#ignore women for it? all those posts felt off to me idk | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nehswritesstuffs · 2 years

Text

Lackluster

My brain: write this niche ship

Me (in an Uncle Stan voice): I don’t know how to respond to this.

Also me: *writes it anyhow*

3980 words; someone said it was rarepair month, which meant this has been haunting me and idk what’s going on but now everyone else gets to suffer as well; I guess we’re talking a post-Wano AU? Maybe shoving it into what we know? You know idk; moral of the story is that these two would look good together and there’s nothing anyone can do about it; please don’t ask me about the prevailing implications of this ship bc wtf no one has time to dissect that; I feel like this ship has the potential for something really neat, but they’d have to get over a lot of other shit first in order to get it past a series of one-night stands like this

Lackluster; The Polar Tang makes a proper stop in Dressrosa after the insanity that was Wano, leading to a bit of unexpected shore leave for her captain. [Law/Viola, mature rating]

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Okay, so, he lied.

Although Law wanted to push forward and see what was beyond Wano, he also really, really wanted to put distance between himself and the Straw Hats. Kidd as well, for that matter, but definitely the Straw Hats. Instead of going off towards the Pose’s locked reading, he had Bepo save it for later, instead going back along their prior route. There had to be somewhere for them to lay low for a while Strawhat-ya wreaked havoc, because as soon as they started again, they were liable to create an even bigger mess than before. Did Trafalgar D. Water Law wish to endanger his crew by bringing them within a Log Pose’s distance of those lunatics again? Not really.

Hence, going backwards. Just for a little bit. Strategically, as it were.

“Dressrosa? Really?” He stared at the port for a bit, then looked over at Bepo, who cowered at being caught. “You do know that I just came from here.”

“Sorry, but we all wanted to see!” the bear defended sheepishly. “It’s supposed to be a beautiful country…”

“…with beautiful women!” Shachi added. Law could feel the twitch in his lower right eyelid returning. Shachi and Penguin both appeared, ready to disembark based on the fact they were wearing clothes that were definitely not their boiler suits. “Come on—you can’t just decide that you get to have all the fun!”

“You were at Onigashima.”

“You know what the man meant,” Penguin said. In a tone—no less—as though there was no room for argument! “The guys and I all took a vote…”

“…I’m still sane, Cap…!” Ikkaku shouted from the back of the crew. Penguin closed his eyes and winced.

“…the guys, Ikkaku, and I all took a vote and, aside from the lone dissenter, we decided it’d be good to hang around Dressrosa for a few days. You said we should figure it out.”

“Yeah, but…”

“…and we figured it out,” Shachi finished. “C’mon—it’s not even like they’re worried about anything now that they’re cleaning up and it’s after the Levely. Live a little.”

“I hate you.”

“Heh—no you don’t.”

At that, most of the crew went and disembarked onto dry land, leaving only Law and the ones who already seemed to have drawn first lots. How long had they been planning this? He stood there for a moment feeling rather defeated before heading down below, because if he was going to be wandering around Dressrosa, at least he was going to be doing so in something other than the coat he saved her in.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sitting down at a cafe, Law sipped at his coffee and honestly enjoyed the sights around him. With sunglasses on and leaving his hat in the Tang, he felt comfortably different enough to where few people would stop and bother him. In fact, no one seemed to take notice of him at all, which was a relief. He never liked being the center of attention, all things considered, and he was glad that he could simply give off the air of someone passing through.

Trying to ignore the sight of Clione and Uni on the other side of the square attempting to chat up some ladies, Law decided to dive directly into one of the newspapers he had acquired. Plenty of things had happened since they had disappeared into Wano, and it seemed as though the surprises were almost limitless.

“Are you sure you want to trust what’s printed in that fire-starter?” Law glanced over the top of the paper and saw he was no longer alone at the table. Viola, wearing her own set of sunglasses and a surprisingly tasteful skirt-and-polka-dot-blouse outfit as her hair sat pinned elegantly in a bun. He suspected it had been hiding in the back of her wardrobe.

“There’s some actual journalism, if you know how to look.”

“The comics page?”

“Mostly in the language being used, as well as corrections,” he shrugged. “Normal, accurate, fully-respectable journalists can get things wrong, which is why such a page exists to begin with. We’re fallible that way. However…” He laid the paper down and tapped the page full of small, barely-legible text. “…and for this to be a normal amount? A full double-spread on a bad day? It’s like they put out two completely different newspapers at once.”

“Hmm… you’re not entirely wrong,” she conceded. She played with the rim of her own cup and he could feel her eyes boring into him, hidden by the tinted lenses. “Word travels fast anyhow—what are you doing back here after causing that ruckus in Wano? Here I thought you’d want to chase a certain trouble-making carnivore down.”

“As strong and chaos-inducing as he is, he’s just a kid, and I got enough annoying kids on my crew to worry about some teenager who refuses to follow a plan.”

Her eyebrows shot up at that. “So you think of him as a child?”

“An insanely powerful and charismatic one liable to stress me into going grey by thirty, yeah.”

“Hmm.”

Viola sipped at her coffee and hummed. It was a surprisingly quiet moment for a bustling street in the middle of a rebuilding country, and yet there was something about it that sent the hairs on the back of Law’s neck in shivers.

“Maybe I did underestimate you,” she chuckled, putting down her cup and placing it and the saucer aside. “Then again, much of what I heard was myth and legend over the years.”

“Much of it was unfounded, I can assure you.”

“Possibly. I’ve had a bit of time to assess you for myself as well.”

“…and…? Do I pass muster?”

“You pass… something alright.” A smile tugged at her lips, twitching the corners up coyly. “Doffy might have mourned your loss, but I see no reason to wail and shed tears.”

“Not that way, anyhow,” he quipped. He immediately regretted his word choice—the idiots in his crew (and Strawhat-ya’s, let’s be honest) were really rubbing off on him—as her smile widened.

“Is this you saying you could… satisfy my curiosity? That you’re… up to the task?”

“Your last paramour, from what I understand, still thinks he’s twenty years younger than he really is—I’m surprised he could get anything going at all, let alone sustain it.”

She let out an undignified snort and laughed—warm and genuine. “I admit it wasn’t anything aside from practical maneuvering on my end, but sometimes it’s not entirely bad doing what one must when in the correct mindset.” He shuddered, which made her laugh again. “What? Too much for your delicate sensibilities?”

“Not delicate per say; just… he’s the last person I want to think about doing that right about now.”

“Fair.” Viola stood and gazed down at him, still smirking. “Want to not think about it for a while?”

“I’d like to think of it never.”

“Then maybe I can… help your memory replace that information with something else.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down. Her voice went low and she was so close that Law could smell her perfume—Alabastian, if he remembered a prior crew pitstop correctly. “You still remember your way around?”

“Of course.”

“Then don’t disappoint me, Trafalgar Law.”

Viola let her hand linger as she walked away, passing into the crowd behind where Law was sitting. He looked and she was gone—vanished just as discreetly as she appeared.

“Hey, Captain!” Law’s attention was pulled away from Viola’s disappearing trick, Clione and Uni suddenly appearing next to his table. “What’cha doing?”

“Never you mind,” Law grumbled. He downed the rest of his coffee and gathered up the newspaper, shoving it under his arm. “I’m just going somewhere quiet.”

“You know that’s pretty impossible, right?” Uni replied.

“Yeah, I mean, why would you?” Clione asked. Law stared in deadpan silence before he cast a Room and disappeared in silence.

Fucking hell… hopefully they saw nothing.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After quickly depositing the newspapers inside his office in the Tang and dodging more of his crew, Law used his Op-Op ability to pop around Dressrosa, doing his best to figure out where Viola went. It was his Haki that eventually found her, walking calmly on her way to the edge of the townscape. He placed himself alongside her and locked their arms together.

“What took you?” she asked idly.

“Crew—they’re a rowdy bunch at times.” He heard her chuckle and he felt the tips of his ears grow hot. “What…?!”

“At first I found it difficult to believe that your crew is so full of mirth, but it does suit you,” she replied. They were now meandering down an unpaved dirt road, fields on either side of them and trees soon approaching. “They must be what keeps you from becoming Doffy’s true Corazón material.”

“Not entirely, but it does, yes, keep things lighter in mood,” he admitted. Law returned a nod to what appeared to be a passing farmer and then tried not to scowl. “Are you sure about this?”

“I have always been able to wander amongst the people—before, during, and after Doffy’s reign,” she stated. “The overbearing threat of him has ruined your sense of trust.”

“I can’t see into people’s minds and hearts.”

“There are some things I don’t need my Devil Fruit ability for, and that is often one of them.” He glanced at her—nearly his height in those heels—and saw the wistful expression on her face. “My father’s rule has been a good one, and the people are well-aware of the sacrifices I made to subvert Doffy. They will not give us away. If anything…” She trailed off in thought, not finishing her sentence. Law waited for her to complete the thought, giving up once they were under the shade of trees.

“If anything…?”

“Oh, sorry. If anything, I think they would be glad to see me acting normal for once. You know: administering law, representing the nation amongst other heads of state, meeting people…”

“The question remains as to whether or not I’m the sort of person they want you to be meeting with.”

“I’ll take my chances.” She went off the road and onto a footpath, where she took him through the grey-barked, virgin cork trees until they came across a small house hidden from the road. He raised an eyebrow at her and she winked at him. “What? My sister and I used to come here as children. The past ten years, it’s where I came to be alone.”

“No one else knows?”

“My family, but they are all at Kyros’s today.” She unlocked the door and began to flit about the house, opening windows and letting the fresh air in. It had only one floor, with a kitchen and sitting area taking up most of the space, while two doors let off to the side—presumably a bedroom and bathroom. Viola slipped into one of the rooms for a moment and Law could peek inside, confirming his suspicions.

“This is all fairly elaborate for what I imagine is a one-time thing,” he mentioned as she exited the bedroom. She shrugged at that.

“We both deserve a bit more than an alley, and Doflamingo was never in this place.”

Ah. That explained… quite a bit, actually.

“Forget that though,” she continued. She placed her hands on either side of his jaw, thumbs brushing against his cheeks and her remaining fingers pressed against his neck, pristine fingernails gently scraping over his skin. “I want you to do precisely what you followed me here for.”

Taking that as permission, Law leaned down the small amount it took until he was pressing his lips against Viola’s. They were soft against his own and he able to taste the lip balm she used. One of her hands moved to his hair and held him firmly, allowing his own hands to wander towards her waist to settle right above her hips. She slipped her tongue into his mouth to press against his, teasing and daring for more. He complied, deepening the kiss. A moan escaped her and he grinned as he continued.

“It’s been that long?” he smirked. She pinched his shoulder.

“Shut up.”

“I think I remember you invoking a horrible image in my brain, which implied that you had been getting enough to avoid such a response.”

“I said: shut up.”

At that, Viola maneuvered Law a few steps backwards and pushed him down into a chair. He landed hard on the worn lacquered wood, hissing in irritation before he realized that she was leaning over him, hands braced on the table as she caged him in, their noses nearly touching.

“Do I make myself clear?” The irritation and surprise left his face, leaving only cockiness in their place.

“Crystal, princess.”

Finding that acceptable for the time being, Viola sat down, straddling Law’s lap as she began to kiss him again. She worked at unbuttoning his shirt as he held her hips this time, his thin fingers caressing from her upper thighs all the way to the hipbone. Once she had his shirt open and shoved off his frame, she placed her hands on his chest, feeling the tight muscle under skin and ink. He pulled her closer, bringing her chest flush with his and hiking up her skirt at the same time. As she gasped, he moved to begin kissing along her jaw, her throat, her pulse point, gently biting down before she twisted one of his nipples and made him recoil.

“Fuck!”

“No marks,” she ordered. “I can’t show up to court with love bites where just anyone can see.”

“Cover them with makeup.”

“That’s annoying, and less-than-foolproof.”

“I thought you said your people want you to… you know…”

“…the people, yes. The same cannot be said about my father and brother-in-law.”

Law cast a Room in response and snapped his fingers, making Viola’s blouse and bra relocate to another chair. Once she was rid of the garment he leaned her back and plunged his face between her breasts in order to bite the underside of her left one. She sucked in a breath through her open mouth, her entire body beginning to tremble.

Oh, he was good.

The Room still up, Law transported them both onto the bed in the other room, placing them on the edge of the mattress instead. Viola took the pin out of her hair and placed it on the sidetable, letting her hair fall down past her shoulders in dark waves. It framed her face as she brought him back up to meet her lips, shielding them both as they continued to kiss fervently. They ground their hips together as they leaned back onto the bed, with her feeling the rough trouser fabric tight around his erection, while he could smell how wet she was.

A few more moments of kissing and Viola decided to break the action, concentrating instead on slipping out of her shoes, skirt, and panties. Law did the same with the rest of his clothes, pausing as he caught sight of her entire body. It had been a long time since he had seen a naked woman outside of a clinical setting, and it wasn’t until right then and there did he realize how long it had truly been. She caught him staring and it was her turn to laugh.

“…and you were giving me a hard time,” she snorted. “You look like you might not even last five minutes.”

“I wasn’t the one bragging.”

“By teasing me…” She sat down on the bed and pulled him close to her. “…that was insinuating that you’d had better in the meantime.”

“Mmmhmm… sure…” He bent down onto his knees and began to message her thighs. “Any requests?”

“Just make it good, Trafalgar, and I trust you can use that ability of yours to clean us up properly afterwards.”

“Of course.”

He pressed a kiss against her inner thigh, then another, and another, moving up her leg until his nose was buried in soft curls as he kissed and licked at her folds, fingers helping along the way. He slid two digits into her and flexed, making the leg resting on his shoulder tremble.

“Tease me later,” she chided between breaths. He grinned again before leaning back and letting his tongue dart over his lips, taking in her salty taste. Instead he slowly kissed his way up her body, taking note of each curve as he lavished attention onto her. By the time he made it back up to her neck and jaw, her breathing had become erratic, if slightly, and he was at least slightly proud of himself for getting her so worked up so easily. With the taste of her still on his tongue, he kissed her deeply as her legs settled on either side of his hips and he eased into her in earnest.

Law’s vision went white for a moment as the hot, slick walls around him clenched. It was obvious that Viola knew exactly what she was doing from the start, but… fuck, he hadn’t been expecting that. He started up a rhythm, thrusting slowly as he coaxed little noises out of her. She felt so fucking good that he wasn’t entire certain how long he was going to last, given the distance since his prior liaison. Her back arched and her legs shook as she suddenly crashed into… something… turning her attention to him as he stopped.

“What…?” she frowned.

“Are… are you alright?”

“Yeah. I’m just…” She avoided eye contact. “…I guess I really did get by on subpar standards, didn’t I?” She gasped as he rocked his hips into hers again, punctuating the silence.

“Don’t force yourself to do what I’m here for,” he said. He picked the rhythm back up and laced his fingers with hers, holding their hands on either side of her head. Before long, both of them were riding their orgasms. Law rolled off Viola and laid on his back, gulping down air as he stared at the ceiling. “Better?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “We’re not very good at this, are we?”

“Give me five minutes and we can practice being adults our age,” he offered. “By the end of the day, we might even be good at it.”

Something about the chuckle that escaped her suggested to him that she was amenable to that.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Exhaling heavily, Law found himself swimming back to consciousness feeling more relaxed than he had in weeks. Wait, months? It was at least months, bordering well on years, and he was glad for it. A reach with Observation Haki let him know that the woman in his arms was also awake, though also definitely enjoying the moment. He hugged Viola a big tighter, rubbing his face between her breasts.

“You are a bit of a pervert, aren’t you?” she chuckled. She began to play idly with his hair, running her fingers through it.

“I keep it well-hidden and in-check, unlike some people we know,” he replied. He looked at the bruise that was forming around where he bit and smiled inwardly. “We could shed tears and induce trauma with this.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Fine.” He disengaged himself from her torso and sat up, scratching his neck while stretching. “Did you still need me to…?”

“Yes—take care of it,” she huffed. He first popped Kikoku into his hands—how in the heck did it land on the kitchen table; he did not remember putting it on the kitchen table—and partially drew it from the sheath. Running a scan over Viola, he found where all his genetic variables were and plucked them from her reproductive tract, disposing of it all on a nearby dustcloth.

“I’d still take a tonic and watch yourself for a bit, but at least now aftercare is not such an emergency,” he said. Sheathing Kikoku and putting her bits back together, Law looked at Viola with a wan smile. “You’re right—maybe, in another world, things could have been different between us.”

“Pity it’s not this one, because I could stand to keep someone like you around,” she agreed. She eased him back down so that they could share one final kiss before departing the nest of blankets. “If you’re ever in the neighborhood again…”

“I’m no longer a Shichibukai, remember? You really should be turning me into the Marines right now, not fucking my brains out.”

“You are a national hero of Dressrosa—that negates the bounty within her territory.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

“Sure it does. I said so.”

“Ah… how convincing…” he snarked. “I’m sure an Admiral would love to hear that reasoning.” He gathered his clothes and began to put them back on, feeling her gaze as he dressed. She lounged in bed as she watched him, not wanting to look away. “Enjoying the view?”

“While it lasts.”

He paused at that, considering their options. “Maybe not another world, but possibly just another time frame…”

“Let’s see what that charismatic kid does to the world first, then see what cards we have to play,” she said. “Maybe, if there is a next time, I can stock the kitchen prior and we can eat literally as well.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Once he had everything but his shirt on, he leaned over Viola and proceeded to engage in a long, tender kiss. Their lips eventually separated and he exhaled heavily. “See you around?”

“In some way, yeah.”

“Good.”

After finding his shirt in the other room, Law put the garment on and left the house, sword resting on his shoulder as he made the long trek back to the port.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

It was well into evening by the time Law made it back on the Polar Tang, slipping inside without being noticed by his crew still there lounging on the deck. He made himself some coffee and grabbed some old fried rice as a snack and went back to his cabin, not wanting to be bothered as he settled in for the night. Much of the crew was likely to spend the night on land, which meant that there was going to be a peaceful, quiet few hours ahead of him.

“Oh, Captain!” He twitched as he heard Bepo call out to him, just before he was able to slip into the solitude of his quarters. The bear came up to him with some papers in-hand—of course he was going to hide in the Tang as she was cooling off and empty. “I’ve got the course plotted for the next leg of the trip. We should be able to get to where our needle set within a week of sailing, if the winds are right.”

“Sounds good, Bepo,” he nodded. Law then raised an eyebrow as he saw a puzzled look come over his navigator’s face. “Yes…?”

“You smell different,” Bepo noted. “Were you just visiting someone from when you were here before?”

“You can say that,” Law replied. All the years of practicing his mask of stoicism were coming into use as he was panicking on the inside. “Just some negotiations involving further port visits, that’s all.”

“She smells very pretty,” Bepo said. Fuck—busted. “I almost couldn’t smell it under all your sweat—it is really hot in Dressrosa, isn’t it?”

“It is very hot, yes,” Law agreed. “Let me know if something happens that needs my attention; there’s a Sora collection with my name on it in there.”

“Got it, Captain!” Bepo saluted and lumbered off, letting Law slip into his cabin and hurriedly lock the door behind him.

Too damn close… and yet… he sat down at his desk and opened the newspaper back up, seeing a photo of Viola at the Levely. Yeah… it was worth it.

#Trafalgar Law #Riku Viola #Law x Viola #Viola x Law #One Piece #fan fiction #Heart Pirates #trading in for a model fifteen years newer isn't always an upgrade #but it DEFINITELY is in this case #then again I'm pretty sure most choices are an upgrade from Doffy #I mean he's literally a Bad Touch Uncle so yeah no they deserve better #they go through 2k of buildup only for lackluster results but hey they did that I just write this stuff #Trafalgar D. Water Law

10 notes · View notes

skullsobs · 11 months

Text

my long and overcomplicated opinion on saw x (spoilers obvs)

1. Ignoring the plot and everything this movie was so pretty. Like the cinematography is so nice and it felt really well edited. It looked like a saw movie still but had a lot more money & time put into it. Especially since I saw it in theaters it looked particularly pretty

2. It stays true to the aesthetic of saw (for the most part :P) and it didn't feel super out of place. The only thing that felt off was John being in the good? Or at least seeming to be a good person by the narrative & how much screentime he got in the beginning.

3. MANDYYYYYYY oh my God Im so happy w how she was written in this movie I love her I'm going to kiss her she means the world to me

4. Epic bad luck

5. I think the overall story for the film works out and is relatively simple while being realistic in saw terms. It's interesting without being outlandish (unlike some other additions)

6. The twist got me of couuurrseee and it felt decently clever this time. Literally was on the edge of my seat during the whole thing. It's saw so you have to suspend your disbelief a little but this time it didn't feel as unrealistic as some of the twists.

7. I'm actually not that upset that hoffman was only in one midcredits scene. Having just John and Amanda in the game in Mexico made it so their interactions were more significant.

8. Fav trap was the eyeball vacuum!!!! While not technically a real trap I liked it the most :3

9. Amanda needs to stop having the most painful relationships with women it is tearing me apart. How she relates to Gabriela but can't let it get to her. She needs to be able to work like John, but her past keeps coming back to her. LET HER LIVE HAPPILY I CANT TAKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10. Billy :) that's all I'm just happy to see him again

11. My main critiques of the film are: it's a prequel so some of the tension is kinda lost imo (like whether John and Amanda will make it out alive bcs...they have to lol in order to have saw 2 & 3 happen) and it feels really difficult to try and paint John as a hero or some sort of moral person. That could be misreading the intent of the film, but idk I just can't take it seriously when John & Amanda & Carlos are walking out of the building at the end of the movie like they've Saved The Day meanwhile in the next film chronologically John throws all those people in the gas house y'know? But with that said I kinda see the intention. John isn't a good person, clearly he puts all the con artists in their traps ffs, but I think this film is just trying to define the shakey walls that John works within. He's cruel, but he doesn't kill the innocent.

12. Also take all of this with a grain of salt I'm still in the post movie bliss where I don't see all the issues yet lol

Tldr; good saw film 👍 8/10

#sawposting #panda's puke #saw x spoilers

4 notes · View notes

astupidweeb69 · 2 years

Text

Unrequited (Yandere! Ticci Toby x Reader) Part 5

Next Chapters: Part 6, Part 7

Links to Previous Chapters: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 4

Author's Note: Well, I finally added Kate. I don't know how most people interpret her character, so I kind of used my own take on it. I’m thinking she’s probably around 26-27 years old, while Toby is like 20-23? And Tim and Brian are somewhere in between.

I just wanted some evil women to be in this too. And idk if her “advice” makes sense to everybody, but I know a lot of people who are around Kate’s age, and most of them HATE texting. I’ve received lectures similar to what she says so many times in my life lmao.

And this chapter may feel a bit rushed but… let’s just say it’s because I’m very excited to write the plot I set up for the next one. Cross-posted on my Ao3 account.

Warnings: Swearing. Brief descriptions of self-harm (like punching walls? idk if that counts). Sexual themes towards the end. (3,086 words).

*****************************

Toby was furious.

His thoughts were incoherent, an angry whirlwind of emotions. Nothing went the way he’d planned.

After he left your home, he marched back to the cabin to process what had happened. Of course, that only ended with him trashing the place. He screamed at nothing, threw everything in sight, and punched holes in the walls until finally, his body gave out.

Now he sat on the floor, back up against the wall, panting to catch his breath. For the first time in a long time, he felt tears threatening to form.

You had rejected him.

You didn’t feel the same.

He was sure you had been flirting back with him. Every glance you took in his direction, all the times you made contact with his skin. He genuinely thought he’d picked up on some clever hint to kiss you. To make a move. A grand gesture of romance.

But he was wrong.

He fucked up.

And then he made the mistake of trying to call your “bluff”. Which only made you angrier.

The shock of being yelled at had been too much for him to deal with. And he reacted like he always did in those types of situations. With wrath. How could you possibly trust him after this?

Oh god, and you’d seen his face.

That horrific scar.

His heart tightened at the memory. He could barely breathe.

Fuck.

He needed to talk to you again.

If he just explained himself and apologized, you’d come around, right? Give him another chance? It was only a misunderstanding. A tiny blip in what would become an intense love affair between the two of you. Something you’d both laugh at later down the road.

Toby shakily got up from the wooden floor, still exhausted from the outburst. Where was his phone? He had to find it immediately.

Frantically, his eyes scanned over every surface that it could be on. Did he throw it at one point? He couldn’t remember.

Tossing aside a few pillows, he finally recognized the black case on the ground.

The screen was cracked. Relief washed over him when the tiny monitor lit up; it still worked.

There was your name in his contact list, along with a couple others, but your conversation was the only one saved. The only person he wanted to form a real emotional bond with.

His fingers started to type on their own. Toby needed to resolve the issue as soon as possible. He couldn’t take it anymore.

‘I’m sorry about tonight’

The first text. It needed to be an apology. He needed to start off by admitting his fault.

‘I have trouble controlling my feelings. And I get scared when I’m rejected. I like you SO much (Y/N). I feel like such an ass, especially for scaring you. I don’t want you to be scared of me. Please please please give me another chance. I’ll make it up to you I swear.’

He waited for your response.

It didn’t come.

No.

This wasn’t happening.

It couldn’t be happening. He had to see you again. You HAD to be in his life in some way.

Toby paced around his home, chewing on his cheek. Blood gushed down his face from the gnawed flesh.

You were just busy right now. Probably talking to your friend.

That must be it.

You wouldn’t just ignore him like this. After all the moments the two of you shared together, he must’ve meant something to you.

The phone buzzed.

A reply.

‘Thank you for the apology, but there’s no way for me to know if it’s sincere. I feel like you could be using it to guilt me. I just can’t believe what you say Toby, and I think it’s better for both of us if we don’t see each other again. I wish you the best, and hopefully, you can learn from this in the future.’

His heart stopped.

….Oh God no.

“NO! NO! NO!” He punched the wall next to him until his knuckles bled, painting the plaster with red streaks. “YOU CAN’T! YOU CAN’T! You… can’t…”

He started to cry.

Now the floodgates opened, and an ugly sob came from the boy. Curling up on a ratty couch, Toby shoved his face in the cushions to muffle the sounds.

He never did learn how to manage his feelings properly. He knew that there was some kind of mental illness that made it difficult for him. His fucked-up head, he thought bitterly. Controlled by The Operator and controlled by his disorders. There was always something preventing him from having people in his life.

Would he always be this lonely?

Bang!

Someone pounded on the front door.

Toby peeked his head up from the sofa.

Who could that be?

Shit. He hoped it wasn’t Tim. That was the last person he needed to see in this state. But he had to talk to whoever it was in case there was a job.

A grin settled on his face.

Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea.

A little sadistic fun never hurt, well at least not him anyways. It could help him relieve some of these thoughts. Take them out on somebody else.

Maybe this would prove to be a good thing.

The door swung open, the visitor being too impatient to wait any longer.

Long matted dark brown hair that was almost black, hazel eyes, camping gear strapped to the back.

It was Kate.

“Toby! You home? Sorry, I let myself in I-” She stopped mid-sentence, noticing the mess surrounding her, dark stare settling on the culprit.

“Holy shit what happened here?” She let out a worried laugh. “It looks like a tornado came through. Are you okay? Did you have another episode?”

The older proxy dropped her bags and walked over, kneeling to get a better look at his condition. Toby was slumped over, sluggishly sitting up, refusing to look directly at her. Ashamed to be seen in such a vulnerable way.

Kate was the nicest person he had in his life. Besides you. After all, she was still a proxy.

The problem was that she was hardly ever around. Unlike him, or even Tim and Brian, Kate never settled down in one place for long. She was nomadic, carrying all her earthly possessions in a backpack. Being the fastest and most agile proxy, it was easy for her to hunt individual trespassers and take them down, so she was almost always on the job.

However, once in a blue moon she would stop in to see him. Kate and Toby had a somewhat strong connection. Not unlike how Tim and Brian were attached to each other, and while Brian could be nice to Toby at times, he mostly did it out of necessity. Kate, on the other hand, was kind to Toby in ways that reminded him of his older sibling. Not that he liked comparing her to Laura… or was it Lyra? Sometimes he had a hard time remembering the name. That’s what his journal was for.

“Do you want to talk about it? I won’t make fun of you. No matter how tempted I am.” She sat down next to him, rubbing his back reassuringly.

Toby took a shaky breath, comforted by the gesture. “I-I… fuh-fuck… give me a suh-second…”

He didn’t know how much to share with her. He didn’t want to put you in any danger, and while Kate may have been nice to him, there’s no telling how she’d react to learning about his obsession with a “human”.

She was more… fanatical when it came to serving The Operator.

Different proxies had different levels of devotion to the being, as well as their own unique reasons for serving it. Brian was more apathetic, not caring one way or the other, viewing it like any other profession. Something to train for and do well. Tim was more complex, a mixture of apathy, fear, and at times enthusiasm, mainly when in the act of killing.

Most proxies had no memory of their past lives, no ways to connect to whoever they were before. That’s why it was easy for them to refer to anyone who didn’t serve The Operator as only being “humans”. It was a way to completely remove themselves from the species, to look at them as nothing but an inconvenience or a tool to gain favor with the malevolent entity dictating their lives.

But Toby was a special case. He could still remember. He hadn’t been a proxy for as long as the others and could still picture the faces of his mother and sister. He even knew what his shithead father looked like, especially after he hacked him to pieces. These were the reasons he found it hard to go on. Pretending to everyone that he didn’t resent The Operator’s control at times. That he never longed to try to have a normal life. Maybe kill the occasional abusive dad he might come across. But other than that, be an average everyday person.

And here you came along. An answer to his prayers.

But things were complicated now.

He needed advice.

“I muh-may have… messed up?”

Kate snorted. “Okay… wanna try being more specific maybe?”

Toby picked at the skin of his hands, peeling the areas around his nails.

“I sort of... luh-like somebody…” He trailed off.

It’s not like it was uncommon for proxies or killers to date and hook up with each other. Although everyone knew Toby never had any luck with the others in that department. But despite that, if he kept the conversation vague enough… it should be fine.

“Oh shit! Really?” Caught off guard, the brunette quickly tried to dial it back. “I mean…wow. I didn’t really expect that… who?”

Did he really have that bad of a reputation within their group that it was this much of a surprise to her? It was a little insulting.

“I don’t want to say.” Toby snapped. His temper was starting to get the better of him. And he didn’t want to share any sensitive information.

Luckily, Kate never took what Toby did personally. “Okay- you don’t have to tell me… but watch your tone young man.” She joked.

“Suh-sorry. I’m just really upset. We had a fuh-fight and I don’t know what to do.” He felt like a kid asking their mom for help. But he was desperate.

Toby couldn’t stand the idea of you walking around hating him. Sure, his plans included taking you back to his home, most likely by force, but he thought he would’ve had more opportunities for you to get to know him in a more… conventional way.

“Have you apologized to this… person?” Kate asked, carefully choosing her words. Picking up on how defensive he was being.

“Yeah! I duh-did and-“

She interrupted, “Wait. Did you do it in person or over text?” There was a sternness in her voice at the question. Like Kate was already accusing him of doing something wrong.

“Over text….” He admitted.

“See, that was your first mistake. If you’re going to have an important conversation with someone you need to have it in person. Otherwise, things can get lost in translation. You should speak to them face to face and apologize formally.”

The younger proxy tilted his head, “What if they duh-don’t want to see me?”

Kate sighed. “Well… sometimes you just have to show up. I mean, imagine trying to explain a misunderstanding to someone like Jeff over text…” She paused, scrunching up her face. “Well, that’s not a good example. You would have to call him or else he’d try to stab you. But you know what I mean. People like… us … are quick to just remove people from our lives if we’re hurt. But with our jobs, every connection with other killers or proxies needs to be maintained. Especially since The Operator demands it. So, you should go and see them…. when you’ve calmed down, of course.”

It was clear the brunette was applying her own work experiences to giving Toby guidance. Kate was always well-liked, and in a group full of murderers and malicious beings with untreated mental illnesses, that was no small feat.

But regardless, her explanation made sense. Even though Kate didn’t understand the full context of what happened, her advice probably still applied, right? Sure, you weren’t a killer, but Kate had the best grasp on how to handle disputes out of anyone he knew. If you just took the time to see how sorry he was, and all the effort he was putting in to fix the relationship, then you’d have to forgive him.

“Thuh-thanks. I’ll make sure to do that. I feel like shit that we huh-haven’t gotten the chance to see each other in a while and this….” Toby gestured vaguely to their surroundings. “Is what you fuh-find.”

Kate smiled. “Don’t worry, I get it.”

The fact that it was her that showed up today was very convenient. She was one of the few people who knew Toby well enough to calm him down.

It was almost too convenient.

He narrowed his eyes, looking out the cabin window. Was his boss around? “Anyways, I nuh-never asked you why you’re here.”

“Well, I figured I was long due for a bath. And I wanted to see my favorite proxy. Why, not happy to see me?” She huffed, feigning offense.

“Nuh-no! That’s not it. I just wuh-wasn’t sure if there was a job or something we needed to do.”

The brunette’s eyes glinted with admiration, flashing a small yet strangely sinister smirk. “It’s good you take our work seriously. It’s always best to have The Operator smiling favorably upon us.”

Toby shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Sometimes she spoke like a weird cult member. It made his skin crawl, reminding him that despite her soothing demeanor around her peers, Kate could be one of the most brutal and wild killers when carrying out their boss’s orders. Maybe that’s why she always stayed in the forest.

“I’ll be out of your hair in an hour or two. Sadly, there aren’t any sacrifices to make today. I hate having nothing to do.” She grumbled the last part before getting up to grab her bag. “Mind if I take that shower now?”

“No, guh-go right ahead. Not like I pay the water bill for this puh-place.” Toby quipped, shrugging his shoulders with a crack of his joints.

When Kate left the room, he mulled over what actions he needed to take next. Everything was just “lost in translation” as the older proxy said. His mistake was only in how he delivered his apology.

There was hope for him after all. This could be fixed and then you and Toby could be together again. Have the life he knew you two could have.

After everything subsided and he felt at ease, his mind wandered to that passionate kiss he had shared with you. Sure, in retrospect he definitely shouldn’t have done that, but it was nice in the moment. How your lips felt against his, your warm body squirming under him.

It was electric.

If only things had gone well, if you didn’t find him so… repulsive now. Maybe he could’ve taken things further. But there was always time for that later. When he had more time to convince you that he was made for you.

Your mind as well as your body.

… Especially body.

He grinned, getting up to stretch out his muscles. Today was more exhausting than usual after the rollercoaster of feelings he’d gone through. Toby needed rest, and once he felt more confident, he’d pay you a surprise visit. Bring some sort of peace offering. Weren’t guys supposed to give flowers when they wanted to be forgiven? Like those crappy husbands who cheat on their wives.

Not that he wanted to be lumped in with those dudes.

Toby made his way to his room, making sure the door was locked behind him. Even though he trusted Kate, he didn’t want to take any chances.

He could still hear her showering and she would probably be a while. She wasn’t the most hygienic person.

Not that he was one to talk, but he didn’t like having that much blood and dirt caked on him for too long. Kate, however, didn’t seem to mind it. Toby had been assigned on a weeklong mission with her once and as soon as she got “in the zone” the older female was practically feral. Showers just weren’t in her vocabulary at that point.

Lying on his bed, he opened his phone to look through his camera roll. Something he did routinely now before trying to fall asleep… for many reasons.

It was full of photos he’s taken of you over these past months.

Having an outdated phone never really bothered him before, but now he wished he had one that could take better pictures. Especially the ones he took at night. Those always come out too grainy.

Unconsciously, a wistful smile tugged on the corners of his mouth. He couldn’t help it. It always happened when he saw you. He scrolled through each photo, taking in every part of you he managed to capture. His mind had almost everything memorized.

“(Y/N)…” He whispered.

Sometimes he just liked to say it. Simply enjoying the sound. How it tasted with every syllable.

Now that he had time to relax, it occurred to him how surprising his argument with you had gone. Every day there was something new he was learning about you. You were actually kind of brave, even if it was to the point of being stupid. But you had stood up to him when he’d lost his cool. Him. A murderous proxy. A serial killer. You didn’t know that, but it was still obvious he could overpower you.

Yet thinking of the passion and determination in your eyes as you stared him down made him shiver with delight.

He loved it.

Toby could feel himself growing tired, lazily flipping through a couple more photos before he’d call it a night.

He stopped.

A picture of you undressing in front of your bedroom window.

Your underwear even matched that day.

His cheeks reddened, a familiar feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach.

He reached a clammy hand into the case of his pillow, retrieving a pair of plain black panties he’d stolen from your house.

He figured he could stay awake a little longer…

#creepypasta #ticci toby #toby rogers #ticci toby x reader #x reader #yandere #toby rogers x reader #yandere creepypasta #yandere ticci toby #fanfiction #yandere creepypasta x reader #my writing #horror #obsessive behavior #yandere ticci toby x reader #kate the chaser

165 notes · View notes

luna-writes-stuff · 3 years

Note

I would be honored if you could do an imagine for Fili crushing on someone who went on the journey with the Company. He thought she liked his brother, but after seeing him with Tauriel, Fili feels like he has a chance and offers everything to make her as happy as he thought she would be with Kili. Lovely fluff and some misunderstandings with everyone living because IF I CAN'T SEE CANON THEN IT DOESN'T EXIST

Mixed signals, Fili Durin (platonic Kili x reader)

what do you mean they don’t usually live???? Idk I always skip the last half hour of botfa. If I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist.

Ahahah I got taken away a bit so it’s a long request. Sorry….

Headcanons, female s/o

Tw: misunderstood feelings, mention of injury and blood, tiny sprinkle of angst, fluff, Kili being a lil shit, Fili being jealous, few mentions of Y/N I’m so sorry.

- This man is whipped for you. I posted a request similar to this one yesterday, and I feel like it says enough.

- The moment he sees you, he knows you’re his One. Yet, he can’t allow himself to show you. His brother wouldn’t shut up about it and besides that, after Erebor was to be reclaimed, he had to marry royalty in order to form an alliance.

- But Thorin wasn’t blind. He has seen the look in Dis’ eyes many times before. He had seen his sister find her One, so it came as nothing out of the ordinary when he witnessed his nephew do the same.

- And this is pre-dragonsickness. Back when Thorin was all “I hate everyone but I guess I have to keep up with these two idiots so I’ll tolerate them.”

- And he wanted to grant Fili the opportunity to be with his One. He had even told him to simply go for it.

- But Fili was a bit insecure. When you met him, you didn’t seem taken away in any way. It was almost as if it had only been him who was in love.

- And with that, you had grown remarkably close to his brother, Kili. You two joked around all the time. You sat together during the evenings, Kili would help you up on your horse/pony, he would take offer your watches and he even let you hold his bow and arrow. That is basically dwarven language for “I love you and I wish to court you” or “I love you and I’m so glad to have you in my family.”

- What Fili didn’t know is that Thorin told Kili about you being his One. But instead of teasing Fili about it, Kili had made it his duty to agitate his brother so much that he would have no choice but to confess to you before Kili would sneak you away.

- For your information: Kili had no intention of sneaking you away. He just wanted to make it look like it for Fili, and, lucky for him, you had just been going along with it subconsciously.

- But it did not agitate Fili. It made the poor lad confused and tired. You were showing so much affection and endearment to his brother that he felt like he could never compete. Even though Kili had never been attractive in dwarven standards, he knew his way around women. And seeing someone finally pay attention to him, made Fili happy for his brother.

- And Kili just kept up with the act. He was oblivious to what his brother was feeling. Thorin had quite specifically told Kili not to tell his brother, and for once, he didn’t. But when days turned into weeks, Kili made more advances. Not in any way uncomfortable for you, but they had been a step further.

- He would let you rest against him during night shifts, he would let his hand linger on your waist when he helped you get onto your horse/pony. This sneaky bastard even managed to toy with your hair.

- Fili grew absolutely devastated at these moments. He had distanced himself more and truly felt as if his One had been taken away and he would die alone.

- But then Mirkwood happened. It was obvious to Fili that his brother had taken a liking on Tauriel, the female elf that saved him earlier. You had been passed out of exhaustion in your cell, not paying attention to your surroundings anymore.

- And that was when Fili finally decided to speak.

- “What are you doing? I thought you liked Y/N and now you’re flirting with that elf? You can’t treat her like that!”

- And now Kili was confused.

- “I thought you liked Y/N?” He had questioned, not even knowing whether his uncle had been lying to him or not.

- “That doesn’t matter. What matters is, you can’t just run around-“ but Kili had already cut him off. “It does matter. Because Y/N isn’t my One. I’m not attracted to her!”

- And now Fili was dead silent. He had been contemplating on whether to act furious or taken aback. In reality, he had been a bit of both.

- “You don’t like Y/N?” Fili asked, nearly insulted.

- “I was only trying to agitate you. Uncle said she was your One but that you wouldn’t confess.” Kili admitted finally, knowing that keeping the act up any longer wouldn’t work.

- “So you tried to beat it out of me?” The only response the blonde got was a quiet hum.

- “You thought I would take away your chance of happiness?” Fili wondered aloud, his anger now showing more clearly. “Well, not if you put it like that-“ “How else am I supposed to put it?”

- With those words, the space grew quiet. One more question lingered on Fili’s mind, and he had to ask it.

- “Does she know you don’t like her?” A short pause was heard from Kili before he responded. “She does. When we grew closer she told me she wasn’t attracted to me and I told her she wasn’t my One.”

- A sigh of relief came Fili’s way, but his brother kept on talking. “She grew all confused by the concept of ‘Ones’. Had to give her a whole history lesson. She thinks it’s adorable. I’m sure she won’t reject you.” With those words, Fili’s ears pricked up.

- “How so?” “Because every time we are together, she won’t stop asking me about you.” Fili never thought someone could ever bring him more butterflies than when you smiled at him, but as Kili’s sentences reached him, his stomach felt all light again.

- “At first I thought it was because you were ignoring her, but I quickly figured out that wasn’t the case.” Kili shot a quick look his brother’s way, even though he had been in a cell on the other side of the hall. “She likes you, she really does. She’s not as good at hiding it as you are. If you ask her to court you, she won’t say no.”

- Fili had spent the entire night pondering over his brother’s words. Even as they escaped the dungeons and took the boat to Laketown, his anxiety bubbled up.

- But as soon as the orcs entered the city, reality sunk back in. They had been on the run while simultaneously claiming their homeland. There might be a chance neither of you would make it. And it terrified him.

- As you were busy holding off the orcs in Bard’s home, Fili had been right beside you covering your back. He knew asking you to court him would require more steps. Up until this moment you had only held a handful of conversations, but Fili was running out of patience.

- “When all this is over, I need you by my side.” He told you quickly, his voice heavy as he fenced off the attackers. You grew confused at your words, yet your actions did not falter one bit. And it only made Fili more attracted to you. How you maintained yourself on a battlefield, yet somehow managed to hold that perfect look. It could quite easily take his breath away.

- “But I am by your side.” You answered, not catching his meaning, thinking it had been too good to be true.

- “I mean by my side at Erebor. When we reclaim the mountain. Will you stay with me?” Upon your silence, Fili tried explaining his speech. “I know asking you to court me requires more steps but we might not have time for them anymore. I need you to stay with me. We can do all these steps afterwards, I promise.”

- You cast him a quick look before giving him a sincere nod. “I’ll stay with you.”

- And that is exactly what you did. Upon finally arriving at the mountain with the four dwarves, Fili finally got the time to braid your hair, even if Thorin told him to look for the Arkenstone. You had even managed to braid his hair too, even though you had no beads yet.

- Even as Thorin slowly grew insane, Fili had done what he promised; he remained by your side, defending you against his uncle and keeping you as safe as he could.

- During the battle of the five armies, you stayed with him and Kili. You traveled with the three of you, not once separating. Not even when Fili decided you should split up. Because of that, you managed to do quite a number on Azog before Thorin called out to him.

- Azog had gotten a good slash on your leg, nothing life threatening but enough to make you collapse on the spot. Fili had been so worried. He had promised to look out for you, but now you were bleeding out on the snow covered floor. Kili had already ran off for help, even though the possibility he would come back with one would be highly unlikely, as battle was still raging on.

- On top of Ravenhill everything had grown silent. Bodies of dead orcs were littered over the floor but all that mattered to Fili right now was you being safe. Eventually, Kili had ran back with Bilbo, Thorin and Gandalf by his side. They had successfully beaten Azog, finally putting an end to the bloodshed.

- As the mountain was being rebuilt, Oin had put you on bed rest to let your leg heal and Fili had been with you the entire time. Thorin hadn’t even tried to get him for royal duties. He knew he had been awful to you during his dragonsickness, and this was his way of apologizing to you. And you had been fine with it.

- When you had finally recovered, Kili took you to the forges to make beads for Fili. You wanted it to be a surprise for him, but you needed supervision. At first, Dis, Fili and Kili’s mother, had offered to help, but it had become her duty to distract the crown prince.

- A few burns and scratched had started to form on both your and Kili’s hands but it had been worth it. The beads were incredible.

- Fili was so happy when you gave them to him. He was so surprised by the amazing details and the thought and time your poured into them.

- He wears them the entire time. Now exceptions. Not even for bed or bath. None. They must always be in his hair.

- I WANNA WRITE MORE BUT IT’S ALREADY SO LONG BUT JUST ASSUME HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH AND WILL TREASURE YOU FOREVER AND LOVE YOU FOR EVERY LITTLE THING YOU DO

#Fili #Fili durin #tolkien #lord of the rings #the hobbit #the company #the company of thorin oakenshield #Fili x reader #Fili imagine

619 notes · View notes

destinyc1020 · 2 years

Note

i’ve seen you talk before about how you were ready to give up on tomdaya just before those pics were released on july 2nd. was there anything at all in the days leading up to july 2nd that gave it away that they might be back on? or had it just been tumbleweed for months whilst tom was in england so you were ready to give up?

No, there were plenty of signs (especially in Atlanta) that SOMETHING was brewing. I mean, let's be honest...there were signs even prior to them landing in Atlanta if you think about it, especially when Tom broke things off with Nadia suddenly, and TZ started going on a liking frenzy of each other's posts on IG out of the blue lol. 😏 The Tati like was also pretty telling as well. The likes on her and his family members posts again (after over a year of silence) were also pretty telling. There were just so many signs.

I think most of us Tomdaya fans knew that SOMETHING was brewing in Atlanta, but for most of us ... Well...I'll just speak for myself here and say that for ME I wasn't sure if they were actually fully back on and actually doing this thing again, or if they were just having a passionate fling, hooking up in Atlanta, and needed to get all of that out of their systems before fully moving on with other people. That was always my curiosity. We KNEW that the ATTRACTION was still there between them (that was always very obvious lol), but what we (or I) didn't know if they had really truly decided to go full throttle with a serious relationship with each other again AFTER Atlanta. I just wasn't 100% sure where things stood with them at that point. There were plenty of signs though that they were definitely very "friendly" with each other again and that they may have been trying to work things out w/each other again. 😏 The 3-month thing in London though kind of threw some of us off, especially when Tom went to MT to go ski with his brothers. Some fans (or maybe antis?) felt that Tom and Z would have vacationed together if they were back together for sure. But there were also some of us who kept saying to Anons that the stipulations for US/UK travel were pretty strict back then, and who knows what other kind of work Tom had to do back in the UK? Ykwim? So, we just kept trying to tell people to remain patient. But I wasn't going to wait FOREVER for some crumbs of evidence.

That's why I gave myself until July 1st to hem and haw over it, and after July 1st, if no proof came out, then I was just going to hang up my Tomdaya coat, wish them the best, and just take them at their word of being "just friends", instead of continuing to wait additional months on bated breath hoping and praying for some kind of shred of evidence. Idk about other people, but I just can't wait forever. I felt like they were for sure hooking up, but I wasn't gonna wait forever for signs of them actually being in a relationship again, especially when they were careful about not giving us ANYTHING! 😅🤣

I'll never forget those crazy times of waiting though lol. I remember some antis trying to convince us that Tom was hooking up with women in Monaco at the F1 event, even though there was PLENTY of VIDEO evidence that Tom hung out mainly with his buddies Tuwaine and Haz, and that Tuwaine was bringing him breakfast in bed while sharing a hotel suite together lol. 😅🤣 I'll never forget some antis trying to make us believe that Tom was looking at a fan "longingly" when he took a picture with her at the airport lol, or the fan who drove hundreds of miles up to Scotland to stalk Tom who was visiting Sam and got a picture with him LOL. I swear, the stuff antis used to make up. 😅🤣 All along we kept saying: "NOPE! NOPE! And NOPE!!!" People pulling things out of thin air about Tom and other girls, but yet were curiously ignoring the fact that Tom and Z were obviously hanging out together in Atlanta, going places, spending Thanksgiving together, etc. Like, the signs were SO obvious lol. But yet, Tom was supposedly crushing on strange girls lol. Riiiiiiight.... Okay lol. #delusionals

32 notes · View notes

antiloreolympus · 3 years

Text

10 Anti LO Asks

1. wait is arion a human or horse in this comic

From OP: Horse.

2. rachel is really outdoing herself by not just ripping off hercules, but sleeping beauty too. she also got mad people noticed a lot of elements seemed straight ripped from frozen as well awhile back, and obvs the fifty shades rip offs are too obvious to ignore. i realize yes a lot of stories will share tropes and all, but not directly ripped plots like rachel is doing. that's so unprofessional and just lazy.

3. if hera and zeus have to lock away their own child for the sake of making sure persephone stays the pure precious bean she is and is never be ~badly influenced~ by her then thats absolutely insane. was it really too much to let persephone, THE DREAD QUEEN, have any complexity that rachel has resorted to throwing ANOTHER woman under the bus than let her self insert have even one flaw or even choice in the story? how does she keep making up the worst possible options for any of this?

4. Lowkey kinda hate how long it took for a real moment for Hera Hestia and Demeter to be together as sisters. Hera set up Persephone and hades knowing Damn well Hestia and Demeter made her a Candidate for TOGeM. Other than staying a Virgin forever and having temples idk what TOGeM actually does. Like we know why Demeter wants her daughter as a memeber but what’s the actual functionality of the group. Hera just seems like a bad friend/sister for setting up her friends daughter with an older guy just because she felt bad for using that guy as a bad up when he marriage gets bad.

Don’t get me wrong the other cast members suck I’m just singling out Hera right now for her involvement in the plot so far

5. FP mention

///

Btw the fact that Persephone looks like a teenager for the rest of her life and that she was blessed with beauty TWICE is REALLY fucked up. Like what Rachel wants to say???? That teenage girls are the most attractive??? And we shouldn't blame grown-ass men who wants to date them bc they're so much prettier than grown women??? I really don't understand. Or her double-beauty means that her tits are bigger from everyone else's?? Bc apart from that I don't get why Persephone should be more beautiful than Aphrodite(who tbh also looks terrible here Rachel spares no one with her ugly-ass style) when she's literally looks like a kid.

6. I honestly hope there's a major shakeup at WT (hopefully while RS is on her break) and they adopt a longer break between episodes so not only are they allowed more time to focus on the story but the art as well, but also an overhaul in the payment + benefit system. So many of the creators, even the popular ones, are struggling with horrible hours and no benefits, despite making the company millions. Hell, let them unionize. That would be a huge win and draw for new, better talent to want in too.

7. nah nope those fp spoilers better be fake because thats legit too stupid to be true. like we already know rachel is a shit writer but thats just so bad on so many levels. we know her editor is not getting through to her because they literally have a degree in writing and you know theyd pop a blood vessel over any of this. they must only post the episodes for her because that legit wouldnt pass anyone with two brain cells.hooooly shit.

8. Even beyond how creepy it is Hades refers to Persephone as "Little Goddess"/"Kore" (🤢) it's also so patronizing? Sorry, I don't care how hot Persephone finds him or how meek RS forced her to be, any self respecting woman, no matter how young, wouldn't stand for being disrespected, belittled, and treated like that. Maybe RS can try and excuse it that Persephone IS that young to warrant the comments, but that just brings up the question of why Hades lusting after someone he sees as a child 🤔

9. the funniest part about rachel insisting persephone is the most beautiful goddess ever is that one) ok?? why would that matter?? but also two) every woman looks so carbon copied (minus athena) that even dedicated fans cant tell them apart so that doubly doesnt matter?? like then every woman is the twice blessed over with beauty because none of them look different from each other. idk the whole thing just screams 14 year old's first fanfic over a published comic by a woman pushing 40💀

10. Can someone tell me if Minthe has depth or not and explain why….Cause, I’m arguing with these fans and they’re getting a lil too confident 😑☹️

From OP: Kinda?? Like, most of the characters in LO aren’t very deep. So, Minthe having more to her than just “evil love rival/bitter ex” and having BPD can be seen as adding depth to her character. She is very morally grey antagonist and many people tend sympathize with her at times, even if they don’t like her. Someone else can probably elaborate more than I can.

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical

47 notes · View notes

bakugohoex · 4 years

Note

Hi! I saw requests were open so I have one :] can you do a levi x marley nurse reader? Maybe she meets him when the scouts are undercover and they meet again when she finds out he's from Paradis? But the reader still helps Levi and both gain feelings with each other over time. Thank you and sorry this is specific sounding 😅💕

“i’d become a traitor just to be with you”

pairing: levi ackerman x female reader

cw: fluff, swearing

word count: 2400+

a/n: i’m so sorry for this coming out so late, idk why i’ve been unmotivated to write requests, but i swear all i have now is requests and my event on my list, also yeah check my 1k event out its the pinned post

summary: in which you’re a marley nurse having befriended levi without knowing his identity with the raid of liberio dawning on the survey corps having been followed by you, levi’s truth is revealed and a confession of your own, maybe there is happiness for you two

↞ back to attack on titan masterlist

The sound of the bells rang through the city, the medical facility had gotten their fair share of injuries after the win against the Mid-East a couple weeks ago. You had helped the injured to beds, wrapping the bandages around their blood-filled scars, after a long day of helping you were finally able to leave, not to your home, however. You stood against the brick wall, your nurse’s uniform clinging onto you, having seen the injured Eldians, the way the Marleyan soldiers shouted and taunted the weak made you sick to the stomach.

“Y/n.” The familiar voice came from the side, his dull eyes softer at the sight of how you had waited for him. “You waited.”

“I wasn’t going to just leave you.” You had met the man a few weeks back, he'd often come past the medical facility and had caught your eye, even having asked your name. He was sweet with his black undercut and suit, handsome even. But those eyes, those emotionless eyes had a past, you didn't know what it was, but you wanted to know.

He had asked you to go on a walk with him, even after every day of seeing the man he wanted to spend alone time together. By being an Eldian yourself you understood the pains of being one but being subjected by the Marleyans weren’t that bad, well that’s what you’d repeatedly say. It was all a lie, your parents having been sent to Paradis, having been sent to their deaths, sent to become titans.

The man put his hand out, you softly laced your fingers in his, for such a mysterious man his little touches the past weeks had grown. Now seeing him almost every day, this time it felt different, it felt like he was fearful. “The festivals tomorrow.” You smile out trying to make conversation with him.

His grip tightened as he looked down at your smaller figure, “I heard, you going?”

“Yeah, Falco that boy I told you about invited me to tag along with him and his friends.” You smiled out, in a matter of minutes the hand that had encased your own fell, you felt lonely almost. It was bad enough to have fallen for a man so mysterious, you never did know why he came to the medical facility. He was always so quiet yet spoke so much but now it seemed he was distant for another reason.

“You should stay home tomorrow.” You tilted your head in confusion, it wasn't an event that you could really miss. Having promised Falco that you'd go after he'd come to visit the long-haired man.

“Oh, I was going to invite you to come along.” You let out a heavy breath, you had thought something could come between the two of you. The long looks he’d give you as you tended to patients he looked down into the dark, taking a corner as you followed. You didn't even realise where you were going until it was just the two of you into a narrow alleyway.

He stops in his tracks looking at you, he doesn't meet your gaze, “get out of Liberio.”

“Levi.” You were even more confused than before, “what’s going on?”

He takes a few steps back, continuing to think about his choice right now. He knew from the first day he had met you, he needed to stay as far away as possible. He saw how you came up to him with that smile, oh god the smile that melted his heart. For the first time in years he had smiled back, a genuine smile at the way you helped the Eldians, how you secured their bandages, talked to the dying. How could he have not liked you and now the threat of you dying tomorrow. The threat that something would happen stayed with him until he met your worried gaze.

Your eyes glossed over, confusion filling you, the distance between the two of you making it harder to even see him properly. You remembered the conversation from this morning, how he had come up to you with haste.

“Hey Levi, this is earlier than usual?” You smiled brightly, the papers in your hand as you let him follow you around. His steps felt too cautious like he had more to say but couldn't instead he kept silent until your gaze fully went onto the black-haired boy.

He looks down not meeting your gaze, “can we meet after you finish work?”

“Umm sure why?” You pass the papers to the other nurses, he looks at how perfect you looked, how your hair set perfectly across your face.

Looking out the window, he notices the boy he had known you have called Falco run off with a letter. Before turning back to face you, “I just need to talk to you.”

“Okay I finish at 9.” He nods taking steps away.

How had you not realised, the way he walked away without even a goodbye. The way he hadn't cared to ask for your day, was this the end of whatever you could call this, was it even a friendship.

“Levi…” You repeated his name waiting for a response, he looked down at you wary of what to say. If he should even tell you, he knew your feelings to those in Paradis how your parents had been sent there. How you didn’t have the same hatred as the others but were wary instead. Would that wariness become something more, would it become disgust for him?

“Forget me.” He mutters about to walk away, walk out of your life. He hoped you’d listen to his words and hoped that you wouldn't go to the festival tomorrow.

You watched him walk away, how could he do this? Leave without an explanation, how could he say the simple two words, forget me you weren't some animal that could forget someone who had impacted your life. You stood there in silence watching as his figure disappeared, you heard the sadness that washed over you and did something you might have regretted.

Following the man, you wanted a reason at least. A reason for this coming out tonight, what had changed and what was so special about the festival, it was supposed to be joyous seeing the stalls with your friends. But the way he spoke, the way he wanted you to not go, it had an undertone of worry, he knew more than he was letting off.

You watched him walking into one of the abandoned buildings, the way he opened the door as if he’d done it a million times. You crept past going to the windows, you looked through, glad that the curtains were closed, and a gap was evident. Watching how Levi sat on the chair surrounded by other men and women, one with glasses looking at the man with confusion. There was talking, quiet talking until the woman spoke loudly making everyone shudder.

“Eren’s letters have told us what’s going on?” She paused; your fingers perched on top of the window sill. It was intrusive, but he left you with nothing, you deserved something. Well that's what you kept saying to yourself. The question at hand was who was this Eren, you only knew one Eren and that was the man who was with Falco. The memory of Falco with a letter sprung into your mind. It couldn't be, there couldn't be a link between these people and the injured man. “The Warhammer titan will be there tomorrow, that’s when we strike.”

“Are we sure Eren will be able to get Reiner?” A man spoke with long brown hair, he was tall, much taller than Levi and stood leaning against the wall.

“He better.” Is all Levi said, all conversation regarding Eren’s capability had ended and had turned to the plan at hand. Your mind going through what you had just heard, what was there interest in the Warhammer titan, or even worse how did they know Reiner?

The woman continued talking, having been in your own mind you heard the last bit, a shock running through your veins, “...we bring Eren back to Paradise.”

You clamped your hand to your mouth, falling against the wall in shock. Paradis, they said Paradis, Levi, he couldn’t be, but he was. Your Levi, the man who was always wary about his past, was always dismissing your questions of his past was from Paradis and even worse that means he was the Levi Ackerman that Porco had spoken about. Trying to suppress the worry that flew over you, you looked down to the soil, the way you breathed heavily against your palm and then the sound of a gun to your head.

“Who the hell are you?” It was the same boy from inside, you hadn't realised he had come outside, but with the gun cocked to your skull. You could barely speak, “Hanje, Levi.”

At the sound of the boys shout the two came out, Levi’s eyes widening at the sight of you on the ground. The sight of fear that ran through you, he knew you heard it all and all he could think about was if you wanted him to die. “Put the gun down Jean.” Jean confusingly complied as Levi stepped towards you, those inside having come to see what the commotion was.

“Y/n.” Levi bent down to meet your face, you refused to make eye contact.

Hanje spoke aloud, “you know her?”

He ignored the question, trying to meet your eyes, “Y/n…”

“You could’ve told me.” It was a whisper, but a shock filled him at your voice, “why didn’t you fucking tell me?”

You didn't care if he was from Paradis, you hated the Marleyans, all of them for what they did to your parents. Both sides were the same, but meeting someone actually from Paradis, falling for someone from Paradis how could you ever join the Marleyans now.

“Your people hate us.” He was blunt about it which was the obvious answer.

You looked at his face, “I fucking hate you…” His face fell, “for not telling me, Levi after everything I told you about with my parents, you really think I’d ever be on Marley’s side.”

He hadn't thought of that, only thinking that the sides had been determined. He hadn’t meant to come and see you every day for weeks, he hadn’t meant to ask about your day and your past. He hadn’t meant to fall for you, but he did and you, you stared at him with all the love you had.

“Is nobody going to explain what’s happening, or are we shooting her?” Levi glared at Jean as you looked down at your scathed fingers.

Helping you up, you looked at the group from Paradis, your history books had spoken about the devils beyond the sea but looking at the men and women. Those at home felt more devilish than these people, “this is Y/n, she works at the hospital Eren’s at.” So the Eren at your hospital was the Eren Yeager with the truths of how you both knew each other coming out.

One question stayed on everybody's minds, “can we trust her?” Hanje spoke what everybody was thinking.

Levi looked at you, his hand skimming your fingers that were to the side of your body, “i had nobody…” You turn back to Levi, meeting his eyes for the first time this night, “you can trust me.”

“How can we trust her word?” Jean questioned looking at the closeness between you and Levi.

Levi had be relieved but needed to settle the peace some way, “i trust her and she can help us, she’s a nurse.”

“One wrong move and we’ll take her hostage.” Hanje spoke happily, you didn't know if it was out of her wanting to experiment on you or she was always this happy but whatever it was you didn’t dare say another word.

The group had dispersed back into the abandoned building. Levi looked at you with a soft look, “let me walk you home.”

You nod, as he puts his hand out, taking it you smile at him. It was soft and Levi had thought it to be the last one he’d get from you. “We intend to go home afterwards.”

“Oh…” You trail off.

“If you really have nobody than you could come with us?” Your eyes light up at the sound of his words, he was wary of your acceptance, wary that his confession was all for nothing.

“Really? You’d want me to come with you.”

He looked up into the dark sky, home had been a faraway place. But in this moment with you he felt at home, after the losses he’d experienced, he knew he had met someone special. He had to keep you by his side even if his prior words were to keep you safe, he could keep you safe in Paradis. “Levi, I don't have anybody here.”

He doesn't question it, his grip tightening, taking you to your house, he had spent countless times dropping you home. But this time, the walk seemed different, the questions running through his head, “why?”

“Why what?” You stepped closer to your house door, the last time you’d see it in its glory before the destruction of tomorrow occurred.

He looked at you, “why are you helping us?”

“You…” You trail off, opening the door as you walk inside, Levi following and shutting the door behind him. He had never seen the inside of your place, the photo frames across the mantel piece, the books lying across the room. “I’d become a traitor just to be with you.”

Your words got him out of his gaze, he watched how you started around the place, it was never home. You knew what home was and he stood directly in front of you, he walked towards you, eyes becoming softer before he brought his hand to your cheek, “I’ll come and get you tomorrow morning.”

You nod his hand still on your cheek, he looks down at your lips watching you lick them before bringing your face to his own. His warm lips against your own, a softness coming from the kiss, before your hands went to his hair bringing him down to your height, making the kiss faster, filled with love and lust built up from the weeks. His hands moved to cup your face, his tongue gliding across your tongue, the sounds of your moans filled the room. His body was comfortable, was home and you were never going to let that go.

i’d really appreciate if you guys could leave a like, reblog or comment, thanks x

if you guys want to be a part of a tag list, just reply to any post and i’ll add you xx

@samusimp @alainarose13 @crispychannie @underratedmage @jennammaee @cathy8taffy @sugacious @moonlightaangel @kat-sukis-hoe @effmigentlywithachainsaw @swankiifiied @maat-the-prescriptive @missmultifangirl @tvwhoresblog @kuroos-world @chrrylevi @katsuhera @answer-the-sirens @animexholic @wapbenders @the-shota-king-masayuki @bakugousmrs @crystal-lilac

607 notes · View notes

mskatesharma · 4 years

Note

Hey sorry to bother you but I wanted to ask if you could rec some good sources on learning more about Indian Culture/history/customs. Movies books anything really. I have looked online but well, I always take things on the internet with several grains of salt. And considering I know very little on it, I can't say how reliable the information is. I would like to incorporate elements of Kate being Indian when writing about Kate (and Kate and Anthony) going forward and I want to do it in as respectful and accurate a way as I can. For example, I had a thought of Anthony seeing Kate and her fam celebrate Holi and falling in love with how happy and carefree she is and brushing some paint off her cheek before she dunks some pigment onto him or something 1/2

But considering I've never celebrated Holi or seen it celebrated before I don't think I'd do a good job to write it... I know I get annoyed when people get the basic customs and traditions of my culture wrong. Anyway sorry for rambling TLDR: I would like to learn more about Indian culture and idk where to begin so I would be grateful for any direction you can point me at 2/2

so this has taken me a while to answer because i needed to find time to sit down, think about it and answer it properly. it might seem like a somewhat simple question, but to me, at least, it’s complicated? (i’m probably going to be going over stuff you probably already know, but i’m trying to answer in a complete way.)

i need to start off by saying that my family is from north india (gujarat specifically), and because of that, i have a certain level of privilege, including how north indians and north indian culture is portrayed in the media (obviously including bollywood). i mention this because simone ashley is south indian, specifically tamil, and there is so much prejudice against south indians in general, and this obviously extends to how they are depicted and how their culture is shown in various forms of media; colourism (which simone has spoken out about) is just the start of it. (also, as someone who is north indian, i’m not the best placed person to talk about the prejudice and discrimination faced by south indians.)

a big part of why desi fans are so excited about simone’s casting as kate is because she a dark-skinned woc, and typically, dark-skinned women aren’t cast as romantic leads, and they’re not cast in shows anyway, especially when compared to light-skinned woc. so the fact that she’s going to be a lead in one of the biggest shows on netflix is a big.fucking.deal. in addition, they changed her character’s surname from ‘sheffield’ to ‘sharma’, which on the surface seems like a great idea, but if you look a little deeper, there are so many problems to be found.

(this got long so continues below)

sharma is not a generic indian surname; it’s specifically a north indian hindu name, which throws up questions. is kate going to be a hindu on the show? does this mean her family is from north india? are they going to talk about caste on the show because sharma is a brahmin surname? how are they going to explain kate being in england, and being out in society with the upper crust of the british aristocracy? (because of the time that bridgerton is set, and with them specifically setting up kate as indian, i honestly don’t know how they’re going to explain kate’s presence) i honestly think that the show didn’t think too deeply about it and they chose the name sharma because it starts with ‘sh’ and ~sounds indian. however, it’s thrown up so many questions that they can’t ignore, especially because they tried to explain race in the first season.

i talk about all this because you ask about holi, and incorporating elements of kate being indian when writing. and i’m not trying to be mean, but i would maybe hold off altogether? i need to point out that holi is a hindu festival, and is not specifically tied to being indian. i know i mentioned that sharma is a hindu surname, but we don’t even know if kate is going to be hindu, she may be a christian, or another religion or an atheist. also, because simone is tamil, they may decide to have kate be south indian despite the north indian origins of sharma, if they chose to address it at all. and depending on where in india you are from, and your religion, you will celebrate different festivals. even indians of the same religion celebrate different festivals, and some celebrate occasions at different times (e.g. gujaratis celebrate hindu new year the day after diwali. this isn’t the case for most other hindus. if we take holi, i know that it tends to be celebrated more in north india, and the image you describe isn’t necessarily universal).

there has been a lot in the tags regarding clothing, and seeing kate and her family wearing indian clothing, and while i get it, it makes me nervous. personally, i cannot wait to see kate in the same style of dresses that everyone else wore in season one. why? because seeing an indian woman in that period of dress is something i have been longing for. i don’t want to see an indian woman wearing a lengha or a sari or sabyasachi in that time period, i want to see her in a bonnet and empire waistline, because that is something we haven’t seen much of.

also, talking about seeing kate and her family wearing indian clothing has the potential to ‘other’ her, and tbh, can come across sometimes as fetishy, especially when you consider the time the story takes place in, and all the implications of colonialism. (there’s also the fact that unless the show has hired indian costume designers, it would be kinda gross for them to use any kind of indian clothing, and that includes adding elements to the era-typical dress that i’m hoping for.)

i’m going to be honest, i’ve seen pieces of fanart with kate wearing a sari and other indian clothing, while anthony has been in typical regency dress, and it makes me uncomfortable. it gives off coloniser vibes, and that’s a dynamic i have absolutely no interest in. there’s also the fact that i’ve seen art where simone as kate has been shown as light-skinned, to the point where she appears to be the same colour as anthony, and i mean, hello?!

full disclosure, i’ve made some posts regarding headcanons and music that i should have thought twice about. i’ve reblogged stuff that i should have thought more about before i did so. why? because they had overtones of north indian privilege, and/or orientalism. being indian (wherever in india that is) is part of someone’s identity, it’s not a gimmick to sprinkle onto things, and it’s not something to festishise, and i think, at least from what i’ve seen, that is the concern a lot of desi fans have, even if that’s not the intention of the original posters.

i realise i’ve gone on a seemingly massive tangent, but what i’m trying to say is, i don’t think there is a need to specifically reference kate being indian, especially when when writing canon-era fic, even more so when you consider we don’t know how the show is going to address it. now, i’m not saying i have faith in the show when it comes to kate and her ~indian surname, just that until we know how the show addresses it, i don’t see why it needs to be referred to? i understand why one might want to, but i just think there are waaay too many potential pitfalls, and the risk of coming across as orientalist/patronising/fetishy too high. some fans have fears when it comes to kate sharma and how she is presented, and for good reason.

sorry for not answering how you expected, and not giving you the resources you asked for (which, tbh, i’m not sure i would know where to start). i get what you were trying to ask, and i thank you for asking in the first place, but the question felt a little unfair tbh. but, i would encourage to read up on orientalism, also about the privilege that north indian hindus have, and honestly, the british colonisation of india.

ETA: i put this in the reblog but im going to add it here as well

also, something i forgot to add, even though i talk about north indians/north india and south indians/south india, it is obviously more complicated than that. there are many different states in india, and even then, different regions within those states will have different customs to each other. and then you have to factor in religion. likewise, there’s no one language that everyone in india speaks. basically, it’s not one universal culture that can be ‘boiled down to the essentials’.

#kate sharma #kate sheffield #kathony #bridgerton #anthony x kate #kate x anthony #simone ashley #kanthony #if i've got something wrong please PLEASE correct me #also if i've forgot to say something that needs to be said #idk anymore #i am once again wishing they hadn’t tried to explain race during season one #look at all the stuff it’s thrown up #ask

142 notes · View notes

theywontletmebeprincipal · 3 years

Note

can you give me drowsy headcanons, ramble, or anything please, i am so deprived. do not be afraid to make it super long, the more the better, i just love drowsy chaperone and love to hear other people (plus you’re one of the only people i’ve seen who knows a lot abt it)

ASK AND YE SHALL RECIEVE

I’ll divide this into a few different parts, going from least to most excruciatingly sad :)

1. general headcanons

2. in canon things i noticed and think about daily

3. a full analysis of man in chair’s connections with the drowsy chaperone as an in universe show (trigger warning for abuse ment, alcoholism ment, suicide ment)

SECTION ONE: HEADCANONS

- okay the chaperone is trans I don’t make the rules

- also her name is ambrosia :) she forsook her last name :)

- she’s about 12 years older than janet and kinda hung with janet’s family after leaving her own for a while . essentially she’s a big sister to janet

- aldolpho has some lines where he asks if the bride is big and/or burly and while in canon this is supposed to show he’s kind of a womanizer I like to believe it’s because he was fully prepared to fight her if needed

- speaking of which Of Course janet is ripped she does gymnastics

- my batshit crazy headcanon for this show is that dee dee allen from the prom is a descendant of roman bartelli no I will not elaborate

- is aldolpho one of those bitches with pets that definitely shouldn’t be legal? yessir

- post show kitty becomes a star okay I just want her to be happy

- the “pastry chefs” do discover a love of baking post show and now run a shop along with performing in feldzeig’s follies which might maybe be a front for some crime too

- TRIX DROWSY AND ALDOLPHO WORLD TRAVELING POLYCULE CAUSING PROBLEMS ON PURPOSE

- underling’s name is james I will not elaborate on this either

- show never says what trix does so I’ve decided she’s an explorer. she charts maps and punches colonialists and drags her stupid friends along with her, the only bitch in the show with a braincell

- drowsy was a former vaudeville child star pre transition - she left the business but was a mentor to janet

- I do have a headcanon for mic’s name but in the spirit of every actor who’s ever played him I won’t fucking tell

SECTION TWO: SHIT I NOTICED

- robert refers to himself by full name a lot of the time which is v interesting given he’s named after the writer, bob martin (whose wife is also named janet van de graaf). the real bob martin is like five feet away at all times playing mic

- idk how to describe it but the dynamic kitty and feldzeig (VICTOR felgzeig. we have a name from one (1) line) have when talking to each other is so snappy and funny and good

- aldolpho’s lines in spanish are mostly romantic bullshit but his first one hints that he has/had a wife who, if we’re taking the translation literally, refused to touch him. yeah I’ll bring this up in analysis

- the “pastry chefs” provide liquor for the wedding even though it has absolutely no relevance to their mission of stopping it :)

- drowsy is like. SUPER endearing towards janet and despite her bad social skills it’s super clear she cares a lot about her

- robert speaks fluent french apparently

- everyone says “ew” after aldolpho reveals his affair with drowsy despite her being a certified milf

- the body language of drowsy in the end of the show where she takes mic’s hands and breaks the barrier between reality and fiction is just so good. she was iconic the whole show but I honestly think this final bit is what won beth leavel the Tony in the end

SECTION THREE: OH NO

before diving into the way the drowsy chaperone affects his character, we need to understand what exactly it’s playing off of. to fully understand mic’s attachment to the drowsy chaperone, we need to outline what led him to isolating himself and living in fiction to the extent that he does.

mic’s father left his family at an early age and his semi estranged alcoholic mother was the one who began his love for theatre. mic grew up in a broken household and eventually moved on to land in a one sided marriage, which lasted a few months until he slipped up and expressed his discomfort with the situation, after which he and his wife split. nowadays, he lives alone in his apartment surrounded by records he uses to escape to a better life - his favorite of which being the one his mother gave him, the drowsy chaperone.

symbolism in the drowsy chaperone regarding mic’s life can be split into two main categories - mommy issues and internalized homophobia. there isn’t nearly as much mom symbolism as there is the latter, so I’ll cover that first.

drowsy covers both bases, but she definitely has some undeniable mom symbolism going on. drowsy marries aldolpho and mom dreams of being swept off her feet by a latin lover, both feel they’ve wasted their chances at love, both drink to forget, etc. this is where the idea of the drowsy chaperone being mic’s ideal way for things to work out, a positive parallel, comes into play. given that we don’t hear too much about mic’s mom other than her connections to major life events and the record itself, we can assume they grew apart in one way or another. the key difference is that drowsy finds a happy relationship for herself and retains her bond with janet, unlike what we’re led to assume mom was like.

further elaborating on the drowsy chaperone representing mic’s ideal fantasy version of events is the wedding the drowsy chaperone’s plot centers around. here’s a list of the things that didn’t stop that damn wedding:

- a minister not showing up

- the groom cheating on the bride with the bride

- the bride having a complete mental breakdown

- indirect mafia interference

- direct mafia interference

on the flip side, what little mic says about his wedding indicates it sucked absolute ass. he spent the entire ceremony in internal distress as he went through with a life changing event he, at that point, knew at least a bit that he didn’t want. I think he also implies he had severe diarrhea on the wedding day? it gets worse when you realize mic’s relationship before the wedding wasn’t any good for him either - he was playing along the whole time because it would be cruel not to, right?

throughout the show, mic is pretty clearly shown as an extremely repressed gay man. there are five specific instances that point at romantic and/or sexual attraction to men directly and another moment outside of his commentary that pretty much confirms it if you look a little bit deeper. thus, here is what I propose - to mic, the drowsy chaperone’s wedding plot represents a world where he was able to ignore that part of himself and have a happy marriage with his wife despite all the overwhelming obstacles thrown at him. however, bits and pieces of that internalized homophobia manage to show themselves throughout the drowsy chaperone anyway despite its happy ending. here’s a rundown on a few significant instances:

- by the end of the show, the “pastry chefs”, who had literally been planning to kill feldzeig, have left their life of crime to perform with him. this symbolizes how in mic’s ideal world he would have been able to turn away from what he perceived at the time as living wrongly - his homosexuality

- at the same time, the “pastry chefs” have this line, spoken in regards to janet: “if she gets married and leaves the show... there ain’t no show.” this is a take on mic’s subconscious concern that he might lose himself if he goes on with his marriage pretending everything is alright - of course, as we already know, he doesn’t listen

- “cold feets” is a pretty obvious instance of mic’s hesitation

- aldolpho’s line in spanish regarding the wife who won’t touch him flips to reflect on mic’s treatment of his own ex wife - she was alien to him as a lover, just as aldolpho was to this woman

- janet recalls her meeting robert at a point in the show and states “we spooned, briefly, then he proposed.” though mic’s relationship pre marriage was much longer than that, it must have felt that way to him - just as quick and nonsensical as janet describes

- just as janet is caught in showbiz but has a toxic love for it, so does mic with his own repressed life

- janet has a line in “show off” that alludes to her experiencing harassment/assault: “I don’t wanna be cheered no more/ praised no more/ grabbed no more/ touched no more/ loved no more” , which I believe represents the way mic perceived his intimacy with his wife - labeled as love yet unenjoyable for him

- “I look into his eyes... I get all woozy. and that’s... love, isn’t it?” is another very clear nod to mic’s misconception of love based off the only thing he’s ever experienced, relationships with women he’s had to fake

- this is the part where I tell you the lyrics to toledo surprise are a metaphor for actively suppressing gay thoughts. I’ll just leave you with “if it tries to rise; don’t let it”. these lyrics are not comprehensive enough to make a dish - trust me, I have tried. it’s also notable that they serve a double entendre as instructions on how to beat the shit out of someone, but several lyrics are also directed towards the singer/audience. for example: “it’s a snap/ try it folks/ whip your whites/ split your yolks” is an easy metaphor for the unhealthy mental gymnastics required to repress oneself so wholeheartedly

it’s also worth noting the obvious just for the sake of it - mic copes with all this by isolating himself in a safe spot where he can use musicals to escape and live his ideal fantasy, even if it’s only for a short time. there are plenty of nods to this throughout the drowsy chaperone as well. in “as we stumble along” drowsy notes that “the best that we can do is hope a bluebird/ will sing a song/ as we stumble along” - to mic, musicals are his bluebird. while mic mostly indulges in these fantasies, he knows to a certain extent the sheer amount of time he’s spending in them is unhealthy. the first line of the show is “I hate theatre” and I think that to an extent? he does. obviously mic loves theatre as a concept, that can’t be denied. what he hates is the way he’s allowed it to confine him.

with all that out of the way, let’s move on to the most important moment of the show. if you’ve ever seen the show, you’ll know exactly which scene I’m talking about immediately. I’m referring to, of course, the infamous “l-ve while you can” scene. as janet stands at the alter she asks drowsy for one final word of advice, which is partially obscured by aldolpho dropping his cane. “l-ve while you can.” it’s a simple moment, but mic reveals to us that he’s been agonizing over it for years - did drowsy say “live” or “leave”? it occurs to everyone eventually, whether a couple days after the show like with me, or years after like with bob martin’s replacement on broadway that the most likely answer is that she had said “love while you can”. it’s this moment, when you realize why mic had never seen that as an option, that the drowsy chaperone’s status as a musical within a comedy within a tragedy is solidified. mic had no love in his life - his parents hated each other and he was forcing himself into relationships in which he felt nothing. to him, living and leaving were options, but loving never was. so he locked himself away.

as the final note on the record is playing, all power in mic’s apartment shuts down and the fantasy is ruined. the superintendent arrives and further invades his space, breaking the private sanctity he had built up for so long. she fixes the power and before mic can stop it from happening, the final note of the record plays. and the super recognizes it as a musical. she makes a remark about how much her wife loves musicals and leaves, completely unaware of what she’s just done.

mic sits in silence for a while. and then he begins to sing. gradually, the cast members begin to echo their songs, dancing around him but never touching him. then drowsy appears and sings harmony to mic. and she takes his hands. the show ends with the entire cast, including mic, taking off on trix’s airplane as the curtain falls, drowsy handing mic his record as the plane takes off.

some people interpret the ending as mic committing suicide, finally deciding between live and leave. I don’t personally believe that and neither does writer and original mic bob martin, but it’s still a valid interpretation. the drowsy chaperone’s ending is ambiguous, yes, but not to that extent. no matter what you believe the ending means, it was brought on not by the interruption of the fantasy, but by whatever realization the super’s remark about her wife triggered. as I see it, there are two main options here.

option one - mic realizes he still has time to live and to love. when he was younger the prospect of living as himself was unthinkable to him, yet now he sees that while he was spending countless years alone the world grew. drowsy offers mic her hand, an invitation to finally become what he had admired in her - someone who isn’t anywhere near perfect, but is damn well trying and living life without regret. he accepts.

option two - mic realizes that while he spent years alone the world moved on without him and he’s isolated himself so much from social interaction that he’d no longer be able to make a meaningful connection with anyone outside. so he stays inside instead, never trying, always trapped between live and leave. drowsy offers mic her hand - at least he’ll have a tune to carry with him.

I really want to believe we got option one. I think option one is the intended, really, given mic ends the show with a joyful goodbye to the audience. but the way that the ending is still left open for interpretation makes it so that we can never really know - we as the audience only get to be privy to a small part of mic’s life, and we don’t get the answers we want because at the end of the day they’re irrelevant to us - all we can do is make our own choice.

#the drowsy chaperone #musical theatre #musicals #broadway #musical meta #man in chair

39 notes · View notes

recycledcactus · 4 years

Text

so i’m really thinking about the Dream SMP as like, a world with civilians and stuff. because you know how when there was an election, our votes were canon, right? so what if there were regular ol’ villagers and civilians who lived in this world...

(also this is kinda based off of something @khizuo said a while back. also @phantom-clock, @strawberiitea, and @emo-and-confused, y’all might like this, idk)

reblogs appreciated :]

Warning: Long post ahead!!! (Basically me just skimming over all the events since Tommy had the first duel with Dream and then to the point where he and Tubbo faced off with Dream in sort of a civilian’s perspective)

I’m thinking about how people inhabited the lands of the whole DreamSMP, lived in those places and had homes and jobs in those places. There were people who followed their leaders. People who grew to question their leader’s morals. People who still remained after all the destruction. And people who left because nothing could ever be the same

I’m thinking about how some men, women, and even possibly some children went to war for their countries. They looked up to their leaders––their symbols of hope and freedom. They fought and died and some probably never made it home.

I’m thinking about how they went to bed one night, presuming they had lost the first war, only to wake up to cheering in the streets. They woke up to see their leader, Wilbur, and his closest friends laughing and hollering and yelling ‘We won!!’. Do you think they ever learned that Tommy sacrificed a life? Do you think they were told that? Or do you think they lived in blissful ignorance that a child died and gave up his discs for their country. Did they celebrate that day, thinking all was well?

Did they pass the walls of Eret’s castle with hatred in their gut?

What about Schlatt’s election? I wonder if people knew who this guy was. Wasn’t he just a stranger brought to their lands? Schlatt was originally there to help Pog2020 win, right? How did the citizens feel when the ram announced he’d be running too? Or worse, when he won? They must’ve been scared, right? Confused. Scared. Unsure. Curious, probably. And when Tommy and Wilbur were exiled. They had to watch their leaders be shot at, driven away by arrows and mad laughter. They watched Tubbo be called to the podium. Watched Schlatt grin at the teenager and announce him as his right hand man. They were helpless to Tubbo nervously leading Tommy and Wilbur far away. Did they riot? Cry out? Try to fight? Were they held back by the others? Perhaps some left the nation, too scared to stay.

Citizens probably slipped away in the night, past guards, and followed where they saw Tommy and Wilbur go. They probably found the two building their home and joined them, eventually setting up a system for other people on their side to come quickly. Did they work as double-agents in the shadows? I imagine they mined out Pogtopia and created little pockets of space to live in. Children’s laughter would ring out on all levels of the ravine. Patters of footsteps rung throughout the underground society. People would slip in and out with resources, information, and recruits. It was a small, bustling base. But it was home to the revolution.

They watched the great Blood God walk their halls, scared to be in his presence but ultimately in awe. They farmed silently by his side for hours, just to go to bed and wake up the next morning, finding he didn’t stop. That probably changed their vision of him, if only for a short while.

I wonder how they felt when Wilbur went insane.

Were the plans of bombing their old nation just rumours that echoed the caves? Or did they know the grim possibility of what could come?

When Technoblade murdered Tubbo, did cries ring out in the streets? I’d imagined they did. I’d imagine more riots. By both citizens and revolutionists. Fireworks danced in the skies but they were never a joyous sight after that day. Did people yell and scream at Techno as he massacred the leaders and founders of this server? Or did they dare to make a noise, too scared to meet an end like that?

Some of the adults gathered around the pit Wilbur made, watching the sickening show happen. They cringed at each of Wilbur’s little taunts. This was not their leader. This was not who they swore to follow.

I think some people left the lands after that.

They went into another war and thought they came out with a win. Schlatt was dead in the old drug van and it seemed things were at peace now. Many people disagreed with Tommy being at the podium––being in power––but not much was said. It couldn’t really get worse from Schlatt and Wilbur, right? Tubbo is elected and he accepts. There are cheers and cries of relief. Everyone’s tired but in a good mood. They don’t notice their old leader slip away. It only descends into more chaos from there. There are more fireworks, fighting, clanging of metal on metal. People no longer know which side is which––or even who attacked in the first place. Tommy is yelling something, and Techno is yelling something back. Did they notice Wilbur was gone? Did they start to realize the gravity of the situation? Did anyone suddenly just feel hopeless and accept that this was the end? The ground shakes, and people can’t tell if it was due to battle, or due to a winged man entering their world. Civilians and soldiers alike witness their home explode and burn to the ground. Did they have time to see Phil and Wilbur argue? Did they watch their former president get stabbed by his father? Or were they too distracted with Techno’s speech and the Withers and Tommy’s reaction to see anything? (A reminder was set into place: Do no mess with the Blood God). How many people do you think died that day? Soldiers and civilians alike? Children, even?

What did they do when their nation was nothing but a burning hole in the ground?

What did they do when they suddenly lost everything? When their homes were nothing but rubble and ash? When the bodies of their friends and family alike littered the gaping crater that was their nation?

Did they hold onto hope at the words of their new leader––the dream of a new L’Manburg? More people left, probably. Did the revolutionists take their stuff from Pogtopia and never enter that toxic crevice of a base again? Perhaps they put up tents and huts around the destroyed L’Manburg just like how it used to be in the early days. They set to work slowly rebuilding their country and tried their best to keep their spirits high. It wasn’t the end.

Philza was nice to them, albeit melancholy at times. They liked him. (Did they know what he did)?

How many people do you think yelled and took out their anger on Ghostbur? How many people do you think actually liked him?

Did they turn the site of the still-intact L’Mantree into a graveyard for their fallen friends and family?

I wonder how many people hated Tubbo being in power. Hated that a kid was leading their country. Or were they more pitying and angry at life for doing these things to children?

Did they know Tommy and the new kid, Ranboo, burning George’s house before Dream caught on? How many were terrified when the obsidian walls were put up? How many people were angry when Tommy went to court. Angry at Tommy for doing this? People probably either yelled that Tommy was just a kid, a victim of war and manipulation. Others probably yelled that ‘yes, this was all his fault, he should be punished for this’.

But were they prepared to see their conflicted leader exile his best friend?

Did they riot, scream, curse, and fight? Did they shout at Tubbo for being a terrible leader? Did they drive him into his home with their protests? Or were they stunned into silence at the gravity at the situation. He was a kid. He was a kid. He was a kid. They were kids. Did anyone try to find Tommy when he was in exile but ultimately get killed/escorted back to L’Manburg for their efforts? What did they think when Tubbo stumbled into their nation one day with tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes, mumbling something about ‘Tommy’s dead’?

I wonder how many people lost respect for their president that day.

I wonder if they showered the famous bench in flowers, place notes of respect in Tommy’s house, and give him a grave under the L’Mantree next to Wilbur’s.

Was it a surprise when Philza fled the country? He was kind, yes, but he never seemed to enjoy himself. He always looked tied down. Were they happy he was going to find a better place to be, or were they angry if they knew just where exactly he was going? Were they horrified and disappointed in their government for forming a ‘butcher army’? How sick do you think they felt when they heard the ambitious whispers of Quackity and saw how his behaviours became small reflections of Schlatt? Were they terrified at the possibility that another dictator like Schlatt could arise into power? Did they watch Techno’s failed execution with satisfaction or with unease? I think some were more amazed seeing the powers of a Totem of Undying for the first time. (A second reminder was set into motion: Do not mess with the Blood God).

Was anyone brave enough to ask Quackity how he got that scar running down his face?

How do they feel when Sam starts building a large whatever-the-hell-it-is out of blackstone and obsidian? They might catch wind of a prison being built to contain somebody certain. Nobody knows who, but many theories (Tommy, Techno, Tommy, Techno, Tommy–) are discussed. Is the inescapability of the prison boasted about or kept entirely secret? Does anyone look at the massive creation and feel like throwing up on sight? Not only because of the magical effects, but also because how the hell could somebody put a living, breathing human in there and not feel an ounce of regret or remorse? It sticks out like a sore thumb in the badlands and soon people just learn to travel places in a way that they can avoid it at all costs. I wonder if anyone senses Sam’s slight discomfort when he’s talking about who will go inside. Do they pity him? Or do they spit on him and glare at him for agreeing to do this?

The egg is is still only known by Bad, but do you think they sense the changes in his behaviours? Or are they simply too busy with their own lives?

When Tommy shows up, do people think they’re hallucinating? Do they stop in their tracks when they see that not only is he still alive, but he also looks nothing like who he was. He looks tired. So, so tired. His eyes are mostly dull, only the twinkle of the Christmas lights making them seem remotely bright. Though his smile is wide, do they notice how nervous it is? How happy yet unbelievably worried he is? How he slouches more, curls in on himself more, to appear smaller and less threatening. He still speaks loudly, yes, but he shuts up much faster. Do they notice how he always looks over his shoulder? How he always seems hesitant to open his mouth. Do they even recognize who he is anymore?

How do they feel when Tommy lights up when he sees Tubbo, yet seems almost scared to go and talk to him?

When the festival for Dream is announced, do they dread it? Do they get nightmares about the old festival when Tubbo was executed? Do they talk amongst themselves about how bad of an idea it is? Does anyone protest? Or are they just relieved to get some time off? I can’t imagine they’d know about the plans to assassinate Dream.

Are there any passerby’s when Dream stops Techno and Tommy at the Nether portal? Do they exhale in relief when Techno says Tommy is with him? Do they hold their breaths when Techno talks about cashing in a favour? Or do they simply retreat, too scared to be caught in a potential scuffle?

Do they cower or prepare to fight when Tommy and Techno show up, demanding for Techno’s things back? Does anyone really feel any kind of sadness when a Wither is spawned and destroys bits of their homes? Or do they just sigh and pick up the pieces of their hopeless nation?

How many people hear Techno mention blowing up L’Manburg again when he talks with Tommy at the community house? Does anyone catch that information amidst the pouring rain and newly-broken homes? I imagine it’d go unheard. The civilians are too busy fixing yet another damage to follow the mysterious brothers in the pouring rain. (They’d prefer to sleep in dry beds that night, thank you).

The festival takes place and it’s surprisingly... normal. There are tensions between the members of the cabinet and the other important figureheads of their respective lands, but it’s relatively quiet. It’s obviously not a well-planned festival, but it’s a festival nonetheless. Citizens get to enjoy the crappy games and snack booths that were haphazardly put together. It’s unusually peaceful considering this is the DreamSMP. Do they fall to their knees in despair when they find the watery ruins of the Community House? Are they furious that the most significant building in their world has been destroyed, just like everything else important, it seems. How many tears fall that day? How many accusations are spewed that day?

As they watch Tubbo and Tommy yell at each other, are they reminded of the day Tommy was exiled? Do they think of the face-off between best friends that happened on looming obsidian walls and dull skies?

Can they even register the words Tommy screams in blind frustration?

Are they in disbelief when discs are tossed to the enemy?

Or are they even surprised that another fight is breaking out? Do you really think that after all the shit these people witnessed, they’d still get surprised at conflicts.

But what about when Techno and Dream casually discuss plans to blow up their nation beyond repair? Do they finally register what’s happening? Are they frantic, already running to save their stuff? I think some would be in such a state of shock that they can’t even think about leaving.

I think that’d be the moment when people realize just how utterly powerless they are when it comes to their fates.

Is it really worth being sad over anymore?

When Tommy rallies figureheads and civilians alike, they try to be hopeful. To have one last spark of faith. But it’s hard. It’s so hard to be hopeful when the only constant in your life is destruction and chaos of your own home. It’s hard looking into the eyes of a boy so broken by war but still desperately trying to fix things. To know nobody had faith in him, and watch as this kid tries his goddamn best to make things better.

(Is he called selfish? Are people still mad at him? Does anyone have the energy to be mad at him for wanting peace?)

Nobody sees Nikki destroy their items for war.

Many last ‘goodnights’ are said as everyone prepares for what they dread (read: know) will be the end. They wake up to a big obsidian grid towering over their nation and a feeling of hopelessness settles into their guts. It wasn’t supposed to happen this early. It was supposed to be later. They were supposed to have some time in the morning to prepare for the inevitable. To say their final ‘goodbyes’ and hug their families for what could be the last time. They were not supposed to wake up to a grid obscuring the sun, still in progress of being built.

This battle is far more chaotic than the first destruction of L’manburg. There are far more Withers, far more swords and shields clanging, far more shouts between once-brothers and leaders. Phil no longer has the caring yet melancholy smile on his face. His eyes are cold and uncaring, his mouth unmoving as he schools his expression. People drown in blood, but they keep fighting because why not? They don’t have a reason to live anymore. Why not go out fighting for their doomed nation? They look the screeching Withers in the eyes and accept their fate.

Most are too distracted by Withers to listen, but do some hear the desperate cries between a certain Piglin and a certain blond boy? Do their hearts shatter all over again, or can they no longer feel anything? Perhaps their pity is buried underneath all the trauma and exhaustion they’ve endured. It can be hard to pity another when you yourself are barely getting by. They watch Nikki throw a torch into the L’Mantree, uttering the line ‘It was never meant to be’. They watch as it goes up in flames. They do not have the strength to put it out. But some salute with her and give her silent nods of understanding. They can’t bring themselves to be angry when Fundy stands off to the sides and watches their country burn. Do they hear Ghostbur’s outburst agains Phil? Do they watch in sadness as blue tears flow out of his eyes and he cries out about how much he actually feels things and isn’t just some happy-go-lucky comic relief.

Does anyone have enough care left in them to cry?

The numbered survivors join in on singing the national anthem. That seems to be the breaking point for a lot of them.

It’s okay, some try to convince themselves. It was never meant to be.

Not many people stay after that. There are only around 6% of the original population left. A good portion of these people are ones without families or friends. People who can afford to stay in such a destructive environment. It’s a desolate wasteland and people scatter around to find some kind of shelter. They don’t really know why they stay. Why they bother caring. It’s over. Maybe it’s because there’s really nothing left in life for them so what’s the point in leaving if their past will haunt them forever? Or because the chaos of their lives has now become a definite constant and they can’t imagine living without it. They’ve lived with destruction for so long that peace almost seems boring and unfulfilling. Did they really form an addiction to this lifestyle? How pathetic, honestly. Most people join Tubbo in Snowchester while others simply live wherever isn’t completely destroyed.

There are plans of Tubbo and Tommy finally killing dream.

Citizens are tired. It will not end.

The day comes, slow and steady like molasses on a hot day. Silence blankets the already pretty-quiet lands. Unspoken words are muttered between citizens and leaders alike. They line up on the Prime Path and say goodbye to the boys who fought so hard for a better world.

They try not to think about how much the two have lost, and yet they do not give up. Like the soldiers they were forced to be, they march on and face the jaws of death without any second thoughts. There are no fathers or brothers to be proud of them anymore. Nobody to stand behind them and offer unwavering support. They only have each other, and who knows if that’s a good or bad thing.

The silence that hangs over the land doesn’t lift. Not for many, many hours. Not until they watch as Tommy and Tubbo stumble back into the DreamSMP with wounds on their bodies and drained yet ecstatic smiles on their faces.

Nobody talks when they see Sam lead a chained up and tired-looking Dream to the large, inescapable hellhole that is Pandora’s Vault.

Not a word is uttered until the two teenagers announce their victory.

Dream is on his last life.

Dream is in prison.

Dream will no longer hurt them.

There’s an exhale of relief.

Many would argue that this wasn’t worth it. That living in this land was not worth the trouble it brought upon people. And many people would be right. But the sight of Tommy and Tubbo finally relaxing for the first time since before L’Manburg even started made them feel like maybe, just maybe, this moment was worth sticking around for.

46 notes · View notes

morganaseren · 3 years

Text

WIP Meme (Warden Inquisitor Niamh/Warden Bethany)

Tagged by: @illusivesoul Many thanks!

Tagging: @this-is-something-idk-what, @noeldressari, @jellydishes, @w-h-4-t As usual, I suck at telling who has or hasn’t been tagged yet.

So this WIP is from prompt #3 I made off this list. It doesn’t tie into the other Warden Niamh/Warden Bethany AU I’ve already written; this is something wholly separate. No knowledge of it is needed to read this.

Granted, this is a much rougher draft than what I’d normally post here, but given I’m already more than a month behind on updating OtSttCA, I thought you guys would appreciate the treat. :)

Things you might want to know:

As with any AU where Niamh is a Warden, she’s the one who undertakes the Dark Ritual with Morrigan in order to spare anyone from being sacrificed once the Archdemon is slain. Through magic, Kieran is born as a result of their union. While both women carry a great deal of respect for one another, they aren’t and were never in a romantic relationship although there’s gonna be a whole separate AU for that once I get around to writing it.

Niamh is the Warden-Constable for Ferelden while her sister Saoirse is the Warden-Commander and Hero of Ferelden. Saoirse and Leliana are married sometime after the end of the Blight.

As a result of going on the Deep Roads expedition with her sister, Bethany contracts the taint and has to undergo the Joining in order to save her life. She is transferred to the Fereldan branch of the Grey Wardens by Stroud not long afterward.

Niamh and Bethany are in an established relationship by the time the events of Inquisition begins.

While Niamh would normally be off searching for the cure by then, I'm just going to headcanon that she and Morrigan weren’t able to find a suitable lead in their research until much later—enough that they start hearing about the mass disappearances of Wardens across Ferelden and Orlais.

Out of concern, Niamh and Saoirse convince the remainder of their comrades (except for Bethany obviously) to head toward Weisshaupt for help, but Niamh senses that's enough wrong about the situation that she also tells them to journey there in secret. Vigil’s Keep is pretty much closed down at this point until they can figure out what’s going on.

Niamh and Bethany head out toward the Hinterlands to follow up on reports of some Warden sightings in the area. It's when they're stopped in the Crossroads area (where you meet Mother Giselle) that Niamh has Bethany to ask the villagers for any leads while she heads up to the Temple of Sacred Ashes to follow up on a tip there. The usual stuff happens, and she ends up waking up in Haven's dungeons, where she gets interrogated by Cassandra.

Honestly, this follows pretty closely to how OtSttCA unfolds as far as the major decisions being made within it goes. However, because she wasn’t in self-exile for a decade, Niamh’s a lot more laidback and confident in her ability to lead, especially with Bethany by her side.

Along that same vein, Bethany is also more self-assured in her abilities as a mage now that she no longer has to fear hiding from Templars. As such, she’s much quicker to speak about what’s on her mind rather than bottle them up as she used to in the past. She confronts Cassandra like an absolute badass several times during the beginning of the story in defense of her lover, which you can check out below the cut with the rest of the content. ;)

Like in her canon world state, Niamh isn't treated well when she’s imprisoned. The guards merely know that she's a mage, so they're operating under the assumption that she caused the explosion at the Conclave. It doesn't help that Niamh's been essentially undercover to search for the missing Wardens, so she's not wearing her usual uniform to signify her status. Cassandra does her whole intimidating interrogation as per usual when Bethany—in all her Warden regalia—bursts in with Leliana.

---

"She leaves with me," she leveled at the Seeker coldly before turning to Leliana with a deep frown. “Why did you not put a stop to this?”

“I arrived here at the same time as you. I didn’t know she was here until she was already imprisoned.”

Niamh couldn't help but chuckle under her breath, utter relief filling her. “I think you may invited utter ruination upon your heads with those two."

Cassandra frowned. "What? Why?"

“What do you mean why?” she parroted with a roll of her eyes, unimpressed with what she had seen of the woman and her colleagues thus far. "Leliana’s my sister-in-law, and the Warden next to her is my fiancée, whom—might I add—you've actually succeeded in making angry.” The corners of her lips turned up into a languid smile. “Not an easy feat, and not a fate I would normally wish upon anyone.”

“Hush,” Bethany muttered as she brushed past Cassandra—all but shoving her aside with a pointed shoulder—as she knelt at Niamh’s side to begin healing the wounds she’d received from her captors. All the soldiers began backing away uneasily, especially as Leliana walked alongside her. “I’m already upset that you sent me down to the Crossroads while you went up to the Conclave alone.”

“It was the easiest way of scoping out the area," Niamh defended even as she sheepishly shrank back beneath her lover’s glare. "If the individuals we were searching for were still down in the village, you would have seen them, and if they were up at the Temple…Well, I suppose that’s a moot point now, given what our new acquaintances have just revealed to me.”

“Do you remember seeing anything at all?” Leliana asked then in concern.

“I can’t recall much of anything before the explosion.” Niamh admitted with a frown. “I thought I remembered someone screaming, but then there’s just... nothing.”

“And...” Leliana gestured toward her hand. “That mark?”

She shrugged as much as she was able to, especially given her heavy shackles. “It certainly wasn’t there when I went to the Temple.”

“What is going on here?” Cassandra demanded then, perhaps confused as to why their supposed prisoner had proven so much more forthcoming with Leliana than anyone else thus far.

“You’ve met my wife before, yes? This is her younger sister Niamh Cousland. She is also the Constable of the Grey here in Ferelden, Cassandra,” Leliana stated gravely. “While the Wardens may not regularly involve themselves in politics, Niamh’s high enough up their chain of command that this country’s branch would fight to the death to get her back, and that’s not even involving what Saoirse herself will do once she finds out her sister's been hurt.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily. “Not to mention the Teyrn of Highever…”

---

After the demons upon the frozen lake had been defeated, Niamh felt the brush of a warm hand in the crook of her elbow gently pulling her back before all she could see was Bethany’s back as her lover marched right up toward Cassandra, heedless of the obvious height difference between them.

"Point your sword at her again, Seeker! Kindly test my patience right now, and see what happens!"

Niamh was mildly amused when Cassandra actually appeared to be a bit startled and had to move back a step so as to not accidentally stab the woman. The Seeker’s dark brows furrowed in confusion. "Are... Are you threatening me?"

"Only because you’ve threatened her repeatedly!” Bethany scowled. “Niamh's very life is in danger so long as that portal in the sky exists; she has no reason to put yours in harm's way. She’s made it more than abundantly clear she’s willing to cooperate even after the mistreatment she received from you and your colleagues." Amber eyes narrowed, and despite their bright depths, there was little mistaking the ice within them. "I haven’t, however, and I’ve no reason to if you’re going to blatantly ignore your own words to the contrary simply because she’s a mage."

Cassandra sheepishly sheathed her weapon. "I’m—"

"If you ever think of drawing a sword on her again, your friendship with Leliana or no, I swear it will be the last time you ever draw breath," Bethany spat, tilting her chin up defiantly. "I’ve lost enough. I will not lose her too." She turned then to hold out her hand for Niamh, allowing the first bit of tenderness to enter her expression as she called out to her. "My love..."

Niamh chuckled quietly even as she weaved her fingers through Bethany’s. “Still so quick to defend me?”

Her lover smiled. “Always.”

Afterward, Cassandra was left to follow behind the two women, who proceeded to lead the rest of the way up the mountain.

"I did tell you not to make her angry," Niamh quipped to Cassandra later upon reaching the first outpost, grinning when she earned a soft sound of disgruntlement.

---

Nothing had really prepared Bethany for the sight that greeted them upon reaching the Temple of Sacred Ashes.

There were so many bodies scattered across the immense crater, expressions twisted in permanent states of terror as they tried to guard themselves against a danger beyond all earthly imagining. Horrified with such evidence of the Breach’s power, it was then that she realized that if Niamh hadn’t somehow received the Mark, she likely would have—

"Bethany?"

She jerked in place, turning to see her lover’s concerned eyes watching her.

"It's nothing,” she mustered up with a weak smile. “I'm right behind you."

Bethany saw, however, that Niamh couldn’t be convinced, as was evident in the tender way the other woman had taken hold of her hand. Niamh said nothing else, as was always her way. She never pressed her to offer anything more than she was ready for. She sighed.

"I should have been there with you," Bethany murmured at last, looking at the strange mark still glowing upon her lover’s palm. It was nothing that even with all her healing magic can hope to fix, but Niamh merely shook her head.

"No.” She brought Bethany’s hand up to her lips to press a kiss reverently across her knuckles. “Were you there with me, I fear you would have died with everyone else," she admitted solemnly. "My heart would not have survived such devastation."

---

Bethany was beside herself with worry when Niamh fell unconscious upon the first, unsuccessful attempt to seal the Breach. Niamh was brought back to Haven to recover, but Bethany refused to leave her side despite Leliana's attempts to get her to take care of herself as well.

"Bethany—"

"You know as well as I do that your colleagues would have killed her down in the dungeons if we hadn’t arrived when we did," Bethany said flatly from where she sat by Niamh’s bedside. "Everyone in the village knows she’s a mage now, and I don’t need to remind you of how well-liked we are on a regular basis..."

"I’ll have my agents watching her. What nearly happened outside the chantry will never happen again."

Bethany bristled instantly at the memory.

---

She’d still been inside the building to relay some information regarding Saoirse to Leliana when they heard the first outraged cries beyond the doors. As the uproar grew louder in volume—all demanding the death of the one who had supposedly killed the Divine—Bethany had rushed outside immediately just in time to see civilians and more than a few soldiers attempting to stone Niamh.

Infuriated by the blatant injustice, Bethany reached over her shoulder for her staff and immediately slammed its point into the ground. At the moment of impact, a wave of force magic traveled violently across the ground, taking the mob entirely off their feet. She had been mindful to curve the energy away from Niamh—and inadvertently Cassandra, who had sidled up to aid the other mage, just as she unleashed her magic—so her lover had remained unharmed and even grateful for her arrival if her relieved smile was any indication.

Still, Bethany steeled her features to utter impassivity as she coolly strode through the crowd. Those within it seemed to be in various states of bewilderment as they tried to regain their bearings, but she took note of the many widened eyes that recognized the blues and silvers of her Warden regalia.

“You will show Ferelden’s Constable of the Grey the proper respect she is due,” Bethany said lowly as she placed herself alongside her lover, her gaze searching for any signs of rebellion to her words. “Anyone who would dare accost her in spite of her title will sorely live to regret it...”

---

"Can you really make such promises?" Bethany asked dryly.

"I can certainly try. Niamh’s family. Saoirse would never forgive me if something happened to her, especially if she knew there was anything I could have done to prevent it." She sighed. "Nor would I be able to forgive myself for that matter. Niamh’s a kind woman, and much like you—and any mage—she’s so undeserving of the treatment she often receives from others.”

---

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE mages; thus, it should come as no surprise that I always go to get the mages at Redcliffe as allies.

It should also go without saying that Bethany also would have gone with Niamh to deal with Alexius and the Venatori. Per the events of In Hushed Whispers, it's canon that the companions who went with you there become prisoners in the twisted, future version of Redcliffe.

While Warden mages are more susceptible to Corypheus' influence, I headcanon that Bethany was so furious with the loss of Niamh to Alexius that she fought against the mind control even to the point of torture like Leliana. When Niamh sees her in the future, Bethany's so pained, broken, and exhausted but so very thankful to see her lover again.

There's hope again—no matter how small—and Bethany's determined to help her set the world right again.

What little happiness they have at their reunion obviously doesn't last long, especially with Alexius’ death. With the Elder One beckoning at their door, Bethany goes off with the other companions to stall the demons and Venatori outside to give Dorian time to cast his spell.

I’ve always headcanoned that mages have auras unique to the type of magic they specialize in and that they’d be able to subtly influence the world around them based on their emotions. You see evidence of that a lot in OtSttCA, especially in those moments where Niamh’s angry or upset.

In any case, per my headcanon, mages would be able to sense one another although the distance at which they could detect such magic would be dependent on the senser’s overall power or their relationship with the other mage. As close as both women are, Niamh absolutely feels the moment Bethany dies... :(

---

She felt the absence of Bethany’s magic like a dagger to the heart.

It had been there, burning as bright as the sun, and then it had stuttered—dark clouds eclipsing its light—until it simply settled inside her like a dead weight. Left bereft of that familiar, constant presence that had been her very reason for breathing for so long, it was as if water had pooled into her lungs, threatening to drown her. The sensation immediately brought her to her knees, leaving her gasping for breath.

"No..." Niamh whispered out brokenly, anguish and horror overtaking her even as Leliana tried in vain to urge her back up to her feet again. She couldn't hear the other woman's concern past the shattering of her own heart. In its place was simply an aching emptiness that slowly began to consume her whole...

---

Let’s just say that Niamh’s not happy with Alexius when she and Dorian manage to return to the present...

---

The fighting between the Inquisition and rebel mages against Alexius and his Venatori was brought to an abrupt halt by the presence of the Fade rift that appeared overhead. The force with which it easily tore space and reality asunder was enough to take everyone within the audience chamber off their feet, especially as stifling heat and wind spilled from the portal along with two figures.

“Give her back..."

Bethany blearily looked up when she heard Niamh’s familiar voice, and relief filled her when she saw that she was standing beneath the now sealed rift. Even with its disappearance, however, she realized all too soon that it had done nothing to quell the storm that had now taken residence within the room, sending banners and tapestries flying with whipping gusts of wind. At its center was her lover, who was standing so still amidst the chaos around her, regarding Alexius with such apathy in her expression.

“What?" the old magister uttered in confusion, shakily rising to his feet only to have his progress nearly undone as lightning struck the ground next to him with a deafening peal of thunder.

Bethany saw how his throat undulated as he swallowed in nervous regard of the mage slowly making her way toward him. His fingers trembled with the effort to form flames between them.

"...Who gave you the right?” Niamh asked, voice as low as the rumbling thunder, as she strode toward the dais.

The pressure within the room escalated once more as an aura of absolute fire surrounded her. Like vines, they rose from the floor up in spiraling patterns before enveloping her entirely with almost playful licks of flame. Nothing in Niamh’s expression indicated the display of power was in any way exhausting to maintain whereas Alexius was already weakened from his initial spell to destroy her along with his efforts to keep the Inquisition at bay.

But it was not a woman who sought to meet him.

It was death.

As if aware of the sudden danger he was in, Alexius threw forth several barrages of fire at Niamh, but her smooth, relentless advance couldn’t be stopped. She made no attempt to even bat away the bursts of magic. If anything, the flames just seemed to absorb themselves into her. Her aura flared higher, burning more brightly beneath each attack, and as Alexius tried to back away, he inadvertently tripped himself into the throne behind him. He flinched as another peal of thunder made itself known, and as he reflexively turned his gaze to the dark storm clouds coalescing above them, he didn't see Niamh Fade-stepping forward to close the distance between them until he was choking from the fingers around his neck. With her enhanced Warden strength, Niamh was able to lift the magister off his feet entirely, leaving him to dangle helplessly.

“Who gave you the damned right to take her from me?!” she demanded.

With her cry, the fires along the sconces and the hearth behind the throne went out entirely, gone with the sudden gale of wind. As such, the only light to be seen came from the flashes of lightning above them and the fiery aura surrounding her. In the sporadic moments the room illuminated itself, there was little mistaking the utter hatred in Niamh’s eyes.

She was going to kill Alexius.

It would have been well within her right, given the magister had attacked her first within their meeting, but Bethany’s eyes widened when she saw how the staff on Niamh’s back began to rattle violently. Against the sheer heat emanating from her body, the silverite wolf head adorning the top of the staff began to melt entirely onto the floor in thick dregs of liquid while the shaft bowed and arched until it creakily bent in the middle, angling itself with the sharpness of an arrow.

Oh, no... With dread, Bethany scrambled to her feet and darted over toward Niamh. Without her staff to act as a catalyst, if Niamh burnt too much of her magic away, she could cause irreparable damage to herself and those around her.

Upon reaching her lover’s side, she placed her hands on Niamh’s face, desperately trying to draw her attention from Alexius. For a moment, nothing could sway her from trying to squeeze the life out of the magister, and she winced when she felt Niamh’s magic already begin to fluctuate erratically against her own.

"No, no, no! Look at me!” She jerked her lover’s head toward her. “Look at me, Niamh! Please!"

And as Niamh did, she watched in confusion as the woman’s expression froze. The lips that had been pulled back in a sneer of bared teeth slowly went lax, forming an ‘o’ of awe and disbelief, as recognition began to dawn in her lover’s gaze. With it, Alexius gradually slid from her grasp to collapse at her feet with desperate gulps of air, but Bethany paid him little mind. With relief, she saw Niamh’s fiery aura dissipate along with the glow of her eyes until they returned to the pale grey she adored.

"That’s it. Come back to me,” she encouraged. “Just breathe." Bethany took one of her lover’s hands in hers, placing it over her own chest, allowing Niamh to feel her breathing. “Slow and steady. Just like that.”

As each breath fell into sync with her own, Niamh's expression gradually softened into something so reverent and sweet that it almost hurt to see—as if salvation had finally blessed her—but Bethany smiled when she saw the battle rage finally leave her.

“There we are."

Niamh used her other hand to gently cradle the side of Bethany's face. “You’re still here…” she breathed, utter relief in her voice.

“Yes.” Bethany frowned in concern at her reaction. “Always."

---

When they returned to Haven, where Niamh gave her official report to her War Council, Bethany was horrified to learn all that her lover had endured from Alexius’ spell.

Afterward, Niamh suggested they spend the evening in their cabin together rather than explore the trails out the village as per usual, and Bethany didn’t object. She understood her lover’s need to reassure herself that she was still there with her—that she wasn’t simply caught in a dream that she could never wake from.

“Is... Is this okay?” Niamh asked quietly, wanting permission to seek such comfort.

Niamh was always thoughtful in everything she did for her—in bed or otherwise—and while she never treated her like glass, Bethany could count on one hand the number of times she saw her magic unfettered like in Redcliffe. She had felt subtle traces of it occasionally with their intimacy although it was usually with purposeful design—heat, ice, and tickling traces of lightning—that were meant to tease.

But rarely was it ever so close to the surface like this—a conduit of power coiled so tightly within mortal form—waiting to burst beneath Niamh’s skin.

“It’s okay,” Bethany said, gently lacing the fingers of Niamh’s marked hand in hers.

The other woman had been reluctant to let her touch it although it hadn’t shown any notable effects toward anyone—or anything thus far—save for its ability to close rifts. Still, Niamh had been skittish all the same, fearing that it might harm her.

...Or perhaps she believed it was a damning mark of shame—of guilt—much like it had been when the people of Haven had attempted to stone her to death.

---

“There’s no denying that this mark is tied to the Breach. You saw the wreckage at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. You saw how many people died, and I still can’t even remember what happened before or after that moment beyond waking up in the dungeons. What if I did do something to cause that explosion?”

“If you had, it would not have been intentional,” Bethany insisted with a frown. “The mark is unlike anything we’ve ever seen, yes, but that you bear it all does not mean you were the one who created it.”

But Niamh couldn’t be swayed as she paced back and forth before the hearth of their cabin. “How can you be so certain?” she murmured.

“Because I’ve known you for years, Niamh. You would never purposely hurt anyone without provocation. Trust in me if you can’t yet trust in yourself.”

---

With permission given, Bethany found herself gently laid out against their bed as Niamh sought to touch and bring her pleasure all throughout the night.

Over the years, she’d become remarkably acclimated to Niamh’s magic that felt so much like a forest caught beneath a winter storm of ice and lightning. It was normally as calm as it was now—crisp as the first intake of breath beneath a cool dawn—but there were times where it could be provoked. The incident in the audience chamber was proof enough of that, where it had settled over them all like the tolling bells of judgment—an inevitability inviting the nascent danger of death.

Bethany had been beyond concerned when she had seen the first bits of viridian energy springing across her lover’s eyes then. There had been an almost disturbing beauty to them—a ring of vines gathering just at the outside perimeter of silvery irises—but that they had pulsed in time with the mark upon Niamh’s hand...

Bethany had feared for her, especially when it seemed to flare all the brighter with the fury that had overtaken her.

She was glad to see no evidence of that now as Niamh laid contentedly next to her. Even though Niamh was sated at last—the burning, restless energy within the other mage having finally simmered down to faint embers—she seemed reluctant to drift off into sleep. Winter-grey eyes continued to lazily rove across her face and form, as if cataloguing every detail less she forget later.

In response, Bethany reached out to tangle her fingers through the dark mane of tousled hair, letting her nails gently rake across her lover’s scalp. Pale eyes had widened imperceptibly at the sensation, but like always, they soon became half-lidded with the soothing nature of it. She heard the quiet hum of disgruntlement, as if protesting the notion of Bethany’s attempts to lull her to sleep against her silent vigil, but she merely shushed her.

“Shh… Rest, my love. I’ll still be here in the morning when you wake.”

---

And that’s basically it.

Again, since this is still in its rough draft phase, it’s not as polished as I’d like it to be, but I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, leave me a like, comment, or send some love to my inbox! Until next time, dear readers!

#Dragon Age: Inquisition #bethany hawke #female warden/bethany hawke #fanfic #My writing #OTP: In Search of Silver Linings #lee's au ideas #female cousland/bethany hawke

24 notes · View notes

kaypeace21 · 4 years

Note

i’m a survivor too, and i found that certain scenes/stuff will said just really struck me as ‘csa-survivor’-like? i felt a bit uncomfortable about headcanoning it happening to someone else, especially for a fandom as wild as this one, but your metas have really been a comfort to me because they’ve been able to pick out and explain things that i couldn’t necessarily find the words for myself.

and yeah, i would love to have a character like me that is powerful and who finds love and who gets a happy ending. the people who call the theory disgusting always kinda hit wrong with me because although csa is a difficult subject, we shouldn’t be ashamed about sharing it. they sound like they’re trying to say that it’s a bad topic to talk about and implying that it can’t happen to kids, which uhhhhh-

(i’m sure that’s not what they mean, precisely, but it’s still what they sound like, and i wish that they would stop implying that we can’t exist, especially in popular media. we do, and i’m not gonna pretend we don’t, and if they feel uncomfortable with the topic they can just use the block button. we deserve to have some well written representation just as much as anyone else. also, i really really hope that will gets a happy ending.)

anywayyyy i love your theories and i can see your post in the tag so i think you’re fine?? have a good day ❤️❤️❤️

SORRY, this ask took so long to respond to. It always warms my heart to hear other survivors speak and say they found comfort in my theory.

Yes, I think I and a lot of c*a/r*pe victims (subconscious or otherwise) were triggered by some of the symbolism/visuals in s1-3. And s3 made it hard for most of us to ignore the past imagery- since s3 wasn’t as subtle.

I get why people have reservations about the theory. But the debates to the contrary are usually just plain offensive. Or people trying to be respectful but being the opposite. There’s the obvious bad-apples . I got many anons after part 1 of my DID theory saying it “ruined/tainted byler”, and “if that happened to Will i’ll stop shipping byler” , or that it “ruins the best gay character” , and to “remove the post immediately”. And this was when I was open about being a gay c*a victim. I obviously blocked them. Many survivors don’t come forward because they’re afraid people will see them as “tainted”, “ruined”, “ just their trauma”, or blame them for what happened. So yeah, it pisses me off when people say similar stuff about Will (and thus other c*a victims). Not even diving into the messed up psychology about byler/mileven shippers (knowing i was a lesbian c*a victim) but purposely spreading bs rumors about me being a p*do that was into Will/Noah-all because of the theory. -_-

Then there’s the people who try to be “respectful” but literally do the opposite.

I’ve heard numerous times it’s somehow “less offensive” to just use r*pe imagery to make monsters scary. Rather than have the monsters have that imagery cause Will created the monsters from his memory/imagination-and st is a story of Will healing from that trauma. SORRY- I disagree. Using the worst experiences of peoples’ lives (and triggering their trauma) for no real purpose- except to make their monsters scarier to the normal/general audience who haven’t gone through it so won’t be triggered like us - is MORE OFFENSIVE to victims! NOT LESS! At least to me.

Then there’s the people who say “c*a should never be talked about (in stories).” Which I disagree with. V*ctims have already been told by ab*ser’s and enablers of the ab*ser- to never talk about what happened to us . So it rubs A LOT of us the wrong way when people say this. Because (subconscious or not) you remind some of us of the people who used to hurt/silence us. People say this -simply for their convenience (like ab*sers) and cause deep down they’re uncomfortable with our existence and equate the despicable act to us the innocent v*ctim ...or just want to deny the horrible reality of the situation (like many enablers who deny the truth and hurt us because they don’t want to accept reality) . And 1) It brings us back to a time where they told us to NEVER talk about it- and makes us feel like we did something wrong when we didn’t! 2) Every psych professional says with-holding/keeping the ab*se a secret is detrimental to our mental health.

Plus, there’s a HUGE difference between sugarcoating/minimizing trauma or WORSE glamorizing, condoning, or romanticizing C*A in stories (ex: pretty little liars) VS showing how the action is wrong, causes trauma, but showing recovery and happiness is still possible for v*ctims. if the story shows how accurately traumatizing it is (instead of minimizing/glamorizing it)- it’s incredibly rare for that character to get a happy ending. Having a story about recovering from that type of trauma and finding happiness despite such hardships would be amazing for US survivors! We rarely get stories with a happy ending- it’s more harmful to us survivors to never see ourselves get happy endings in tv/film/books. How can some survivors (in a dark place) think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel- if it’s never shown?Also if Will has DID too- it’s good mental health rep, along with queer rep (and survivor’s rep.) All 3 groups rarely are treated well or get happy endings in media. A lot of people may feel more heard, seen, and a bit more hopeful for the future - If Will (and other characters) get a happy ending.

And even though st has many themes- like say homophobia. To try and hand-wave all the disturbing r*pe imagery away as ‘Will is just gay so the monsters are like that”. IS SOOOOOO offensive. Trigger warning for examples. I’m sorry what part of Max saying when Billy had c*nsensual s*x it’s “good screams” but when possessed by the mf he causes Heather to do “bad screams” read as gay???! Having the possessed ch*ke/dr*g people before throwing them in trunks (like it’s implied Lonnie did to Will -since Jonathan checked Lonnie’s trunk for Will in s1)?Tying their arms and legs up/ g*ging them and getting on top of them and saying “stay VERY still it’ll all be over soon”-before a monster shoves it’s tentacle into someone’s mouth and inserts a goo - just gay??? Similar to the sentient vine/shadow monster forcing itself down Will’s throat. Let alone Will saying things like “he made me do it”, “i felt it everywhere”, or being tied to a bed and screaming “help! stop! it hurts! let me go!” While Jonathan is the only one who’s visibly triggered by this and has to literally turn away and hug someone . Or barb, billy, and El spiting up a white liquid from their mouth (similar to will spitting up a slug and lying to his mother about it ).El/billy touching a suspicious looking slime with their hand and looking at the substance confused . El drawing Papa with 3 legs (the middle one being shorter) , trying to undress in front of the boys , and Benny saying “I think she’s been ab*sed or something”.The theme of ab*sive dads- brenner , Lonnie, and Neil . Even when the demogorgan (called in d&d the “deep father”/ in the show “a man without a face”) attacked Barb it’s chopped up with scenes of Nancy having c*nsensual sex (the monsters are doing the opposite symbolically). There’s way more examples but NO- to try and hand wave /equate ALL OF THIS to just “gay imagery” or an “a*ds metaphor” is WAY more problematic. And just offensive (specifically to gay people) than just admitting what it may actually represent. R*pe imagery and gay imagery is NOT THE SAME THING!

Also ST has never been a kid show- maybe rewatch the show and see the rating of tv-14 . Goodness sake- s1 has a st*ged su*icde, k*dnappings, m*rder, discussions of physics, h*mophobia, and s*x (with stancy in s1 & jancy in s2-s3). S2/3 discuss at their finalies recovering from tra*ma . S2 had gra*ic de*ths, a man causing a women br*in damage/ and faking her m*scarriage, and a gang of vigalantes k*lling criminals. s3 had critiques on capitalism /media/s*xism, many d*eaths, and questionable imagery like the prior seasons. The Duffers constantly reference movies & events from the 80s (capitalizing on 80s nostalgia /subverting 80s motifs that middle age people from that time remember)! Those people were their intended age demographic . Most 80s centric refs go over most kids’ heads (heck a lot went over my head too since I wasn’t alive in the 80s XD).The Duffers even said in the book “worlds turned upsidedown” “it’s not a kid’s show despite having kids”. And maybe it’s a coincidence but when Lucas in s3 hands Will the “devil’s baby” firework (a hint about Lonnie) he says “18 and over only.” Which idk is a weird/random af line unless it’s foreshadowing that the show will get darker about various themes- and maybe even change ratings.

I get people wishing nothing bad ever happened to Will or Jonathan. And being apprehensive and not trusting the Duffers to do such a story justice (cause it’s difficult to do). But personally i trust them to do so tastefully with tact and not be exp*itative, (overly gr*fic) or offensive to v*ctims. You can disagree and think the show is about something else (or not trust the Duffers)- but it’d be great if people could stop using these other messed up talking points. While trying to appear ‘(fake) woke’ and like they care for victims- cause we see through it that you really don’t.

Have a lovely day anon ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Update- I just really agreed with and appreciate the tags in this reblog

#tw: csa #tw:r*pe

54 notes · View notes