#i can't believe we had to wait FOR YEARS to see big in a scene like this 😭

[pharawee]

—MONSTER NEXT DOOR · Episode 7

[anakinstwinklebunny]

LEGO TYPE OF LOVE..

PAIRING: nerd!anakin x f!reader

𝓕𝓛𝓤𝓕𝓕 ❦

────୨ৎ────

Summer - beaming sun, chirping birds, early mornings, heat up air..Yet for ANAKIN SKYWALKER it wasn't an excuse to not dress officially to school. Shirt pressed so perfectly you could cut yourself on the creases, tie snug against his collar, and his jacket, despite the heat, still near him, tied around his waist as it swung neatly around his legs as he walked. You hold his hand the entire way, fingers tangled with his, feeling the slight clamminess of his palm--a tell-tale sign he’s nervous, even if he’s trying to play it cool.

“Are you hot in that?” you teased, trying to lighten the tension

He shrugs, lips twitching like he’s fighting a smile. “I’m fine. I--it’s… comfortable.”

You snort softly, squeezing his hand. “Sure it is.”

When you get to his house, Anakin barely got the door open before a high-pitched squeal echoed from inside. Suddenly, a whirlwind of giggles and energy crashed into you, and you’re almost knocked off your feet.

“You’re here! I can't believe it! Ani finally brought you back! This time nothing will tear us apart” her lips curling into, what you interpreted, as too-excited and too-scary smile

Little Ahsoka clung to your legs, small arms squeezing you as tight as she could. With big eyes sparkling as she started babbling about everything that’s happened since the last time she saw you.

“I coloured a picture for you! Wanna see it? Wait, no! Look at my braid! Mom did it! Do you like it? Are you staying for dinner? Pleeease stay for dinner!”

Anakin watched the scene while taking his shoes off, muttering something about your feet being cold if you're not gonna put on some light shoes he had offered. He's trying to gently make ahsoka acknowledge the meaning and purpose of your appearance but the eight year old just furrows her brows, before taking you by hand and dragging you already further into the house.

Anakin already groans and there's a small argument between him and Ahsoka about who you should spend time with, before Shmi overheads the chaos going on, ans gets downstairs. Her face lighted up the moment it landed on yours, and she greeted you by pulling you into a gentle, motherly hug. “It’s always so good to see you, dear,” she said warmly, voice warm like a sunshine outside “I hope you’re staying for dinner?”

Before you can answer, Anakin caught the opportunity and gently tugged at your hand, pulling you away from his family. “Maybe later,” he mumbled before you could even reply, cheeks pink as he glanced towards the stairs. “We, uh… have some stuff to do. So..uh..we're gonna be upstairs..and mom please keep 'Soka away” he whined

Shmi gives him a knowing smile, gently taking Ahsoka's hand so they'd go to the garden as Anakin pulls you up to his room.

As soon as the door shuts behind you, he’s kicking off his shoes and flopping onto the bed with a dramatic sigh. He looks at you expectantly, already patting the space next to him.

“Come here.”

You don’t even get a chance to sit properly before he pulls you down beside him, wrapping his long arms around you like a human octopus. Nose nuzzled into your hair, and he exhales a content sigh, entire body relaxing against yours.

"you've made quite a scene" you mumble teasingly, although with a hint of true

"I just want to cuddle..forget about this awful day.." he numbled, fingers tracing lazy patterns on your back. "And with 'Soka being too excited to see you I'd not even be able to breath the same air as yours.."

Time passes by and, somehow, he shifted--he’s on his back now, and you’re lying on his chest, cheek pressed to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. One of his hands stroked your hair while the other rests on your hip, holding you close like he’s afraid you might disappear.

“I was thinking…”

You hum softly, fingers toying with the buttons on his shirt. “Hmm?”

“Maybe…” He hesitates, and you tilt your head to look up at him. His cheeks are a little pink as he clears his throat, giving you the perfect view for his adam apple. “Maybe we could play Lego's?”

You blink, surprised. “Lego's?”

“Yeah,” he says quickly, voice a little defensive now. “I’ve got a huge collection. I mean, we don’t have to if you don’t want to, but—”

You laugh softly, cutting him off with a kiss on his cheek. “I’d love to, Ani.”

His face lighted up, a boyish grin spreading across his lips, but then he frowns slightly, tightening his hold on you.

“But…” He pouts “I don’t wanna stop cuddling yet.”

You giggle, your fingers tracing the line of his jaw. “We can cuddle and play with LEGO, you know.”

He raises an eyebrow. “How does that even work?”

“I have no idea know,” you whisper, smiling. “But maybe if we do find out, they'll start writing about us in books" which only makes him giggle

TAG LIST: @kingdomhate @divineani @haydensprettyprincess @skyguys-princess @catnipaddictt @heartscone @haydensbbg @inneedsoffanfics @jediavengers @literally-izzy @anisluvrgirl @slutforfinnickodair @xhunnybeeex @fuckmyskywalker @gallerygourmet @deceptiive @ysrjune @anakinskwkler @bimbo-baggins17 @cookybananas @emotionallybruisedx @diorvalentina @sevinax @throughparisallthroughrome @aniiuv @ritosparty @ninastyless @lily-strnlo @thesassypadawan @awhhayden @sydkneez @anisangeldust @l1ttle-misssunsh1ne @anakinca

[sanctus-ingenium]

we need to talk about Inprnt.com

Following a really good post with more screenshots and evidence by @dynasoar5 i'm going to talk about my own experiences with @inprnt and why I am about to put my shop on indefinite hiatus from Monday the 14th of August.

First of all I'll say that since starting my print shop last year it has been a significant help to me financially - I was able to not worry about affording car insurance or motor tax (together commonly over a thousand euro) when I bought my first car, for example. I am immeasurably grateful to anyone who chose to buy one and I treasure all the pictures I've been sent of my prints hanging up on people's walls. Right now they are displayed in a real (if small) art exhibition in my home town.

(top right print is not from inprnt though)

They're great prints. Never had any complaints about them. But here's what's going on behind the scenes.

Earlier this year, around March or April, Inprnt sales started increasing in regularity. I'd made as much as $600 a week during previous sales when I made proper promo posts here, but with this increase in regularity, I felt that I couldn't make promo posts every single week. And then one day, I'm not sure when tbh, the sale just never ended. It just didn't stop having that "Ending soon! 15% off your order" banner at the top of the site. Right now it says "Final Hours: $5 Worldwide shipping and save up to 35% off your order!" and not even for a second do I believe in this final hours bullshit. It's been 'final hours' for weeks now. Months, even.

Why is this a problem? Well, how tf am I meant to make a promo post for a sale that is always "ending soon!!" and then never ends. One week it'll say "this weekend only!!" and then when the weekend is over, the sale banner just changes its wording and the sale doesn't end. I can't promo this, it makes me look like a liar and a skeevy salesman by association! It makes the site look like it's 1 week from crashing and burning, and the site owners are just scrabbling to suck as much money from artists as possible before they drown.

And they are sucking money from us. To peel back the curtain, Inprnt money can only be transferred to my paypal account 30 days after the sale is made, just in case the order is cancelled and refunded. This means I used to make one withdrawal every couple of months, when there was enough build-up of money to make it worthwhile. It also forbids withdrawing any sum under $50 btw. I would make a withdrawal request and then, after a 10 business day wait, it would reach my Paypal account.

Not anymore! The past few withdrawals have taken over a month to complete. They are straight up keeping my earnings from me for longer the agreed period. This was my last fulfilled withdrawal:

Note the date.

Almost two months.

And here is the latest withdrawal request that still has not been fulfilled.

It's coming up on 1 month and if the pattern continues, it could literally be November or December by the time I fully clear all sales.

So what's going to happen to my print shop? Because my art is currently being exhibited with a QR code linking to the shop, I can't close the shop this week. Instead I will close it on Monday the 14th of August, next week. That means that on the 14th of September, I can withdraw all of the remaining money without having any left over. My account balance will go to 0 and stay there. Although I'll de-list my prints I will leave my account there, because at the end of the day I don't want to leave Inprnt. It still offers the best artist margins and as I'm now unemployed after graduating, the additional support is such a load off my mind. So this is a chance to wait and see - if they improve their services, I'll happily re-open.

It's a big deal to me because selling prints is sort of my ideal life as an artist. I never had the attention span or self-discipline for commission work and I found that it left me creatively stagnant. I always want to try new things, new concepts and ideas, and being able to think "yeah, people will like this as a print" while I experiment is honestly very reassuring. And I know that in going on hiatus, it'll break a lot of "buy a print" links in my circulating posts. Oh well lmao. If you want to buy a print right now - go ahead, it might be your last opportunity. Another way to support me would be to check out my ko-fi for once-off donations or some nice sketchbooks/comics/book samples you can buy, or subscribing to my Patreon.

As of right now, Inprnt owes me $381 (the unfulfilled request submitted above for $186.60 and my current standing balance of $194.80 which takes 30 days from each transaction to clear).

[sgiandubh]

idk if you’ve watched it yet but in the 10th celebration video, the part where Sam says “we dnt even know when we’ll be released” and Caitríona’s reaction to it had me👀….like the rest of us it seems they too can’t wait for it all to end so they can finally “released” and free from St*rz clutches. But i thought that was interesting thing to take notice of

Dear Reaction Anon,

Of course I watched it. Friday, even. But I have a dinner to plan for Wednesday, my car to sell (plot thickens...), dinners in town and various people to see.... So, sorry for the delayed answer and so incredibly sorry for being also late to the Shipper Feast.

Almost everything has been dissected to death, as it always happens, but I might still throw in my two cents, after all. So, I'll simply relisten to that video as I answer you and hit stop every time something interesting that has not been mentioned in here yet, made me go hmmm, ok?

At the 01:35 mark, S: 'yeah, it was such a whirlwind, you know, I mean, going straight into screentests and then looking for THE Claire, and it took quite a while, and then this one landed in Scotland, you know, weeks before we just started'

Here is her reaction - definitely fed up with this peasant, right?

Also, as a side note, did you notice how emotional S gets every single time babies and domestic scenes are mentioned? For a man who supposedly has no family of his own, that is surely strange.

And then you are so, so right, Anon, this is how she reacted to his 'being in a bubble for ten years and we don't even know when we'll be released what the world looks like' comment:

Did I notice an impish smile? Well, I surely did, Anon - and so did you.

It was a smart move to watch them watch OL. I found it very interesting, lots of clues about their joint dynamic:

She, as always, is leading the pack. He is more reserved and usually takes his cues from her, constantly seeks her approval. Gradually relaxes as she seems to imply the context is 'safe enough' to loosen up a bit. And yes, this is all instinctive, by now. If I knew absolutely nothing about These Two and saw them act and react like this IRL, I would definitely have questions.

And yes, I think he could listen to her talking about WWII medical pamphlets and bandages for days and still never get bored. This guy still lives to make her laugh:

Psst, Anon - see how they hate each other, here? Which really makes me think the 'just promo/fan service' argument is borderline schizophrenic, really - and why is S wooden and clumsy when promoting anything else with ANY OTHER WOMAN in our galaxy, by the way? Also, S and McTavish pretending they were still friends at that MIK event in London was 'just fan service' - this? This is not really that.

And then, oh dear me darling, that photo. I can almost hear two different kinds of 'shiiiiit' reactions, here:

He knows he mustn't slip - as he usually does, she is more like 'shiiiiit, hehehe, see what we've done here'. Logically, then, he brings about that sorry modicum of an excuse 'I've been so jetlagged' (jetlag was actually the least problematic thing, in that pic, ROFL; also, there are two people in that pic, bless your 💖🤣). Followed by the only diversion he could think of: bringing in the 'thousands of people, that was incredible, blah blah' - and then she dutifully chimes in: ' I think we did Hall H...? the big one...?' (strange comments for a pic where one can see two very cozy and scantily dressed people, LOL). Dilute, dilute, dilute. But it's Horowitz reply that interested me the most: ' it's too bad you guys aren't photogenic, even after a long flight, like what a mess you guys look like, there':

He threw a bait, C took it: 'weeelllll...' and then Josh ended it with a simple, smiling 'please' that, in my mind, is on par with KDS' 'believe what you want'.

I also found very telling one of the last remarks by Horowitz, too: ' it's ok, they can't fire you now, it's too late, it's way too late'. Granted, it was about the trivia and allegedly in jest, but really?

And there you have it, Anon. Perhaps it's not much, but as always, I tried to take the road less traveled by. Thanks for giving me the opportunity.

[ninii-winchester]

Unveiled Sorrows (Part 1)

Dean Winchester X Reader, Sam Winchester x Reader (platonic)

Word count: 3k

Other Characters : Sam Winchester, John Winchester.

Warnings : spoilers for s1-5, heavy angst, canon violence, foul language, implied smut.

A/n: This series follows canon plot line but some scenes might happen differently or be completely changed. Check the warnings for each part before continuing.

I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO COPY MY WORK, TRANSLATE IT OR POST IT TO ANY OTHER PLATFORM. REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED.

Bad luck follows the Winchesters like the plague, they can't seem to outrun it. If someone asked Y/n to describe who the Winchesters were to her, she'd only have one word to say. Family. She wouldn't mind having bad luck on her tail if it meant staying with her family. Besides even if they can't seem to outrun it, they always fought it. And they always kicked ass.

Y/n was a solo hunter, a badass one at that, she never believed in partnering up with other hunters, because every hunter has a different motive and motives change. She's never trusted a hunter and she never would but that all changed a few years back when she met the Winchesters.

Now, typically one would think she'd dropped her guard because its 'The Winchesters' but she didn't. It was far from that. She met the two brothers when they were looking for their father. She told them to not waste their breaths since the man didn't want to be found. The two boys were curious as to how she knew about their father. She told them that she knew the man enough to know his intentions and that is, he didn't want to be found. The boys were intrigued by her and asked her to join them, help them find their father.

"I don't chase dead ends boys nor do I trust hunters."

That was the last thing she said before she walked out on them. The next time they met was in Manning, Colorado, Y/n was hunting the same vampire nest that the Winchesters were.

“I see you found daddy dearest.” Y/n said leaning against the Impala after they cleaned out the nest.

"I see you've met my boys, Y/n." John smiled.

"Yeah well they've been all over the place looking for you, kinda hard to miss." She smirked. Dean chuckled at her comment.

"You're a great hunter." Sam commented, a small smile gracing his lips. She nodded her head and she raised her beer bottle towards him.

"Alright, now my works done here so I'll be heading out." She said. "Later boys."

"Wait." Y/n turned to the owner of the voice. "I need your help."

"Did I hear it correctly? John Winchester asking for help I must've gotten hit pretty hard." She laughed. "What is it?"

"I need you to stay with them. We need all the help we could get." John said. "You're one of the best I know." Dean's brows furrowed at that, his dad complementing someone is big.

"And what makes you think I'd stay and help? I don't trust hunters. As if you didn't know that already. John." She gritted her teeth.

"I know but it's out there and you know it." John said knowingly. His sons looked back and forth between their father and the young girl.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Y/n." She knew what he was talking about, the yellow eyed demon. The one that killed her parents when she was a baby. The fire in the nursery when she was exactly six months old. Just like Sam. The Winchesters are obsessed with the yellow eyed demon and they wouldn't stop at nothing to kill that thing.

"It has nothing to do with me." It was the second time she walked away from them.

The yellow eyed demon killed her parents, she had been chasing the demon for years, it's what that made her the great hunter she is, that's how she met John in the first place but now she knew getting revenge wouldn't bring her parents back, it wouldn't bring her peace either. She needs to move on and focus on whatever life she has left. It may sound weird for a twenty two year old girl but that's how she thought.

But as if it was destiny. Y/n watched a truck crash into the same Impala she leaned on a few days back. She jumped out of her own car before calling 911.

"Damn it you boys." She slammed the car door as she got back in her car and followed the ambulance back to the hospital.

After John died, she decided she'd stick around Sam and Dean considering it their father's last wish. And the rest was history. If you'd ask her she wouldn't be able to tell when Sam Winchester became her best friend in the whole world. It might've been the fact that they share the same trauma or maybe that Sam compensated for Dean being a dick. Dean didn't like Y/n joining them, he didn't hate her per se, but he hated the fact that his father asked her to help them rather than telling them what he knew. They butted heads alot, both being stubborn and filled to brim with trust issues. They had a hard time around each. It took a while but they warmed up to each other.

Now for Y/n, the Winchester Brothers are her family. To them it's her. They've never hesitated to kill for one another and wouldn't hesitate to die either.

Sam and Y/n were deeply troubled when Dean started acting strange after a run in with a Djinn. Sam tried to coax it out of Dean but he remained unsuccessful.

"Hey, you." Y/n sat beside Dean as he tinkered with the Impala. He turned to look at her. "Mind telling me what's going on up there?" She gestured towards his head.

Dean froze for a second. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell her what the Djinn showed him. How was he supposed to tell her he saw her being his wife, them living the white picket fence life. The life he so desperately wanted yet couldn't have. She wouldn't understand. Nobody could. Even he couldn't understand why he saw her. Dean didn't love, as in committing in relationships. Dean loved, as in I would die for you but I'd never tell you that I love you.

"Nothing sweetheart, Its nothing." He smiled like he usually does. Y/n knew better than to push him. So she walked away.

The trio hunted down all sorts of supernatural beings. They stuck through everything together. Y/n was there when Dean stupidly made a deal to bring back Sam, she was there when the doors of Hell opened. She stuck by Sam when Dean was dragged to Hell. She even went up to the crossroads to sell her soul in exchange of Dean's. Clearly she was refused. When Dean came back from Hell, Sam and Y/n welcomed him back with open arms.

Everything was awful. It sucked but alteast they were in this together. They had each other and that's what all they needed. Y/n was there when they found out Dean broke the first seal in Hell and she was there when Sam broke the last. Y/n was there for the Winchesters when the apocalypse hit and she had hoped they would be together when it ends. They had been trough Hell and back together, literally, and she hoped her family would be by her side. But little did she know.

Dean hasn't been the same ever since he came back from Hell. Everyone noticed. He hadn't been sleeping, he kept drinking. He kept telling everyone that he doesn't remember what happened down in the pit. But he does, and little does he know, Y/n knew too. She could see it on his face that something is eating him away but she knew Dean, and she knew it would be a waste to ask because he wouldn't tell. She'd hear him scream at night, waking up from nightmares, she'd watch him drink himself to self to sleep only to be woken up by the nightmares, again.

The trio had turns sharing rooms while being on hunts, with whatever money they had they could only afford one room but when they could get two, they would. Y/n always shared with one of the boys since they don't want to risk her safety, clearly knowing she can handle herself but it helps them sleep at night.

"You know you can talk to me about anything right?" Y/n walked up to Dean as he poured himself another glass of whiskey.

"Sweetheart its 3am. What're you doing up late?" He ignored her comment.

"I could ask you the same thing." She shrugged.

"Its.." he started.

"Nothing." She finished for him. "I've heard it."

The two of them sat in silence as the clock ticked. Dean stood up from the the chair he was sitting on and made his way towards his bed. He dropped on it with a sigh.

"Dean." Y/n called out and he turned his face to look at her. "You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's not your responsibility." She said softly.

"Isn't it though?" He asked sitting up.

"It isn't." She said firmly.

"You don't even have half the idea...-"

"Then tell me. Tell me what's bothering you, tell me we can get through this together." Dean shook his head at her words. "Like we always do."

"I started a goddamn apocalypse Y/n, I don't think there's anyone else to blame. Sam may have broken the last seal but I broke the first one. I..." Tears gathered in his eyes which made Y/n scared, if it was bad enough to make Dean cry, it was bad. She made her way towards her bed and sat infront of him.

"I know you broke the first seal Dean. You keep saying so but you never tell us what is it."

"Dean."

"They offered me to....they said they'd take me off the rack if i did the torturing. Time works differently there than here, for you it was four months but there it was forty years. They'd cut me up to nothing and then I'd be whole again and it'd start all over again. I held on for thirty years. But then I broke. I agreed and i did. And the most fucked up part is that I enjoyed doing it."

"It's okay Dean." She went to sit beside him and held him close. "You tried you best, you held on for thirty years Dean." She held back her own tears. "It's not your fault. If anything, I should be blamed equally for letting Sam fall for Ruby's trap. I should've been careful."

"No you're wrong if only I hadn't been so weak, if only i didn't break." He shook his head. "It was the first seal, a righteous man shedding blood in hell. I broke the first seal." He cried. She held him close hoping she could make him realise that it wasn't his fault.

"Now the refusal makes sense." Y/n mumbled under her breath.

"What refusal?" Dean sat up and stared down at her.

"Nothing." She avoided looking at him.

"Y/n." He said calmly but his tone was stern. "Tell me." Y/n looked away completely as she stood and turned away so she didn't have to look at him. "For the love of God tell me Y/n don't test my patience."

"I went to the crossroads demons but they refused. They said they had you exactly where they wanted, I didn't why back then, but now it makes sense."

"You did what?" Dean yelled and grabbed her arm to make her look at him. "You tried to sell your soul?"

"Dean."

"Don't Dean me.!! God damn it." He yelled and Y/n wondered how the hell Sam didn't hear them for the thin motel walls.

"Yes i tried to sell my soul so what huh? You're not the only one who cares okay? I wouldn't have minded giving my soul to bring you back." She yelled back.

"You can't go around doing stupid shit like that." Dean exclaimed clearly on the verge of losing his mind.

"Why do you get to deci-..."

"Because I can't lose you." Dean snapped cutting her mid sentence. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer. He cupped her cheeks in his hands. "I can't lose you, sweetheart. I'd happily go back to hell if it means keeping you safe." He said resting his forehead on hers.

"Dean..."

"Please, promise me you won't pull another stunt like that. I can bear those scratches and cuts on you from hunts but this is where i draw the line."

"Dean this isn't fair." She cried.

"There's nothing fair in this life, sweetheart. I've got angels on my ass asking me to say yes to being another angel's bitch. Do you think that's fair?" He chuckled a bit. Y/n shook her head. "Cmon darling, I'm waiting on that promise."

"I promise I won't try to sell my soul. But that's it."

"I can work with that." Dean looked at her teary eyed face as she looked up at him. "If you keep looking at me like that, my resolve will break." He said huskily.

"What're you talking abo-.."

"I really can't take this anymore." Dean mumbled before smashing his lips against hers. He knew he shouldn't have done that, he blamed the alcohol in his system, he tried to pull away as soon his brain registered what he had done but she snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

His hands immediately went to her waist and picked her up. He gently laid her on one of the beds and hovered above her.

"Please stop me right now or I won't be able to." He murmured against her neck, as he placed soft kisses against her skin.

"I don't want you to." Y/n pulled him up for another kiss. She tugged at his tshirt which he gladly removed. Their clothes were thrown around haphazardly. The two of them continued to bask in pleasure and euphoria as the night progressed they ended up falling asleep in each others arms.

The sun shone through the window of the motel room. Dean had woken up from his slumber as he felt Y/n stir in her sleep. He looked at her sleeping figure and smile appeared on his face. The ringing of a phone made Y/n open her eyes.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Dean pecked her lips and grabbed his phone from the nightstand.

"Morning." She snuggled closer to him.

"Sammy." He answered the phone. "Yeah, uh huh... yeah no, she's still sleeping.." He waited for Sam to finish speaking. "Alright see ya."

"Remind me again, why're we here?" Y/n yawned sitting up, clutching the sheets to hear chest.

"Here as in my bed or here as in this town." Dean grinned as he pulled her into his chest. Leaving kisses on her neck.

"Dean.."

"Well Sammy thinks this girl killing another girl in a school bathroom is our kinda gig. He called to ask if you wanted to tag along to the mental hospital for interrogation i told him you're asleep."

"I see. Breakfast?" She turned to look at him.

"Sure sweetheart." He caressed her cheek. "Shower together? You know it'd save time." He smirked.

She rolled her eyes and went inside the bathroom but she didn't close the door. Dean understood and immediately joined her. To no one's surprise, they just showered together. Dean might've stolen a kiss here and there but that was it.

After shower the two of them got ready and met up with Sam. Y/n sat in the backseat of the Impala as they waited for Sam. As Sam told them what he found out Y/n spoke,

"I don't know if this is our thing Sammy, high schools can be brutal."

"You sound like Dean." Sam retorted.

"You're calling me dumb Sammy?" Y/n fake gasped.

"Sweetheart I'm offended!" Dean feigned hurt.

"Shut your trap you two. Im telling you she said she felt like she was possessed."

"Fine." Y/n groaned and they decided to check out the school.

Truman High School.

"Didn't you say you two went here for a while?" Y/n said as they walked down the hallway.

"A week." Dean replied.

"Reminiscing huh." Y/n teased nudging Sam with her shoulder and he rolled his eyes.

It did turn out be their kind of thing. First they found it was Sam's friend's spirit that was haunting the halls of the high school. After Salt and burning his bones they found out that Sam's friend's bully was messing around too.

"You just had to surround yourself with shitheads didn't you.!" Y/n exclaimed to Sam as they tried to find the piece of hair that kept Dirk's spirit connected to this world.

"I do keep you around so.." Sam shrugged with his famous bitch face making Dean laugh. 

Dirks spirit appeared at and lunged at Y/n who was standing the gate of the bus. He grabbed her in a chokehold while she tried to elbow him. Sam immediately shot him with his shotgun making him disappear but he appeared again. He grabbed Y/n by the arm and threw her at the nearest tree, knocking her out cold.

While Sam tried to wrestle the spirit Dean found the hair, burning it making the ghost disappear.

"Y/n." The two boys rushed to her side and helped her up.

"Hey hey...sweetheart you hear me?." Dean patted her face.

"Im alright." She wheezed before sitting up. "Son of a bitch." She groaned. "Is he gone?"

"For good." Sam replied.

Tags:

@spnfamily-j2 @galway-girlatwork @queensilber

[thatbuddie]

ok so bear with me here, this theory is based on nothing but vibes and dreams and delusions.

buddie is going canon in 8x12 which is also episode 118 of 911.

i still find it so interesting that they decided to make bi buck canon (i will never ever ever ever get over bi buck canon, btw) in episode 100 of the show. i know that nowadays episodes 100 of shows are not as big as they used to be (mainly because shows rarely make it to them) but they still mean something big. something big enough to warrant press and cakes and such. and what did 911 do with their 100th episode? they made it about bi buck. in a way that forever links the essence of 911 and bi buck forever. and i find that so incredibly beautiful.

it would be logical to argue that episode 8x12, which is episode number 118 of the show that revolves around station 118, has the potential to be something different and special too. i think that the best way to honor this would be by making it a mostly lighthearted team-focused episode. give me bottle episode at the station where the team receives 0 calls all shift, give me an episode from the 3rd person pov of the people that they help on calls and how they view the 118, give me a the 118 gets locked in a room silly episode, just give me something fun and heartfelt that shows the 118 as the family that they are!!! and then.... and then....

give me the first real confirmation of buddie going canon at the end of the episode. and i mean the very last scene of it.

they already connected a big episode (7x04 aka episode 100) with a very big moment that many many fans had been waiting for (bi buck). why not connect the other very core episode of the show (their 118 episode which is nothing really and yet so special of them) with the other big anticipated thing that fans have been dying for for years.

and like y'all, bi buck is important in and of itself and i hope we all know that. but bi buck is so intrinsically connected to buddie too. and i mean both in fandom and in the canon as well. like we know what subset of fandom has been reading buck as bisexual for seasons now and it's not most of the casual viewers (though i hope some did). it was the buddie fandom. and in 7x04 the way that buck's realization arc was so incredibly connected with eddie and their friendship is astounding. like i still can't believe that it went that way. and that is a deliberate choice. there were a thousand ways in which they could have done it and then said "we are putting eddie diaz, evan buckley's best friend and the guy that everyone who wants bi buck ships him with, in the center of it." so it would be very on brand for producers and writers to give us the actual buddie of it all in episode 118 which could be an episode to touch the core of the show -found family, the firefighting aspect, the hope- which at this point includes buddie as well.

now we know NOTHING about s8 right now so this is where more vibes just get added but it would also make sense that it happens in 8x12 because that it the second half of the season. i feel like s8 is gonna start a little "dark" (and i just mean sad) for the 118. gerard is gonna be ruining their lives and making everything wrong. and eddie is gonna be doing badly, y'all. of course he is. so we can use the first 8 episodes to "solve" these things. eddie can finally be in therapy again for more than his ptsd. the 118 can be fighting to get bobby buck. the bucktommy relationship can be worked towards a break up that moves buck to the next stage of where he's going. and then s8b starts. and we have a "lighter" feeling. hopefully chris is back. bobby is back. buck and eddie are single and we can see that there is something there but for now it has been things that still maybe not everyone can catch on to. so then 8x12 happens and BOOM. buck and/or eddie realize/aknowledge/voice the truth of it all: it's always been about buddie. and then we have 6 more episodes in the season to explore that!!! which is a pretty fair number, i think.

so yeah, that is my-based-on-nothing-but-i'm-now-convinced-is-happening theory for a buddie canon confirmation in 8x12 aka episode 118 of 911.

[thepenultimateword]

Monster Compendium

CW: Murder scene, some gore

Petra sat as still as stone. Half out of habit, half to avoid unnecessary attention. She’d helped put at least half of the villains present away; the last thing she needed was to cause an uproar before she even completed what she came here for.

"Cillian Morse, aka 'Monstrosity'," the judge said. "Please come to the stand."

The villain rose from the bench of handcuffed, grey-clad criminals, packed side by side like sardines in a can.

The Superpowered Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Center (SPARC) was overstuffed. Because of this, their semiannual parole hearing usually involved slotting as many prisoners as possible into one big day-long hearing. Maybe not the smartest idea when half the criminals present had some of the most dangerous, volatile powers on record, while the other half were too clever to be kept in a regular prison, but that was the city government for you. Impatient. Lazy.

Sure they had a line of guards on every wall, but who would that stop if any of these criminals had skipped suppressor meds?

As Monstrosity settled into his new seat at the head of the room, he swiveled his head around at the crowd. He met Petra's eyes at the back and blinked, tilting his head a little before grinning widely.

Petra didn't even blink.

"Mr. Morse," the judge said, scanning the file in front of him. "It seems you've been a resident at SPARC for three years now."

"You seem correct, sir," Monstrosity said. He tucked his hands under his chin, fixing that wide grin on the judge now.

"Your last 3 hearings deemed you unfit for parole." His finger trailed down the page. "Lack of empathy, uncooperative in therapy, riling other inmates, cheeking the super suppressors you've been prescribed, a downright refusal to make outside goals. I could go on."

Monstrosity waved his hand nonchalantly. "I was immature then. Angry. Lost. In denial. Over the last year, I've made vast improvements, as you'll see in my chart."

He mimed a page-turn.

The judge raised his brows but flipped to the next page in the file. His eyes scanned it from top to bottom.

"You have been successfully medicated for 8 months. Ah, and you passed your sanity test… and reintegration tests.” He narrowed his eyes at the page. “Your goal is to work at an animal shelter?"

"What can I say, I'm an animal guy."

"You've been expressly forbidden from interacting with any biological entities."

Monstrosity tilted his head with all the innocence of a puppy caught chewing shoes again. "Little hard to enforce that. Biological entities are all around us. Birds, grass spiders...heck, your honor, you are a biological entity."

The judge frowned severely. "Do you really want to make a threat right now, Mr. Morse?"

"What? We can't state facts anymore?" Monstrosity raised his locked hands in front of him. "All I'm saying is shelter or not, I will have access, so why bar me from a supervised space? Besides, I assume I'll be on meds still?"

The judge scoffed quietly as he scanned the file again. "It's indefinite how long you'll stay on suppressor meds." He looked up from the page and folded his hands together on the bench. "Tell me, Mr. Morse, do you know why you were sent to SPARC? Have you ever felt any remorse?"

For just an instant Monstrosity looked uncomfortable, but then he swallowed and it was gone, replaced by another smile. "The name sort of says it all. I was a monstrosity. I needed to be taken off the street." He smiled a little wider. Petra thought he might've meant it to look grateful, but to her, he looked like a hyena baring fangs. "But SPARC cured me."

The judge waited for more, perhaps something on that remorse question, but when Monstrosity didn't offer it he continued with the final question.

"Do you believe that you are reformed?"

"1000%," Monstrosity said, raising his right hand oathlike.

The judge gathered the file pages up in his hands, tapping them against the bench until they were even. "Unfortunately, I don't find you genuine."

Monstroisty opened his mouth but the judge continued.

"Eight months of good behavior is not a guarantor of rehabilitation. Make it last a whole year and we'll see at the next hearing. Cillian Morse will remain at SPARC for the next 6 months." He banged his gavel like a seal on the end of his sentence.

Monstrosity's entire expression morphed. Gone was the playful puppy, something toothy and terrible taking its place. "You--"

"Excuse me," Petra interrupted.

The entire room swiveled. A few criminals flinched back, but most started cursing furiously, the bitterness soon rising from loud voices to full out shouts.

The judge banged his gavel repeatedly until the criminals quieted enough that he could at least be heard over them. "Sentencer."

Petra didn't miss the way he looked at her, with little more respect than he looked at these criminals, but with more wariness. After all, she wasn't taking suppressors.

"You were not expected. I hope you have something relevant to add for you to interrupt."

Petra strode up the aisle, past the guards, past the shouting and lunging criminals, right up to the bench. She folded her hands neatly behind her back.

"I have an order from the top to take Cillian Morse into temporary custody."

The judge narrowed his eyes. ''Orders from who?"

“Accolade." Then, in case the director of SIRA (Superhuman Investigation and Response Agency) wasn't enough, "Chief Sanders and the warden also signed off on it." She reached into her pocket for the signed document. "I have proof of the order here if you need it."

The judge read over the page scrutinizingly, taking in all the unpleasantness that Petra had hesitated to voice somewhere so public.

"What makes you think that a villain could be any help in a criminal investigation?" he said finally.

"Body modification is his specialty."

"It seems risky."

"He will be under my supervision throughout the day and he will be returned to SPARC every night," Petra said coolly. "Any exceptions will be signed off directly with the prison."

Petra played along, but they both knew it wasn't in the judge's authority to say no. Yes, he could sentence the prisoners to more or less time in SPARC, but the warden and the prison's directors were the ones who decided if prisoners could be taken off the premises. It was only because today was hearing day that Petra was here instead of standing in front of a cell.

"If he's so important go ahead and take him." The judge extended the order back to her. As she went to take it, he suddenly leaned in close, voice lowered but commanding. "Keep him on his medication."

Petra pulled back without reaction. That wasn't her job. The orderlies at SPARC gave dosages once a day. Her responsibility was just to keep a good eye on the criminal so he would try to slip away.

She nodded curtly in Monstrosity's direction, and the man quickly rose to his feet, trotting after her with a smug smile.

"Bye," he sang to other criminals. "I'll see you all for dinner!"

"Screw you, Monstrosity!" one of the criminals shouted after him.

"Sorrrry, I don’t date criminals!”

That only made the group of villains rowdier, but Petra closed the door on the noise, and soon enough they were descending the steps of the courthouse.

Monstrosity trotted faster to catch up with her stride, cozying up against her shoulder. “Together at last.”

Petra shrugged him off, but the resistance only made Monstrosity bounce back more aggravating. He didn't touch this time, but he lingered close. The tiny sliver of space he left between them like a tease, an insistence he wasn't doing anything, while obviously putting in effort for something.

"Really, I never knew the Sentence had such a crush on me. A hero breaking a villain out of jail? It's so Romeo and Juliet!"

"Not a jailbreak," Petra clarified, pulling out her keys and clicking the bottom button until she heard the locks click on the little tightly parked sedan. "A temporary consultation."

"Riiight," Monstrosity winked. "Oh is this your car? Not exactly what I picture when I hear 'Sentencer'. I kinda thought you would drive around in some sort of Batmobile type vehicle. But nice parking. I love a person who knows how to parallel park."

Petra opened the passenger side door

Monstrosity pouted a little at her non-reaction but slid obediently into the passenger seat.

Petra took a breath before walking around the other side of the car. This was just how Monstrosity was. He’d probably flirt with a brick wall if he thought he could get something out of it. Not that he was one to actually keep up with any of the people he succeeded in wooing. A few of the informants she'd worked with to track him down had called him objectively charming--well, when he didn't have a rat tail or an extra set of arms or any of his other quote-unquote "freakish modifications"--but Petra didn't really see the appeal.

Petra spared the criminal a glance out of the corner of her eye.

Hypothetically, this time when he was on his suppression meds was the chance to see him as wholly human as possible, but he didn’t seem much different from any of the other villains at SPARC. Close clipped hair. Dark circles under the eyes. Baggy gray prison jumpsuit with the prison’s acronym across the back in bright orange and three matching stripes wrapping up each ankle and wrist. He was tall, probably about as tall as her, but he walked with a slump. At the very least, his eyes were something. A sharp pale gray, like frosted steel, piercing into everything he turned them upon.

"So where to?" Monstrosity said.

"Crime scene."

"Yay!"

"Don't be so happy about it; it's not exactly pretty."

"I expect crime scenes rarely are," Monstrosity said, grinning.

Petra started the engine.

“Excuse me, you’re not going to put me in danger by depriving me of a seatbelt, are you?” Monstrosity waved his cuffed hands in the air.

"Your arms work."

"The cuffs dig into my wrists whenever I bend them."

Petra flicked on her turn signal to enter traffic. "Sounds like a personal problem."

"So mean," he said. He twisted halfway around, holding his arms rigid and straight as he grasped for the belt. It took him a few tries, but he did manage to buckle himself. No sooner had the buckle clicked, than he tossed himself melodramatically against the door, the backs of his hands raised to his forehead. "And you call yourself a hero."

"We'll arrive in 10 minutes."

He side-eyed her. "You're not much of a conversationalist."

"Why should I be?"

"Fun? Entertainment? To pass the time?"

"I'm driving to a brutal crime scene with a handcuffed criminal. Does that sound fun to you?"

"It doesn't sound not fun." He slumped in his seat. "Just saying, for someone whose powers are in their voice, I thought you'd use it more."

Petra clenched the steering wheel. "No more talking."

"Seeee, that's what I'm saaaying," Monstrosity mumbled.

Petra ignored the partial taunt in his tone.

To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure why she was doing this. Yes, the scene was...interesting. And Monstrosity had experience both in criminal activity and biological manipulation, but she'd worked hard to get each one of these criminals off the street in the first place. She didn't love taking them back out. Monstrosity had been particularly tough to corner. She'd only set eyes on him a couple of times before her team had managed to pinpoint his location and make a collective attack. The element of surprise had been critical for that success even with all five of them.

Monstrosity had certainly lived up to his name that night.

No, out of all of the criminals Petra had put away, she couldn't take credit for Monstrosity. She never managed to get a proper read of him either. Usually when she investigated a criminal, she--in a way--got to know them. She learned their motives, their background, their character. All she knew about Monstrosity was that he was inhuman. Not only in the grotesque presentation of his powers but in his soul. He might have come off as charming to some, but he held no regard for anyone but himself.

The Welcome to Noville sign blurred as they passed it, and Monstrosity straightened in his seat.

"I thought you said the sight was ten minutes away."

"It is."

"But we're leaving the city."

"Not far."

She abruptly turned off on a dirt road so narrow it could barely count as a proper exit.

Monstrosity braced himself against the door.

"Be gentle with me Tency, I haven't been in a car chase in a while."

"Tency?" she growled.

"Not a lot of good nicknames for The Sentencer." He said "The Sentencer" like an old cartoon narrator announcing the hero.

"I don't do nicknames."

"Wow. You really are no fun, Tency."

Petra was not going to grace that obvious provocation with a response.

The grass grew tall and obscuring the further they traveled down the road, casting shade over the car. The blades reached over and through the rotting split-rail fences of abandoned private property.

She slowed a bit to maneuver around the roots of an enormous tree growing out of the left side of the road. Why anyone would build a road without fully clearing it she didn't know; maybe the tree was property too, preventing its removal as much as the fields prevented the road's expansion.

Monstrosity cricked his neck upward to look up through the windshield.

"Ugh."

"What?"

"Why are a zillion creepy tissue paper ghosts tied up there?"

Petra quickly glanced up into the depth of the trees, catching glimpses of swinging white.

"I only noticed the ribbons." She paused. "Probably just a tradition from one of the landowners."

They curved around the bend in the road and the stone ruins of a building came into view.

"Someone actually owns this place?"

"Trevon Bass and Theo O'Hannon. They're joint owners. Bought the land over two decades ago to use as farmland. And they did, a couple miles out."

Two cars--a police cruiser and a black Volkswagen--were already parked in front of the stone wall, so Petra pulled up beside them.

"But apparently this house here is historical. Meaning the direct area may also have historical value. They didn't want to mess with it, and now only come out occasionally to ensure no one is vandalizing or squatting in it. Bass found the body yesterday."

"Body? Oh, this is interesting."

Petra jerked the gear stick into park. He really was too excited about this.

She got out of the car and walked around to open the passenger side door, eying the neighboring Volkswagen all the way. It was one of the shared agency vehicles. What was another Hero doing here?

"Such a gentleman," Monstrosity said, stretching a little as he slipped out. He closed his eyes against the breeze for a moment and sucked in a deep breath.

"Mm. It's rained recently."

"Unfortunately, yes," Petra said. "Come on, let's see what you make of it."

She slipped sideways through a gap between the crumbling walls, avoiding looking to her left as she came into the "inside" of the building. As she entered, the two men at the center of the ruins looked at her--one short, mustached, and in a suit and the other in sweats and muscle shirt with the caption "Athletics Check" over a 20-sided dice, piles of long blond hair cascading out of his half ponytail and down his back.

"Detective Valero. Prophet." She acknowledged the blond with a short nod.

“Heeey, Sentencer!” Prophet beamed, clapping an arm around her shoulders and shaking her playfully. "Accolade told me you'd be slinking around the scene at some point today, but I thought by this point we'd missed you!"

Petra grimaced but before she could speak, Monstrosity bumped against her back.

Prophet leaned around her. "Is that--"

"Oh, it's future boy!" Monstrosity pointed.

"Er...it's Prophet."

"Right, right, right, visions and predicting stuff and all that. Isn't your deal predicting bad things before they happen? How is that going to work for you when you're here post-crime?

Prophet turned his gaze back to Petra. "What's he doing here?"

"Orders from Accolade. He's consulting."

"Why?"

"Because this wasn't a regular murder."

"Well, yeah that's why they call us. That doesn't mean--"

"Prophet," she interrupted, voice cold. "You follow your orders and I'll follow mine. Is that clear?"

He flinched. For a moment, she could see the thoughts running through his eyes, deciding whether her words held power or were merely convincing.

"Right," he finally said and stepped back a couple paces. “Um…I've been trying to read the scene, for an hour now. But, uh, the future keeps looping in on itself. I just keep seeing…”

He motioned to the Petra’s left and she finally allowed herself to turn fully toward it. It had been worse last night before all the pieces had been collected, but once again she was taken aback by the sheer breadth of the gore.

Nearly the entire wall was stained with a rusty splatter that extended onto the edge of the adjacent wall and the undersides of the dewy grass blades growing at the base.

Monstrosity stepped forward, cocking his head a little. “This blood spray is massive. What? Did your victim explode?”

Petra shot him a look. “Yes.”

[hard-core-super-star]

Random thought popped into my head but it's about vampire Kate x reader. What if reader was a witch of some sort who got her heart broken because Kate is an fboy and became terrified and left when she realized how much she loved the reader but came crawling back a year later because she needed reader's witchy help and they ended up casually flirting because they clearly still have feelings for each other and stuff

ain't that the kicker [K.Bishop]

pairing: vampire!kate x reader

summary: the morning after your late-night encounter with kate doesn't go quite as planned...and neither does the day after that or the day after that. [aka you and kate have way more issues than you thought]

warnings: none, i think?; did somebody order angst?; so much tension, you need more than one knife; i rob you of a longer wanda scene; cliffhanger ending because this got too long; weird vampire powers that are badly explained; very long dream sequences; a surprising lack of actual vampire stuff [i badly need to rewatch first kill]; idiots in love but emphasis on the idiots!

wodcount: 3.2k

a/n: hey everyone, my motivation was pretty dead for a while but, unsurprisingly, vampire kate brought it back! and before you all freak out, YES! THERE WILL BE ANOTHER PART! and maybe it'll be less sad and more spicy, who knows? anyway, thank you so much for sticking with me and my constant disappearing act. my second year at university is wrapping up so hopefully you’ll see more of me this summer ;) that's all i have to say, hope you enjoy <3

part one | part three | part four

* * * * * * *

Saying going home with Kate Bishop had been a bad idea would be a massive understatement.

You knew being alone with the heir of Bishop Security would come with problems but the problems all seemed relatively small compared to the continuous waves of pleasure you had been under all night.

To be fair, though, you never expected a grainy picture of you on Kate's lap to be part of that list of problems. You had expected some awkwardness from the charming brunette, the usual "we can't do this again" speech while actively making out in some random storage closet, maybe even some weird looks from your co-workers to further complicate things.

Your original plan had featured everything except you going viral overnight and waking up to the biggest PR disaster to ever hit Bishop Security. (Which is saying a lot considering the many one-night stand scandals Kate always finds herself wrapped up in)

You had so many ideas of what the morning after would be like but none of them included you waking up to an empty bed and a large pit in your stomach that tells you you fucked up big time.

Maybe it had been your fault, maybe you had been too naive for thinking you could really have it all.

Or maybe Kate was right. Maybe she had a longer list of enemies than you had been willing to entertain.

There were far too many “maybe’s” in your mind, an overwhelming amount of notifications on your phone, and you had no idea where Kate had gone.

You’re not sure how long you spend scrolling through Twitter and avoiding all the texts filled with unanswerable questions from your co-workers but eventually, you manage to regain control of yourself and get up from the archer’s ridiculously comfortable bed. You do your best to ignore how shaky your legs are as you get dressed, your mind unfortunately drifting to the night before.

You manage to find your way to the kitchen where there's a full spread of, slightly burnt, breakfast waiting for you. Your heart swells as you read the messy handwriting on the post-it note next to the biggest stack of pancakes you’ve ever seen.

Morning, sunshine. I didn’t know what you were in the mood for so I made a bit of everything. Eat as much as you can, you’ll need a lot of food and water to recover from last night ;) - Kate

It’s impossible to stop the wave of relief that crashes into you after reading that.

As impossible as it feels, you allow yourself to believe things will be fine. That Kate will stick by your side after opening up to you about her supernatural abilities.

But the fantasy doesn’t last long.

You’re halfway through your breakfast when you hear the front door slam shut with so much force you briefly wonder if the hinges came off. It takes no more than fifteen seconds for the archer to appear in front of you, her shoulders tense and an unreadable storm in her eyes.

Her posture already tells you the answer to the question forming on your lips but you ask anyway. “Everything okay?”

She seems almost startled by the sound of your voice as if hearing you makes you real.

It makes the mess you’re both in real.

“No,” she sighs. “I have some shitty news.”

“Shittier than being called a slut by all of New York?” You reply, unable to stop the urge to make her smile.

Kate doesn’t fully smile but she does let out a small chuckle, her shoulders dropping into a less tense position as the sound escapes her. “Yeah…shittier than that.”

You should’ve known where the conversation was headed. Should’ve realized there was no way you’d be able to have it all. No way for you to continue with your life as if nothing had happened.

Maybe you are too naive because you truly didn’t see her next sentence coming.

“y/n…I have to fire you and we...we can’t do this again. This has to be goodbye.”

Everything crashes into you at once.

The realization of what you’ve actually done, the stupid ease with which Kate is cutting you out of her life, the betrayal of her practically kicking you out onto the streets. You’re not an idiot, you know there’s no way you’ll be able to keep your apartment, your humble yet expensive life in New York, without your job.

Without her.

“You…you’re serious? You’re throwing me out just like that?”

“It’s not easy for me either-”

“It looks pretty damn easy, Kate.” You scoff.

“You’re not the one who spent her whole morning getting chewed out by her mom.” Her words come out like an afterthought, like she knows just how badly she’ll fuck up if you hear the annoyance behind them.

Unfortunately for her, you hear her loud and clear.

“Oh, come on. That’s your excuse? You had one bad conversation with your mom and suddenly I don’t mean anything?”

She doesn’t reply and her silence only serves to stoke the flames of fury and resentment rising within your chest.

“Do you know how many death threats I’ve gotten in the last hour? How many coworkers have tried to blackmail me already? Do you understand just how much of my life this has ruined? And you have the audacity to act like you have it hard?”

“Don’t pretend like you know anything about my life,” she spits back. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it, Katherine. If I didn’t know you, if you didn’t care, why the hell did you tell me your dirty little secret?”

She blinks, taken aback by the hard-hitting truth you throw her way.

If you didn’t know her, you wouldn’t notice the way she nervously fidgets with her fingers or the way she bites down on her lower lip while she tries to come up with something to say. If you didn’t know her, you wouldn’t know she’s hurting underneath.

You do know her, though, but knowing her isn’t enough if she’s not willing to let you stay.

So, because you do know her…you walk away.

It feels like giving up in the most infuriating of ways but it’s the only thing you can do. If Kate’s mind is made up, there’s no amount of reason that will get her to change. That’s another thing about her you’ve learned the hard way.

So you swallow your pride and walk away with no plan, no job, no way of supporting yourself. If you were a more spiteful person, you would have applied for a job at Stark Industries but instead, you do the second hardest thing you’ve ever done.

You restart.

It’s a bitter defeat and still, you pack up your things and pay an old friend a visit.

You had left Wanda behind after the Westview fiasco but she’s the only person you can think of running to after your entire life went up in flames. All it takes is one quick spell and the realization that a life without dark magic isn’t one you can live before you’re standing on the porch of her small cabin in the middle of nowhere.

Saying she’s disappointed would be an understatement, especially since she explicitly warned you not to fall in love with Kate Bishop. It’s hard to believe the witch knew about Kate’s vampire secret but you also wouldn’t be surprised if she knew what awaited you the second you left for New York.

Unfortunately, you had to learn things the hard way.

You could write multiple books on everything you’ve learned the hard way.

At the top of that list, though, is the true extent of a certain archer’s vampire powers.

It takes less than a month for Kate to reach you again…through your dreams. Dreams that feel far too real and leave you a tad bit more breathless than you’ll ever be willing to admit.

The first time it happens, you assume it’s one of Wanda’s new tricks, maybe it’s her way of helping you cope with what (or rather who) you’ve left behind. You think it’s weird but maybe a tad bit sweet and you make a mental note to ask her about it in the morning.

It’s not until you realize that you’re actively thinking that you start to worry.

To make matters worse, you’re inside Kate’s apartment…and she quite literally stumbles out of her bedroom to see you standing in the middle of her living room.

“Oh, shit.” She groans.

Your heart skips a beat at the sound of her voice. You know you’re just dreaming and yet it all feels so real. It’s like you can feel her eyes on you, hear the way your heart won’t stop pounding in your ears.

Your confusion must be written all over your face because she answers your question before you can even ask it.

“Yes, you are dreaming but this isn’t like a normal dream.”

“What the fuck happened to you not being a mind reader?” You blurt out.

You wait for that stupid smirk of hers to appear, maybe with a half-assed shrug and a semi-charming joke, but it never comes. “My dream, my rules, I guess.”

“That still doesn’t explain what’s going on.”

A beat of silence goes by before she sort of gives you an answer. “I can explain but you might hate me afterwards.”

The look in her eyes says more than you can possibly handle right now. You’ve never known Kate to be particularly insecure but all you can see in those blue depths is fear and insecurity. Fear that your feelings for her have changed, that you already hate her and never want to hear from her again.

Too bad you’ve never been good at lying.

“Try me.”

The corners of her mouth quirk up into a small smile. “Long story short, we’re bonded. That’s why we’re in each other’s dreams.”

There’s a bigger question to be asked but you’re still a little freaked out by how real this all feels. By how intense your feelings for her still are.

“But this isn’t like a normal dream, is it?”

“Nope, perks of having vampire powers.”

“So, you can do everything except read minds?” You can’t help but tease her like all the times before. “That sucks.”

“Shut up,” she says with an over-dramatic roll of her eyes.

A calm silence falls over both of you and you hate how normal it feels. How just like that, you forget your anger and the betrayal you’ve felt every minute since the day you left New York in favor of falling for her stupidly enchanting self all over again.

It doesn’t help that with every second, the distance between you gets smaller and smaller.

You don’t know who takes the first step, all you know is you blink and suddenly she’s standing right in front of you, those soft blue eyes of hers searching for the truth you can’t hide.

“y/n,” she murmurs, her hand tentatively reaching out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear. “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t what you wanted.”

She’s technically not wrong, leaving because of her incapability to deal with her feelings was the last thing you wanted, but it’s not like you had any other choice.

She didn’t give you any other choice.

And now she’s here, staring at you with that wounded puppy look she so effortlessly embodies.

“I wanted you,” you whisper in response. “When are you going to get that through your thick skull?”

She chuckles, the sound warm but nervous. Her hand moves to cup your face and her touch is so soft, it leaves you breathless for a moment. “Never, I’m too stubborn for that, remember?”

You can’t help but tease her as the atmosphere shifts into something more affectionate than you’d like. “How could I forget? It’s your worst trait.”

“Ouch. Is that how you treat your favorite vampire?”

“Aw, poor little vampire baby.”

You wait for her to make one of her usual jokes but she doesn’t.

Instead, her eyes drift down to your lips and your mind instantly goes blank.

There’s an endless list of reasons why you shouldn’t do it. Just because it’s a dream doesn’t mean it isn’t a bad idea. Then again…when has that ever stopped you from being with Kate Bishop?

It’s subtle but you lean forward just enough to give her the invitation she’s too much of a gentleman to ask for. Her eyes widen the slightest bit before she meets you in the middle, the space between your lips becoming nonexistent in the span of a few seconds.

You try your hardest to hold on to your self control, to not seem as desperate as you’ve felt since that first night, but it’s useless. Your hands grip the front of her shirt in an attempt to pull her closer despite how insane everything is.

You’re simply dreaming and yet you can feel every touch, every breath, every desperate effort to make your desires a reality. You would feel embarrassed if Kate wasn’t acting the same way.

Her lips leave yours only to trail down to your neck, her fangs instantly teasing the sensitive skin she finds. The anticipation builds inside your chest as she toys with you and it’s all you can do not to beg for more.

“Kate.” Her name leaves your lips in the form of a whisper that disappears just as fast as it formed.

All you hear is her sharp intake of breath before it all fades to black.

Your eyes snap open and you’re greeted with the absolute silence you’re starting to associate with Wanda’s cabin. All you can do is lay there in the darkness, your heart pounding in your ears while your fingers trace the spot Kate’s lips had just been on.

It had all felt so real and now you’re all alone again. It shouldn’t be surprising at this point and yet you still hold on to the hope Kate will come looking for you.

But she doesn’t.

All she does is haunt your dreams in the most literal way possible. She doesn’t come to find you and fix your many, many issues, instead, she simply appears in your dreams long enough to send your mind reeling without offering any solutions.

You wish you could hate her for doing this to you but you can’t.

You love her.

Worse than that, you love her more and more each night. Even though it’s not nearly enough to heal any of your wounds, and maybe it only serves to hurt you more, it’s definitely addicting.

Wanda offers to help you sever the connection between you and Kate, something about a spell she read in the Darkhold being her only assurance that she knows what she’s doing. You don’t fully trust her on that but you do consider the option for longer than you want to admit.

You reason with yourself that there are much worse things to deal with on a daily basis than highly realistic dreams, though. That being bonded to a vampire isn't the worst thing in the world.

And maybe that would be true…if the vampire in question wasn't Kate Bishop.

You don't know what possesses you to ask but the question slips out in the middle of another midnight rendezvous. It’s been a little over two month since you moved away from New York, a little over two months since you've shared these weird dreams with Kate, when you finally ask.

“What exactly did you do for us to be bonded to each other?”

The question must catch her off guard given the way her eyes widen in panic. “What?”

“You said these weird dreams happen because we’re bonded or something but you never explained how that happened.” You watch the brunette from your spot on the couch and impatiently wait for a response, for something that will help you make sense of everything.

She swallows back her nervousness but gives herself away due to the way she fidgets with the rings on her hand. “Oh, yeah, that…it’s because I bit you that night in my apartment…remember?”

Her awkwardness would be endearing if her response wasn't so damn suspicious.

“Yeah but you're a vampire, biting people is kind of your thing. You're not automatically bonded to every person you bite, right?”

A beat of silence passes before she answers, her voice shaking the slightest bit. “No that…that only happens when there are…certain feelings involved.”

It takes a second for her answer to click in your brain. For her sudden nervousness to hold real meaning.

The answer hits you like a train and it makes your blood boil like nothing else.

“Kate, tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means. Tell me you didn't fire me because you were too afraid of having feelings for me.”

“y/n-”

“For fuck’s sake, Kate!”

The sudden frustration in your voice makes her jump, hundreds of meaningless explanations forming on the tip of her tongue.

You don't hear a word she says.

You can't hear anything besides the pounding in your heart and the devastation that threatens to swallow you whole.

You always knew being with Kate would be impossible but this was something else entirely. This wasn't a lack of feelings between you two, this was too many feelings and too many miles of distance and not one ounce of regret from her.

You're not sure when you stood up from your spot or when she approached you, you simply feel her hand on your waist and the unmistakable sound of her breathing.

“y/n,” she tries again. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m so tired of hearing you say that.”

“I know.”

The last thing you feel is her lips on the back of your neck before you wake up. Alone. Again.

Wanda must catch on to your desperation because she brings up the idea of cutting your connection with Kate that same morning.

“It’ll only be temporary,” she assures you. “No offense but you need sleep more than you need Kate Bishop.”

“I’m a little offended,” you grumble in response.

Despite your reservations, and the voice in the back of your head that tells you running away again is a bad idea, you go along with her plan. She's right, after all. You definitely need some time away from Kate Bishop and her never-ending messes.

The spell is simpler than you expect and it, thankfully, requires pretty much no effort on your part and no weird liquids.

It does also bring the best sleep you’ve had in months so you can’t complain…even when you wake up missing the sound of the archer’s voice.

You still miss her every day and you're sure that won't change any time soon but you welcome the peace with open arms.

Wanda spends her time teaching you random spells while you help her build a nice flower garden in the backyard. It's weird but…comforting.

You could even get used to life out here someday.

At least, that's what you keep telling yourself as the weeks go by.

Until Kate shows up unannounced and flips your world upside down again with those same soft eyes you fell on love with all those months ago.

[dualcastimpact]

You know that scene in Endwalker where people from all across Eorzea helped find the adamantite needed for the Ragnarok, and if you'd done certain raids or story content the people involved in those raids and story content would show up or be mentioned in some capacity? As touching and cool as it was, I still think it was a missed opportunity to highlight just how beloved the Warrior of Light is.

"But wait," you say. "Didn't we have that in Shadowbringers, when all the factions in Norvrandt came together to help build the great Talos that would drag down Mt. Gulg? Didn't they all come to help the Warrior of Darkness put an end to the Light?"

Well, no. Not really. Sure it was the Warrior of Darkness and Thancred who'd made friends with the miners of Twine, but Alisaie had known the people of Mord Souq and the Inn at Journey's Head far longer than the Warrior of Darkness had. They were her people the way the Night's Blessed were Y'shtola— I mean, Master Matoya's. Urianger was going to ask the fae folk before deciding to ask the Crystarium's people instead, and those were the Exarch's people. The fae folk were Urianger's. Alphinaud went to Kholusia, and they were his people. In other words, other than being the mythical figure that the Scions and the Crystal Exarch believed whole-heartedly would save the world from succumbing to the Light, the Warrior of Darkness had very little to do with rallying the various factions of Norvrandt to their aid. The Scions and the Crystal Exarch had been in Norvrandt for centuries, years, months. At best, the Warrior of Darkness had been in Norvrandt for a few weeks. They did not come for the Warrior of Darkness. They came for the Scions and the Crystal Exarch, and to see the Light extinguished.

This is not the case in Endwalker, if you'd done the various raids and story content involved. Without them, it's an assortment of the people the Scions had been involved with: Ishgardians and pirates from Limsa Lominsa, the East Aldenard Trading Company and the Kojin, the Ironworks, the junior Scions, and the treasure hunters of Idyllshire. With them, you get direct assistance from the Redbills, the Bozjans, Ejika Tsunjika, the Four Lords, the Majestic Theater Company, Gaius Baelsar himself, and the Idyllshire goblins—people who had next to no contact with the Scions and only lent their aid because they were friends with the Warrior of Light (or at least owed them one, in the case of Gaius Baelsar). They didn't know shit about the Scions or saving the world, they just heard the Warrior of Light was involved and immediately offered their assistance.

And I wish the game would acknowledge that! The game makes a big fuss in Dawntrail about how the Warrior of Light has walked the world and has loved and been loved in return, but this scene would have been the perfect chance to showcase it! You have all these people very clearly and directly intending their aid for the Warrior of Light—Leofard and the Redbills personally flying to Old Sharlayan to deliver the supplies; Soroban and Hancock passing messages from the Four Lords and the Lexentales, the Bozjans and Ejika Tsunjika; Gaius going back to Valens' Weapons experiments—likely an endeavour that hurt—to find relics suitable for the Ragnarok's purposes; the Idyllshire goblins giving their all because how could they do any less for their dear friend in their hour of need?

All these people offered their aid not for the Scions, not to save the world, but because the Warrior of Light needed their aid, and while it was a great scene for the player, I can't help but wish it's acknowledged in-universe as well.

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

another theme between spop and gravity falls that i want to point out is one of the characters being shelved for most of the series, and revealed to be alive towards the end. Micah and Ford.

only difference being:

1. Foreshadowing

from the first episode, we see that Stan has some sort of a secret and that he's working towards something.

and throughout the series, we get hints that indicate the existence of a twin brother, one episode even straight up SHOWS Ford (but viewers were led to believe it was Stan).

Micah, on the other hand? the only scene that could be proof of him being alive is during the fake reality in s3 finale.

Micah: Angie, Angella wait! I'm not-

people assume that Micah was trying to tell Angella that he's not dead, but we have no way of knowing for sure. it could have been anything.

so basically, there's no foreshadowing that Micah was alive and i'm pretty darn sure that the writers only wrote him in so that the viewers would forget about Catra killing Angella. Glimmer just needs one of her parents, it's not important which one.

but that's just before. what about after? do these characters have any importance after they are finally revealed to be alive?

2. Plot Relevance

even before the big reveal, Ford was a very important part of the plot. he was the mysterious author of the journals, he was the missing puzzle piece in Stan's life, his connection with Bill was clearly seen in the structure of Mystery Shack.

and after he emerges from the rift, he is even more relevant to the plot. especially because of his history with Bill and his knowledge about the supernatural. even though Stan is the one who defeats Bill in the end, it could not have been done without Ford.

not to mention, his relationship with Stan is essential to the plot. they are a direct parallel to Mabel and Dipper, and the entire series is about familial relationships.

the show just wouldn't be the same without Ford, because he was always one of the main characters, even before he was officially introduced as a character.

and how about Micah? he literally plays no role in the narrative after he is introduced.

one similarity between Ford and Micah is that they were both stranded in an unfamiliar place for years, with no connection to humanity.

but the difference is that while this is used for comedic purposes with Ford, it is also given enough emotional importance, especially when it came to his trust issues and his relationship with Stan.

whereas with Micah, it is solely used for comedic purposes and we never see how being forced to survive on a deserted deadly island has affected Micah's psyche or his relationship with people.

coming back to my point, Micah doesn't even seem all that bothered after learning that Angella is dead. he is shocked and sad for a moment, and then that is completely forgotten.

reconnecting with Glimmer? everything is settled with just one generic emotional speech and a hug.

reconnecting with his sister, Castaspella? barely touched upon.

like Ford, Micah had history with a master manipulator - Shadow Weaver. they could have expanded on this, shown us how Shadow Weaver's treatment of Micah had an impact on him.

but no, apart from him being all "you can't trust Shadow Weaver!" he provides no new insight. if anything, he just got in the way of Shadow Weaver trying to do something good for once.

other than that, he's just a silly goofy dad who wants to bond with his daughter. that's it. he has absolutely no relevance to the plot other than making a fool out of himself, and kind of forming a connection with Frosta.

we're supposed to believe that Micah was this powerful sorcerer and the king of Brightmoon, when even the writers don't give him the respect that he deserves.

newsflash: you can make a character funny and important to the plot. Ford had his fair share of comedic bits, but that didn't take away from his emotional moments and his role in the narrative.

[imsuperhungry]

4 𝙖𝙢

entry 000

(yandere until dawn)

WARNINGS: Bullying, Mild Cussing, Death

WORD COUNT: 990

(9:37 ᴘᴍ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʙɪɴ)

The cabin was warm, the fire gently melting away the cold, raw chill and replacing it with a sense of coziness and comfort.

The storm was intense, making it nearly impossible to see even a little ahead, with snow falling heavily all around.

Josh was slumped at the countertop, his head resting on his folded arms as he slept, an empty beer bottle loosely held in his limp hand. I sat beside him, scrolling through my phone, occasionally glancing over to make sure he was still breathing.

I was giggling at his snoring, while Mike, Jess, Emily, and the others stood around me in a circle. Jess had her head resting on my back, her arms wrapped around my belly.

They were talking about the prank they were about to pull, planning to fool Hannah into believing that Mike liked her, fully aware of her big crush on him.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you did this!" Emily whispered excitedly to Jess. She had been the most eager for this moment, especially since she was Mike's girlfriend and had a reputation for being petty.

"Don't you guys think this is a bit cruel?" Sam asked, clearly not too keen on the idea. It made sense, given that she and Hannah had been friends for a while.

"Oh come on, she deserves it." Jess said from behind me, I could basically hear her rolling her eyes.

"Its not her fault he has a huge crush on Mike-" Sam said trying to defend Hannah

"Hannah's been making moves on him, I'm just looking out for my girl Em." Jess said before directing her attention towards me. "Besides, (y/n) says it'll be okay, right?" She asks, causing me to hesitate.

Sure, it might be somewhat funny, but I've known Hannah, Beth, and Josh for five years now, and I don’t want to hurt any of them.

Still, my opinion didn’t seem to matter, as Jess pulled me up and walked me out of the kitchen and into the living room without waiting for my response.

Emily then starts skipping after us, following us into the room while still talking to Sam. "Just because he's class Prez doesn't mean he belongs to everyone... Mike is my man," she said with a grin.

Mike, trailing behind us, chimed in, "Hey, Em. I'm not anybody's man..." This made Emily giggle as she sang back, "Whatever you say, Darling~!"

We all ascended the creaky staircase and entered the spare bedroom, the scene of everything that was about to happen. Some of us crouched behind the door, while others squeezed into closets. Jess and Emily pulled me under the bed with them, both of them giggling. I could only sit there, hoping this wouldn’t hurt Hannah as much as I was imagining.

“Oh… she’s here! Shh!” Emily whispered as we heard footsteps approaching the room. Then everything went silent when they stopped.

Eventually, the door swung open, and we heard her voice. "Mike?" she said, peeking into the room and scanning the surroundings before spotting the person she was looking for. "It's Hannah," she added as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Hey, Hannah." he replied, staring intensely at her.

"I got your note," she said, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other, clearly uneasy about being in the room with him. She had always been a bit of a nervous girl.

"I'm glad you could make it." Mike said, grinning, although we all knew he wasn't smiling in Hannah's favor.

It was quiet for a moment; all I could hear was Emily and Jess's breathing on either side of me. Then Mike spoke up again, "Maybe we should start with a little, you know, making out, and see where it goes from there."

Hannah nodded, then began to untie her shirt, prompting Mike to exclaim, "Ohhhh hell yeah."

“Oh my God! She’s taking her shirt off!” Jess squealed, shaking me by the shoulders.

Hannah immediately started covering herself up and looked around, confused. "What!? Oh my God!". She heard Jess's voice.

Everybody then started coming out of there hiding spots, Hannah calls out again. "Matt? What are you doing here!?"

Matt was recording on his phone and everybody was staring at her. I remained under the bed, feeling too bad for Hannah to look at her.

Mike then attempted to apologize to Hannah and explain everything, but Sam opened the door and walked over to Hannah, trying to comfort her. "Hannah, hey, honey... Don’t... It’s just a..." But Hannah ignored her and stormed out of the room.

Sam then turns her attention to everybody else in the room. "You guys are jerks. You know that?" she says, "You even dragged (y/n) into this, knowing she and Hannah were close!" then she swings the door open and calls out Hannah's name, chasing after her.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the room, but eventually, everyone bolted out to chase after Sam and Hannah, leaving me still under the bed.

I tried to steady my breathing, but I was too worried about Hannah to think clearly. Gathering my composure, I crawled out from under the bed and followed the voices of the others, finding them all outside the cabin.

"What happened?" I asked Emily, noticing a figure running away from the cabin, unsure of who it was.

She informed me that Hannah had run into the woods, and then Beth followed her, trying to find her sister. I looked in the direction they had gone, but the thick snow made it impossible to see anything but trees and white.

I kept staring, hoping and praying that Hannah would be okay, even though I knew deep down that it was unlikely.

Mike then nudges my shoulder and asks me "Should we go after her?" 

But Sam replies for me "Y'know I kinda think you're the LAST person she wants to see right now, Mike.", she's obviously annoyed.

They continued to chat among themselves, but I turned away from them and focused on Josh's figure, still sleeping on the countertop.

[the-power-of-a-pen]

A Way Home

Fandom: Spiderverse

Summary: Following the loss of his alternate universe daughter, Miguel is reluctant to risk letting anyone close to him and breaking canon again. However, as most anomalies are returned to their universes, there's the issue of you. You don't have a universe to return to. So, after having you on his team for half a year, he adopts you as his child.

Word Count: 4654

Pairing?: Father-child relationship btwn Miguel and gn! reader.

Trigger Warnings: Some cursing, reader is hinted to having a traumatic past (very briefly and vaguely described), 1 reference to reader as "Spiderman" (meant as a gender-neutral phrase)

A/n: This turned out to be longer than I had planned b/c I realized how much I had to add to make the change of heart even slightly natural, so let me know if y'all want a part two of the reader and Miguel interacting further along the adoption. Not sure how I feel about the structure + characterization in this one. Feedback much appreciated! Please!! I'm on my hands and knees, begging for feedback!!!

------

"Lyla, status on current anomalies," Miguel ordered. He leaned over the yellow panels in front of him, watching the same scene of him and his child playing over and over again. His grip on the console tightened.

She blipped into view. "Currently, there are 918,503,201 anomalies to be returned to their home universes. That's 40% less than yesterday! Spider-Byte does have an update for you regarding-"

"I'll convene with her later. I'm busy."

"Busy brooding over your twelfth cup of coffee. Not enough sugar this time around?" Lyla teased, only to be met with a glare. "Alright, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. But seriously, it can't wait. A canon event was disrupted and now there's a spider-person without a universe to return to."

Miguel turned around dangerously fast. "What did you just say?"

"Talk to Margo -- she'll fill you in." Lyla blipped away.

------

"There you are," Margo mumbled to herself as Miguel approached. "This one's in rough shape, got dropped in Earth 616 and put up a fierce fight before Jessica took them to HQ. I tried to send them through the Go Home Machine, but it just dropped them back here."

"And you're sure it's not a hardware issue?"

"It's 2099," Margo drolled and rolled her eyes. "There's no hardware issues anymore, grandpa."

"Then try sending them home again. I don't see why this requires my supervision."

"This machine tears people's atoms apart and throws them back together in other dimensions," she explained. "If I run the same person through the machine too many times, they could die."

Miguel sighed heavily and began pacing around. "Well, what am I supposed to do? Keep them here forever?"

Margo looked at him like he was crazy and slowly nodded. "You can't leave them here to die."

"They're an anomaly anywhere they go, Spider-Byte. Maybe death would be a mercy."

"To you," Peter B. called from behind him.

"Maldito sea, carajo" Miguel cursed under his breath, turning around. "I thought you were taking the week off."

"Well, I was going to, but Mayday was begging me for another one of these cafeteria burgers," he said with his mouth full of food. "They're really good, you should seriously try them sometime."

Miguel's eyes darted to Mayday and quickly darted away. "I have work to return to in my office, so if you'll excuse me-"

Peter stepped in his way. "I'm sorry, Miguel, but I can't let you walk away from this problem. It's gone too far."

"I'm sorry, what?" Miguel questioned, laughing bitterly.

"Ok, I'm not great with words, especially not in front of big, strong, angry men, so MJ had me prewrite this, let me just get it- oh, Mayday has it. Mayday, hold the paper up for daddy, thanks, sweetheart."

Peter cleared his throat and began to over-annunciate his speech. "Everyone in this building joined your society because they believed in your ability to lead, shape, and change the world. We trusted you to use humane practices behind your actions and to keep the safety and rights of humanity at mind before all else. However, given the fact- Ok, this is bullshit - sorry, Mayday, don't tell mommy. Point is, Miguel, that you claim that you're all about saving the multiverse and saving humanity, but then you throw half of your sanity away to hunt down a 15 year old kid who just wants to save his dad. You're so obsessed with the concept of saving humanity that you forgot what it's like to care about individual humans. You forgot how to be a human."

"I never forgot what it felt like to care. To love."

"It's okay to admit that the new kid reminds you of your daughter, you know."

For a moment, Miguel and Peter B. just stood across from each other in silence, unable to break eye contact. Miguel's expression was intense, but otherwise unreadable. Then: "Go home, Parker. More and more of you prove that you're untrustworthy when it comes to prioritizing the greater good. I'm not afraid to get rid of you, too."

Peter's arms gripped on tighter to Mayday. He seemed to want to say something, but found it in him to walk away. Once he went through his portal back home, Miguel called for Lyla.

"Hold the chatter, Lyla," he said before she could open her mouth, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Silence any notifications except for the urgent ones. And I mean urgent."

"Well, since you asked so nicely," she remarked sarcastically, but complied.

------

Everything in Miguel's office repeated like a broken record. The video of his daughter. Peter's comment that he "forgot what it's like to care about humans, forgot how to be human." Gwen's "we're supposed to be the good guys." The feeling of his own child glitching out of existence in his palms, the very reason he got into this work. The ticking of the clock. The ticking of that motherfucking clock.

He zipped a web to the clock and smashed it into the ground, falling to a knee amidst the broken glass.

"I understand that you're having a very emo moment right now, Mr. O'Hara," Pavitr began, "But Jessica told me to drop this off." He placed the file on the floor and nudged it over with his foot as far as he could without getting too close. "I'm heading home now, have a great day!"

"Wait."

"Oh, I was afraid you would say that."

"Tell Jessica to report to my office."

"She said to tell you that she's not available until noon tomorrow."

"Of course," he chuckled angrily. "One person's off for the week, another needs 3 weeks of recovery. Now one of my only trustworthy members can't report for duty until tomorrow. But who's checking in on me, huh? That's right - no one. I took on this leadership role because I know firsthand what it feels like to have the only joy in your life, your only reason for living, taken away from you because of your own reckless mistakes. And despite all of that, I made it my life's mission to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. But now I'm the villain?! "'We're supposed to be the good guys!'" "'You can't leave them to die!'" "'They remind you of your daughter.'" But does anyone else here know the pain of losing a child you weren't even destined to have?"

Pavitr blinked heavily. "With all due respect, sir, I'm 17."

Miguel barely seemed to hear him. He sank to the floor, running his hands through his hair and not bothering to clear the glass shards around him. "Maybe they're all right. Maybe I'm the one hurting everyone else. Maybe I'll make the same mistake I did before, and take another innocent life because I want to feel fulfilled, just for a moment."

"Should I get someone?"

Miguel sighed. "Just go."

------

“Morning, sunshine,” Jessica called, taking a seat in Miguel’s office. “You had a chance to go through the file?”

Miguel hummed in agreement. “Need a second opinion.”

Jessica flipped through her copy of your file. “Teenager, been Spiderman for 2 years, originally from Earth 45, but got dropped in Ben’s world. A slippery one for sure; took nearly two hours to get them on the ground. Tried talking to them, but they wouldn't speak. I know my stance on this, but what’s yours?”

Miguel paced around the room. “We can’t keep them here. They’re an anomaly regardless of where they go. Margo said that it would be too inhumane to send them through the Go Home Machine again, so… I think we should let them go quietly.”

“Are you serious?”

“When am I not serious?” He took a seat across from Jessica. “I’ve been hearing it from everyone else. I need to hear it from someone who was there from the beginning. Someone who I trust. Am I falling off the edge? Have I gone too far?”

She raised her eyebrows. “You’re just now questioning that? Look, as your friend, I’ll say this: you’re taking too much weight onto your shoulders. You need to stop being Spiderman for a moment and start being Miguel.” She shifted in her seat. “But, as your teammate, I want you to know that I’ll be by your side no matter what you choose.”

Miguel nodded, but he was totally spaced out. All he could think about was his daughter. How he wanted to take this one in so bad, just to feel like a father again, feel like a man again. How he feared the consequences of love. 

Jessica snapped in front of his face. “Earth to Miguel.”

He shook his head. “What?”

“Look, I can’t say that I don’t agree with your initial idea. But I look at them, and at Gwen, and at my future kid, and-” She put her hand on her stomach “-I just can’t imagine leaving them in the dust like that. I was wrong about Gwen, yes, but these kids are suffering. And I don’t know if we can keep making these hard decisions that put these people right back where they were trying to escape from and still call ourselves heroes.”

Miguel held his face in his hands. “I don’t know what’s up and down anymore, right or wrong. I was all of these kids once: Miles, Gwen, Hobie. I know what it’s like to love your family so much that you throw everything else to the wayside. But that cost me my child, and thousands of other lives. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do anything to stop it. I just want to stop the suffering. I just want it to stop.”

Jessica gave him a moment. “Let’s meet the kid. Give them a trial before we make any decisions we can’t take back.”

“Alright,” he agreed, “But if you’re wrong about this-”

“Then lunch is on me. Come on, mafioso.”

------

“Here they are,” Margo announced. “Just so you know, they’re fully aware of their situation, but not very talkative.”

“Let me talk to them,” Miguel insisted. “I want to hear what they have to say.”

As Miguel and Jessica approached, you refused to meet their eyes. Instead, you drew your hood closer to your face.

Miguel took a knee by you, talking through the red barrier. “Hey, kid. My name is Miguel. Miguel O’Hara. I’m Spiderman.”

You gasped dramatically. “No way! Really? I never would have guessed!”

He took in a breath. “So you do speak. Look, we’re trying to relocate you, but we need to have your account of what happened. Why doesn’t your home exist anymore?”

You shrugged and counted off the events on your fingers. “Dalmatian-looking dude crashed through a window at my internship. He went straight for the collider room, and most of my mentors were at lunch, so I went after him. I tried to shut off the collider at the same time he stepped through it, he pushed me into a hole, that lady behind you caught me after an uncomfortably long chase, and here we are.”

“You worked at Alchemax,” Miguel mumbled, though mostly to himself.

“Yeah,” you replied, leaning back. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Did you get bitten by the radioactive spider before or after working there?”

“Did I fucking what?”

“That’s how you got your powers, right?” He asked.

“My powers? Oh, I see what’s happening here,” you laughed. “You’re all off your rockers! Let me guess, this is some alternate dimension Alchemax where everyone’s trying to biologically get the abilities that I developed through technology. Ooh ooh, or, this is an elite spider society trying to save the multiverse from itself!”

“That was really just a guess?” questioned Jessica.

“I read a lot of sci-fi,” you explained.

“Nevermind all of that,” Miguel groaned. “What’s your story, kid? What’s your motive? Because if we don’t have that information, we can’t help get you out of there.”

Your expression became grave for a moment as you considered your options and chuckled bitterly. “My story? My story is that I’m a poor kid from the slums who worked their ass off to get into a good school so that I could do better for my family. My story is that my family never loved me, my friends never cared, and I was forced to choose between what I love to do and what the world needed from me. I didn’t have the power to stop my parents from hurting me or stop people from hurting each other. So, I manufactured that power and took it into my own hands. My story is that the moment I was released from that hellhole of a world, I was locked up in a three foot wide cage and forced to talk about my feelings. I heard what you guys were talking about in that back room. All I ask is that you do it quickly. I don’t like waiting.”

“Miguel, we can take a quick debrief if you need one,” Jessica offered, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Miguel didn’t budge. He looked into your eyes and felt your pain like it was his own. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally: “Let them go, Margo.”

“What?” 

“You heard me,” he asserted. “Let them go.”

Margo released you and offered her hand to help you step down from the pedestal, which you reluctantly accepted. “Didn’t know you were one for sob stories, Mr. O’Hara,” you mocked, though your comment fell through as soon as your legs trembled from lack of use.

“I’m not,” he responded, walking up to you. “But I know an innovator when I see one. You’re hurt, yes, but you have the capacity to do so much good. I’m offering you a place on my team.”

You approached cautiously, your arms crossed. “And if I say no?”

“I’d ask you to reconsider.” He held out his hand for a shake. You accepted, and he smiled. “Welcome to HQ.”

Margo whooped in the background and gave your shoulder a squeeze.

------

“Ok, first mission briefing,” Miguel started, walking backwards.

“On the move?” you asked.

“That’s the only way to do it.” He shot a web to a nearby building and dropped from an HQ terrace. 

You followed suit. “Where exactly are we going?” you shouted over the wind.

“Earth 616. There’s a rogue Vulture stealing tech from Osborn. We’d let it happen, but the man's the only thing between a country of people and an all-out war.”

“Got it.”

“We go in, capture Vulture, and bring him back to HQ. Shouldn’t be too difficult.”

 You stepped through your portal and immediately got whiplash from the pure speed of a nearby aircraft. 

Vulture swooped down from above and tore the tail off of the police helicopter. It crashed into a skyscraper and gained speed as it headed for the street below. 

Miguel spoke to you through the comms. “Trial number one, newbie. I’ll pursue Vulture; you stop that helicopter from hurting civilians.”

“On it.” You dived off of your skyscraper to gain speed and pulled yourself forward with your webs. In one smooth movement, you grabbed the two co-pilots and placed them on the closest rooftop. 

The helicopter was quickly approaching the ground, where children were playing in an enclosed playground. 

“Shit,” you murmured, propelling yourself under the machine to create a landing pad for it at a safe distance from the kids. At the rate you could fire, you wouldn’t be able to stop it on time. 

In the distance, you saw Miguel struggling to keep Vulture away from a construction site, and reached out to him over the comms. “Have him ram into that crane.”

“What?”

“Just trust me.”

Miguel redirected the Vulture, dodging last second when he attacked so that the crane would fall down. 

The crane caught the chopper where it was, and you used it as a crutch to help you redirect the chaos to the empty street. You swung around the crane five times, wrapping an immense amount of webbage around it and attaching along the side of a business building. When the helicopter threatened to fall due to the weight of it, you shot three web bombs at it to keep it in place.

When you reached the ground, you were out of breath and half-heartedly waving to the clapping children and their parents. Miguel placed his hand on your shoulder as you observed the incapacitated Vulture.

“Not bad, kid,” Miguel chuckled. “Not bad.”

------

A good six months had passed, and you had risen in the ranks of the Spider Society. You were still without a place to stay, and had been bouncing from place to place in between missions. The first month, it was Pavitr and his aunt’s place. Then, Hobie’s, then HQ, and finally, Gwen’s. Most of your free time was spent discussing tech with Margo or trailing behind Miguel. 

A building-wide alert had gone off, sending every spider-being into high alert as they searched for the threat.

“What’s the sitch?” you asked Miguel as the two of you bounded down the hall. “A futuristic Rhino that’s suspected to work for The Spot just invaded HQ. He’s trying to destroy our tech and pick us off.”

Just as Miguel had finished his explanation, Rhino crashed through a door four floors below. You both zipped towards him, barely avoiding running into Peter B. as he took a picture of himself, Mayday, and Rhino. Miguel attacked Rhino head-on, performing a spin-kick to the face before webbing his arms together and latching onto his back. Rhino broke his constraints effortlessly, and threw Miguel out of a nearby window. You helped Noir get to his feet and went after Rhino.

By the time you got there, Rhino had Miguel pinned to the cracked concrete. His web shooters were broken, and he was using all of his remaining strength to stop Rhino from snapping his neck. When he saw you approaching, he tried to silently signal for you to go, but you didn’t listen.

“Hey, Alexei!” you shouted. “I never really took you for the dominant type! It doesn’t suit you.”

You swung a piece of concrete at his back and zipped to deliver a punch to the face. Rhino was quick to return the favor, and charged you through a nearby wall. 

Miguel attempted to stand up as backup arrived. He climbed onto Rhino’s back and sunk his teeth into his neck, effectively, though temporarily, paralyzing him. A team of 15 spiderbeings worked to get Rhino back to HQ while you and Jessica helped Miguel to his feet.

“What the hell were you thinking, kid? You could have died,” Miguel snapped.

“You were the one near death,” you argued. “If I didn’t come when I did, you could’ve died. Was I just supposed to let that happen?!”

“Yes!”

“No!” You dropped his arm from around your shoulder and Peter B. went to pick up the slack. “Why is it so hard for you to understand that people care about you? You gave me a chance when no one else would. I lost my world, my home, and my friends. I couldn’t lose you, too.”

“That’s not for you to decide. I can’t trust you like an adult if you refuse to act like one,” he grunted, before wavering in his stance. Jessica helped right him. 

You took a step back and pressed your lips together. “You know, I joined this team because I wanted to save people. I have the ability to save them. And… if you can’t acknowledge that ability, then… maybe you need to reevaluate your interests.” With that, you took off.

Jessica and Peter sat Miguel down to rest. 

“How bad did I fuck up?” Miguel inquired.

“Give them a few minutes to sit on it,” Peter suggested. “Kids are like that. They need time to cool off. Just make sure you talk to them later.”

------

You sat on the slanted glass roof of HQ to listen to music and blow off some steam. Heavy footprints sounded from behind you. You sighed. “If you’re here to argue, can you at least wait until the end of this song?”

“I’m not going to argue with you. I wanted to talk. And… apologize.”

That piqued your interest, but you tried to sound nonchalant as you gestured to the space next to you. “Go ahead, then. Sit.” You turned the music off.

He obliged. “I’m sorry for saying that I couldn’t trust you and that you needed to act like an adult. It wasn’t fair. I do trust you, and there’s no reason for you to act like an adult when you’re still a kid. I’ll be more conscious of my words in the future.”

You nodded. “Thanks.”

You sat in silence for a while, and you began to get up.

“Wait,” he asked. “Please.”

“What did you really come here to say?”

“Just sit, and I’ll tell you.” He waited for you to return to your spot and took a deep breath. “When I was first messing with the multiverse after working at Alchemax, I wasn’t as careful as I am now. I found a world where I was dead, but had a daughter, so I replaced myself and began raising her. I loved her more than anything. But, I was an anomaly, and had disrupted canon events. I felt her glitch right out of my hands. Thousands of innocent people died that day because of me. So, I made a vow to myself: never again. I wouldn’t let this happen to anyone else, and I wouldn’t let anyone get close to me.”

He paused, gulped, and forced himself to make eye contact with you. “Then I met you. And I tried to hate you, I really did. But you’re funny, and you’re smart and passionate, and you have a damn good heart. And everything in me just wants to protect you. I’m so mad at myself for hurting you and-”

You cut him off with a bear hug, to which he slowly responded once he understood what was happening. You shed a few tears into the crook of his neck and mumbled, “I’m sorry, too.”

He laughed, partially in disbelief. “For what?”

“I called you a dick behind your back for the first three months because I thought you had a stick up your ass.” You backed away snickering and wiped your eyes. “But you’re more my family than my parents ever were.”

Now or never, Miguel.

“About that,” he began. “I know you’ve been staying at Gwen’s place - and you’re completely free to stay there if you want - I just thought it might be nice for you to have a permanent place to stay, a school to go to, a familiar face, you know?”

“Not really,” you expressed. “What do you mean?”

“I- it’s better if I just show you.” Miguel took a folder out of his bag and handed it to you. He looked the other way as you processed what he gave you.

“Are these adoption papers?”

“Um… yeah,” he relented, still refusing to look your way. 

“And this isn’t a joke?”

“Of course not. But, it’s also up to you. I don’t want to pressure you into anything you don’t want to do-”

“Yes,” you cut him off and wrapped him in an even tighter hug. “Absolutely yes.”

------

Miguel helped you carry your few boxes of belongings that you had left at Gwen’s into his modern duplex. 

“Jesus, dude,” you commented. “You didn’t tell me you were rich.”

He laughed. “This is what being a scientist earns you.”

“Damn.” You took the space in. The windows in the living room were from floor to ceiling, the couch a cool grey with ornate yellow and green pillows. Everything was open concept, and both the Mexican and Irish flag hung on either side of the TV. Aside from the occasional painting, the apartment was largely monochromatic. 

“The kitchen is under that loft area, which I usually use as office space, but you’re free to use it, too. Bathrooms on first and second floors,” he explained while walking up the stairs. He stopped in front of the third door to the right. “This is your room.”

You gently pushed open the door. Miguel had prepared for your arrival intensely. A twin bed sat in the back left corner of the room, a desk in the back right. There was a wide panel of windows with shades and a nightstand with knick knacks. A mirror, bookshelf, decorative rug, and bean bag filled the empty space. A poster with a Spiderman symbol hung over your desk, and a smile fought its way onto your face. 

“There’s a closet, too,” Miguel said proudly.

You opened the closet to find it fully stocked with casual, formal, and tactical clothing. “You did all of this for me?”

He smiled warmly. “Welcome home.”

------

It was the following year on Father’s Day, and you were waiting for Miguel to come home when you heard keys turning at the door. 

“Hey,” you called from the kitchen island. “I made dinner for us. And we can watch that crappy comedy show that you like.”

He hung up his jacket and gave you a hug. “Thanks, sweetheart. How was it with your friends?”

“Pretty good. But it took an hour to get Miles out of that Famous Footwear. I swear that boy has enough sneakers to cover the Mediterranean. How was work?”

Miguel grabbed a plate and took a seat next to you. “Well, we finally figured out the malfunction in the control room. Hobie had been messing around with it for his own projects. Shocker, right? But other than that it was just a bunch of boring meetings.”

“Oh, I just remembered something.” You rushed upstairs to get a gift bag from your room and returned, out of breath. “I made this for you. It’s not much, but my job doesn’t start until July and I wanted to give you something, so…”

He removed the tissue paper to find a carefully knitted shawl with his suit designs on it. He remained speechless for a moment. 

“What do you think?”

“I love it.”

“Really? Cuz I could get you something else if you’d prefer-”

“I love it,” he repeated, giving you a bear hug. “I’ll wear it all the time when the weather takes a turn.”

“I thought it might be useful for winter patrols,” you admitted. 

“It will be. I know you don’t like getting too sappy, so let’s watch some TV, yeah?”

Halfway through an episode of the comedy show, you got up to use the bathroom. Miguel paused the show and admired your work on his shawl. When you came back, he was still staring at it as if he were examining each individual stitch. 

“I’m back,” you said when he didn’t acknowledge you. 

He hummed in response. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

You furrowed your brows, worried now. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not all, it’s just…” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I wanted to let you know that I would understand if you want to look into seeing if there’s any way to find your real parents. I love you and I want you here, don’t get me wrong, but if this is something you feel strongly about, I wanted to make sure you knew that my feelings wouldn’t be hurt.”

You stared at him for a while before bursting into laughter. 

“What’s so funny?”

You grabbed his hands and looked him in his eyes. “I found my real dad the moment you brought me here. I’m home.”

He squeezed your hands and repeated your words as if convincing himself of the truth. “You’re home.”

------

[devastatinglygreen]

Okay so now do what you think will happen after Colin finds out about Lady Whistledown. 🙏

so i sat on this for a little bit because i didn't really know how to answer it but i was chatting with @gleefullypolin, while totally not talking about polin nonstop, no. talking very normally i assure you.

i'm going to put the rest under the cut because it might have spoilers or speculation that people don't want to see:

alright so we know when colin finds out about LW, right? and we know they have a fight. a big one. obviously.

i think colin has to have a regression of his character. he's only been vulnerable around one person so far this season. penelope. and he loves and adores her and she's going betray (hello eros and psyche!) his trust.

there is no love without trust.

there's something very interesting we noticed while chatting about colin and his bro friends. they've been there each time he makes a choice about penelope.

the first ball, he chooses her over them after they're like, "the featherington girl? why concern yourself with her?" but then he tries to take it somewhere private and she checks him hard and cracked his armor. she was not impressed with that version of him and he knew it.

and he definitely will when he learns she's LW if he wasn't aware before

when he's not near them, he chooses her without thinking about it, he runs out after her at a ball when gossip about them is pretty much being said to their faces. even at the first brothel scene, he tells them he's late but then we see him at the market waiting for penelope. this man is a fake and a liar and we see him, we know what he's about. nerd.

in episode 3, he's with them at the balloon thing and they're messing with him about helping penelope and he's so dumb because he's like "i'm done with all of that. it's good to back" all cocky and lame like he wasn't just eating the same cupcake thing she did and staring at her. i was a dramatic teenage girl who once had a crush on a guy who i only saw at lunch and never knew his name and even i wasn't down that bad. good lord. embarrassing.

not really i love it, i love him so much

but he picks penelope over them again when he runs off to save her from the big mean hot air balloon.

we see them again in episode 4, at the library while he watches penelope through a mirror. because that's definitely not crying, screaming, throwing up behavior. they invite him out. for revelry. regency bro speak for possible syphilis and liver disease, it's fine.

he can't get down with his ladies of choice because he's knee deep in wishing he was balls deep in penelope instead. he stares at a wall. they manage to make us feel bad for a man sitting in a brothel. amazing.

we see them at mondrich's. they're talking about girls they probably didn't actually sleep with. oh sure, totally buy that you had access to a woman for 6 months straight. you bet, my guy, totally believable. colin is unhappy. he's like don't you ever want to have a feeling? they're like, no, i just feel the syphilis. it burns, bridgerton. we need antibiotics.

antibiotics won't be a thing for like another 100 years give or take good luck i guess

but he stays and drinks. he's picked penelope but he can't have penelope at this moment. he's in bed laying there waiting to sleep. or die. idk. he's a bridgerton, they're dramatic.

he sees them one last time in episode 4. they stop him. they're dicks. rude to will on top of it? pls. they invite him out and he says no. he's picked penelope once more but he doesn't say anything but "excuse me" and pushes through. they don't push back. they're like, fine. more chronic liver failure and fake stories for us, bro.

he finds penelope. causes a huge social upset that no one pays attention to because he's too busy ragging on debling for having the audacity to leave penelope for years. which is fair. colin would never.

chases penelope. catches her. not quite balls deep but knuckles deep at minimum, let's be real.

which, i am very sorry for this being this long at this point, is why i think we could see his "friends" again before the end. he's going to go through something world shaking and they're always there when he's making a choice but i think what's important to note is that he always makes the right one, he always picks penelope. i think he's not fully dropped that armor and it's easy to slip back into someone pretending not to care, especially when you're hurting. he's got to reject the man society wants him to be and, essentially, be the man penelope needs him to be. she's his purpose.

eta: colin loves to be penelope's hero. i think he's going to feel that pull over whatever else is going on.

i'm just saying it's a mirror of how penelope needs to reconcile how she's both penelope and lady whistledown. they both need to come to terms with who they want to be moving forward. symbolism or some shit.

or i'm totally wrong and all those words above mean nothing. either way i got to avoid folding laundry. time well spent if you ask me.

[analy-sing-stuff]

HI SO THE SUMMER HIKARU DIED IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MANGAS I'VE RED THIS YEAR, I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER :D

I wanted to yap a bit about how i think it's pretty much important seeing it also as a BL and how so many people are misunderstanding the beautiful relationship between Yoshiki and Hikaru but specially 'Hikaru', who he later on falls deeply in love, HEAR ME OUT OK?

🍉 This contain spoilers 🍉

In one of the first scenes of this series, we can understand perfectly what's happening to both of the main characters. Hikaru is gone, and Yoshiki has to deal with his loss even tho his friend is still there, but oops 😬 it's not really him. It's some kind of weird monster he has never heard before. It's clear that Yoshiki's mental health is taking a deep dive, NOT ONLY because he saw the corpse of his dead friend and has to live with whatever this identity is, but because apparently, Hikaru had a strong impact in his life, considering the divorce of his parents and the feeling of loneliness he felt for being "diferent" (queer in a small town). It's somehow acceptable that whatever he felt about his dead best friend is insignificant in this situation, 'cause no matter what he did, accepting reality meant losing Hikaru forever, and he decides that it's such a ubereable feeling that he wants, no he NEEDS this Hikaru around.

In conclusion, Yoshiki has to deal with grief, the loneliness of the bigotry, the loss of his childhood and the acceptance of his trauma and issues.

And 'Hikaru' is now free. He could destroy most of the village and the people living on it; but he decides he won't, because he loves, OH he loves Yoshiki. To the point He gives part of himself to this boy just to make sure he's safe. It makes sense the original Hikaru had this feelings burried inside him already but it's also clear to me that this thing, this monster experiences feelings for the first time and he can't help but feel everything in a way more intense level. So Basically, his undying love for Yoshiki is the chain keeping him on the ground when he should be this destruction and murder machine.

Do i believe 'Hikaru' and Yoshiki could be lovers?

Absolutely.

Everything on this manga is ahead of what we see, for example, when Hikaru loses his control all of sudden and turns back to his real form

Have you ever felt something so fiercely you felt like pouring your soul, or screaming off the top of your lungs?

Well, the monster revealing himself is a way to let clear how much 'Hikaru' (or rather just queer people) repress their own feelings to "fit in".

It's very meaningful how 'Hikaru' is so open and expressive (especially in a physical way) about how he feels and who he is, and Yoshiki is more of a "quiet gloomy boy" who has the deep desire of hiding himself for who he is truly (the way he keeps his bangs long is probably a manifestation of hiding away, which really makes sense)

So, yeah, Hikaru dying and coming back is this big allegory of how once you're becoming who you really truly are, and bigotry is all around, people are gonna notice something is wrong and when you come out, suddenly you are a monster.

The "old lady" interacting with both of them and specially saying to Yoshiki to "be careful not to get mixed up with him" as if it was, maybe, some kind of disease is craazy, because out of context it really matches well all of the big metaphor of "being queer in secret at a small traditional village".

Also! I wanted to point the BIGGEST allegory in this whole series.

The "Hand in the hole"

I've even seen people compare it to abuse, which honestly seems to me not only untrue, but, as someone with het comp, kind of offensive?

But yeah, that's definitely a metaphor for gay sex or at least same sex intimacy.

The catch is, Yoshiki does seem uncomfortable because, like the insides of a monster, same sex relationships are "unnatural". It gets really easy figuring out he actually likes the feeling of being one with 'Hikaru' since the second time he does it, he keeps telling himself how wrong it is, how he shouldn't be doing it, and then he forgets it, because he likes it. It feels good; However, once it starts "sticking to him" (obvious alegory for feeling guilty or dirty, like he sinned) He gets scared and runs away.

I feel that, at first Yoshiki mourns Hikaru, he Mourns their old relationship of a comfortable friendship and he doesn't understand why did his best friend had to die and become a monster, something so weird, so unnatural; but later on, they learn to accept themselves for who they are, even if they feel different in their own ways and come to terms of accepting the unconditional love they feel for eachother.

ANYWAYS, I LOVE THEM THEY LOVE EACHOTHER, IT'S UNHEALTHY, IT'S DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL

I hope everything goes right for them, or else I'll have one more year of therapy over sad doomed yaoi 😞🩷

[arabian-bloodstream]

HOTD - 2.06 "Smallfolk" I haz thoughts

A few quick thoughts about the episode… Heads-up, I will be vaguely referencing spoilers for Fire & Blood, so I want to give peeps a warning about that. I'm not going into any specifics, but I do mention something from that, so, yeah.

First, the Rhaenyra & Mysaria scene. My first reaction, uhm OK. My second, OK, this makes sense. Lemme break this down why I think it makes sense, why it didn't surprise me, why I thought the set-up has been building throughout (a) the series, (b) this season, (c) this episode, (d) this scene, and (e) the point of it moving forward -- note, this is the where the F&B spoilers come in.

(a) Mysaria was introduced as someone who mostly trusted Daemon. Who put her faith, more or less, in him even if she had one foot out the door and had her back-up plan ready to go. She also knew that Daemon had a soft spot for someone with silver hair (uh huh). Daemon didn't respect her, didn't listen to her, speak to her, treat her even remotely as an equal. However….

(b) Rhaenyra has been doing so. Rhaenyra has been fair. Rhaenyra has listened to her counsel. Rhaenyra has shown herself the opposite of Daemon. Mysaria can see why Daemon was so in love with Rhaenyra now. Mysaria is revealing herself to Rhaenyra, showing her vulnerability and trust because Rhaenyra has done the same to her. Showing her equality. And this companionship has been growing all season.

(c) In this episode in particular, we turn to Rhaenyra. She has been abandoned by Daemon again. She's heard no word from him. She's sent ravens. Nothing. She lost Rhaenys, her most stalwart supporter on the council. Because of Daemon going off and ignoring her, she had to send her second-most stalwart supporter, Lord Alfred, to go find out what is going on with Daemon. This leaves her with a bunch of men who don't respect her, don't listen to her, talk over her. Even Jace, though he loves her, he clearly doesn't think she can do it without Daemon. So, as she said, all she's hearing is Daemon, Daemon, Daemon

And Daemon, Daemon, Daemon flounced off and abandoned her! Well, the last time that Daemon flounced off, he was gone for ten years! That's why she told Mysaria, the ONLY person she can talk to about this because everyone else is telling her, well, you need Daemon!, that she has to do this on her own. Because, well, what if Daemon doesn't come back? She can't make plans for when he comes back if he doesn't because she doesn't know because Daemon isn't answering her texts! He has ghosted her.

Her feelings about Daemon were made abundantly clear in this episode. She told Mysaria that she and Daemon were over. Literally said those words.

Now, let us circle back to her big fight with Daemon the last time they spoke. She asked him if he was ready to accept her as his ruler and queen. He did not answer. In that fight, they were both playing the role of ruler/subject and lovers, and both roles ended without resolution and Rhaenyra has been left hanging waiting, waiting, waiting, unfulfilled. Now, here comes Mysaria, who was a courtesan. Who knows how to fulfill a role. Who knows that Rhaenyra is isolated, alone, missing her husband, angry with her husband, and frustrated beyond all measure.

And, I genuinely believe--could be wrong, but I think it's the case--that Mysaria meant what she said to Rhaenyra. She believes in her. She believes she should be queen. She believes in her. She believes that Rhaenyra cares for her and sees her as her equal, so when Rhaenyra, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, took her in her arms in an embrace, Mysaria took it a deep further. She sniffed her neck, she made it sexual, and Rhaenyra, who we know in her youth had an affection for Allicent--she wanted to run away with her at one point, that was not said in jest--was affected.

Let us look at Rhaenyra in this moment, angry, frustrated, hurt, betrayed by her husband. She knows that there is the VERY real possibility that Daemon is raising a host in his OWN name, turning against her. More than that, she is alone, has been alone in that big empty bed. She and Daemon are a passionate couple, we know that about them (although, it would be nice to see more of it, ahem). How often have we seen Rhaenyra in that big empty bed on her side leaving his empty? They clearly sleep together in that bed. But he's gone and she has not had physical touch beyond that moment when Jace crumpled. Her son calls her "Your Grace." Everyone keeps their distance but for dressing her from her servants. Rhaenyra has been in isolation.

Thus this moment.

But what happens when Daemon comes back? When Daemon answers Rhaenyra's question with a resounding, definitive YES! I accept you as my queen and ruler! as I believe he will. When Daemon and Rhaenyra are once more on the same page. Ie., Daemon's arc. Well, that brings us to…

e) As (d) I'm hoping made clear, while I do think that Rhaenyra values Mysaria's counsel, physically, she is just a substitute for what she does not have right now which is her husband. Mysaria is just a warm body, and Rhaenyra gave in to that moment because she believes that Daemon and she are over. However, once the two are reunited again, Mysaria will be forgotten in a romantic/sexual fashion, I believe, and her counsel may be lessened as well. Likely because Daemon will be disparaging her at every turn.

And this is where Fire & Blood comes in. From what we know Mysaria whispers not so pleasant things about Daemon to Rhaenyra to fuel paranoia against him. My conjecture after this episode is that we now have our reason. It is one of two things. Either she wants to punish both Rhaenyra and Daemon, Daemon just because she hates him still, and Rhaenyra for not loving her/ignoring her. Or, she wants to keep the two at odds because it's only when they are at odds that she has Rhaenyra to herself. Either way, it makes sense.

Phew! Now a few other things…

I really hope that Alys doesn't betray Daemon or they don't turn their relationship into something sexual because I really like the idea of them as friends. I really do. Daemon needs a real friend. And as fucked up as his visions are, I genuinely think they are going to help him in the end.

Viserys! I was all… VISERYS! Daemon really needed to see his bro again. And I did enjoy those two scenes, I did. Paddy!!

You know, I still have zero sympathy for Alicent. Reaping the consequences of your actions there. Yup.

Seasmoke chasing down Addam was awesome. I yelped/laughed when he pounced.

I am sorry, but the disparity in screentime for the Greens vs the Blacks is ridiculous! The first half was heavy TG and light TB. Now we're in the second half and sure it's heavier TB, but we're STILL seeing TG on a decent scale. In the first half, Rhaenyra was barely seen while Alicent was all over. And whaddya know? We're finally getting more Rhaenyra, and, hmm, Alicent is still getting tons of screentime. Grrrr!!!

Gay Abandon. I just can't.

OK, I lied. They weren't quick.

[life-is-unreal]

Stranger Danger~ {Genshin x Reader} Teyvat Chapter 13 - Welcome Bobetta

Other than a few questions from Paimon on Leila and the drunks, it didn't take too long till the four of you went back into the Angel's Share.

"You're here." Venti grinned at Jean's shocked face.

Did Jean seriously not know? You wondered. She had eyes everywhere, ok, maybe it's just the plot.

"Wait, you're...Aether? Y- Y/N?" 

"Jean?"

Diluc coughed lightly, "Well, first of all, I contacted more than one person. Secondly, she came here as "Jean" herself, not as the Acting Grand Master. A Jean you would never see, even as an Honorary Knight."

Jean frowned, staring at Venti, "What a surprise, I heard about the Holy Lyre, but I never suspected it was you. So, the sound of the Holy Lyre can purify Stormterror and return it to normal... Is that true?"

"That's right! Aether and Y/N is putting themselves on the front line to try and resolve this Stormterror issue. Now that's the hotshot of the Knights of Favonius I'm talking about."

"Feel's like we're breaking the law though..." Paimon mumbled.

"Jean, you wouldn't arrest us right?" You asked. "It's quite stuffy in there."

"I-"

"I understand this kind of absurd explanation is hard to believe. But, we can ask the bard to play the song again to try and persuade-"

"I believe you. And, I promise that I won't arrest you for stealing the Holy Lyre."

"To persuade our stubborn comman- Wait, what?" Diluc frowned, turning his head to Jean.

"I can't think of any reason for Dvalin's betrayal, given it was once one of the Four Winds. However, if it was poisoned in the battle over Mondstadt all those years ago... And then corrupted by the Abyss Mage after it woke up - we can't really blame it." Jean placed a hand to her chin, "But as Acting Grand Master I obviously cannot make such a statement publicly. Diplomatic pressure from the Fatui makes it hard for us to seek a peaceful resolution to the Stormterror issue. People would think I've lost grip on the gravity of the situation. That's why I can only do this in private."

The people in her words doing nothing and pushing aaaalll their problems to her.

"Hmph. That's one of the reasons I don't like the Knights of Favonius." I have to agree with that. "What surprises me is that you would believe an outlander so easily..."

Jean's eyes twitched, "My cautious and meticulous superior, even you trust him. Don't you, sir?"

"I already told you not to call me sir...Never mind. We don't often get to work together after all."

"...Sir?" Aether gaped. Yeahhh, Diluc was the captain of the Knights so basically he's stronger than everyone in the Knights of Favonius except maybe Albedo and Klee.

A moment of awkward silence filled the room. "Wow! Um...This is really awkward..." Paimon giggled, a large fake smile on her face.

"I have a rough idea of where the Holy Lyre der Himmel is." Venti leaned towards you, "Nice recovery! She's really talented at changing the subject..." He whispered. You nodded slightly, pushing him back to his place.

Jean waved her hand, "The conflict between Mondstadt and Snezhnaya stems from the conflict between the seven nations and their respective gods. The Cryo God's fatui seem to be after the Anemo God's power."

"..."

"So are they going to take over the defense of Mondstadt?" Upon Aether's words, Jean's brows furrowed.

"If the Knights of Favonius publicly prevented an attempt on Dvalin's head, then... The only other way to affect the Anemo God's power is to take the Holy Lyre."

"The number of Fatui that have come to Mondstadt is far from limited. I've already managed to... coerce a few reports out of them." More like forced, tortured and interrogated them then killed them."Diluc has determined that the Holy Lyre is not being held in the Goth Grand Hotel. I imagine they don't want to leave something stolen in a place where it could be so easily found."

"Paimon gets it. If too much of a scene gets made then it becomes a big diplomatic issue."

"Hmph, such is the diplomacy between the seven nations. Outlanders, ready to go?"

-.-.-

"Eugh, thank god I left Bob before coming here. He's gonna melt in this shitty place." You scowled, feeling the rising temperature.

"Paimon's melting..." The fairy groaned, her arms wrapped around you like a child.

"How the fuck is Diluc not sweating with his thick ass coat?" You grumbled, glancing at the red head a few meters ahead.

"He left us a chest Y/N!" Aether hurriedly opened the chest throwing the drops to Paimon and You.

"Thanks..." You groaned louder, "I can't even see Diluc now. Hurry up Aether, you're slower than Paimon." 

Aether rolled his eyes. "You're the only one that's not even looking for chests and mora."

"No, NO! Don't eat me! Ah? You're...You're human?"

"...Are you seriously shaking? You're the one with a sword." You mumbled.

"The entire floor's defenses... have been broken. I thought it was the Abyss Order attacking..."

"Brotha, you would've been dead the moment the Abyss Order appears." You commented.

Paimon snickered. Aether coughed, "We have come for the Holy Lyre der Himmel."

"And your life." You added.

"Y/N!"

"Sorry, but come on, look at his face!"

"H-How did you guys know the lyre's here?" The fatui guard shivered as you side eyed him. Now we know, how the hell did he become a guard? The fatui short on people?

"The place it's being kept is locked up tight. If you're after the key, keep going further into the ruins, but d-don't come after me! I don't know which one of the guards have it, but I'm sure you can find the guards and find out for yourselves."

"This guy looks like he's about to wet himself." You and Paimon said in unison. 

"You- you just worry about yourself! One of the Harbingers is already in Mondstadt. Signora. When she gets her hands on you she's going to string you up and torture you. When that time comes, don't you dare say a word about me."

"Aether you go up first to meet up with Diluc, I need to ask some stuff." You pushed him up towards the stairs.

"W- What do you want?" The man squeaked as you turned around with a cheshire smile. 

"Heyyyy, that's a nice sword you have thereeeee. Ehehehehe."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh!"

After a few minutes, you cackled, skipping towards Aether.

"You stole his sword?" Aether gaped.

"What do you mean steal? He gifted it to me." 

"Yeah, and- you robbed him of mora too?!" Aether caught a thick pouch.

"Hooray! Can Paimon have 10 mushroom skewers after we go back?"

You ruffled her hair, "Why not." You cast your eyes down, the fatui guard who was absolutely flattered by your smile tumbled out pretty much everything he knew.

"I- I swear, I know nothing of the water problems! I- I just know that when Signora came to Mondstadt she brought barrels with her. I heard from my superior that it was Dottore's new creation. It might be the cause of all the dead fish and changes. Please don't kill me!"

"Il Dottore? So... he is just conducting an experiment?" 

"M-Maybe."

"Do you know of the fatui that escaped the Mondstadt dungeons?"

"U-Um, I just know that they're higher ranked than me and they're all under Signora. For some reason the knights weren't sent after them. Maybe diplomatic pressure? I- can I leave now?"

"Hmmmmm. Give me all your mora or I'll kill you with your own sword."

"WHAT! UM! UM! These are all I have! BYE!"

You shook your head lightly, so Jean did know about Sofiya's escape.

"Did he say Signora? What a strange name..."

"No.8 of The Eleven Harbingers. Goes by the name Signora. The fact the Fatui can run amok across the seven nations like they do is entirely because of The Eleven Harbingers. We need to act quickly before she gets wind if what's going on." Diluc nodded to you.

"Let's split up." You casually walked towards the furthest room on the left.

"Should I bring a pyro slime back home? Hmmm. Yeah, I should." 

You grinned down at the three slimes. "Hi~"

"Hey Y/N! There's no key here- Wait, WHY IS THERE A PYRO SLIME!" Paimon screeched.

Aether raised a brow, "What's the name?"

You grin stretched wider, "Bobetta." 

Diluc stared at you for a moment, "Wait, are you the girl who brings a cryo slime around the city?"

"Oh? You know me?"

Diluc paused, "Kaeya has mentioned you in the tavern. It's quite a surprise that they choose not to attack you."

Paimon flitted closer to you, "That pyro slime seems to be a bit bigger than the smaller slimes."

You nodded, "Yeah, it's three slimes merged to one."

"Th-that works?!"

"It's new to me too."

"Where did you rats scurry out from..."

You whistled, "Mini Boss arrival guys."

"Leave it to me." Diluc charged towards the pyro agent.

"Signora is not going to tolerate this kind of interference in our aff-"

"Aaaand he's defeated." You nodded in affirmation. "Diluc's pretty good ain't he? One shotted him."

"Finally, the lyre is back in safe hands!" Paimon clapped.

"I still don't get how that eye mask fooled the fatui. You literally look the same." You threw your arm across his shoulder.

"Why are you taller than me..." You hissed in his ear.

Aether smiled smugly, "You can always drink milk."

"Bitch."

"Where did that guy go, though? He was here a second ago..."

"Signora is going to end you. The songs bards sing of your demise will be so terrifying- the people of Mondstadt will never sleep again for the nightmares they give them." The agent yelled behind the barricade.

"Big talk for a guy who still ran off in the end... Chicken." Paimon placed her hands on her hips.

You grinned down at Bobetta as she spat out a small fireball in the agent's direction. "Welcome to the family Bobetta!"

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Teyvat Chapter 14:

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