#i really do wish we had an epilogue though and we got to see the companions treat Rook as an equal

[neve-gallus-girl-detective]

Sometimes I see a post about Veilguard that criticizes something that I find to be a crucial and wonderful part of the game, and I truly understand the question, "did we play the same game?" The answer is no! We experienced all the same things, but I delighted in it and they hated it. It's fine, really, but it's hard to wrap my head around it. You see THAT as a negative?

[passionatememes]

oh yeah i finished rdr2 epilogue by the way..... i thought pacing and character writing was iffy at parts but it was fun

[admirationandromantics]

Going overboard, Epilogue

(He looks so fine, I can't handle it. Can handle him though, just like you're about to do). Anyways, this is the final end of this story. This has been such a great experience, and I've loved writing it. I know many are waiting for the next one (which will be with Chris), but please give me some time to get started on that. Right now, I have a bunch of requests to take care of, which I will also be doing while posting the next story.

Again, thank you all for the encouragement and support throughout this, and don't worry. Josh is NOT gone, you can request as much as you want. Anyways, as always, my blog is 18+ and so is this post (hint hint) so just enjoy! <3

Luckily, I got to know that both Matt and Jessica survived. Mike was so happy when they told us. Jess looked like a wreak though, I’ve never seen her like that, physically or mentally. She told us that she didn’t think she’d survive if it weren’t for Matt. I’ve never seen gratitude like what I saw on Mike’s face that day. He went straight for Matt, pulling him into a hug, leaving him stunned. 

The police were quick to separate all of us, getting each one’s story. I told the truth, everything there was to say, but I don’t think they believed me. It hurt telling them about Josh. I feared that he’d serve time, that he would stay behind bars for a long time. They decided that there would be no trial, considering his mental state. I heard his laughter from the other room, crying by myself as I wondered what he would remember, and if the traumas we went through would be the drop that spilled the glass. They decided he was a danger to others and himself, and it didn’t take long to get him to a clinic and try some new medication. Again, after another traumatic trip to that damn mountain, I didn’t keep in touch with him. They didn’t let him use his phone, and the only people allowed to see him were his parents. After four months, they let Chris visit, but it had been a long time since I saw them, so I don’t think that letting me visit was even an option. 

The friend group split. I don’t know what happened with Emily and Matt, last I heard, they were still together, but that was a while ago. Jess and Mike broke up after a while. I heard it was bad, and Jessica was the one who made the cut. Sam still talked to him, so I got some info here and there, but he is not the sort of man I really wish to be in contact with. 

I still talk to Sam, and we continue our daily coffees, only now, we talk about the last events that happened on that cursed place. She seems like she’s falling down some rabbit hole about mythological creatures and folklore. I’ve told her that we should forget everything, that maybe talking to a therapist could be good for her. She doesn’t listen, and I’m just trying to keep her present, afraid that she’ll end up as Josh. Isolated, and supervised continuously. 

I’m often invited over for gaming nights with Chris and Ashley. The games vary, but it doesn’t always feel as welcoming as thought. I often feel like an intruder, like they would feel bad by hanging out together without me. I tried to talk to Ashley about it, but she assured me that they love me, and us being together is a good way to deal with everything. I still feel like a third wheel, sitting in the corner while they have flirty interactions or Chris steals a kiss. Still, they both feel bad for me, that much I’m sure of. One of the good things that come out of it is that Chris tells me about his visits. In the start, Josh had been confused and scared, pleading with him to get him out of there. Now, six months later, he was better, the medicine finally working and pieces falling back into place. He’s bored out of his mind, joking that if they didn’t give him at least a console, he would kill himself. Chris laughed when he said that, but my breath hitched and I suddenly felt unsure. Ashley noticed, walking over to me and telling me that Josh joking like this just meant that he felt better. They’d gotten used to my cries. I was never this bad before, but even though I didn’t have a reason, it still came out. Every day, several times. I had to lock myself in the bathroom or my bedroom to relieve myself. 

***

I cut the tomato in thin slices, arranging them in fine lines on the buttered toast. A knock is heard on the door. “Just walk in Sam, it’s open” I shout, knowing when she usually comes over on her morning run. I hear the door open, footsteps out of the hallway. I grab the salt, carefully shaking it over the tomato to not get too much. Two hands make their way around my waist, pulling me into a tight body. I stop breathing as I know that this is not Sam, this is a man’s body. I look down, hands looking awfully familiar. 

“Hey” he whispers against my ear, and I feel tears coating my eyes. I turn around, looking at a smiling Josh. 

“Hey” I answer, not able to hide the surprise in my voice. My hands travel behind his neck, locking him in place. His dark circles aren’t as bad anymore, and he does look quite healthy. I still don’t know what to say, shocked by his sudden presence. He smirks, tilting his head and looking at me with sceptical eyes. 

“Well, isn’t this a first time for you not knowing what to say”

“I-I”

“We’re getting there…”

“Hey, you bombarded me wi-” I’m interrupted by a kiss, his head moving in sync with mine, hunger, lust and eight months without contact pooling out as a stress-relief. He grabs me harder, taking hold of my thighs and lifting me up on the counter. God, I’ve missed him. My legs cross behind him, pulling him deeper into me. His lips are soft and warm, connecting with mine as I open my mouth a bit, letting him in deeper. I whine, feeling the tears fall from the corners of my eyes. His hands move to cup my face, thumbs brushing away the wetness. 

“We should probably talk” I say between sobs. 

“That’s why I came over” he answers, pulling away a bit. I waste no time, taking his arm and forcing him back, his lips on mine while I sob. His sisters, the prank, the wendigos, everything poured into me slowly coming out. 

“Sorry” I whisper. “You’ve just come out, this isn’t what you need right now” I squeak, trying to compose myself. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here, and I’m not leaving again”

This makes me break down even harder, being reminded that every time we rekindle, something gets in the way. He lays my head on his flannel-coated shoulder, letting me cry till I can’t breathe anymore. He holds me up, making sure that I don’t fall off the counter while leaving sweet small kisses on my forehead. When the air is finally quiet, he pulls away, thumbs rubbing my cheeks. I feel the mascara being smudged, though that’s more my fault than his. 

“God, I’d already gotten ready today, and now I guess I have to do it again” I laugh, trying to look a little presentable. 

“You’re beautiful” he whispers, awe in his eyes. I stop the tears and kiss him yet again. 

After a while, we make our way to the sofa, determined to talk about this now, to get it over with. I walk to the bathroom to freshen up. 

“Are you sure you need that? What if you start crying again?” he shouts from the living room. 

“Haha, I’ve gotten everything out now” I laugh back. 

“You sure? It would be awfully inconvenient for you to spend half of the time in the bathroom… alone…” 

“Almost done Josh!”

I walk back out, and he’s still spread out on the sofa. I sit down on top of him, holding his shoulders as I lean down to kiss him. His hands wander, gripping my thighs and ass. 

“You said we should talk?” I tease, knowing he’s getting riled up. 

“No, no, no, no. Fuck talking, let’s do this instead” he urges, gripping me harder and pressing me down on him. I want him so bad, but we do indeed have to talk. 

“We have to” I whisper. 

“I know”

The hours go by as we talk about the incident. I get especially emotional when we talk about the prank, how he tricked me, several times. He wasn’t in his right mindset, but he would do everything in his power to get me to trust him again. He had talked to the others, but the other part of the group decided not to keep in contact. It was a toxic friend group anyway, I comment. He talked about his time in the facility, how it was scary in the beginning, cause he didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. Luckily, Chris had told him about the wendigos, but he still had to pretend they didn’t exist and they were a figment of his imagination when they did his mental evaluation. He just wanted to put everything behind him, and move forward. After a while, the mood lightens, as we stop talking about the deep stuff. 

“You hit me!” he laughs, hitting me in the arm. 

“Well, I thought you were a fucking Psycho!” I defend myself. 

“That wasn’t the only time!”

“The way you were talking? You asked for it!” 

“You know, I should really come up with a revenge plan for you”

“Let’s not forget about what you did”

“Nah, that doesn’t count, I was insane”

“You can’t play the mentally ill-card on this”

“Yes I can”

I hit him again, and he grabs my arms, lifting them behind him, causing me to fall flat down on his stomach. 

“I think, maybe we’ll go to the bedroom, you get undressed, and I can start leaving some marks on you” he whispers, fingers still entwined with mine. 

“Really, what kind of marks are we talking about?” I skeptically ask, looking up at him. 

“Maybe a bit similar to the ones you left on me, just without the wood” 

“You’re sadistic”

“Some things can’t be cured”

I reach up to him, straddling his lap and kissing him. 

“Got something else planned?”

“Eight months gave me time to think”

“And what are your thoughts?”

“Something about you, tied up, blindfolded, begging me to touch you…” he starts, and I feel myself getting wetter. His breathing is hot, and he can’t stop staring at my lips. I smile, slowly grinding on him. Making him let out a groan. “Fuck, and then I’ll teach you a lesson” he says, hands moving to my thighs to help the movements. I bite my lip, eager to get into it, to let him get into me. 

“Fucking hell, you need to stop that” he whines. 

“You’re the one leading me” I tease, caressing his arms, making him aware of his grip on my thighs. I lean forward, kissing his neck, small pecks all over. He makes a small whimpering sound when I kiss him right below his ear, so I bite down. He jolts, giving out a loud moan. I kiss the pain away, lightly sucking. His hands wander under my shirt, grabbing my waist. In response, I grace his neck with my nails, feeling him shiver under my touch. 

He takes out his hands, placing them under my thighs. I pull away, wondering what he’s doing. 

“Jos- woah!” I yelp as he lifts me over his shoulder, holding onto my legs so I don’t fall down behind him. 

“Josh! What the hell are you doing?” I yell. He stands up, making the ground so far away that I don’t dare to scramble. He smacks my butt, making me gasp while walking over to the bedroom. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t like it. 

“You know, you’re gonna pay” he says, something sinister in his voice. 

“Oh, really?” I tease, earning myself another smack. 

“Don’t try to be a smartass, that’ll not get you anywhere” he says, caressing my legs, one of his hands moving up between my thighs. 

“Josh” I say, grabbing hold of his waist from upside down. 

“What can I do for you?”

“You can put me down”

“I thought you were into the whole Spiderman-thing” he asks, opening the bedroom door. 

“Well, that’s when we’re face to face” 

“I guess I’ll have you upside down some other time then” he says, bowing down, making me slam into the bed. I shriek, surprised by the action. He doesn’t waste time, leaning over me, capturing my lips in his. It starts hungry, but eventually finds a rhythm filled with passion and regret. I open up, letting him inside. Our breaths are heaving in sync, and I grab both sides of his face, eating him up. 

“Eager are we?” he teases, but I have no more room for jokes. 

“Eight months Josh…”

“Yeah, I know”

We continue the assault on each other, chests heaving and bodies grinding. With every passing second, my body grows hotter and wetter. I grab hold of the hem of his shirt, dragging it off him. I’m mesmerized. 

“Have you been working out?” 

“Wasn’t much to do there” 

“Fuck” I mumble as I feel him up, memorizing his lines. He eagerly drags my shirt off, shocked by the fact that I’m not wearing a bra. 

“And you were saving this sight only for me?” 

“Only you” I smile, loosening his belt. He grabs both my hands, holding them over my head. 

“Let’s not get right to the main course” he purrs in my ear. 

“Oh, please, I’ve waited long enough”

“Patience” he whispers, voice vibrating hot against my skin. He leaves a trail of kisses, starting on my lips, moving slowly down my neck. With his free hand, he grabs my breast, squeezing and fickling with my nipple. I moan from his touch, legs automatically pressing against each other, longing for some type of friction. My core aches for him, being turned on for so long that I feel like a primal animal. He notices, and places his knee in between, making me grind down on him. 

“You’re too eager”

“Fucking hell Washington, if you don’t do anything in the nex-”

“Oh my, of course. Whatever you say m’lady” he smiles, entertained by my longing for him. He strokes his fingers over my wetness, noticing that I’m drenched through. I ache for him, him and his touch. I have for eight fucking months. 

“God, you have been waiting for this” he calmly exclaims, hand unbuttoning my pants and sliding under. He goes into my panties, coming in contact with my folds immediately. I whine, feeling his faint touch. His thumb starts rubbing circles around my clit, and the longing pleasure I’ve been waiting for seeps through my body. I let out loud moans which are drowned by his kisses. 

“You’re doing so good for me” he whispers, inserting one of his fingers. He pushes in and out, continuing to put pressure on my clit. The knot in my stomach tenses abnormally quick, and I throw my head back as he starts kissing my collar. He chuckles against my skin, noticing how down bad I am for him. He doesn’t stop, working his fingers and toying with my breasts until I come all over him. 

“Good, good” he whispers as I breathe heavily. He makes his way down, taking hold of my pants and dragging them completely off. Before he goes down again, he takes off his own, leaving him in only his boxers. I see his hardness through the fabric, the size of it drenching my already soaked underwear. He lies on top of me, hand caressing my stomach and moving to my waist. He takes hold, spinning me around on my stomach. I give a yelp, but he quickly puts a bit of his weight on top, caging me under him, unable to move. 

“Don’t think you’re getting away that easy” he whispers as his hand moves down to my panties, dragging them off. 

“Fuck, Josh please” I plead, having been ready for him for a long time. I immediately hear a loud smack, before feeling stinging pain on my ass cheek. I cry out, and he moves his hand to rub the painful area. 

“Tell me exactly what you want” he purrs in my ear, hand not moving. 

“I want you Josh” I whine, feeling tears in the corners of my eyes. A loud smacking noise fills the room again, but this time I moan out his name. He smirks, hand rubbing soft circles, numbing the pain. 

“You need to go into more detail than that” 

My mind is fogged, the instincts being mere sexual as everything he does and says turns me on more. 

“You’re practically dripping, like getting manhandled that bad?” he comments, fingers gracing my warmth and making me give out a choked cry. 

“Just tell me what you want and I’ll get you right off” he coys, smirking as he kisses my neck. I try to steady my voice, but it still comes out in the most erotically desperate sounds ever made.

“Please Josh, I want you inside me, now, right now” 

“Oh really?”

“Yes please, please” 

“I love it when you beg for me” he whispers as he takes off his underwear. Finally. He takes hold of me, turning me back on my back so we’re facing each other. 

“I wanna see you” he says, leaning down and kissing me. His cock brushes up against my folds, coating itself and pressing. I gasp as he goes inside me, painfully slow. He grunts as he gets all the way in, grabbing my thigh hard, definitely leaving a mark. 

“God you’re beautiful” he whispers, hand coming to my face, thumb swiping away a tear. He leans even further down, making sure our chests are pressing up against each other, and my arms move under his, and hold onto his back. 

“Josh, I’ve missed you so much” I stammer, the ecstasy of everything blurring my mind and messing with my senses. All I feel is his eyes staring, his hot breath, and immense pleasure. He starts moving against me, pelvis grinding on my clit, with no need for extra factors. I take him in, soaking and moaning, wishing that we didn’t lose two years of this. His breaths quicken, moans passing through his lips. I clench around him as I come again, and he rides the orgasm out with me, capturing my lips once again in a sloppy and panting kiss. 

“I love you” he whispers, still moving and breathing heavily. My heart flutters as he says it, my legs pressing him deeper into me. 

“I love you too” I say back between gasps, taking hold of his neck and pulling him to my lips. He goes faster, and I feel the slight overstimulation as he continues, making me whine. He gets me to the edge again, using his hand to fondle my breasts and sucking my neck. 

“Fuck, I’m gonna-” he pants. 

“Yes, please do!” I urge, coming another time around his cock, tightening. This throws him over, and he buries himself deep inside as he comes as well. He collapses on top of me, the sudden weight knocking my breath out. It quickly comes back, and I fold my arms around him, hugging and kissing his hairline. 

“Don’t leave” I force out, breathless and weak. 

“Never” he answers, just as exhausted.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

I've been reading your posts for awhile now and I genuinely enjoy reading your takes especially with Harry's characterization. so I've been wondering what are your thoughts on the lupin family? especially with teddy? although I still kinda dislike his parents' relationship i still think he's an interesting character and i wished people talked about him more outside of shipping. What would his relationship with harry be growing up? Also Lyall's death was never really confirmed, only hope's was so do you think he and Andromeda raised teddy instead of harry? It still feels odd that remus chose a 17 year old to be his son's godfather surely there were other suitable candidates than a literal teenager.

Thank you so much 💕

So, this is like entirely in my headcanon space since I did not watch/read Cursed Child and I'm not planning to. I don't consider any of the post-book material canon at all except the Quidditch World Cup in 2014, which I accept since it's fun and doesn't go out of its way to ruin established characters. I enjoyed reading it more than the epilogue, so that's something.

That being said, I often prefer to ignore many aspects of the epilogue and the World Cup article when headcanoning post-books events. I also don't engage much with next-gen stuff since I'm more interested in Harry's generation, but I do have some thoughts about Teddy.

With all this out of the way, let's talk about the Lupins.

So, I like Remadora, I think they're alright for the little we see of them. Tonks just deserves so much better than Lupin in my mind. I mean, he wanted to leave her, after he got her pregnant, for his own sense of inadequacy, guilt, and allergy to taking responsibility. Harry was so justified in ripping Remus a new one.

Now, I mentioned here, how I think Remus didn't make Harry Teddy's godfather because he thought Harry was ready (though Harry is more mature and responsible at 17 than Remus is at 37, so...), but as a way to promise Harry that he isn't going to push him, or Tonks, or anyone who loves him away anymore. It was Remus trying to apologize in a weird way that didn't really land. Especially since he goes and dies right after. (can you tell Remus is my least favorite marauder?)

Now, I find it really hard to imagine Remus as a father for Teddy had he lived. Like, I can see Tonks being a cool mom and her and Teddy matching hair colors when walking together and messing with people (and I think she could become more responsible had she lived longer). Remus is a harder one for me to envision as a parent. I mean, I think he'd be relieved that Teddy wasn't born a werewolf, but whenever he'd look at Teddy and Nymphadora, I think Remus couldn't help but feel sorry for himself and like he doesn't deserve them. While making Harry Teddy's godfather was meant to be a sort of promise, I can't see Remus fixing his habits so quickly. I mean, he'd try. But I can also see him, trying to up and leave a few times only to be talked out of it by various characters.

I think his behavior is going to put a lot of stress on Tonks too. Like, While I think they do love each other, I don't know how well their relationship would work in the long run if Remus doesn't bother to work on himself and get his fucking act together.

But in the books they both died, so Teddy is spared the mess his parents' relationship likely would've been and is instead stuck with a different mess of being an orphan with a 17-year-old caretaker. (This kid cannot win. Maybe because both his parents were kinda irresponsible and didn't quite get a grasp on adulthood when he was born)

So, post-DH, Remus and Tonks are dead, Ted Tonks is dead and we are left with a grieving Andromeda who lost all her family (again), a grieving Harry who just keeps losing people, and a newly orphaned barely a-year-old Teddy Lupin.

I think Teddy is an interesting mirror to baby Harry and Neville in a way. His parents died/couldn't take care of him because of Voldemort/his followers and he was left with only a godfather/grandmother. Teddy got both and his godfather isn't in Azkaban, so he has it a little better.

I like to imagine Harry makes sure to be super involved with Teddy's childhood, but I can't imagine a 17-year-old (almost 18) Harry post-war and maybe going back to Hogwarts for 8th year (depends on headcanon) being in a state to take care of a baby full time. I like to think Andy helps out in that first year a lot. I think Andy needs someone, some family to get her through loss. And I think Harry could enjoy Andy's company too. I'm sure she has plenty of stories about a young Sirius, and maybe even a young James, and in my headcanon, Andy somewhat adopts Harry as an extra son too.

Which means she ends up seeing way more Weasleys than she ever expected to. I think the Weasleys, who just lost Fred would understand a lot. I mean, both Andy and Molly lost a child and other family. I want Andromeda be more involved with all of them post-canon. That's my wish.

So Harry is Teddy's official guardian, but he spends loads of time with his grandma and the Weasleys growing up probably. Like, I don't mind him and Victoire being together, though I wouldn't necessarily have been my preferred choice, but I don't really care. They're probably childhood besties because they grew up together.

As for Teddy's relationship with Harry, I think Harry would end up treating him more like a much younger brother than a son. I mean, when Teddy would be 10, Harry would just be 27. Don't get me wrong, Harry could, technically, be his dad, but I think their dynamic is going to be different than that of Harry with his own children. Just because of how young and traumatized Harry is when he gets Teddy.

So, I think their relationship would have its tense points, but they'd also love each other. Like, you know Harry would do his best. He'd be super protective over Teddy, Andy would be, too. Like, no one messes with this kid.

But I also kinda want Teddy making a: "you're not my dad" joke/comment when Harry tries to send him to his room or something and Harry doesn't know if he wants to laugh or cry the first time it happens. But I think it would become a recurring joke Harry laughs from.

I think the first years would be the roughest. Everyone's grieving and trying to settle back into a semblance of normal life. Harry never really had a "normal life" he's gonna have no idea what to do with himself and I think Teddy could be a purpose he dedicates himself to. I think these two and Andy could all help each other figure their lives out. But as Teddy grows older and things settle down, it becomes easier.

While I think Harry and Teddy would end up really close, it's not going to be exactly the same relationship Harry and Sirius had. Teddy is going to have a happy childhood, Harry and Andy wouldn't let it be any other way, so he won't have the same grief and trauma Harry did as a child. Like, their dynamic would be less desperate, I think. Like, Harry wouldn't need to stay in a cave and eat rats for Teddy, their situation would be way chiller. Like, I think Harry would be constantly confused about how Teddy ended up being such a cool kid/teen because he doesn't think he could've raised him like that and he would joke about it with Teddy who'd be all sarcastic like: "Obviously, I raised myself here,"

Like, I imagine Teddy with his mother's punk fashion sense and goofiness (the goofiness I believe was 100% shared by Ted Tonks), Remus' voice and constant self-doubt, Andromeda's posture (he sits with his back perfectly straight, okay, Andy didn't let him slouch by the table), and Harry's sarcasm. He's like this mix of them and still his own person.

I think Teddy is likely to go through quite a lot of personal phases to try and figure out his own identity and how he portrays himself. Becouse everyone treats him as the godson of the famed boy who lived, but his dead parents were the last Metamorphmagus and a Werewolf. And he is very close to his grandma, who is a disowned daughter of House Black. Like, this is a kid rip for angst about who he is and who people see him as and him being a Metamorphmagus really leans into it.

Like, a young Teddy making sure to look like Harry in public because he's proud of the connection. Or Teddy mimicking Remus or Tonks' appearance from photos when he thinks about them and misses them or wants to remind strangers who his parents actually are becouse they seem to forget. Like, that could be super fun.

I think Harry's kids would really like Teddy. He's like a cool older cousin/brother who lives with them. Like, I can see them really looking up to him and Teddy would complain to Harry about being followed around by a 3-year-old that won't leave him alone and Harry would just find the whole thing amusing.

(I can also see a post-war Andromeda getting back in touch with Narcissa, so you could involve the Malfoys too if you felt like it. Though I feel like Teddy would just, not like Lucius much)

(Also also, I think Lyall is dead. I feel like if he was alive we would know, yk?)

[ladykailitha]

Share With Me One Love, One Lifetime Part 1

Here we go. The final story in the Boy with a Bat trilogy. It's certainly come a long way from when I first started writing for this fandom. Two years ago on this day, I put out Can Anybody See Me? because there was serious lack of season 2 AUs were Hellfire had taken Steve under their wing. And then it grew from one story into two with Never Hold Back Your Step... and I promised I would get Steddie all the way through season 4 to come out alive on the other side.

The goal is to get all the story out before season 5 premiers. So far of what I've written, we're about 2/3 of the way through season 4. We'll get to the end and then we'll have a short epilogue.

Thank you to everyone who cheered me on to complete this trilogy. But especially @bookworm0690, @kultiras, and @dreamercec.

The title like the previous two stories before it (here and here) comes from a musical. In this case, The Phantom of the Opera. RIP Eddie. You would have loved that musical.

In this we have our boys caught between a rock and hard place, Steve watches Lucas's game, and Eddie gets into some trouble.

~

Steve was going to murder someone. He just hadn’t decided on who yet. Though at the moment it was starting to look like Lucas.

“And you’re sure you can’t move it to another night?” he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Yeah,” Eddie murmured. “Mike leaves for California in the morning and most of the other guys have plans too. Then once spring break comes back...”

“You can’t use the drama room because the play is starting up,” Steve finished for him. “Shit. And I can’t have it here. My mom somehow found out about the movie nights and threatened to have my dad kick me out if it happened again.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah,” Steve said, nervously chewing on his lip. “And you know I’m gonna want to support Lucas.”

Eddie let out a long sigh. “Yeah I know. Dustin told me. I just wish Lucas had come to me instead of the flying monkeys you know?”

“Me too,” Steve said, closing his eyes. “He just got in with the boys on the basketball team and I’m worried he’s going to alienate himself from his friends if he continues to hang out with them.”

“I’m worried about that too,” Eddie huffed. “And my speech was aimed at Carver by the way. In the heat of the moment I had forgotten Lucas was on it. Got reminded afterwards though.”

Steve opened his eyes and let out answering sigh. The little bell above the door twinkled, heralding the arrival of customers. “Look, I’ve got to go, I have to actually work.”

“Booo,” Eddie hissed. “I’ve got that deal with Chrissy after the game, so I’ll be by after that, okay?”

“Okay, Eds,” Steve said. “Be safe.”

“Yup!”

Steve hung up the phone with another sigh. He straightened up and put on his best customer service smile. “Welcome to Family Video, how can I help you today?”

The rest of the day flew by in a flash and too soon he was picking up Brenda for the game. She had come into the store earlier and was talking about how she really wanted to go to the game because her brother was on the team but her parents didn’t want to go.

So Steve offered to take her. He was pretty sure she thought it was a date, but Steve kept trying to steer here away from that sort of talk. He’s not sure he succeeded.

~

“It’d be funny if we won the championship game the year after you graduated,” Brenda said with a smile.

Oh hell no.

“I wasn’t on the team my senior year,” he said with a bitchy expression. “You would know that if you actually watched us play. I was out with a concussion.”

Brenda smirked. “You know what I mean. I just mean that you were King Steve, we didn’t win the championship once.”

“Yes,” Steve cocking his head forward, “but I’m the one that got us to the championship my junior year. I sunk that last shot with nothing but net that got us into the final game. The other team was better. You can still do everything right and have the other team just be better.”

Then it looked they were going to lose, so they let Lucas play. After all what was the harm of letting him play for the last minute of the game.

And then a miracle happened.

Lucas was at the three-point line and he let go of the ball just as the buzzer went off. Steve rose to his feet as the shot sailed into the air and hit the basket dead on.

Lucas had won the championship game for the Tigers.

Steve was jumping up and down and just screaming. “Yes! Yes! Yes!!!”

~

After the players came back out from the locker rooms, Steve put his arm around Lucas.

“Looks like our hard work paid off,” he said with a teasing grin.

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Steve.”

Steve gave him a tight one-armed hug and then whispered in his ear, “If you feel uncomfortable for any reason, just give me a call and I’ll be there in a heartbeat. And don’t let anyone pressure you into something you don’t want to, okay?”

Lucas nodded and then hurried to catch up to Jason and his friends.

Steve shook his head and turned to Brenda. “Hey do you need me to take you home?”

She shook her head. “My brother is going to drop me off before heading the celebration.”

“You got it,” Steve said with a thumbs up. He stopped for a moment. “Which one did you say was your brother again?”

“I didn’t,” Brenda sneered. It’s Andy Snyder, number forty-three.”

Dread pooled in Steve stomach. Andy was the new Tommy H. A bully and a brute, on and off the court.

“He played good tonight,” he said with a fake smile smile firmly in place.

Her returning smile was even less sincere and she walked away. Steve put his hands on his hips and looked up, pressing him lips together.

He was now certain she thought they were on a date, but with Steve paying more attention to Robin then her and rooting for Lucas without even asking who her brother was... yeah. According to her the date was a failure, according to Steve, he dodged that fucking bullet.

~

Steve had barely kicked off his shoes when the walkie talkie he kept next to the door crackled to life.

“Code Red!” Eddie hissed. “I have a fucking Code Red! Is anyone there? Please god, please!”

Steve was on the line faster then from one breath to the next. “Eddie, this is Steve. Repeat, this is Steve. What’s your status?”

“Chrissy is dead, man,” Eddie whined. “She–she rose up into the air, like a puppet on a string and oh god!”

“Shit, shit, shit!” he cursed. “You’ve got to get out of there, now! Stash the van and run for Rick’s. After the game there are going to be too many eyes on my place. You keep your head down, you hear?”

“Yeah,” Eddie breathed. “Yeah. Oh god, it was so bad, Stevie. Why her? She was so nice to me. Why her?”

“We’ll find out,” Steve breathed. “I just don’t know who would be around right now. Everyone is out scattered because of the game, Nancy and Mike are getting ready to take him to the airport for him to fly out to California and everyone is out celebrating the win.”

“What about Dustin?” Eddie murmured. He hated bringing a kid into this, but if that was who they had...”

“I don’t know where he is,” Steve said chewing on his thumb nail. He should have picked up before he did.

“Shit!”

Steve let out a shuddering breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve got work tomorrow, but as soon as I can, I’ll bring you clothes and food enough for you hide out there, okay?”

He had a lot of Eddie’s clothes over at his place, it wouldn’t be hard for him to pack a bag.

“Yeah, okay,” Eddie sighed. “You’ve got a handle on this. Just don’t forget about me, okay?”

“I’d never.”

~

“Hey,” Robin said after Steve pretty much blew up at a customer for not know if her boyfriend liked scary movies or not. “Are you okay?”

Steve grimaced. He had tried to get people on the walkies this morning but he couldn’t get anyone on the line and he didn’t have a chance to talk to Robin, because she had been running full steam about Vickie all morning.

But before he could even open his mouth to answer Dustin came storming in, with Max hot on his heels. “Turn on the news now!”

Robin turned over to the news and sure enough the breaking news was of a girl being murdered at the Forest Hills Trailer Park and the investigation was ongoing.

“That’s Eddie’s trailer!” Dustin cried.

“I saw Chrissy go into his trailer last night,” Max admitted, “and then he came running out screaming.”

“Why you didn’t get anyone on the walkies?” Steve growled. “That would have been great to know last night!”

“My mom sold them for more booze,” she snapped back.

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.

“We need to find him!” Dustin insisted. “He’s innocent! There is no way he did this! He couldn’t have!”

“Whoa!” Steve said sternly. “You think I don’t know that? I’m the one who introduced him to you do you forget!”

Dustin blinked at him for a moment and then nodded. “Sorry Steve, I freaked out when I found that my walkie talkie had been accidentally been turned to the wrong channel, but I couldn’t get him on it this morning and I was really worried.”

“Okay...” Robin said, raising an eyebrow, “and why are you here, specifically?”

“Oh, I was going to hack your system to find out where Eddie might have gone aground?” Dustin said with a grimace.

Steve buried his head in his hands. “Oh I am so getting fired.”

Max scoffed. “As if your peon bosses would be able to tell Dustin even touched it.”

Steve put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes skyward. “No, that’s not why I’m getting fired.”

Everyone else looked at each other in confusion.

“Then why are you getting fired?” Dustin asked with one raised eyebrow.

“I’m guessing you’re going to want to hasten to Eddie’s rescue, yes?” he asked licking his bottom lip slowly.

Dustin rolled his eyes again. “Yes!”

“And how would you get there?” Steve pressed. “You bikes? Because that won’t draw attention to where Eddie might be hiding.”

“Well, no,” Max said, “we’d make you take us.”

“Which means I would be abandoning the job to go look for Eddie if we left now, yes?”

Dustin and Max eyes went wide and then they said together, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Steve huffed, shaking his head. “You either wait until two when I’m off or I’m going to get fired.”

“Two, you said?” Max said with a wince.

“Mhmm.”

“That’s not too bad,” Dustin hedged. “After all it might take me that long to crack the system and find Eddie.”

He went to go leap over the counter when Steve grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

“Oh hell no,” Steve snapped. “One I just sorted those tapes and I’m not doing it again, and two you don’t need to hack shit, because I know where he is without all the techno bullshit.”

“Techno is a genre a music,” Max supplied unhelpfully.

“And it’s not bullshit if it helps us find him!” Dustin growled.

“Did you even listen to the rest of Steve said?” Robin asked, knocking his hat off his head. “He knows where Eddie is.”

Dustin blinked at Steve for a moment. “How would you know that?”

Steve rolled his head and tilted his head back. “Because I was on the actual fucking walkie talkies you make us carry around everywhere we go and Eddie radioed the party last night. AND I was the only one who answered!”

Dustin and Max blinked at Steve’s outburst, shocked that he would yell at them. But with Eddie missing and a girl dead, it was forgivable.

“So where is he,” Dustin groused, picking up his hat and slamming it down on his head, “if you’re so smart?”

“Reefer Rick’s boathouse on Lover’s Lake?” Steve suggested with a half shrug.

Max folded her arms and glared at Steve. “And how would you know where that is?”

Steve threw his arms in the air with a huff of frustration. “We’d go there sometimes when my dad was being an ass, okay?” He looked down at his shoes and scuffed his shoe on the carpet. “It was a place no knew but us. Sometimes Rick would be there and we’d watch TV sometimes.”

Dustin looked at him disbelieving. “Yeah, sure...that’s all you did.”

“I hate to break it to you kid,” Steve said dryly, “but drug lords actually prefer that their dealers aren’t doing the drugs they’re selling. It’s bad for business.”

“Oh.”

~

Part 2

Tag List: 10 SLOTS REMAINING

1- @itsall-taken @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @irregular-child @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

[kteezy997]

Lady in Waiting- Epilogue//King Hal

Warnings: Hal being a dad fluff, smut, male receiving explicit oral sex, cursing, smut, female receiving oral sex, brief adult breastfeeding

The rest of your pregnancy went splendidly well, and you gave birth to a healthy son. Hal even broke royal protocol, adamantly insisting on being in the room while you were giving birth.

"Your Grace, this is not for a man's eyes." he had been warned by one of the nurses as she tried to hold him back from entering the bed chambers.

With a fire in his green eyes he said, “I am the father of that child. I have fought on battlefields; I have seen far more horrific things than you could imagine. I think I can handle seeing my first child brought into this world. I am the King, and I will not leave y/n's side."

His promise was as true as ever. He held your hand the entire time you were pushing, encouraging you with his gentle words, in the tender tone that he reserved you only for you and the baby.

When your son was born crying, Hal gave you the most passionate kiss, "We have a boy, my darling, oh how I love you. You were so brave,” he praised you, gave you another kiss, “you were so strong." The King had a stream of happy tears flowing down his cheeks, his eyes widening in awe as he caught his first glimpses of your baby.

"I love you, Hal." You were more weak and tired than you ever thought possible, but you were so full of love that day.

You decided to name the baby boy Quentin, meaning "fifth", a subtle nod to his father, King Henry the Fifth. Though your son would not be heir to the throne, you wanted to honor Hal, and he had tears welling in his eyes once again when you told him about the name.

"I love it. It is perfect. You are perfect." He pulled you close, gently, as you were recovering from the birth.

You and Hal were standing together, watching your baby sleep in his bassinet. "No, he is perfect." you cooed. "Just look at him. He is an angel."

"He is amazing, is he not?" Hal grinned. "Would he be disturbed if I held him now?"

"No, no. Go ahead, I am sure he will stay asleep, even if you pick him up. He will be calm, he will sense that you are his father.”

“Really? You think so?” asked your King, slowly cupping the newborn’s body in his hands, cradling him in his arms with the most caution. But Hal was not afraid to hold the baby, to care for him, unlike most fathers who wanted very little to do with raising their children.

“I know so.” you answered in a whisper, unable to take your eyes off of little Quentin.

He watched in amazement as the tiny boy breathed softly, barely making a noise as he slept.

You heard Hal sniffle as you grazed your baby’s cheek with the pads of your fingers. You looked at your man’s face, totally smitten and tears forming. “Hal,” you giggled, “you must stop crying.”

Holding the baby in one arm, he wiped his tears away with the other hand, “I am sorry, my love, but I cannot help it. You created the most beautiful little boy.”

“We did.” you insisted, carefully putting your arms around Hal without disturbing Quentin, and you kissed your King.

4 months later…

Hal had a long day of royal duties, and Quentin had been abnormally fussy on this day. You both needed some relief.

Hal finally got the baby to sleep after rocking him. After placing Q in his bassinet and tucking him in with his blanket, Hal hurried to join you in bed.

Immediately shifting on top of you, he said, cupping your face, “I could not stop thinking of you all day.” He kissed your lips, sucking them into his wet mouth with greed.

“Mm.” you moaned as his fingers weaved into your hair. You parted from his lips, “I want you to fuck me.”

He groaned softly, with a cheeky smirk.

“But first, I wish to taste your cock.” you said confidently. Being with Hal had done wonders for your self esteem. You knew you could do or say anything to him, and he would love you all the more for it. Especially something such as this.

His eyes widened, he allowed you to move from underneath him, and force him onto his back. He swallowed hard, watching you pull his trousers down.

“You did not think I forgot about your special spot, did you?” you teased, gingerly taking his half hard cock in your hands. You coated his length with some saliva, having licked your own hand, and massaged his cock until he was fully hard.

Your King’s eyes drew closed here and there as your tongue swirled around his girth, and down his shaft. He groaned deep in his throat, licking his lips. His hips would jolt upward slightly.

You used the tip of your tongue to tease the soft skin between his shaft and his full testicles. He whimpered, softly still. You moaned and wiggled your lower half, feeling wet between your legs. You suctioned your lips to his deep pink, thick tip.

“Fuck.” you heard Hal’s strained whisper. You looked at him, his eyes clenched shut for a moment before he went back to watching you.

“Mmm.” you then moved to the underside of his cock, placing your moistened tongue there, just below the tip.

Now he gasped. You saw his bottom lip quiver.

Slowly, you lapped your tongue along that spot, holding his cock in your hand. You made sure to keep your mouth wet with saliva, and alternated kissing, licking and sucking his cock, specifically his sweet spot.

“I fucking love you.” the King whined, rubbing your head softly with his hand as you pleasured him.

“I love you too, my King.” you said in between pressing tender kisses on the tip of his cock.

“Lay back, I need to taste you now.” he cooed sitting up, placing his hands on your legs as you obliged his order.

As you relaxed on the bed, Hal settled between your thighs, tucking his arms around them. He instantly flattened his tongue onto your clit, gliding along the sensitive bundle. He used his lips to suckle, you felt his teeth lightly nibble, but the licking was most prevalent, causing a friction inside of you.

You would inadvertently arch your hips, and Hal would hold you back down, attacking your lower lips more intensely each time you would move, thus creating a cycle of euphoria for you. Just as your vision went black and you were seeing stars, his actions stopped completely.

You nearly went into shock, but you were relieved to feel his cock, barely touching you at first, then slowly sliding inside of you, taking several seconds to fit his entire length. You sighed in relief, he always felt incredible when he was all the way inside of you.

It was always such a tender moment for you both, him laying on top of you, warming you up and shielding you from the world, your sweaty skin sticking to his, sharing each other’s breath. You both knew that you could never get any closer. Next to your son being born, this was the best feeling you would experience, being so intertwined with the man you loved.

……

A few hours later, Hal woke you. The room was nearly pitch black if not for the moonlight and the stars shining through the window. You blinked, your vision blurry and skewed, “Is it the baby?”

“No, no. He stirred a while ago, but I had him taken to the wet nurse, so he is fine.” Hal insisted in a hushed tone.

“Oh, well if he is alright, why did you wake me, my King?” you weren’t angry, you sat up in the bed, petting your handsome man on the head.

“Well, I was wondering if I could…” he spoke, but his tired eyes wandered down to your chest.

Hal had a wet nurse hired to feed Quentin. Your doctor said your condition after giving birth was too fragile to nurse him, and it was not customary for a royal woman to feed her own baby. But, your milk was in full supply because of the King.

It was your own little secret, just for the two of you. Late at night, he would free one of your breasts, or both, and place his warm lips around your nipple to drink some milk.

“Yes, go on, my love.” you answered, letting him nestle onto your lap, holding onto your breast after he bared it from your night dress.

Oh how it turned you on, the most powerful man in the country; tall, strong, and wise King Henry V submitting to you in the evening light to suckle your tits, kneading your breast hoping for more sweet nectar. It was satisfying to see him so subdued, so surrendered, his eyes glazing over as he got drunk on you.

You thought of stroking his big, royal cock, but maybe that would be too much for now. Maybe you could work up to it.

@gatoenlaciudad @thebetawolfgirl @musicandbooksaremyhappyplace @softhecreator @tchalamss @lixzey @bitchyunknownuser @ducktapebar @aoi-targaryen @yukideadinside @elloise0 @thatoneweirdgirl17 @mel-vaz @sammy-halpert @iwishchalamet @that-one-fangirl69 @jindongdongie @briefkittenearthquake @imnotoverlyobsessive

[dat-lil-shark]

I think we should talk more about the bond between TFP Miko and Bulkhead, because if you think about it, even though Miko, though never as helpful as Jack and Rafael for most of the show, could have been the best thing that ever happened to Bulkhead.

Before meeting her, Bulkhead was simply the muscle of the team, that was all. Ratchet and others had made a great point that Bulkhead could be the least intelligent of them all, and later in the show, when Bulkhead became wounded, we can see just how devastated he was that he couldn’t be the muscle anymore, as though he died completely and was merely a ghost now. This clearly shows that, to Bulkhead, his only useful quality is his muscle. There was nothing more to his own sense of identity. Just strong, and stupid. Furthermore, before the humans came, Bulkhead was the biggest troublemaker on the team. We’ve all seen how he’s been destroying everything he touched, and maybe, in his own eyes, his strength was the only reason why the team even kept him.

But when he’s with Miko, it’s different. To Miko, he’s a superstar, he’s the greatest of them all. He is strong, magnificent, a superhero, everything that Bulkhead probably had only ever dreamed to be. And he didn’t even need to do anything. He could just be himself, and Miko would already love him.

Not only that, Miko is also so reckless sometimes that she made Bulkhead reasonable and considerate in comparison, and Bulkhead actually sometimes became the one to have to do the guiding. Not only would this be refreshing for Bulkhead to finally be able to try out the leadership and guidance role himself, he got to also got to see, with his own eyes, how team still loved Miko despite all her mistakes and how she barely contributed anything directly. Thus, this could really reassured himself that, the team also genuinely loved him too, despite all his mistakes. Even if he didn’t have the strength he did strength.

Furthermore, Miko also paralleled Wheeljack, in more levels than one. But unlike Wheeljack, Miko would never judge Bulkhead in any life decisions he makes. And while Miko does sometimes judge and criticize him, it’s almost always only for the little things, that she only did because she was immature, and she would get over quick enough. And in no way will she ever leave him for it like Wheeljack did. I also headcanon that Miko, in a way, portrayed how Bulkhead wished Wheeljack would be.

And I think, though they ended up separating, Miko’s presence still left a long lasting influence on Bulkhead. Primarily because we see how, in the Predakons Rising epilogue, Bulkhead was seen instructing the Vehicons to rebuild some buildings. That scene really hit me with surprise because this showed how Optimus, and Bulkhead himself, had began to trust Bulkhead with leadership works. I mean we remembered from episode one that Bulkhead said Optimus never left him in command, right? Well now Optimus was. And I think this could be either because Optimus remembered how Bulkhead was able to lead Miko sometimes, the most troublesome soul ever, and Bulkhead himself probably also learned from those experience and had confidence in himself doing things he had never done before.

And that’s why he loved Miko so much, even if Miko was, for a while, just a troublemaker. And, I think, Bulkhead actually wouldn’t bond so well with her if she wasn’t as much of a troublemaker.

also I just got diagnosed with autism.

[aurora-313]

Hi there.

I do wish to share a hot about certain events and characters in Bleach.

I don't think Rukia should have been the captain of squad 13. Here me out, she is qualified to be a captain and has bankai. But not for the 13th squad. We didn't see her interact with squad 13 as much as she did with squad six (Renji and Byakuya). The only significant interaction she had was with Kaien who later [redacted] in her hands.

We didn't get to see the relationship between her and Ukitake as captain and lieutenant duo and...generally really. Meanwhile we have seen great relationships with other squads like Shunsui and Nanao, Byakuya and Renji heck even Komamura and Iba had their moments together but not Rukia and Ukitake.

It upsets me as an Ukitake fan that she gets to fully admire the same people who tired to kill her in their first introduction instead of her Captain who not only said fuck you to C46 but also went against the Head captain (whom he has generated respect) to save her life🥲

Plus they didn't even get a flashback moment in tybw anime before Ukitake performed the ritual. One of the reasons I detest tybw. And she even said his line from the manga'we all feel the same way as the court guard' like come on! It would have been an emotional moment if Kubo expanded on their relationship more😤 I prefer to just ignore tybw as a whole sometimes

I apologise for the rant but I don't hate her. I hate the way Kubo handled her character as well as others sometimes. What do you think?

Well. I despise TYBW, period, so you're already starting off on a good foot with me.

I categorically reject its existence in favour of FB functioning as an epilogue and an imagined ending scene where the next year they visit Masaki's grave, Isshin strikes up a conversation with Ichigo, asking "Hey, did I ever tell you how I met your mother?"

I'll just say for the record, you don't need to redact any words, mate. We're all adults here. If one word sends someone into a foaming fit they mash keys incoherently, they have bigger problems than a random stranger on the internet.

Anyways. That aside: I will say I agree with you. To a point. Rukia's arc was about overcoming her own isolation, either self imposed or imposed upon her. EG. her talents with reiatsu in Rukongai isolating her from her adopted siblings, her adoption into nobility, her perceived role as a 'Captain's pet', her guilt from killing Kaien (when you can tell he regained control and threw himself on the blade rather than hurt her, plus her orders to do it.)

Rukia achieving Captaincy is meant to be the thematic conclusion of that arc. Overcoming her isolation to become the leader her division need her to be in the wake of tragedy. We do see it a bit in the story.

Thanks to Ichigo, Rukia was able to form bonds with the humans in Karakura; she was able to rediscover her will to live; she was able to rebuild a bond with Renji (though I'm confused how the fuck her first adopted brother became her husband, or how she forgave him for literally trying to kill her the first time they met in 40 years. Maybe Rukia's got some twisted kinks) and form a proper siblinghood with Byakuya; Rukia was able to look in the face of the man she believed she wronged most (Aaroniero!Kaien) and tell him 'I'm sorry but until I've achieved my goals, I can't give you my life'; she was able to muster the courage to go against Soul Society's laws and spearhead the effort to give Ichigo his powers back, ultimately roping in everyone up to the Yamamoto to help.

As inheritor of Kaien and Ukitake's legacies, captaincy was absolutely in Rukia's future. But to my mind, it should've been an achievement she gained well beyond what the source manga covers. If Bleach was ever cursed with a 'next gen' series, Rukia should be in that line-up. (which, I will concede, she is. But I despise everything to do with TYBW and the epilogue, so I categorically reject its existence.)

I will also agree we absolutely missed out on anything that showed why Ukitake chose Rukia as his new Lieutenant outside nepotism and being Kaien's former student. We saw nothing of their working relationship. We didn't see Rukia coping with the extra duties of being basically pseudo-Captain all the times Ukitake gets laid out due to illness. We don't get to see her working with Kiyone and Sentaro as their superior or any connections with the 13th before she's elected Captain. We're in complete agreement there.

Thematically, its meant to be a triumphant end for her character journey. In practice, screams of nepotism and a desperate need to back fill ranks because everyone is else qualified is dead, exiled or a traitor.

I'll be completely honest with you: The kamikake is bullshit. The whole plot point is bullshit. It positively screams of Kubo realising Ukitake is the golden bullet in the war against the Quincy, given Sogyo no Kotowari's power is literally catching and sending objects back at a foe, empowered several times over (ridiculously overpowered against foes that use exclusively energy projectiles, no?). The whole plot beat is Kubo deciding, "I need this character to die because he's far too broken for this war. How can I justify it? Oh, lets make him a part-Soul King."

TYBW's adaptation is middling to mediocre. I gave the first cour a watch. Not only was I mind-numbingly bored, the amount of character content cut that gave us vital context to character reactions.

My first warning sign was the first episode: 2/3rds of the episode wasted on two plebs we'll never see again. Who really gives a damn about these two idiots? Really. Sure, the manga set them up to be Ichigo's new apprentices. Which would've been a fantastic dynamic. Ichigo's the veteran teaching the impressionable young rookies how to fight and survive (honestly a far better story than what we got) but Kubo quickly punted that idea to the curb and shat all over it, in favour of a war with absolutely no stakes nor reason to care, really.

The death knell for me was the second episode: Ichigo going on patrol after hearing about Sasakibe's funeral.

In the manga, Ishida and Ichigo have a conversation about it where they agree the only reason they were allowed to overhear that phone call - or rather, the only reason the random blebs of the week received that phone call - is because Soul Society was going to tap Ichigo for help. Ichigo went on patrol to calm his nerves because the anxiety of waiting was eating him alive.

Additionally, we had a scene with the Lieutenants discussing the disappearing souls in Rukongai, then promptly freaking out because they thought their comrades had turned traitor (again) and turned their blades on Rukongai residences.

Instead the anime would have us believe Ichigo sad over a guy he'd never officially met died. A guy whose only interaction was Ichigo shattering his entire ribcage to protect Rukia and Renji's escape from Sokyoku hill. And the Lieutenants' investigations/findings are cut entirely.

That told me everything I needed to know about how this adaptation was going to go; relentlessly hacking away anything worth paying attention to, replacing it with meaningless fights, jingling keys, more filler fights, shoehorned ""shipping"" (its not even that, let's be real), infusing boring characters with artificial relevance and pushing a worse narrative than anything the manga provided.

Don't even get me started on the bullshit they've done to the Soul King.

I didn't know how TYBW could get any worse or any more illogical, but congrats Kubo, you've managed to crawl under my expectations.

To sum up: I agree with you to a point. Rukia and Ukitake absolutely should've gotten more scenes together (maybe if Kubo stopped adding characters and built up the ones he already had...), Rukia's Captaincy should've been a future/next gen plot point, and uh, yes. I hate how every character is handled in TYBW.

(You're fine ranting. I've given you a rant in kind so I think we're even. lol)

[wildflower-otome]

[Translation] Shuuen no Virche EpiC:lycoris - Scien Brofiise - Salvation Epilogue After Story

Source: Shuuen no Virche -EpiC:lycoris- Otomate Sweet Box Story Book -L'histoire de Lycoris- Note: Spoilers for Scien's Virche de la Coda -Émotion- Salvation Epilogue below.

Ep. Scien - Gaze that beholds beautiful colours

‘I love you, my Death. My first and life-long love is solely yours—.’

Back in the days when I had first begun to take a panoramic view on the world, I never imagined the time would come when I would say such a thing.

* * *

‘In that sense, your existence is like a miracle. There is nothing in this world that I do not understand, and yet you far exceeded anything I could have predicted.’

‘Y-You’re exaggerating things.....there’s nothing particularly special about me.’

In bed after spending a plentiful amount of time making love, keeping her trapped within my arms, I was devotedly cherishing my future wife.

One, two, three—. I kissed her neck, making flowers bloom on her white skin.

‘S-Scien, you’re going to leave marks......’

‘That is the idea. At this point, I doubt you’re going to have a change of heart, but somehow or other, it would appear I enjoy marking you as mine. —You needn’t worry though; I’m placing them so they won’t be visible.’

‘Wh-When you put it that way, I’ve got no choice but to happily accept them then.’

‘And you? What will you do to me?’

When I asked her teasingly, she looked to have been taken by surprise. 

‘Um, well then.....would you allow me to touch your hair? I really enjoy touching your hair, Scien....’

‘Do as you wish. .....Still, aren’t you usually the one that does my hair anyway?’

‘Touching your hair to tie it up and simply touching it are—slightly different things.’

Just as she’d said, she seemed to be in high spirits as she touched my hair.

‘I’d only just been letting it grow longer out of laziness but if it makes you happy, I’ll keep it at this length.’

‘Thank you, it would. .....I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of hairstyle you’ll have for our wedding ceremony.’

‘That should be my line.’

As she pulled the bed sheets in, wearing them about her like a dress, she continued.

‘.....It won’t be long now until the wedding.’

‘Yes. I’ll be sure to make it a day befitting our new journey.’

—That’s right. In just a few days’ time, we would no longer be merely engaged, but husband and wife.

‘Baby-making was also part of the plan, but perhaps it would be best to take our time and enjoy our married life first. .....I’ll need to study up on how to act properly as a husband too. It wouldn’t do to keep on focusing solely on my research like I have up until now.’

‘I’m plenty happy, even with things as they are now.....’

‘I won’t let you say that. I intend on making you even happier than you are now.’

‘...............-’

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the now reddened face of my future wife.

‘I’ve only just begun, so don’t go getting embarrassed already, alright? I still haven’t loved you nearly enough yet. Once we’re married, that’s when I plan on really getting started.’

‘R-Right. I won’t lose either—I’ll show you just how much I can love you too, Scien.’

‘You really have gotten bolder, haven’t you? But that’s more than fine with me.’

After laughing a little.....I took her hand and kissed her ring-wearing finger.

* * *

—Love is nothing more than foolishness. A bug that gets in the way of rational thinking.

I didn’t plan on rejecting my past self, who had once said such things.

It was for that reason I had, in my previous body, remained true to my belief that I would not love anyone until the very end.

—That’s right, I would never regret even the sins I had committed.

Because it had been that very heartlessness that had allowed me to meet my future wife.

* * *

 ‘Are you ready?’

In a single room at the church.

As the bridegroom, I asked the question of the girl in the pure white dress—no, of the woman who, in just a few hours, would be my future wife.

‘Yes. Mam helped me get changed.’

‘I see. I had thought for sure that woman would prattle on about it “Not being too late to change your mind” or some such nonsense.....’

‘Heheh, you’re completely right. But she did hug me in the end.....and told me to “Be happy.”’

‘.....That goes without saying. I suppose she is going to be my mother-in-law, more or less. I'll have to go and pay her a visit from time to time.’

‘Thank you. Once the ceremony is over, would it be alright if we went and told Adolphe and the others still dressed like this?’

‘I don’t mind. That was my plan too.’

I gazed at the veiled face that was now even whiter than before.

‘—I like the look on your face. Your expression tells me that you have no doubts about becoming happy.’

‘.....I’m glad you think so. Until just a while ago, I might have worried about whether it was right for me to be the only one to become happy..... But now, I will no longer hesitate to become happy with you, Scien. I.....won’t say that it’s in place of Adolphe and the others, but for the sake of the future they weren’t able to reach—I will become happy and never forget them.’

‘I would expect nothing less of my wife.’

Deciding to save kissing for the main event, I patted her golden hair to show my approbation.

.....From far away I heard the voice of the priest bidding us to enter.

Now was the true end of the time we spent together as mere lovers.

‘—Let’s go.’

‘Yes-.....!’

I took my wife’s hand as we began to walk at the same speed.

Heading for a future in which we would age and live out our life spans together.

‘—Let us become the happiest married couple in the whole wide world. That will be the greatest proof of my love that I can give you as your husband.’

Even without romance or love, I would be able to advance on towards the next frontier.

But at the very least, the person who I was right now was glad I had been able to meet my wife.

‘Ah, what a—’

I was completely different to how I was in the past.

‘—fascinating and dear world this is.’

Everything had appeared barren to my eyes before, but because of the existence of a single woman, it was all now dyed in beautiful colours—.

[tyran-the-tyranical]

That one line from Raphael's Second Diary will never cease to get me 🥺 LIKE MIGHT I ADD- these are his private thoughts, separate from his manipulation attempts and so he, with his full chest, admits so much in his second diary, like when he says "never have I been so attracted to mortals as I am to those infested by the tadpole." AHH, (my delusions are so real, trust)

BUT WHEN HE SAYS "They gestured to the melting hooks, suddenly glanced my way, and in their face I saw they had the best of me." look, I get the subtext behind all these quotes, but a girl can just ignore all that media literacy and take it for face value, OK? 💅 but also reading into it, he does admire Tav to a certain extent, and I have to wonder, why? Tav isn't an origin character and Tav's actions and character basically changes with every playthrough (Same with Durge, as they can change too) So I have to wonder if it's because Tav is controlled by the player, since, Raphael does end up breaking the fourth wall in his epilogue speech, so perhaps that's what he sees.

Another way to look at it is, either way, no matter what the playthrough, he sees something in Tav, something that makes them stand out much brighter than their companions (For some reason???)

To further that statement, what is the best of Raphael? I mean, if its an evil playthrough, that would be obvious, but if you're playing a good playthrough, what then? perhaps what he sees is someone he can finally use to get the crown, that's also very likely. Still though that's a very to the point (IMO) not as interesting of a reading since it's literally just his end goal for us, BUT STILL A VALID ONE, because, it is true, that's what he wants from us the most.

Also his third diary where he just straight up admits that he's being so honest with us so he can manipulate us, love that for him, "I am master here. A prince of bargains cloaked like scarlet satin. All that hidden under sublimely obvious truths that cannot be discounted." Which also makes me wonder, is Raphael actually an honest person? I mean, Korilla thinks he's at least decent, but honest? outside of helping us, if we look at Yurgir, he really fucked him over lol. Obviously, Raphael isn't what he seems, even if he's honest with us, to what extent? he says it himself, he's honest about "...sublimely obvious truths..." but what about when he says he's grown quite fond of us in his own way, HMMMM?

I wish this man got a proper story arc in the game, outside of the whole deal for the hammer and House of Hope, that's all plot related for the hammer, but a storyline about Raphael as a character? I mean yea, maybe that would whisk away some of his mystery, his intrigue, but I'm sorry- you cant just end it with him fucking himself (poorly) and trying to break Hope (making her a metaphorical symbol of hope anyway, I think....) AND LEAVE IT THERE?!?!? at the same time, I do like the ambiguity of his character, you could think of him as a cruel bastard after seeing what he's done in the House Of Hope to his debtors and Hope herself or perhaps just a Pathetic lil guy who's shit in bed lol, or maybe even soft, if you go off Korillas words and what he does for us in game he can come across as quite nice, especially after we've interacted with Mizora who's is the only other Cambion example we can go off of.

I also just think it's interesting that he sees anything in Tav/Durge at all. Ofc he says he sees the best of him (Always gotta relate back to himself lol) but that especially a mortal is what he could see himself, the best of himself, but then again he does see potential and ambition as admirable (?) or just something he appreciates, you can see that with Mol and Gortash to some extent anyway, But what ambitions does Tav have outside of just trying to survive? Like, the obvious answer is he wants us to give him the crown and we're the underdog in the story but then why does he refer to Tav so differently then? I fear this has turned into another rant again, lol.

Just a final thought here, but, if he did ever get a story arc, similar to the companions, would they give you multiple directions to take his character? i mean with Shadowheart for example, you could help her break from shar or have her fully convert into shars chosen, but even then, if you free her from shar theres the point of saving her family or freeing her from Shars (curse?) there's multiple ways for her story to end. Though, Raphael isnt a companion, so would he have something similar to idk a minor companion like Halsin or Minthara, who don't really have that much of a diversion (I think) in their endings, they don't really have the option, only really if the player decides to be evil or not, they kinda just follow them either way, it doesn't really impact their own stories. Obviously, I would prefer something with nuance but also, HE ISN'T A COMPANION 😭 and pressingly some of the companions need more work done than he does atm lol. Maybe that's me just projecting lol, once again, me wanting to have my cake and eat it too, anyway, that's me done... for now lol

[tangents-within-tangents]

The thing about the "Clone Rebellion" show

I've become a lot more critical of The Bad Batch lately and I think I realized that’s because it’s over. 

That means that 1. I can look back on the whole show retrospectively, and 2. any issues or hopes I had no longer have a chance to be addressed or resolved.

I realized I’ve been very caught up in thinking about the missed potential of the show, and a lot of my disappointment/frustration with the direction TBB took (esp in regards to the "reg" clones) is coming from the fact that a Clone Rebellion show does not exist to make up for it. For now this is all we have, and it’s hard for me to just accept TBB for what it is, because I at least have been operating under the assumption that this is all we're going to get, that this fabled spin-off show is just not going to happen. 

Because here’s the thing: We all kinda talk about it as if it's a given, a not if but when, but as far as I can tell the concept came entirely from the fans. Just speculation and wish-fulfillment. I don’t really keep up with news/interviews/behind the scenes stuff, but I’m pretty sure there have never been any mentions from official sources (y'all freaked out about one animation job listing that could be for literally anything). If there's something I’ve missed let me know, but for now at least there have been no announcements or plans or anything.

The only thing really is that the gaps left in TBB feel like intentional setup (we never got an Echo and Rex solo episode like we did with Crosshair and Cody which feels like they are saving it for something else, Echo’s fate was specifically left open-ended by not mentioning him (for better or for worse) in the epilogue, Emerie joins them at the end setting up for a female character to be in the main cast, etc) but that still doesn’t guarantee that we will ever actually get a show. That feels more like leaving the possibility open, not necessarily making plans. Especially since TBB actually puts any potential Clone Rebellion show in a really weird position:

There's a lot of important clone-relevant stuff going on during TBB (like Order 66, Kamino, the stormtrooper bill, Tantiss) but I doubt they would go back and show that again since it would either be repetitive by rehashing TBB’s timeline, or confusing by relying too much on people having watched another show. Yeah most people probably would have, but that still doesn’t work very well narratively if your important beats are just implied and happening offscreen. Like I would kill to see more of Nemec and Fireball but then they would just disappear after being killed off (for pretty much no reason) in another show! Hemlock and Tantiss base were designed specifically to be clone-centered threats, and the underground network were the ones who actually spent time searching for it, but then they weren’t there for the rescue so there would be no resolution. But if we instead pick up at the end of TBB it seems like most clones have already been phased out of the Empire by then anyway. Yes you could still make things work either way and come up with new plots and stuff but it’s still a tight spot to be in and it doesn’t really feel like the writers took that into account.

Whether we do get another show or not, I think it still had a negative impact on TBB though. Like that show already had a cameo problem, but 'setting up potential future show at the expense of the current one' is such an issue in any media (esp Star Wars and Marvel these days). Since we got pieces of both 'important stuff happening to the clones' and 'fun mercenary adventures with the Batch' rather than just committing to one or the other, or equally to both, it just causes issues for both shows. I’ve been working on a full post about the lost potential, but for now I’ll summarize as:

It hurts TBB bc we get these glimpses of a more meaningful story that our main characters, the ones the show decides to dedicate screen time to, choose not to participate in. It’s like that trope/bad writing thing where the story they mention (Budapest, or like the Cullens' backstories) sounds more interesting than the one they are actually showing us. Like it’s okay that the Batch didn’t take the same route as Echo and Rex, but the route they did take should be of equal or greater importance/intrigue, and it just really wasn’t. It was mostly directionless side quests and that made the characters seem selfish and a lot of the plots feel filler-y because there are so many important things going on elsewhere. 

It's just starting to feel unlikely that we'll get TWO post-RotS "clone-centered" shows, so why waste the one we did get avoiding the more important clone-centered storyline? Why not at the least equally divide the time you did have between the Batch and Echo and Rex? Why make an ensemble show if you're not going to try to actually balance all the characters? Why bring back a fan favorite clone just to push him to the sidelines and ignore all his potential? Why focus on the "clones" who aren't affected by/don't care about clone issues?

Believe me, I still want a show focusing on Rex and Echo's efforts to save the clones (I just wish it was the show we got in the first place)! I genuinely hope that we will get this show someday, not just because I love clones and this concept, but because I really see a need for it, there's a lot of gaps and potential to be filled there (which is also why I'm okay waiting bc frankly I don't trust the current state of Star Wars writers to properly handle that potential). But I’m treating it with a more “not until proven otherwise” approach (because we all know what happens when we get our hopes up lolll). So for now this is what we have, and unless that changes, I think we should treat it as such.

A lot of times when I see people mention the idea of a new show it's as a way to fix any issues within TBB. Like ‘this wasn’t resolved that well, maybe in the clone rebellion show…’ ‘Maybe Tech could still come back in the clone rebellion show’ ‘Maybe Crosshair’s character arc could be more complete…’ etc. But again we don’t know for sure if there ever will be another show, and even if there is, TBB should be able to stand on its own. There are some things I think another show could do (like address the plot hole of why the Empire never came back to Pabu, or actually doing something with the CX troopers) but narratively it does not work for major plot arcs or character development like that to be resolved elsewhere (like how a major Mandalorian plot point happened in the middle of TBOBF???). If we do get a Clone Rebellion show I don't think it would make much sense for the Batch to play much of a role in it. TBB ended with a clear send off for those characters, whether that was fully satisfying to you or not, that was the narrative intention. The Batch could show up as cameos, but this wouldn’t be their story anymore, and we know it couldn’t be because they were very intent on retiring and clearly never cared much about the regs or Empire so why would they suddenly change their minds?

A Tech lives plotline would have to be centered on the Batch, that’s his family, but that would just be really out of place in a separate show, especially post-finale (which confirmed that Tech did not come back in canon (at least until Omega joins the rebellion, if you want to be nitpicky ig)). There always could be ways to make it work anyway if you really wanted to, but we saw what retcon battles did to the Sequel Trilogy, and it still wouldn’t really fix any problems in TBB as a show. I’ve said it before, but if the writers were going to bring Tech back then they simply would/should have (they knew season 3 was the final season and they had plenty of time which they spent fighting space gators and whatnot instead).

I'm not saying this to spoil the fun or like dash anyone's hopes or anything. I don't actually know any more than anyone else, I have no impact on what Disney and Lucasfilm do (and clearly they don't really care about making narratively functional choices anyway, get roasted). For all I know this post could age horribly. I just had some thoughts to get off my chest, because I think it’s unproductive to judge TBB based on the idea of an unconfirmed potential other show--that does not (yet?) exist and wouldn't be about them--instead of looking at it for what it is. 

TBB is over. Canon happened, what we have is what we got. We can love it and hate it and critique it and write our au’s and fix-its, but I really think that it’s done. We have to make space for endings, that's an important part of storytelling (which is also why they need to be well-written but whatever). And we also have to make space for other stories to be told. The Batch had their show, they spent the screen time they had on what they did. Those characters got their time and they got a happy ending wrap up, and now it's (hopefully) time to let some other clones take the spotlight.

[kunimilktea]

This picture of kori in the last post is sending me

She looks so silly dkkskskdkd.

Speaking of kori (also hey I had an mc called cori that's cool!) when do her and cove get together? Is it in the step 2 epilogue with the confession or during the charity confession?

Also unrelated to Kori but what do you mind going more into depth on your thoughts for both Derek and Baxter dlcs? I love discussions around their dlcs I wish people would genuinely talk more about itz going into depth into the themes of the dlcs and how they affect Derek and Baxter as characters, but then again I'm someone who loves analyzing the media they consume so djdkdkjd. General discussions about these things drive me crazy (I think is worth mentioning that I'm autistic so djdkdk)

Your art is also very lovely I loved watching your doodles, you're one of the artists I always look forward to to get a notification from 🫶

THATS ALOT OF QUESTIONS YOU GOT THERE BUDDY,,,,

Im kidding tho it's appreciated nonetheless ^_^

SO FIRST OF ALL THANKS FOR LIKING MY ART 🥹🥹🥹 i try my best to make time for drawing my silly our life doodles despite being busy in college and i appreciate anyone who rlly enjoys my dumb doodles of my ol mc shenanigans

Answering the confession question, they confess at the end of step 3 cause i thought the slowburn was fun 😇

I actually drew their first kiss right here

Now with the derek and baxter dlc question,,,

So fun fact! With how i played the the dlcs over all me and my friend Lo (@/oiulse) would choose which boy to play the dlc and stream it on call, so Lo picked Baxter and i took Derek, it was really funny cause casual constantly played in our heads during the Baxter dlc (bless lo btw for gifting me both dlcs labyu oomf 🫰)

With how i feel with BOTH dlcs

For my boy Derek Suarez

When i played the first moment from dereks dlc my voice started like acting up from how long THAT specific moment was, maybe its just me but the first moment in particular felt really long, I get it though its the first time ur meeting the suarez family and in no way did i NOT enjoy it, but there were indeed moments where im like DAMN ITS STILL NOT OVER cause of how tired my voice was getting LMFAO, all the other moments were rlly fun my favorite one from the dlc was where u hang out with liz on daddy day and there was an option to gift a card to cliff 🥹, his step 4 was also a bunch of fun i loved the family bonding get to do with the suarez brothers (u can just tell that i love family aus) and getting to hang out with derek made me love him more as a chr, HIS STEP 4 VOICE IS STILL A JUMPSCARE TO ME FROM HOW DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT IT IS (no hate to the va btw) STILL VERY FUNNY THOUGH HAHAHA, i made it so that Derek, kori and cove get to be neighbors before the both of them get married so now they hang out LOTS

With THE Baxter FUCKING Alexander Ward

I heard from another friend that the baxter's dlc was gonna be angsty and i was like oh hell fuckin yeah i love angst! AND THERE CERTAINLY WAS ANGST ILL TELL U THAT MUCH, since i was watching lo play through the Baxter dlc i will admit there were a few times where i spaced out cause ANOTHER fun fact, we played the dlcs like really late on my timezone so i was either drawing while Lo was playing or i was in the brink of conking the fuck out, i was able to know what was going on overall i think the ONLY moment i like fully spaced out on was when the mc and baxter were like out drinking or smth and there was this entire thing with the bartender and the singer, that specific scene in particular i was fully focusing on smth else and it wasnt till later that when i played the baxter dlc for myself that i knew what was finally going on, since me and lo have our castaways au to think abt while playing these dlcs we were building aus upon aus of what lo's mc would do when meeting with baxter again after 5 years its fun lo has never been the same since and neither have i, the angst was good soup and i can see why baxter's dlc was more expensive than derek's LMFAO

But ironically enough the dlc that made me cry was DEREKS DLC,,, that moment on the step 4 epilogue with the brothers having a heart to heart is going to be MY ROMAN EMPIRE, I FUCKING LOVE FAMILIES BRO GAUGHHHH

Anyways sorry that was unnecessarily long i could have organized my thoughts more but i dont have the patience for that so i hope u dont mind that all my thoughts and feelings were all over the place hahaha

In conclusion the dlcs was a nice content buffet 👍

[silvermoon424]

Okay, but can we talk about how Luna greets Usagi when she comes home at the end of the Cosmos movie? The manga left the fate of the cats, as well as Phobos and Deimos, up in the air. The movie makes it clear. THE CATS WERE RESURRECTED, TOO! It made my heart SO happy to see! So maybe Diana was safely returned to the future alive! Yay! I wish they had shown Phobos and Deimos too, though.

Though, I do wonder how Mamoru is going to explain his absence to Harvard. Does he just get teleported there and say he got lost or something? And the Inner Senshi, who obviously went missing for several days, wouldn't any family members and friends worry? This isn't really explained in the Black Moon arc, either. There was a tearful reunion with friends at the end of the BM arc, but imagine Minako's parents, especially her mother! Wouldn't they be worried? And Rei is the daughter of a big-name politician, so her disappearance might actually make the news. Especially since it's happened TWICE now. Maybe her grandfather makes up an excuse for her? The Cosmos movie seems to imply that Rei's grandfather knows about everything, since Senshi business is discussed right in front of him, and he doesn't question anything.

I actually like the idea that immediately after this, the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask reveal their identities. "I was fighting against an enemy that wanted to take over the entire cosmos" is one heck of an excuse for an absence! Maybe Mamoru would get an honorary degree for that. XD

I would love to know your thoughts! And now I want to write some fics. XD

I am SOOOO happy they included that new scene! It really does do a good job of bridging the aftermath of the final battle to the epilogue. Not to mention it makes it more obvious that the epilogue was a time skip.

And yeah, of course, I'm so happy to get confirmation that the cats (and presumably Phobos, Deimos, and everyone else) got resurrected! It always struck me as kinda weird that we don't get that in the manga so I'm glad they clarified it.

Also yeah, Sailor Moon as a series has always been very blasé about the effect the Senshi's fighting has on the larger world. We never really get to see an outsider perspective, which is a shame. I will always remember that scene in the S movie where ice dancers attack Tokyo and immobilize everyone before being defeated. And once it's safe people just... get back up and walk away like nothing happened lmao.

But yeah, I love the idea of this being the catalyst that causes the Senshi to reveal their identities!

[gunilslaugh]

Best Of The Worst Epilogue

Han Hyeongjun  Summary: What your life was like after you got your revenge. (non-idol au) WC:742 Warning:none

part 1 part 2 part 3

photo not mine credits to owner.

After getting your revenge you didn’t really know what to do with your life. You had worked as a castle maid for most of it, so now that you were no longer bound to the castle grounds you felt a bit lost. 

In the meantime Hyeongjun opted for taking you to travel around the land with him. Showing you all that you missed while you were, as he called, “cooped up” inside the castle walls. 

“Are you sure we should be here? A lot of people are staring at us,” you say to Hyeongjun while giving his sleeve a subtle tug.

“Of course we should be here. You’ve been to the moon festival before right?” he checked. 

“No, but I’ve helped with the preparations for it,” you said. Hyeongjun chuckled lightly. 

“That’s not the same. You should be able to enjoy it, not work it,” he tells you. 

“It’s hard to enjoy it when everyone is staring,” you disclosed. 

“My reputation makes people fear me. I can't do much about it.” That was true no matter where you traveled with Hyeongjun, the people around you always seemed to be a bit skittish in his presence. It was like they were waiting for him to make a move. Some people were brave enough to ask if you needed help. Due to Hyeongjun’s cold blooded, murderous reputation people were quick to assume that you must’ve been a poor hostage of his. 

“No, my girlfriend doesn’t need any help. Thank you though,” Hyeongjun would remark passive aggressively. 

“Don’t they ever bother you?” you asked, referring to the stares. 

“No, I quite like them actually. They make me feel powerful,” he states. “Come on, let's fly a lantern.” He pulls you along to a stall that was selling lanterns. Hyeongjun lets you pick out a lantern, then pays for it. After getting the lantern he leads off to a secluded, yet open area where the two of you can release the lantern. 

“What are these pieces of paper for?” you asked, looking at two strips of paper. 

“You’ve really never done this before.” Hyeongjun shook his head. He comes closer to you and takes one of the slips of paper from your hands. “You’re supposed to write your wishes on them,” he tells you. 

“Wishes? Do you really believe whatever you wish for will come true?” you question. 

Truthfully, in the past at least, no, Hyeongjun didn’t believe that writing a wish on a piece of paper and sending it up into the sky would make it come true. However he also used to believe that he would never fall in love with anyone. He never thought that there would be anyone who was willing to stay by his side. You already proved him wrong about two things he was so certain about, so who knows maybe the wish he jots down onto the little paper will come true. 

“It’s a part of the fun,” he answers you, handing you the writing utensil for you to write down your wish. Once you write your wish down you and Hyeongjun secure your wishes onto the lantern. 

“Are you ready?” he asked after he lit the flame of the candle inside the lantern. 

“Ready,” you smiled. You and Hyeongjun stood on either side of the lantern, holding onto it gently. Slowly you both lifted the lantern towards the sky until it left your hands. Hyeongjun comes to stand next to you. He wraps an arm around your shoulder as the pair of you watch your lantern ascend into the night sky. 

“What did you wish for?” you asked.

“If I tell you won’t come true,” he states. 

“Seriously? You're quite committed to this wish thing” you say. Normally he wouldn’t be, but for the first time in his life. He actually had a wish that he wanted to come true. I wish to stay with y/n forever. 

“Well what did you wish for?” he countered. 

“Not telling you. It won’t come true,” you played. I wish that Hyeongjun can always be by my side.

“I guess we can only wait to see if they come true then,” Hyeongjun said. 

“I guess so. I hope they do,” you voice. 

“Me too,” Hyeongjun agreed. The two of you continue to look up at your lantern until it drifts so high that you can’t see it anymore. Leaving you and Hyeongjun alone together ready to continue on with your journey.

part 1 part 2 part 3

taglist: @purplelady85 @gingerjunhan @chewednails @ezlynkisses @mon2sunjinsuver @mxlly143 @seungseung-minmin

comment or message me to be added!

[syncopatedid]

The fact that both Ai and Aqua have NO shadow in this art teaser is sending me.

Yes, I've been following this series, yes I love Aqua and may or may not have a collection of him (and Kana is Best Girl)! I was even super convinced all the way up to chapter 165 that everything that played out would be revealed to be a big elaborate lie* meant to pull the wool over our eyes because I thought the author had the chops to tell a story well. And so, having 166 be the ending was certainly... uh... a Choice (tm). I am still in denial though because there's a 26pp special coming soon, lemme believeeeee~!

Manga spoilers ahoy.

*Also let me explain: While I am not opposed to tragic endings (looking at you, Banana Fish), I think this "life sucks, then you die" conclusion we got is more a sign that the author painted himself into a corner, got tired, and wants to wrap up and move on (blink twice if you're being held hostage, sensei!) My best girl did not even get a proper rejection or closure and that is the one true tragedy.

More importantly, if the ending WAS going to be Ruby "living the lie" in place of Ai as a way of going full circle, I do feel the theme would have been way stronger had the "lie" been even an bigger one that EVERYONE is in on and not just Ruby: that not only did Aqua survive—he could be in a coma, in a really bad state or incapacitated for life, just not dead dead—all the chapters following the incident were of the rest of the cast being willing accomplices to Aqua's final revenge: manipulating the truth and selling the final big lie to US, the public/audience.

Tying back to the reality TV arc where we got a glimpse of just how easy it is to sway public perception + the fact that everyone Aqua is involved with belongs to the entertainment industry, it's not a stretch to think that news of his death and the characters grieving were all what the public was meant to see and interpret accordingly as planned. This not only garners sympathy from the public but will in all likelihood absolve Aqua from further controversy and keep Ruby's reputation intact. Aqua reported "death" will mean he'll not be able to show his face in the entertainment industry again, but assuming he's not permanently in a coma or some other debilitating state, it is not difficult for him to "retire" and go into hiding (and be forgotten by the world as time goes on)... at least something to that effect. It is a small price to pay to disappear from the public eye. Sure, I guess it could be considered convoluted that Aqua somehow "miraculously" survives. Still, subverting expectations only works if there is enough buildup and hints along the way that would lead us to agree with the conclusion even if it's not something we'd personally wish for (which, to sensei's credit, Ruby's ending actually does makes sense). If chapter 166 is well and truly the end and we're not getting an epilogue where we find out we were gloriously trolled (which WILL be well played, btw), then I guess the ride was fun, but the dismount could really use more effort and thought.

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

Everlark (Mockingjay, Ch. 15)

(an aside: it's hitting me more reading it this time how horrific the falling of the nut is when katniss puts it into comparison with how her dad died in the mines. like it's a very significant turn in her and gale's relationship when he devises this plan i think)

it's interesting that katniss says she has no choice but to listen to haymitch's updates on peeta. of course it's because he's literally in her ear (she could take the piece out/tune him out) but i think it's mostly because it's more like something within her compels her to listen to them

funny how katniss at this point has resigned herself to never getting her peeta back but her heart still skips a beat when she hears mildly better news on him. like she's been in a state of not allowing herself to have hope because she fears inevitable disappointment but that hope is still deep within her

peeta remembering katniss's father singing the hanging tree when he was like 6/7 makes me want to weep. and i'm sure it made katniss want to weep, for peeta to remember her father, how the birds stopped to listen to him sing. i feel like there's so many instances where peeta is linked to katniss's father throughout the trilogy, through katniss's own thoughts and here we have a link that peeta remembers.

the fact that this memory is linked to peeta being mesmerised by katniss singing in school when they were 5. because his father had pointed out katniss's father to him. so he'd already seen katniss sing at this point, and then he's 6/7 in the bakery and he sees katniss's dad walk in and he remembers and he listens to see if the birds stop for him the way his father says they do, the way he saw them stop for katniss. ugh. i am so glad peeta and katniss found each other again and again and again. they were really inevitable.

her wishing peeta was there to articulate why it's all so wrong. because even though peeta shares her rebellious feelings and anger, he also shares her heart and her kindness and her compassion for human lives

"i hope he's watching now, that he remembers that night as it happened, and maybe forgives me when i die" - i am so glad they got their growing back together and their epilogue because this outcome or any other outcome for them would have seriously depressed me. that this is what this teenage girl is thinking about, the teenage boy she loves and who has been taken from her and twisted, right before she dies as part of a political plan she just kinda stumbled into...