#i hate putting mom it's MUM 😭😭

[emolionsrawr]

buck: hey uhm, athena i need you to pick me up

athena: buck sweetheart i'm at work right now

buck: i know...

athena:... what. did. you. do?!

buck:... well, uhm you see, uh, well, uhm, uh, i uh, i accidentally stole an otter from the zoo

athena:

athena: i'll come get you right now baby give me five minutes

buck: thanks mama

athena: oh you wont be thanking me in a minute young man

[taylorkellyreporting]

i hope no one minds if i inconsistently liveblog this bitch: doctor who season one from 1x04

1x04

HELLO??

A WHOLE YEAR???

shit

“you’re 900 years old?” “yeah.” “my mum was right, that is one hell of an age gap.” lmfaooo

“i’m the only person who knows it exists.” spoke too soon

damn, he left her. i wonder if the key he gave her was even real.

it was a pig 😭

OH NOOOO

every time they get separated, shit goes off the rails

IS HE GONNA KILL HER MOM?!

1x05

girl, FUCK the emergency protocols

“sorry.” 😭

that shit was intense

“my mother’s cooking.” “good, put her on a slow heat and let her simmer.” CACKLING

i feel so bad for her mom :(

1x06

this episode really is…something.

why the fuck is the doctor just offering up all of this information???

he really should have seen this coming

*pretends to be shocked*

their cockiness is gonna get them killed

i never want rose and the doctor to be separated EVER again

“what use are emotions if you won’t save the woman that you love?” damn

don’t know how i feel about this dude joining them

1x07

“he’s your boyfriend.” “not anymore.” did i miss something???

something’s wrong…

is that guy dead?

i don’t trust adam at all

rose is so stupid. i could understand if it was mickey she was trusting but she doesn’t even know this man

huh, that was unexpected.

what the actual fuck

1x08

this ep’s gonna be so sad

the doctor never should’ve taken her to that day

“alright, i’ll tell him you’re not my boyfriend.” obsessed with her thinking that was the issue 😭

not important but jackie looks really good with her hair like that

well. that was heartbreaking.

1x09

sorry, but if a kid wearing a fucking plague mask was repeatedly saying “mummy” in an eerie voice, i would have turned and walked the other way. r.i.p. to rose but i’m different

what part of “don’t answer it.” is hard to understand? lmao

“excellent bottom.” gross.

i know i sound like a broken record but what the fuck?!

this is one creepy ass episode

this dude is coming on so strong dkgjgks

“finally, a professional.” rose, be serious.

“they’re not dead.” okay.

girl, what the fuck?

1x10

i can’t believe that worked lmfaooo

“those would’ve been terrible last words.” 😭

“half this street thinks your missus must be messing about with mr haverstock, the butcher. but she’s not, is she? you are.” SCREAMING

“i sent it to its room. this is its room.”

that’s fucking terrifying

“the first day i met him, he blew my job up. that’s practically how he communicates.” pls

“okay, so he’s vanished into thin air. why is it always the great- looking ones who do that?” “i’m making an effort to not be insulted.” “i mean…men.” “okay, thanks, that really helped.” fkfhhgdj

i hate jack for interrupting their dance. IT WAS JUST GETTING GOOD.

“carry on with whatever you were…doing.” “we were talking about dancing.” “it didn’t look like talking.” “didn’t feel like dancing.” 😭

these episodes are so fucking creepy but they’re definitely the best of the season

oh my God, he’s her son

THEY’RE DANCING 🥹

1x11

i can’t wait for mickey’s reaction to jack

“trust me, safest place in the universe.” famous last words

i hope the doctor doesn’t trust her

poor mickey

“it’s always the doctor, it’s never me.” buddy you should’ve known you weren’t first choice when she left you in the beginning

she’s an egg 😭

1x12

i almost don’t want to press play.

lmao, what the hell

it always comes back to floor 500

oh shit, the doctor cause all of that?

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK

rose can’t be dead

THANK GOD

i can’t believe the daleks actually survived

1x13

i’m not ready to say goodbye to nine

rose is getting a taste of her own medicine with the doctor and lynda djfjgjs

HE KISSED THEM BOTH 😭 I LOVE JACK

i can feel my heart breaking

who the fuck is bad wolf if it isn’t the daleks???

mickey’s really getting on my nerves this ep

HELLO

“there’s nothing left for me here.” ‘nothing?” “no.” she’s RUTHLESS 😭 but honestly he shouldn’t be surprised at this point

JACK ☹️

“i am the bad wolf.” BITCH???? WHAT????

i got my kiss but at what cost

OH SHIT THEY LEFT JACK

all i feel is pain

that’s it??? how am i ever going to move on from eccleston? how the hell are you guys strong enough do this every season? cause i’ll tell you how i’m doing: not well, bitch!!

[tpato]

Ok guys we need to have a chat about Bridgerton. (Guys I know the immediate associations please I am a holy woman so I had my mom skip the inappropriate scenes and tell me the important things. How dare you assume other wise. Anyway-)

I actually thoroughly enjoyed watching through the first season with my mom, but we kind of stopped there and didn’t have a lot of time to fit it into our schedules to watch it together. But after hearing all the fuss about Colin and Pen when season three came out I caved and watched the whole show on my own time. (Happy to report, I’m a wholehearted Polin shipper. Also Kanthony made me feral I love them too.)

Now I have just finished watching Queen Charlotte a Bridgerton Story and I’ve loved these stories and the story-telling of them, but I seem to have noticed a slight theme…

I feel like, specifically for Anthony and King George’s characters, the writers decide to dump literally gallons of trauma on our characters halfway through the show and we never really see them work it out 😂 (😭).

Like for Anthony. Randomly it’s dropped on us that he’s been processing the death of his father under the immense pressure to be the head of the household for TEN YEARS. A whole decade of trying to hold it together; resulting in him having such an extreme reaction to simply the presence of a bee. Along with a bunch of other things that come with this new authority, as well as witnessing his father’s actual death and the sorrow of his mother thereafter. And we kind of have his talk with his mum about marriage which is very sweet and all but like??? He never actually faces this trauma?? Like we get the whole next season and he still doesn’t ever actually talk about it lol.

And where do we even begin with George. Obviously, he’s gone through a lot even before we are introduced to the story in the show. And so there’s likely some things we weren’t shown that his mother and/or doctors worked on with him in relation to the study of his condition/his childhood. BUT. HOWEVER. I am specifically talking about how he went through, um, months of actual torture, and we never really touched on it again? Like Charlotte is like “give him a warm bath and a meal” or whatever and then for the rest of time the only problems that continue are to do with his condition? Like I’m sorry he put himself through months of psychedelic (not quite the right word but you know what I mean) torture and we’re going to say a warm bath and hot meal and loving wife did the trick? And like even Reynolds! He stood outside a door listening to a man being tortured for months, which has got to do a number on this poor man. And like we just end the show😭.

100% no hate to the writers or filmmakers or anyone, this is just something I noticed and thought was kind of funny/strange and was worth note. Not trying to like critique or anything. I was ranting to one of my friends abut it and thought tumblr might care to hear aswell. I just want some therapy for my bois let’s be real🥲

[detachable-tits]

Life is strange double exposure review:

I wasn’t sold on the trailers and tid-bits leading up to double exposure so I instead watched someone play the game, but since the life is strange games are more story driven, I’d say I still got a similar experience if I had actually played the game. Anyways in my opinion this new instalment has absolutely killed the series for me😭

Pros:

•the start of the game actually wasn’t that bad, the new setting and the supernatural murder mystery was a good angle. And a good spin on the first game with Rachel amber, expect this time with more of a supernatural twist.

•The characters like Moses and ESPECIALLY Gwen were my favourite characters. (Gwen is such a big hear me out I’m sorry, like 😮‍💨) we’re great and I enjoyed their time on screen.

•graphics are good as expected

•Chloe’s character (even tho she never shows up) is done so well! If you chose to sacrifice Arcadia bay Chloe builds upon her character arc in the first game, she’s learning to live with the consequences of her actions and learn that she has an impact on others and that other’s feelings matter. And in the texts in this game she states she wants to look toward the future. Very good character building👌

Cons:

•The ending of the game, chapters 4-5 were horrendous imo. It fundamentally went against what life is strange is about.

•my MAIN criticism is the way they end the game. I’ve never been a big superhero fan, I couldn’t care less for them (except deadpool he’s funny) but that’s why I love life is strange cause it’s a realistic depiction of what people would really do if they got superpowers. Max tries to question why she got hers but can’t come up with a clean answer. In these games the power feels more like a burden rather than a blessing. The focus is more on the relationships between the characters. I also love how in the first game it feels like max is somehow not meant to have this power but nonetheless she does, and whenever she uses it it just destroys reality. However in this new game it goes too much towards that marvel vibe in my opinion. Making safi evil with her powers made kinda sense? But the way the set up like a future battle between safi and max was just too outlandish for me. In the first game max doesn’t fight crime, she just gets on with her life and tries to deal with her strange new ability. However in this one she acts like the superhero of the local town.

•The way that multiple people know in the game that max has powers puts me off, I like when only one or 2 characters know about the power as it makes the bond between them stronger and more meaningful. But in this one max just feels like your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

•the whole storm sequence I interpreted as a nightmare, like the first game. Almost like the physical embodiment of time is taunting max. But in this one the fact that all the characters were really there and experienced the weird time line thingy makes it feel like a high stakes endgame scenario and not a person’s inner struggles. And the fact that not everyone is traumatised from that beyond belief is unbelievable. They just kinda like “oh damn that was weird”

•Giving safi powers was… a choice. I didn’t hate it and it was an interesting avenue to explore but I didn’t exactly love it either. We as the player know that there are more than one person in this universe who has powers but the magic of being the only one is lost when these super powered people interact with each other. The shapeshifting for safi was also a bit out there. Max Daniel and Alex’s powers work I feel like cause it’s a force and not a physical change as their power. But now that safi has shapeshifting It just feels too ridiculous. Like how could you hide that?

• dialogue was really bad at times especially when safi goes “I am my own mom” 💀

• I don’t understand what the thing safi’s mum kept secret from her was. Was it the fact that she cancelled her book? That seems a bit extreme to pull a gun out on your mum cause she cancelled your book. And then she was like “ everyone lies to me!” Girl WHO!?!?

•max is made into a bit of a dick head in this game. She wants to keep Chloe around even though Chloe doesn’t need her rewind, but she keeps insisting it upon Chloe. And it’s cause of this that Chloe can’t be around max anymore cause max can’t focus on the future and reminds Chloe too much of her past mistakes when Chloe needs to look to the future.

Anyways sorry for rambling so much but if you read it all thank you for listening to this girl groan on about how she didn’t like the newest lesbian powers game.

Anyways I give this game a 5/10

At least we got this absolute gem out of it

[half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk]

Louk's Bad Batch rewatch part 6 !!!

Y'all it's getting super close omg we're in feb now 🙃 lets goooo

Bad Batch 1x02

Tech piloting +10 points

I'll never get tired of Wrecker and Omega napping together 🥺

Echo and Hunter mom and dad 💕

our lil bby Omega stepping into the sun !!! soaking up the fresh air and playing in the dirt !!! I am going to sob 😭😭😭

"That would be dirt" ~ Tech 🤣

Tech: "we're all deserters now" Echo: 😮

Hunter stopping Omega from walking into the booby trap

vs Wrecker 2 seconds later...

SUU MY QUEEN 👑💕

Wrecker is eating a meiloorun 👀 watch out buddy Hera's coming for u

Hello yes who do I talk to about getting a Cut Suu & the batch history/flashback/how they met story time anything pretty please

Rex mention 👀

Tech 🤝 Omega casually dropping the biggest plot points like it's nbd

Omega meeting other kids that don't share her dna 🥲

"Uncle Wrecker!" I am totally normal about this

HER CHECKING BACK WITH HUNTER FOR PERMISSION 😭

ok but are we just gonna ignore the fact that Shaeeah looks completely different to tcw ??

Cut knows what's up with the Kaminoans 👀

Cut also knows what's up putting Hunter in his civvie clothes don't come @ me

Rampart 🤢

"Omega went out past the fence!" *bad batch enters dad batch mode* 🏃‍♂️💨

Cut is the daddest of the batch tho 🥺 he's parenting all of them

THEIR FACES WATCHING CUT WITH OMEGA I CANT 😭

For some reason Hunter is the same height as Wrecker in this scene ??? lmao

Omega taking her lil charm out of her hair 🥲

"Almost forgot how good of a shot you are" ~ Hunter @ Suu !! okay backstory PLEASE

Echo complaing about the imperial chaincode database vs Tech "it's ingenious" lmaooo

Hunter has the braincell rn

bro Hunter is literally growling at Tech for putting Omega in danger 👀 are we ready for his completely unhinged s3 arc??

Tech, Echo: 😳😬 Omega: 👋😁

Echo peeking from the roof !!

Tech's flip !!!

Tech catching Omega !!!!!!!

Echo mom put Omega in time out 😞

Echo's scomp skills have grown sm 🥲

the way he balances the chain codes on his scomp hand 🥺

Y'ALL I FORGOT! I'm also doing a 'Wrecker hits his head count' for the first part of s1 and a different count for s2 later 👀 but we'll get to that hehe I hate it! anyway!!

Wrecker hits his head count: 2

(he bonked it on a pole this ep go watch)

Cut and Hunter wearing the same clothes is giving when ur mum dresses you and your siblings in matching outfits

Tech: "we can't get caught with these chain codes" 🤔 Echo: "we can't get caught at all" 💀 being mom is hard

HUNTER GIVING ORDERS WITHOUT WORDS AGAIN bfkwbxhabckw my fav

Tech to the rescueeee

If I had a dollar for every time Omega was in danger bc of a random imperial droid but is saved at the last second by Wrecker smashing it, I'd have 2 dollars... which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

Omega's hand is so tiny in Wrecker's 😭🤲

Cut and Wrecker are wearing matching hats 💕

"but I want to stay with you" thanks I didn't need my heart anyway 💔

Suu owns my heart fr

"It responded to that" ~ Wrecker 💀

OMEGA SWEETHEART 😭😭😭 someone needs to hug her so bad she's just a baby can ppl stop upsetting her!! This is ep 2 plssss

Where is the Lawquane family? Are they safe? Are they alright?

Thanks y'all for joining again <3 I'm gonna have to keep it up bc feb is already going so fast?

Anywayyy ilysm 💕

[mecachrome]

not to be contour versial but i wanna add smth to ur (very correct!) explanation of the 'oscar has gay sisters' idea: while yes u mention its mostly stereotyping, i wanna point out that fashion choices like haircuts / clothes / jewelry and body mods are, unlike other lesbian 'stereotypes' like body types or height or whatever, conscious decisions made by a lot of bi women and lesbians to signal to other ppl that they arent straight. my personal opinion is that if straight women choose to co-opt trends or styles that r generally used by lesbians to 'flag', they should go for it but be fine w people assuming / wondering if they're lesbians or bisexual. obvs i think the dynamic is different between here (the gay website whose posts never see the light of day) and smth like tiktok (h could see) or even worse twitter (oscar mum territory) but i think on tumblr its within our right as lesbians or other lgbts to joke / talk / think abt some of the oscar sisters' most lesbian coded moments. what it boils down to is at least from my perspective looking like a lesbian = looking cool so. oscar's got cool sisters

yes i agree with you 💗 i think it's pretty harmless to see someone who has adopted a lot of traditionally queer stylistic choices and be like haha gay On Tumblr where they can't see it because honestly why does it matter... and making a fuss about not stereotyping occasionally veers a bit into Let Women Be Femme stuff-that-only-exists-online discourse territory HLKDFSH. i just don't want to say anything for real because you know who knows!!!

and as you say the issue with putting this stuff on tt/twitter is more about the 4th wall / respecting people's boundaries... i kind of hate the engagement h gets on tt wrt her brother in general but that's another story t__t

his sisters truly are sooo cool though! also it's crazy how much m specifically looks like his mom. those genes are so strong 😭

[potatoplace]

girl i was scrolling thru ur blog and i saw you got a haircut ad GIRL. GIRL I FEEL YOU COME SOB ON MY SHOULDER WE WILL SOB TOGETHER 😭

let me yap in hopes itll make you feel better omg 😭

in june id gone to my homecountry right, and one of my dads cousins whos like my cousins age (everyone acts like she my cousin instead of aunt lol) she recently became a hairdresser. she had styled her sisters hair and it looked cool but not one person was like oh she just curled it and DIDNT CUT IT. so then my relatives were like let her cut yalls (me mum and sis) hair. and we were like kay

so keep in mind, we visited cus it was my COUSINS WEDDING. LIKE THE FIRST WEDDING IN THE LINE OF COUSIN ON MY MOMS SIDE. AND I WAS SO EXCITED. AND. THIS WAS LIKE A WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING.

i had my hair like up to my hips, it was that long, LIKE I WAS ALMOST RAPUNZEL FGS, and the cousin aunt took my hair in her hand, and showed it to my mum. and was like. should i cut till here? and she showed like till my mid back right, so my mum was like yea cool

SHE LITERALLY CHOPPED IT ALL OFF AND I LOOKED SO FUCKEN HIDEOUS I HATED IT SM OML LIKE THE HAIR WAS TILL MY JAW I WAS SO PISSED LIKE I COULDNT EVEN PUT ITT IN A PONYTAIL OML 😒

i literally looked like this if i tried to girl 😭

id been wanting to cut my own hair for some time then and then she chopped it all off and one of my cousins was so upset cus she loved my hair because it was so long and silky and she wanted to try new hairstyles on me (she always did my hair if there was an occasion or smth so)

yeah well all tat to say the hair's now till my shoulders and i like how it looks on my so 🥹🤭

(but i swear im never going back to that aunt to cut it again ever if i ever cut it in the first place)

Omg NOOOO 😭 "should I cut it to here?" *proceeds to cut it over a foot past that* that's EVIL. Yeah I don't blame you for not going back to her like omg I wouldn't either

I'm glad that now it's grown you like it tho!! Short hair can be so cute and fun, it's just not fun when you didn't expect to have it lol

[sparklyseblos]

saw you wanted asks!! Just want your opinion on Gina’s mom… because ooh I could go off on that lady for days. she pisses me off to no end lmao. anyways, what are your thoughts? 😊😊

right with you there! idk why but when i found out gina’s mum was gonna be in s4 i was like “oh i bet she’ll be so nice!” 🤠 and oh was i wrong…

yeah there’s a lot to unpack here but i think she definitely puts a lot of pressure on gina and another thing i really don’t like about her is the fact that ricky actually had to tell her to go watch hsm3 as if that’s something that isn’t already a no brainer for a parent? heck even lynne came to watch and she lives in another state (even if i also hate her)!! i could understand if she was busy but she wasn’t. also why did she keep coming in & out of the gym and stand by the door 😭 go get a seat omg. i think it’s also clear that she only supported gina when she was doing the films, i mean i’d be concerned if she didn’t but it’s the fact that she only cares about gina when she’s doing something that her mum considers to be successful and the fact that she isn’t supportive of her other passions like her love for theatre tells me everything i need to know. ALSO the fact that at the start of the season she told gina that she can’t have a bf yet would make an exception for mack only bc he’s famous… again tells me everything i need to know.

anyways it’s safe to say that gina’s mum needs to be added to the list of hsmtmts parents that need parenting lessons from michelle greene (aka the queen)

[cwcthzl]

i am assigned you homework to watch when harry met sally

deb

okay so when i saw this i decided i was gonna watch it and keep a record of all of my thoughts during the film and share it with you, so here you go (it's a lot, i warn you)

i can't believe i have harry's exact haircut oh my fucking god

GET THIS MAN'S BAKERY OUT OF MY FACE

why does he casually have grapes w him

god how i envied those cheerful ppl who dotted their 'i's with little hearts

"look, when the shit comes down, i'm gonna be prepared and you're not. that's all i'm saying." / "in the meantime you're gonna ruin your whole life waiting for it."

sally's hair flow is actually gorgeous no wonder why she puts that much hairspray on

their fits are so 🤩🤩

i like how everytime sally declines to say more when harry asks, harry goes with 'fine, don't tell me' and moves on with whatever is in front of him instead of giving sally the reaction she very much expects (aka pleading for more info) and sally just gives in because she WANTS to share even tho she says she doesn't/can't

TF IS THAT ORDER. WHEN DID ORDERING PIE BECOME THIS COMPLICATED

sheldon the wonder schlong😭😭💀

"but if you MUST know" gurl just spit it out

"they don't make sunday." / "why not?" / because of god." IM WHEEZING

he is so sassy with the 'so?'s oh my god

he is so me

i like the song choice here because i think it really reflects sally and harry's interaction perfectly. "you say ee-ther, i say either." / "you like potato, and i like pot-ahto."

why does he have a baseball bat

why do blonde men look bald

"i never considered not sleeping with you a sacrifice" SALLY YOU COOKED HIM GIRL

"it's amazing. you look like a normal person but actually you are the angel of death."

i LOVE harry's mindset he is so me i'm gonna kill myself this guy is an ass

HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS MF MARRY

i was waiting for harry to get divorced tbh he had that divorced dad kinda vibe to him im glad he aced his journey ❤️

standing up to join the wave after telling your friend your wife told you she doesn't know if she's ever loved you is INSANE

"oh really? well that symptom is fucking my wife." funniest line delivery in history

marie i love you bby we're gonna get through this together even tho you're dumb asf

why is this bitch pulling a joe goldberg rn

it's the way sally is taller than harry for me

this couple pissed me off so much GOD STOP TALKING OVER EACH OTHER FOR A FUCKING SEC

YESSSS DIVORCED BITCH APARTMENT THAT HAS NO SURROUNDINGS OTHER THAN A COUCH YESSSS

is harry reading stephen king or are my eyes deceiving me

it's that ugly ass back cover that got my attention. i thrifted doctor sleep and only realized stephen king was on the back cover when mom pointed it out by saying that guy probably looked at his own face for horrors. not cool mum

"i miss the idea of him."

THEY ARE SO ON THE OTHER SIDES OF THE COIN I CANT

he is so weird why does he remember all the things she ordered with such hyperspecific steps. why is he like that. why is he me

"big jerk." / "little creep." LMAOOOOOOOOOO

UGH WHY ARE THEY LIKE THIS. DANCINGCHEEK TO CHEEK??????? OH MY GODDDDDD

SUCH A SWEET NEW YEARS KISS 😭😭😭

marie i'm gonna kick your ass

MARIE AND JESS??????? THEY ARE SO CUTE

their fight 😭😭😭 their hug😭😭😭😭 i hate this bitches😭😭😭

NOW THEY HAVE BEEF WITH EACH OTEHR'S PARTNERS????? LMAO

"he is a good guy, you should talk to him!" / "he is too tall to talk to." what if i did a flip

he is still reading the end of the books first

he is so soft and gentle with her i'm gonna cry. not a single jab, a single sarcastic comment. just attentively listening and comforting - reassuring her and petting her hair as sally ugly cries . oh my god they are so 😭😭

sally is so pretty even when she cries tf

laughing to crying pipeline is so real sally i get you bby

i love their little kissies it's so insanely pure to me. like a kiss you would get when you are in elementary when you thought this was the ultimate form of love. so innocent and for what

okay well now this is not very just a peck

okay this is escalating

OKAY THIS QUICKLY ESCALATED

why is harry looking at the ceiling like its the ceiling's fault like damn 😭😭

i love sally's curls so much

why every way they approach this it gets even weirder like i am thinking if they fuck all of this would be resolved and they did and it sucked and now i am thinking they should just go back to being friends and they are doing it but it never seems fucking right???????

what are those skinny ass leggings are they fruitcakes

THE SLAP

HE SINGS TO HER OVER THE FUCKING PHONE FOR HER TO PICK UP😭😭😭🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

this tall bitch again

no this is another bitch

bro he is so me what the fuck i'm gonna kill myself

FRANK SINATRA???? WDYM IT HAD TO BE YOU?????

"how about you love me too?"

THE DETAILS????? IM DEYING

"i came here because when you realize you wanna spend the rest of your life with somebody you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

"you say things like that and you make it impossible for me to hate you!" 10 things i hate about you reference? perchance?

SMILING INTO THE KISSSSSSS IM DECEASING

yeah def have chocolate sauce on the side

but after all, i really enjoyed this film. like, throughly. i would be fine even if they didn't end up together because their friendship was just that good and reminded me of me and a friend of mine, and it really touched some subjects i really liked. also i added another mf to my kinlist, so thanks????? ig????? they are very cute and i Loved this film debs you are a saint

[avesgraveyard]

Ok so like I just read the newest chapter of iwsily and. Ok obvs it was incredible and amazing writing and I adored it but like!!!

Like yes I do see Evan’s side and I get that as his friends, they want to protect him and all that but like! God I feel so bad for Barty rn. Like he’s losing his best friend, every single one of his friends is acting like he’s not good enough for Evan, and then even regulus is too. And that must hurt so bad for Barty bc obv he has trust issues and like probably his friends are like his family now that his mom is dead but like now his friends are turning on him too? And he can’t even talk to his best friend about grieving his mom’s death?

God and the end of the ch 😭 it’s like I’m sure Barty must have been so hurt when he put himself through sleeping with his best friend (reg) that he def KNEW was in love with someone else but that he liked too much to NOT sleep with. And then obv reg chose James and I’m sure Barty knew that would happen but he was probably just trying so hard to be delulu and then reg didn’t chose him and he probably has issues from that 😭 is that why his relationships don’t last or is that his family trauma and then now for Evan to reject him and chose some other guy he doesn’t even know?? Like damn that’s a blow. And the cherry on top is the shit Reg said to him. Not that Barty WASNT being an asshole but like. Come on.

Obv for evan, his relationship w Barty weighs heavily on his self esteem, ED, and mental health so it makes sense that his friends want to protect him and the potentially toxic relationship he and Barty have. It makes sense and I’m glad they’re supporting Evan but like. Can Barty have a shoulder to cry on too 😭

((Lmaooo this got so long, I just had so many feelings))

babe i swear to you, not everyone is team lets hate on barty, and reg is just doing it to protect evan because he wants to be able to help. evan gets a big fat hug next chapter, and you're so right about barty not being able to talk to evan about his mums death, its so upsetting lol i have no idea why i wrote it like that.

RIGHT?? bartys self hatred/only doing shit that makes me feel good in the moment so there must be no consequences later theme is not great, and he was so deep in the delulu that nothing bad would happen that when reg chose james he was like oh???? he's got so much relationship trauma BLESS HIM. evan has not chosen mateo i swear, he's just... exploring... meeting new people.

evan has a lot of baggage and dorcas/reg do now know that, he doesn't want to bog himself down with past trauma again because he is now a highly self esteemed KING and he deserves it, but in doing so he his also hurting our poor, poor barty. barty needs a shoulder to cry on i totes agree.

thank you!!!! i love love love this, mwah

[call-sign-shark]

"Too captivated by her new target to pay any attention to her mother’s rants, Nina stealthily took a slice of bread from the basket on the table and put it in a plate. Then, taking advantage of her distraction, she dipped it into the pot." Oh my god, I know it's a very subjective input I'm about to write but I reading this part was a real-life "déjà vu". This is literally what I used to do (and still do) when I was with my family in Sicily. Alright, stop with the personal info dump but I still wanted to share it, and also underline how powerful those little details are in your story, making it so unique and immersive.

Aaahh the family banter is so adorable -- exactly what I said in my previous comment: I feel like a little mouse witnessing intimate moments in these closed-door scenes. Those family moments are very bittersweet to me because I'm afraid they will be forever lost once Tommy and Nina's relationship is disclosed. Also this "Nina raised the wooden spoon in the air in a silent threat" NINA IS A TRUE ITALIAN. SHE IS HOLDING THE ULTIMATE WEAPON IN HER HAND.

The way I winced in front of my screen when I saw Agnese, especially since it's the first time we are facing him after the kiss right? I'm pretty sure the kind and understanding Agnese will hate her cousin so much, which is devastating when we take into account that Nina is NOT ungrateful nor ill-intended. She's just in love and still, she lashes out at herself because she's the "bad seed"... Also, when Agnese asked if Nina wanted to know how things were with Tommy I was like "nooooooooo". A part of me is still a bit sad for her, she's so delulu if she thinks one talk between Tommy and her dad will make things right. I could write about every single sentence of this scene but let's not do that. Instead, let me tell you that the way you create tension and a sense of complexity in this scene is impressive. I felt as bad and "cringed" as Nina when Agnese started praising Tommy.

"You’ll find someone too,” she said softly. “Be patient.” Agneese shut up, I know you don't know but plssss you're making things worse.

Aahh, Nina we all know that you won't end up alone (or at least we hope so) buuuut this sentence "And I’d rather be alone than caged.” is so in character. I'm really in love with your character's attitude.

kOiHFGISEUJFKOIS STEFANO FOR LUNCH? Bro he can stick his roses up in his arse. Honestly the confrontation between Nina and her mum was so fucking awful. The "Despite..." :"( seriously, I felt it in my fucking soul, this was probably not intentional from her mother who's really worried about her daughter but that was mean. Not only mean but it reinforced Nina's thought about being the outcast, the "abnormal" one in the family. "That’s what she expected to have when a daughter was finally born. Instead, she got her. She didn’t need to say it out loud for Nina to know that she wondered every day why her daughter couldn’t be a bit less like herself and a bit more like them." That was fucking tough to read. Do you want me to lend you Heaven for a hug, Nina? :'( HOWEVEEEER…. She quickly made amend at the end of this chapter.

I swear I was on the edge of my seat during the whole scene with Stefano. What a fucking powerful move from Maria to threatened Stefano with a knife to protect her daughter 😭! I really hope that son of a bitch has learned the lesson. Also a random thought: I wonder if Nina took a bit of her strong character from her mother. Her mom might be resigned but she showed us that she can be a hurricane sooo… Anyway, I am so freaking hooked. It’s brilliant as always darling 🖤

Heart, Body and Soul || Tommy Shelby x OC

PART VIII

Summary: As Nina and Tommy slowly appear to come to terms with their feelings, they realise they might not be as discreet as they thought they were. An unexpected visit complicates things.

Warnings: mentions of arranged marriage, slow-burn, small age-gap (Tommy’s 30, Nina is in her early 20s), time-typical misogyny, references to past attempted assault, harassment, violence, Stefano, no proofreading, English is not my first language. This is set between season 1 and 2.

A/N: alright it has been awfully long since I last updated this, but believe me when I say I was stuck. Hopefully I’ll be more active from next week on.

As usual, there are some dialogues which are supposed to be in Italian, but I chose to write them in English for the sake of the readers (and mine, ‘cause otherwise I should’ve translated lots of stuff). I just kept some words and sentences here and there to give the idea.

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If there was one thing that Maria Ferrante took very seriously, it was the Sunday lunch. She was already up and about at dawn, free to walk from place to place in her kitchen without the rest of the family in the way. She only left it to attend Mass, and once she was home again, there was nothing that could distract her from her cooking. It was known that a good ragù needed to be cooked for hours in order to be perfect, after all.

When Nina walked into the kitchen at eleven a.m., after almost twelve hours of well-deserved sleep, the delicious smell of the sauce filled her nostrils, making her stomach growl.

“You missed church this morning,” her mother scolded her, agitating a wooden spoon in her direction.

“Did I?” She absentmindedly murmured, peeping into the pot. The boiling red sauce, mixed with the finest meat one could find in town, crackled exquisitely, appealing to her empty belly.

“This family lacks discipline,” Maria asserted, moving to cut some vegetables. “I cannot remember the last time we all went to church together. We’re losing all the good habits.”

Too captivated by her new target to pay any attention to her mother’s rants, Nina stealthily took a slice of bread from the basket on the table and put it in a plate. Then, taking advantage of her distraction, she dipped it into the pot.

“Nina!”

With a grin on her face, Nina moved away from the stove, unbothered by her mother’s curses. She took a bite from the bread, and hummed in appreciation when the sauce-covered crumb melted on her tongue. There was nothing like dipping fresh bread in ragù on Sunday mornings. However, her breakfast was soon forgotten when she caught sight of Tommy outside the kitchen, fully dressed and perfectly groomed as usual. Her father was explaining something to him, but they were too distant for her to listen to what they were talking about.

There it was, that strange, funny feeling that seemed to pervade Nina every time he was near. It had grown stronger, since what they had called their “moment of weakness”, and she could no longer lie to herself. She could no longer deny that she was intensely, inevitably drawn to him. She longed for a gaze, a word, an accidental touch, anything that could grant her a fleeting moment of connection. And she couldn’t comprehend how that man, who she had met as recently as a month ago, had managed to invade her every thought, her every desire. She had to force herself away from him. She had to push him out of her mind, so that when the time came to watch him leave, it wouldn’t hurt as much as the thought alone was hurting her now. It wasn’t right. It was fair to Agnese, it wasn’t fair to her family, and it wasn’t fair to herself. She had to let those feelings pass.

She looked away from Tommy, coming back to herself, and when she turned to her right, she noticed her mother was looking at her with a strange look in her eyes. Nina averted her gaze in discomfort, the woman’s inquisitive stare never failing to make her feel like an open book. She walked past her and put her plate in the sink, a poor attempt to escape her piercing eyes, but she could still feel them on her, following her every move. So Nina grabbed the wooden spoon, hoping that making herself useful would do the trick. “The sauce needs stirring.”

Her brothers bursted into the kitchen, diverting her mother’s attention away from her, and Nina almost breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Where have you been?” Their mother asked them, placing her hands on her waist.

“We had some things to take care of,” Pietro said, and Nina figured the vagueness of answer was an answer itself.

“On a rest day?”

“There’s no such thing as a rest day when it comes to business,” Salvatore brushed it off in a playful manner, approaching his mother to place a tender kiss on her cheek. That gesture seemed to make her soften, cause the annoyance slipped out of her face, replaced by an expression of resignation. “You look too beautiful to get angry, mum,” he continued, walking towards the stove.

“Bootlicker,” Nina mumbled, earning herself a kick behind her ankle. “Ouch!” She exclaimed in surprise, sending her brother’s way a sore look. Salvatore, in return, was blatantly smirking to himself. “Stronzo,” she spat out, giving him a shove.

“Keep your hands off me,” he shoved back.

“You started.”

“It was my foot, not my hands.”

“Enough you two,” Maria interrupted them, raising her voice. “See, this is what I mean when I say that this family lacks discipline,” she said to no one in particular.

With the shadow of the smirk still present on his face, Salvatore brought his index in front of his mouth. “Quiet,” he teasingly whispered.

Feeling her blood boil, Nina raised the wooden spoon in the air in a silent threat, but Pietro was quick to take it from her hand. Clearly, he didn’t trust his sister to restrain herself from actually using it. Nina inhaled deeply, telling herself that the angrier she got, the more Salvatore would find satisfaction in bothering her. Much to her luck, her brothers soon decided that the content of the pot was way more deserving of their attention. Making sure their mother was too distracted to stop them, they took a slice of bread each and dipped it in the sauce.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Maria snapped, putting down the knife she was using. With long steps, she walked over to her children. “Out,” she ordered, pushing all three of them towards the door. “No discipline, no discipline at all.”

Vincenzo Ferrante, who just like Tommy had heard all the commotion, shook his head in a mixture of resignation and disapproval at the sight of his snickering children getting out of the kitchen. Concealing his embarrassment, he murmured some excuses to his guest, half relieved by the fact that at least he hadn’t been able to understand the foolish reasons of that fuss.

“Nina!”

Shit. Nina squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, still with her back to the very reason why she had tried to get back into her house as fast as she could. She didn’t have the stomach to face her cousin, not after what she had done, not with the things that she had been hiding from her. That she was still hiding. She had stabbed in the back the only person in her family who had ever shown her an ounce of recognition, who had treated her like a person and not like some bad seed to be rogued out. But maybe that’s exactly what she was. A bad seed.

“Hi,” she faked surprise, turning to face her.

“What have you been up to?” Agnese asked her, adjusting the empty basket she was carrying on her hip. “Feels like you’re ignoring me.”

“I’m not,” Nina replied, maybe a bit too quickly. “I’ve been… busy,” she lied, the pathetic excuse making her feel even worse.

“My mum asked me to go buy some groceries, and I need someone to accompany me,” Agnese said, seemingly oblivious to her cousin’s fib. “I was going to ask Rosa, but why don’t you come with me?”

“Sure.”

Truth was, Nina didn’t want to go. How could she keep on talking to Agnese, spending time with her, all while pretending she hadn’t done something awful to her? And what made her despise herself even more was that guilt wasn’t the only reason why she didn’t want to see her. There was a stinging, but almost imperceptible feeling deep inside her, too close to annoyance, and resentment. Resentment. As if she were in the position to be resentful. Out of all people, Agnese didn’t deserve it. So she swallowed those feelings and went with her cousin.

“Don’t you wanna know how things with Tommy are going?” Agnese asked her as soon as they had passed the gates of their shared garden, her voice tinged with excitement.

“Of course,” Nina nodded, keeping her eyes on the unpaved road beneath her feet.

“You know he had lunch with us a few days ago right?”

“Yes.”

“We all thought he’d finally propose, but he didn’t.”

Nina raised her gaze on her cousin, studying her expression. She still remembered the strange wave of panic that had gone through her when her mother had stormed into the kitchen to give her the news. The poor girl’s desperate, she had told her. “How did you take it?”

“I was worried,” Agnese admitted, moving her basket to her other arm.

“And now?”

“Not anymore. My father talked to him, and he said he just wants to do it the right way. He thought it would be more proper to wait for a month to pass since we met. If everything goes as it’s supposed to go, he’ll propose by the end of the week,” she explained, and the emotion she had tried to hold back came to the surface in all its strength.

“Good,” Nina forced a tight-lipped smile, unable to ignore the vice tightening around her heart.

“Mr. Shelby’s reputation scared me, at first, but he’s a real gentleman. I mean, he’s a bit cold,” she let out a chuckle. “But he has been very kind to me, and never overstepped in any way,” she assured. Then her eyes lit up, and she began talking again. “Did you know he’s a war hero? He won medals.”

And he threw them in the cut, Nina thought to herself. A part of her just wanted to put an end to her cousin’s rants, to tell her that there was nothing she could say about him that she didn’t know already. And that she was so, so wrong about Tommy. That he could be cold, yes, but also so very ardent. That the walls of ice he had built around him weren’t impenetrable, that they could in fact be melted. That he had strong beliefs, and his own sense of justice, and that on such things he’d never compromise. She had learned all that and even more on the nights they had spent together in her kitchen, in front of cups of tea slowly growing cold. But she didn’t have the right to tell her that. Because Tommy didn’t belong to her. Because it was Agnese who would get to see every part of him, and to Nina he would become nothing more than someone she had once deluded herself she could know.

“I’m…” she paused, the insincere words refusing to come out without some insistence on her part. “I’m happy for you.”

Agnese must’ve noticed that something in Nina’s dark eyes didn’t match her words, that a feeling far from happiness was gnawing at her from the inside, because she stopped walking and placed a hand on her arm. “You’ll find someone too,” she said softly. “Be patient.”

Nina shook her head, a bitter smile making its way on her face. “I don’t want anyone, Agnese.”

“Do you really want me to believe that you wish to be alone?” She took on a scolding tone, widening her eyes in disbelief.

“My aspirations are different than yours,” Nina said firmly, holding her gaze. “And I’d rather be alone than caged.”

“Marriage is not necessarily a prison,” she insisted, her lips curving up in reassurance. “I know I haven’t known him for long, but I can tell Mr. Shelby is not a brute. You might find someone like him.”

No, she wouldn’t. Tommy was like no one she had ever met. There were so many layers to him, so many contradictions that she could live a hundred lives and never meet someone like him. But on one thing Agnese was right: deep down, as preposterous as it sounded, he was good.

“He’s the exception.”

“What are these?”

Putting down the vegetables she had bought for her mother, Nina looked at the bouquet of red roses resting on the table. She was pretty sure they weren’t there before she left the house.

“What do they look like to you?” Her mother asked rhetorically, raising her eyebrows. She looked significantly calmer than a few hours ago, and Nina wasn’t sure whether that was because she was almost done with the lunch or because of the flowers. “Stefano brought them for you,” she explained, going to grab the grocery bag.

It took Nina more than a moment to register her mother’s words. She blinked, her mouth going dry as the memories of what had happened the last time he had been at her house came to her mind. She shifted her gaze from the roses to her mother, then to the roses again.

“He was coming back from church, when he saw them at the flower shop,” Maria continued, taking the vegetables out of the bag. “He said they made him think of you, and thought about making a little deviation to bring them here.”

At that point, Nina wasn’t even listening to her anymore. All she could do was stare at the roses in front of her, her heart racing at the realisation that Stefano was actually moving in that direction.. “This can’t be fucking real…” she murmured. “He’s not seriously doing this.”

“…so I invited him for lunch.”

“You did what?” Her head snapped in her mother’s direction, Maria’s statement harshly pulling her back to reality.

“He’s in your father’s study, talking to him. The boy’s serious about you Nina.”

In a sudden fit of rage, Nina grabbed the flowers and strode toward the bin, but before she could throw them away, her mother snatched them from her hand. “I didn’t raise you to be rude,” she scolded her. “It’s a gift, and gifts must be accepted.”

“I don’t want his gifts,” Nina spat out. “I don’t want anything from him. And I don’t want him. He can make his peace with that.”

Maria let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Nina,” she started, putting down the flowers. “He’s a nice guy-”

Nina scoffed, causing her to stop mid-sentence. So nice that he dared touch me in my own house.

“He’s a nice guy,” her mother repeated, louder this time, a way to tell her not to interrupt her again. “He talked to your father, brought you flowers. You’re twenty-two, it’s time for you to find someone. And this is an occasion. He’s willing to marry you despite-”

This time it was Maria who stopped herself. She bit the inside of her cheek, searching for better words, but Nina didn’t give her the chance to. She crossed her arms over her chest, squinting her eyes. “Despite what?” She asked, watching as her mother averted her gaze. “Despite what, mum? Despite who I am? Despite what I think? Despite what people say about me?”

“That is not what I meant.”

“I think that’s exactly what you meant,” she said coldly. A silence full of tension fell between them, and deep inside Nina hoped her mother would say something to make up for what she had just said. But she didn’t. So she put on the mask of indifference that had become so natural to her, and pretended that those words hadn’t gotten to her.

She was used to it, after all. All her life, Nina had watched her mother hope she could just be different. She had never missed the embarrassment on her face when someone pointed out her child’s peculiarities, nor the subtle envy she could see in her eyes when she looked at her nieces. All beautiful, well-mannered, pleasant, suitable for marriage. That’s what she expected to have when a daughter was finally born. Instead, she got her. She didn’t need to say it out loud for Nina to know that she wondered every day why her daughter couldn’t be a bit less like herself and a bit more like them.

It was tiring, to constantly feel the pressure to live up to everybody’s expectations, to know that she would be considered a disappointment no matter what. And although she wasn’t waiting for anybody’s approval, it would’ve felt nice to have at least one person who understood her. She didn’t want the life her parents wished for her, and at the same time she had no way of living the life she wished for herself. She wasn’t even sure what it was that she wished for herself. She only knew what she didn’t want. Yet it felt like every effort she made not to end up like her mother was inexorably guiding her to that fate.

Tommy didn’t understand the reason why Nina strode out of the kitchen with a face like thunder until lunchtime. The whole family was sitting around the table in the garden that separated the two houses. The arrangement was pretty much the same as every time they had lunch together. Vincenzo Ferrante was at the head, his wife on his left side, Pietro on his right. Salvatore was sitting between him and Nina. However, something was different this time: next to Nina was sitting Stefano. His jaw clenched at the memory of what he had walked into the other day, and his hands itched with the urge of doing what Nina had stopped him from doing. Spinietta must’ve sensed his staring, cause he raised his gaze on him with a hint of smugness on his face. He didn’t know why he was there, he didn’t know exactly what Nina’s past with him was, but it was clear there was some kind of pressure going on. She was keeping herself closer to her brother, in an attempt to put as much distance as possible between herself and Stefano, and apparently pretended he wasn’t there. Tommy could only imagine how hard it was for her to sit next to that poor excuse of a man.

Mario Ferrante, who was sitting at the end of the table with wife on his right side and the other two of his daughters on his left, glanced at him and Agnese from time to time.

Agnese. Tommy had lost track of their conversation long ago. It had become more of a monologue on her part. But how was he supposed to listen to a single word she said when something so unfair was happening right in front of him?

The one thing that brought him some relief was that Nina could find some distraction in her conversation with her brother. Salvatore said something to her, and her frown was replaced by a laugh. It enlightened her whole features, and Tommy couldn’t keep himself from lingering on the way her irises, hit by the sunlight, were marked by golden flecks. A pink tinge warmed her cheeks and two dimples were showing at the corners of her lips. For a moment she looked relaxed, off-guard, even. Lost as he was in that rare sight, Tommy didn’t even notice that a faint smile had appeared on his face. But Agnese did. Her words slowly died out, and her brows furrowed as she followed the trajectory of his eyes.

Before she had the chance to say something, Vincenzo Ferrante got up, causing the chatter to fade.

“Before the wine starts speaking for us, I’d like to say a few words,” he announced, his Italian accent threading through his words. His eyes travelled around, stopping briefly on each person at the table. “You see,” he began once everyone’s attention was on him. “Our family and Mr. Shelby’s family had…” he paused, looking for the right word. “…Misunderstandings. But we were able to communicate with an open mind.” He set his gaze on Tommy, who in return agreed with a single nod. “Now we’re sitting at the same table. Soon, we might even have something to celebrate.”

“Who could’ve guessed it, eh?” Mario Ferrante joked, eliciting laughter from those who could understand him. Maria and Rita Ferrante, whose English was too broken to understand much of what their husbands were saying, simply smiled in support.

“To peace,” Vincenzo said, raising his glass. But when he pronounced his next words, his eyes looked right in his daughter’s. “May we all make our choices with an open mind.”

The lunch proceeded smoothly enough, but it was impossible for Tommy not to sense a general feeling of discomfort. Even the eldest of the Ferrante siblings, Pietro - whose placid expression never gave anything away -, seemed to be upset. There was something going on, and he could just hope it didn’t also involve him. He hadn’t forgotten the dangerousness of his position, alone in a foreign country, surrounded by former enemies with no men on his side.

A sharp noise pulled him out of his thoughts, making him raise his gaze in front of him. Nina had dropped her fork on her plate, visibly bothered by something. More like someone. Because Stefano had been adamant in his attempts to engage her in conversation. Chuckling at her reaction, he pinched her chin with fake playfulness, a gesture that might’ve looked affectionate to less attentive eyes. Tommy tried his best to keep his face straight as his grip on the cutlery tightened. As much as he wished to intervene, there was nothing he could do that wouldn’t raise suspicion. He could just be glad that, surrounded by her family, Stefano wouldn’t be able to try anything again.

For her part, Nina was trying hard not to lose her calm, but they weren’t exactly making it easy for her. Her father’s toast had been the last straw. She hasn’t missed the way he had subtly made it clear that his words were meant for her. She was right, at last. She had been right all along. All that talk about leaving the choice to her was nothing more than empty words, than a way to make her feel like she had some kind of control, when in truth she was just another pawn in his schemes. Because at the end of the day, he was still a man. A man who wanted power, and would’ve done anything in order to achieve it. Even sacrifice his own daughter.

She wanted to leave. She needed to leave. How could everyone pretend everything was fine? How could they sit together and eat when everything was so wrong? How could they digest the hypocrisy? She couldn’t stand them, any of them. Now more than ever. She couldn’t stand their voices, she couldn’t stand their laughter, she couldn’t stand the way they talked and talked and talked. She hated the way they suddenly seemed inhuman. They were all hunching over their plates, chewing and slurping, the awful sounds almost painful to her ears. Even Stefano, who always carried himself with composure and dignity, seemed to have transformed into some feral animal, hands and fingers dirty with crumbles and sauce. Those same hands he had put on her not many days before.

“Excuse me,” she blurted out, abruptly standing up. All eyes were on Nina now, but she ignored the murmurings and crossed the garden to go back to her house before anyone could stop her. She couldn’t stay there anymore. She couldn’t tolerate the little games, and the lies. Even her own lies. Her lies to her family, her lies to herself. She couldn’t.

She grabbed the kitchen counter for support, taking deep breaths to put an order to that vortex of overwhelming feelings.

“What’s wrong, huh?” A familiar voice resounded behind her, making her snap her head up. When she turned around, Stefano was there, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. “You’re not having fun?”

“Leave,” Nina commanded, and she didn’t even need to put on a brave facade to spit those words out with all the hatred she felt for him. She had sworn she’d never let herself be scared of him ever again, and she was determined to keep that promise. He had no right to make her feel unsafe in her own home.

“Are you going to embarrass me like that when we’re husband and wife?” Stefano moved away from the door to approach her with slow, measured steps, hands in his pockets. It came as a surprise, how easy it was to end up alone with her. He had just needed to act all concerned and offer to go check up on her - out of apprehensiveness and affection, of course. However, he was aware he had always had a certain influence on people.

Not on Nina, though. She was the one person he had never managed to fool. She had always been able to read right through him. Just like she was reading through him now. He wanted to intimidate her, to prove to her that it was him the one in power, that he was used to take what he wanted, and that he wasn’t above deception.

“Fuck off.”

Stefano tutted. “You really must be taught your place, don’t you?”

“By you?” A laugh escaped her lips, but it held no humour. She was openly mocking him, and that was enough to get under his skin. A veil of darkness seemed to cover his gaze, and he snatched her arm with a swift movement.

“Careful,” he murmured through gritted teeth. Even though her heart was racing in her chest, Nina held his stare, a mixture of anger and mockery in her eyes. She was walking on thin ice, yet she couldn’t help but push his buttons, see how much effort it would take for him to snap. She wanted to be a nuisance to him, to torment him like he had tormented her for all those years, to haunt him with the reminder that it didn’t matter what he did or said, he wouldn’t get what he wanted.

“What’s happening here?” Maria Ferrante entered the kitchen, interrupting that staring match.

Stefano promptly brought his other hand on Nina’s arm, making it look as if he was supporting her. “Nina’s not feeling very well, signora Maria.” His hard expression softened as he put on his usual mask of affability. Nina grimaced, taking a step back, and a wave of relief washed over her. Her skin almost burned where he had touched her, and she felt the sudden need to scrub the imprint of his fingers off.

“Go to your room, then,” Maria said sternly to her daughter, and this time she was not surprised to see her comply without hesitation.

She didn’t believe a single word Stefano had said. She had seen her Nina’s face. She was her child, her blood. And although their relationship seemed to be made of misunderstandings and words left unsaid, she knew her like the back of her hand. She could read through her every expression, every gesture. And she had seen something in her eyes she had never seen until that moment, not even once. Fear. That brave, reckless girl who had never been scared of anything since she had drawn her first breath was afraid of Stefano.

That same guy who always behaved so nicely, who helped her carry her bags, who showed the outmost respect to her husband, who spoke words of affection for their daughter. Now it didn’t seem like an innocent infatuation anymore. Because when he looked at Nina earlier that day, he had the same look in his eyes she had seen in hundreds of men. And when he touched her, he did it as if he was entitled to it. His mask had slipped, and she could finally see him for who he was, behind the pleasant smiles and the charm and the courtesy. Maria could only be thankful to Mr. Shelby for asking her for some more water at just the right moment.

Her gaze went to the knife lying on the table. Men like him, like her husband, like her own sons - mafia men - only understood one language. Stefano’s guard was off, and Maria was quick enough to catch him by surprise. In a matter of seconds she had the knife pointed at his throat, and she was unknowingly pressing the edge of the blade against the small scar that her daughter had given him a few years earlier. He clamped his jaw, keeping himself as far as he could from the blade.

“Tocca di nuovo mia figlia,” she said lowly, gritting her teeth. “E ti sgozzo come un maiale.”

(“You put your hands on my daughter ever again, and I’ll gut you like a pig.”)

NEXT CHAPTER

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Tommy Shelby taglist:

@50svibes

[arsenalgbt]

I totally forgot to mention that in the soccer mom verse that Jorgi and Reiss are already together. Reiss is sitting across the pitch making daisy chains with Jakub while Fabio plays with football. Jorgi and Reiss are a stage in their relationship where they're essentially co-parenting Jakub and now Fabio too. Reiss and Fabi have less of a bond that Fabio and his uncle Jorgi but they'll build it up over time. Soccer mom verse is slightly wholesome for everyone but kttrossard because I like angst and so much of it is told through what kieran and Leo observe so some things are seen as rosy when in reality we're probably a little fucked. I like building the option of potentially writing more fics from one fic while still leaving them as stand alone pieces which is what a lot of what the soccer mom verse is. Soccer mom Ben would literally rather be anywhere else, is usually a little hungover and generally hateful of thr early Saturday morning sessions his kid loves, doesn't take Leo that long to notice a shift in Ben's attitude after a few weeks of the new fit coach Willo taking over. Ben starts bringing snacks for kids and really becomes the most enthusiastic parent.

💙🤍 - kt anon

JESUS CHRIST

SO JAKUB IS NOT JORGIREISS LOVECHILD? THAT'S ALRIGHT........... but ajhsfjsfdksakj thank you for putting my baby girl reiss in this, already as Jorginho's boyfriend. im so incoherent.......... so Fabio is jorgi's nephew. nelli is there, but is he ktrossard's son? or am I tripping?

losing my mind at

doesn't take Leo that long to notice a shift in Ben's attitude after a few weeks of the new fit coach Willo taking over. Ben starts bringing snacks for kids and really becomes the most enthusiastic parent.

😭

Ethan!!!!! ur mum is so slutty pls??????

I like building the option of potentially writing more fics from one fic while still leaving them as stand alone pieces

tbh practicing this WILL save u from mulling over new plot... literally ur writing ktrossard, but at the same time ur also building the plot jorgireiss/bennyliba, which counts as writing 3 fics in one sitting (?) LOL

[lqfiles]

LMAOO dude i would be so fucking petty if haechan ever did that to me 😭 (waiting for y/n to be a silly person 😋🤞🏼) (I KNOWWW SHES GONNA EAT HIM UP TOO!!)

but it was so good 😩 i love their little interaction even if he was a poopy head but idc!! I LOVE EM ALREADY (y/n marry me 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼) (i like tho how i can never picture myself as y/n in your series 😭 like you write so good i just like picturing the little scenes in my head and y/n is always faceless but she EATS)

also, before i forget, new update on bella… she got in trouble yesterday bc this girl… so we were on our walk and we go through this part where workers are remodeling a house and bella hates the noise and she speeds up. so i put her down after i picked her up and i realize… oh shit her leash fell out of my hand…

bella goes running 😭 and one of my mom’s friend who recognized me tried grabbing bella but bella swerved a bit towards the middle of the street mind you! And she went towards this grass part she likes going to and she stops, looks at me, and this guy who saw her, got out of his car to grab her and SHE RAN OFF

she sped! And to get to my house you have to cross streets and there’s always cars driving by and im hyperventilating because i cant see her no more 😭 (also, the guy chased after her in his car) and i called my mom crying and i got in trouble (i started crying here 😭😭) and my mom calls me a few minutes later and says bellas home…

so yeah… this is the first time she’s done this i train her i swear 🥲 but yeah, im anxious go make that mistake againnn

but yeah… thanks for reading that 🙂 heh

also i find it funny how in my 5 years of being in tumblr, i have never interacted with another author like i do with you

YOURE AMAZING 🫶🏼🤍

- 🫧

y/n is not gonna silly her way through this, she’s just really hateful and kinda wants him to end it all (NOT RLLY) (THIS IS A JOKE) but yesss she’s aggressive and needs him GONE SOON.

omo the relationship journey i have planned for them… like they don’t realise it yet but they’re very similar and will complete each other they just don’t know it yet 🌝🌝 and PLSSS that literally how i write characters and read fics in general 😭 i never write with a face in mind, i just have a personality set in my head with the name y/n attached to it, i don’t think i have ever read a fic where i have imagined myself as y/n 😭😭 she’s just a void to me that has character ygm? that’s honestly how i want everyone to read it like just think of some ghost that is silly

MY GOODNESS PMG 😭😭 she’s an actual trouble maker why would she do that.. i can only imagine the stress you were under cos you literally don’t have any control and she who DOES have control is going on her own journey, props to that guy and your mum’s friend for attempting to help but still she’s ??? i hope you grounded her and awww i hope you’re okay too <3 at least she made it back safely i think that’s he most important part of this all!! as long as it never happens again it should be good but still.. i would also be hyperventilating and feeling anxious asf

i honestly never thought i’d HAVE bonds with anons on here hsjdhsk i always say that this was meant to just be a writing dump blog (i still got that in my pinned) but it honestly is nice talking to you guys i love it, OUR BOND IS STRONG!!!!

[eviltiddyproductions]

Crash Course in Romance : Episode 2

Probability of Encountering Your Enemy at Your Worst 😂 what are title

Waittttt, he used to eat at her place years back too!?

She said daughters, so the girl must be our handball girlie's real sister. I assumed it was a friend 💀 (everyone can be an aunty!)

KDRAMAS ARE GOING TO HELL OMG why do they sneak these parental deaths on me so casually 😭🙏 y'all hate me. my god

this poor bean

i knew that aunty would feed him regardless !!! god i love shop owners who recognise you. always there for you

oh my god, she's been taking care of that girl for THIS long

our man is literally there in the restaurant grieving over his dad's death as this baby gets dropped here by her mom 😭

she just handed our baby a note ??? at least have the guts to ask your family. bffr 💀

NO WAY HER MOM DIED I'll actually stop watching you cannot take 2 parents from me in 5 minutes ???? even Vincenzo was gentler and gave me some time!!!

her mom really died nooooo

y'all hate me SO much

i think she might have to give up on her handball :/

this coach cannot be real lmao no one talks like this irl to someone's face 💀 'she isn't even your daughter, I'll let you go if your niece dies' like she's just late for practice bitch ass.

punch him !!!

why is he making her pick oh my god YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS.

idk what's up with me but her wanting to call her aunt her mum and having the brightest of smiles calling her mum and running to her got me

i am again reminded of the quote that goes kids forgive so much and just want to be loved

this show is aesthetically so beautiful

is that her friend from handball helping her or someone else? :0

a loyal friend <3

is he in therapy or is this just a normal doctor

is that husband in Phillipines a cover story?

i admire the ability of anyone to eat anything in an all white outfit

oh bae i hope you don't get nauseous

that's a cool decomposer!

'you're all i have' is kind of a terrible thing to hear as a teenager 😭

did she put money in the cabinet

WHO'S THAT in her house

wait everyone has iphones here ??? lmao no Samsung z flip in sight

lmao he's dressed like a delinquent to get breakfast

look at him squabbling with her over when the shop opens. the way they don't know his classes are the reason for this 😂

LMAOOOO remind me not to cross her, her bad luck wish for him got to him real fast. although slipping from your chair is funny and not to bad 😭

sister don't move so much I'm scared someone might push you and take your number.

SHE'S JUST LIKE ME FR. she was praying bad and took back the curse on that man and was promising all the good behaviour she could muster and then realised she's not gonna get the ticket and started complaining. #real

SHE GOT IN !!! SHE GOT THE 100th ticket

now why is the topper side eyeing my girlie, keep your side eye to yourself !

I love them. They're planning his fake murder in front of him 😭😂

I'm definitely not as hardworking as our girlie so I'm going to say I'm her friend because she deadass goes 'he kept looking at you, he's so into you' 💀 #mypeople

oh no my sister hasn't dated AT ALL?!!!! (She's just like me fr)

that girl is a hater for the sake of it but i get it i guess. sometimes you have weird hate vibes with people but tbh she's in a kdrama so I already know she's going to do something extremely messy.

him saying don't work too hard to his assistant is so funny actually

ahhh I checked the tags and this show has me giggling and squealing why does it look THAT cute

he got her a phoneeeee

Oh my god the stalker girl got shot ??????

kdramas without a criminal angle in some capacity challenge: failed (except bokjoo i guess) I'm not complaining. I love being anxious

girlfriend has a fling coming to pick her up !!! have fun bae <3

wait him entering the shop at night, this is the scene i saw in the previews

this is the worst story someone could've come up with it to give someone a free phone lmaooo 😭

i love her friend she's like 'what did I say, 100% in love with you'

oh so this teacher actually knows our man chi yeol.

what is this bitter ass conversation 💀 SO UNSERIOUS why is this random old classmate teacher talking like that.

I will actually climb inside and scratch him. Came here to just guilt him about a student's death and be way out of line in general. Oh my god he keeps going ???

so nasty

awww babe you shouldn't be driving in this state

oh they just missed each other

it makes me happy that he at least came back to eat

aww my sweet little brother on his morning walk with his coffee and his waffles. (this is how i want to be omg)

aww she gifted her mom that cushion

lmaooo what was that text girlie 😭🤣

awww he's offering her his seat i love them !!!

oh no what if she asks him out on a date 😭

oh she's politely declining the self phone

lmaooo Jae woo (the brother) clocked our tiger man 🤣

OH MY GOD HELLO?!!! SOMEONE SHOT THAT METAL BALL THROUGH THEIR WINDOW

my sweet girl gathered everyone, even Chiyeol who was just standing 💀 like babe get down!!!

oh this glass repair will cost her 😭

I think staying here probably saved him from getting shot alone

[pianostarinwonderland]

I’ve noticed you keep mentioning Azul hating his parents restaurant but I think it’s more an association thing.

That restaurant represents two things to Azul, his weight and (by association) his past. We all know how much Azul wants to bury his past and the restaurant is a very clear part of it but I think it links more to the fact he ate there a lot as a kid.

It’s mentioned that Azul’s favourite food is “anything deep fried” meaning his mum probably made it for him a lot (it is weird I imagine the restaurant having a sort of southern USA feel with lots of deep fried food and collared greens?😅). My point being that he probably more associates the restaurant with his mothers cooking which in turn he associates with fatty foods/being a chubby octopus.

I don’t really know if I have a point here and maybe Azul has just outright stated he does hate his parents restaurant but I see it more as a longing for mums cooking that he can’t have and a hatred for who he used to be. It’s kinda like having a sweet memory tainted by the bullies.

I also think that people are putting way to much thought into Azul’s relationship with his mum. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part but I want someone other than Vil (in the Overblot club) to have had a loving family.

I don’t think Azul hates his mum like a lot of others have suggested but I do think he’s worried about being a burden to her. In Azul’s life he’s seen his mother go through a divorce, find love again, get married and possibly open a restaurant. It’s also probably why he never told her about the bullying, he didn’t want to add more to her plate. It would also tie in nice to Azul’s need to be self-sufficient.

Listen I know this is a lot a bull I’ve just spouted but I had thoughts

Honest to God... I left this for so long because I have no idea how to respond from how in-depth this is.

Like 😭 no this has a lot of points. Let me back you up here for a bit. 

The part about Azul associating the restaurant with his mother’s cooking and thus associating it with his chubby self, which leads to him having a hatred for it which is the kind of hating it because you actually love it but can’t have it? It’s definitely a neat interpretation of two things stated in his vignettes: him hating his family restaurant according to Floyd in his dorm vignette and him saying that he used to enjoy the birthday food he had as a child in his birthday vignette. 

He really did get to have a feast on his birthdays and even shared that as a kid, he enjoyed them, but now, he found that it was really excessive. Azul also has really sharp tastebuds as revealed in his dorm vignette, and he can pinpoint what ingredients are in a food or beverage by a single taste. It can imply that he has eaten a lot of food or at least acted as food taster as a child, enough to be able to be familiar with a lot of cuisines and distinctive tastes. Then Floyd mentions that the only thing he remembered about the restaurant was that Azul hated it. It’s entirely possible that it’s due to him being fed so much. 

Oh my God, about Azul and his relationship with his mom though 😭 I feel that, though. I do like the theories about Azul and his mom not having an ideal relationship, but I also want them to have a good relationship. The two of them supporting each others’ businesses is so cute 😭 and it would also speak of Azul’s character if he was really nice to his mom. 

I always thought that he never told his mom about his bullied days because of the divorce, but for it to influence his desire to be self-sufficient never crossed my mind as well!! 👁👄👁 It’s really yummy. It’s also similar to Deuce’s case in the sense that both of them wanted to give peace to their moms?? Only that Deuce wanted to be less of a delinquent and more of a good person while Azul wanted to be more self-sufficient to give his mom less worries. 

I really enjoyed this post, anon! 😭😭😭 My heart hurts. 

[paleblogsstuff]

•he likes to watch WWE

•Bruh I feel that he is mixed with Japanese and Hispanic and or a bit of African American but mostly the Hispanic thing

•call his mom “Ma”

[s]his mom threw a shoe at his head once because he forgot to take of his

•CAN COOK TF OUTTA SOME FOOD

•He can drink milk.

•he loves Ice cream tho 😭

[s]•he bite his toe nails and spits them out when he uses the bathroom

•he uses “your mom jokes”

•he hates getting his socks wet it just ruins his whole day

•he has a nentendo switch

•play fights with fuyu but fuyu gets scared every time

•his fav snack is boba mochi

[cbui]Bf bajis

•he plays fight with you almost all the time

•on your first date he got lost on the way to y’all’s date spot

•he will playfully take your food

•he brings you to his mum every time you start that thing every mouth

•you went to the beach once and he put you on his back and he kept telling you he was gonna drop you

•he takes you by your ankles and swings you around sometime

•or he’ll just sping you around in general

•don’t txt him bruh he don’t answer them and ge can’t spell do shiiii

[cbui]Yall txt messages be like

Baji: dade I ned help

You: you “Ned” to learn how to spell mf

You: I swaer I though you was speaking Spanish boy

Baji: warsh Yur mounth

You: bruh

You: just get tf over here 👺

You: I’m tried of reading your terrible spelling 😔

Baji: shut up I’m omw

You:at least you spelt that right

Baji: Fock yiu [middle finger]

You:..nvm

•once he get over all he dose is mess around with things in your room.

•he don’t even like them like fuyu would do if he don’t like it or he thinks some other guy bought it fo you he is gonna grab it in the most aggressive way

•if you ever try to playfully hit him he will dodge it or catch your hand

•don’t call him bro either . He’s ok w/ bruh but just don’t call him bro or dude he will think your putting him back in the friend zone

[s]•don’t buy him flowers because last time you did he got so happy he ate them