Warning: Collars, Dom/Sub Disclaimer: This is an original fan work for “Love and Deepspace”. Do not repost on other platforms or plagiarize. All characters shown in this fic is 18+.

Zayne

Zayne looked at you with a certain hunger to his eyes. You had been acting up, as per usual, so he decided to try out his newest gift for you. The black leather was almost loose against your neck as you looked back at your lover. The chains connecting the edge of the collar dangling slightly with your movements.

His footsteps echoed in your apartment as his fingers were placed under your chin, forcing you to look up at him. You diverted your gaze, knowing it would get you in more trouble but you knew you'd fold if you saw the intense look in those piercing eyes.

"Eyes on me." Zayne's voice was always so calm as he spoke. You bit your lip as you continued to defy him. The little game you played was coming to a close, you knew this. You could never defy his wishes for long, not when he was like this.

You didn't expect to feel his soft kisses lining your chest, making their way up. You were tempted to look, just to check what he was doing. His large hands clamped down on your shoulders, forcing you to still.

"Zayne..." You murmured, finally making eye contact. You looked down at him from where he was bending down just enough for his mouth to pepper a kiss on your jaw.

"If you have something to say, then say it." His voice was husky as his hazel eyes locked onto yours.

"I..." You began, not knowing what to say when he looked at you like this. You were half tempted to make a sassy remark, half wanting to apologize for being a brat while out in public.

Those words were gone as he spoke, "At a loss for words? That doesn't surprise me...not with how you were acting earlier in the restaurant." He murmured. You briefly recalled pressing your foot against his crotch under the table, making a small blush creep on his cheeks that he had to bite down. Perhaps you had gone too far, trying to fluster him at an important dinner.

"If you have nothing to say, then I'll take it as a admission of guilt." He said, "And for that..." Zayne's mouth pressed a kiss against the space between your collar bones, "You'll be punished thoroughly." You watched his mouth bite down on the metal bit of the collar and he pulled back.

The collar tightening around your neck until you could feel it choking you. His grip on your shoulder not letting up as he looked at you. Your face flushed at seeing him like this. The chain hanging from his mouth, the promise for a long night, all of it had you weak to the knees.

This man does things to me I'm telling you. I am the opposite of alright. Also I sometimes want this man to be dominant, and sometimes I want him to be my little meow meow. The duality of man for real guys.

[belphegorbillickin]

Obey Me! Love Languages (+Side Characters)

(CW!): Yandere-ish behavior in the Levi, Diavolo, and Belphie sections. Diavolo is the worst out of the three.

Lucifer:

Nothing makes Lucifer much happier than simply spending time alone together, especially in bed.

(He practically jumps you every Devilgram I swear.)

He's more than willing to keep chaste if that's what you prefer though. Lucifer cherishes any and all time you spend with him.

He prefers to go somewhere private with you, where he can let his guard down completely and tell you exactly how much he appreciates you, but he enjoys calmer, more "mature" dates as well.

You don't even have to talk to each other, simply spending time together makes his (shriveled, blackened) heart swell and tension ease.

Although if you'd like to completely remove his tension…

(Have I mentioned that this man is even more desperate than Mammon and Asmo combined? Give this ancient babygirl a hug and a back massage.)

You may or may not be as busy as he is, but he still sees you being willing to spend what little time you both have together as a big gesture.

It certainly is for him at least, as he's far too busy to entertain someone he doesn't truly care for.

It may sound odd coming from an effectively "ageless" being, but time is honestly his most limited resource.

Lucifer's too much of a perfectionist and control freak to let you do anything big, but he deeply appreciates anything you do to make his life easier.

Even something as small as bringing him breathtakingly bitter hell coffee or a pen he forgot brightens his day considerably.

Of course, being the Avatar of Pride, he's more than happy to receive any and all compliments you give him.

They're not exactly uncommon, but he feels they sound so much sweeter coming from your lips.

(Lips he would love to kiss if you'd just let him…)

You know you've made it when Lucifer allows you to see his vulnerable side and trusts you enough to ask for help with the more serious, complicated tasks.

Something no other human, demon, or angel, will likely ever have the privilege of experiencing.

Mammon:

It's canonically stated that whoever he loves is showered in riches, and I don't believe it's just from his latent power.

What better way for the avatar of greed to show he loves you than to be selfless and give you what's his?

Anything that reminds him of you is already in his hands before he can even think about it, paid for or not.

It can be something as simple as a pretty flower or a giant piece of furniture he thinks you'll look great relaxing in.

It's a shame it won't fit in your room, but that just means you'll have to come visit him in his more often. He totally didn't plan that though! (You know he did.)

He's also a huge showboat and always tries to go for the most extravagant options even if it doesn't actually add anything either of y'all would like.

Mammon was already pretty horrible at budgeting, but after becoming infatuated with you it's almost like he's actively trying to get into a ridiculous amount of debt with everyone.

It's only because he desperately wants to impress you and show how much you mean to him, by any and all means possible.

Of course Mammon would love to receive some gifts in turn, but I feel like, unless they were homemade or otherwise really special, he'd start to take it for granted and complain when it's not expensive enough.

It's not that he means to take advantage of you or doesn't appreciate it, but he is the Avatar of Greed after all, and you're feeding into it.

What really makes him feel loved is when you defend him publicly and happily turn down the others to spend more time with him.

He doesn't mean it in a nasty way unlike some demons, *cough* *cough* Levi & Belphie, but the way his brothers have treated him has worn on him a bit.

You know you've made it when Mammon finally feels secure enough to say he loves you with zero hesitation.

Alone, in front of his brothers, even in front of Simeon and Diavolo and the others. He'll scream it from the rooftops if you want him to.

Leviathan:

Leviathan is actually very generous. He's offered to buy things for his brothers and MC surprisingly often.

It makes sense in a way, as he doesn't really have to do much to maintain it. He can just drop the gift and run when he's nervous, rather than having to stay still while holding your hand or possibly tripping over his words and getting rejected when he tries to say something nice.

I bet he feels as though even if someone didn't like him they would at least like the gift, and then maybe they'll eventually like the source of all the gifts as well.

I could definitely see Levi trying to "buy" your love even if he doesn't realize it.

He's also very helpful when he wants to be, Satan even listed him as his most reliable brother.

It makes him feel good to do things for other people and again, he feels like maybe people will like what he does for them even if they don't like him the same way.

It's not as though he hates compliments and any other loving comments, but he's never really going to believe them until you've already "proven it" through your other actions.

If anything it has a very high chance of backfiring if that's your main way of showing affection, especially if you're a kind person in general.

Levi has got a nasty habit of twisting everyone's words against them and he's not gonna kick it anytime soon, regardless of any reassurance you give him.

His insecurities are far too deeply rooted and connected to his very existence as the Avatar of Envy to be soothed so easily.

Even gifts are a much better way into his heart, if you take the time to research his collection and support his hobbies that is.

Not only did you take the time to listen to what he says, but you spent all that time and effort tracking it down, waiting in line, or staying at the website refreshing repeatedly until you could buy it.

It shows him you're fully supportive and not embarrassed to be seen as a "weeb." That you won't pretend to not know him in public when he freaks out the latest Ruri-chan merch and proudly displays it on his person.

What really makes Leviathan believe you love him is getting jealous over him and turning down the others to be with him.

Especially if you made plans with them first and then ditched them for Levi when he threw a fit.

It's very mean-spirited, unlike Mammon who mostly wants reassurance. As Leviathan actually wants to feel them hurting, but again, he's a demon and The Avatar of Envy at that. Take the most jealous, unreasonable, and controlling person you know and multiple it by a thousand. That's what he has to deal with in his head 24/7, and though he does a very admirable job of keeping them as thoughts rather than actions, it's still a very heavy strain and things do slip out.

Levi will end up throwing a fit if you try to restrict his Ruri or TSL time out of jealousy, but any H-games and etc. are fair game so long as you promise to pick up the slack.

He'll even stop going to idol meet and greets for you, but it's only fair you start restricting your time with other people (including his brothers) in return, right? Right?

…Yeah, good luck handling that.

You know you've made it when Leviathan feels confident enough to regularly initiate physical contact and casually ask for your time and affection.

It's not that he doesn't like it, he's completely touch starved and has been fantasizing about initiating for a while, it's that he's completely sure he'll be rejected or mess it up somehow.

Or that it'll become overstimulating and he'll hurt your feelings by abruptly breaking it off when it suddenly becomes too much.

It means that you've brought his self-esteem up quite a bit, that Leviathan finally trusts that you won't suddenly make fun of him. That you actually like him for who he is and not in spite of it.

Satan:

Satan likes to show his love through gifts, acts of service, and the occasional sprinkle of affectionate words. Possibly even through poetry he wrote himself. He wants to show you that he's the superior choice. The reliable, practical, and in-the-know choice without being too stuffy and uptight, unlike some people. *cough* Lucifer *cough*

He also prides himself on his knowledge, and would be very eager to share said knowledge with you.

Feel free to ask him about any topic you want, chances are he at least knows a good book for it. If he somehow doesn't, then he'll gladly try to find one for you.

Just don't expect him to do your coursework or any other intellectual work for you. As much as Satan loves to be useful, he values self-sufficiency and growth even more.

He just can't understand wanting to cheat yourself out of a possible learning experience, and only wants the best for you.

What makes him feel loved is when you acknowledge his flaws but don't make excuses or demonize him for them.

When you don't push too hard for him to open up or spend all of his time with you, and instead set a schedule of sorts so the two of you always have at least some time together without it becoming too much.

He's not the biggest fan of physical contact though, as the circumstances of his "birth" meant that non-violent contact was rare until he finally calmed down and repaired the few relationships that he had. Truth be told, he also a bit afraid of hurting you. Satan's afraid that he'll instinctively lash out when you touch him suddenly, or that he'll hold on too tightly when he goes to touch you himself. You'd never know it now, the way he handles his centuries old books and week old kittens, but Satan is not gentle by nature. He won't shove you away or anything, but he will tense up and never initiate "pointless" physical contact even if he knows you love it until you let him approach it at his own pace.

You know you've made it when Satan finally opens up and doesn't avoid talking about his insecurities and weak points, or feel as though he's competing with Lucifer for your affection anymore.

When he feels free to act as he would like to instead of trying to compensate for his inexperience by imitating romance novels. When Satan doesn't feel as though he has to hide his purely demonic upbringing and everything that comes with it in fear of intimidating or scaring you off.

Asmodeus:

I feel like Asmodeus' love languages are pretty obvious, as in he absolutely adores all of them, as he's got so much affection to give and is plenty eager to receive.

He especially loves spoiling you and dressing you up. It's as much for his benefit as it is yours.

It's the same with all the pictures he takes of the two of you. He considers himself very generous indeed for sharing your beauty with the world instead of keeping it to himself, unlike some people.

Asmo will tell you as much himself, in fact, he never grows tired of describing your beauty in every possible way he could.

You can't go more than a day without him comparing at least one aspect of you to some beloved art piece or wonder of nature.

And of course, you can't forget the physical affection. Asmo lives for the chance to run his fingers along your skin and drape himself across you.

Platonically, romantically, sexually, it's all amazing to him.

He also finds testing out all sorts of creams and lotions on you incredibly intimate and relaxing, despite always preferring to be the one being pampered before.

You know you've made it when Asmodeus allows you to see him at his "ugliest," whether that be physically or emotionally, and trusts that you won't leave him for it.

When he feels like you would still be with him even if he never did anything sexual again.

It may or may not seem like that big of a deal to you, but Asmodeus is incredibly insecure deep down.

He can't help but feel like he'll never be as loved as he was back in heaven all those years ago, and certainly not for the same reasons.

What Asmodeus needs is someone who will prove that wrong, that sees him as something more than to look at and get off with.

Beelzebub:

"You didn't get me a snack? It's okay. I don't mind being stuck with you forever." (Slightly Used Handcuff Item - 2020 Valentine's Event)

Beelzebub makes it extremely obvious that what he wants more than anything is just to enjoy being by your side.

You don't have to do anything special or even talk, just showing that you're willing to spend time with him is proof enough of your love.

It's also how he shows affection. Like how even though he's not that interested in anime or video games, and Levi usually doesn't let him play (thanks to his messy eating and sticky hands,) Beel still goes into Levi's room surprisingly often.

Honestly, I'm not convinced part of it isn't at least partially from PTSD as well.

Beelzebub feels the need to stay by your side so that he can always be there to take the hit for you.

So that he can see you're still here with his own two eyes and not permanently gone the second he turns around.

What really makes him feel loved is when you look out for his emotional well-being and refuse to let him put himself last.

When you don't take his self-sacrificing ways for granted or come to expect them.

It doesn't matter how you show your appreciation, he's grateful for anything you give him, so long as you do it.

He is a bit insecure however. Both about his behavior and his appearance, as surprising as that may be to anyone who's seen him.

His demon form is associated with something most humans find disgusting after all. So he really appreciates any way you try to reassure him about it.

You know you've made it when Beelzebub is consistently willing to share his food with you.

Beelzebub arguably has the worst control over his sin and readily admits it. Belphie is the only other person he'd ever really share his own food with, and even then not all of it all the time.

But the ultimate test is when he's willing to go against Belphegor for you, even if it's just not immediately agreeing with everything he says.

Beelzebub feels very indebted to Belphie, no matter how many times he tells him it's fine Beel still feels like he has to do any and everything to make up for it.

So if he's willing to go against that, willing to risk upsetting Belphie, it means that you mean everything to him.

Belphegor:

Belphie's all about physical touch and quality time. Both in the sense of spending all of your time with him, and in the sense of not spending that time with anyone else, except Beel of course.

Not just cuddling in bed or taking naps together, but holding hands, letting him lean against you, and kissing are all things Belphie also really enjoys, and expects.

Despite getting embarrassed fairly easily by some of his brothers at times, it's almost impossible to ignore PDA when you lean into it like that, and he's desperate to stake his claim even in public. (Though his embarrassment quickly fades as he becomes more comfortable being vulnerable with you and his brothers again. His guarded, territorial behavior quickly turns into bragging and "tests of your loyalty" after that.)

Now, despite that he does expect you to respect when he wants his alone time, but Belphegor doesn't respect your boundaries all that well until you make him.

Not that he minds if you do try to force him to stop being as much of a spoiled brat though, he likes someone that can give as good as they can get so long as you do it with love.

He's another one that wants to watch you crush his brothers' hopes and dreams in favor of spending time with him. Not Beel though, never Beel.

Seriously, he likes to make out in public and actively fantasizes about his brothers getting jealous because of it in his devilgrams.

(He's also the most suggestive even after they started toning everything down. He gets implied sex and makes out several times a devilgram while other characters don't even get kisses at all sometimes.)

Belphegor is a Belphewhore when it comes to you. (Which is rather fitting, if you know anything about demonology.)

You know you've made it when this lazy cow gets up off his ass to do something for you, something usually only reserved for Beel.

Now, normally being compared to someone you're trying to date's twin brother would be a bad thing, but not in this case.

It just means the only one who will ever be equally important as his figurative other half is his twin, his literally magically and psychically connected other half.

The deepest form of trust is when he fully entrusts Beel's safety and happiness to you.

He may not seem as outwardly protective as his twin, but he is very much so, and he's become even more paranoid and codependent after being forcefully separated for so long.

Whereas Beel is more concerned with physical safety, Belphegor is more concerned with Beelzebub's mental state.

He knows his twin has a tendency to be self-sacrificing, full of guilt, and a bit too eager to take things at face value at times (despite being the emotionally intelligent out of all of them) for a demon. He also knows plenty of people would take advantage of that, intentionally or not.

Belphegor will act uncaring, but he's carefully monitoring your interactions with Beelzebub and paying attention to all of the shared feelings from their connection, intent on matching them up to see if you caused any of his poor moods.

Diavolo:

Lord Diavolo constantly puts himself into frustrating lose-lose situations.

He only really feels assured if you keep coming to him of your own free will, but he's so terrified of rejection and losing you that he rarely ever allows you to do just that.

He's always coming up with some brand new scheme or just outright forcing you to come to him, sometimes even physically, which only reinforces his bad habits and insecurities.

It doesn't matter how much you try to resist. Do you really believe you could do something to stop it when even several-thousand-year-old Lucifer and his strong-willed brothers can't? When even Barbatos couldn't? You'd need the power of God and anime on your side for even a small chance at that.

He'll literally pick you up or drag you if he has to, laughing all the while, refusing to take it seriously as you squirm even though he's really hurt deep down.

He tries to keep in mind that some people are "shy" and don't want to be dragged out all the time, but if you say, take the week in between his tiring plots to catch up on coursework and relax, he'll start to worry you're distancing yourself.

Diavolo's severe abandonment and boundary issues make it nearly impossible for you to challenge them without doing exactly what he wants, when he wants.

Who does he think he is, some kind of all-powerful demon lord or something?

Diavolo doesn't consider himself to be a big gift-giver, but he spoils those he appreciates regardless, and you receive his love on a completely different level.

He's just so used to opulence and never wanting for anything purchasable (easily or not) that he may overwhelm you with uncomfortably extravagant displays without even considering how the average human might react.

Want some chocolate? Diavolo will have Barbatos summon the most skilled chocolatiers immediately.

Can't find the perfect formal wear for yourself? He's calling in his personal tailors to make the most beautiful pieces of clothing you've ever seen in your life.

And yet despite all that it can still fall a bit flat at times.

Diavolo is the most flexible with this form of affection, but he can still be very inconsiderate in a sense.

He takes being told it's a bit too much surprisingly well, but he's fairly controlling about the gifts themselves.

You don't like the colors he picked? Too bad. It matches his own outfit and the color you want would match with the brothers instead and etc.

Sometimes it almost feels like the gifts are more for him than you, or that they come with hidden expectations rather than to make you happy.

Even though he really does want to make you happy, very much so in fact.

You know you've made it when Diavolo finally trusts you to come back to him on your own. Something that might take years and years of "absolutely perfect loyalty."

When he's not constantly sending you messages every time you're apart and doesn't try to force his way into every outing or private moment you have.

Quality time is still his main love language, giving and receiving, and he's still very aggressive in his attempts to spend time with you, but it's expressed in a (slightly) healthier way.

It does mean fighting against his very nature as a demon, even more so than he already does, but he's more than willing to try for you.

Barbatos:

Despite being quite powerful himself, people are often so used to taking advantage of him that they don't see him as much of a person compared to others.

He's rarely Barbatos and often "The Prince's Butler, who happens to be called Barbatos" instead.

Barbatos is targeted quite often by various groups of people, but few of them are after his attention specifically, instead of his power and connections.

He doesn't really allow himself to date in general. Besides not having the time for it, he's too worried about accidentally giving a spy or old Demon King loyalist an opening to cause trouble.

Whether that'd be because he's distracted or because he somehow ends up dating that kind of demon, Barbatos is rarely a risk taker when it comes to Diavolo's safety.

Even when he's liked it's usually for what he can do for other people, like Beelzebub wanting to keep him as his chef and Solomon eyeing his powers for example.

The only one who's really broke past that in the last couple of centuries has been Luke, who's come to be like an adopted son (or pet chihuahua) of sorts to him.

As much as the child loves to say he's using Barbatos, it's clear that the affection is mutual.

Now, a lowly human on the other hand? He'd worry about them being taken hostage or having loose lips, but otherwise they're fairly harmless. Barbatos has all the power in the relationship, just the way he likes it.

In a way, humans' short lifespans also helps to prepare Barbatos for the possibility of seeing your untimely death.

He knew what he was getting into, even if he's gotten far more attached to you than he ever intended to.

In a way, your presence eventually becomes synonymous with respite to him.

At first because of the physical aspect of entertaining you, but it slowly starts to be because of you specifically.

How sweetly you talk to him, really talk to him and not at him. The way you're so considerate in ways that even angels are not for a "mere butler."

Not much longer after that, it comes to be everything about you, even your smile becomes enough to make his day.

Besides being helpful, proving you're willing to "stoop down to his level" and "serve the servant" makes him much more willing to believe you're genuine.

In his (plentiful) experience, pretending to actually enjoy helping out in person is much harder to fake than anything else, especially for the snobbish nobles typically attempting to gain Lord Diavolo's favor.

Barbatos is another hardcore perfectionist who takes his work extremely seriously, who would rather die than let anyone else do it for him, especially since it would cause him to look as if he was "slacking." However, small things like drawing a bath for him, bringing him his favorite snacks, and giving him massages really helps him relax and feel loved.

He's also very fond of homemade gifts for similar reasons. The thought of someone going to all that effort for "just a butler" is very much appreciated.

Despite being such a perfectionist he'll accept the love put into almost anything you give him if it's made with care and free of the furry beasts he despises so strongly.

He'll have them all displayed properly in his room, in a way that will let them last longer, right next to everything Luke has made for him.

You know you've made it when Barbatos allows you to take care of him and ease his burdens.

When he'll allow you to wash his hair and pour tea for the both of you without stressing about how perfect it may or may not be.

Solomon:

Solomon's main love languages are gift giving and acts of service, and yes, you're gonna have to eat his cooking and you're gonna have to like it.

More seriously though, I'd argue it's quality time and acts of service, both giving and receiving.

He may have an excess of years left, for the understatement of the century, but he knows not everyone else does.

So Solomon really cherishes what little time you're willing to give him, especially if it means ignoring the demon brothers in favor of him. Asmodeus included. Solomon needs to know you're willing prioritize humanity, and him of course, before he can really begin to trust you and let you in.

He's also very fond of physical touch, he's close to Asmo for a reason after all, but that doesn't actually assure him your love is true regardless of how much he enjoys it.

You know you've made it when Solomon is fully willing to become attached and admit it to himself, regardless of any potential heartbreak he may suffer.

When he's ready to tell you so, to make concrete plans about the future with you, instead of for you, and commit to them fully.

But he also really does want to see you eating his cooking, that he infuses with all of his love just for you, every day.

Simeon:

Simeon is another tricky one, as he rarely allows people get close enough to see his more vulnerable side. Not even those that he was once brothers in arms with.

I believe one major indicator of Simeon being truly in love with you is when he's seeking out your touch.

When he's always brushing his fingers against your shoulders and grabbing your waist as he walks past, just to feel your skin.

Or even allowing you to come to bed with him, "just to cuddle, of course" he says, despite the major risks being that close poses for an angel already teetering on the edge. That's not to say that he doesn't express it through other means, like through the written word, but his playful brushes against you and sly smiles as he tells his white lies to get some alone time are something exclusive to your (not-so-secret) relationship.

He does however, always want to spend time with you. Even before he's ready to fully commit and be completely vulnerable around you.

You may or may not have that much time together after all, and he wants to spend as much of it as possible with you. Simeon also adores teasing the ones he loves, and that will most likely be the first bit of "personalized" affection he gives you. He just can't get enough of your embarrassed faces and mannerisms.

You know you've made it when Simeon is willing to trust you with all of his darkest thoughts and concerns.

When he can trust you won't judge him for his sins or try to guide him to any particular path.

When he's certain you'll stay true, and value and respect his guidance, no matter what form he's in or what he's done.

It's a common idea I know, but I got an ask for it literally years ago and I wanted to dump my reasons onto y'all anyway.

The draft date on AO3 said I started it in the middle of 2021, which should explain exactly why I feel bad about taking requests.

Also shameless self promotion, but I have a full Obey Me! rewrite fic out now!

Please do note that this is a fully realized fem OC with her own personality, not a gender neutral reader insert, and there are a lot of potential triggers involved.

So please make sure to read the tags fully before going in!

But don't worry, everything else will stay gender neutral and reader insert! Nothing is going to change about that here or on tumblr.

[maybe-boys-do-love]

Did y'all catch that episode 6 was all about the writing? It was so subtly but well done.

1.This episode was so much more dialogue heavy than others (especially if you compare it to episode 4 that focused on editing and therefore had whole wordless action and genre segments). Even the comedy gags (so glad Gun got to show off some of his physical comedy skills like with the water cooler lol) all have funny dialogue to go along with them that the show didn't have to add but they offered some good punchlines to go along with the action.

2.The notebook Pie holds up at the beginning telling Ryan he needs to fill the empty notebook by writing the rules of love for himself! Which then gets continually referenced in the episode (with on-screen text!) to give Ryan a structure to see and understand his feelings and actions through words.

3. A little detail, but still a fun reference is when the interns eat together and Pie asks someone to write down the order.

4. All the texts in this episode! It really puts into contrast what's being written and said (between Ba-Mhee and Tae) versus what actions are happening (between Ba-Mhee and Judy)--kind of like dialogue versus stage directions, but also like what the writers envision versus what happens during shooting.

5.All the signage in this episode! The room signs are actually how they would indicate the setting in the script, and I don't remember them featuring them this prominently in previous eps. Then the label on the cookies gives such clarity to a key prop, but also provides the perfect set-up for the mix-up that happens. Also really interesting to note all the signage is in English, versus the texts we saw being in Thai.

6. The discussion of honorifics! Honestly, the sexiest thing so far in the series lol. But also just shows you the kind of decisions that writers have to make and put into characters mouths to communicate dynamics, especially in a language, as @absolutebl points out, with so much variability in honorifics.

7. Ryan, notorious for taking time to process and verbalize, finally puts his feelings into words! (and of course that means someone else can hear it and know what he's feeling).

There are even more references to the writing process in the episode but those were some of the major ones I caught on first watch.

[justme315]

New family 2/?

First part:

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Fear, mention of vomit , characters being religious, curse words, mention of sexual assault, mention of dehumanization

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

I was double fucked.

There we go again, me cursing for the second time while starting my story. I promise, I'll try my best for it to be the last time I start with that kinda sentence. Really.

It's just, if I though that what happened previously was bad then what happened later that day was literally hell. Well, yeah I can imagine worse (and believe me when I tell you what happened a few days later you will actually see far worse, but I can't spoil my own story) but it was still bad. Really bad.

Okay, some creeps that enjoy the company of giants would disagree that it was bad at all. But if you're not a giant-obsessed creep (sorry for calling some of y'all out) then you'll understand why it was so bad for me. Okay, back to the story.

As you might recall, I fained mare secounds before officially meeting my moms giant fiance and his sons. Yeah, great first impression. Dad would have been proud. He was just as awkward as me but this once I won with him on 'the worst first impression competition'. Well, I hope he saw this from heaven and laughed at me.

I suppose I though I would soon be 'reunited' with him, if you know what I mean.

C'mon, I can't be the only person that doesn't get why a giant would marry a human if they actually don't have any sick intentions! I mean, everything is really outta place, those kind of relationships have basically nothing to offer. I wouldn't say I'm a traditionalist, I'm bisexual myself so that is kinda impossible, but I'm not there for "mixed-sized" marriages if you know what I mean. They weren't legal (untill like 5 years previously to the story I'm telling you) for a reason!

Shoot, I'm talking about all those things again and you'll consider me a specist. Let's get back to what happened after I fainted.

I don't really know what happened mid-time, my mind was blank after I fainted all the way to the moment I have awoken. It was probably the first time I was actually so unconscious that I can't recall anything.

When I awoken, or more likely started to regain consciousness all I remember is the feeling of warmth. It was really, really warm.

It wasn't too good for me because I had puked what, like 10 minutes before that? Yeah, throwing up again wouldn't have turned out very well for me back then.

Once I finally opened my eyes I still felt dizzy. The whole world around me was moving and I promise you I heard my heart beating so loud that I though I was dying. Well, it wasn't exactly my heartbeat, I later found out.

For a few secounds I couldn't remember what I was doing before I fainted and I couldn't understand where was I. Everything was moving, like I was in a car, but far more.. enourmous.

Crap.

I forgot about those damn giants.

I tried to figure out where I was as I sat up. Whatever I was sitting on was squishy and warm. I tried to get my balance back as my eyes started to unblur. I heard my mom's voice.

"Zack! You're awake!" she yelled out with relief.

Oh yeah. Me and my mom were together. We were going to meet up with her boyfriend and his sons. Why did I forget about that? How did I?

I touched my head, feeling it hurt. What the hell was actually happening?

"Ethan, honey can you get me closer to Zack, please?" I heard my momma's voice once again, though it now wasn't directed to me.

Wait. Ethan? I know that name from somewhere... Oh, fuck.

"Sure, auntie, whatever you ask for" I heard a manly voice echo around me. It was so low and loud that it sounded like it was coming from some concert speakers rather than a real person. I was literally drowning in this voice that seemed to sound from every direction around me. As if I were somehow surrounded by it. Was this even possible?

"Just be careful Van, don't move too suddenly, Ethan is still learning how to manage an overly trusting human" I heard another manly, yet softer voice that somehow felt even more surreal. I was starting to understand what was happening. We were with the giants. Probably in a car. I was..

The same voice that spoke less than a secound ago let out a chuckle and I swear that once I started processing the words he had said I was about to freak out again when I found another reason to.

"Dad don't say that!" the voice around me echoed louder, making me feel my heart skip a beat. My head was spinning again "Auntie, don't listen to him. I work with human kids, I know just how to handle your kind, no need to worry"

The rest of the short conversation seemed blurred out to me. I was more concerned on a discovery I made. I finally figured out my surroundings.

I was half-sitting on the lap of a giant.

Ethan, specifically.

My eyes widden, my head screamed at me to freaking run away as far as possible, my legs felt groggy, my breathing fasten as I slowly raised my eyes, first looking at a enourmous stomach covered by a white comfy hoodie, then at a neck with visible veins (which creeped the heck out of me) and finally at a face of a gigantic beast named Ethan.

His hand was reaching out to Andrew, who was driving and my mom casually walked into his opened palm from the shoulder of her 'fiance'.

My teeth bit into my lower lip before I could let out a yelp at noticing how easily the freaking 60-ish foot tall dude handled my mama, my only treasure, only family.

My mom was soon lowered in my direction and believe me when I tell you, catching eye contact with a giant was the worse ever feeling for me back then.

Ethan smiled at me with those freaking fangs of a killer and I felt my whole stomach rushing up my throat.

If it wasn't for the fact that earlier I have literally vomited everything that was inside my body I would have surely puked at that moment.

I felt my freaking soul leaving my body as the gigantic dude-beast smiled at me and eyed me up and down.

"Hey, kid. I'm Ethan"

And I was back down.

Yep, I fainted again. I know shitty thing but damn, that's freaking terrifying! You wouldn't be much better facing a giant, I assure you!

Well, they didn't let me be unconscious (or dead at that point) for long enough, my mom rushed to me and shoke me awake.

"Sweetie! You fainted again!"

Yeah, no shit mom, I was on the lap of my probable future murderer that could literally do anything to me, I had nothing to be afraid of.

"I did..?" I mumbled, rubbing my face.

Don't call me a coward, I just wouldn't say something that rude to my mama, even if it was the truth. If you were raised properly by your mother you would know not to talk like that to her (unless she's a bitch, then go ahead).

"Maybe we should actually go to the hospital" said Andrew, looking at me for a secound and then back onto the road.

"No baby, I think he is just tired. Let's get him home and give him some time to rest and then we'll decide" my mom answered.

Ethan looked down at me with now a concerned expression but didn't say anything. He seemed conflicted. I don't know what was him problem but I appreciated that he didn't touch me nor say anything to me again directly.

Even though I appreciated not being touched, it didn't take my fear away, my body was still trembling and all I wanted was to hide from his gaze.

My mom worried sick and spoke some stuff to me for the rest of the ride, but if I'm being honest, I couldn't understand even a single word she said, I was too focused on the fact that I was on the lap of this enourmous young man and his eyes never left my body.

I actually felt a little sad (don't kill me mama) that I didn't just die at the airport. I wouldn't have had to be so close to giants.

Ethan had a conflicted and even sad look on his face but I couldn't actually figure out why. Maybe it was because he couldn't kill me in front of my mom? Would that even matter to him? Or was it his father or brother? I don't think they would've minded it. I was not actually sure why me and my mom were still alive but I was grateful to God that we were. I also prayed that my mom would escape somehow, with me preferably but my hope about her realizing we were in danger was long gone.

Before I knew how many miles we had traveled, the car stopped.

"And we're home" Andrew announced happily.

Ryan left the car, not saying a word, slamming the door so hard that not only me but also (surprisingly) my mom flinched.

Ethan turned his head around to face his brother but the two never made eye contact. That was weried. What was happening between those two? Okay, I was hella scared but drama is drama! As long as I'm not a part of it I'm a fan.

Andrew signed.

"He'll be over it soon, honey" the oldest giant said, looking at my mom, making a small, reassuring smile. Even though I was terrified of the giant and his voice made my head spin unpleasantly I felt some pity inside of my heart. Andrew was a tired dad with visibly some issues with Ryan. Yeah, he was my probable future murderer but I could still pity him a little.. right?

"I'm sure he will. He just needs some time to adjust, that's all" my mom answered her fiance. I was curious what was all of this about. I got so involved in trying to figure out the situation that for a secound I forgot that those were actually giants I was thinking about and being within their reach (do not remind me that I was on Ethan's lap, please, it was as scary as it could).

"I'll talk to him auntie, he can't be this rude to you both" Ethan added into the conversation. I didn't like how he called my mom 'auntie'. It sounded as if they had a relationship. And as if it was sincere. I hated it very much. I didn't like how they tricked my mom into believing that they had no sick intentions. She was my mom. Not their "auntie" nor "Van" (it's a nickname for Vanessa if you wanna know).

"We all need to adjust. It's not easy for neither of us. Sure, for me, your dad and you Ethan it might be easier but it's still hard to change our whole lives" my mom tried to sound assuring, petting the giants hand. I flinched as I realized what she was doing but I didn't say a word, I just held my trembling hands together with more pressure.

Ethan's eyes landed on me again. I swear he looked right into my soul. He didn't seem angry, more likely sad and surprised. What was he surprised about?

"We should be heading back home." Andrew spoke again, trying to look more positive, even though it was visible it was forced. That somehow made my heart ache. If he was a human I would have felt bad for him. But he wasn't a human.

Andrew opened his door. I realized that I couldn't get out of the car on my own. I paled again. My mom noticed and came closer to me, grabbing my arm for support as I stood up. Cold sweat flew down my spine. I didn't want to be touched by either of those giants. Abso-fucking-lutely not.

I closed my eyes tightly, expecting Ethan's enormous hands to grab me forcefully and carry me home as if I were a toy. My heart was beating faster, my breathing became shallower, my legs were barely able to keep my balance.

I felt a terrible pressure in my chest, that stinging feeling you feel when you're extremely anxious, as if something was crushing you from the inside.

I waited for a second, two, ten, but the grip never came.

All that happened was my mom speaking to me:

"Why are your eyes closed? Are you feeling worse again?"

I immediately opened my eyes and looked at her confused yet worried expression. My eyes then landed on Ethan who was now even more visibly shocked and sadden. What the hell was his problem exactly? Did I look this pitiful that even a giant pitied me? Dang.

"No mama, I'm f-fine.." my voice shook way more that I intended to reveal in front of the giant. I nervously moved form one leg to the other. I realized it was the first time I spoke in front of a giant in my normal volume voice. That one sentence mumbled before that was basically a whisper.

Ethan's gaze never left me as Andrew exited the car. My mom's as well, but her gaze was less intimidating.

I still don't really know how Ethan knew but I'm sure as hell he knew way more than my mom that I was scared. She acted as if I was just sick while he.. seemed to notice.

"Would it be okay if I took you in my open palm and took you back home?" the giant man spoke in a softer, slower and more quiet voice, his hands never moving an inch in our direction. It felt surreal.. was he really asking us about consent to being held? He could just grab us. He could do anything. He didn't need our consent. Even if we said 'no' he could still do anything he wanted. But somehow.. somehow the fact that he did ask was not only shocking but also.. slightly calming.

"Ethan, honey, what a silly question, of course you can!" My mom chuckled a little, smiling at the beast ahead of us.

"Sorry auntie, but I wasn't talking to you" he smiled softly at her, showing those fangs of his a little (which surprisingly didn't scare my mom but made me take a tiny step back) and then his eyes met mine and I felt uneasy, trapped even, my body stiffen "Zack, will you allow me to get you back home on my open palm? No pressure, kid"

My heart literally stopped for a moment. I was shocked he asked me that. I knew there was pressure - my mom, the giants, no other way into the house - but he pretended to care. To actually mind how I felt about that. He also never used the words 'hold' or 'grab' and he kept emphasizing that his hand would be open. I didn't know what game was he playing but he was doing it really well since I felt a little more easy about the whole situation.

I didn't want to be touched though. I hated that idea. I hated physical touch in general but being on a giants hand, totally dependent on him was even a thousand times worse. But what I was supposed to do? He would stop pretending to be polite once I said 'no'. Also, my mom would be mad. I didn't want my last memory of her to be anger.

"Zack, sweetie, Ethan asked you a question. Answer him, so we can get back home" my mom rushed me, though the giants eyes landed on her with dissaproval (though at first I mistaken it with anger, i must confess (I might have been a tiny little bit paranoid)).

"Y-Yeah.." I mumbled, or more likely yelped at Ethan's eyes returning to me. I could barely speak with him being this close.

He didn't seem convinced and wanted to say something but we heard Andrew calling from outside the car: "Are you coming or not?"

The giants eyes scanned me up and down again and then he slowly moved his right hand and lowered it onto his lower thigh, still leaving about 6 meters between himself and me. My mom rushed to get on him palm, while I stood there, biting my lower lip. The feeling in my chest returned. I looked up for support in my mom but her eyes didn't even meet mine. But Ethan's did.

"It's alright Zack, I promise I won't drop you, I know to handle humans" he spoke softly and quietly as if trying to calm down a startled animal. Was this what I was to him? A scared kitten? Humiliating.

My mom's eyes landed on me and she then looked as if she finally realized what was actually stopping me from getting on that palm. But it was as clear as day she would not reveal that I was scared of Ethan. I don't know why, wasn't it obvious?

"Ethan, honey he is just scared he will fall, that's all. Zack don't be silly and come here" she chuckled nervously as if trying to hide a secret. Good job mom, totally not suspicious and totally not making me look like a coward. Good job.

I took a deep breath and a unsteady step ahead. It was the first time in my life that my legs didn't obey to my will. Well, it wasn't exactly my will but I tried to actually pretend like I wasn't afraid.

I looked up and Ethan looked at me with those enourmous hazel eyes full of pity and emphaty.

I finally figured out why I and my mom were still alive.

They must have viewed us as pets.

I gulped at that though. I remembered how gentle and polite I was to my first hamster - exactly like Ethan was to me now. Great, I was going to be dehumanized for the rest of my supposably short life. Lovely.

"It's alright" he cooed again, as if talking to a baby animal. It really pissed me off. I am clearly not an animal! Like damn, I am an average (maybe even a little handsome) guy, not a pet.

I actually enjoyed the fact that I was more annoyed than scared at that moment, this emotion didn't stop my legs from moving at last.

It took me a moment but I actually did get on the giants hand. The fear returned to my body. I was pretty much petrified. This was freaking unnatural. I was standing on something so squishy, warm, unsteady, so alive. I hated being held by a giant. His long fingers creeped me out the most. They twitched from time to time.

The enourmous guy spoke again "Hang on, we're heading out".

He soon stood up and exited the car. I gulped, feeling all my organs moving. Saying I was uptight was an understatement. It was like an extreme rollercoaster, only without any protection, while standing up and with an unpredictable route. I couldn't help but let out another yelp as he started walking. I couldn't really keep my balance well, but my mom held me in place.

The ground was so far away that I knew if I fell down I would 100% die. My mom somehow wasn't bothered by that. Like, we get it mom, you're a crazy, giant-obsessed, old woman but freaking have some decency and don't be elated by being in danger! (Please don't let my mom find this blog, she will kill me).

My heart was pounding faster than it physically could. I promise you, I have had a heart attack. I tried not to move, just to ensure myself that I wouldn't die falling down.

It didn't help that Ethan's eyes LITERALLY never left me. Like, how creepy can you be?

Oh.

What if I was supposed to be HIS pet?

This would have made sense. Andrew would take mom, Ethan me and Ryan was pissed off at both of them because he didn't get a pet. It sounded realistic.

My mouth went dry at that though. What would he do to me? I have heard stories of humans being dehumanized and held as pets by giants. Some kept them in cages. Some forced them to be nude in those. They would feed them trash. They would force them not to speak. They would punish any disobedience very, very harshly.

My eyes became glossy, tears began to built in them.

What would be Ethan's punishment towards me?

This question made me almost break down. What would he do to me? Would he be the "nice owner" that treats pets with care? Or would he be cruel?

I remembered my friends story, when we were back in my school. He told us about his cousin who was kidnapped by a giant. I think I told you this story before. What if my fate was similar?

What if I would be abused mentally, physically and sexually?

Oh my dearest Lord God what if that was it? What if both of them were sexually deprived creeps? What if Andrew was 'dating' my mom, becouse that was what was in his mind? Was I about to become a victim of that? Would anyone even believe me? Would anyone save me? Would anyone save my mama?

I muffled my sob. I was fucking terrified.

Lord God, please hear my prayers and save us - I prayed - Please God, don't let them harm my mom. I don't care anymore what tortures I'll go through but please save mommy.

Before my mind could take me any further we entered the house - my new prison.

It was freaking enormous but I have to admit, it was also pretty. Those dudes were freaking affluent. I wiped my eyes, trying to hide my fear. My mom's eyes now met mine.

"Is everything okay sweetie?" My mom petted my shoulder. I smiled sadly at her. We were about to die but we were together. We were a team. As long as I was with her it was okay.

"Yeah" I mumbled, hugging her, fearing it would be the last time.

"Welcome to your new home!" Andrew announced.

Welcome to hell.

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

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it 🥰 Can't wait for y'all's questions and theories!

[tropicalcryptid]

Ok y'all I have a confession.

...Tigerheart/star is my favorite living warrior cats character and I'm tired of pretending he isn't XD

He was a questionable boyfriend, but he's an excellent husband, father, and leader. He's far more like Firestar than Bramblestar ever was. He's proactive and is willing to break rules for what he believes is right. He gave up territory for SkyClan when no other Clan would. He willingly takes in and shelters cats who are unfairly banished from their own clans--Icewing, Harelight, Mothwing, and most recently Frostpaw (geez RiverClan). He stood up for Rootspring and Bristlefrost's love and advocated to change the warrior code to allow cross-Clan relationships. He will go to any lengths to protect ShadowClan and especially his children--but he seems truly motivated by love and not a desire for power. He takes amazing care of Shadowsight and stands by him constantly. Most recently, his "invasion" of RiverClan was shown to be 1) actually necessary, and 2) he did, in fact, keep his promise and back out when his conditions were met.

His decisions aren't always the *best,* but he's motivated and active (and delightfully meddlesome) in a way that no leader since Firestar has been. I LOVE that. I love him! Big stupid hot-headed well-meaning stripey man! Go invade RC again and kick Splashtail's, well, tail! <3

Also! ASC! You made ShadowClan the best clan how did that happen??? I'm so mad that Sunbeam is in ThunderClan now because I don't caaaaaaaare about TC lol I want more SC perspective.

So this is a lineup of my fav cats from the current arc: Whistlepaw (your honor I love her), Frostpaw (you're doing amazing girl, sorry about all the trauma), Icewing (hopefully next leader of RC come on WC team), Fringewhisker (full-time ass-kicker), Tigger boy <3, Shadowsight (my poor bby you're so good), Puddleshine (when did you get to be such a likeable character?), Bayshine (what a bro, seriously), and Harelight (we stan a supportive mentor, sorry about "Wind" buddy).

Honestly ASC is great so far. Can't wait for the finale. Also let the lesbian medicine cats kiss omg. I don't really bother shipping warrior cats because *gestures wildly* but nah, Whistlepaw and Frostpaw are the cutest lesbians and you can't tell me the "It was all worth it if it was for you" conversation in "Wind" WASN'T the most sapphic thing ever. Break ALL the boundaries girls be BOTH gay *and* nuns. We stan.

[darkstarofchaos]

Having seen some frankly irritating opinions from both sides of the aisle, I think some of y'all need to chill about the way the Decepticons were handled in EarthSpark.

Decepticon fans are allowed to be upset that the faction's depth and potential for development was tossed aside in favor of "Decepticons are just evil".

However, depth and potential doesn't mean the Decepticons have to be buddy-buddy with the Autobots. Depth is amoral, you can be a villain who resists "redemption" and still be a well-rounded character.

My issues with S2 vs S1 are as follows:

The lack of good explanation for why the sides are fighting again. I am not upset that the Cons are villains again. They have no reason to like or trust any human or Autobot, and gratitude for having your life saved only goes so far. My issue is that S2 literally opens by saying the Cons started the fight again just because that's what Cons do. Obviously the story is from the perspective of the main cast, and there are hints that they could be intentionally unreliable narrators (Starscream refers to them as oppressors, Breakdown challenges Bumblebee about giving up on Cybertron), but we aren't given enough time with the Cons to draw a solid conclusion about the intentions here.

The way the heroes treat Spitfire, i.e. a literal newborn. She was 100% in the right when she said that she didn't know the moral rules she was being expected to follow. But because she wasn't born with morals and an understanding of mortality preinstalled, the heroes condemned her instead of trying to de-escalate and take responsibility for their part in the situation (granted, Megatron was the only flight-capable adult present and he argued against de-escalation. Which tracks because he's Megatron. But someone should have pushed for a peaceful resolution).

How much depth do individual Decepticons still have? Who knows, Starscream, Shockwave, and Breakdown are the only ones with any focus. The others are only seen fighting, causing trouble for fun, or just standing around growling. Twitch - i.e. one of our main characters - literally spends an entire episode in the Con camp and we still manage to see nothing of Decepticon life when they're just hanging out. And yes, I know that the more characters you have in a scene, the harder it is to show their personalities. You can still show them playing cards or arm-wrestling or something. Anything to show that they're actually people and not just a hive mind that exists to fight.

Starscream. Specifically the last 20 minutes of the S2 finale, because everything else in his characterization fit S1 until that point. He literally calls the Autobots oppressors, so of course he's going to fight them. He wants Aftermath kept out of the way (that's a child, so that's perfectly reasonable) and he's frankly patient with Twitch-as-Spitfire, in spite of Skywarp's incredulity that he lets her "get away" with causing trouble (again, that is a child. Patience is the correct response). He even seems to like Spitfire after meeting the real her. The only issue I had with Starscream leading up to the second half of the finale was that his motivations didn't seem to be much deeper than "I want power" (I could be misremembering that point - there may have been an "Earth is going to be our home, let's make it better to live on" when he and Shockwave discussed Cybertron). And then the last 20 minutes happened and I can't see any logical extrapolation from S1 to that. It was just a generic "Starscream goes mad with power", and it came completely out of left field. Not even any remorse about what he "needed" to do or any attempt to justify himself, it was just, "Yeah, I'm worse than the people I called out for being oppressors, isn't it great?"

If there is some big plot twist where it turns out the heroes were unreliable narrators all along, some of my issues will actually be fixed. However, I find that extremely unlikely, for one major reason: all of the non-Decepticon characters who disagree with the heroes are either villains or they "come around". The Quintessons felt betrayed by Quintus? Nah, Quintus was a great guy, you can tell because he tortured a kid for wishing she had never been chosen by him. Prowl doesn't like the Autobots' reliance on children? Silly Prowl, those kids are special, we want them to fight. The narrative never, at any point, entertains the idea that those dissenting voices might have a point. Which means we're probably meant to take the heroes at face value on most, if not all things.

TL;DR: the Decepticons being villains makes perfect sense, even with the context of S1; it's the heroes acting like they're only fighting for power after we had several episodes about second chances and not all Decepticons being the same that makes it feel like a cop-out. And Decepticon fans are allowed to be upset that some of their favorite characters had interesting stuff going on only to be functionally relegated to Voiceless Grunt Number 3 (and yes, several Autobots have also been relegated to Voiceless Grunts. If one of your favorite characters has fallen victim to this affliction, regardless of faction, you have my sympathies).

[miimo96]

Thoughts on My Adventures with Superman S2 episode 5

I love how Wholesome this Clark is, at 1st it looked like he wasn't really into attending the contest, but as soon as he heard that it was going to be Donating money to the children's hospital, he immediately made up his mind, Showing us once again Why this Show is Amazing, Because they Know how to HANDLE Superman

Aaaaahhh!! We're Finally being introduced to Kara, Omg She looks Soooo good I can't wait to see how they handle her and her relationship with Clark, maybe we might actually get see the "Sibling" Dynamic I talked about not to long ago ^^; (also is it me or does kara look kinda familiar, I don't know she just looks someone I've seen before I just can't put my finger on it, hmmmmm 🤔 eh it's probably nothing )

Annnd just like that Love at 1st sight, in all seriousnes I really love Jimmy's character and how he's handled throughout this show, It's clear that he does feel Guilty for What happened last episode, after all He was the one who gave Lex the "motivation" to do what he is doing So I understand that he does feel responsible in someway, plus he did bring Clark to Expo in the 1st place which led to Superman being framed when the Villains attacked, but C'mon, you Didn't know that would happen or that Lex would be there, or that you guy's would have a TED TALK discussing the "Dangers" of Superman, You have No reason to feel guilty or have any obligation to Fix this because it wasn't your Fault, just sit down and talk to your boy and for crying out loud Omg 😫

Also Clark using his X-ray vision to immediately see who was running is extremely funny to me for some reason idk why lol 😅

Ok 2 things, 1 Lois throughout this episode was really infuriating to me, Lois's ego was really shining here I mean she really feels that there's Nothing Specail about her, and that it would be completely unlikely for a guy like Superman to ever be interested in a person like her, because "who would ever be interested in the reporter right" even though they made entire episode last season focusing on the LOL/ League of Lois Lanes and how Lois lane is DESTINED to be with Superman in every reality, so it really Grinds my gears when she starts getting jealous when she sees Superman acting single around other contestants/girls, and wants act all salty and question if they're even "right" for each other and that maybe he should be with someone who is more Special than her when in reality that's exactly WHY he fell for you in the 1st place, because you are Different and because you Makes him feel Normal, also you're the 1 that Told him to "act" single in the 1st place like Wtf!? Also I find it hilarious that Clark immediately waves as they're talking about who could Superman's identity be, like it's LITERALLY right in front of them 😂

Judging by this scene it feels like she's never been on Earth before whatsoever, from her being to foriegn to stuff like what Ice cream and hot dogs are, to earlier with her wanting to immediately square up with a Truck, It's pretty clear that THIS Is her 1st time being on earth, leaving the question Now to where has she been all this time, and who is her father? Because as far as I'm aware I thought only her and Kal were last 2 kryptonians that made it off Krypton, So who could her "father" be? Well there's only 1 option, but I'll save that for a later scene ;)

So as I was watching this I kept wondering on who the heck the other contestants were, as far as my knowledge of comic books go it's Not really that good, since I mainly grew up with cartoons and only read a few comics from time to time and Superman was the 1 thing that I Never really kept up with all that time, So forgive me I don't really know who most of the people are on here other than Hank Hanshaw AKA Cyborg Superman, if y'all happen to know feel free to lemme know in the comments or just Ask me in the submissions Thx ^^;

Also can Clark Not come up with a good excuse to change into Superman, I mean how hard is it to say "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back" also saying you're going somewhere and then immediately having Superman show up is completely Sus as hell, how has no one else figured out Who the heck he really is yet ?😅

Ah the Jealous girlfriend face 🤣🤣 also the scene here with Hank talking about just how dangerous Superman is and how he is literally a weapon waiting to go off just shows how much Lex is affecting people and how he already has people thinking he's right; This is stuff that will Definitely be brought up in season 3, I can already see the "Earth is for Earthlings" Hashtags 😅also I don't know about you but to me there's definitely something suspicious about Silver from the way she's acting, idk but to me I'm thinking that maybe Silver may not be as sweet as we think she is, hmmmm 🧐

I love the callback from Last episode with her saying "everything" when Jimmy asks what she wanted to see, just like how he did when Clark asked him the same question, also between this and the Jimmy from the Supergirl TV show on CW, Jimmy really has a knack for pulling Strong powerful women, Nice ^_^

I Really love how Devoted kara already is to Jimmy, the fact that she immediately was ready to go and completely DESTROY Whoever hurt Jimmy tells you just how much she Already cares about him just from being on this planet for like idk 3 hours maybe, bro really knows how to pull the Baddies, Ngl I ship them ^^

She's LITERALLY the embodiment of this

Bruh Kara is really talking crazy here, to me this Not how kryptonians Speak, as far as I'm aware kryptonians are usually intelligent chill people with only a few of them being like soldiers, they're Not effing Conquerors, tbh this Version of them sounds more like Sayains than anything, Damn they're really going in on the whole Anime theme this season huh, which leads me to my Next topic; I think I Know who Kara's father supposedly is, here me out but what if it's Freaking ZOD, think about it, what if before she left krypton Zod kidnapped her as a baby and raised her to make her Think that she was his own, hence why she has this mindset and Why she's talking like this; after all Besides Kal only Zod and her would be last 2 kryptonians, So it's possible he could've raised her and molded her into the warrior/ conquer she is today Similar to him, and if you still don't believe me, then take a Good look at what She says here Next

Ladies and Gentlemen, I rest my effing Case ^^ also OMG WTF IT WAS HER THE ENTIRE F#%KING TIME!? 🤯

Ok 3 things: 1 she beat the Absolute Shit out of him my god she showed No mercy even to her Own cousin Wow, 2 the Animation for this fight scene in this episode was Wild omg I loved every minute of it, They have Not missed a Beat this season when it's come down to the Animation whatsoever, and finally 3 Her design for this Suit looks Just effing incredible, Omfg I love the Red and black color scheme they got going on here and the Symbol, aside from Bulky ass Shoulder pads, everything just looks So effing CLEAN, Man I can't wait to see the Fanart from this Suit; Also it's clear that Brainiac is controlling her somehow judging by how she keeps hesitating and the way her eyes go completely blank after She receives her orders, So there may be hope for her Just yet, but in the end I know that even IF she turns good, Earth is going to be Completely against her and Superman by the end of this Season, So yeah...

Wow it looks like we Gotten yet another New superpower for this man, Ngl, I'm not a fan at all, the last one we got from him was his Bio electric aura which at 1st I wasn't a fan of but once I thought about It some more and did a bit more research on it, It really started to grow on me, Since it's how he's able to Defy the impossible, THIS however I am just Not feeling it, this does make any sense for him to have and Never even once in my life have I ever seen this man Shoot effing energy from his Mouth, like what is even the Point of this power and what is it used for like Bruh, Sry but this is Definitely ain't for me, and is Not going to grow on me anytime soon ^^;

No Please Not the Injustice FINISHER, Omg DON'T DO HIM LIKE THAT!! 😱😱😱

Wow this episode was just Balls to the Walls insane, between this and the Reveal that Brainiac was the one She was referring to as "father" i have No idea what else to expect from this Season, and this is Just making me completely unsure about what's gonna happen next for the future of this show, Omg this Series is so good, Can't wait for the next one #SupermanSaturdays

[derangedanomaly]

So, I saw your writing and short stories. I love the way you write each character perspective of the reader so I wanted to ask. Can you do Dust, Nightmare, Error, Epic, Bill, Killer x Demon Slayer Reader (Like, in there au, they slay demons with a katana)

I'm glad you like my writing style pookie! ^^ (I'm sorry, I have no experience in writing Bill sans, so I didn't do him. Again, terribly sorry 😭😭 still hope you'll enjoy this nonetheless!)

NOT A DEMON...

(Dust, Nightmare, Error, Epic, Killer)

Nightmare:

After he found out that there's another Au, he just needed to see it..see how much havoc he can cause! Of course he immediately went there.

Though, he didn't expected this.

He was immediately jumped by a girl, holding a katana up to his throat, which... undeniably...made his knees turn into jelly... (Bro is actually into this freaky shit 😨)

He only awkwardly looked at you, a smirk evident on his face. "Hey...so... are you gonna point your pretty katana up to my throat like this forever...or you'll actually let go...?" Bitch was LYING. He didn't want you to let go. (SIR. Y'ALL JUST MET 😱)

Your glare hardened on him as you tighten your hold on your katana, not planning to move from him. (Damn..ya trynna start some shit? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

He chuckled at your unwillingness, and actually WRAPPED HIS TENTACLE around your katana. Your eyes widened, not really sure what his next move is going to be.

"What....what kind of demon are you?" You asked him, looking over his goopy body and slick tentacles. He became a little flustered from your stares, but didn't waver. "Demon? Heh... I've been called many things, awful things...but I wouldn't go as far as to call me a demon." He is a demon. 😐

You decided to interrogate him further, so you still sat, seated on his chest, a katana ready to end him anytime he would get out of line. (Which... let's be honest, really turned him on...)

You then began your special interrogation.

"What's your name?" "Nightmare. You?" ".....Y/n L/n...what about your... appearance? What's up with your tentacles?" He shoots you a flirtatious smirks. "Why? Interested..~?" You glared and pressed the katana to his neck more.. "Answer." He let out a shuddered sigh, almost as if trying to hold himself back... "I'm a skeleton. Not a demon, hun." It was finally then that he decided to free himself, using his tentacles to lift you up with ease. You questioned yourself why he didn't free himself earlier if he could very much do so without problems.

"Don't worry, Y/n. You'll see me much sooner then you can expect..."

Oh you knew. And next time he comes. You'll be prepared.

Killer:

Oh he was SO going to kill the others for this! He made a bet with the others recently, and he lost. Again. As a punishment, he had to capture someone from this brand new Au. Which Killer, didn't enjoy. He rather much liked killing them on the spot! But not kidnapping! He HATED this mission....

Killer walked through the dark hollow forest with a bored expression, looking around. As long as he kidnapped ONE person, the job's done. And that's all he wanted to get out of here.

As he passed a certain corner, he was immediately startled by a loud voice. A rather...sweet voice. He slowly turned around to be met with a... girl's eyes, looking frantically at him. In his eyes...she seemed.. nervous, holding a katana in a shakey hold.

Thinking you were quite attractive, he didn't see the harm in a little flirting. Besides...he can't come back without completing the mission...so who knows how long he'll be stuck here. (Also, it wouldn't be Killer if he didn't flirt with any being he saw as attractive. 💀)

"Well hello gorgeous~" You let out a little squeal at that and the katana in your hand almost slipping out. Which he found rather cute.

Truth be told, it was your first day as the demon slayer, you never actually encountered a demon head-on like this before. Which made you quite nervous...

Despite being very nervous, you eventually found your voice and spoke to him, trying to assert authority. "L-Listen here demon!" Which failed as you stuttered. Ugh.. "-We either fight to death! Or you leave! Right now..." Killer couldn't help but chuckle as he leaned against a tree right next to him, with you still holding your katana and standing in a battle pose.

"Fight to death? Sounds a bit gruesome to me.." he chuckled again, sending shivers down your spine. "How about we change it up to something more...poetic? I've always been the romantic type~ how about...we fight till death do us part! Yeah... that sounds better.."

Because Killer is a dumbo, he completely overlooked the part where you called him a demon. So he was surprised when you called him like that, again. "W-What are you?! Some perverted demon?!" Your cheeks flared up in red as you squealed. Killer only looked at you in confusion. "A demon?? Nah...I ain't a demon sweetheart, I'm a skeleton! But I can act like a demon if that'll get you going..." You couldn't help out the grin that was spreading on your cheeks as you turned your head a little to the side, to avoid looking at him.

Killer smirked and suddenly threw you over his shoulder, you yelped and wanted to take out your katana, only to see it in the snow not being able to reach it. Killer smirked and not so subtly peaked at your...form. ;)

"So.. where's your house eye candy? I'm gonna crash at yours tonight." You thought he'll immediately kidnap you? Nah...call it selfishness...but he just really wanted to enjoy this a little longer.

Error:

To say that Error was furious was an understatement. He was fuming.

Ink went ahead, and created another fucking Au. Great...more work for him to destroy the anomalies.

As Error went on a search about the Au, his eyes suddenly catched your folder...it was almost like it was calling out to him, shining even.. he leaned in closer, taking your folder out. Y/n. Heh...that seems like an interesting 'anomaly'...

Error went into your Au, beginning his work of destroying everything. That was until you tried to step in, he thought you'd be furious and try to put up a fight, but all you did was....gush about his strength...or his demeanor, his appearance..he was..........flustered.

He turned to you with big blush. Out.of.words. what was he even supposed to say?!

"Oh man...you have such a strong arms..." You complimented, making it harder for him to destroy your world. He was having a stupid smile on his face. It was actually really adorable! "O-Oh gEeez...." He let out a huff as he looked you up and down. (Ayo sir, you checking out? 🤨😘)

He grumbled, trying to compose himself, showing clear signs of embarrassment. "I'm the destroyer of Au's. I'm supposed to eliminate anomalies. And you're one of em." You couldn't help the mischievous grin spreading across your face. You have no idea why, but something about this guy just screamed, 'I'm not dangerous!'. You trusted your brain. So you decided to not attack him. Now that you got a good look at him, he seemed to have trouble sleeping...

"What's your name, Mr. Au destroyer?" You didn't miss the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile, but chose to not comment on it. "....Error.." you smiled warmly at Error, pointing to your house. "You look like you're not doing so well... wanna come over my place and...rest up?" His face retorted to a frown suddenly, he stood up and made you come super close face-to-face with him, glaring at you.

"I'm not dumb..... you're not doing this out of kindness...no one is..WHY are you doing this???" you felt like bursting to laughter right then and there. Is this man serious? "I'm just offering you my hospitality, Error...is there a problem with my intentions?" His face blew up almost instantly, before landing you safely onto the ground.

"Great! My offer still stays...feel free to come...~" of course he'll come. How could he resist with you taunting him so much?

Dust:

This is the hundredth time that Dust asked for Nightmare to go visit this brand new Au. Nightmare knew. He knew from the start when he heard about the Au that Dust would be interested. After all......monster species and their Exp is his forte...

After Nightmare almost blew a fuse, he finally agreed to Dust's request. "Are you....sure you want...to go alone...?" Horror asked Dust, eating a raw meat while doing so. "Yeah. Don't worry H. Killer will keep you entertained." Dust laughed when he heard Horror's next words. "Ugh... I'd rather hang...out with...a caterpillar..." Dust couldn't help but agree with his words, leaving Horror in their shared room. (I LIVE FOR HORROR AND DUST BEING BEST FRIENDS 😍)

After going through the portal, he looked at his surroundings, making mental notes. He liked to visit each and every new Au like this before him and his team destroys it...it made him feel a little alive...like he wasn't completely lost. Yes, he mostly did this so the others could have an idea of the layout in the Au, and how many people there were and what kind of species they were...but...it sorta became a hobby of his now. He felt good when he explored something new! It reminded him of Papyrus....

He shook his head and took out his book. For every Au, he had its own special book. Every book was different for each Au. He sometimes even decorated the cover... (Would NOT let anyone know...He would actually die).

This specific book for this Au is brown like cork, and has a golden lining around it. He began making small notes, looking at the scenery. It was like something BRAND NEW. He never saw an Au that was SO different from the others! And from the looks of it...it didn't occured in the underground.

As Dust sat under a tree, writing notes, he didn't noticed a figure approaching, until it was right besides him.

"What are you doing..?" He flinched. "What the FUCK!?" You both then proceeded to stare at the other, both of your faces showing concern for the other... "Uhm... I feel as though we haven't started off on the right foot.... I'm Y/n L/n! And you...? Stranger...?" He blinked a few times before responding. "Oh, I'm Dust..." You let out a giggle at the silly name, as you look at his book.. "And can I ask what you're doing? Dust?"

After awhile of pestering Dust to let you in on what he was doing, he explained what he was doing. You were pretty impressed when you heard his work. "That's so cool! Hey, maybe I can help you?" Dust only looked at you with unfazed expression. "Help me how?" You giggle, earning yourself an embarrassed Dust, avoiding your pretty eyes that he seemed to get lost in. "I'll show you how everything in here works! After all, wouldn't you want to hear the thoughts of the citizen?" Dust thought about it for some time, until he eventually gave up. "Alright.." you cheered slightly, making him chuckle quietly. Why wouldn't he take you up on the offer? After all...he wanted to talk to you for as long as possible.

Epic:

Oh how did he get into this situation? This night, he snuck into Nightmare's mansion, to hang out with Cross, only to be found and chugged into a black room locked until the morning arrives...

"Oh come on, Nightmare dude!" He whined trying to force the door open. Nightmare only grimaced. "DON'T call me dude, Epic. Ever." Epic sighed after he heard Nightmare's steps walking further away. All he could do was wait. You'd think he can teleport, but nope! This room forbids you to use any form of magic...Nightmare really thought about everything when creating a punishment..

He only sighed more, and slumped down sitting on the ground, his back facing the door. He was getting pretty bored... Nightmare even took his printed out memes and his rubber chicken! What a crime! Truly a vile man...

After almost falling asleep, Epic heard weird noises...it was like some portal? He opened his eyes to be met with, truly an opened portal. It must've opened on its own...he observed it for awhile until deciding to come in.

When he opened his eyes. Again. He was met with a literal angel. Well, at least in his eyes. There you were, fighting against a big demon ruthlessly. As if it was nothing! Epic could only stare in adoration, still sitting on the ground. "Oh I wish I could describe this with that one meme...." But I don't have my meme privileges... He thought to himself, before fully focusing on you again.

He decided that, to make a good first impression on you, he'll get up and help you with your demon problem.

And he actually did! You had no idea who this man was, but you were grateful for him! He really kicked some butt!

After beating the demon, you looked to your side and faced the man that helped you... "Hey...thanks, man." Epic got a little smug and smirked. "You're welcome. What's your name brah?" You chuckle at his vocabulary as you both exchanged names.

"Well...see you around, Epic." You smiled teasingly, putting your hand on his shoulder before leaving him a flustered mess. He's definitely gonna see you around....you think that after this experience he'll just leave? Hell no! He'll visit for sure.. ;)

[antiyourwokehomophobia2]

I don't know what your take on the whole asexual/aromantic discourse is, but have you noticed an uptick in people insisting that characters who are heavily implied to be gay are actually aroace? It happens a lot in one of the fandoms I'm in and it makes it so hard to have discussions about these characters. There's this particular character who is like deeply deeply traumatized and has completely reasonable trust issues due to it and I've seen so many people insist that that makes them aroace. It's such a reductive interpretation, but any sort of push back toward it gets you branded a bigot. And whenever I see people try to argue against it they always preface it with "if you have this headcanon you're so valid, it's so so valid, but" and it's like fuck off why do we have to do this shit?

Anon, don't get me started. I have so much to say about this.

I have seen so many people say that the reason that gay ships don't kiss as often as straight ships do is because "oh they don't need to prove their relationship by way of physicality! Their relationship is deeper than sex and kissing!!!" and it's like... no shit? Almost all relationships are deeper been sex and kissing lmao. The presence of sex and kissing does not take away from how deep a relationship can be. Two people wanting to have sex with each other are not more shallow than two people who don't. And for some reason, I only ever see this argued with regard to gay ships. Straight ships get to kiss all the fucking time. Nobody ever argues that straight people not kissing deepens their relationship.

There were some people who were upset about the men from Good Omens kissing in the season 2 finale, because they felt like it took something away. Probably the aroace headcannon that they had, and it's just so ridiculous. Like. We know you don't want to see gay people kissing on screen. We fucking know.

People will do literally anything but admit that they are fucking homophobic and think that two people of the same sex kissing is icky. Even if they identify as aroace, go put those fucking headcannons onto straight people and let gay people fuck nasty on screen. Y'all are so fucking annoying. Gay rights have not progressed so fucking far that we can put a stopper in gay people kissing on TV. We are not so deep into gay rights that you can throw a tantrum about wanting your gay characters to stay "good and pure" by never kissing or having sex with each other and not come across as homophobic. I don't care how much fucking representation you want. Gay people also need to be represented, and the majority of gay people kiss and have sex, so stop your whining every time that gay people actually kiss on screen. You sound stupid, selfish, and homophobic.

[iocaisaint]

Random ACOTAR takes

cw*: my unsolicited opinions

I agree with #that woman that canon Lucien and Nesta (and I mean pre-ACOSF) would've been terrible for each other sorry

As of right now Nesta is the only Archeron sister with direct connection to the Dusk Court, like her and her alone 🤷🏾‍♀️

Out of the love square (?) Lucien is lowkey the only one with a storyline that isn't made out of paper mache and hope. There's so many angles you could go: Beron, Eris, LOA, The Autumn Court or Spring Court, Tamlin, or Day Court, Helion, being an heir, or helping Vassa with Koschei + his overall friendship with Jurian + Vassa + humans as a whole and that's without touching on the mating bond even once. Real set-up wished she'd done that with everyone else

That being said, I disagree with a bunch of Lucien's stans when it comes to his characters, y'all have a power fantasy for him that's in direct contradiction to how he's actually written (I mean I get it the books treat him like trash)

If Nesta is pregnant I'll have a crash out to end all crash outs.

Everybody in this fandom bar maybe Feysands are shipping fanon, the scenes that y'all talk about and the ones that exist on page are either not the same or straight up don't exist.

I hate the HK/HQ plot even for Nesta, like is blatant colonialism.

Everybody here is a hypocrite when it comes to their faves we'd all be happier admitting then bending over backwards.

I do not care for Elain, simply because fanon Elain is so far removed from what's on page, that most her pro arguments simply don't make sense to me.

There's no reason for Helion to give up his Pegasi but I know HOFAS was a mess but when the place was revitalised after the Asteri were murdered they came back, my guess is that place and the prison are mirror worlds so the same will happen once the Prison is liberated

Azriel isn't boring but he also isn't extremely interesting. If he was a girl no one would gaf about him, but there are enough concepts of an idea where I could see his book not being awful.

Neither the pro or the anti side gives a fuck about Emerie, double points if you're engaging in that ship war. No I won't expand on this, I'm right.

Nessian sucks, that's all.

Actually no I'm expanding on that point, the fact that people defend no "I love you" from the MMC is crazy, that fact that people defend Nesta being threatened without Cass stepping in even worse, the fact that Rhys knows he can berate Nesta in Cassian's presence....like they had an 800+ page book and I'm still having to hear about how they need to "grow as characters" y'all aren't serious people

I've become more neutral-positive to Feyre because some of the arguments against her are just crazy but on that note she'd be deeply more entertaining if the narrative wrote her refusal for self reflection as a flaw

Gwyn cannot be a evil light singer and irrelevant at the same time please pick one.

Also I don't hate the light singer theory, sorry. Monsters not actually being monsters is this series's bread and butter. It'd be great if a woman finally got that treatment

I can already tell Eris is about to be retconned to hell because SJM hates a character not being vindicated by the narrative to redeem them (she already started by implying Eris wants his father dead for #feminism). Let it be known I like/d him as is

I don't get into arguments about Rhys cause I find him boring. Y'all are fighting day in day out about faerie Ronald Reagan

Nesta should've been bi, how tf did we get stuck with Mor

I have more but that's it for now.

[night-night-stories-before-bed]

Love me, hate me, you can't live without me.

Warning ⚠️; Mention of past character death, mention of child abuse, implied hate sex, implied bottom Gabriel. Toxic relationship. 🔞

Pairing; Gabriel Agreste/ Male reader

Summary; Gabriel and you had a rocky start, from allies to somewhat friends to more. You Weren't his wife, would never be her and yet Gabriel can't deny that place you have in his heart. It only makes him hate you more while it make you love him more.

Note; It was supposed to be my Tony Stark/Cult Leader!Male!Reader fic posted Saturday but its not fully finished/corrected so yeah. I hope y'all still love this one.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Gabriel still didn't understand why he agreed to work with you. You were an insufferable brat, a torn in his side and a tease. Everything that he hated. Yet, he had to admit that you were his strongest ally. Your control over your Miraculous was close to perfection and you were a strong foe.

That was why he had agreed to work with you.

Gabriel was still unsure how you had found his hideout since you never told him. He had been shocked to find you there, surrounded by his white butterfly and waiting for him. His first reflex had been to try and fight you, only for you to overpower him easily.

God, he could still feel your knee between his legs and pressing against his groin. Your breath hit his ear through his mask as you chuckled, twisting his arms behind his back. You had whispered in Gabriel’s ear like you were telling him a secret, but in reality it was a deal.

He helped you get something and in return, you would bring him Lady Bug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous.

How could he say no? Not when all his plans had been bested and those damn kids mocked him. Gabriel had had enough and maybe you were going to be the one to finally give him what he wanted. If the price was to break in somewhere and steal something, it was nothing he wouldn't do.

The most humiliating part had been that you had succeeded in your part of the deal. You had given him once each Miraculous, first Chat Noir, then Lady Bug, but after each time Gabriel had lost them. If only you had given them at the same time! And how he had hated you when after each time you had made fun of him. Yes. Gabriel hated you. You and your teasing words.

Then, out of nowhere, you came in his office.

Not his hideout, not somewhere he was as Monarch, but right inside his home. You knew who he was and stood without your costume, sitting on his desk playing with a Miraculous that wasn't yours. Of course, you gave it to him and of course, you laughed at him when his plan failed again.

From then on things went downhill for Gabriel. You were always there, in his shadow, smirking and teasing him. There was nothing he could do against you; you knew his identity and could use it against him. So he can just watch as you take Nathalie’s place next to him and to his horror get close to his son.

Adrien who actually enjoys your company and listens to you when you speak. Adrien who laughs and seeks your presence when he is contraried by Gabriel, but calm down when you explain why Gabriel is doing such things. His own son prefers you over him and it is a slap across the face.

He tried to push you away, force you to stay far away from his son but you only laughed to his face. There was no way Adrien would forgive him if he learned he sent you away and he couldn't bear the thought of his actually hating him.

So he finally gave in, letting you turn around him like a fly with a piece of meat. He hated how touchy you were, wrapping yourself around his shoulders, your chest pressed against his back. Some days you wouldn't shave and your morning beard would scratch his neck and cheek and he would push you away, his hand on your face. You’ll chuckle and lick or bite his fingers.

And yet, you grew on him.

Gabriel couldn't deny missing you when you'll be gone for days or that he wasn't touched when he would find rare fabrics on his desk, a gift from you. There were the little things you would do for him; bringing him coffee and croissants, even pancakes after a long and hard night. You would cover for his ass when he would slip up or forget a show and he didn't even need to ask you.

You would be his plus-one during any event he participated to the point where rumours started that you two were seeing each other. That was a rumour Gabriel hated. How dare they think he was over his wife? How dare they think you were half the person she was? He was disgusted by all of them, while you thought it was hilarious and played it as true.

Yes.

Gabriel hated you.

And yet, he couldn't have enough of you.

Gabriel didn't know how to name your relationship; allies? Frienemies? Coworkers?

Soulmate?

No. That wasn't possible. Emilie was and will always be his soulmate, not you. But of course, you had to disrupt everything he thought he knew and make him face the ugly truth.

You had to save his life by almost losing yours.

Gabriel could still feel your hand grabbing his wrist painfully as you took off Plagg’s ring from his finger and could only watch as you threw it away before an explosion occurred. When he regained consciousness he found your body shielding him from the blast. He had to push you off him, cursing and hitting you until Gabriel realised you weren't reacting.

Until he felt your blood on his face.

He was losing you just like he had lost Emilie.

Something broke in his mind as he saw you unconscious and bloody, chest barely raising with your shivering breath. You were dying before his very eyes, because of him, because of the consequences of his actions. You were paying the price that should have been his.

The Lucky Charm had been useless in helping you and even Tikki couldn't tell him what to do. So Gabriel had taken you to the hospital after taking off your Miraculous, accusing Monarch of being behind your wounds. He wanted, no, deserved to be hated he thought.

His mind spiralled down, drowning him in guilt and rage as he stayed by your side, forced to face what he had done to you. Oh, how much he hated and despised you! But oh! How much he loved and missed your banters and touches.

Andrien didn't help

His son was a crying mess when he saw you, cursing him and wishing for his death. Well, the death of Monarch, which was himself, but that was something Andrien ignored. It didn't chase away the pain those words caused.

So yes. As you lay in bed, fighting for your life, Gabriel had to face an ugly truth; he loved you. Loved you just as much as he had loved his wife and he couldn't lose you.

He couldn't live without you.

It took days, but the doctors finally told Gabriel that you were out of the woods, that you were going to live. He hated himself for the tears of joy that rolled down his cheeks at the news and how his heart became lighter in his chest. But Gabriel wasn't going to lose you. You were going to keep bothering and teasing him.

You woke up days later, a smirk on your lips as you looked at him. The sound of his name on your lips sent a shiver down his spine and he had to fight the urge to punch you.

- “Don’t ever do something like that again!” He hissed at you, making you laugh and cough.

- “Of course, I am going to do it again if it means Mon Coeur is going to live.”

Mon Coeur.

My Heart.

You had called him your heart.

The second the doctors allowed you to leave, Gabriel took you home. Bedbound, you looked weak and fragile, the opposite of what you usually were. Your Miraculous was so happy to be reunited with you and so were you, making Gabriel almost jealous when you cuddled the little creature in your hands.

For hours he would stay by your side even if you were sleeping. Gabriel had moved his desk and things into your room allowing him to work on his project while keeping an eye on you. Naturally, you teased him constantly about it. His patience was about to crumble, but each time he wanted to snap, he had to face your wounded and bruised body and Gabriel would fall silent, unable to say anything as guilt kept eating him alive.

You of course noticed it.

The rare times you left the bed, you would come sit by his side. Sometimes resting your head on his shoulder taking a nap or just watching him draw. Other times you would also draw with him and he would include your ideas in his concepts or you would talk, trying to clear his mind.

You both knew what was going on, but neither of you said or did anything about it.

Until Gabriel couldn't take it anymore.

The first time Gabriel kissed you, he felt alive again. The second time he kissed with hunger, like a man starving to death. He could never forget the sweet taste of your lips or the warm touch of your hands on his hips, grounding him and reminding him this wasn't a dream.

You were alive and so was he.

For once, you didn't tease or make fun of him but allowed him to do as he pleased with you. His hands touched and explored your body, tracing the scars he was responsible for. The shivers and grunts from you were his new addiction and he always needed more. So he got more, tasting all of you and letting you have your share.

You touched him like no one else did before, not even Emilie. Your lips forced sounds he didn't know he could produce out of his mouth. You covered his skin with kisses and bites, leaving a trail of hickeys behind you. In the morning his body would be sore, reminding him that he wasn't twenty anymore, but your body wrapped around his would make Gabriel forget everything as he would focus on your breathing and heartbeat.

Yes.

Gabriel hated and loved you at the same time. And had to face the truth; that he couldn't live without you, couldn't keep following his plan to try and bring Emilie back. No. Because that meant risking losing you again or leaving you behind and he couldn't accept either possibility. So Gabriel accepted it and each time he woke up in your embrace or with you kissing his shoulders he both cursed and praised you. You who had changed everything for the better and the worse.

[bellaxgiornata]

It's been awhile since y'all have gotten an internal character dialogue from me, but something weird has been happening this week up in my head with the fictional men who call it home so I had to make one. As always, it's below the cut! Something is going on with Matty and I don't know what...

Me, walking in through the front door: Okay boys, so I've finally got a day off to focus on writing and my plan was--

[Frank looks up from his newspaper, a coffee in one hand. Mikey lowers his book to his lap on the other end of the couch.]

Me, looking around: Where is Matt? Is he sleeping in?

Frank, focusing back on his newspaper: Red isn't here.

Me, raising a brow at Mikey: So he's just...willingly disappeared? Left the pair of you here all alone to get all the attention today? Again?

Mikey, shrugging: Dunno. Seems like it. Not goin' to catch me complainin' 'bout it though.

Me, eyes narrowing: Okay, but he's been quiet all week. Why has he been quiet all week?

Frank, glancing back up from his paper: 'Cause he's been gone all week.

Me, suspiciously: ...gone doing what?

Frank, focusing on his coffee: I ain't his babysitter. Don't know what he's up to. All I know is that he hasn't been here and it's been quiet. Kinda nice, actually.

Mikey, gesturing a hand towards the bookshelf: Ya know, come to think of it, I think I last saw him readin' some o' your binders over there. The story ideas ya have? Thought I caught him cryin'.

Me: Which binder did he have?

Mikey, shrugging again: Dunno. Didn't see the title.

Me: Okay, well were they happy tears or sad tears?

Mikey, apologetic: Sorry, love, I dunno.

Me, focusing on Frank: Do you have any idea what he was reading?

Frank, reading his newspaper: Been busy playing with Lily all week. I got no damn clue what Red has been up to. Maybe he just needed a week off. Needed a break or somethin'.

Me, suspiciously eyeing the bookshelf of fic ideas: Maybe...but I might need to go find him later... He's been far too quiet, it's not normal.

Frank, looking up from his paper hopefully: But you're gonna keep working on the last half of that chapter for me today, right? You almost finished it.

Mikey, also looking hopeful: And ya are still workin' on either chapter idea ya had for Safe Haven or She Lit a Fire, yeah?

Me: Yeah, I'm still working on those. Just hope I don't find Matt passed out in a dumpster somewhere when I do go looking for him later.

Frank: He's a big boy, he'll be fine.

Mikey: I'm sure he just needed a bit o' time to himself, pet. He'll be back.

Me, feeling nervous: I sure hope you boys are right...