#incredible episode I will now go cry in a corner

[brennan-lee-mother]

The director said “take five” but Lisa Gilroy heard “change lives”

[reiderwriter]

Hi I’m new to this so I’ve no clue if this is how you request, but I was thinking Spencer fluff, in earlier seasons where he’s a little bit more awkward but has a little bit of confidence, based on that one episode where hotch says Reid was propositioned by all the prostitutes & you’re dating him but you’re not the jealous type, they know what they have with Spencer is good and knows he worships the ground they walk on, so isn’t worried or threatened by anyone so while he’s getting hit on being a blabbering mess they just giggle to themselves making little suggestive comments. Hope this makes sense🥰

A/N: That's one of my favourite scenes because it's so hilarious to see Hotch cracking jokes for some reason. That and "did you join a boy band?" Iconic, truly. ❤️ Thank you for requesting, I'll shut up now.

Warnings: none

You were aware that Spencer Reid was a catch. Perfectly aware. More than aware. Desperately aware.

He was, quite possibly, the most attractive bean pole of a man that had ever walked the earth. He was beautiful and he was loving and his smile lit up the room and you were quite honoured to be able to call him your boyfriend.

It was not lost on you that many other people - not just women - also desired him. Which led to some downright hilarious instances.

“It's not funny, Y/N.” He pouted, that adorable furrow in his brow coming back and finding it's perfect place on his face as you stared up at him. You knew the expression you were showing him was a little bit dreamy, head in both hands as you gazed admiringly up at him, but you simply didn't care what kind of company you were in.

“Spencer, you were propositioned by 11 prostitutes.”

“I'm sure they were just teasing, Y/N. I'm awkward, I stand out like a sore thumb, I'm not buff or hot, I'm-”

“A complete and total liar!” You stood, gasping and grasping non existent pearls, playing up your disbelief. He cracked a smile and you paused briefly to send up a prayer to God, thanking them for putting a real angel on Earth.

“Spencer, you may be a little bit nerdy, and you absolutely do not know when to shut up. Your hair may always looks like your mom did it for school picture day, and your fashion sense is questionable to out it kindly-”

“Is there a but? I need there to be a but or I'll cry myself to sleep.”

“But those things are incredibly endearing. And did I mention you're really hot? It's like you're all members of the Scooby Doo cast rolled into one body and somehow that really works for me.” To punctuate your words, you took a step closer, letting your hand play with his tie as you slowly encouraged him to take a small step towards you as well, until you weren't sure where the heat that warmed you was coming from.

It could've been rolling off of him, or you, or it could've been a fire burning between you, as you fixed his tie and ran a hand through his hair.

“I'm not joking with you, Spencer. I love watching everyone appreciate your beauty and your intellect. Frankly, it turns me on.”

“Okay. I'll remember that, thank you.”

“Turns on the prostitutes, too.”

“Y/N! They're just trying to make a living, if you'd have been out there canvassing they'd have tried it with you too.” You had to giggle a bit at his loom of exasperation, flas to see that it was tainted with an uncontrollable smile, a small lifting at the corners of his mouth that he couldn't combat.

“Spencer Reid, Hotch told me that one of the girls offered you $100 for a ride.”

“That's not exactly cheap or a discount, Y/N, the going rate for a working girl in the area is-”

“Spencer. She was offering you money.” His brows knitted again and then his eyes widened in realisation.

“Oh. Oh, she did look very disappointed now that I think about it.” You pressed your hand to your mouth to suppress the small pleasurable giggles from slipping out and composed yourself, before slipping your arms around his waist.

“So, Spence. How is it that you know the going rate of a working girl?” You lifted your eyebrow and watched him panic, ready to memorise every expression that ever passed across his angelic features.

[thebestofoneshots]

Gilded Constellations | (wolfstar x reader)

Series Masterlist | Previous episode

Pairing: Wolfstar x Reader Word Count: 10.7 K Warnings: ANGST! Use of the unforgivables, bIood, major and minor character dеath, major sad moments, mental breakdowns, taking characters to their breaking point, pain, griеf… I’m really sorry. Prompt: What happens when you hear something dreadful happening, will you stand up for what's right? Will you stay quiet for the greater good? This IS a Wolfstar x reader fic, but it's incredibly slow burn. They won't start all dating each other until we're very deep into the story, but I promise the long wait will be worth it. Proofread by lovely: @aremuslupinsimp

A/N: This chapter is getting shadowbanned no matter what I change so please like, reblog and comment so it does not go under the radar.

Chapter 44: No One But You 

A hand above the water An angel reachin' for the sky Is it raining in Heaven? Do you want us to cry?

Where the hell is the alcohol in this party? You wondered as you stepped out of the room, dealing with Arkalis and Evan was more than enough for the rest of the night. If only you could find a corner, pull out a book and focus on that without being bothered by anything or anyone else, you’d be satisfied. Of course, that could not be the case, could it? 

“Well look who’s here?” Barty said with a smile as he blocked your path. 

“Oh, Barty!” you said as you tilted your head. “You should probably go look for Evan, he seemed like he needed… a friend.” 

Barty’s eyes seemed to burn when you spoke, but you stood your ground, even as he approached you with ferocity. He might be as tall as you were, even if younger, and he might have been able to overpower you in the past, but he was not about to make a scene in the middle of the party, he wasn’t dumb, he had never been. And clearly, he wasn’t important enough for the deatheater clique to be at the private dinner, he didn’t need unwanted attention. 

“If you did something to him again…” he said, voice low and threatening.

You blinked calmly at him, “Barty… in this party, you should be careful with the things that come out of your mouth.” He grabbed onto your wrist, anger clearly seething from him. “I didn’t touch him,” you said as you looked down at his hand and then back at his face, “I’d suggest you’d have the decency of doing the same.” 

Then you felt a hand on your shoulder, Barty finally let go of his hold on you but stayed in his place, glaring now at the person standing behind you. 

“And I would suggest you turn the fuck away before I hex you again. Remember where you are Crouch. This might be Arkalis’ dinner, but my father was the one to invite Tom here.” 

Barty gave you another look of hatred and then stormed off. You sighed and turned back to look at Regulus. 

“Did he hurt you?” he asked, eyebrows softly knit in concern.

“No,” you said as you shook your head and moved your hand a little bit, it was the same arm Evan had latched onto you earlier, but frankly, after having fallen from your broom, punched by bludgers, dragged by water spirits and scratched by werewolves, this felt like nothing. “Is there Firewhiskey here?”

“Firewhiskey?” Regulus asked in disbelief. “You want to drink?” 

“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never sneaked out Firewhiskey from your father’s stash.” Regulus gave you a look in return that was answer enough. “So, you’ve never drunk?” 

He shook his head and you laughed at that, “Such a good boy,” you teased. In response, Regulus pushed you to the side, which only made you laugh a little more. “Let’s find some,” you said with a smile, Regulus tilted his head to the side disapprovingly. 

“It’s a terrible idea to do it here,” he responded. 

“Come on, Reg, there’s no way you want to see whatever the hell those people consider to be a show, do you?” 

Regulus averted your gaze, and you narrowed your eyes at him. Does he know something…

A glass of cold water over your dress diverted your thoughts. “Oh, sorry,” the girl said, she had a streak of white hair pulled back behind her ears and looked far from being sorry. 

Your dress was black, so whatever she had poured, certainly didn’t ruin the look, even if it was fucking freezing you now, “Whatever, I’ll just use a drying spell,” you said as you pulled your wand out and waved it over your dress. 

“You’re Silas’ daughter, aren’t you? You were sitting next to Lucius at the dinner.” 

You turned to her with a small frown, she was the girl talking to Barty earlier, the one that looked like Sirius and Regulus. You extended your hand politely, “I’m afraid I don’t know who you are.” 

She seemed irritated at your lack of recognition. “This is my cousin Narcissa, Cygnus’ daughter,” Reggie said, introducing her to you.  

Cygnus’ daughter… Where had you heard that name? Right, Andromeda’s sister, you thought. You hadn’t spoken much to Andromeda Tonks, though Sirius and Remus had shown you some of her letters. As far as you knew, she had been kicked out of the family in the same way Sirius had, and her sisters had done nothing to help them. But then again, Regulus hadn’t helped Sirius either and you didn’t hate him for that. 

“Nice to meet you,” you added, she gave you a look before actually shaking your hand. 

“You’re dating Sirius,” she added, her tone making it clear that she looked down on you for it. 

“Cissy,” Regulus said in a warning tone. 

“I am, he’s delightful, you should know since you grew up together.” 

She scoffed. “Sirius is a disaster. He would always spark chaos and make stupid pranks on the parties, I’m glad he’s not invited anymore. He wears that awful leather jacket all the time, pretending to be a muggle or whatever and he’s insufferably loud.” 

“All of which I find absolutely charming,” you replied with a nonchalant smile, “You do not?” 

Cissy, as Regulus called her, scoffed again. “Just stay away from Lucius,” she added before leaving you and Regulus behind in favour of talking with someone else, her long hair flipping behind her in a rather majestic way that you would have praised had she not been a total bitch to Sirius. It must be in their genes, you thought, the Blacks have amazing hair.

You turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “The hell was that about?” 

“Lucius is her fiancé, she must have seen you talking to him at the dinner,” Regulus said. “You… looked very interested in whatever he was telling you.” 

“Oh, that?” You asked with a smile that turned into a smirk, “I was trying to piss Evan off.” 

“I figured.” 

“Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an offence.” Regulus raised his eyebrows at you and you gasped in disbelief. Then you spotted someone serving themselves a drink over in the far corner, it was the bar. You smirked, “Come on Reg, I’ll teach you how to drink.” 

“I don’t need to–” 

“Just come,” you added and pulled him along with you, you managed to convince the house elf there to give you a half-empty bottle of Fire Whiskey after telling them Arkalis had asked you to take them to him and pulled Reggie along towards a balcony. 

“It’s cold,” he said as the two of you stepped out, you could see the puff of condensed air blowing from his mouth as he spoke. 

“This’ll warm you up,” you said as you offered him the bottle. He gave you an exasperated look that was an awful lot like Sirius’ but took the bottle in his hands anyway, taking a small sip and scrunching up his face as he felt the bitter taste. Then he coughed and covered his mouth with his arm as he returned the bottle to you with a disgusted frown, you were laughing so much it took you a second to lean closer to him and place your hand on his back. “You all right?” 

“No wonder they call it Firewhiskey,” he said as he managed to catch his breath. You laughed again, still rubbing your hand over his back, he shook his head as he stood straight. He was a deal taller than you now, it hadn’t quite settled back in school, but it was evident now. “Why would you even drink it?” 

“Do you not feel warmer?” you asked as with a raised eyebrow, he seemed to think about it for a second. You were now taking your own sip of the bottle. 

“A warming spell would for sure do the trick.” 

You sighed and leaned over to look at the sky, you could see Sirius’ star up there, shiny and beautiful, just like him. Walburga and Orion might have been awful, but they definitely had a good eye for picking out names, even if they were just copying those of the stars. 

“Yeah, but it would take away the fun,” you said, head still tilted up and looking at the sky. You heard a few whispers from the inside, and you leaned your head over the window, there were people crowding a certain area of the room. Regulus stepped in between you and the window. 

“How’s school going?” 

You gave him a look, that was a stupid question. 

“I mean, I saw you at the Slug Party, you’ve been doing good at potions, haven’t you?” he pressed. 

“Haven’t I?” you asked with a frown, allowing your gaze to turn back to him. “It’s all thanks to my partner, he’s really good?” 

“Sirius?” Regulus asked, he had never heard of his brother being remarkably good at potions. 

“What? No, my potions partner, Remus.” 

“Ah… of course,” he said, now he had heard how good his brother’s best friend was. He was even a prefect. 

“But I’m shit at transfiguration,” you said with a shrug. “I don’t think Minnie and Horace are friends enough to discuss such things, though.” 

“I could teach you,” he offered. 

“Thanks, but I’ve already got a tutor.” You tilted your head to the side to try and see inside and then he moved, blocking your line of sight again. “Regulus?” 

“Yeah?” he asked, playing dumb. 

“You know what’s happening there, don’t you?” 

He swallowed thickly, “Nothing you should be concerned about, it’s adult stuff.” You shook your head as that and motioned to move inside but he stopped you again. “Please!” He sounded desperate. “Let’s stay here, and drink a bit more, I’m… I’m not looking forward to seeing my parents again.” 

You sighed, you knew how delicate it was for both Regulus and Sirius to deal with Walburga and Orion, and perhaps you shouldn’t have listened, you should have followed your instinct and walked inside, but there was something about the pleading expression Regulus had made that convinced you. You huffed out a breath and turned back to him. “How’s school for you? Messing with Severus didn’t put you on the spot, did it?” 

Regulus shook his head and carefully moved to the side, pulling his wand from his pocket and secretly casting a spell towards the doors so the sounds from the inside wouldn’t filter to the outside. You were looking at his face, so determined to figure out his emotions that you failed to notice what he was doing.   

“Not at all,” he responded. “Severus thinks it was all your fault.” 

You pouted at that, “How could it even be my fault, he’s the one that ate the snacks, I didn’t even offer them to him.” 

Regulus laughed at that, “So you had nothing to do? No emotional manipulation involved?” 

“What do you take me for? A housemate?” 

“Haven’t you been saying you ‘missed the whole indoctrination’ part by getting to Hogwarts so late?” 

“Doesn’t change the fact the snakes can be very manipulative. You know the muggles think they’re to blame for losing paradise.” 

Regulus huffed as he shook his head, he was just proving your point right then and there, “Well, I’ve never met a snake with ‘Vixen’ as a nickname.” 

“You know about that?” you asked in disbelief. “How do you even know about that?” 

“The entire school knows about that! Potter isn’t exactly subtle when he calls you. To be honest, I thought he was pissed the first time I heard it, and then I was surprised you weren’t insulted by it.” 

“It’s an inside joke.” 

“I could tell,” he responded and then smirked, almost imperceptibly, “I think it fits.” 

“Ass,” you said with a laugh and pushed him lightly. He laughed along with you. 

Talking with Regulus was fun, he told you more about the Slytherin common room, he mentioned seeing the giant squid through their window once when he was in his second year studying for a quiz late at night, and he told you about the time he had done the quidditch trials, back when Dorcas was still in the team. He asked you about the race, and you told him that’s when you and Sirius got together. 

You also told him about some of the fun things you had done with the boys, like picnics near the lake and even sneaking out at night to get books from the forbidden section. He asked you to teach him the disillusionment charm one day, and you promised you would. 

While the rest of his family was a piece of work, you thought Regulus had come out as nice as Sirius, even if a little more stuck up. You didn’t mind though, it was part of his own charm. He’d make a great brother-in-law…

“And then Solacis added the last ingredient of the potion, and it blew up on their faces…” he told you with a smile, mimicking the explosion with his own hands. The alcohol had warmed his cheeks and made him a lot more expressive by now. You laughed along with him. 

“Yeah? And what did Slughorn do?” 

“Nothing, he was being distracted by Nox so they wouldn’t fail the both of us,” he explained. “Nox added dragon breath to his potion and it clogged the entire classroom with purple smoke.” 

“For real?” 

He nodded excitedly, it was nice to see Regulus more relaxed, “Nox thought it was amazing and tried switching the ingredients around, he now knows how to make smoke of almost any colour, we’ve used it on parties so many times since then.” 

“I had no idea Nox was that into potions…” 

“Oh, he loves them! Slughorn doesn’t like him too much though, he’s always doing his own experiments in the back of the classroom instead of focusing on the class, and often ends up changing the potions around and–” a harrowing scream cut through his words. 

Your head snapped towards the inside and Regulus blinked a couple of times. His spell! It had worn out. 

But I’m not that drunk, he thought, he was certainly having fun, but that was just a consequence of hanging out with you.

“What the hell was that?” you asked as you looked inside, but he stood in between you and the door in a second.

You gave Regulus a stern look but he shook his head really fast, he looked nervous, like a kid that had done something terrible and didn’t want his parents to find out. 

“Regulus,” you said as you tried to look over his shoulder, but he moved to block your sight again. “Regulus, what’s going on?” 

“Nothing. You… you don’t want to know, just trust me.” It was more a plea than anything else. 

You took a step back, “Have you been distracting me?”  

Regulus swallowed and then nodded, “I’m sorry.” 

“Why?” You asked, voice dry. 

“I don’t want you to see what’s happening in there.” 

“And…” 

“Your mum might have implied I’d be better this way as well.” 

You nodded, you weren’t angry at Regulus, at this point you understood why he did most of the things he did, and you knew whatever he was doing now, it was because he wanted to protect you from his parents and whatever it was they were doing. 

“Will you tell me what’s happening inside?” 

“Will you promise not to enter if I do?” 

You sighed, “You know I cannot do that, Reg.” 

“It’s dangerous.” 

“Yeah?! For me or for the person screaming?” 

“If you do anything reckless–” 

You squared your shoulders, determined. “Regulus, let me in.” 

He didn’t move. You tried to move to the side and he moved along with you, effectively blocking your way again, you scoffed, slightly exasperated. 

“Regulus, I–” You were interrupted by another harrowing screaming, and then a silence so eerie it chilled your very bones. You looked at him, straight in the eyes, his eyes were red-rimmed and shiny, you were about to ask him what the hell was going on when a cheer erupted from the inside. All of the wizards were clapping, as if whatever had happened was cause for celebration. 

Regulus winced at that which only made you worry more about what was happening inside. 

“You don’t need to see that, trust me,” he repeated. Thunder came from above and then a smokey green skull appeared in the sky. There was a snake protruding from its mouth, slowly swirling around the skull. You swallowed, you knew exactly what that was, Seraphina had shown you pictures, and she had told you that one of the reasons they’d cast that spell was because… they had just murdered a muggle. 

You swallowed thickly, the scream, the silence, the cheering. It all made sense now. They had been tоrturing someone and you had been distracted, you weren’t even given the chance to stop it. But then again, could you have stopped it? One person –nay, a 6th year– against an entire army of deatheaters, you might have been a good duelist, but you weren’t narcissistic enough to believe you could take them all down by yourself

Perhaps it really was better to be out here, avoiding the reality that was inside and hanging out with the one person in this entire party that you’d actually want to talk to. You didn’t appreciate being tricked, you hated that Regulus had decided to keep you in the dark, but at the same time, you were thankful. He had spared you from having to witness whatever horrors were being committed inside. 

You were just a kid, why was it your responsibility to stop it? Why was it your war to fight? It was fucking unfair. 

“Trust me,” Regulus said, “stay here, it’s better this way.” 

You swallowed, and there was another scream, you shut your eyes and turned your gaze to the side, you could feel tears prickling in your eyes. 

“It’s not your fault, you won’t be able to do anything, even if you witness it.” 

You turned back to look at him, your teeth pressed so hard against each other it hurt, “They’re kiIling muggles,” you whispered. 

Regulus sighed, his eyes were just as glassy as yours, “We can’t do anything about it.” 

You huffed and looked at nowhere in particular. There was another scream, and then another one, and then there was silence and cheers. You sank down to the floor, the snake in the sky was still crawling around. Your breath was slow and controlled as if you were trying to keep it together. The first scream, you couldn’t have blamed yourself for it. The first one out? You had no idea. But this one? 

You already knew what was happening and chose to stay outside with Regulus. You chose to ignore it and an innocent had diеd. Were you any different from your father now? He had sacrificed Sirius and Regulus for his political means –and he hadn’t even gotten them kiIled– and now you were letting those innocent people diе. 

For what? To be the perfect daughter? To play the part they asked you to play and then pretend like nothing had happened? To write a letter to Nightshade and Dumbledore telling them everything that had happened tonight and becoming a valuable asset? A spy? Was that what you wanted to be? Was that what you were meant to do? Was it worth it to let all these people diе, in order to win the war in the future? Were lives exchangeable like that? One life for a hundred, does that… make it worth it? 

There was another harrowing scream and then silence and then more cheers. You dug your head on your knees. 

You

Were

Heinous

As much as you considered your father to be.

Was stopping a war, winning a war, any different from the way he coveted power? Was it any difference in doing things for the greater good to doing things for power if the casualties were exactly the same? People were dying, and you were too much of a coward to do anything about it. Hiding behind a mask of righteousness and pretending it was all for the greater good –It was, but it didn’t feel right.

Sacrificing innocents was never okay, not even for the greater good, and yet… you were here, crouching on the floor, and wishing you were somewhere else, wishing you hadn’t heard that first scream, and that Regulus was still telling you about Nox and how good he was in potions and so on. You wanted to feel like things were normal, like there wasn’t a war; like you were a normal teen, not one being trained to be a soldier, a spy, a warrior.  

Was it selfish to wish for all of this to go away? To wish to be elsewhere? Were you selfish? And if you were then, for what? 

For letting innocents diе or for wishing you were ignorant about it? 

There it was, the eerie silence again. And then a wicked laugh. “Would you look at that? the little witch has claws?” 

The what she said?

 You turned your head to Regulus and the look he gave you in return made you instantly know that whatever was going on inside was as much of a surprise to him as it was to you. 

“Reg wha– What does she mean by witch?” 

“I–” he stuttered and turned to look back, there wasn’t much he could see, except for Bella’s black hair bouncing around as she said something else. “I’m not sure but–” 

“Filthy mudblood!” the same voice roared and then there were screams. 

But there was something about those screams, they were different from the rest… And not because it was a witch but because… you gasped when the realisation hit you –you knew that person.

“Nina,” you whispered. 

“What?” Regulus asked, confused. 

“That’s Nina!” you repeated as you stood up and tried to get inside. 

Regulus squared his shoulders to block your path, and then gently placed his hand on your arm, “There’s nothing you can do, forget it.” 

“They have kilIed muggles, Regulus. What’s stopping them from doing the same thing to her?” 

Regulus shook his head, “You cannot intervene, even if you know her.” 

“Even if I– Regulus, Nina’s my friend! Like you, like James! I would intervene for you, even if it did nothing.” 

“It would be stupid,” he replied, there were tears in his eyes, you could tell his mental struggle ran as deep as yours.  

“If it were me, would you just wait and let me diе?” 

Regulus closed his mouth, looking down while not being able to give you an answer. You weren’t sure you wanted to hear it either way. 

“Let me through, please.” 

“I wouldn’t let you diе,” he said, panic filling his voice, he felt like he had to reassure you, he wasn’t the evil one here, he just wanted to protect you. “But I’ve known you for years, you’re my brother’s girlfriend, it’s different,” his voice was filled with panic. 

“It’s not different for me,” you said as you shook your head, a sombre tone adorning your words. 

“I can’t let you go in,” he replied, his voice breaking towards the end. “I’m sorry.” 

You pulled him into a hug, you could sense him relax into your hug the second you did. She understands, he thought. 

 “I’m sorry too,” you whispered with a sad smile, he didn’t have enough time to react, “Petrificus totalus.” 

You caught him as he fell, his entire body leaning onto yours as you tried to hold him from hitting the ground. Regulus was a lot heavier than he looked but you managed to open the door again and drag him back inside. You smiled awkwardly at the person who spotted the two of you and lifted the bottle as an excuse. If they thought Reggie was passed out drunk, they wouldn’t think you’d charmed him to get in. The person nodded as if completely understanding and you dragged Reggie to a chair. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered again, accommodating him to look asleep. 

And then you walked as fast as you could towards her screams. 

It took all your strength not to break down at the sight, there were people –not people, their bodies– on the floor. They weren’t covered with bIood or anything like that, it wasn’t gory, it was just… harrowing. At least 7 of them, all of them on the floor, horrified expressions on their faces. They probably had no idea why they were there and had been hexed and tоrtured till the light escaped his eyes.

The scene enraptured you so much the screams in the background almost faded out, especially when you saw someone you instantly recognized. The lady at Kings Cross, the one that had hugged Nina, she was there too, you sobbed. You had allowed that to happen, you had allowed them to kilI Nina’s mum because you were too scared to intervene. 

“Crucio!” you heard the woman scream again. 

You turned your face away from them and towards the turmoil, there were many people crowding around her and Nina, so many that you could barely see the top of her blonde hair, and the only reason you knew Nina was still there was because of her screams. You spotted Tom, Arkalis and the man you now knew as Rodolphus Lestrange all sitting and chatting at a faraway table as if none of it was happening. Tom would often turn to see what was going on, smile and then go back to the conversation with a pleased expression.  

You shuddered and tried to find a way through the people. You had to push a few wizards around and got an angry elbow shoved in the rib at some point but you pressed on. Eventually, you reached the edge of the circle, and you had to hold back the tears threatening to spill out as your young friend squirmed, her long hair sprawled all over the floor, and tears in her eyes. She had her mouth determinedly closed and her brows furrowed, she was trying to resist screaming again, all to avoid giving the woman the satisfaction. 

“I’ll find a way to help you,” you mumbled as you looked around for possible solutions. If you had had more time perhaps you could have used a mist bomb to create a commotion, if you had more time to think of a solution, perhaps you would have burned the curtains down with incendio or caused some other kind of distraction to drive people away from Nina and sneak her out. But you had no time, and your mind was filled with the stress of seeing poor Nina on the floor, with that heart-wrenching expression on her face, and the soft whimpers that she couldn’t help but let out as she continued holding her cries and the woman with curly hair twisted her wand to inflict more pain. 

If you had acted earlier, if you hadn’t let fear and cowardice drive you away from the incident, perhaps things wouldn’t have ended up the way they had, but you had been selfish, and you were now facing the consequences of your own decisions, them being mainly the mental strain and the stupidity of the action you were about to commit. 

“CRUCIO!” the woman shrieked again. “Come on luv, don’t be shy, we want to hear your cries.” 

She twisted her wand and Nina let out an agonising cry. This can’t continue, she’s not gonna last. 

“Come on little mudblood, cry louder!” the woman said, enjoying herself so much you felt like you wanted to puke. “Entertain us!”

You stepped forward, “Stop!” You shouted. 

The woman turned to you and, surprised you had spoken and twisted her wand again, Nina cried, but the moment she spotted you, there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes. 

You raised your wand at her, “I said STOP!” 

“Silas’ daughter?” she asked, clearly diverted. “Thought you were snogging my little cousin Regulus somewhere in a corner.” 

You held her gaze, “Last warning,” you added. 

She laughed haughtily in return, “You think you could do anything to me? What are you? A 4th year?”

You were so focused on the woman and Nina, that you weren’t paying attention to the things surrounding you, at least you had gotten her attention enough to have her stop torturing Nina, who was now struggling to catch her breath. 

In the far corner, Orion and Tom had turned to look at the scene with a perturbing interest, as if they wanted to see the bIoodshed that your stupid disobedience would cause. Evan had gripped onto Barty’s forearm and pulled him away from the circle and both of your parents were rushing towards you as fast as you could, but the crowd, which seemed just as interested in the situation, was making it harder for them to reach you. 

“None of your fucking business,” you replied. She turned her wand back to Nina and you stepped in her way in two long strides, she laughed again. 

“You’re a Gryffindor, aren’t you? There’s no way a Slytherin would be so recklessly stupid.” 

“Let her go,” you said sternly. “She’s a witch, just like you.” 

The woman laughed again. “She’s as much of a witch as the rest of them,” she said with a smile and pointed at the pile of bodies behind her, “Muggle-borns are abominations that shouldn’t exist. So weak they need real wizards to defend them, don’t they, Luv?” She said the last bit looking at Nina, she was still on the ground, eyes shiny with unshed tears but she held her head high. 

“I’m only making things even,” you replied, “do you really feel superior when you need thirty-plus wizards for torturing a 14-year-old?” 

The woman scoffed, “Do you even know who you’re talking to?” 

“No, but I bet I can guess,” you replied. “Dark curly hair, pretty but dеadly, a little crazy –I assume due to inbreeding– and you were sitting next to Rodolphus, which makes you one of Cygnus’ daughters. I met Narcissa today, and you’re definitely not Andromeda, which leaves out… Saiph? No wait, wrong star, it’s Bella, isn’t it?” 

She gave you a deranged smile, “Bellatrix.”

“Yeah, whatever,” you responded. “Now let’s leave this nonsense behind, and–” 

“Crucio,” she said pointing her wand behind you, Nina cried again. 

“Stop!” you shrieked. “Confringo!”

Bella barely managed to stop your spell and turned to you with rage, “Can someone take care of her?” she asked to no one in particular. Suddenly there were several wands pointing your way, but no one cast a spell. No one was brave enough to attack Silas’ daughter directly. 

Bella smiled and pointed her wand towards you, “Expelliarmus,” she said with a smile, your wand left your hand faster than you could react. 

She gave you a wicked grin as she pointed her wand at Nina again. She looked like she couldn’t take another moment of it, and you were running out of ideas. “Stop! I have a better prey for you.” 

Your father said your name sternly as if he could read your thoughts. 

You ignored it completely, “Why bother with a muggle-born when you could be torturing someone who’s mixed-race.” 

Your father screamed your name again, but Bella seemed interested enough to lower her wand and look at you, she wanted to know whose life you’d propose instead of Nina’s. 

“A mixed-race you said? Whoever could that be?” 

“Me!” you said and took a short breath, “I’m part-fairy.” Several gasps echoed in the room followed by whispers of the crowd.

“She’s lying!” your father spat.

“I am not!” You added quickly. 

“She’s trying to buy time.” 

“I can prove it!” you said desperately. “Use diffindo,” you told one of the people next to you. 

“Do not dare to touch my daughter!” your father roared. 

You looked around, trying to find Barty or Evan, since you knew neither of them would think twice before hurting you, but they were nowhere to be seen. Worst time to be fucking absent, you thought. No one dared to do it. 

“Fine then, bunch of cowards,” you said looking around before bringing your arm to your mouth. You had never done this, but you had practised half transfigurations, you focused all your energy on your mouth and managed to turn your canines into Vixen’s, and then you bit onto your skin and dragged your arm, slicing through it, you didn’t even wince. 

“That proves nothing,” Your father said. He was still trying to reach where you were.

“No, it doesn’t,” you responded. You could feel the metallic taste of your bIood in your mouth, you wondered if you looked as deranged as Bella did now. “But this will,” you said and focused your gaze on the cut you’d made, “Revelio.” 

A single drop of bIood fell from your arm, everyone witnessed it change colour and clash onto the ground in a shiny, silver drop. There was another collective gasp. Bellatrix cackled and your father looked at you with an expression you couldn’t quite pinpoint, a mix of desperation, rage and disappointment.

“Well, well, well,” a voice boomed from the back of the room, “what an interesting little plot twist.” The crowd parted to allow the dark lord to walk towards the centre of the room, he seemed pleasantly entertained. “Silas,” he said as he turned to your dad calmly. “Anything you care to explain?” 

You turned to your father, being thankful that everyone’s attention had turned the other way, and looking for someone distracted enough for you to do your next move. 

Your father was about to say something but was quickly interrupted by your mother, “He didn’t know! I lied to him.” 

Your head snapped back towards them, Why is she–? 

“Is that true? Silas?” 

Your father stood straighter, looking indifferent. “I had no idea,” he lied blatantly, “I wouldn’t be married if I did.”

“That’s a bunch of bullshit–” 

“Silence child,” you were interrupted by the dark lord who was staring at your dad with interest, he hadn’t said the words to the spell, but your tongue was tied, and you couldn’t emit a word anymore either, “the adults are talking.” 

You moved towards them when you realised you wouldn’t be able to speak. “Incarcerus,” Tom’s voice boomed and a set of ropes appeared from thin air, binding you to the spot you were currently on. His spell was much stronger than Evan’s had been, it was as if the more you moved the more the ropes tightened around your arms, digging into your skin sharply. Tom turned to your mother. “Elaborate.” 

“I met him, I knew he wouldn’t like me if he knew of my heritage so I lied and hid it from him.” 

“Well, I find this is the perfect little set-up for you to prove your loyalty,” Tom said with a simple smile. “Torture her.” 

What? You thought, head snapping towards your mother sharply, forgetting about the ropes entirely. 

Your mother and father exchanged a look, your mom nodded, almost imperceptibly, and then your father raised his wand against her, “Crucio.” 

There was a wicked laugh from Bellatrix as your mother sank to the ground and started screaming. You stared at the scene as if petrified. If there was something you had never doubted in the past, it was the love your parents had for each other. How could he– how was it even…

You turned back to the ropes and started to desperately fight against them. When you realised it wasn’t working you went for plan B, you turned into Vixen and jumped as fast as possible, snatching a random wizard’s wand from their hands as you turned back. 

Of all the terrible ideas you’d had today, this might have been the worst. You barely had enough control over the spell with your own wand, but you had to do something. You took a deep breath and pointed your wand at Bellatrix, “Pestis Incendium.” 

A giant fire exploded out of the tip of the wand you had stolen, prompting the people around you to step back several metres as the fire turned into a massive Chimera. Fiendfyre was a dark and dangerous spell, and you had only practised it in a controlled environment with Nightshade watching your back. But the Chimera you had formed now was bigger and angrier than anything you’d ever created, she was dеadly. The massive winged lion-goat was burning everything in its way as people ran to the sides and attempted to apparate the hell away from the room. 

But Evan’s house was charmed against apparitions, a few of them were caught in the fire as they attempted to run, others tried to fight against it, with water spells, but they seemed to do nothing against the angry beast you’d created. The heat quickly filled the room, smoke from burning things wafting through the air and making it harder to see. You searched for your mother, but you couldn’t spot her at all, so you turned back to Nina who was looking at you with an awed struck expression. You picked up a wand from the floor and handed it over to her before helping her up and casting a disillusionment charm around the two of you. 

“We need to get out,” you whispered, as you grabbed onto her hand and pulled her along with you. You sped through the running crowds as the curtains and furniture started to catch on fire and remembered you had left Regulus petrified. 

You ran towards him, pulling Nina alongside you and finding him still unconscious in the place you’d left him. “Finite Incantatem!” you said and Regulus opened his eyes hastily. He looked around confused and opened his eyes wide when he spotted the giant Chimera behind you, being even more confused when it completely ignored him and turned to the other side. You grabbed onto his arm, leaving traces of bIood over his white shirt, “Get out!” 

“What?” he asked, confused. 

“I won’t be able to control it for much longer, get out!” you repeated and pushed him towards the window before you pulled Nina to the side again. 

She used her wand and started hexing people as you sped through the crowd and toward the window behind the snack area. If you could reach the hedge maze, you’d have enough time to think of a better way to get the hell away from there. 

Finally, you spotted your mum again, she was right in front of the Chimera, using relashio in an attempt to slow her down. You raised your want towards your fiendfyre to drag it away from her but there was a spell cast in your direction. 

“Stupefy!” Bellatrix said as you fell to the ground, you lost control over the Chimera completely and the beast used one of its paws to crush your mother. You could hear your father’s scream ringing in your ears alongside yours, followed by a sob as tears welled up in your eyes. Bellatrix smiled, “Well, well, well, would you look at that, one little fae gone, and one to go,” she said as she pointed her wand towards you. 

You were on the floor, still trying to get a grasp of the situation and attempting to gain control over the Chimera again but it was pointless, she was doing whatever she wanted. Bellatrix smiled and raised her wand towards you, “Avada–” 

“Crucio,” Nina shrieked next to you, and Bellatrix instantly fell to the ground, with a cry. Nina’s curse was so strong that the woman continued to scream madly as she pulled onto her hair. “CRUCIO!” Nina repeated. You looked at her in amazement and she gave you a half smile, fear hidden behind her eyes. “She’s not going to touch you ever again,” she reassured and extended her hand your way, you took it and she helped you up. “Ferrum Incarcerus,” she said and suddenly a set of chains bound Bellatrix Lestrange, “Flagrante,” she said next and the woman started to cry in pain as the chains started to heat up and burn. “Call me a Mudblood again, you bitch!” Nina spat, and you recast the disillusionment charm around the both of you. 

Clutching to each other you walked all the way to the snack table “Bombarda!” you shouted, the window blew into pieces, and your Chimera went wild, growing wider and wider. You looked back once more, Bellatrix was still crying over the chains. There was a tall man, Cygnus, you assumed, trying to help her out of them, but Nina’s spell was strong and whatever he was doing wasn’t working properly. 

You spotted your father clutching the burned remnants of your mom and you stared at the scene almost petrified. You had done that, you had murdered her. 

Nina looked at you with tears in her eyes and decided to avoid staring at the pile where she knew her mother’s body would be, focusing on you, and on getting the hell away from that damned hellhole you’d ended up in. 

“Come on,” she pulled onto your arm. “We have to go, come on!” 

“That–” you said, still looking, the Chimera was bigger now, angrier. “They’re gone.” 

“I know,” she said somberly, but then the urgency came back to her, “Come on, they’d want us to get out!” she added as she pulled onto your arm again, this time much stronger, you didn’t move at all. “Hey, look at me!” she added and grabbed your head in between her hands to force you to look at her, Nina might have been younger, but she seemed so much wiser than you at that moment. “This is awful. Things are awful, and it’s unfair. But two things are true: It was not your fault, and we need to get out.” 

You tilted your head to the side, she didn’t know, she didn’t know you had ignored her mother’s cries. Tears welled up in your eyes as you nodded, what a terrible person you were. “Okay,” you managed to say and allowed Nina to pull you alongside her and both of you managed to exit through the window. 

The cold was the first thing you noticed, white snow melting into puddles close to the house due to the fire. Messy mud on the floor making the pristine white layer of snow look brown and messy.

There were already Wizards outside, Regulus stood next to his mother and Narcissa, who kept looking inside as if waiting for someone to come out as well. Reggie too was looking around nervously, the last time he saw you, you were still inside and things were chaos. 

You took a small stone and threw it towards him, when he turned around you said “Vermillious,” and from the tip of the wand you had stolen, faint red sparks appeared. People weren’t looking your way, and they had been so faint that they were nothing in comparison to the amount of light that came from your blazing Fiendfyre, but you saw Regulus smile and nod your way. You turned to Nina, somehow much more composed than seconds ago. “You like puzzles, don’t you?” you asked her as you nodded towards the hedge maze. 

She smiled and gave you a nod, “Let’s get out of here,” she added, and the two of you walked inside. You ran through the maze, staying as close to each other as possible, and jumping from dеad end to dеad end. It truly was a headache, but Nina was as determined to get out as you were, so you followed her lead and continued walking behind her. 

“We can’t be too far from the way out, the magic stopping us from apparating is losing power the deeper we go, can you feel it?” 

“Yes,” you replied with a smile, and end to the nightmare, finally. 

“You can apparate already, right?” 

“Kind of,” you replied. “I mean, yes,” you reassured, you’d figure out a way, you’d both get out, you had to.

“Finite incantatem,” someone said when you rounded a corner, and both you and Nina raised your wands against him.

“Would you look at that, charming little butterfly and her mudblood friend,” The man said with a wicked smile, his silver hair flowing behind him. “You really thought you’d get away after causing so much havoc? My fiancé’s father is dеad because of your little ruse.” 

“Obscuro,” you spat, ignoring his remark and going straight for defence.

“Protego,” he returned. “Stupefy!” 

You blocked his spell with practised ease. “Nina behind me!” you said with determination, “Depulso!” 

He blocked as well, “Confringo!” 

You ducked and pulled Nina alongside you to the ground. His spell went straight to one of the hedges and things started to heat up, quite literally. The snow surrounding the area behind you melted and mixed with the dirt beneath, making mud similar to the one just outside the house. 

Lucius taunted and attacked with increasing ferocity, while you fought desperately to defend both yourself and Nina. Spells flew back and forth, lighting up the night with bursts of magic. With each passing moment, the intensity of the duel escalated, fueled by adrenaline and desperation. 

There was constant shouting and blocking. The more time passed and the more time you stood your ground against the man, the angrier he seemed to become. And you were tired, the amount of magic you had used up to conjure the Fiendfyre and the fact that she was still distracting and burning things back at the house, even if out of your control, was draining your energy –and magic– at worrying speeds. 

Combining that with the charred image of your mother that you desperately tried to bury in the back of your mind, you felt closer and closer to losing your grip and concentration, but you refused to give in, if there was something that you were, even in cases of life and dеath, was stubborn. 

“Getting tired, butterfly?” he asked with a cocky smile when he noticed you had almost tripped on a spell. 

“Opugno!” you responded, ignoring his taunting. Suddenly the branches of the hedges seemed to come alive as they went straight to get him.

“Deprimo!” he shouted before the spell hit him, and the floor started to shake, both you and Nina managed to step out of the way, on time, but the hole in the ground had now trapped the two of you in a dеad end. 

“Reparo!” you shouted, your previous spell had been strong enough to distract him while you attempted to build the ground back up so you could continue. 

“Impedimenta!” he shouted, and you were locked in place. When did he even get out of the hedges?

You tried to focus on shaking the charm off while he pointed his wand at you again. You were tired, but you had fought against Nightshade’s impedimenta several times before, and Lucius’ curse was much weaker. Despite that, the amount of magic you had already used had debilitated you and it seemed to require even more concentration than it had done in the past. That didn’t make it impossible. 

You were just getting a grip on the knot of magic that seemed to lock you in place when Lucius smiled, still bound by the hedges but gloating at the way you struggled. 

“Stupefy Maxima!” he shouted. You braced yourself to receive the spell, but instead, you felt a push from the side and ended up cornered against one of the hedges as Nina fell to the ground right in front of you. 

“Nina!” you shouted and dropped to the ground next to her in an instant, then you saw another spell leave his wand. You stared at the red bolt coming straight at you with watery eyes, thinking of all the things you wouldn’t be able to do, of all the things Nina wouldn’t be able to do because you had failed to save her. Anger and sorrow filled your thoughts as you stared at dеath straight in the eyes. 

But she didn’t stare back.

Instead, there was a bright, blinding light that lasted no more than half a second, and Lucius was thrown back against one of the hedges. It was as if his wand had backfired the spell on him. You stared at the scene confused, your bafflement increasing only when you spotted Barty Crouch shooting a stunning spell in Lucius’ direction. 

You turned back to Nina as the two of them fought the other, “Nina,” you said softly as you placed your hands around her face, her cheeks were cold but there was something gooey and warm behind her hair. As you pulled your hand back to look at it better you realised what it was. You shook your head and as you stared. “No, no, no, no...” you repeated over and over again as you leaned down only to realise she had fallen onto a sharp rock. “No, no… Nina, look at me,” you said, voice wavering. 

Her weary gaze turned to you, her eyelids were heavy and tired, but she smiled faintly when she saw you. “You’re okay,” she sighed. 

“No, no, no,” you repeated, tears already blurring your sight as you stared at her. 

“Go!” she said softly, reassuringly. 

“No!” you said again, voice cracking near the end. 

She nodded soothingly, “It’s okay, you have to go.” 

“Nina, please!” you begged. “We can do something, we can find a way to–” 

“Go,” she interrupted you calmly, more secure now. “You’re all right,” she said and smiled, “I can go happy knowing you’ll be alright.” 

“You can’t! I won’t leave, not without you,” you replied stubbornly, shaking your head as you said it.

“You can’t stop her now, the bargain’s made, the deal’s done,” she said simply. 

“No, please,” you said as you leaned onto her chest and allowed the tears to stream down your face, the girl somehow managed to place her hand over your hair and played with some of the strands with the little strength she had left. 

“You know… I’ve been bles-sed,” she said, her breath caught in her throat. “Blessed that you were the last thing I got to see,” she added with a smile, “thank you for saving me.” 

You felt her hand go limp over your head and you heard the last beat of her heart boom against your ear. “No!” you cried and stood back up to look at her. She had a pleased and peaceful expression on her face, contrasting completely with her stained blonde hair, and the rapidly changing colour of snow, no longer white, but scarlet. “Rennervate,” you said pointing the wand at her. Nothing. “Rennervate,” you repeated, tears streaming down your cheeks. “Rennervate, Rennervate, Rennervate.” 

“Stop it!” you heard Barty say from behind you. 

“Rennervate!” you said again, completely disregarding the boy. 

“Hey! You need to get out of here, people are coming.” 

“I don’t care!” You snapped. And turned back “RENNERVATE!” 

“You’re going to diе too! Her sacrifice would be for nothing!” 

“Go to hell!” You responded. You felt him trying to pull you away from her. “Get your filthy hands off me!” 

“Re- rennervate,” you repeated, it was more a whisper than anything else, a desperate cry, a futile attempt to cling onto something that wasn’t there anymore, that wouldn’t be there no matter what you did. Perhaps you had used up your magic, it was a stunning spell, not a kiIling curse. 

But it had also been the fall, and the rock.  

“Listen to me!” Barty said as he hauled you up by pushing you against one of the hedges. “She’s gone, and if you don’t move, you’ll be the same! Your stupid spell will do nothing to bring her back!”

“She’s my friend!” you shouted angrily as you tried to pry his hands away from your arms. But Barty was still stronger than you. “She’s my friend, and she’s struggling because of me. I won’t give up on her!” 

“THERE IS NOTHING TO GIVE UP ON! SHE’S FUCKING DЕAD!” 

Rage filled your gaze as you managed to focus on him again, you tried to push him off of you again, this time with much more determination. When he realised, he smiled and loosened his grip. 

“What?” you asked in disbelief. 

“Wrath is more useful than desperation,” he retorted. “You need to get out of here.” 

You gave one last look at Nina, her pleased expression made her look as if she was sleeping, soft and simple and happy. Could you trick your brain into thinking she was just sleeping if you tried hard enough? 

You turned back to Barty wearily, “Why– why are you helping me?” you asked with a wavering voice, emotions raw and unfiltered at this point. 

“Evan told me what you did for him. He’s taking care of Lucius and I’m much better at apparating than him.” 

You swallowed, distrusting, and turned to the side, Evan was indeed in the distance, performing some kind of spell on the man that had murdered Nina. Your mind was spinning with conflicting emotions. You wanted to lash out, to scream and rage against the unfairness of it all. But there was no use, Nina was dеad and no matter how much you cried about it, you wouldn’t bring her back.

“Look! If it makes you feel better you can hit me–” His words were cut short as your fist connected to his face. “Fuck! I’m trying to help you!” he winced as he reached for his nose. Your fist stung, but clearly, his face did just as much. 

“You’ve been an asshole to me for months.” 

“And I’m trying to do a good deed, bIoody hell!” he replied with a frown, you glared in return. “Come on, we need to get out.” 

“I don’t want to!” You said in a stubborn whisper, you wanted to lean against her and cry until the snow covered both of your bodies and you could forget about it all. 

“But she wanted you to,” he replied, there was bIood streaming down his nose, but there was an honesty in his gaze that you didn’t think Barty was capable of. “Allow me to help make her last wish true.” 

You swallowed, giving the boy one more weary look, “Can you try?” 

“Try?” he asked, confused. He was trying.  

“To save her.” 

“It’s pointless, if you couldn’t do it–” 

“My magic’s weak,” you admitted, despite yourself, it didn’t matter anymore, you didn’t care if Barty or Evan used it against you as long as Nina came back. 

The boy sighed, clearly thinking it was pointless, but leaned down next to Nina either way “Rennervate!” he said steadily.

Seconds passed by, agonisingly slow but nothing happened.

You let out a defeated breath, your mind was suddenly empty. You realised if you didn’t want to end up like her, you’d have to pull yourself together somehow. Barty tried again, even if you didn’t ask him, but the result was the same. You placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“Fine, let’s get out,” you said with a nod. Barty stood up and you tighten your grip around the wand you were holding, taking in a deep breath before pointing it at Nina. “Papilioscorpus,” you said, focusing all of your attention on that one spell.

Suddenly Nina’s body transformed into a heap of small blue butterflies. You held back the sob that threatened to escape by sucking in a breath as the small creatures broke off Nina’s body, one by one until there was no more of her, but hundreds of them. 

How unfair it was, that Nina had to diе because she wasn’t a pureblood, you thought, even if Nina would disagree. She didn’t diе because she wasn’t a pureblood wizard, she didn’t diе because they tortured her to dеath, she didn’t diе weak and defenceless and in despair, you had spared her from that fate. No, Nina diеd to save you, and she was pleased with the choice she’d made, simply because she wouldn’t want to live in a world where you didn’t exist. 

They flew up, circling you for a second before continuing their path, way above the hedges, and leaving behind the bIoodstained snow in search of somewhere warm. 

Barty turned to you with a soft expression and then raised his wand to the butterflies, “Irascor,” he said simply. A protective charm, so they would be safe, even if Nina hadn’t been. 

“Thank you,” you managed to mumble, as you saw them leave, not allowing yourself to wallow in the hopelessness you felt at such a stunningly beautiful sight. The snow-covered landscape, the stars shining above in the sky, the small snowflakes falling softly on the ground, all contrasted deeply with how you felt, how broken and in pain you were. You blinked back the tears and turned back to him. 

He nodded and cocked his head to the side, indicating you to follow him. It was slow at first, steps into a different direction, away from the bIood, now being covered by a fresh layer of snow, away from Evan and unconscious Lucius. 

Eventually, Barty started to pick up speed and you matched his pace, a welcome heat to the cold that had now chilled your bones. The dress you had, while long-sleeved, wasn’t exactly snow-friendly. Your heels long forgotten, left as you took faster and faster steps. The white cool of snow against your heels, helping you focus on anything other than all the previous events. 

Barty seemed to know exactly where he was going, and you followed him blindly. The traces of your steps had been long erased by the constant falling snow. If he was leading you to safety or back to the house, what difference did it make at this point? 

But then you felt it: the barriers against apparating were gone. “Where should I take you?” He asked softly, softer than you’d expect him to, the two of you breathing heavily as you tried to catch your breath. 

You blinked, looking around like a lost puppy. You had no mother, your father was a deatheater or something, and your home was probably not yours anymore –not that it had felt like one in the last few years. “I have nowhere to go,” you said the words as you realised their weight. 

Barty sighed, he knew what it was like to not belong. To feel lonely and forgotten and like he had to be outstanding to be cared for, to be worthy. He knew what it was to have no place to call home, but he had Evan now. He knew what that felt like, and for the first time since he’d met you, he empathised with you. “Sirius?” he offered, he might not like him, but he knew Sirius was as special to you as Evan was to him.

“He’s with the Potters, you cannot apparate there, you don’t know where it is… It would be too dangerous, for the both of us,” you said steadily, emotionlessly, trying to cling to your analytical side. If you blocked the emotions threatening to boil out of you, if you hid them so deep within your mind that they wouldn’t bother you then perhaps you’d be able to keep moving. 

“Secret hideout?” 

“I–” then you remembered. “School! Take me to Hogwarts!” 

“You can’t apparate there…” he said with a frown. Hogwarts was a brilliant idea though, it would certainly be safer.

“No, but, you can apparate on the Shrieking Shack! You’ve done it before.” 

“You want me to take you back, there?” he asked, disbelief laced in his tone.

“Yeah!” you said with a confident nod. 

“Are you… sure?” he asked again, perhaps the emotional toll of the night was getting to you. 

“Yes! I can get to the castle from there,” you repeated. 

He looked at you as if analysing the situation, you seemed pretty sure of yourself, so he nodded, grabbing onto your arm and pulling you closer, Barty was as tall as you, still growing, so you assumed he’d be taller. You ended up hugging each other in the most awkward way possible (a weird sort of hug where neither of you seemed to want to touch each other) before he apparated just outside the shack. 

You felt a sense of relief when you spotted the snow-coated building. You had made it this far, against all odds. But was it worth it? With how much it had cost? 

Barty gave you one last look, “Can I have the wand?” he asked in a relatively polite tone as he pointed to the wand in your hand. He was being considerate, even for his standards.

“Pardon?” You asked as your grip on the wand tightened. 

“I’m going to say I tried to stop you but you apparated away, you’re talented for your age so it’s believable enough. Evan is obliviating Lucius. We’ll try to get your actual wand back–” 

“Nina’s,” you said as you handed him the one in your hand. He frowned. “Get Nina’s wand, it’s more important.” 

“Why?” 

“I can buy another wand, but she… she can’t,” you said, trying not to let your features betray the emotions you felt. 

“But it’ll be useless to–” You gave him a mix between a pleading look and a glare, and he stopped his words, “we’ll try,” he conceded.

You smiled weakly, “Thanks.” He was about to leave. “Wait!” you stopped him, a hand on his shoulder, he turned to you, movements soft and calm, he knew you were on edge. “Priori incantatem, they will know you tried to bring Nina back if they check.” 

“Give me the wand,” you said and he did as told. “Now take it.” 

“Expelliarmus,” he said and the wand you had stolen flew from your hand to his, he caught it in the air with ease. It was surprising how fast he’d caught on to what you meant, but you already knew Barty was brilliant, even if he used said brilliance for evil deeds more often than not. 

“And now stun me.” 

“What? Are you daft? I’m trying to save you,” he protested with a frown.

“And this is my way of thanking you, you put up a fight against me. Stun me softly if you will–” 

“Stupefy!” 

Your body reeled back against the gate and ended up on the floor. It had been soft, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Either way, the physical pain was a welcome distraction from the grief that threatened to consume you whole. 

“Payback for punching me in the face,” Barty said with a smile as he offered his hand. He was joking. 

You scoffed and pushed his hand away, deciding that sitting on the snow was comfortable enough. “Get the hell out before I punch you again.” 

His smile only grew wider and he had the nerve to send you a wink before he apparated again. You stared at the empty space he’d left for a while, there was snow all around. Falling and falling in a stunningly, slumbery sort of way. So peaceful and quiet in comparison to how loud and hectic things had been just seconds ago. Even your heartbeat, which had been blasting against your ears, was slowing down. 

You stared at the cold white snow, and let your head fall back onto the gate as one of your hands fell on it, pulling some of it up and staring at the way it fell from your fingers lazily. You remembered playing in the snow with the boys, how happy you had been that day, you wondered if you could ever be that happy again. 

Ah… how tired did you feel, things were calm now, you weren’t in danger anymore, you sank deeper into the ground, adrenaline dissipating with ease and exhaustion washing over you in waves. You closed and opened your eyes wearily. 

The shack, why did you have to get to the shack? You wondered, everything was so peaceful where you were, you liked it, the cold of the snow soothingly numbing the pain, all the pain, not just the physical one. You let a faint smile coat your lips, who’s that in the distance? You wondered, it looked like someone you knew, but paler. Could it be… Nina? 

And then you closed your eyes. 

And so we grace another table And raise our glasses one more time There's a face at the window And I ain't never, never sayin' goodbye…

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

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A/N: This chapter is getting shadowbanned no matter what I change so please like, reblog and comment so it does not go under the radar. They're only flyin' too close to the sun

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[folkloresthings]

[ regretful ] + lando norris maybeeee ? <3

p.s i absolutely adore your writing 💞

[ regretful ] for a kiss meant to apologise with lando norris.

it was a very nice restaurant, you had to admit. you had asked charles for a recommendation, since you and lando were both new to monaco, and he’d given you the name of his favourite place. it was expensive sure, but you had decided lando deserved a nice night out. he’d been working non—stop since you moved, you’d barely seen him, so at the first chance of an evening off you booked the restaurant.

it felt less and less like a nice restaurant the longer you sat, alone, waiting for your boyfriend to appear. you suddenly felt incredibly self—conscious, amongst the glitz and glamour, the dress you had picked out looking progressively worse in your eyes the longer you felt people looking at you.

lando had agreed to meet you there at seven, after his meetings, and it was now sixteen minutes past eight. he wasn’t answering his texts, and you were sure you might cry from embarrassment if the waiter asked you “are you still waiting on someone?” one more time.

“i’m sorry, there seems to have been an emergency,” you lied, making your apologies to the hostess, before slipping out of the restaurant with burning cheeks. it wouldn’t have been half as bad if you hadn’t heard the whispers of nearby tables mentioning who you were, who your boyfriend was. monaco was smaller than you thought, and now people knew you’d been stood up by lando norris, top formula one driver.

when you arrived back at your apartment, it was cold and empty. there was no sign of lando, in person or on your phone. your new dress discarded in a corner, you pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms and an old mclaren sweater, wallowing on the couch with yesterdays leftovers and gossip girl playing on the television.

the door clicked open around eleven o’clock, and you heard lando hurry in, slightly out of breath from his rush home. you clicked pause on your episode, turning to look coldly at him over the back of the sofa.

“i waited an hour for you,” you told him, before he could spout excuses. “an hour of pity from the waiters and whispers from stupid people sat next to me. it was embarrassing, lando.”

“i’m sorry,” he whispered, dropping his bag and stalking over to the couch. “the meetings were hectic and i just lost track of time and then it was too late. i’m so sorry, love.”

you bit down hard on your lip, the tears that had been threatening to spill all night finally taking liberty. lando sighed, his stomach twisting. he hated the sight of you crying, always had.

“i just wanted one night,” you manage to choke out, curling into yourself. “but you’re always so busy. we’ve lived here for three months and haven’t spent any time together, lando.”

lando winced, the months catching up on him. squeezing next to you, he pulls your frame into his lap and holds you close, mind racing with ways to make it up to you. he’d been so busy, he’d forgotten to prioritise you — the love of his life. the person who gave up everything to move out here with him, because he’d asked you to.

“listen to me,” he murmured, making you look up at him with big, wet eyes. “i love you so much. i know i’ve been awful recently at showing it, but i do. i’m going to take some time off, i don’t care what anyone says, and we’re going to spend every day together. okay?”

you nod, wiping at your eyes. lando smiles, though it’s full of sadness, and hooks his knuckle under your chin to raise you lips to his. tender and loving, pouring everything he couldn’t say into one kiss, softly sucking at your bottom lip.

“you make it really hard to stay mad at you,” you pout, gazing up at his doe eyes. he smiles, that boyish, toothy smile that makes your chest swell.

“i love you too, baby.”

[otomehonyaku]

DIABOLIK LOVERS アニメ公式ノベライズ Official Novelization ☽ Chapter 2 Translation

[Previous chapter] ☽ [Next chapter]

Originally written by Yukuzuki Hiroha 結来月ひろは Translated from the Japanese by @otomehonyaku

STORY Following her father’s job transfer, Komori Yui is sent to live with the Sakamaki brothers. However, these six brothers turn out to be sadistic, ill-tempered vampires. The men are after Yui’s sweet and incredibly rare blood, and go to great lengths toying with her body and soul to get it. Before long, Yui finds herself trapped in an alluringly dangerous love game(1)...

1. 吸血愛戯 (ラブゲーム): Stylised as ‘love game’ but written with the characters for bloodsucking (吸血), love (愛), and play (戯). The latter character also has a connotation of playfulness/mischief.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

DISCLAIMER This is an unofficial translation intended for those interested in reading the story of the Diabolik Lovers game/season in a slightly more literary format in English. I have no affiliation with Rejet or Frontier Works whatsoever. All rights belong to them, but PLEASE DO NOT POST THIS TRANSLATION ELSEWHERE OR TRANSLATE TO OTHER LANGUAGES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.

Now that that’s out of the way—have fun reading! ❤️

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Episode 2

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The evening sun cast a warm glow on the mansion. By the time the chandelier was lit, Yui was sitting on a bed in an unfamiliar room. 

Where am I?

Yui sat upright and looked around. In the corner of the room was the suitcase she had brought to the mansion, as well as her bag. The room was gorgeous with its pink tones and large bed with a lavender-coloured canopy that most girls her age could only dream of. However, Yui wondered why she had been sleeping in this room. 

I arrived at the mansion, and then…

Yui gasped. Right. I found out that they are vampires, that’s why. Remembering the moments leading up to her losing consciousness, she inattentively pressed her fingers to her neck. 

“Thank God, I wasn’t bitten.” Feeling reassured, Yui lowered her fingers to her chest, but suddenly noticed something. “Huh?”

She wasn’t wearing her own clothes, but instead wore a négligé that she had never seen before. 

“Did I change clothes earlier?”

However, Yui had no memory of doing so. In fact, she didn’t remember anything after Ayato pushed her to the floor and she lost consciousness. That meant a stranger had undressed her while she wasn’t conscious. 

“Why am I here? I want to talk to my father…”

Yui wrapped her arms around herself, a thought ran through her mind.

The fact that she is not my own child bears no meaning at all. 

That was what her father’s diary had said when she found it in the forbidden room. I’m not my father’s biological daughter after all… Still, she wasn’t quite sure if she really believed that. She didn’t want to.

“Dad… What’s going on? Please come back home…” Tears started welling up in the corners of her eyes when she remembered the days she’d spent with her father, but the moment was cut short.

“Oh, Bitchlet. It’s no use crying, y’know?”

Yui yelped in surprise. 

When she looked up, Laito was sitting there on her bed, watching her intently. 

“You look hot in your little négligé,” he said, “and you smell delicious, too.” 

Painfully reminded of her current lack of clothing, Yui scrambled for the bed sheets and used them to cover up her chest. Still, the smirk that had been on Laito’s face the entire time grew deeper.

“I wonder if you’re trying to seduce me, little bitch.”

“Why would I…” Yui made an effort to get away from Laito, but soon felt the headboard press into her back, and she knew she had nowhere to run. Oh no… If I don’t do something, he’ll…

The boy was only a hair’s breadth away from her face when he abruptly disappeared from her line of vision, along with the sound of an impact.

“Don’t go touchin’ my things without permission.”

Ayato was the one who had sent his brother flying. 

Laito repositioned his hat onto his head and looked at him. “Ayato, you’re too rowdy.”

“Shut up.”

Has Ayato come to my rescue? If he hadn’t come in, Laito would surely have bitten me. But why would he help me? Even though Yui had not said anything aloud, Ayato called out her wishful thinking immediately.

“I’ll have her.”

So he didn’t come to save me… he was only acting because he didn’t want me swiped away from under his nose.

“Please, don’t!”

“You three. If you do not hurry, we will all be late.” In the blink of an eye, Reiji had also appeared by the side of the bed.

“Again, Reiji?”

“Aw, man, things were just getting good…”

Ignoring Ayato’s and Laito’s complaints, Reiji turned to Yui. “You too. Hurry up and get dressed.”

Yui was glad that the second son had saved her from getting bitten once again, but grew suspicious at his words. “Get dressed? Are we going somewhere?”

“Of course. We’re going to class.”

“Class… at this hour?”

“Please, Yui. Your dull-wittedness is astounding. Do you really not understand anything until I spell it out for you? We attend night classes.”

Yui cast a glance upon the clock at her bedside, and the hands pointed to 5:20 PM. Had she not been here, her classes would have already ended at this time.

“But… we still have an entire day of classes ahead?” Having attended a regular school until now, Yui could not hide her confusion.

“Contrary to what is normal to humans, going out during the day is bothersome for us. As you will be living in the Sakamaki household from now on, we expect you to conform to our lifestyle.”

“But…”

“If you have any complaints, you are welcome to leave at any time,” Reiji said. He then turned to walk away..

“But you said you’d kill me if I ran…” The complaint slipped past Yui’s lips in a voice that was too quiet for Reiji to understand.

“What was that?”

“N-nothing.” Yui shook her head vigorously.

“Then please hurry and put on your uniform.”

When she followed Reiji’s gaze, she saw that a brand new uniform had suddenly appeared on her bed. It consisted of the same blazer that the brothers wore, and a skirt that had white frills attached to the hem. The white shirt ribbon that came with it was tied together with another red ribbon on the centre of the chest. Did they go through all that trouble to get me a school uniform?

“Um…” When Yui raised her face, the three brothers had disappeared from her bedside. And now they’re gone. They really are vampires… 

Alone once again, she sighed heavily. When she tried to get up from the bed, her hand grazed past her rosary.

“Right…” Yui tightly gripped her rosary. “This might be the time to look for the room where I found that diary.” The brothers would be gone, and she would have the room to herself. This chance might not present itself again. 

Yui went to the door and eased it open the tiniest bit in order to check her surroundings. Good. Nobody’s outside my room. Ready to seize the opportunity, Yui prepared to leave the room.

“Yo.”

“Huh?” Somehow, Ayato was standing right in front of her. 

No way. There was nobody here. 

He looked at her scantily-clothed form with an amused grin on his face. “You’re still wearing that? C’mon, I’ll help you change.”

“I’m fine, thank you!” 

Yui shut the door in his face and sighed again. 

Not a chance after all… because I’m not dealing with humans, but with vampires. I should keep my head down for now.

Having given up the idea of going to the forbidden room today, Yui reluctantly got ready to head to class.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Yui finished getting ready and descended to the ground floor, a large black limousine was waiting in front of the mansion. Are we… going to school by limousine?

She hesitated for a second, but the driver opened the door for her. 

Well, I guess I have no choice, then.

“Thank you,” Yui said to the driver before she climbed into the limousine, but he kept silent as he shut the door.

The limousine was spacious enough to fit all of the brothers, and Yui was the last one to arrive. When she sat down on a seat near the door, the limousine quietly departed from the mansion. 

The brothers didn’t talk to one another. The only sound that could be heard was the car’s engine, and the lack of conversation was in stark contrast with their behaviour yesterday. 

Yui looked at the brothers. They couldn’t have been more different from each other—they each had their distinctive hair and eye colour. Are they really brothers?

Reiji was reading a book, and Subaru was sitting next to him, staring out the window with a sullen look on his face. Maybe they just don’t get along. On the opposite side, Laito’s face lit up like he was scheming, Kanato was talking to Teddy, and Shuu was listening to music with his earphones in. 

They really aren’t talking.

“What’re you thinking about, Pancake?” 

Yui had been lost in thought until she was surprised to see Ayato coming towards her, and she instinctively held out her hands to avoid him. The vampire didn’t seem pleased by that. 

Taking advantage of sitting right next to her, Ayato moved in closer. “You got some nerve trying to disobey me, Pancake.”

“All this time, it’s been ‘Pancake,’ ‘Pancake’… I have a name, you know. It’s Komori Yui. Please use it properly.”

“Shut up. Names lost their meaning to me about a hundred years ago, Pancake,” Ayato retorted, drawing out the syllables. Obviously offended, he suddenly bent over Yui, his mouth going for her neck. 

SNAP!

The sound of Reiji’s book slamming shut broke the tense atmosphere.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Ayato? Take such behaviour to your own room.”

Grumbling, Ayato let go of Yui.

Thank God…

“And you. Take this.”

“Huh?”

Reiji held out a juice box for her. “It’s pure cranberry juice. It works best against anaemia.”

“T-thank you,” Yui said in earnest, feeling a little surprised at Reiji’s sudden kindness. 

“No need to thank me,” he responded, sending her a cold glare. “You will have to learn that you are simply our prey, and drink that every day.”

Their… prey? Yui’s hands trembled. She had known it deep down already, but still, Reiji’s cold words struck a chord. Her body was seized by fear. Soon, she was shaking.

“You know, Teddy? When humans are scared, their teeth start ‘chattering.’ Interesting, isn’t it? Let’s observe closely.” Kanato held out Teddy toward Yui.

To these men, all I am is prey. 

The one eye Teddy had that wasn’t covered by an eye patch gleamed at Yui.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

With her lips forming a tight line and her body absolutely rigid, Yui sat in the limousine for another while until it passed under the moonlit gate of Reitei Academy. So this is the night school they were talking about… This was her first time to attend a night school, but Reitei, with its courtyard bathed in moonlight, looked to be a particularly prestigious one.

Yui trailed behind the brothers after they’d gotten out of the limousine and followed them into the courtyard. It was bright and enormous, and the staff had done a good job keeping it tidy.

That’s good. Even though they teach classes at night, it still seems to be a normal school. Yui had felt a little uneasy when she was told to go to the school the brothers went to, but most of the students somehow seemed to be normal humans just like her.

The moment the Sakamakis entered the school’s courtyard, all students stopped and stared. 

Well, if you count out the fact that they’re vampires, they certainly are handsome… When Yui looked at them properly once again, their outward appearance was very well-put together. It certainly wasn’t strange for them to attract attention looking this good.

However, nobody tried talking to them.

Even when they passed through the hallways and a group of female students looked over while chatting with one another in a low voice, they fell silent when Yui returned their gaze. When Yui averted her eyes again, the girls hurriedly moved past them.

What was that for? She turned around and looked at the girls’ backs as they walked away, thinking it strange. Reiji stopped in front of the staircase and called out, pulling Yui out of her daze.

“You are in the same class as Ayato and Kanato, so please go with the two of them.”

“Okay.”

In all earnest, Yui had been looking forward to some time away from the brothers, but she had no choice. She did as she was told, but Reiji’s cold voice stopped her before she could leave with Ayato and Kanato.

”I am not done talking yet.”

Yui reluctantly faced him again.

“If you do not wish to be struck with a whip, I would advise you to not do anything reckless. Understood?”

Meaning that if I tried to run away…

Reiji’s unrelenting gaze gave Yui the chills.

“Answer me.”

“…Yes.”

Feeling Reiji’s ice-like stare on her back, she walked away and headed to the classroom.

This should be it.

When Yui went into the classroom, Kanato was sitting at the very back, a book open in front of him as he cradled Teddy in his arms. Ayato was slumped over on his desk. For some reason, they were the only students there.

But class is just about to start. Why isn’t anyone else here?

Yui considered asking Kanato, but seeing him talk so animatedly to Teddy made her close her mouth again. She quickly glanced at the blackboard. It said Today’s Home Economics class is cooking practice. Please assemble in the school kitchen.

“So we’re doing a cooking class today.” That’s why the classroom was empty—everyone else must have already gone to the kitchen.

We should get going, too. I can’t be late on my first day here. But where is this kitchen?

“…Cooking practice?”

Yui’s voice roused Ayato from his nap, and his face twisted into a suggestive grin. “Hey, Pancake.”

“Ayato, please don’t call me weird names at school.”

“Shut up. You’re better off worrying about where to find the school kitchen.”

As if he had read Yui’s mind, she fell silent.

“Yours Truly could do you a favour and take you there.”

“Really?”

”Yeah. C’mon.” Ayato grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the classroom.

“Ah, wait!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“…Um, Ayato?”

“What?”

“Where are we?”

The room Ayato had dragged her to was filled with cooking utensils and supplies. However, there were no other students in sight.

“It’s the school kitchen.”

“Then why is nobody here?”

“‘Cause this is the old kitchen. They teach the cooking classes in the new one.”

In other words, Ayato tricked her into coming here.

“So why did you bring me here?”

“As for the reason…” Ayato stood up from the chair he’d been sitting on, and stalked towards Yui.

Oh no, not again… Yesterday’s events were still etched into the back of her mind, making Yui freeze in place, but the answer coming out of Ayato’s mouth surprised her.

“Make me some takoyaki.”

“T-takoyaki?”

…Like, actual takoyaki?

“Well, I don’t expect anything but the world’s best takoyaki.”

A takoyaki pan was already present on the table, making Yui realise the height of his expectations. So that’s why he brought me here? She wasn’t sure if this was the actual reason why, but this wasn’t the time to think about that.

”But… we should head to class, quickly.”

“Don’t talk back to me. Yours Truly will eat your takoyaki. Now get cooking!”

“You could at least ask nicely…”

“You say something?” Ayato clearly wasn’t intending to go back to class. 

Yui did as he said, and started the preparations to make takoyaki. Fortunately, most of the ingredients were already there, and Yui somehow managed to make takoyaki with them.

“Here you go.”

Ayato stuffed the takoyaki into his mouth without hesitation. “So good!” 

Next to an innocently grinning Ayato, who feasted happily on the takoyaki, sat a rather dreary-looking Yui. “It’s only my first day of school and I’ve already skipped a class…”

Yui had never expected it to come to this on her first day after transferring to Reitei. She had never skipped a class before, even at her old school. 

“No use worrying ‘bout such small things. Have a bite.”

Before Yui could answer, Ayato pushed a ball of takoyaki into her mouth. “It’s delicious!” 

“Right?”

For something she had made herself, it had turned out pretty well. As the two sat and enjoyed the takoyaki, Yui caught a glimpse of the clock hanging on the wall. 

Their next class was about to start.

“We need to clean up. I don’t want to miss our next class too.” Yui began carrying the cooking utensils she used to make takoyaki to the sink. To avoid her getting wet, she took off her blazer, and hurriedly began washing a bowl. She had not realised there would be so much washing-up to do. 

Ayato, satisfied with a belly full of takoyaki, stretched out his legs and reclined in his chair, watching Yui as she did the dishes.

“Give me a hand, Ayato. You were the one who wanted me to make takoyaki, right?”

Silently, the vampire got up from his chair and crept over to her. He stopped just at her back. Yet Yui had not heard him coming over the sound of the running water, and so she called out to him again.

“Hey, Aya—”

When Yui looked over her shoulder, Ayato was right there. He was looking down on her quite literally, and as soon as she saw the look in his eyes, she immediately squirmed away from him.

“What’re you running away for?” He stalked over Yui, who was now standing by the window. “I’ve been going crazy since yesterday. I don’t wanna hold off any longer.”

I have to run…

Ayato captured her in his arms with ease.

“Let me taste you.”

“Please, don’t…” 

The words did not reach him. Ayato grabbed her chin and turned her face to the side, exposing the nape of her neck.

“No bite marks at all. Your skin looks delicious, really.”

Taking in the sight of her slender, pale neck right in front of him, a satisfied smile played at Ayato’s lips.

“Yours Truly will be the one to take all your firsts.”

The next moment, Ayato’s teeth hovered above the skin of her throat. A predatory gleam clouded his eyes before he buried his fangs deep in her neck. 

Yui gasped. The pain of Ayato’s sharp teeth piercing her neck and the feeling of her blood flowing freely into Ayato’s mouth made her body tremble. Even if Yui wanted to run from him, he had a strong grip on both her jaw and her waist. 

“Fuck… what is this? I’ve never tasted blood this sweet before.” Ayato briefly pulled away from her neck, his eyes twinkling with delight. “I like you.”

Before long, Ayato’s fangs brutally punctured Yui’s skin a second time.

“Please…”

Yui was not sure whether it was because he was sucking her blood, but her head began to grow numb, as if she was not herself anymore. 

I’m… scared… If he keeps feeding on me, I'll truly become their prey… I’m so scared.

Yui gathered all her strength to push Ayato away from her. However, the force of her push made the skin tear where Ayato had punctured it with his fangs. The intense pain shooting through her neck knocked the breath out of her, and her face contorted in agony.

“Idiot. If you move around while I bite you, you’ll only make it hurt more, you know.” When Ayato looked up, his lips were stained a bright red when they pulled away from his teeth in a smile.

“Ah…”

His lips were stained the colour of Yui’s blood.

I’ve really been fed on.

With the pain and shock of having her blood sucked, the fear showed plainly on her face.

“Seeing you in tears with your face twisting in pain… It’s too tempting.” Ayato wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, and then licked it off before reaching out to Yui again. 

“Please, stop…”

“No stopping now.”

Ayato pushed her up against the window and bit down on the nape of her neck again.

The moonlight illuminated the two of them through the window, contrasting with the dark room behind them. The moon above Yui was the last thing she saw before her consciousness fell into a deep darkness.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“You two are an embarrassment to do such a thing on school premises.”

Before long, Reiji was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on Ayato and Yui. Ayato clicked his tongue as he turned around to face his brother.

“Damn it! Shit was just getting good.”

“Look at the state of her. That is your fault, Ayato. Take responsibility for your actions and take her home.”

When Ayato glanced at Yui, who was still in his arms, he noticed that she had already passed out. Might’ve been a bit too rough. The colour of Yui’s face was past the point of flattery, and she did not look like she would be waking up anytime soon. At the same time, Ayato could not simply leave her there. He knew exactly how Reiji would react if he did, and he wasn’t looking forward to that.

“Hmph.”

Ayato swept Yui up into his arms, and the next instant, they had disappeared from the room completely.

“Good grief. If only they could just behave.” Reiji let out a heavy sigh and walked out of the room.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Ugh…”

Yui opened her eyes on a bench next to the indoor pool inside the mansion.

Why am I here? I thought I was at school…

“Yo, you’re awake.”

Ayato was sitting on the armrest, lazily playing around with the uniform ribbon that had somehow found its way from neck into his hands.

Right, he fed on me…

Yui tried sitting upright, but the loss of blood had also drained the strength from her body. Seeing her struggle, Ayato walked over to her. 

“S-stay away!” 

Ayato halted.

The fact that vampires needed human blood for nourishment, Yui knew. But Ayato, on the other hand, only seemed to be toying with her. 

“Why are you doing this?” Yui asked.

Ayato stood over her, staring at her coldly. “You still don’t get it?”

“Huh?”

In a flash, Yui’s body was raised in the air, and Ayato’s face was a hair’s breadth away from hers. He’d picked her up with ease and began walking. Yui struggled to have Ayato put her back down, but he leisurely strode over towards the pool. He came to a stop right by the edge of the water.

“Yours Truly is the one who controls you. Stop complaining about everything!” 

Ayato had barely finished speaking before he threw Yui into the water. 

Yui screamed. A loud splashing sound echoed off the walls of the indoor pool. 

Oh no, I can’t swim…

To make matters worse, Yui was still wearing her uniform, and it weighed her down even more as it absorbed the water. She tried to wrestle herself to the surface, but despite her desperate efforts, she still felt herself sinking towards the bottom of the deep pool.

Ayato watched her struggle from the poolside.

“Tell me that I’m the best. Tell me that I’m better than anyone else, and that you’re mine.”

In a stroke of luck, Yui managed to come up for air. She begged for Ayato to help her, but she kept getting pulled back down. 

“Ayato—I can’t—I can’t swim…”

Yui desperately screamed Ayato’s name, but she had already disappeared under the surface of the water. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Whether he had heard her or not, Ayato's expression remained unchanged as he stared down at the water. This is Pancake’s fault. She disobeyed me…

Memories from his childhood haunted Ayato as he watched Yui’s struggling form in the pool.

In his thoughts, Ayato travelled to a lake far away, one hand strenuously reaching out of the water, flailing desperately. The blurry shape of a woman seemed to come closer from under the surface of the water. Ayato fought his way up, and reached out a hand towards her.

However, the woman had not come to save Ayato from drowning. She merely looked on, her expression flat.

Help me…

Ayato’s face twisted in despair knowing that his words would not reach anyone, but rather disappeared into the lake.

Help me…

Yui’s screams for help lined up with Ayato’s distant memory and without giving it any more thought, Ayato launched himself into the water. He did not know why he did it. Even though he harboured a sliver of doubt about his own behaviour, he took Yui into his arms under the surface of the pool.

Well, he did tell us not to kill her.

Reminding himself of this fact, Ayato cupped Yui’s face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers.      

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It’s warm… and I can breathe again.

When Yui opened her eyes, she realised that Ayato had been transferring air to her with a kiss. Ayato pulled away as soon as he saw that she had regained consciousness. 

Why is he looking at me with such a forlorn expression?

In the deafening silence of the water, Yui saw herself reflected in his eyes, which were clouded with sadness.

Don’t look at me like that, Yui wanted to say, but the air Ayato had given her became bubbles under the water. 

I can’t breathe…

Seeing the struggle on Yui’s face again, Ayato undid the top buttons of her blouse to expose her shoulder, and sank his fangs into her skin.

“Nnh!”

Bubbles rose to the surface of the water again when Yui cried out. When Ayato switched to a different spot, biting her again and again, the blood seeping from the wounds in Yui’s skin floated around the two of them like a red ribbon that bound them together.

I have no air left…

Just when Yui was about to lose consciousness again, Ayato held on tight and pulled her with him to the surface. Yui coughed heavily to clear her lungs of water and desperately fill them with air at the same time. Ayato’s head was now above the water as well, and his eyes gleamed with a bewitching ferality that she had never seen of him before.

“Fuck, I can feel your blood flowing through my body… I can feel its power…”

“Please, no more…” Yui begged in a soft voice. Her face was white as a sheet, and the cold water and Ayato’s feeding had left her trembling incessantly.

“It can’t be helped. Let’s call it here for today.” Ayato held on to Yui as he swam to the edge of the pool, and hoisted her upwards onto the tiles.

Feeling an intense relief at being on solid ground again, Yui fell to the floor. Ayato threw a towel over her head.

“Huh?”

Yui was surprised by Ayato’s small gesture, but before she could thank him, Ayato turned his back on her and walked away without saying anything.

What does he really want with me?

Unable to figure out his motive, Yui tightly gripped the towel.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Around the same time, a man in a long, dark coat appeared in the woods surrounding the mansion. His motives seemed unclear窶派e merely stood there. However, as if he had noticed something, his head suddenly snapped up, and his red eyes focused on the sight in front of him.

Ah… Brings back memories.

The man’s eyes were trained on the Sakamaki mansion.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Yui had used the shower room adjacent to the pool, and when she returned to her room, she was stopped by the faint sound of a door unlocking once again. With suspicion, she followed the source of the sound, and reached another dilapidated spiral staircase.

“This staircase should lead to that room…”

Since then, Reiji had forbidden her from entering, but Yui was not prepared to give up on finding her father’s diary. I might be able to sneak into the room unnoticed from here, Yui thought as she ascended the stairs and found, as expected, the forbidden room.

Yui entered quietly, and immediately began the search for her father’s diary. It should have been right around here…

Carefully tiptoeing around the shards of broken glass, Yui eventually found the diary among the books on the floor.

“Gotcha!” She opened the little notebook without delay. “Huh…What’s this?”

Yui’s eyes widened in surprise. Her hands trembled as she flipped the pages. 

The pages were all completely blank where her father’s handwriting had been.

“It’s all… gone…” So what on Earth did I see before?

In a daze, the notebook slipped out of Yui’s hands and fell onto the floor, the sound reverberating through the quiet, empty space.

[chaifootsteps]

I have previously also made my own post about it, but I wanna point out that Vivziepop has claimed Stolas will get his comeuppance, but there is no way a genuine callout is happening soon, and all previous ones seem to have been deemed invalid by the narrative Octavia (Loo Loo Land / Seeing Stars) - If comforted by another character saying that Stolas means well and that he won't leave her, Not Valid Striker - (Harvest Moon Festival / Western Energy) Is deemed as antagonist and constantly villainized and called a hypocrite for working for a royal, Not Valid Blitz (Full moon) - Almost immediately apologizes after Stolas begins to 'cry', just framed as lashing out by the narrative, Not Valid Blitz (Apology tour) - Framed as Blitz being salty after Stolas rejects his advances (side note that scene felt incredibly OOC for Blitz), Not Valid Octavia (Future episode) - If the leaks are to be believed, she demonized the anti-depressants, so if this will be valid, Vivse would be ableist against depression, plus is likely considered her mother and uncle's manipulation, so most likely not valid So if Stolas will be called out, then when, and how will it be different?! Just really upset Stolas hasn't been called out validly at all once despite them both being in the wrong according to Vivziepop and Blitz having been called out, twice-ish (I don't know feels weird to rewatch episodes so I don't remember)

Well put. The fandom's acting like this big, serious callout is waiting right around the corner, that Stolas is definitely going to undergo what Blitzo went through in Apology Tour. I guess it's technically possible, anything is, but every single time the narrative looks like it's about to go in that direction, there's a hard pivot backwards. Literally every person who's ever criticized Stolas in-universe has been portrayed as unambiguously in the wrong.

If Viv wanted to call out Stolas's behavior and actually have it stick, she would have by now. But she hasn't, because in her mind, he's done very little, if anything, wrong.

[questforgalas]

Thoughts while watching Ahsoka Ep 5!!

There was a lot of yelling into my hands in just the first 15 minutes

WOWEEE we haven't event started to watch and we're already emotional because HAYDEN IS THERE IN ALL HIS ANAKIN GLORY ON THE HOME PAGE BANNER *sobs in prequel fan*

"Ahsoka confronts her past" we have still not even started and the episode description has me on the edge of my seat for the crumbs I'm desperate for

Yes those crumbs are live-action Rex. Don't worry I have my clown hat ready next to me.

Oh my god was that a clone trooper helmet???

Dear god i need to calm down

ANYWAY

Dave loves his samurai vibes

Jacen and Chopper will continue to make me emotional until I die

Hera and Din Djarin should meet about parenting styles

Jacen popping out behind Chopper

HUYANG WITH SABINE'S HELMET

"I told them to stay together" OH MY GOD I NEED TO GIVE HUYANG A HUG 😭

The title is "Shadow Warrior"?????? Fuck this is giving Maul crumbs

She's still so excited to see him oh my god I'm still not ready for this

"You look old" ABSOLUTELY FIRE OFF THE BAT SNIPS AND SKYGUY I'M CRYING

Oh my god we're getting live-action Anakin teaching Ahsoka guys we ARE GETTING LIVE ACTION PADAWAN AHSOKA AND MASTER ANAKIN

Is this like the ghost of christmases past but Star Wars?

"I'm here to finish your training" alright, now actually crying. Why do these two do this to me dear god Tay

"It's a little late for that"

Every time Hayden says "Snips" a year is added to my life

NO WHY ARE THEY FIGHTING

WHY IS THIS EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WANTED TOO

I desperately hope Hayden did all that saber work because that choreography was siiiiiick already and we just started

"We have no hope of following" USE THE PERGILL

How fucking funny would it be if Din and Grogu just showed up and Carson was like "This is my buddy I call whenever something weird happens"

Heyo love Jacen saying there's something about the water and then the little force trill plays when Hera turns

Let you weird force sensitive kid tell you about the water

Seriously, I feel like Hera and Din need to start a "force sensitive kid" parent support group. They're the only two members. It's just the two of them talking about the weird shit their kid pulled off

Ok yeah fucking cool with the lightsabers in the waves. You go Jacen!

"HIS FATHER KANAN JARRUS" WE HAVE LIVE ACTION CANON KANAN JARRUS LADIES AND GENTS OH MY GOD

LOLOLOLOL at Carson just going "Yeah ok fine whatever"

ANAKIN SABER TWIRL ANAKIN SABER TWIRL

Now that wasn't very nice Skyguy

Seriously, is this the night before christmas Star Wars edition because I'm here for it

THE FUCKING GASP I MADE WHEN THE CLONE TROOPER RAN OUT OF THE FOG

ARE WE GETTING LIVE ACTION CLONE WARS OH MY GOD ARE WE GETTING LIVE ACTION CLONE WARS

I'VE PAUSED THE EPISODE BECAUSE I'M SHAKING OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

OH MY GOD IS SHE IN HER CLONE WAS OUTFIT??????????

IT'S STILL PAUSED BABES I HAVEN'T MOVED FROM 12:42 BECAUSE I AM UNABLE TO HANDLE THIS SITUATION RIGHT NOW

Ok ok ok, hitting play

NEVER MIND WE ARE PAUSED AGAIN THAT IS 501ST BLUE I REPEAT THAT IS 501ST BLUE

ACTUAL TEARS ARE FORMING IN MY EYES THAT IS 501ST BLUE

LIVE ACTION CLONE WARS ANAKIN LIVE ACTION CLONE WARS ANAKIN

BABY SNIPS THAT IS A BABY SNIPS THAT IS A LIVE ACTION BABY SNIPS

THAT IS LIVE ACTION ANAKIN CLONE WARS ARMOR

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD LOOK AT HER SHE LOOKS INCREDIBLE OH MY GOD

We are only 13:22 into the episode and I've paused yet again because Hayden Christensen is in Clone Wars Anakin armor and I'm so overjoyed and overwhelmed by the site of it and there's baby clone wars snips right there and oh my god the jaig eyes are right around the corner I know it and I'm not ready

Her green saber 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

So help me if those jaig eyes show up

Hayden looks so amazing I'm so happy

SO HELP ME IF THOSE JAIG EYES SHOW UP IN A FUCKING MEDICAL SCENE

IT'S 15:06 AND HE'S SO FAR IN THE DISTANCE BUT HE'S RIGHT THERE HE'S RIGHT THERE ON MY SCREEN HE'S LIVE ACTION OH MY GOD

SHE'S JUST A BABY

THEY'RE SO SNIPS AND SKYGUY

"What if I want to stop fighting" "Then you'll die" ok stab me in the heart Dave that's fine

LOOK AT REX RUNNING INTO THE FOG WITH HIS DUAL BLASTERS

It was a crumb but it was the most scrumptious crumb

Oh fuck the flash to Vader DAM

I'm serious I would fucking die laughing if Din and Grogu showed up like "Hey, we're here to help the search party. Carson beeped us"

Errbody talking about Anakin this episode huh

"Intense" lol Huyang was not an Anakin stan

The Jacen-Chopper friendship is everything I needed without knowing I needed it

LIVE. ACTION. SIEGE. OF. MANDALORE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? LIVE. ACTION. SIEGE. OF. MANDALORE??????????????????????????

We are 21:32 into this episode and I've had to pause (not exaggerating) 7 times to yell into my hands

LOOK AT HIM RUNNING AROUND IN THE BACKGROUND TAKING DOWN MANDALORIANS

HE LOOKS SO GOOD

We got past the clone wars flashback and I made peace with myself we wouldn't hear him speak but oh my fucking god what if he speaks now

Yes we're still paused, yes this episode will probably take twice as long for me to get through purely because of Rex sightings

OH MY GOD HE SPOKE

OH MY GOD IT'S TEM REX IT'S TEM REX

Why am I crying why does Star Wars do this to me

Hearing Temeura Morrison refer to Ahsoka as Commander in Rex's armor makes me want to cheer and cry at the same time

Awwww Hayden's Canadian came out when he said "about"

NOT BABY SNIPS FIGHTING VADER NO NO NO

Ok these fucking flash cuts to Vader's suit are fucking sick

OK DISTORTED HAYDEN AND VADER VOICE

YO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HER BRINGING THE SABER UP AND THE LIGHT REFELCTING IN HER EYES TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE SHE TURNED SITH FOR A HOT SECOND HOLY SHIT

Bye Hayden I love you

Ok so this is the Star Wars A Christmas Story, you can't tell me otherwise

Mysterious goop rising up? That's a nope from me dawg

WE'RE ONLY HALFWAY THROUGH THE EPISODE???

Seriously holy fucking shit everyone say "Thank you, Dave" holy shit holy shit this is is Mona Lisa, this is his Last Supper, this is his Pieta, he loves these characters and Star Wars so much oh my god

WAH so jarring to see her without her little headpiece thing

It's like when Echo showed up in TBB without his Kama I was like "SIR YOU ARE NAKED" I'm having the same feeling with her

AHSOKA TAKE ON JACEN AS A PADAWAN TAKE ON JACEN AS A PADAWAN

"We were hoping you could explain what happened" well, ya see, we were stubborn per usual

She's so Gandalf the White right now

OH MY GOD TAKE HIM AS YOUR PADAWAN DAM IT

Yas force visions for the win

(WHERE IS QUINLAN DAVE)

Anyway

Like literally the Gandalf imagery is so obvious

USE THE PURGILL

My babygirl needs so much therapy I love her

USE. THE. PURGILL.

I swear if I was in Star Wars they'd all have their answers in 1/4 of the time

Ahsoka is so dramatic I love her freaking lineage so much they love overdramatic entrances my god

Oh hello Gandalf

She could honestly get me to do anything with her little side smile I love her so much

What a fucking love letter to Star Wars this show is

Carson if the friend of all friends. "Hey make sure the fleet doesn't get near us" "yeah sure I can do that" stalls said fleet via ridiculous chatter

Hera tells Jacen about Ezra 😭😭😭😭

Cannot wait to see all the cosplay of this fit of Ahsoka's, this grey and white is siiiiiiick

Would fly to wherever Dave Filoni is to shake his hand if it ended with the purgill just taking a chomp and thus killing them. Would be so freaking funny

Oh hello shot tribute to inside the asteroid worm in ESB

"No idea" I. FREAKING. LOVE. HER. THIS. IS. SNIPS. I'M. DYING.

Look at her learning her little Jedi lessons

"Jacen's too young to fly through galaxies" fucking mom of the year

THIS IS AN UTTERLY STUNNING SHOT?????

[nswerlvr]

Jealousy Jealousy

Kyujin x !Fem Reader

The dorm was eerily quiet, save for the muted sound of the TV in the living room. Y/n was nestled into the corner of the couch, her blanket pulled tightly around her. The latest episode of Eunchae’s “Star Diary” was on, and despite her excitement earlier, Y/n now found herself sinking into a quiet unease.

The episode featured Eunchae’s recent experience at Music Bank, accompanied by Kyujin, Lily, and Sullyoon. As Y/n watched, she saw Kyujin and Eunchae share a candid and easy rapport. Their laughter seemed to echo around the room, amplifying the uncomfortable twist in Y/n’s chest.

In one segment, Eunchae’s cheerful voice came through the screen. “I’m so happy we’re catching up more now. We didn’t really text before, but it’s nice to be in touch.”

Kyujin’s response was warm and genuine. “Yeah, it’s been great. I missed these conversations. It’s like we’re getting back some time we lost.”

Y/n’s heart sank as she observed the easy camaraderie. The closeness between Kyujin and Eunchae seemed to cast a shadow over her own feelings. They had always shared a special connection, but seeing it now with someone else made her feel sidelined.

As the show progressed, Y/n’s discomfort grew. Each shared smile and friendly exchange between Kyujin and Eunchae felt like a reminder of the space Y/n feared was growing between them. By the end of the episode, Y/n was fighting back tears, feeling a pang of loneliness.

---

Later that night, Haewon entered the room to find Y/n sitting alone in the dim light, her eyes red from crying. Haewon’s concern was immediate as she sat beside Y/n and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“What’s up?” Haewon asked gently, her tone filled with empathy.

Y/n’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I watched Eunchae’s show. Seeing how close she and Kyujin are, it made me feel like I’m not as important to Kyujin anymore. It’s like I’m just… fading into the background.”

Haewon’s expression softened as she wrapped her arm around Y/n. “I understand how you’re feeling. It’s tough to see someone you care about growing close with someone else. But you need to know that Kyujin’s friendship with Eunchae doesn’t change how she feels about you.”

“But what if she starts to prefer Eunchae’s company over mine?” Y/n’s voice cracked with emotion.

Haewon shook her head, her tone firm but kind. “Kyujin values you so much. Her friendship with Eunchae is important, but it doesn’t diminish what you two have. You’re her girlfriend, and that’s something she treasures deeply.”

Y/n looked up, her eyes brimming with tears. “Do you really believe that?”

“I know it,” Haewon said softly. “Kyujin loves you. She’s not going to replace you or the bond you share. You’re special to her, and that won’t change.”

Y/n wiped her eyes, feeling a flicker of hope. “Thank you, unnie. I needed to hear that.”

Haewon gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Anytime. I’m here for you, no matter what.”

---

Later, as Y/n and Kyujin lay together in their room, Y/n found herself unable to shake the lingering sadness. Kyujin’s gentle presence next to her was comforting, but Y/n still felt a pang of uncertainty.

Kyujin noticed Y/n’s quiet demeanor and reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from Y/n’s face. “You seem off tonight. Is everything okay?”

Y/n hesitated before speaking, her voice soft and vulnerable. “I’m just feeling a bit down. Watching Eunchae’s show made me realize how much I’ve missed talking with you like that.”

Kyujin’s eyes softened with understanding. She wrapped an arm around Y/n, pulling her closer. “I’m sorry if I made you feel left out. I didn’t mean to.”

Y/n nestled into Kyujin’s side, feeling the warmth of her embrace. “It’s not just that. It’s like seeing you and Eunchae so close made me worry that I’m not as important to you anymore.”

Kyujin looked at Y/n, her expression full of sincerity. “You’re incredibly important to me. My friendship with Eunchae doesn’t change how I feel about you. We have something really special, and that’s not going anywhere.”

Y/n’s tears began to fade as she listened to Kyujin’s reassuring words. “Thank you for saying that. I guess I needed to hear it.”

Kyujin kissed the top of Y/n’s head gently. “I’m always here for you. No matter what.”

[ronnie-quinn]

Even Caregivers Cry (And That’s Okay) (TW: Yelling)

CGs! Paisley (OC) and Caine and Regressor! Orchid (OC) 🍼

Plot: Paisley is burnt out from having a rough day.

Heavily inspired by an episode of Bluey called “Sheepdog”.

Paisley was feeling incredibly weary. Her dog, Poppy, was currently at the overnight vet due to being struck with a virus, they couldn’t concentrate and accidentally ended up scorching the meals they cooked today, and they’ve had a headache after the adventure Caine hosted. Paisley was burnt out. They trudged into her room when they noticed cockroaches crawling in her room. They knew good and well who planted them there. All bets were off when Paisley lost her cool.

“JAX!” Paisley roared.

“You called?” Jax smirked as he comically popped by.

“I swear to God, what the %$&!# is wrong with you?!”

Before Jax could respond, Orchid, regressed and having heard Paisley yell, walked in to see what the commotion was about.

“Mama, you okay?” Orchid asked.

“No, some stupid moron wanted to make life a living %$&!# for me!” Paisley shouted, causing Orchid to shrink down.

“What? Your room needed a makeover,” Jax shrugged as he walked away. “You’re welcome.”

“Orchid, can I come into your room?”

“Okay,” Orchid said, concerned for their caregiver. Paisley then stormed into the zebra’s room. They then curled up into a ball next to Orchid’s bed and began to tear up.

Orchid didn’t know what to do at that moment. They had never seen their caregiver this upset before. Their eyes formed with tears as well. Caine flew by and noticed what was going on.

“Is everything okay in here, my superstars?” Caine questioned.

Paisley shakily took a breath and stood up.

“No,” Paisley sighed heavily as they walked out into the hallway, leaving Orchid in their room. “How’s Poppy doing?”

“She’s resting. She just received antivirus antibiotics and should be ready to return to you by tomorrow.”

“Right, thanks. There are also cockroaches in my room because they were planted in there by a certain someone. I need you to please get rid of them. Orchid also just regressed and I just don’t have the energy to take care of anyone or anything. Can you watch them while I rest?”

Caine nodded as he flew into Paisley’s room and removed the roaches with the snap of his fingers. “You go on and rest and I’ll care for Orchid for you.”

“Thank you. Let me go tell them quick.”

Paisley took another deep breath and walked into Orchid’s room.

“Mama?” Orchid squeaked.

“Gumdrop, Mama needs to take some time to herself for a while so they can feel better,” Paisley said after kneeling to Orchid’s level. “Dada Caine’s going to take care of you for now, okay?”

“Are you mad?”

“Yes, but not at you, I promise. Like little ones, caregivers need to take the time to calm down and cope with their feelings healthily, but I’ll be right back after I’m calm again.”

Orchid nodded sadly as Paisley hugged them.

“I love you, baby,” Paisley said as she kissed the stuffed zebra on the forehead. She then walked off to her room to rest.

Caine then flew into Orchid’s room.

“Is Mama gonna be okay?” Orchid asked.

“Your mama will be fine after she takes a break,” Caine reassured. “To be honest, I don’t understand a lot about human emotions, but I’m still learning as I go. I’ve learned that it’s okay to feel them and that’s what makes them… well, human.”

“‘m sad for them…”

“I know, and it’s okay.”

Orchid then got an idea.

“Can you help me make something?” Orchid asked.

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

Paisley walked into Orchid’s room a few hours later.

“Hey, guys,” Paisley said after spotting Orchid and Caine in the zebra’s sensory corner.

“Hey, Mama,” Orchid replied.

“How are you feeling?” Caine asked.

“I’m feeling a bit better. I took a long nap and worked on my crystal collection afterward,” Paisley said before turning over to Orchid. “Orchid, I’m sorry for shouting at you earlier.”

“It’s okay, Mama. Jax was being a meanie to you,” Orchid said. “Dada and I made something to cheer you up.”

The stuffed zebra held out a card that had a picture of Paisley and Poppy on it.

“Aww, sweetie, did you draw this?”

“Mm-hm. Dada did the writing inside and got people to write names on the card.”

Paisley opened the card and it read:

There were also signatures from their friends written on the card.

Paisley teared up again and gave Orchid and Caine a big hug.

“Are you okay, Mama?” Orchid asked.

“Yeah, honey. These are happy tears. Thank you, guys, so much,” Paisley choked up. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Orchid and Caine said as they hugged Paisley back.

[saltpepperbeard]

WAAAAAAGHHG HEY ITS ME AGAIN IM SO SORRY I HAVE A THOUGHT AND DONT KNOW WHO ELSE TO GIVE IT TO: Im going to try really hard to be quick!! Still reeling from ep 8!!! (I have so many thoughts and emotions- tldr I know it struggled with pacing but I just really loved it. I’m so glad this show exists. Not going to recover anytime soon!! Excellent.)

I think the ending is a great setup for what could be coming next! Looking back at this season as a whole it feels to me like they had two major points they zeroed in on: 1- Edward’s state of mind. We spend a lot of time with him when no one else is- we’re with him in his head while he tries to process what he wants and how he’s going to get it. We see him wrestle with feeling unlovable, and then we sort of sit with him in his pov while he starts, (STARTS!! He’s not done yet!!) to understand that he IS loved and there ARE people waiting for him. 2- The Golden Age of piracy is ending. They lost The Republic of Pirates, they lost Spanish Jackie’s bar, Zhengs fleet, and they lost Izzy, the most pirate to ever pirate. After the couple of weeks(??) season two takes place- the OFMD cinematic universe is going to be different for pirates now.

ALL THAT TO SAY- after Izzy’s funeral, (rip king I sobbed lol) when Zheng asks Ed and Stede to team up- Stede says something like, “He needs a minute”/“Maybe give him a minute”. So they agree to help- but they stay behind to build their inn. (“It’s a fixer upper, but the bones are good.” ITS THEM ITS THEM THEYRE EACHOTHERS FOUNDATIONS THEY JUST HAVE TO BUILD ONTO IT TO MAKE IT A HOME IM GOING TO TURN TO ASH) this is a decision both of them make- this will give them time to just be. I think Ed still has a ways to go, and talks to have, and maybe needs some time to grieve Izzy, but Stede is there, and they love eachother, and they will be ok. Shit will still go down, and they’ll get involved again eventually, but they’re going to take a minute. NOW. That wraps up this season as a part two of a Three part show- we have a setup for the next big bad, and we’ve focused a lot on Ed (accompanied by Stede’s) issues/insecurities with a focus on Ed having to deal with his issues directly. He had to sit and talk, honestly talk. Do you know. Which half of our main pair. Has not done that?? The guy who the show still deliberately makes a point of showing us he is STILL. NOT OK. Granted, he had the end of season one to realize what he wanted and what he felt, but then we had so many moments this season of him reacting to those feelings but not actually talking about them to anyone. SO. What if the last season is meant to be point 2 revisited- piracy is still ending, the world is changing so how do we deal? And point 1, but FLIPPED. WHAT IF. Season three is Stede’s turn revisited??? Season three with Ed AND Stede TALKING and Stede genuinely coming to terms with the fact that the people he loves are not better off without him- that he doesn’t have to earn the love he thinks he doesn’t deserve?? What if he gets to take that final step into a new world where being a pirate can’t be the same as it was before, but that spirit carries on and now he knows he’s loved and has worth regardless?? I STILL WANT THAT MAN TO BE THROWN IN THE EMOTIONAL BATHTUB IS WHAT IM SAYING. I don’t know if this is anything, or if this is true or accurate!!! Do I just want to see them kiss and cry some more?? MAYBE. Aaaaagh I just really hope djenks gets to made season 3- he deserves to finish his pirate story and I would very much like to be here when he does. hbo max count your days.

Also I once again want to thank you for your thoughts and screams over the course of this season- you really are incredible at character analysis and it’s been an absolute pleasure to come running over to this corner after each episode to see what you think. Thank you for posting. YOU. are WONDERFUL THANK YOU <3 <3 (also. Also also. THEY KISSED SO MANY TIMES ED READ STEDES FUCKIN LETTER ED SAID I LOVE YOU AND THEY ARE NO LONGER SEPARATED. MARRIAGE. I CANT BELIEVE THIS SHOW IS THE WAY IT IS. There is still an owch but!!! It’s a good owchie now 😭😭)

I AM ONCE AGAIN HONORED TO GET SUCH A BEAUTIFUL STRING OF THOUGHTS IN MY INBOX??? <3

PARTICULARLY EXCITED, HAPPY, POSITIVE ONES SJDKSDS LIKE I AM HUGGING YOU SO SO TIGHT <3 <3 <3

AND ALSO, I'M SHARING SO MANY OF YOUR SENTIMENTS TOO SDJKJSHDKLS LIKE-

*INHALES* So seeing the little house in the BTS footage ~*~fucked me up~*~ because I just had a FEELING it was going to be both literal and symbolic for them and their relationship. A little house that's struggling, and falling apart in some places, but is still standing after years and years of battering. It's been through the wringer, yet it still flourishes with so much life and beauty. And it has the potential to grow into something even more beautiful and strong with some mutual effort and tender love and care.

AND THAT'S THEM!!! THAT'S THEIR RELATIONSHIP!!! Like, as you said, they're BOTH still so hurt. They BOTH still have issues to work on. But now they're there, together. They're standing on the same, rickety, wooded floors. They're there, ready to patch things, side by side.

AND YES, I've very much thought it was going to be Stede for Season 1's focus, Ed for Season 2's focus, and then both of them for Season 3's focus, but I do like your idea of it looping back around to Stede! Or maybe like, SHARING the focus. Because, as you said, Stede needs his fRIGGIN BATHTUB, and Ed still needs time to figure out who he is.

It's just such a delicious setup indeed, and I am crossing my fingers so so hard that it gets greenlit quickly for us here. There's just so much MEAT to their dynamic that's still left, still so much to be EXPLORED AND GROWN. AND ESPECIALLY, LIKE YOU SAID, WITH THEIR WORLD COMPLETELY CHANGING AROUND THEM TOO!!! THE BRITISH!!! THE REVENGE BEING CAPTAINED BY FRENCHIE!!!! ZHENG AND AUNTIE WANTING TO GET AT RICKY!!!!!! SO SO MUCH!!!!!!!

BUT anyway, thank YOU so much for taking the time to come in here and share YOUR thoughts, too! It's been such a delight reading them, and I'm so glad we could MUTUALLY SCREAM SDJKSDKLS <3

[honest-kdrama-reviews]

Review #9: Twinkling Watermelon

WARNING: THIS POST DEF CONTAINS SPOILERS. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE DRAMA. (I will do my best to label spoilers, but I’m not perfect.)

Oh, we are SO BACK!!!

After a One Direction-esq hiatus, I have returned with my wit and thirst to discuss a drama that I loved.

✨Twinkling Watermelon✨

Of course, this wouldn’t be one of my reviews without the…

THIRST CORNER!!!!

I am being so fr when I say this man is gorgeous. His smile takes up his entire face and it makes me giggle and kick my feet every single time. Choi Hyun-Wook is not only so handsome but he plays the role of a kind, charming, stubborn and extremely loud 18 year old so well. Like, I think casting him for that role was the actual perfect choice.

Let’s just take a moment to look at him 🥰

LIKE THAT SMILE COULD MELT ME IN AN INSTANT

(Also this scene was so cute like he’s so in love pls)

Okay anyway, moving on.

The cast of this drama was actually just way too cute in general. I caught myself so many times watching with the goofiest grin on my face as they all lowkey fell in love fr fr for the first time.

The plot and storyline was so interesting! I really love how they made Sign Language a central part and really shone a light on how difficult it is for deaf people in Korea specifically.

Also, time travel seems to be a trend in recent k-dramas (I’m not mad about it buuut. A Time Called You and Lovely Runner 👀)

Similarly to 25/21 I think they took advantage of the fact that Y2K fashion is popular rn and set most of the drama in 1995. It’s cool to see the similarities!

I think it’s hard to keep my attention for very long when watching dramas if the plot has a lot of filler, which this seemed to have in the middle. It took me a while to get through (the last like six episodes were so engaging tho).

So I felt very meh for the first 15 episodes and then episode 16 had me bawling every five minutes. A huge jump, I know.

(SPOILER) Lee Chan coming to terms with not being able to achieve his dreams while he was under in surgery actually kinda broke me as a person. I was not okay. Also when his grandma comes and they cry together :(. I had to actually pause and take a minute. I was not okay!!

I LOVED the way it ended, though. Eun Gyeol felt like he had failed just bc (SPOILER) Lee Chan still lost his hearing, but seeing the positive impacts that he made really warmed my heart. Like yes, his family had been content and happy before. But now things were so much better and his mom was able to thrive because she hadn’t been abused as long.

The soundtrack went back and forth between being boring and going so INCREDIBLY HARD. The cover they did of 볽은 노을 has been stuck in my head for days and I found the OG version on Spotify and I love it. Also, A Song For You makes me feel so nostalgic for my youth for some reason. I wanna never forget all of my shining moments.

That’s honestly what I walked away with from this drama. I want my youth (and my life in general) to shine so brightly in my memory. I wanna make the most of the time I have so that one day I can smile and know I lived.

Viva La Vida :)

My Rating for this drama is a solid: 9/10. (Definitely in my K-Drama top 20)

Reminder that these are simply my opinions. If this is your favorite drama, I don’t mean to offend you. Feel free to put what you loved/didn’t love in the comments. Just be kind and remember that everyone like different dramas. Also please be nice to me, I am but a normal person. :)

[danceofthephilos]

Ichiro Okouchi Interview (SK8 the Infinity Official Guide Book)

Skateboarding was the peak of fun.

Series Composition & Screenwriter Ichiro Okouchi*

*(though his name is romanized "Ohkouchi" in the book, I'm choosing to write it "Okouchi" as he is usually called in English-language sources.)

PROFILE

Screenwriter and novelist. He was in charge of the series composition and screenplays for major works such as Lupin the Third PART 5, Princess Principal, and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, among others.

—First, how are you feeling now that episode 12 has finished airing?

FAN & FUN! In working on this series, I myself became a FAN of it, and it was a FUN series to create.

—Could you give us your honest impressions of what you thought when you heard the outline for the series?

When I heard it was an original work by Director Utsumi, I accepted right then. Utsumi-san's series have been so enjoyable to watch, after all. I only heard definitively that it was going to be a skateboarding anime after that. I had never ridden a skateboard before, but working with Utsumi-san was so appealing that I wasn't anxious in the slightest.

—Do you have any favorite episodes, or scenes that left an impression on you?

Episode 2 might be the one that made the most lasting impression on me. How I imagined episode 2 and the episode 2 the director wanted to create were different, so it was the episode that made me think, "Ah, it's this kind of series," and solidified the "image" of SK8 the Infinity in my heart. Thinking back on it, it was an important episode.

—Were there any episodes or behind-the-scenes developments that you hated to cut? (lit. "cut while crying")

There are! But, I can't say definitively that we won't use them in the future, so they're secret!

—Do you have a favorite character? Could you explain your reason why?

I like all of them, so it's difficult to single one out. Langa is dazzling, I love him. Reki, I understand your feelings! MIYA is a good kid who diligently worries about others. Shadow, I'm glad you grew up into a lovable character. Joe is an incredible adult, and if I were a woman I'd fall in love with him. Cherry Blossom might be the most pure-hearted. ADAM is the most incredible heel character, and elevated this work to the next level. Kikuchi, please keep supporting Ainosuke from now on!

—Could you tell us your impressions of the voice cast?

Of course everyone's performances were excellent, and the arrangement and balance of the youth and adult groups was wonderful too.

—Can you tell us about the appeal of skateboarding we felt in the series?

As the line in the series goes, "fun!" is what it's about. Not just when you're skating yourself, but talking to your friends, seeing your buddies' tricks, diligently practicing, and falling down are all fun. I interviewed all kinds of skaters, and it was striking how all of them made even the painful parts sound fun.

—Could you tell us any stories you would like to include in a spin-off?

I already wrote two spin-off scripts for the Blu-ray and DVD bonus CDs, so if possible, I'd like to write a continuation of the original work next.

—Do you have any anecdotes about Okinawa, the setting for the series?

The production staff and I all took our skateboards and went on a location hunt around Okinawa. It was spring, but it was already incredibly hot, and we had to scramble to buy hats. In that brightly saturated scenery, skateboarding was the peak of fun.

—If "S" opened in the real world, what part do you think you'd be most interested in?

I'd be happy to be an irresponsible spectator. But I'd at least like to try participating by Adam dragging me by the leg around a corner. (laughter)

—Can you send a message to all the fans who loved SK8 the Infinity?

Thank you so much for watching and loving SK8 the Infinity! The responses echoed stronger and stronger with each episode and filled all of us creators with strength. It was a work where we could feel the strength of everyone's support in a way that's only possible in this era of social media. I'm grateful!

(from SK8 the Infinity OFFICIAL GUIDE BOOK, released December 22nd 2021)

[raging-femur]

How I wrote my first fanfiction I guess?

So, I fairly recently finished the Magnus archives and started the Magnus protocol. And I love it, it's so incredibly well written and kind of just draws you in, I first started listening to it for some background noise while I was making a scavenger hunt for Valentine's as a gift my boyfriend, and I have been hooked on it ever since. There was an incredibly brief period of time when I planned to take a short break from the podcast after I had a rather disturbing nightmare about being stuck in an elevator with a man turning into a lump of flesh. When the episode 12 came out, I commented about my dream and a couple of people told me it sounded like a statement, and suddenly in a strange burst of inspiration I wrote a short story in the form of a statement in the comments section about my dream. It was such a freaking THRILL. It was so much fun! anyways I just thought id share it here, and say that it is important to be able to let go and do things for fun, even if it whatever the result is isn't perfect. Statement of Hannah Watson regarding a stranger in an elevator. Statement taken directly from subject on the 18th of April 2024. Statement begins. It was stupid of me to take the elevator that day, I never do. The one in my building is small, rickety, and cramped, not to mention poorly air-conditioned. Honestly, the death trap could double as an oven in the summer or a freezer in the winter. And the sound it would make… it almost sounded as if it was groaning in pain. I normally take the stairs, paranoid that if I took the lift something would break, and I would end up in a freefall that would leave me as nothing more but a splattered pile of flesh, left to rot in a metal box. But I was running late that evening, I had promised to help my sister move and figured speed was more important than indulging my fear. When I stepped inside and saw…. Him in the corner I figured he was high, his eyes were bloodshot and he seemed a bit out of it. I gave him a polite nod as the doors slid closed……we didn't move. I frowned, pushing the button for the first floor. Nothing happened.

After about ten minutes of trying to get the damn thing to in some way work, I started to panic, I tried getting the doors to open back up, I flipped the emergency switch and I pressed every button on that control panel to no avail. nothing was working, and I was frantic. Sure that at any moment I would be shooting downward to my death. An odd wet squelching sound came from the corner of the cab followed by a thud, I turned in shock, I had forgotten about the man in the corner. I will never be able to forget him now, I can picture it so clearly his face had...melted? No, it was more like his skin had loosened, hanging off his face, melding with his neck, and flopping back onto his shoulders as he flailed about trying to push the skin back into the shape it once held. He was trying to scream, but all that came out of him were pained, cut-off whimpers as the anatomy used for human speech was crushed, as what used to be his throat transformed into nothing but squishy bloated tissue that spilled out of him. His lungs wheezed out bits of air as they were oh so slowly folded into that formless mass. I screamed and screamed, as I struggled to find a way out, to distance myself from the hungry flesh that was slowly seeping out of his clothes and onto the floor. I tried not to look at him as I did so, tried to ignore the sounds that reminded me of the ice cracking when it began to thaw in early spring, somehow, I knew what that meant, the flesh was eating his bones, and when it was done it would come for mine. I knew then, knew that there was no escape, I could scream and cry and break my nails trying to get those damn metal doors to open as much as I liked but I was going to die there, in the cramped metal box I had always hated, I gave up in the end. I curled around myself in a tight ball with my eyes tightly shut and waited for what felt like days...for it to find me, to consume me, to become me. And then ... the elevator moved, and just as I felt the feverishly warm touch of firm flesh on my foot the doors slid open. There was a scream and I kicked the thing away from me scrambling toward the horrified couple and out of that horrible thing that had almost cost me my life. Away from the thing that had cost the poor man his. And so here I am. The police didn't believe me, they told me to get my brain checked. Apparently, their opinions trump those with medical degrees. I didn't even get checked before they dismissed it as a mere hallucination. I doubt you'll believe me either. I am not insane, even if sometimes I wish I was, so that I could go around with the hope that the starving flesh didn't consume all that the man once was, because it wasn't real. It couldn't have almost gotten me, because it was just in my head.. What a wonderful, lovely lie. It would be comforting in a way, if that were true. But it isn't true, it was real. That man who haunts my dreams was a real person, not a hallucination. A person with brown bloodshot eyes and crooked teeth. I AM NOT insane, I know that. Well... that's all I have to say, I wasn't going to come here at all really but, well, I figured I owed it to that man, to let someone know what became of him. Statement ends

[georgieluz]

it's the final countdown liveblog do doo doo

i don't know how i made it through but i did!! i may be a grieving husband of two right now but i'm here

i freaking knew he didn't send those letters to vera!!!!!! there were all those little hints that he was writing them as a way of processing everything they were seeing and as soon as she answered the door i knew they hadn't been corresponding for years like that

maybe it's bc he hasn't been around for a few episodes but i liked leckie in this one, didn't annoy me in the slightest and was even quite charming in a few moments. also his parents quiet dismissiveness of his existence felt incredibly relatable for me

SIDNEY MET HIM FROM THE TRAIN!!!!!! MY SWEET BLONDE CHERUB I MISSED YOU, ALSO WHY DO YOU NOW LOOK LIKE YOU'VE AGED 20 YEARS AND WORK IN INSURANCE ??? that suit is a no no

gene's father sitting outside his door whilst he's having nightmare i'm a fucking mess

and oh my god please don't make him ever shoot anything ever again

LECKIE MARRIED VERA!!

GOOD FOR HIM!!

DEAR VERA!!

"bill hoosier smith survived the wounds he suffered on peleliu" OH HOW NICE OF YOU TO FINALLY TELL US (look i know i'm annoying and won't shut up about this but i swear hbo did this to spite me)

but ahhhh i'm so happy that leckie, hoosier, chuckler and runner all stayed close friends until their deaths or at least chuckler stayed close to them all, it didn't really specify if the rest did but probably?

"sledgehammer served as a pallbearer for snafu's funeral in 1993" i shall quietly tear up in the corner

most surprising thing about the title cards at the end revealing what happened to everyone is that i was doing okay until they showed who the real burgie was and then i started crying out of no where. he was my favourite of the men in the introduction parts.. ohhh i love him i am Emotional i am A Mess

AND THEN SIDNEY CAME ALONG AND THERE'S MY OTHER FAVOURITE OLD MAN <3333 OHHH LOOK AT THEM!!!! REAL LIFE SID HAS THE SWEETEST SMILE EVER I WANT TO HUG HIM

AND HE AND EUGENE STAYED BEST FRIENDS THEIR WHOLE LIVES OH I WILL CRY MYSELF A RIVER AT THIS RATE

i wish they showed us more clips at the end of them talking now that we know who they are because i think that would have been so nice but i'll just go back and watch the intros again at some point

and i guess that brings us to the end of the final liveblog of the final episode of the pacific! i did it!

i still miss ack ack with my entire heart and soul tho i'll never get over it so i currently regret all of my life choices and would like a refund

[the-one-where-casey-watches-tv]

The Bear episode 1.07 "Review"

This episode is so cool I don’t even know where to start. It’s kind of surprising to me that there aren’t too many back-of-house restaurant shows out there, but I’m so glad there aren’t more to drown this one out. The Bear is so itself- it doesn’t rely on the charm of the restaurant setting do all the work of entertaining us. It’s a beautifully gritty homage to Chicago and its class system that just happens to get every ounce of entertainment possible from the cacophony of “behind!”, “corner!”, and “heard!” that comes from the working-class food joint (and of course, the elevated “yes, chef!” that Carmy brings to the table).

The Bear is really about capturing a sentiment and a vibe more than anything else. Its quirky premise serves mainly as a vehicle for us viewers to sit at The Original Beef and ponder if food is something for the working man to wolf down on his lunch break, or a painstakingly thoughtful art form worthy of time and discourse. The answer is, of course, somewhere in the middle, and nothing raises that question like the structurally offbeat and visually stunning “Review”.

I started to look up this episode before I sat down to write, and Google’s suggested question was “why is episode 7 of The Bear so different?”. Even without putting your finger on what it is about this episode that makes it stand out among the rest of the show, and honestly among television as a whole, you can tell it has that something. For one thing, it’s a mere 20 minutes long next to the following episode’s 48. For another, after a sentimental opening credits tribute to Chicago, the episode consists of one super-charged 18-minute take.

I’ve been thinking a lot about an episode of Mad About You that’s shot all in one take: in “The Conversation”, the leading couple is sitting on the floor outside their baby’s room as they force themselves to let her cry herself to sleep. “The Conversation” is also completely stationary, which serves its slow, reflective purpose, but The Bear takes this technique and ramps the energy all the way up. This single take is a thrilling feat, especially with all the yelling and stabbing and rushing around going on, and the style underscores the temperaments that are boiling over on all sides.

What really makes “Review” stand out to me, though, even next to other single-take episodes, is its narrative structure. “Review” and “The Conversation” both take place in real time, yet “The Conversation” has a clear message and beginning, middle, and end. “Review” is literally just a moment in time without the classic three act structure and thematic takeaway. “Review” is all about the present and how these characters will act right here, right now, in this incredibly manic, high stakes situation.

In the previous episode, Sydney had been working on a new dish- a braised beef risotto- that she nervously presented to Carmy who promptly told her that it was good, but “not there yet”. Frustrated, Sydney gave the dish to a customer for free- who just happened to be a food critic there to write a review for The Original Beef. Tensions are already at their breaking point at the beginning of our episode as the review had just come out, praising the restaurant and, specifically, it’s braised beef risotto that most of the staff has never heard of and is unequivocally not on the menu.

Some of the chefs, namely Richie, find it hard to believe that Sydney didn’t know that the customer she gave her dish to was a reporter. In her defense, she really didn’t, but that’s about the last nice thing I have to say about her in this episode. This prompts an argument between the two of them about Richie’s perception that Sydney is alienating their regular clientele and wants to “push the working man out” of The Original Beef. The usually reasonable Sydney and insulting Richie seem to have swapped personalities in this episode as she furiously and lowkey kind of incoherently claps back at Richie’s point that isn’t without merit. However, their argument is cut short, and emotions stuffed back inside, by the restaurant’s brand new to-go tablet.

Today is also the day the restaurant is launching their new to-go feature with a tablet taking Postmates-type orders, and demand is sure to be high on review day. Suddenly, receipts come flooding out of the system. Sydney forgot to disable the preorder feature, so before they even open they’ve got 97 cakes and 70 something sandwiches and a million other things all due up right now. This is when Carmy loses it.

Carmy is the CEO of burying his feelings and yelling at people instead, and he is in rare form today. There’s clearly unresolved tension between Sydney and Carmy about the risotto situation, but when Sydney asks if they’re good he brusquely says they are. When the to-go’s blow up, all that squashed residual anger comes out in a fiery parade of “GET THE FUCK OFF MY EXPO!” “MARCUS IF YOU’RE STILL FUCKING WITH THOSE CAKES I’M GONNA FUCK YOUR DAY UP!!” “SOMEBODY GET ME FUCKING SHARPIE THAT WORKS!!!” I’ve never been more relieved to not work somewhere.

Sydney is adamant throughout this episode that nothing about this situation is her fault, but I think that defensiveness comes from the fact that she knows that it is. She left the preorder feature on, and she gave that risotto to the critic, even if she didn’t mean to. Sydney handles so many things well, but her own mistakes aren’t one of them. Everyone other than Carmy is actually being super nice to her, Tina singing her praises and wanting her to be a role model for her suspended son (granted, today is not the day for that), and Richie trying to help her with her prep. But I think sympathy or even just positive treatment from others is feeding the guilt that she herself is burying.

Sydney’s tough as nails, but right now there really is something to be said for the working man. Richie isn’t batting an eye at the chaos around him, he’s keeping his cool and jumping in wherever he can. When he bumps into Sydney, who spills what she’s holding, she’s the one who didn’t say “corner”. When Sydney gets sidelined from expo to giardiniera, Richie pulls up next to her to help. Sydney quickly tells him she doesn’t need any help, but, as he’s been trained to do by the likes of Carmy, Richie calmly tells her she’s being “mean and ugly” and carries on- we’re past anybody “needing” help, this is an all hands on deck situation. Now it’s Sydney’s turn to lose it and spout out some of the meanest shit I’ve ever heard in a speech that gives Carmy a run for his money.

“You’re a conceited and condescending ribbon of brine. You can’t peel fucking vegetables. You can’t fucking do shit. You waste space here. You are a fucking loser. And that’s why you hate that I’m here, right? Because I see you for the loser that you fucking are. And everybody knows it. I know it. Carmy knows it. And your daughter probably knows it, poor fucking girl”. I’m sure there have been days where Richie deserved this, but this wasn’t one. She’s still brandishing her knife, which makes Richie ask if she’s gonna stab him, to which she replies “yeah, maybe I fucking will”. Jesus.

And then, in the chaos of this kitchen from hell, she actually does. Not on purpose, but I don’t hear an apology. Richie hurries out of the kitchen to patch himself up, and when he tell Carmy he was stabbed, Carmy replies “probably fuckin deserved it”. He somehow still keeps his cool and, like Marcus, Tina, and her son, Richie is part of the collateral damage of both Carmy and Sydney’s complex pent-up emotions.

Meanwhile, Sydney has now transcended beyond trying to make this work. She slowly takes off her apron and shoes, saying nothing to Carmy increasingly frantic calls of “Chef, are we good??” Finally, Sydney gathers her things and says, “No, we are not ‘good’. I quit.” I feel like I can actually see Carmy’s head explode, but Sydney just says, “This is not on me” and walks out.

And that’s it! That’s the episode. It’s not about how they get through this day or if they actually pull off making all these to go orders or if Tina’s son is going to fit in with the group. It’s just about how everyone behaved in this moment in time when tensions couldn’t be higher. And it was honestly such an anxiety inducing whirlwind that I don’t think I would have been able to take the episode being much longer.

Depending on what Sydney meant by “this”, maybe she’s right that it’s not on her. She’s definitely not responsible for the overall state of The Original Beef; Carmy and his frequent tirades and emotional unavailability can account for that. But in this instance, Sydney’s actions catalyzed every bit of this chaos and Carmy is just trying to get through the day- a courtesy she can’t even return. This episode is a breaking point, nothing more, but what breaks these characters and how tells you everything you need to know about them.

I actually do love Sydney though, her behavior in this episode caught my eye because of how on board I am with her all the other times. So all that to say I’m so stoked for season 2, and I’d love to talk everything The Bear with anyone and everyone!

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Thirty-five things I noted about CR2E141 “Fond Farewells” :

SEVEN. HOURS. LONG. EPISODE.

Ok, fair. The Mighty Nein did deserve that.

Veth multi-classed ! She has one level in wizard !! I love it !!

Oh yeah Essek kinda abandoned his post up in Aeor, huh... what will he do

Caleb : "Thank you, Jester." Jester : "For what ?" Caleb : "Oh, the last couple years... Thank you for being such a good friend."

Jester, to Fjord who is nearly asleep : "Hey, Fjord ? ... I love you. (panicked) Don't say anything ! I'm just going to bury my head in his arms." Fjord, befuddled : "What ??" Jester, regretting everything : "Don't say it, just shut up, go to sleep !"

I will miss Jester's Sendings

Ah, an insight check against a PC, this truly feels like early CR2 episodes !

Ah, there he is. The Irish-accent bastard of a purple tiefling. Kingsley. A person different from Mollymauk, for sure, but still with the accent, the attitude (kinda), and the immediate attraction to Caleb 'magic man' Widowgast.

THE PARENT TRAP WORK ! LOVE IS REAL ! JESTER'S MOM HAS GOT IT GOIN ON !

oh yeah that's right, the Mighty Nein left Aeor : with a robot whose plan was to wake others up, and with a functioning inter-planar portal that seemed to pass right through the Divine Gate (according to Matt's description of their return). I'm sure this is fine

THE BITCH IS HERE - and by 'the bitch' (NOT affectionate) I mean Trent

immediate Sam reaction : "I just got my family here" oh my god is it cruel of me that I kinda laughed, thinking it may very well go like the Fire Plane all over again ?

I'm excited to see what plan Caleb, Beau and Veth had obviously been cooking in the eventuality of Trent Ikithon, because they seem to have a very clear intent

Yes !!!! CHAINED COUNTERSPELL HERE WE GO I love it.

Eodwulf attacked Caleb, and the words exchange had kind of a sexy undertone to them ! I support Liam when he said "Is it hot in here ? or..." just after that. Even Fjord going up to Eadwulf and attacking him right after had some powerful homoeroticism, really enjoyed it

I love Travis' expression of "he's double-bagging it" about Trent having at least 2 shields of invulnerability cast around him, because I now pictured Trent with 2 bags over his head, like he was hostage

oh, I'm sad Laura missed Matt's 'you both have him cornered right there' about Eaodwulf, Caleb and Fjord. She would have snickered like I have snickered !

The Veth and Beau plan was incredible. It has multiples steps, it took a little bit of time (two rounds) but man, the visuals !!!!! Beau pulling out the collar, Veth and Beau hiding behind a tree, Veth gluing the collar, Beau escalading a tree while Veth was pulling out the magic fan, Beau jumping in the air towards Trent and ALMOST MISSING... if it weren’t for the fan !! Like Travis said last episode, I want to see this shit animated, and I will, because the world is good actually.

Oh man, Trent's end... Liam was crying and so did I, when Sam once again flexed his "I'm going to make a simple action so moving you will cry" muscles

How beautiful that Astrid was the one to do it, and help Caleb silence Trent forever

Caleb, to Trent : "You know, for the longest time, I thought this would be impossible. But I still dreamed about it, of taking your life. But death is too good for you. You are to be exposed, humbled, and brought low. Settle into that idea."

Oh, I'm so glad I've seen Beau and Caleb appear in Campaign 3, still fighting and trying to stop Ludinus' plans, because when Beau said this will take time, she was right : this will be a horribly long road for then, and the Cerberus Assembly's machination would prove to run deeper than they, right here in the Blooming Grove, know... But they're still here fighting the good fight !

Awwwwww Fjord said "I love you too" !!! Under the rain he created, like the romantic that he is !!

Caduceus is pissed. Using magic to force empathy on Trent is COLD. Love that Matt basically said "this man can feel no empathy and no magic can make him that's how rotten he is"

Astrid and Eodwulf came back ! They're helping for Trent's case (but not naming the other mages at the Assembly... maybe that's why, decades later, Beau and Caleb are still pursuing Ludinus).

From Caduceus' goodbyes to the end, just imagine me crying the whole time.

Essek : "What have you done ?... This world was so much easier when it was black and white." Beau : "But it's so much more beautiful in all the shades of colors."

Kingsley heard the Mighty Nein had a ship and immediately wants to be a pirate, I love him

ARE YOU KIDDING ME IS THIS THE SIPHYLIS BANDITS ????!!

Oh shit ! Ludinus offered a position within the Cerberus Assembly to Caleb, who respectfully declined (the power !!)

Vandren ! at last

Beau : "Are you wanting to be my housewife, Yasha ?" Yasha : "I mean... I think I would look pretty good in an apron." Beau : "I think you would look fantastic in an apron, especially if you weren't wearing anything under it."

Caleb's time-travel plan was pretty tight. He must have seen hundred of episodes of Doctor Who to avoid time paradoxes and such. But what a powerful image that he ultimately chose to destroy the thing he wanted most at the beginning of the campaign : "I drag some dust up my arm, and disintegrate everything in the room, and burn what's left."

THARIZDUN ??!! (me like the Beyonce ??!! meme)

"A tale of seven friends, who became eight, then nine."

Liam : "Thanks for a good story, Matt." Sam : "It was pretty good." Travis : "Let's do it again." (the callback the callback from Campaign 1 finale ok i'm gonna go cry for 3 hours now goodbye)