#inspect element has never been so fun | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

inkydiamonds · 3 months

Note

THANK YOU FOR PUTTING SULLY ON YOUR ARTFIGHT I CAN NOW DRAW HER YAYYYYY

also any updates bout the fate of tirazia !!!! I am invested

YAYAY NP!!! I'm so excited to see your art! (Edit: I took so long to answer this that I have seen it!!!!!)

I also really gotta add more characters to my art fight- including more FOT NPCs maybe ?? Maybe ??? I have one in particular I wanna do but I'm not sure how to do it bc I don't want Blue to see him bc he hasn't shown up in the campaign yet lol

For the actual campaign itself! I'm not sure where I left off lol. [Looks at that one long post] Ah! Session 7 it seems, then Blue sent some memes about session 8.

We haven't done any over the summer bc now we're 8 people total and also. Timezones. But! We ended on session 9, and holy shit were these some crazy last two sessions.

Brief session 7 recap:

Sadly, Hans's player couldn't come, so he canonically spends the entire session digging holes in the ground (... long story) and inspecting the mysterious magical skull he got after we raided the Order of the Five castle (where Sully buried that one person alive). However! For the first time, we have a new player who takes over playing Paul. Through this, the rest of the party goes on a wild goose chase to get a magical artifact with him except Anawrete, who visits her parents' place, and we get lore there. At the end of the session, Alloces goes off to investigate mysterious smuggler's den with ties to Anawrete at the Order of the Five castle and Silen follows him. It ends up having a tunnel leading off into the Underdark, and Silen loses sight of Alloces and starts walking down there.

That's session 7!

Now, session 8:

Sully, Paul, Mal, and after a minute Alloces go and reunite with Hans. Hans is outside the Shipbuilder's Guild, having dug a bunch of holes without finding what he wanted to (a lead brick we buried in like session 4ish) This is very concerning, bc it was supposed to be a message to a demon to kill this one guy (we were trying to solve a mystery and didn't know what else to do..... so we did that. Then we tried to unearth it bc we finished the mystery). Also, it wasn't supposed to disappear, even if it did work! So. Um?

However, the party decides that it's not that important, bc we're preoccupied with something else: the skull. Turns out Hans figured out that it's "locked" and that he can brute force unlock whatever magic it has inside it by blasting it with all four types of elemental magic at once. We figure out that between Hans, Alloces, Paul, and Sully, we have the needed elemental magic to do this. Unfortunately, Sully has suddenly become very up-in-arms, saying that combining elemental magic is against everything she believes in, and that she could never help with this. Hans refuses to listen, however, but he's stuck bc Sully is the only one with Earth magic in the party (and Earth magic is hard to obtain as a spell lol). Therefore, he decides to do something... not the greatest. He whispers to Alloces to use Suggest on her, and bc Alloces likes chaos, he complies. (Fun fact: ooc, I was actually the one to propose the Suggest idea. I thought it would be silly. <3) It works, and Sully now has to participate in this ritual against her will.

Meanwhile, Mal is watching all of this go down. She sees Sully rapidly change character, and realizes that something is up. She pulls Sully aside, asking if Sully is okay. Sully, unable to say otherwise, says yes, she's okay, she's just decided to do the ritual now. Mal fails her insight check, and decides that Sully must be okay if she says she is. Mal's player then does something which makes me go CRAZY insane and makes me want to chew on glass (/pos) and decides that NOW is the time to do a scene which she's been thinking about for a while. The Context: back in session 6 during our big fight, Sully got Mal out of death saves with a healing potion. Healing potions are a bit expensive, and Mal had her own which she didn't use before she got downed (overestimating her abilities), but Sully probs didn't even think twice and used her own on Mal. However, Mal obviously has been thinking about it, because she gives Sully that potion, then. Mal, very obviously very nervous, apologizes for "letting Sully down" and for being a burden during the fight, and not being strong enough to stay up herself. AND SULLY CAN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING BC SHE'S PREOCCUPIED WORRYING ABOUT THE RITUAL + BEING UNDER SUGGESTION. Mal then leaves very quickly, and Sully is left there, speechless.

Then the fucking ritual happens and we all unlock the Skull, and Sully snaps out of her Suggestion. The Skull has some kind of spirit inside it, and is filled with Aetheric energy (which......... happens to be something Sully ALSO is very against). Sully then starts yelling at Hans, telling him to drop the Skull and berating him for getting Alloces to possess her (she also hates Alloces but like. She's always hated Alloces. She really liked Hans. This is a betrayal of literally everything she believes in). The spirit of the skull starts speaking and reveals himself to be Logan Mortem, the original founder of the Order of the Five, and with that name Paul freezes as well. Apparently Paul somehow knows him- and is horrified. Then we fight bc Hans still refuses to drop it: Hans and Alloces versus Sully and Paul. Sully and Paul lose as we both roll very low lol (also Sully was mostly trying to knock the skull out of Hans's hand), and Sully, fuming, injured and panicking, decides to leave. Hans and Alloces have a conversation with the skull where it reveals some of its goals. Alloces apparently knows Logan, and Logan is maybe his dad/creator (????). Hans has been chosen to be the next heir of the Order of the Five apparently. Logan wants to "bring order to chaos". Hans is like. "hm. btw, you're not evil, right?" and Logan is like "........no." Hans is like "seems legit 👍". Paul tries to attack Hans one more time, this time with his moon staff (the artifact we were looking for session 7), but it backfires and hurts him somehow. After Alloces and Hans leave, its revealed that when it backfired, Paul got some of his memories taken from him and forgot what he was doing and where he was. He also leaves for the Shipbuilder's hall.

MEANWHILE. Silen is in the fuckin UHHHH Underdark.

When he's walking down, he hears a thunk behind him and ends up running further in. He keeps going down, and down, and down, until he ends up in the Underdark. Honestly, nothing really happens here except him hearing some Drow or Duergar and realizing that he's in the Underdark, and heading back up the way he came. However, when he comes back up, he hears voices in Common (rather than Undercommon). The group of people hear/see him, and they're wearing colorful robes of some kind and have a huge piece of stone in the shape of a body with them. He's like "haha hiiiii". The people, ofc, ask wtf he's doing here, and with his very poorly made excuses, they decide to take him with them. He tries to escape, and they stop him- and when they use elemental magic to stop him, he finally realizes that their robes look quite similar to Sully's.

They take Silen and the rock with them underwater with water magic, and they go into a cliff face opened to show another tunnel in the earth.

Switching over to Sully's perspective, she decides to head over to the Monastery, for the first time as shown in this campaign (tho I think somewhere she goes there and leaves a note about Ansa after session 6 before session 7 for continuity). The party knows nothing about it other than it existing. Even though she's shaken about the fight, she was planning to go here anyways, and talks to Jenevra, a water-aligned monk, saying she's here about the "Anatheme". Jenevra leads her to a secret passageway she's never been in before, and there, she sees, against all odds- fucking Silen.

Adreyão, the lead figure in the party of monks, says that Silen claims to know Sully. Sully, ofc, confirms it, but asks wtf Silen was up to. He really doesn't have a good reason, but Sully takes it as Silen being Silen (which it is), and she says that they can let him go. But before they do, she explains what happened with the fight, and warns Silen not to trust Hans or Alloces, saying that they've been corrupted and don't have his interests at heart. (Kind of unreliable narrator- Sully is very very biased, close-minded, and is actively working to split the party against the two of them). Silen... kind of believes her, but ofc refuses to acknowledge that Alloces is bad bc bro is head over heals in love (why).

Silen is led out by Jenevra, and Adreyão guides Sully through a ritual of their own. She drinks a mysterious liquid, and is suddenly able to change the stone into orange-tinted quartz, revealing what was inside the rock that they transported- Ansa. Chained and cast in crystal, Ansa is transported into a larger room, where many many others like her sit. Surrounded by countless Anathemes cast in ice or crystal, Sully feels much more calm than before.

For the rest of the session, it's a lot of character interactions as we all try to deal with all the shit which just went down (and PAUL LORE). Unfortunately, Anawrete missed all of it (sorry Blue :((( ) so a lot of it is catching her up as she's like I WAS GONE FOR TWO MINUTES.....

When we take a long rest, some people hear weird rustling and chaos coming from Paul's room, and Sully (+unbeknownst to her, Alloces's shadow) investigate and find papers everywhere and a weird blue stone, which the shadow takes.

Meanwhile, Paul sees Anawrete on his morning walk, and tells her a bit about his moon rod, then about the fight and shit which happened the other day. Then he tells her to go touch the rock up in his room, saying he's "not been quite honest".

All the party starts meeting up and chatting in the common room. Mal is chatting with Anawrete about her new fit, Silen is trying to dissuade Hans from the skull (telling him about it possessing him earlier and saying "abomination") (end of session 6 idk if I mentioned this lol), Sully walks in and tries to talk to Mal, but is distracted by the conversation of what the skull is where Alloces says some ominous shit. It's very tense, but Paul walks in, interrupting the conversation by saying "who wants scoOOOOnes :D" (LMFAO)

We briefly talk about the stone, which Alloces gives up. Apparently Paul is losing his memories and says that we can access them through the stone- but that he doesn't want to be there for it. Sully take the stone, and says she'll do it in a bit, then takes Mal to talk to her. (Honestly even tho it was in character I felt bad about being like NO LORE NOW but I'm glad we saved it for the next session bc it was a long sequence of events lol).

Sully and Mal have a conversation, where Sully first says the same thing she did to Silen- explaining the fight, saying that Hans and Alloces don't have their interests at heart, etc. She says that Mal was correct that Sully was not herself at the time, and thanks her for being there, and also says that... Mal never let her down. But Mal has been slowly getting more panicked as Sully has been talking, and says "but now I've let you down twice now! Because I didn't even realize you were influenced by them!!" and Sully doesn't even know what to say to that. She tries to reassure Mal, but it doesn't really work, and they. AUGH THEMMM PIX I'M SO UNWELL ABOUT THEM...... THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE FOR SHIT..................

Anyways, Silen and Anawrete talk, because she figured out that he was at the smuggler's den (tbh I forget how lol, maybs Alloces said it or just Silen himself). She interrogates him, and although he was VERY scared of her, he somehow doesn't mention that Sully's people were there, but he definitely throws Alloces under the bus. He then immediately runs to Sully and says that Anawrete lives there at the den (???) (she does not. bro was confused and scared out of his mind). Anawrete sees him talking to Sully (who mostly ignores him) and I think guesses that Sully was somehow related to all this.

However, at that moment Paul decides he wants to talk to Sully. They go off on their own, and have a very interesting conversation, where it's revealed that Paul definitely has a (negative) history with Logan and he's on her side. He says a lot of other ominous things ("you might have to become a demon to fight one" and "if I start feeling the effects of the skull, finish me off" are notable), and it's pretty obvious that they're against the skull for different reasons, but that they're on the same team.

Anawrete, with so much new info, goes back to her family complex briefly and talks to her mom about it. Her family has been tracking the Order of the Five and their movements, and found that the remaining troops have been heading up to Nortepont (a northern dwarf city), which is very interesting.

Finally, Alloces and Silen have a hilarious talk where Alloces tries to do a deal with him (favor for crossbow Alloces found in the den bc Silen is a ranger) and Silen's like "sure :D. As long as you take me to lunch again" and Alloces, done with this shit, decides against it.

AND THAT'S SESSION 8! SO MUCH SHIT WENT DOWN !!

But uhhhhh we've gone up to session 9. So. There's still more to talk about, though sadly I do not have the time rn. I will get to it later, and I hope you like this very long update!!!!

(I also got a lot of analyses and theories and art AND a whole ass cipher puzzle thing I gave to my campaign so there's. That too)

Also @blue-rhapsody feel free to add on anything! (Or even summarize session 9 I would be so happy if you did that lol)

#WUHHHHH #soso much #you see why it took me so long lol #anyways #inkyspeaks #inkyanswers #ty for the ask and I hope you like the lore dump that was this session #fate of tirazia

9 notes · View notes

clay-cuttlefish · 4 months

Text

I am still on my bullshit about the Vic + Renee + Helena + Jean-Paul + Ted teamup. Here are three unrelated character elements I have been rotating in my mind for it.

Thing 1: Helena's Thoughts on Jean-Paul

Azrael: Agent of the Bat #63-65 and Cry for Blood came out right after each other and reading them back to back fills me with Helena Emotions. It's been a while, but as far as I'm aware this is the most Helena and Jean-Paul ever interact?

Gesturing at these. You get it. How has this never been explored in more depth.

I'm attached to the idea that Helena's resentful of Jean-Paul for getting the benefit of the doubt and a second chance when she didn't, and it would only make her more frustrated that he barely remembers her and would be genuinely apologetic if she brought it up. It's not cathartic to yell at someone who gets weird and self-deprecating about it.

It'd be especially frustrating because it's not like her concerns about JPV are unfounded, but also she is 100% aware that if she went "I am not going to hang out with him, he's killed people" Vic and Renee would be insufferable about it and they wouldn't even be that wrong.

Thing 2: What The Questions Are Actually Good At

If Vic and Renee going to be active together, it'd be nice to flesh out their respective skills so they don't feel overly similar, ideally without pinning them down into their 52 roles (since Renee's evolved a fair amount since then) or making them excessively competent.

To do this, I want to contrast how Vic is generally pretty grounded and city-level while Renee's out there chasing cults across the world. Partly because I think this is really core to what makes them distinct and has been overlooked in both of them recently, partly because I don't like Vic's conspiracy theorist characterization and want to push back on it because I'm petty.

For Renee, I'd lean into the "witness to the bizarre" angle. She's found a space at the edges where the weirdness of the DC universe blends into the day-to-day - the places where multiversal skeleton assassins are a job risk for reporters, or where chasing organized crime sometimes leads her to Vandal Savage.

I'm pretending she last appeared in Lois Lane because making her the commissioner sucked and I can ignore a few years of appearances without breaking anything. In this version of reality she got her private investigator license as part of working with Lois so that she can operate semi-above-board, but she's mooching off of Tot (and maybe Lois still) so she doesn't have to take on real jobs. Anyways she's actually A Detective who has real investigative skills.

On the other hand, Vic's primary methods of investigation are asking directly and eavesdropping. A lot of what he does best relies on him either being recognized as a local reporter or being supernatural, neither of which I want to do, but I think it could be fun to take elements from the "city emissary" version into the "guy who has really strong opinions about municipal safety inspections" side of his writing.

What I'm saying is: let him get into a building by pretending to be a fire code inspector and then listen in on the employees until he figures out what he's looking for.

Thing 3: Ted and JPV Do Not Have to Be In Costume

This is just a kind of story I want to see for them tbh.

Ted does not need to be out there in tights at all. He's bad at staying retired, but that doesn't mean he has to be doing the legwork himself, and this is a group with minimal expectations for what he should be doing. Let him be the tech guy/world's least subtle getaway driver!

JPV enters the story in armor since he's trying to investigate, but once he's out of that first sequence, he doesn't have to suit back up. This being a heist/investigation focused group means that Azrael's skillset isn't super helpful, and they're working on their cooperation so he can actually try using his own skills.

He doesn't have, like, great skills for vigilantism, but half a comp sci degree and some medical training is more than Vic had. Depending on how much Azrael's able to dip into deeper System knowledge without freaking out, it might also be able to apply some of its engineering skills to things other than edgelord weaponry, or at least understand what Ted's showing off better than the others.

He can have an adventure where he gets to make a friend and be a nerd and not maim anybody. As a treat. He has more than enough unresolved emotional hooks to play off of already.

#clayposts

8 notes · View notes

spiralcloudpassage · 5 months

Text

STELLAR BLADE THOTS TIME. To everyone and anyone who thought it was going to be a bad game i hope you eat it. Post-game elementary review under the cut.

the game’s design is eponymously stellar. The world is fleshed out; there’s plenty of exploring to do and objectives to complete; maps are expansive and multilayered with different layouts and aesthetics to each one; gameplay and combat controls are immaculate; and most surprisingly, the character writing is introspective and focused. I had an unbelievable amount of fun with this game, and am currently enjoying the new challenge of a hard mode in new game+. I will be playing this game for a long time to come.

much of the genuine trepidation towards this game (other than The Discourse which was so asinine and pathetic that i loathe that i may have to address it momentarily) I believe came from the suspicion that it would be a clone of nier: automata, with many elements from the story we saw in trailers and the demo giving clear parallels to the plot of an alien invasion threatening a league of sexy androids. Any further inspection however reveals that most of the direct parallels end there, with the direction of the plot and the personalities that bloom giving stellar blade its own unique sense of character. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the women in the game were given agency and drive (the game passes the bechdel test for anyone that needs it spelled out), though of course i wish that the designs for the women were more varied. No game is complete without a good handful of bulldog butches to round out the cast, and it’s a shame that they didn’t give us anything of the sort when the male designs are varied in that way and more interesting because of it. I love playing as the missing 13th member of LOONA, but even a strict sense of aesthetics should understand and appreciate the diversity of people that populate a planet– even when that planet has been made desolate.

Another large point of contention is the costumes in the game, which was once again a largely-reactionary response from cherrypicked screenshots teased before the games’ release, on both sides. Some of the costumes are, indeed, quite tacky, in the honorable spirit of any game in the cuntress slasher genre (or any game period, truthfully; they can’t all make the cover of vogue), but most of the costumes are actually well designed and stylish. There’s clear inspiration for each one, the themes are varied, and while thankfully not every costume is is sexy, every article of clothing EVE can acquire is chic. I appreciated that there are a few costumes where she has flat shoes in lieu of heels, and a few that dont accent her boobies or ass. Sometimes a girl needs a break from being the baddest. to the other side of the argument that threw a temper tantrum over “censorship” when the outfit you were bitching about literally shows off her kardashian-plumped pussoi; put a shotgun in your mouth and pull the trigger with your toes lmfao I dont even have the sense of humor to entertain your nonsense. One of the costumes has a clit window (and still serves). Another one forgoes the classic womb tattoo (or LED lights in this case) for the new and insightful ovary tattoo (LED light) instead. You’re so pathetic i can’t even put it into words.

The biggest attraction to this game for me personally however was without a doubt the combat. In the first look trailer we got in 2021, a video i can play in my mind as clear as day, I was able to identify two key features that put this title on my radar: a perfect dodge, the mechanic which platinum games perfected in Bayonetta all the way back in 2009, and a perfect parry, the mechanic that rocketed fromsoftware’s Sekiro to the top of the foodchain to forever outclass all action games to come. We will never get another Bayonetta or another Sekiro, much like there will never be a narrative that resonates quite as profoundly as what yoko taro produced in Automata, but Stellar Blade is not any of these games. Stellar Blade is Stellar Blade, and achieves a striking identity with the fluidity of its combat. Though being familiar with its predecessors aids in the understanding of its systems, treating them as interchangeable will lead to ruin, which I appreciated immensely. I didn’t start off doing terribly, but was punished severely for getting too greedy with combos or not being aggressive and proactive enough while trying to bait out attack sequences. The more personal nature of combat lends it more towards Sekiro, but with only a handful of human enemies in the game (four if i recall correctly, all bosses), the tactics and aggression needed to carve monsters to pieces are different and must be treated as such. Study, practice, and patience lead to action sequences that are bombastic, exhilarating, and salacious.

All of the action is underscored by a soundtrack that was truly breathtaking. Collabing with Keichii Okabe’s MONACA studio for some of the tracks was another cause for outcry of copycatting NieR (ignoring that MONACA has a very obvious deck of cards that they like to reuse across all of their games, no shade of course it’s all delicious), yet the soundtrack as a whole is diverse in its genre expressions. Obvious inspiration from kpop is what gives Stellar Blade its stylish personality, yet there are moving orchestral pieces, hard rock solos with thrilling guitar, and slow, mellifluous melodies that drift in and out of speakers as you move between the hub city and outside maps, or during brief stops at rest camps.

Perhaps the most delightful surprise in the game, however, was the true source of inspiration for the meat of the gameplay; Stellar Blade is a single-player action-adventure game, and it takes clear direction from the most successful games that came before it. Puzzles to progress forward or gather loot are varied and enjoyable in the same ways as Resident Evil, the atmosphere and level design is most reminiscent of Dead Space (a comparison I’m tickled to make, as several areas in the game were genuinely creepy and unsettling), and the platforming sequences are as tight and fun as the ever-classic Crash Bandicoot. There’s a fishing minigame that kicked my ass. The PS5 controller uses its functions to the fullest with its adaptive triggers changing the tension based off of ammunition fired from the drone or with soft vibrations to emulate the pitter-patter of raindrops or EVE’s footsteps on different terrain changing the intensity of vibration based on the texture of whatever is underfoot. It was sensory heaven identifying sneak attacks from burrowing enemies rumbling and tunneling under the sand to jump out at me from behind. There are difficulty levels that adjust the challenge to player preference, with accessibility options that let you auto-succeed QTE sequences or single-press buttons that would typically be repeated mashing inputs. This is a video game that enjoys being a video game, and as a woman enamored with video games, I cannot get enough of it.

There are criticisms to make, of course, and I’m not here to settle the argument of whether this game is feminist or misogynist. To label it as one or the other ignores the tepid nature of the subject, and encourages bystanders to form an opinion without seeing for themselves what’s under the hood. As a sexual woman who enjoys being strong, independent, violent, yet still sensual, demure, and unfathomable, I was delighted with the experience. EVE stands proud as her own woman; she is not the catty dominatrix aroused by carnage and destruction that is Bayonetta, nor is she the silent and surly tortured soul that is 2B. Stellar Blade can take pride in distinguishing itself from its foremothers as a modern game with modern aesthetics, and I hope to see developers truly understand just what kind of care and attention it takes to produce such a stellar title.

#i loved almost every second of this game. i want to keep playing it for ages until i know it like i know the mappings of my mind.#compendium #💫🔪

8 notes · View notes

melisusthewee · 1 year

Note

happy friday mel!! "[ WHISPER ] : sender leans close to receiver’s ear in order to whisper something to them." from the sexual tension prompts - for Inquisitor Trevelyan/Ser Morris??

This was a prompt that made really go "hmmmm..." Almost all of Quinn and Morris' story/interactions is from either before DAI or post-Trespasser that there isn't much opportunity to write anything between them when Quinn's the Inquisitor. But the way this prompt was given, I decided to think about what their dynamic might be like during that time and had a lot of fun with this! Thank you!

Consider this a missing scene from my in-progress story where the Inquisition enters the Grand Tourney. This is SFW, but I can assure you what happened later was decidedly not.

for @dadrunkwriting Word Count: 898 words

The two men stare at each other for a very long time. Each of their expressions is one of barely hidden disbelief as they seem to examine the other carefully. Quinn's hair is shorter and he looks more put together overall, but the elements are still the same - the runaway forelock that can never be tamed, the faded scar across his brow from some mishap he certainly lied about, the high cheekbones and sharp jawline - it'll there just as Morris remembers from when they were boys. But they're not boys anymore. Quinn's actually got facial hair and it isn't wispy or patchy or horrible to look at.

Quite the opposite actually. He is quite wonderful to look at. Morris feels a bit like a hog in a sty, have sweat inside his gambeson whilst strapped into a bit of piecemeal plate for practice. When he removes his helmet, he knows his cheeks are red and his head of dark curls is matted in a mess across his forehead. But Quinn's expression doesn't change. If anything, his eyes focus more closely on Morris, seeming to study him carefully before letting out a low whistle.

"Ser Horatio Morris. Grand Tourney knight. I'll be damned."

Quinn's familiarity feels a little too bold for their present company. The Herald of Andraste arriving at one of the training rings for the melee has turned heads. Not that Morris can blame anyone. He can scarcely believe it himself. All the stories and rumours about the Divine's death and demons pouring out of the sky, and the person in the stories is the same one who got Morris in and out of so much trouble as a squire. Then again, perhaps him being at the center of it all isn't so strange after all. But the name sounds odd. It no longer rolls off the tongue as easily as when they were just some story circulating like the Champion of Kirkwall or Hero of Ferelden.

"Then don't refer to me by it," Quinn says, and he sounds both so serious and so casual at the same time that Morris isn't certain how to read him. "I like Inquisitor Trevelyan better anyway."

"Is that what I should call you?"

Quinn shrugs, bending forward slightly as if to formally inspect Morris' things. But it is clear that painted shields and blunted training weapons hold only the most mild of interests to him.

"You could also call me 'Your Worship'," he says, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Plenty do."

He turns his gaze back to Morris and holds it for a second too long before returning to his ruse. Morris almost laughs in disbelief. How many years has it been and the only thing that has seemed to change is that now Quinn blushes less when he attempts to shamelessly flirt.

What Quinn doesn't know is that Morris can dance with the best of them too, perhaps even better than Quinn as he values his privacy more. So it is with only the barest hint of a smile that he asks, "Do they fall upon their knees while doing so?"

He is rewarded with a snort from Quinn, a sign of the other man's barely contained amusement. But it is encouraging was Quinn does not miss a beat when replying, "That depends upon their level of devotion."

"Hmm..." The invitation is there. It is open and obvious. And Morris does consider it. There is no mistaking it, especially when Quinn picks up Morris' discarded helmet for inspection. They share only the barest glance at one another as Quinn runs his fingers among the decorative feathers, but the movement of his hand as he strokes the colourful plumes makes his intent clear.

But Morris' resolve is strong. He will not make it easy for him. He is owed that much after the way Quinn just disappeared on him all those years ago. And besides, he tells himself, he does love watching nobles squirm.

Quinn watches him intently as Morris rises to his feet, taking a moment to stretch out an imaginary stiffness of his limbs before he takes a couple strides over to Quinn and gently plucks the helmet from the other man's hands.

"It is a shame then that I am not a pious man."

It is clear that Quinn is trying but he cannot hide his frown - not from Morris. But to Morris' surprise, he continues to be gracious and this time it feels like it is less for public appearances and more because he does genuinely want to be kind.

"You disappoint me, Ser Morris, but I appreciate your honesty."

Morris raises an eyebrow at Quinn. He should not give up so easily. "Honesty has nothing to do with it. I simply know how much you like a challenge."

"Is that what this is?" asks Quinn, and the eagerness beneath his surprise is not lost on Morris.

This time it is Morris who smiles and it is not the polite chivalric expression of a knight before his lord, but of a man who knows he's played his cards well enough to have the upper hand in this trust. To anyone observing, he appears to simply go on his way, but there is the barest touch of shoulders between them and the whisper of warm breath in Quinn's ear as Morris asks one last question:

"Isn't it always?"

#dadwc #da drunk writing circle #oc: quinn trevelyan #oc: horatio morris #inquisitor trevelyan #grand tourney #dragon age #melis writes stuff

13 notes · View notes

alemad200 · 2 months

Text

Things to Remember While Renting Luxury Cars in Dubai

Dubai is a city that offers a unique blend of traditional and modern culture, making it an exciting destination for tourists and business travellers alike. With its stunning architecture, world-class shopping, and vibrant nightlife, there’s no shortage of things to do and see. By choosing the right dubai rent a car, you can explore the city in style and comfort, making your trip even more memorable. So, the next time you’re planning a trip to Dubai, don’t forget to rent a car dubai monthly no deposit and experience the city like never before.

Dubai, which is crowned as the land of luxury and extravagant, provides the most fascinating rental car experience. This city boasts of beautiful architecture, a good shopping complex, and ornate nightlife scenes that are considered incomparable. If you desire a luxurious way to get through the city, then it is best to rent a car in Dubai. From sleek sports cars to luxurious sedans, Dubai’s rental car market offers a wide range of vehicles that can cater to any preference.

1. Research and Compare

When looking for car rental services in dubai, it’s wise to run an online search and compare the services offered by various companies, their prices and types and brands of cars that they offer for rent. If you need a deal that will meet all your need and falls within your pocket, the above list will assist you in this. The key factors to consider when selecting a luxury car rental company include; availability or a variety of luxury cars, flexibility when it comes to rental periods and the cost among other factors.

2. Check the Vehicle Condition

When you rent a car Dubai, make sure to inspect the vehicle thoroughly before signing the agreement. Check for any scratches, dents, or damage to the interior and exterior. Take photos and note down any existing issues to avoid being charged for them later.

3. Understand the Rental Agreement

To avoid any misunderstandings or being trapped in a bad agreement be sure to read the rental agreement carefully before signing any document. Always know as much as you can regarding the agreement, for instance, the time period for the rental, the number of miles allowed, and the penalties, if any. i- Make sure to clear any questions regarding rental agreement and policies with the rental company.

4. Insurance Options

One should inquire whether the rental company has insurance packages, and if so, which damages they compensate for. Since some car rental companies have included basic insurance in their rental fee, there are others that offer additional coverage in exchange for a certain amount of money. Determine eventually what is required to be taken under the coverage and select the most appropriate element.

5. Additional Fees

6. Road Rules and Regulations

Learn and understand all that is contained in Dubai roads code of conduct. One must be aware of the speed limits or speed breakers and the various traffic signs to prevent one from ending up paying a fine or penalty for parking or any other offense.

7. Maintenance and Repairs

Learn the rental maintenance and repair policies of the rental company. For anyone planning to rent out a property, make sure to determine who is tasked with handling any repair or maintenance work during the duration of your rental and how you can go about reporting any problem.

8. Review and Rate

Some rental companies also encourage their clients to rate the company and the experience after the rental has been concluded. This also benefits other customers who are willing to make decisions ,it also forces the company to do better in offering its services.

Conclusion

It is always fun and exciting to rent a luxury car and have the luxurious feel and touch of Dubai. With these crucial procedures, you can guarantee an agreeable time that you will treasure while renting a car dubai. Another thing to be mindful of is to always do a research and a comparison, inspect the car, know the renting terms and conditions, as well as the charges that may incur. With these latest tips in mind, you stand a better chance of getting the best luxury car rental services in Dubai.

Final Thoughts

Dubai is a city that offers a unique blend of traditional and modern culture, making it an exciting destination for tourists and business travellers alike. With its stunning architecture, world-class shopping, and vibrant nightlife, there’s no shortage of things to do and see. By choosing the right dubai rent a car, you can explore the city in style and comfort, making your trip even more memorable. So, the next time you’re planning a trip to Dubai, don’t forget to rent a car without deposit near me and experience the city like never before.

#rent a car without deposit near me

0 notes

mandeville-la-waterslide-rental · 3 months

Text

Water Slide Rentals in Mandeville

Regarding unforgettable summer fun, nothing beats water slide rentals in Mandeville. Imagine the thrill of sliding down a cool, refreshing water slide on a hot day, laughter filling the air, and creating memories that will last a lifetime. Whether planning a birthday party, family reunion, corporate event, or just a fun day in the sun, water slide rentals are the perfect addition to any gathering.

Water slide rentals in Mandeville offer various options to suit any event and age group. There's something for everyone, from small slides perfect for younger children to massive, adrenaline-pumping slides for teens and adults. These rentals are not only about fun; they also add a unique element of excitement that transforms ordinary events into extraordinary experiences.

Safety is a top priority with water slide rentals in Mandeville. Each slide is regularly inspected and maintained to meet the highest safety standards. Professional setup and takedown services ensure that everything is secure and ready for action, allowing you to focus on enjoying the event without any worries. Additionally, most rental companies provide safety guidelines and tips to ensure everyone has a fun and safe time.

Renting a water slide in Mandeville is incredibly convenient. Most companies offer a hassle-free booking process, and the rentals can be delivered to your location. Experienced professionals handle setup and takedown, so you don't have to lift a finger. This convenience means you can focus on planning other aspects of your event and leave the entertainment to the experts.

One of the great things about water slide rentals in Mandeville is the variety available. The options are endless, whether you want a classic single-lane slide, a double-lane race slide, or an elaborate inflatable water park. Some popular choices include Tropical Paradise Slides, Dual Lane Slides, and Inflatable Water Parks.

Water slides aren't just for kids; they're a hit for all ages. Teens and adults can enjoy the thrill of more giant slides, while smaller slides provide safe fun for younger children. This versatility makes water slide rentals in Mandeville an excellent choice for family gatherings, ensuring everyone from toddlers to grandparents can join the fun.

Water slide rentals in Mandeville can be the highlight of any event. They provide hours of entertainment, encourage physical activity, and are a fantastic way to cool off in the Louisiana heat. Whether hosting a birthday party, school event, church picnic, or neighborhood block party, a water slide rental will enhance the experience and keep everyone entertained.

Booking your water slide rental in Mandeville is simple. Many companies offer online booking, allowing you to browse options, check prices, and reserve your slide with just a few clicks. Customer service representatives can also answer any questions and help you choose the perfect slide for your event.

Water slide rentals in Mandeville offer affordable entertainment for any budget. With various sizes and styles, you can find a slide that fits your needs without breaking the bank. Package deals and discounts for multiple rentals can also provide additional savings.

Don’t let the heat get you down this summer—bring the fun and excitement of water slide rentals in Mandeville to your next event. With a wide range of options, top-notch safety standards, and convenient booking, creating unforgettable memories has never been easier. Contact your local rental company today and get ready to slide into fun!

youtube

Featured Business:

Mandeville LA Waterslide Rental makes water slide rentals in Mandeville extraordinary, transforming ordinary events into unforgettable memories. Our premium selection of water slides and inflatables, designed for all ages and occasions, brings fun and laughter to every gathering. Guided by our commitment to quality and safety, our dedicated team ensures a flawless experience from start to finish, allowing you to focus on the smiles and laughter of your guests. Let Mandeville LA Waterslide Rental inspire your next event, creating moments of pure delight and lasting happiness for everyone involved.

Contact: Mandeville LA Waterslide Rental 79139 Jessie Hyatt Rd, Covington, LA 70435, United States HVJF+G4 Folsom, LA, USA (504) 559–3272 https://www.mandevillelawatersliderental.com/

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5HoZ8TOlJQ

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcvKv-S7vsJYaRVr0Fl5Zf5TYcu5YcHvN

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mandeville-la-waterslide-rental/water-slide-rentals-in-mandeville

Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/mandeville-la-waterslide-rental/sets/water-slide-rentals-in-mandeville

Medium Post: https://medium.com/@mandevillelawatersliderental/water-slide-rentals-in-mandeville-be53a1d5c933

Weebly: https://water-slide-rentals-in-mandeville.weebly.com/

Tumblr Post: https://mandeville-la-waterslide-rental.tumblr.com/post/755778053002723328/water-slide-rentals-in-mandeville

Strikingly: https://water-slide-rentals-in-mandeville.mystrikingly.com/ Google MyMaps: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1s_B4pzZBRRHRxtExJjA6kzUKtfwT5xY

Google Site: https://sites.google.com/view/water-slide-rentals-mandeville/

Wakelet Collection: https://wakelet.com/wake/ofZBlWaYvLhCKF-QZFPrc

Twitter List: https://x.com/i/lists/1811650137506324544

Twitter Tweets: https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811638426413990074 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811647068525711618 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811647206405079251 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811647382334865525 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811638712092229741 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811638962127274402 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811646832499696114 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811639150090813725 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811650380855660611 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811639668162932922 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811639844847964242 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811650764886147532 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811650917411754252 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811651061280829756 https://x.com/MandevilleWSR/status/1811651273953096039

BatchGeo: https://batchgeo.com/map/waterslide-rentals-in-mandeville

#Mandeville LA Waterslide Rental #Water Slide Rentals in Mandeville #Youtube #SoundCloud

1 note · View note

allinlist · 6 months

Text

Advantages Of Renting Over Owning A Boat

Boat Rentals in Lakes

Taking a pontoon boat for a spin, then, enjoying some downtime over the water is really an experience! There are rental boats that can accommodate up to ten riders and there are boats that make an ideal group outing for family and friends with some added bonus scenery!

Renting a boat will provide you with a stress-free day and watercraft rental experience. Renting will start from drop off up to pick up, and the team will make sure that you will have a time possible out over the water.

Advantages Of Renting Over Owning A Boat

Boat rides are amongst the best outdoor encounters that you can have if you are on vacation, especially if you are visiting areas around of a particular place.

Not only you can visit the iconic landmarks in an area, but boat rides will provide also the fun way for you to stay active. However, lots of people do not personally own a boat, when that is your case you might consider renting or buying one.

While both of these have their own pros and cons, the rental of boat is often the best choice, and here are the listed reasons why is that so, and be certain that you go through this guidelines before making your final decision.

Renting A Boat: The Benefits

Economical

The first ever and the most obvious benefit of renting the boat over buying this is really the cost. The primary cost of buying a boat is really quite high and, it will depend on the kind of boat you are going to buy. Also, the modern boats had come with several whistles and bells that will take the cost even higher.

Even the boats that aren’t totally new remain expensive and will make buying them unaffordable to lots of people. Alternatively, when you rent a boat, you will only have to pay to the time that the boat may be in use. Its agreed amount can never be as higher as the price of buying it and will simply be adjusted when the use period has been reduced or extended.

Involves Less Maintenance

The boats are requiring regular maintenance to maintain them performing optimally. The components and the spare parts in the boat may be quite expensive. It is since the boat is used mostly out in an open space and even when in stock, is constantly uncovered to the elements.

When the boat is not being used for quite a while, it can still require proper cleaning and timely inspection to help keep it in its good shape.

Besides, you’ll have to pay storage fee to the marina if you don’t have your space for storing your boat. Plus the insurance costs and the whole amount will be quite big. Alternatively, renting a boat will require less maintenance and doesn’t involve storage fees, helping you to avoid lots of disturbance.

Multiple Options

The different kinds of boats are fitted for different purposes. An example is a fishing boat will best fit the fishing trips while the yacht can be best for family trips. But, the boat suitable for a job cannot be that great for the other, and once you have bought it, it’s your only option to any kind of activity.

In contrary, when you are renting, you can select from the several kinds designed for the different purposes, like for water sports, family cruising, fishing, and others. Some example is that, you can rent the fishing boat for your fishing purposes or you can enjoy the weekend getaway through renting the yacht. Such alternatives are only accessible in the instances of the boat rental.

No Wastes

In most instances, boats are not being used daily and will remain idle for lots of time. They are normally being used on holiday seasons or during weekends only. This means that you’ll constantly feel that your investment is not really worth it since your boat will remain unused and just sitting in the storage for most of its time.

To sum it up, keeping your boat in its best shape while it stays idle involves vital expenses. Considering how small time you’re using the boat, to rent is your best option that will still help you take pleasure of the different activities like fishing trips and family cruises.

Ideal For New Boater

For the new boaters who don’t have much encounter and are staring to try out a fun pastime, renting the boat might make more sense. It makes boating even more accessible to individual who cannot consider spending their time on a particular activity. Additionally, you’ll not be certain whether this activity will fit you, and investing to a boat before settling cannot be a great decision.

Also, new boaters cannot be certain regarding what kind of boat they will need, and renting will be the best means to get the best look in the different options available. Once you have experienced the boating lifestyle and you find it useful to purchase a boat, you’ll have the best idea about which will be the one to choose.

More Convenient

Another benefit of renting a boat gives over buying is that you will be able to enjoy new experiences and visit new locations without the inconveniences of making long cruise. There’s no need to trail in the cases of rented boat, as you’ll visit a location and straightly rent the boat from there.

When compared to lugging the boat along to your destination, renting straightly from the place doesn’t involve any kind hassle.

Boats Depreciated

Just like the cars, boats lose their value also as time goes on, and their usage will be measured in regards to the number of time the engine had been in use. It will mean that the more you’re using your boat, the speed its value will depreciate. Ultimately, when you are planning to sell your boat, it will not give worthwhile returns when the value had depreciated through a big amount.

Alternatively, when you rent a boat, you don’t need to think about the long term value that makes using it, more enjoyable. There’s no nagging worry thought that you are reducing your boat value.

Final Thoughts

Renting boats will eliminate worries you may have regarding missing out on every fun activities that the boating entails. Also, there’s no added burden to bear which comes with personally owning a boat. There are also some best boat rental services that are available in the place that you staying, so make sure that you do your part to research about finding the best one.

#Rental Boat #digital marketing strategy #seo

0 notes

fitmanagement · 1 year

Text

Elevate Your Fitness Business by Safeguarding Key Elements of Success

Introduction

In the realm of fitness business, success can often lead to a complacent mindset. It’s easy for gym owners and operators to believe their instincts alone will guarantee ongoing triumph. However, this very mindset can pave the way for success apathy – an insidious phenomenon where essential components are overlooked, leading to a gradual decline in business performance. This article delves into the critical factors that can help gym owners and operators ward off success apathy and continue thriving in the ever-evolving fitness industry.

1. Guard Against Communication Breakdowns

One of the initial cracks in the foundation of success is poor communication. Assumptions that a message was understood or delivered can lead to costly missteps. A well-rounded approach to communication is essential. Utilize a variety of methods such as signs, logbooks, emails, text messages, and training sessions to convey messages to your staff and members. Consistent follow-up ensures that your message has been received and understood, preventing vital information from falling through the cracks.

2. Reinforce Accountability for Optimal Performance

The pitfall of becoming too removed from day-to-day operations is real. Leaders must strike a balance between camaraderie and accountability. Define responsibilities clearly, ensuring that job descriptions are communicated in writing. Accountability keeps everyone aligned with expectations. It’s essential to inspect what you expect, ensuring that tasks are executed on time and effectively. Uniformity between management and employee perceptions of job roles eliminates ambiguity and fosters a culture of responsibility.

3. Cultivate a Vibrant and Balanced Work Environment

Navigating between extremes, a gym environment can sometimes oscillate between excessive fun and undue rigidity. Striking the right balance is pivotal. A motivated workforce thrives in an environment where operations are streamlined and enjoyable. While fostering a fun atmosphere, ensure that processes and actionable items are well-organized. Happy and motivated employees are more likely to propel your gym’s success.

4. Embrace Systematic Leadership

Averting success apathy hinges on meticulous system management. Irrespective of employee experience levels, maintaining consistent systems ensures that core processes are executed daily. Effective leadership involves imparting direction and guidance, ensuring that operations adhere to established protocols. Do not rely on assumptions; empower your staff with proven systems and provide ongoing follow-up to prevent deviations.

Conclusion

Success in the fitness industry is not a destination; it’s an ongoing journey. As gym owners and operators, you must remain vigilant against the creeping effects of success apathy. By fostering clear communication, reinforcing accountability, nurturing a balanced work environment, and embracing systematic leadership, you fortify the foundations of your business against stagnation. The key is to sustain a forward-focused mentality, recognizing that sustained success requires continual nurturing and growth. In this dynamic industry, the dedication to excellence must never waver. So, equip yourself with these insights, refocus your energies, and propel your gym business forward with the resilience to overcome any challenge that comes your way.

In the pursuit of sustaining growth and excellence in your gym business, consider the invaluable support offered by Fitness Management & Consulting. With their wealth of industry experience, they provide tailored guidance to navigate the challenges of success apathy and ignite continuous growth. Their expertise empowers gym owners and operators to implement effective communication strategies, foster accountability, cultivate a vibrant work environment, and establish systematic leadership – all crucial components to ward off complacency. By partnering with Fitness Management & Consulting, you access a trusted resource dedicated to enhancing your business acumen and propelling your gym towards enduring success, ensuring that the spirit of excellence remains at the heart of every endeavor.

Click here for more details on financing options or call 214-629-7223 or email [email protected] for more information. Or, apply now.

Unlock Your Gyms Full Potential with the Gym Success Blueprint! Get Your Copy Now!

An Outsourced CEO and Author, Jim Thomas is the founder and president of Fitness Management USA Inc., a management consulting, turnaround, financing and brokerage firm specializing in the gym and sports industry. With more than 25 years of experience owning, operating and managing clubs of all sizes, Thomas lectures and delivers seminars, webinars and workshops across the globe on the practical skills required to successfully overcome obscurity, improve sales, build teamwork and market fitness programs and products. Visit his Web site at: www.fmconsulting.net or www.youtube.com/gymconsultant.

#fitness #gymowner #gymstartup #gymrescue #gymbroker #gymconsulting #gymconsultants #youtube #gymconsultant

0 notes

kylo-wrecked · 1 year

Text

@brooklynislandgirl :// {in response to this here, the cutest}

— ☾ —

You could fill a glossary with all the venues that've blacklisted Ben. The bouncers, in fact, all bouncers, probably have it on hand. They're just too nice to tell 'sweetheart' that 'boyfriend' here is preemptively banned. So they embarrass her. Gentlemen by trade.

His eyes glitter, and it's bad magic in them. Whatever Beth doesn't say, Ben redeems by murmuring through Mr. Clean's little gold hoop, making him jump back like someone's pulled a weapon. That's a second or so before Beth, taking up a small section of Ben's back with her arm, steers them away.

'Can't tell if ya savin' face f' bo'd of us, or if ya serious'

Ben listens to Beth's soft music, grins somewhere between 'rearrange all dey furniture' and 'steal dey tires.'

And, hoo boy, yeah, funny how they got the idea he and Beth might be an item. Funny, considering Ben never arrives with women. Funny ha-ha is he’s only met Beth a few times. The funny uh-oh? He's smitten, he who has appeared on FLIMSI's Top Most Brutal Breakups in 'Boom Box' History twice.

Hilarious is the size of Beth's fist compared with the magnitude of its sway on him. Hilarious is how when she lifts her hand and slips away, Ben stops walking. His eyes follow her across the beetle-backed pavement, watch her inspect a gutted coin-operated booth, and deepen at the sight of her arched against the pay phone, waiting for him.

He's done a shoot like this before, counterpoised, hands dug into the finely hemmed pockets of a viciously expensive and loud zipped cotton shirt screaming with an optical illusion of black on white or white on black midcentury circles, open mouths in the neon blush behind him.

After years of ceaseless refinement, this has become his natural gait. And the slight pout, that's simply Ben's mien in its organic state. His face when he is alone, the one no one else sees. How consuming his gaze, how brief.

"Ohh, hah." Ben grunts and extends one elbow over his head in an over-shoulder stretch, then rests his palm on his temple.

"Don't worry," he says, rubbing his nose. "They get photos, and anyone with a phone'll have that idea by midnight."

He winks.

"Joking—I'm joking."

And carefully slipping his hands back into his pockets, he joins Beth at the pay phone. Under the slats of sodium orange glaze running off the streetlamps and parking lifts, his silhouette serpentine to hers.

"'I should be the one apologizing." Flash of teeth so fast, his shark's grin could've been an optical illusion, too. "Guest lists are only as good as the guy at the door. That guy never liked me. Probably really hates me now. If it helps, I've never saved face. Not once. Not one time."

He leans in, draws his hand to the neon-flushed round of Beth's cheekbone. Though his fingers hang poised, he doesn't touch her. Not for not wanting; it's legible on Ben's unsmiling face that he's fighting and pushed as far past a certain barrier as he can go.

"It's not your fault," he says. "Thank you for pretending it is. It's cute. You're growing on me, Riley."

Ben wants to keep her hesitancy, the swan's crane of her neck, and her lashes in a vial and assay the elements. The vivid naïveté of her expressions. The quiet knowingness of the others. Her smile. Her jarring stare he got caught in now and then. Could any of them possibly be feigned? If he could just watch her in a darkened room.

Rubbing his nose, Ben grins. And he's thinking a lot, thinking fast now.

"How about a movie?" Ben claps his hands together once, smooth, veined, expressive hands. "Yeah. Faire Cinema. No lists, no aces. It'd just be us—my idea of fun, by the way. We could catch a flick there, fuck around for a bit. You pay a flat fee of what? Twelve bucks to access five or six theaters? All done up like '70s Manhattan. It's walking into a time capsule. Popcorn checks out. Everything's captioned."

Snaking around Beth's body and the pay phone, he loops his fingers through the car park gate and gently swings himself onto it, from one side to the other.

"And that's fun," he explains loudly, "because I don't know if you heard, but I'm fuckin' deaf. This ear." He let go one hand and pointed to his left. "What happens when you hug a subwoofer."

"Last thing," Ben says, rolling back in her direction. "They play erotic films."

Chain link rattles while he moves.

"Nothing nasty, but I'll probably have to be your boyfriend for the rest of the night. You know, to keep the scuzz off. So? I'll be good and get you home early."

Only two palms away, he can smell her shampoo.

"Don't say no," he says softly. "Don't say don't. Don't ruin my night."

Then, letting his full weight sag into the gate, he cocked his head at her, watching from under his brow and wolf-pelt hair.

#brooklynislandgirl #m. a | music!verse ben: nowhere man #{at this rate nobody else will get replies and when they do they'll be 800 words or longer}

0 notes

tbtwo · 4 years

Video

undefined

tumblr

#thunderbirds #thunderbirds are go #inspect element has never been so fun

18 notes · View notes

mylordshesacactus · 3 years

Text

This got long so it’s become its own post.

I explained this to my seven-year-old cousin once when she expressed distaste over anyone possibly enjoying horror movies, and she understood perfectly, so adults have no excuse:

People read dark fiction for the same reason they ride roller coasters.

It’s a simulation of danger without anyone actually being under threat. It gets the brain worked up, releases a bunch of adrenaline into your system, you experience a whole rush of emotions and excitement and fear; but a safe kind of fear, where you know the danger isn’t real and there are dozens of measures in place to protect you. And then it’s over and you can get off the ride.

That doesn’t mean everyone is obligated to ride roller coasters. I, for example, am scared of heights, and most coasters are scary for me in a way that isn’t fun. The fear isn’t that I’ll die, the fear is of experiencing more of the ride and thus it’s not a safe fear, because it’s real and I have no control over it. As such, I don’t ride large roller coasters. But the fact that large coasters are not mentally or emotionally safe for me to ride doesn’t mean they should be illegal, or that there’s “something wrong” with anyone who enjoys them.

Similarly, sometimes accidents happen. Sometimes people have conditions they don’t know about until a coaster aggravates them in the worst possible way because they didn’t know to avoid it...and that’s no one’s fault. People have died or been injured in coaster accidents, and those accidents are pretty much always the result of human error, carelessness, laziness, or poor communication. It’s the responsibility of the amusement park to make sure that basic safety features are built-in and maintained--or at the very least (mangling the metaphor somewhat because this would obviously be illegal in real life) to make it clear that those features don’t exist! I feel like most people would avoid a ride clearly labelled “HAS NEVER HAD A SAFETY INSPECTION! NO RESTRAINT BARS! RIDE STAFF HAVE NOT BEEN TRAINED AND THERE ARE NO EMERGENCY SERVICES ON-SITE! OPEN FLAMES!” but if you click on a fic clearly labelled “author chose not to use warnings” you know the risks and they’ve met their obligation to warn you of them. And sometimes the people providing this content don’t perform that basic due diligence, and people get hurt as a result--but that’s on those specific bad actors, and doesn’t mean we ban all roller coasters. It also doesn’t mean every single ride operator on earth should be tarred with that brush, especially when they’ve openly spoken out against such practices! Furthermore, if you KNOW you have a heart condition and willingly get on a ride that says it is not safe for people with heart conditions, you cannot then blame the amusement park!

What makes roller coasters safe for me? Well, for one, the fact that I’m an adult now so my family has finally stopped trying to force me onto them. Pressure was a constant part of interacting with coasters for me for YEARS, and THAT fucked me up. There was “mild” teasing, frustration when I refused, anger if I changed my mind, and a lot of guilt-tripping about how it was my fault that they couldn’t go on the rides they wanted to because of me. That shit was not okay, and anyone trying to force someone to engage with content they don’t want to is obviously in the wrong.

The OTHER thing that helps me is content warnings the heroes who upload on-ride video of coasters I’m interested in trying. Knowing exactly what to expect--being able to see for myself all the drops so I can judge if they’ll be too much for me, and know in advance where they are so I can brace myself--can turn a ride that otherwise would have been a miserable and stressful experience that I chose not to subject myself to into a really good time. These are especially valuable, because what’s safe for ME is not automatically safe for everyone else. The only thing that makes a ride too much for me--my only hard limit--is extremely tall drops. I love inversions, fast twists and turns, I don’t mind rough coasters, it’s just drop height. But I’ve known people with medical conditions that made rough jolts dangerous, and plenty of people like tall drops but find tight turns and high speed overwhelming. Do I wish more coasters were designed to have the elements I enjoy without the ones I don’t? Yes, and not being able to find many frustrates me. But that doesn’t mean I expect everyone to have the same limits, or that I think people who design tall coasters with big drops and lots of airtime are malicious.

By this logic, actually, darkfic is much safer than roller coasters--once you’ve committed to a coaster you have to ride it out even if you change your mind. But the moment a dark fic or horror movie takes a turn you don’t like or becomes suddenly too real, you can turn it off and walk away.

And if you think enjoying roller coasters means someone will conclude that it’s okay to fling people off cliffs without their consent, then, well, in that case you’re just ungodly fucking stupid. Sorry you had to find out this way.

Have fun on those hypercoasters, you crazy bastards. Keep uploading ride videos for me.

#the notes of this post will function as a blocklist #jo making EXTRAORDINARILY poor decisions this morning #hoo boy I will regret this post

17K notes · View notes

starseneyes · 2 years

Text

Theloise - Bridgerton Season 2

It has been years since I’ve revisited a series so aggressively that I felt compelled to write about it. For those who frequented this blog once upon a time, I had a penchant for writing elaborate metas regarding series and relationships that caught my eye.

Bishmont fans, I have not forgotten you! I have not yet seen Season 3, but my husband bought me Season 2 recently, so I may finally catch up to the rest of you.

For Theloise (Theo Sharpe / Eloise Bridgerton) fans, I hope you are ready for a fun ride!

SPOILER ALERT: I am going to encapsulate the entirety of the Theloise relationship thus far in Season 2 in this post. It shall also include other plot elements from the show where necessary. You have been forewarned.

SHIPPER ALERT: I have never read the books. I don’t have any idea more than any of you what the showrunners have prepared for Season 3. This is merely a rundown of Theloise in Season 2 that I hope fans of this particular ship shall enjoy.

Let us begin... at the beginning. The first episode of Season 1.

Capital R Rake

"Let us get this over with.”

Eloise Bridgerton prepares for her presentation to the queen with her usual mix of fear of failing her family and hatred for the pageantry of it all. Why start here? Because this is the headspace of our dear Eloise prior to meeting Mr. Sharpe.

Eloise has spent the break between seasons reading new articles of substance, like Wollstonecraft. She has found in the pages a similarity of feeling and attitude toward her own sex that has eluded her in the pages of Whistledown. Her appreciation for Whistledown as an individual has not waned, but her passion for the pages was never what bound her to the mystery writer.

Eloise has long thought women capable of more than was permitted by the chains of society. Initially, that’s what drew her to Whistledown. Now, Eloise’s own thoughts have expanded to include a more focused and driven call for Women’s Rights, and she yearns for Whistledown to share her cause.

But that’s not Penelope. Yes, at this point, Eloise has no idea that her dearest friend puts the “Pen” in Penelope. However, Penelope finds Wollstonecraft’s words “haughty” and does not identify with this rallying cry. Therefore, she can never be the person with whom Eloise can connect on this matter.

Eloise sets out to discover Whistledown and share her thoughts on Women’s Rights with another woman—one who has considerable influence and reach.

Off To The Races

Anyone who has worked in Printing (I briefly had a stint myself) know that paperweight and stock are inspected quite rigorously. However, the average person may not be aware of the difference between different papers. Eloise removes her glove as soon as she approaches the stand. She is on a mission.

That’s why she misses what her mother is saying entirely. Just as her mother’s message of meeting new people being exhilarating passing her by in the previous episode, here she misses her mother trying to share the excitement of new love.

Eloise is on a mission. Of course, Penelope dismisses her assessment, but we know from Season 1 that Eloise is quite capable of pursuing this mission on her own.

"No turning back now!”

The Footman attempts to dissuade her, but her mission is set. At last, she will find the woman behind the quill. Instead... she finds Theo Sharpe.

Hard at work early in the morning, Theo is oblivious to the impending interruption in his day. Spying the Footman and the well-dressed Lady, he realizes quickly something is amiss. However, true to his personality, he does not shrink at the disruption. Instead, he simply asks, “What’s this?”

“Tell me what you know of her.”

Eloise launches into her mission without care for greetings or introductions.

But what I’m thinking about here is poor Theo. We do not know the character’s age, but I would hazard he is at least early 20′s and has already spent many years in his Apprenticeship. At this time in history (1814), a man would need to serve as an Apprentice for 7 years before he could practice a trade independently.

In fact, until 1814, a man could be prosecuted for practicing a trade independently if he had not completed his Apprenticeship.

This sets the precarious stage for our friend, Mr. Sharpe. He has likely invested years of his life, already, into this trade. He has an aspiration to be a Master himself someday, likely, and revealing Lady Whistledown would certainly destroy everything he has built.

Eloise is an unknown Lady to him, and while he is not rude, per se, he is not bowing down to her demands, either.

“I think you’re evading my question.” “You never asked me a question.”

He carries on with his work, eager for this nosy, prissy, demanding, gossip-monger to leave his presence.

“What are those papers?” “Nothing for the likes of you.”

He’s operating off of the assumptions of a well-dressed lady seeking the writer of a society rag. He sees Eloise at present the way the rest of the Ton does—as one of them.

“I am not here in search of gossip.”

Eloise is offended. She knows her own mind, and her mission.

“Private information about the season’s most eligible bachelor, then?”

I love his stance on this line. Hands on his hips, making his form bigger to further block the entrance to his world, where Lady Whistledown’s latest edition may be drying. I gather Eloise’s lowered hem length signals to him that she’s marriage-minded and out in society.

That’s enough to push her over the edge. The last thing Eloise has on her mind is marriage. She asserts as much, and as the full weight of her words strikes him, he’s gobsmacked.

Women’s Rights—the very thing he writes about, the very cause he champions, the very pamphlet resting in the boxes he’s set out during this conversation—is what drives this well-dressed Lady.

Coincidence? It has to be, right? It can’t be that someone should happen along whose timing is so unplan-ably perfect?

Theo’s jaw tenses and his eyes soften. The sharp wit fails him and Eloise feels the upper hand in the conversation finally belongs to her.

Meanwhile, Footman John is having a laugh, and stealing our hearts. Yes, John, we’re stanning them, too!

Eloise calls Theo out on his bias toward her, then throws in an extra jab at the end (which Shipper John appreciates as much as we do).

In that moment, Theo decides to take a chance—a very small one—that this Lady is serious about what she says. Likely, it won’t pan out into anything. She’ll likely abandon it. She’ll never read it. You’ll never see her again.

But what if you do?

He removes his hands from his hips long enough to pass her a paper, then plants them back, still protecting his world from hers.

But a piece of paper now connects them.

He has no idea what’s he’s begun in handing her this piece of paper. But, it’s a reminder that Eloise is not so far detached from his world as she might think. They share a common cause, though they may not yet feel the connection.

“This is not-” “If Women’s Rights are what you’re after, then perhaps that is what you need to be reading. New thoughts. Unsettling ideas. Not too unsettling for you, I hope?”

Eloise grimaces. He has the upper hand, again. And he bloody well knows it.

“Though, if I should ever see Lady Whats-her-name, I’ll be sure to let her know that her leading admirer says hello.”

He takes off inside, closing the door behind him, closing the door on this encounter. It’s a one-off, of course. He’ll never see her, again. But, he did enjoy needling her... Hmmm...

And our dear Eloise is left looking between her new reading, and the frustrating, fascinating man who gave it to her.

“The tidying of dogs?” “Yes. Perhaps you have a friend who finds the subject interesting.”

Lady Bridgerton is obsessed with helping her children find love. Yes, it can be a beautiful thing, but the forcefulness with which she attempts to match them can be a bit much. While is ultimately worked out for the Duke and Duchess, it nearly proved disastrous with Miss Edwina and Anthony.

“Mother, are you quite well?” “No. No, she is not.”

Eloise knows precisely what her Mama is attempting—to find a match for Eloise based on her reading. Little does she know, Eloise has already found someone with whom she connects on the interests of her reading.

It’s a beautiful duality that was more than likely intentional in the writing that all of the attempts of her mother to persuade her to embrace romance and love ultimately point to her relationship with Theo this season.

“I paid this printer’s shop a visit yesterday.” “You did? Did you speak with anyone?”

It’s a fleeting thought, not even a fully-formed one, as her response to that. Yes, she spoke to someone, but that isn’t what matters. To Eloise, the drive is still to find Lady Whistledown. She has been reviewing the papers for evidence, not for content.

Eloise shows Penelope the letter K’s that are slightly misshapen, handing the Lady Whistledown paper to Pen and keeping the Women’s Rights pamphlet for herself. It’s wildly appropriate to where they both are at present... still united in much, but also facing different directions.

A Bee in Your Bonnet

“Do not mind your Auntie Eloise. She’s too busy reading to notice anything else, as usual.”

Collin is the one to notice his sister’s pamphlet, and her reading in this scene. It’s the only bit of Theloise in the entirety of the episode, but it’s significant. She is in the Country with her family for a respite before they host the entirety of the Ton. Eloise brought this pamphlet with her from town so she could read and absorb it, even study it.

I would argue this is when she begins to think differently of Mr. Sharpe. Yes, he made quite the impression on their initial encounter, but as much as he believed it was a one-off, I believe she thought the same.

It must have been so lovely for her to find a man who was not so attached to the (to her) antiquated, paternalistic pattern of society. Yes, she finds errors in his arguments (which we will dive into later), but in this moment, she’s connecting with his words.

Have you ever been seduced by words? How many of us have read a story, a love letter, a song... and felt the core of our being connecting in a soulful way. Not to the point of stripping our clothes in a fit of desire, but in the meeting of souls.

My husband’s piano playing first penetrated the defenses of my heart when first we met. For Eloise, the way to her heart is most decidedly through meaningful words. Not fluffery or flattery, but passionately penned words of substance.

“Was it your choice you never married?”

Eloise wishes to be an independent woman—to make her own way and collect her own accomplishments without the constraints of society. I think her friendship with Kate is lovely, and it emphasizes how like-minded women can be tremendous allies, especially when challenging society’s strict structure.

Kate’s advanced age of 28 marks her fully as a spinster in that day, a woman who will likely never marry and be seen as a drain on her family. It’s not glamorous to be unwed.

Kate finds love not because she sought companionship or comfort, but because she felt a soul connection with the person she least expected. I would argue Eloise encounters the same with Theo... but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Victory

“Is there not another pamphlet on women’s rights to read somewhere?” “El is quite done with that.” “She has brought one with her here.”

At this point, Penelope doesn’t know about the man behind the pamphlet. She only knows of the Lady Whistledown connection, so she is attempting to dissuade Eloise, pointing out that the letter K issues has long since been corrected.

But before Pen can jump in, Eloise reacts to her brother’s words. She evades Penelope’s eyes. She knows that Penelope does not share her penchant for reading on women’s rights (as demonstrated in their Episode 1 conversation referencing Wollstonecraft), but there’s something else. She is almost embarrassed... caught, if you will.

Eloise picks up speed, getting lost in the excitement of the reading, and with matching excitement mentions his name for the first time.

“The apprentice there, Mr. Theo Sharpe-” “You know his name?”

Eloise completely deflates as Penelope chides her for getting into “dangerous waters” and her brother chimes in. They can’t see how shutting her down like this is pushing her away. Now, I’m not saying they should be forced to listen to her lengthy rants on Women’s Rights or share that particular interest, but when one feels isolated, does not one seek out the company of someone who shares interests?

I love my children. I adore them. But, if I am with my children alone for days on end, I start to feel restless and ache for conversation with a friend or loved one to give me some respite from having to be in “Mom Mode” constantly.

Eloise parades around in ball gowns and plays the part for her family. Much like Anthony sees his duty as running the house and putting his wants and needs last, Eloise now feels the full weight of being out in society and forced to represent not only herself, but her family. Even the eyes of the Queen now trail after her, and she cannot measure up to the pinnacle of perfection presented by her elder sister, Daphne.

“I only mean to say, it’d entertain me so much for you to say yes to the dances you are offered so I might hear about them. There is only so much more I can hear about a pamphlet. Never mind.”

The words sting. Penelope has now made it clear she doesn’t wish to discuss the publication that has so inspired her friend. Again, this is not unusual for friends to have different interests. My best friend in the world and I could not be more different. She is a girly girl who loves to dress up and wear makeup. I’m a fan of jeans and like my face clean. There are many subjects we don’t discuss together because we have other friends for those.

Eloise is in a unique position where her family and dearest friend have tired of her thoughts on this subject, but it is more than a conversation piece to her. To her, this is a very tenant of the life she wishes to lead.

Injury further finds her when her mother forces her to dance with a suitor she, herself, has chosen for Eloise based on their shared “rebellion”.

“My rebellion is not some party dress I put on to play a part, Mama. And it’s certainly not some accomplishment I’ve developed like singing or painting to help me attract a suitor. I know I am a disappointment to you.”

Oh, Eloise. I know what it is to grow up under the weight of expectation, to be so different from the other women in your life, and yet feel their yearning for you to be identical in every way.

“I wish to be alone.”

Penelope was the one who wanted Eloise to take the dance. Of course, she wouldn’t want to see Penelope, right now. The wedge has been driven further, and she yearns to be somewhere where she no longer has to pretend.

An Unthinkable Fate

“I am attending a lecture this afternoon. Flower arranging.”

Not one Bridgerton sibling believes this bald-faced lie. Hyacinth and Anthony look to one another in disbelief. Eloise doubles-down, bringing Penelope’s name into the conversation to make the lie a little more believable. It’s enough to convince Lady Bridgerton to drop the matter, but Benedict knows his sister better than anyone.

“For how long have you cared about flower arranging?” “I am an open-minded woman, I can care about many things.”

Benedict, more than anyone, knows his sister will never care about flower arranging. He’s the one who stopped Daphne from opening Eloise’s door in the first episode, declaring the elder sister would be the last person Eloise would wish to see.

He’s right. All the places where Daphne flourishes flawlessly, Eloise fails. It is not that Eloise wishes to be her sister or live up to her precedent, but there is that constant weight of expectation upon her.

The thing is... Daphne loves it all. She was excited about her presentation to the Queen, elated to be declared the season’s incomparable, ready to make her Love Match in her very first season. Daphne flower arranges with ease, even noting the meanings of flowers and why they should be included in bouquets. She enjoys hosting and organizing. She revels in her life is a Duchess.

As Daphne once said... she and Eloise couldn’t be more different.

“Where is your sister? I have not seen her out today.” “She mentioned something about flower arranging with you, today, in fact.”

It’s always a problem when your lies catch up to you. Penelope is willing to cover for her friend, in the moment, because she doesn’t yet know where her friend has gone.

And where has Eloise gone? In search of conversation with like-minded men and women, of course!

“This is the place!” “Doesn’t look like a place for shopping to me.”

Abandoning her Lady’s Maid (and referencing her pamphlet), Eloise enters the Assembly Room. She’s enchanted. She listens to the conversations, takes in the gathering of people.

Watch her face alight as she breathes it in. Not only is there a woman on the stage, but she appears to be a disabled woman in a wheelchair. As the granddaughter of a woman who contracted Polio in childhood and spent her life either in a wheelchair or on crutches, this spoke to me. My grandmother was a fiercely independent woman, and her spirit lives in me. How could Eloise not be inspired?

There may be debate about her intentions—whether she is there for the Assembly or in hopes of seeing Theo. But, I argue that she feels driven here in search of like-minded conversation and Theo is the cherry on top, as it were.

She scans the room, her eyes falling on him. He stands, relaxed, hands in his pocket as he chats with another man. Eloise’s features soften as she shifts through the sea of people, her eyes set on Theo.

“Is it not thrilling?”

She makes the initial connection, and immediately turns back to the speaker, taking it in. He is not her end goal, here, but a part of the experience. She makes it clear with that short acknowledgement, then full body turn.

Theo turns to politely acknowledge whoever spoke, and his eyes widen as they fall on her.

“You.” “Me.”

What is that initial shock? Excitement? Anticipation? Or simply pure worry? It could be any of them. He glances around him, looking for anyone who might be listening or watching. He can’t afford to lose his place. He can’t let her get in the way of his life... no matter how interesting she may be.

“I told you I don’t know anything about your Whistledown gossip...”

I love this part of the conversation because we are wide enough to see that while Eloise has angled her body to listen, her feet are planted firmly forward. She easily shifts back toward the speaker, reminding Theo that it was he who invited her into this world. She simply accepted the invitation.

Something shifts in Theo, then. He steps off the defensive, must-guard-self position, and opens up a little. After all, it’s not every day an attractive Lady traipses through the muck of man and woman to track you down, right?

Come on, he should be allowed a moment of savoring it! Right before she expertly shoots him down, of course, but that only makes him all the more intrigued by her.

“So, you’re an admirer of my work?”

He uses the same word he previously attached to her revering of Lady Whistledown, which I find significant. It’s a high form of flattery indeed, and the man is feeling a bit flattered.

“I would not go so far. It is serviceable, I suppose.” “And yet you have come far.”

That gets her attention. She turns fully to face him, but rather than melting (as some ladies might) or accusing (as others might), Eloise takes the route most familiar to her when comfortable and jabs right back.

“Luckily for me there is a thrilling invention called a carriage that may convey a Lady from one place to another. It is a marvel to be sure.”

Eloise turns back to face the Speaker, but she now fully has Theo’s attention. He regards her a moment, then his smile flickers. His eyes soften. He wants to know her name and to be known by her in return.

It’s another one of those little risks he takes. First, it was giving her the paper. Now, to become familiar with a Lady is a dangerous endeavor for one in his station. Even this simple conversation is unseemly to the eyes of the Ton. But, she has taken a step outside of her world, is clearly engaging in his world, and she can match him not only in intelligence, but also wit.

Let’s be real, Eloise Bridgerton is a catch.

“What’s your name?”

I love that they focus on Eloise in this shot... her reaction. She takes in his words, then shifts to face him as she answers. In her world, she is known. She may be known as Edmund and Violet’s daughter... perhaps as the younger sister of last Season’s Diamond, Daphne... perhaps the younger sister of the Viscount... but she is almost always known.

To Theo, she is just another Lady, right? But, in this moment of familiarity, someone asks to know her because they wish to know her. Not her family. Not her dowry. Not her capacity for house-tending and child-bearing. Based on the words of a conversation, he must know her name.

“I’m Theo Sharpe.” “I know.” “You know?”

She gives him that upper hand, again. He’s no doubt surprised (but also a little flattered) that she knows who he is. After all, she’s been reading his writings for a while, now, and she’s got a brilliant memory for words.

Eloise shakes her head, leaning back into her wit and knowledge to save her from the momentary lapse in propriety.

“As I know there are several errors in your arguments that I must bring to your attention. Have you a pencil? Never mind. You may borrow mine.”

And Eloise reclaims the upper hand... and even more of Mr. Sharpe’s attention. She turns from him, to the pamphlet in her hand, but his eyes remain on her. He takes her in, giving her the “Well, look at you” face before she turns to ensure he is listening. He smiles, then turns to the pamphlet with her to hear her corrections.

And I love that he doesn’t fight her on it. He doesn’t allow ego to get in the way, but patiently listens to her corrections. As she is a woman, certainly she has more to say on the subject than he, and he truly does respect her.

In fact, he respects her more, I would argue, now that he has tested the merit of her wit and found it more than matching his own. Their verbal sparring and parrying lacks the edge of Kate and Anthony’s, but that’s because theirs is a very different courtship.

That’s the beautiful thing, to me, about relationships. They are not one-size-fits-all, and we do not all find love in the same manner. My husband and I emailed for months before we started dating in-person, though we were already acquaintances through University. Ours is a truly bizarre romance story... but it’s ours.

I feel like Theo and Eloise’s matches them. There’s a sense of rational thinking outweighing the emotional for both of them. In these early days of their friendship, Eloise’s mind is on the subject matter. Theo enjoys sharing it with her, but though he might enjoy her company, he will do nothing to encourage affection on her part. He merely meets her when she comes to him. He never initiates. He’s passive in the encounters, which allows him to rationalize that he’s still detached.

As for Eloise, this relationship is so far outside of what she knows of romance (balls, poetry readings, soirées) that is never occurs to her it could be romance.

At this point, for both, romance is completely off the table. And yet, Eloise finds herself wanting to talk, again, with the Apprentice.

“Do not tell me you’ve traveled at this ungodly hour to offer more corrections of my writing?”

I love the little smile he offers her as soon as he sees her, and how he revels in her saying she wishes for his discernment. They have a natural rhythm of needling one another that suits them both. For Eloise, she does not have to be demure and silent with Theo. She can be direct and it is not seen as rude. For Theo, he truly views her as an equal, but it must be fun to poke fun at a member of the Ton who has a sense of humor about the frivolity of it all.

He leans down so they are eye-to-eye, emphasizing the equality between them even as he drops a teasing, “Is that so?”

“Do not look so pleased. It is a rare occurrence that I doubt shall be repeated.”

He continues to work as they trade barbs, but once she settles to sit, he again bends to fold himself closer to her eye-level.

“Or perhaps you have not seen enough of the world to make sense of them, yet.”

Such a key phrase in this exchange to me. It brings to mind Simon’s perception of Daphne as “barely out of leading strings” in season 1. These young Ladies are sheltered and kept innocent (and horrifying naive) to help attract a man’s eye and eventually the comfort of his life, name, and home.

Theo has a very different life than she. He knows the pain of hard labor, the exhaustion of long work days, and the struggles of survival. This is one thing that decidedly separates them, still.

But, Eloise enjoys the time. She enjoys his company.

Now, there is something I feel we must address... During this episode, we see Eloise lie that she is with Penelope, Penelope learns and affirms the lie, Penelope seeks Eloise out and finds out that she has been somewhere unseemly, and then we see Penelope watching Eloise and Theo talking together.

At what point does Eloise admit to Penelope that she has been seeing Theo? We see in the very next episode that Penelope at some point was aware of their visits and cautioned her against them. It leads me to believe that there were several other visits we did not see on screen.

This is a very common thing in television and film, to skip time, but I’ll admit that I’m curious on a personal level to know how many early mornings Eloise gave her pin money to Footman John to take her to visit the Apprentice.

The Choice

“Are you speaking of Mr. Sharpe again, El?” “I have heeded your warnings... theoretically.”

There it is. At some point the two of them have talked about Mr. Sharpe and how she should not be visiting with someone below her station.

“And what in actuality?” “I visited him the other day. But it is not nearly as scandalous as you make it out to be.”

There it is. The scandal. And who knows more about scandal than the author of a scandal sheet? To be alone with a man is a problem within their world, but to be seen in the presence of a man below their station is far worse... especially to be seen without an escort. Even Daphne and Simon needed Lady Bridgerton and Lady Danbury following them whilst they promenaded.

“It’s only his thoughts that I’m interested in.”

And she believes it. She absolutely believes that she is only interested in the thoughts of the Apprentice and not the Apprentice himself. Because, again, this is so outside any representation she has seen of romance. The nearest references are her parents and siblings. All of those romances took place within the Ton’s structure. To consider her relationship with Theo as anything beyond an exchange of thoughts is... impossible.

“It is a friendship, then?” “Of course. What else could it be?”

Eloise has likely thought of love only within the context of an “ideal match”. Find a person. Get engaged. Get married. Have babies. That’s the order of things in her mind.

Theo is far outside that order, so far that she hadn’t considered romance was an option. But Penelope’s words send her spiraling, examining herself and Theo and the context of their conversations. Indeed, her brother’s wedding slips from her mind as she tries to ascertain if she is lying to her dearest friend... and herself... about the depths of Mr. Sharpe’s importance to her.

“Perhaps she realized, in fact, marriage is a prison for women.” “How should I be? Married? And silent?”

As the family tries to discern what happened between Miss Edwina and Anthony, Eloise drops several reminders that she is not, at all, marriage-minded.

At this time, relationships without marriage were acceptable for men to have with whomever, but Ladies were held to a completely different standard. If a Lady was found alone with a Gentleman, they could be forced to marry because of impropriety.

Eloise does not want to be trapped in marriage. At the same time, she’s a woman finding herself attracted to a man. And, it truly is through his thoughts that she found this unexpected connection.

Remember first season when she reflected on how men wanted to marry Daphne because of her pleasing face and smile? To Eloise, appreciation of physical beauty is not the foundation of anything. The meeting of minds is where true connection is made... it is not surprising, at all, that the more she exchanges words with the Apprentice, the more she connects with him.

“I’ve given much concern to what you said about Mr. Sharpe and his degree of interest.” “No, El, I did not intend you to think about that.”

This is one of those interesting moments where Penelope is used to being the smartest person in the room. Her sisters and mother underestimate her, and she’s used to maneuvering people how she likes. She even did it with Madame Delacroix. But, she’s accidentally pushed her dearest friend in an intended direction.

Eloise is considering Mr. Sharpe anew... is he “interested” in her?

“I know it is odd, but I had assumed ours was merely an intellectual bond, a friendship based in like-minded thought and rigorous conversation.”

There you have it. It is a “friendship” (which men take to mean a different thing if we’re to judge how Benedict described his relationship with Madame Delacroix as such). It’s a bond.

“But what if you are right? What if he feels more?”

I love this deflection, because it’s classic Eloise. She is going to do anything she can not to inspect her own feelings and emotions towards him because she first wants the reassurance that he, indeed, has feelings for her.

None of us wishes to be made the fool in matters of the heart.

“I never said- El, do you want him to feel more?”

Look. At. Her. Face. This is a brilliant bit of acting, because she feels every bit the 18-year-old faced with first love in this moment. Look at that face! She’s completely elated and terrified by the thought of that—of Theo feeling more for her than a mere intellectual friendship.

How can she articulate that to her dearest friend? Yes, Eloise is positively unaware of Penelope’s obvious attraction to her elder brother, Collin. But, she is also facing a friend who has cautioned her against spending time with the one man outside her family whose company she actually enjoys.

It’s a risk to say anything... to Penelope... and certainly to Theo.

“My feelings about his feelings do not matter if I do not know for a fact what he is feeling.”

Right, Eloise. Keep telling yourself that. She stalks away from Penelope, because she knows what she’s feeling is starting to come to the surface. Yes, Penelope knows her better than most, and Eloise is choosing to trust her with these secrets. But, it’s still difficult to show your vulnerabilities about someone to whom you might be attracted.

“No one speaks of marriage, Pen!”

There it is, again. Eloise has completely divorced the idea of attraction and romance from marriage. And that absolutely makes sense for her personality! She may someday decide to marry, but at this point her thoughts are nowhere near it.

“Those are mysteries I may never solve. This one with Theo- Mr. Sharpe- I can.”

Her first slip into the familiar. It reminds me of Simon’s words to Daphne in season 1, “...if this is to be a match unlike any other, you should call me by my name.” Of course, we know that Daphne and Simon were pretending, and trying to make it seem as though they were courting...

But could Eloise and Theo’s encounters be considered the beginning of a courtship? It would not cross Eloise’s mind because this doesn’t look like anything she’s ever known (I know I’ve said that multiple times in this writing, but I think it’s important to remember the context in which she’s grown up).

Marriage still has not crossed her mind where Theo is concerned... but... more? Perhaps there is more...

“It’s the not knowing that makes it feel like torment.”

Eloise, my dear, I feel you. I remember being a teenager jamming out to songs recorded off the radio on a boombox in my bedroom wondering if the guy of my affections returned them. It can be enough to drive you mad. In Eloise’s case... it drives her to action.

“I’ve made a decision to visit Theo now.”

There is no correction this time. Theo. He is Theo, now, to her. Regardless of what happens next, she has made the mental leap to think of him without propriety’s laws... at least so far as his name goes.

Penelope tries to talk Eloise out of it, but she is determined.

“It is rather vexing to be thinking of his thoughts when I should be thinking of my own.”

This is so on-brand for Eloise. She is not going to let a man rule her, even if it is in her own mind. To dispel this overwhelm, she has to take action.

“You’ve come quite a long way to ask me something, so go on.”

I love how he takes care of his business, then turns back to her with that little smile. I know it’s small, but he probably appreciates her waiting instead of demanding his instant attention in that moment.

It’s one of those tiny details of their relationship that I appreciate probably because of the nature of my life. I work from home, and I often need a moment to finish my work before I can address something personal. Having a partner who gives you the space you need without demanding your attention every second because you understand you are not the other’s ENTIRE world? That’s precious.

Theo continues with his work as they talk, ready for the usual exchanged barbs and needles. He doesn’t notice Eloise’s hands clasped, barely containing the nerves. He doesn’t notice how she struggles to gather her thoughts.

“I have thoughts.” “I can see how that might pose a problem for someone in your world.” “Thought I would like to share... with you.” “And are you not sharing them now?”

You get a real sense of the patter they have adopted in this scene. They discuss and chat, they talk and ponder.

Perhaps it should be noted that they both rely on their intellect and wit to deflect. He does it upon their first meeting, and she does it every time she starts to feel the slightest bit exposed.

But this moment is a delicate one, and she wishes to choose her words carefully.

“What I am failing to say is that often when I read something new or interesting, or provoking, it is you who crosses my mind.”

The weight of the words strike him. He looks up from his work. He slows down. This whole time, he’s been moving at a good clip, but that slows him. He goes to pick up the next parcel, but it’s almost in slow motion.

“It is you who I would like to speak with about those thoughts.” “I see.”

He holds the next parcel in his hands, processing the information. This is a risk. In 1990′s teen girl parlance, she just passed a note to his desk that read, “I like you.”

“And so I am wondering if you might also have thoughts of me when you think.”

And, there it is... the second part of those 1990′s-era notes. “Do you like me? Circle Yes or No.” Looking every bit like Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing after realizing she said the stupidest thing ever to her crush (when she carried the watermelon), Eloise is questioning the words that just escaped her mouth.

Theo’s response? He. Walks. Away.

Let’s be clear, what she has just done is insane. She is an upper class Lady, a member of the ton, who just left a wedding hosted by the Queen of England herself to go traipsing through an area every member of Polite Society has begged her to avoid in search of the answer to her heart’s question.

And she just told a member of the working class that she thinks of him... that he is on her mind. Then, she had the audacity to ask him if she was on his.

Up until now, he has taken small risks where Eloise is concerned. He risked giving her a pamphlet. He risked asking her name and hers being known by him. He has risked these early-morning meetings only because she came to him.

To admit feeling anything but friendship toward a member of the Ton is an incredible risk. But I think the boldness of her demonstration encourages him to be more open, himself. She has put herself out there, as it were, and he understands the risks for both of them. He knows what will happen to her if they were to continue this association and possibly marry.

Eloise, herself, has been warned of the fate that befell Lady Mary (and the Queen did not spare the Lady’s feelings when presenting her daughters). But, again, Eloise is not thinking of marriage. All she knows is that she has new feelings for someone... and she wants to know if they are returned.

Theo emerges from the shop with four books in his hands. He looks to them, not to her.

“I have read all of these.” “And?” “And...”

Theo looks away. He’s barely meeting her eyes this whole interaction because he has to build up his courage. What she has done is mental, to be sure. But what he is about to do could be considered even worse. For a man of his station to tempt a Lady of hers is the greatest scandal.

He resolves his thoughts, and looks back to her.

“I thought you might share your thoughts on them.”

He holds out the books to her, and she does experience relief. That’s what she was seeking here, relief from the torment. She places her hands around the stack of books, and as she does, her gloved finger overlaps his.

A surge moves through her—one she had not expected. She meets his eyes, and he smiles, reassuringly at her. Their fingers separate, and she looks lovingly toward the stack of books.

His smile fades into something softer—a gentle regard for this Lady who seemingly shares his affection. It’s their little secret, a magic moment caught in a bubble.

Of course, it’s the beginning of the end, in many ways.

Eloise didn’t notice her Royal tail. She doesn’t realize the foolishness of coming here in broad daylight, the trap that has been set. She didn’t think this through. Her rational mind failed her... and it brings heartbreak to them both.

Harmony

“The queen thinks it is me.”

Eloise’s foolishness has real consequences. The Queen of England has set her sights on the Bridgerton Lass, and she’s screwed.

“Master Printer’s gone for the day.” “It’s not printing I wish to solicit.”

He’s inside, working. We’re likely to believe she’s come later in the day, again. And this is the first time she’s crossed into his workspace.

And he cannot wait to get her back out of it.

“Are you mad?” “Not even a little excited to see me, then.”

Eloise is so relaxed at the start of this scene. The nerves and anxiety of their previous scene have escaped her. She knows that their connection is shared, and she’s content in that knowledge. But Theo is on edge... with good reason.

It’s clear he doesn’t know why the queen asked about him, but when he realizes that it was Lady Whistledown, he tries to think fast.

“What is ridiculous is that you thought it wise to come back here again.”

In Eloise’s world, scandals come and pass. There are rarely long-term consequences. Theo just told her that he was nearly thrown out, and the weight of that didn’t even strike her.

“I came to make sure you were alright, to get our story straight.” “Our story?”

Eloise feels only a slight wound when he throws the books in her face. She tries to recover, to get back what they had the last time they saw one another. They had been oblivious, happy, sharing a secret moment.

But, now the Queen is involved. Theo nearly lost his job. And he can see that she doesn’t have sense enough to see just how bad this is. He has to protect her. He has to get her away from him... for both of their sakes.

“You are a lady who’s never had to endure any real difficulties in your life. You may have the protection of your family, of your society. But I’m... I do not. You took your pleasure from low life, Miss Bridgerton. Now I think it best you return to Mayfair before you get my into anymore trouble.”

He walks away from her, turns his back to her, puts the separation of his world and hers in view. Eloise watches him, completely deflated.

The start of this scene is so revealing—Eloise is more comfortable than I’ve ever seen her with a man. She even wishes to see his excitement to see her. She tried to conceal her identity to come visit him, this time, with the cloak. But, it’s still a huge risk to be there at all, and she doesn’t understand that.

The rules are simply different in her world, and while I know Theo partially said what he did to try to scare her off for her protection, she does need to hear this. She needs to understand the consequences are far greater for Theo, and more lasting.

If they do have a future (and I have no idea if they do), she needs to know what they’re getting themselves into.

“Miss Eloise Bridgerton has certainly made a dangerous, perhaps ruinous [decision].”

Lady Whistledown’s latest paper comes out and breaks what was left of Eloise’s spirit. Her mother’s gaze falls on her, and she feels the disappointment of her entire family.

All season, she has felt the pressure of trying to live up to Daphne’s triumph, of giving her mother something to be proud of, of playing the part... Her rebellion has always been her escape, and Theo was a small part of that. Now, her rebellion has ruined her.

Lady Whistledown asserts that as one makes their bed, they must also lie in it. Yes, Penelope did this to save Eloise... but none of this would have happened had she been honest with her friend.

Then again, Eloise would never have met Theo.

The Viscount Who Loved Me

“[Lady Whistledown] does not seem to be writing at all anymore. Is that not right, El?”

El looks uneasily at Collin. Ordinarily, the jabs and needles of her brothers would not bother her, but she is quite raw, still.

I wonder what Lady Bridgerton might have said to her daughter had Anthony not walked in on a tirade (masking his pain over Kate’s injury). Instead, he takes out his emotions on the entirety of the family.

“Is no one allowed to make their own decision?” “Do not ask me to speak of your activities. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

This time, Eloise has nowhere to run. She can’t run to Pen. She can’t go to Theo. She’s absolutely alone and isolated in her ruin. She takes her leave to her bedroom, isolating herself further from the world.

“Miss Eloise, a package for you.”

She stands, alone, staring out her window. Where my her thoughts wander? What might she be thinking? Footman John interrupts her thoughts, and reminders all of us why he is the number one, original Theloise fan.

“Oh, I do not want any-” “You might want this one. I’ll be outside.”

Eloise approaches the simple wrapped package with curiosity. She pulls it open and finds inside a small book. As she examines it, a handwritten note starting with “Miss Bridgerton” falls out. Eloise lifts it, reading.

“You got my note.”

Boy took a full swallow before speaking. You can see his adam’s apple bobble with it! He has to face the consequences of what he said before, but he’s also thrilled she came. She could have ignored his note. She could have never walked through his door again... but she does.

“Why did you not tell me sooner? Why did you continue lying to me? Carrying on with me when you knew this entire time that the real Lady Whistledown has been using this very shop to print her scandal sheet?”

She. Is. Pissed. And rightfully so. He looks over his shoulder, to the place where his Master would open the silk-filled boxes of Lady Whistledown’s manuscripts.

“I couldn’t tell you. Not when she was still watching me. Why do you think I ended things the way I did with you despite wanting to do the very opposite?”

Eloise absorbs those words. It doesn’t fix everything that happened between them the last time, but it does help explain it. She avoids his eyes. They had an understanding before, but she has to question if it remains. Can they begin, again?

“I did not want her to see the two of us together. I didn’t want her to write cruelly of you.” “Little late for that.”

Theo has no idea that it wasn’t his fault... that Penelope was writing what she did because of the Queen, and not because of Eloise’s relationship with Theo.

He crosses from behind the table that separated them, stepping just a little closer to the outside world, to her.

“I owe you an apology, Miss Bridgerton. For everything. Whistledown has now taken her business elsewhere. Thought you deserve to know the truth.” “I deserve more than that.

Theo nods, his eyes flicking to her lips. She stands facing him, so close to him, that she cannot help but notice. It flusters her, slightly, as she finds herself glancing at his lips, as well.

Eloise shifts focus, crossing away from him, behind the table, further into his world. She puts the distance between them physically, and yet it’s also deeper into the shop.

“With your knowledge of her methods and my endeavors, I’m sure together we can finally unmask her.”

Theo stands much the way he did the first time they met, with his hands on his hips. But this time he’s facing in, protecting Eloise and their mission from the world outside. His expression, too, is different. Light from the windows falls on his face as he smiles at her.

Eloise feels a catch in her throat. She’s still unaccustomed to these feelings, and she’s uncertain what to do with them (we all know her mother’s talks about marriage relations start on the wedding day and consist mostly of puppies).

Eloise swallows that feeling.

“I must know everything you know.”

Theo bends down to her height, again, facing her eye-to-eye. As they start to walk through Lady Whistledown’s methods, he crosses past her and Eloise follows, deeper into the shop.

“The print shop where Theo works was, in fact, Whistledown’s. He has told me everything.” “Eloise, I thought you had quit your hunt. Were Whistledown’s words not enough?... People know you have been speaking to him, Theo. There’s been gossip about you and a man from the lower classes.”

This scene guts me every time. Again, if Penelope had been honest with Eloise in Season 1, the pair of them might have gone in this together. Theo would never have happened. But we are made by the decisions we make.

“You had to have heard people talking... Your family are already in a great deal of trouble.”

Ah, the axe in the back. Bridgertons are a fierce family. Anthony fights for the family he has. Daphne sees herself a Bridgerton, still, despite being a Duchess. They allowed the younger two to dance when nobody else showed up for the ball.

This family takes care of each other and values each other. They would never purposefully do anything to injure one another. And Eloise has already brought shame on her family through her association with “improper company”.

“Then perhaps it could be the other modiste.”

I love the staging of this. Lady Whistledown articles on the table, and the two of them behind it. Eloise actually perches on the table as Theo leans down to speak with her. His sleeves are rolled up and her gloves are off. They are completely comfortable with one another. The tools of his trade sit alongside her beautiful box and the papers that brought them together.

There’s a familiarity in their positioning and attitude that does not require explanation or guarding. They effortlessly exist alongside one another.

Theo and Eloise are always at their best when they do not have the weight of expectations—both societal and familial—upon them. In this moment, they’re talking to one another, working the problem, and Eloise doesn’t even note when she brushes against him as she stands and he straightens.

He reaches for another pamphlet, but knocks them clear off. He bends down to retrieve them, and Eloise joins him. In gathering the papers, their hands meet. Eloise’s finger on her left hand barely grazes the skin on his right as both note the immediate spark felt from hands meeting.

His face falls faster as he waits for her to fall away. Eloise notes the connection, shaking her head slightly at the feeling. It’s when their eyes meet that she realizes what that feeling means.

His eyes search hers for permission, his expression softening. Eloise senses the shift and pulls her hands from his, leaving him holding all the pamphlets. She stands up, using the table for balance as she rises. He stands with her, matching her pace, still watching for some sign from her.

In all reality, she is the one standing in his way. She is the one who crossed to his side of the table. She is the one unmoving in this situation and he’s the one waiting for her permission or condemnation. When neither comes, he moves ever so slightly toward her with the clear intent to kiss her.

Eloise starts, jerking away. His head falls, shame consuming him. That was a big risk he just took, and it didn’t pay off. To see her look at him that way, to pull away from him, was painful.

“Forgive me.” “This is absurd.”

Her body language completely shifts. The comfort they felt only a moment earlier disappears.

“I would never-” “No. This whole thing, it is absurd.”

He thinks it’s his advance that is the problem, but it’s only the proverbial straw. Eloise has Penelope’s voice in her head, the knowledge that her actions are already being spoken of... that if anything were to happen between them, it would hurt her family.

“I am sorry for wasting your time.” “Are you? Or are you suddenly dropping out of this hunt for other reasons?”

He’s asking her to give him a real reason. He needs to know. As much as she needed to know if he had feelings for her, he needs to know this. He needs to know why she is suddenly changing direction.

“People are already talking about us, Theo.”

The first time she’s spoken his name to him. It’s such a personal thing, especially in those days, for a Lady to speak the name of a man who is not a family member. But the impact of it is lost in the sea of other things she says.

“I could not live with myself if you are the one who has to face the consequences.”

What a gut-punch. Because in this one phrase she has told him that she wasn’t in this for the long haul, that she would never abandon her world, that this was only a dalliance and not something lasting.

And now Eloise is the one saying what she must to protect him... and her. They are more alike than they know, but they haven’t yet learned how to communicate it. She is pushing him away on purpose... to do what she thinks is right.

“I should’ve known that you could not be different from all other ladies.”

There are tears in his eyes. Whether he’d like to admit it, he was falling for her. After he was nearly thrown out and she targeted by the Queen, he’d been willing to release her, to never see her again. But when she responded to his note, it opened that spot in his heart, again, tearing some as it did.

Eloise absorbs his words, trying to hold to her position. People are already talking. She can’t hurt her family. She can’t let him be hurt. These are the words echoing in her mind.

“It’s alright, Miss Bridgerton. You dipped your toes in my waters trying to make yourself feel better about the unearned advantages of your birth.”

Oh, that cuts into her. She knows that this is the end. It has to be. But to have that be his last impression of her? For him to believe that everything was the frivolity of a Lady rather than something real? Oh, that hurts.

“Now you can go back to your life, and I can go back to mine.”

His voice breaks. He’s barely containing the hurt, now. He opened himself up further than he meant to... because he felt safe in it, the same way that she did. But her words cut deep, and bring all his fears about this friendship to light—it’s not real. She’s just a Lady having a laugh. You’ll be left brokenhearted.

Yes, he’s brokenhearted. But he doesn’t realize that so is she.

He crosses to her, holding the last thing connecting the two of them... papers. It all comes back to papers.

A piece of paper brought them together. Another piece invited her to his world. Paper-filled books brought their relationship to a closer point, and then another reunited them after they’d separated.

There are no more papers after this one. There are no more books. No more letters. With these papers returned... they are undone.

He places the papers in the box and takes one last look at this Lady he’s come to care for far too much.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you find your writer.”

With those words, he’s stripped everything away. This was never a relationship. This was never a bond. This was never a friendship. It was an assignment that could not be completed.

And that’s enough to make Eloise waver. Tears flood her eyes as she looks up at him, close as they were moments earlier, now he feels so far.

“Best of luck.”

He barely meets her eyes. It hurts too much. Her tears could be a manipulation. He can’t trust anything, now. He walks away, and as he does, something in her cracks.

“Theo-”

But, it’s too late. He turns away from her and closes the door. It’s an echo of their first meeting, but this time they are both wounded.

“You seem to have the melancholy of heartbreak about you.”

Benedict and Eloise’s relationship is one of my favorites. They tease each other, sure, but they can also be brutally honest with one another. When Eloise attempted to warn Benedict off Madame Delacroix in season one (thinking she was Lady Whistledown), Benedict said she was the person he least expected to take issue with him seeing someone in the working class. It’s very telling that these two Bridgertons are the ones who seem to struggle most to find their place in Polite Society.

He approaches her, at first, much as he always has during their little chats out here on the swings. But, this time, he can see something is different with her. If only he knew.

“You were correct about Theo. It was a mistake ever getting involved with him. I took your advice and I extricated myself. He did not take it well, but I think it was the necessary choice. Thank you for protecting me. You are a true friend.”

“Necessary” is the word I key off of in this sentence. Eloise, as we’ve said before, is not marriage minded. If she and Theo had kissed, she might worry he has designs of marriage, and that is not something on her mind, at present. To face the possibility of being forced into marriage...that is the very opposite of everything Eloise wants.

If nobody had known about Theo, it would have been easier to take her time making up her mind. But Penelope said people knew, and hinted it could hurt her family. Eloise did what she thought she had to to do.

“Then I thought about how you said people have been talking about me and Theo. Only, if that were the case, Whistledown would have written about it weeks ago... I ended my friendship with Theo because of you. One of the only good things in my life, all because of your self-serving manipulation.”

Because she thought that’s what she had to do... to do the right thing. Eloise doesn’t question herself much, but she listened to her dearest friend because so often Penelope has been right.

At the end, as the sky alights in brilliance, Eloise is alone in her bedroom, the Lady Whistledown pamphlets torn and scattered across her floor. She leans against the window, sobs overcoming her.

It’s too much. Eloise lost everything. She can’t go to anymore assemblies, because she’s already been spotted keeping improper company and doesn’t want to attract more attention. She can’t see Theo because she burned that bridge. And now her dearest friend, Pen, the one person who made unbearable niceties bearable is exposed as Lady Whistledown herself.

Season Three

I have no idea what will happen in S3 any more than any other person. But, I’d love for there to be more Theo. I’ve love for them to be endgame. I’d love for Eloise to start writing her own Women’s Rights pamphlet written by “A Lady” much as Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility was in 1811.

The thing that strikes me about Eloise’s journey this season is that she is working toward taking action. And Penelope’s words in the finale might be the last thing that pushes her to truly do something about her activism.

I believe Eloise is on a journey to finding her own confidence in herself, enough that she no longer crumbles under the weight of societal expectation. I am not one who ever thinks Eloise will be defined by a man or any relationship.

She is writing her own story. Theo is a part of it, not the entirety.

I suppose we’ll all see how it turns out for the Bridgertons and Friends soon enough. If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the ride!

#Theloise #Eloise Bridgerton #Theo Sharpe #Bridgerton #Bridgerton Season 2 #Theo x Eloise #Eloise x Theo #Nerdswoon #Claudia Jessie #Calam Lynch

223 notes · View notes

doobnnoob-tf2 · 2 years

Note

hello!! how would the mercs react being in a escape room? 👀

Scout: he goes in, acting all cocky and saying he’ll have it solved in no time. he finds one item quickly and that alone feeds his ego. he spends the rest of his time in there with the coordinators having to constantly give him hints and remind him of his time limit

Soldier: he runs out of time after spending too long having to explain how it would have been impossible for him to be locked in this room. these hypothetical captors would have never been able to get him in there, he’d have fought them off with his own fists! send them in, he’ll show them what for! the timer runs out and he refuses to leave, saying that they’ll have to send these so called captors to force him out. the team has to step in and remind him it’s just a game

Pyro: they went in to have fun and then needed to be escorted out. the puzzles were boring and they lost interest in trying to solve them and went to burn something instead as a means of bypassing figuring out the riddle. they’re banned from participating again

Demoman: he has a blast. he wasn’t sure about it going in but he winds up having the best time. he finds some of the puzzles to be challenging and even laughs when he realizes how obvious the answer was after getting stumped on it. he doesn’t really get immersed in the story, he has more fun just solving things

Heavy: he only did it because everyone else did and then pushed him to try it out. none of the scares even faze him in the slightest and he’s generally unimpressed. he thinks the story is flimsy at best and also he keeps looking at the camera and reminding them he’s a big man, he could escape through the door at any time and defeat the captors and be on his way without all of these extra steps. he beats it in a decent amount of time but says it was too hard for him to get into it when he could have broken out many other ways

Engineer: he doesn’t get the best time in the slightest. and that’s only because he kept stopping to inspect all the elements to the puzzles. he’s getting ideas because now this just seems like a fun thing to make

Medic: he spends way too long griping about how unimpressed he is with the fake bodies / spooky elements. this blood spatter is so unrealistic for this type of injury. that’s how at all how a body would look after being gutted. his time runs out and he ignores them and just continues

Sniper: he’s the only one who goes in there just to have fun and immerse himself in the experience. it’s fun, he’s enjoying himself. he only has to ask for a hint once because one of the codes got the facts wrong in order to solve the riddle. he spends the next few minutes having to explain to them the difference between poisonous and venomous. but regardless he actually enjoys himself and makes it through at a fairly decent time

Spy: he beats it in record time. no one at the establishment is even sure how the hell he did it. he just walked into each area, glanced around, and solved the puzzles without any effort at all. and no, he didn’t stay to have his picture taken for their Wall of Fame at the end

#tf2 #team fortress 2 #tf2 headcanons #tf2 scout #tf2 soldier #tf2 pyro #tf2 demoman #tf2 heavy #tf2 engineer #tf2 medic #tf2 sniper #tf2 spy #sharing one braincell

136 notes · View notes

hotwings0203 · 3 years

Text

Guys I’m having another Bakugo brainrot

Tw: bullying, noncon, nonconsensual peeping, manipulation

Remember that one episode of MHA where the class goes to the sauna and M*neta tries to check da girls out over the wall?

Imagine the same scenario, but years later when they’re all older

The class wanted a reunion, just to relax and blow off some steam

You’re with the girls, and you all lay back in the hot water reminiscing about the older days when everyone was still getting the hang of their own quirks

Mina brings up this exact same scene but years ago.

“Ohmigosh, do you guys remember the last time we came in our first year here and Mineta totally tried to get a peek at us?”

“Ugh, I hope Iida is keeping a good hold on him right now,” Ochacko giggles, kicking her feet up to rest on a rock

You hum in agreement, tilting your head back to rest against the wooden wall separating you and the boys.

As it was, Uraraka was almost spot on with her hopes. Except, Iida and Tokoyami were out getting refreshments for the rest of the boys, leaving the remaining group to their own plot.

Which was lead by Mineta, of course, who had the brilliant idea to spy on the girls, just like they almost did years back.

“Guys, come on, please they’re right there!” He practically salivates, wildly gesturing to the tall wooden wall in front of them.

Most of them shift uncomfortably and groan about him being a creep as usual, but the rest stay silent.

Mineta takes their lack of outright refusal as fuel to keep blabbering.

“Look, we almost got away with it back then-“

“-You mean you got away with it, we didn’t do shit. And you didn’t exactly get off scot-free, Kota completely demolished your attempts and you landed ass down on Four-Eyes’ face,” Bakugo drawls, leaning his head backwards and looking up at the obsidian sky. The boys laugh, remembering the ridiculous event.

The night is cool, the stars littering the inky atmosphere take the pressure off of Bakugo’s lungs. For weeks now they’ve been training like dogs, battling each other and even minor villains for extra practice of their quirks. This trip was supposed to be a leisure getaway, not a free porno.

But the grape-headed perv is insistent, scoffing and waving the blond’s quip off like some annoying fly.

“You know, there’s something in it for you too, Bakugo. I’ve seen the way you look at Y/N.”

This causes a murmur and a couple of light beers towards the blond, who in turn snarls and ignites his hand to quell the commotion. All of them had an inkling that Katsuki Bakugo had finally set his sights on some poor girl, and that was you. It was such a rare sight to see his face flush slightly when you walked past him, the way he stuttered over his words a bit when you two would be conversing amongst the same group, and best of all, when they would see how he would excuse himself to the bathroom or locker room occasionally when your hero suit would tear in certain places after battles.

“Shut the fuck up 3’2, unlike you I don’t need to ogle at those brain dead bimbos.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you thought of Y/N as a ‘brain dead bimbo’, Bakugo, I’ll be sure to let her know how you feel” Mineta grinned maliciously, and the boys ‘oooo’ed at the jab.

Bakugo’s voice caught in his throat.

“You wouldn’t,” he growled, rising slightly out of the water.

“I already know you’ll kill me afterwards, but I’m prepared for the repercussions if you don’t help...cooperate here,” Grapehead inspected a cuticle and feigned a yawn.

“Come on Bakugo, it’s not like it’s gonna hurt anyone! Well keep this to ourselves,” Denki chimed in a little too eagerly.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re only asking for your and everyone’s support so that we can focus better on training y’know? A little fun never killed anyone.” Sero threw his arm over Kirishima’s shoulder, who blushed at the whole ordeal but kept silent all the while.

Katsuki looked around. Slowly, others were starting to really listen in and look interested at the outcome of Mineta’s plan. Surely a little peeping wouldn’t be too bad would it? And plus, it was only a one time thing.

Shoto was faring the same way as Kirishima, quiet and maybe embarrassed at what they were planning on doing, but no outright refusal. Even Deku had a weird longing glint in his eye, the same kind he would get when he used to fawn over All Might.

He thought about it for a minute more, a chance to see you, naked, honest, and pure, splashing around with your friends as you let your femininity dangle as it pleased.

“Do whatever the hell you want. I’m not taking blame if the bird and glasses come back, though.”

Hushed cheers and excited murmurs erupt from around the spring, and they huddle together to form a plan.

A couple minutes later, the boys were grouping around the wooden panels. Todoroki had burned a hole into the soft wood, and sero had used his transparent tape to cover it up so that the girls couldn’t see it from their side.

And there they were, completely bare, hair flowing, curves showing, voices mature and high pitched giggles emanating from around the water and bank.

Bakugo seeks you out immediately after the hole is made, shoving his way through the crowded bodies much to the amusement of others. But he doesn’t care, all he wants at the moment is to see you in your most honest element.

He doesn’t have to look long, because you’re right there, you’re right in front of them, only a few meters away. Your back is facing them, but the sight of your smooth, naked back and the round curve of your ass squishing against the rocks underneath you is enough to make Bakugo’s cock bob painfully above the water. It’s not too hard to hide his erection since the boys’s attention is elsewhere at the moment.

Your hair is open, and he wants nothing more than to feel it in his hands, run his fingers though your scalp and pull so hard that your neck is snapped back, he wants to know what kind of noises you’ll make for him, would you sound shrill and high pitched or would you wail and bellow for him to let go?

They can hear the girls talking amongst themselves, the hole in the wall makes their voices more audible and clear.

“Quit playing coy, Jirou, we know you’ve got your eye on someone,” Hagakure’s body is nowhere to be found as usual, but her chipper voice rings out from the middle of the hot spring.

Jirou is a few feet away from where you sit, her body also being shown for everyone to see. Bakugo glances at Kaminari to confirm his suspicion, but gags and quickly looks away when he gets an eyeful of his friends’ erect cock.

Not that Bakugo himself has room to talk, though.

“I mean, not really, it’s not a big deal.” The ravenette shifts and hides her head from the rest of girls’ cooing.

“Uh huh, sure. You’re not fooling anyone Kiyoka, I’ve seen the way you look at Denki. You two can’t keep your eyes off each other, it’s cute,” you purr, and Bakugo holds himself back from shoving the other guys out of the way just so that he can hear your voice the best.

Squeals and sounds of splashing fill the air, and Sero and Kirishima whisper excitedly and clap their red-faced friend on the back. Denki can’t keep the 50K watt smile off his face, and even Bakugo grunts and knocks shoulders with him, letting him know that he was happy for the human charger.

But then Jirou claps back with her own snarky observation, and the boys fall hush at the new revelation.

“Alright, you wanna talk about ogling Y/N? Then tell me, how’s Deku doing?”

“Or Bakugo, too,” Mina adds slyly, and now all the girls’ attention, as well as the boys’, is on you.

Bakugo felt like he had whiplash. He would’ve been elated, on Cloud 9 even to hear that maybe you had something for him too, had shitty Deku’s name not have been thrown in there too.

And he looks around wildly for the green haired freak, the freckles dusted across the expanse of his face even more prominent from the deep blush quickly forming, his scarred hands holding the sides of his face shaking in awe and gleeful shock.

But the rest of the boys aren’t as oblivious to how Bakugo seethes at his rival’s joy, from the way the water gets hotter from his quirk sparking underneath the rippling waves. Kirishima scoots closer to his friend and gently lays a hand on his shoulder as if to say, calm down, man. Not right now.

And so the hothead leaves it for the time being, opting to hear your response.

“I-it’s really nothing, they’re both just good classmates like the rest of the guys,” and although your back is turned to them, it doesn’t take a genius to know that you’re embarrassed too, your leg skittishly bouncing in front of you is making your ass jiggle from the back, much to the delight of the salivating boys.

Bakugo wants to spill blood when he suddenly realizes your body is being shown for the rest of these dogs to see

The girls start teasing you, your splutters being drowned out by their playful accusations.

“Come on L/N, whose cuter?”

“Dont act all coy now, I know how nervous you get when you’re all close to Bakugo. I mean I don’t blame you, have you seen his muscles? He could crush someone’s head with those things!”

“Yeah, but have you seen the way she giggles when Deku starts his mumbling tangents? That’s a classic crush right there.”

Bakugo is getting desperate to hear your answer now, some of the boys have left, feeling like they had their full of excitement for the night. They saw some tits and ass, heard some gossip, end of story.

The only ones remaining were Bakugo and his gang, as well as IcyHot and Shitty Deku.

Shitty Deku, who seemed equally eager to hear your response.

It pissed him off that he wasn’t getting the message to fuck off, even after all the growling and death stares he was receiving from his childhood friend.

But he guesses after a lifetime of dealing with it, it doesn’t scare Deku as much as it does anymore.

Maybe he’ll have to amp it up, later

“W-well I mean both of them have their own respective...flaws and strengths I guess..sometimes Deku can be kinda hard to talk to ‘cuz he’s so shy, but Bakugo can be a real jerk at times, too.”

You trail off, and Bakugo scoffs to himself. Him? Flaws? Those two words didn’t go well in one sentence together, but nonetheless he continues to listen. He wouldn’t refute the notion of him being an asshole, he wasnt that delusional.

“And yeah, I mean Bakugo definitely intimidates me sometimes with how aggressive he can be, but Deku is definitely getting up there in terms of physical prowess. But in terms of who I like, I’d have to say-“

“Midoriya! Bakugo! What are you two doing over there?”

Iidas voice booms across the water, and all 6 of the boys jump back, startled at the intrusion.

“No, wait-“ Bakugo hisses, clawing his way towards the hole to hear the rest of what you had to say, but Sero and Todoroki shove him back and patch the hole up with fire and tape, shutting off your confession.

Deku waves his arms around wildly, stammering some excuse of dropping his towel in the spot where they all were sheepishly gathered. They eventually waded their way over to where Tokoyami had set the drinks down, but the blond was shaking with hot rage despite the cool refreshment that was shoved into his hand by a wary Kirishima.

“Don’t sweat it dude, it’s not like her and Midoriya are gonna da-“

“Finish that sentence and I’ll blast both your and his head off,” he glowers at the redhead, shorting a dark look to where an all-too-happy Deku was chatting with Todoroki, as if they hadn’t been drooling over their naked classmates merely a couple minutes ago.

Kirishima backs off with raised hands in surrender, leaving Katsuki to mull over the situation by himself.

You couldn’t seriously be interested in that green haired freak, right? I mean he could barely talk to a girl without tripping over his own damn tongue, for fucks sake.

Not that he was any better himself. He failed to acknowledge the times where you had merely asked him for an extra pencil, when he snapped at you for being such a fuckin’ dumbass that you couldn’t even remember to bring your own shit. He had done that out of pure impulse, but he regretted it the moment he saw your face fall, his heart clenching at the sight

He’d have to show you that he was the better option, regardless of if you wanted it or not.

And so when they had all gotten out of the water and gotten ready for food, Bakugo already knew what he had to do.

You were all eating outside in the camp pavilion, each at their own separate tables. He was sitting with the boys, all of them joking around and throwing food at each other while he was staring you down.

He couldn’t keep his eyes off you. How could you expect him to, after he had seen half of you bare already? It was sinful almost, the way you were completely in the dark about what he had seen and heard, while he himself was fantasizing about what you looked like and felt like on the front.

So when Deku came by your table, no doubt also having the same conversation of the springs in mind, wanting to get closer to you, Bakugo felt his sanity snap.

The fork he held in his hand started melting in his ignited hand, steam curling from his palm. He watched as the green-eyed fuck made successful shitty attempts to make you laugh, his eyes trained on where you gently laid a hand on his shoulder after something he said that made you throw your head back and howl with glee.

“Hey man, your fork-!” Kaminari yelped, pointing at the disfigured mess of metal in his friend’s steaming hand.

“Huh?” Bakugo was pulled out of his irate daze, and he quickly dropped the fork when he saw what he unconsciously did.

They all looked at him for an uneasy minute after noticing the expression on his face, no doubt understanding he was furious about being compared to Deku once again in front of you.

“Look, Bakugo, don’t really take what Y/N said to heart. We don’t know who she actually likes, and Midoriya’s just her friend...” but Sero trails off hesitantly after glancing in your direction, seeing Deku’s dreamy expression as your hand still continues to rest on his shoulder.

“Just let her come to you, yeah? You don’t wanna force anything on her, that’ll make her really uncomfortable-“

-“Shut the fuck up Shitty Hair, and mind your own damn business,” Bakugo interjects, abruptly unscrewing his drink and standing up, unable to lose you to some broccoli- headed bug-eyed fuck.

He stiffly walks across the pavilion to where you two sit, and feigns a swig from his bottle. Your focus is still on Deku, so you don’t notice him approach until he comes up behind you two and ‘trip’s, falling forward and strategically spilling the liquid all over Deku’s back and your front.

You squeal as your blouse is drenched, and Deku shoots up from his seat to grab some napkins while searching for the perpetrator.

“What the- Kacchan?”

“Oops.”

Bewildered, you look at the two while dabbing the wet splotches on your shirt, Mina and Tsu jumping into action to help you.

The boys exchange a weird look, and although Bakugo gave his version of an apology, he doesn’t look very sorry. In fact, if you saw it right he looked almost...smug? With a bit of anger?

Deku wasn’t any easier to understand either. His voice was lilted as usual while he grabbed napkins, but his gaze never left his childhood friends’ and his eyes weren’t exactly the big doe-eyes you had grown fond of.

They were darkened, and narrowed as they bored into Bakugo’s eyes. Neither one of them was looking away from each other, and there was a weird tension in the air that everyone could sense.

But you couldn’t focus on that right now, you had to go and wash up.

“I gotta change and maybe take a shower, I can feel it sticking to my skin,” you scrunch your nose in disgust and tell Mina as you stand to leave. Deku offers to walk you, but you wave him off kindly.

As you pass by Bakugo, you can feel his eyes rove up and down your body, very obviously staring at the way your white shirt clings to your chest from the liquid, sending chills up your spine.

But he doesn’t come after you, not yet.

It’s only after everyone has finished up from their dinner and headed off to bed almost 20 minutes later that the showers finally, finally warm up enough for you to dip a hesitant toe in.

Curse the old pipes.

*******

He watches you from the dark, the only light you’re provided with is the dim emergency light from the rusty bulb, the camp counselors having been shut the facility’s lights off merely a half hour ago. But you were stubborn in waiting for the water to warm up so you were left alone in the showers, shifting uncomfortably in your sticky wet clothes.

And then miraculously you get up for the umpteenth time to check the temperature of the water, and it’s finally deemed appropriate for you when you sigh in relief and start taking your shoes off.

He hides in the door partition, his cock hardening slowly as he thinks of you alone with just him and his mercy. You were going to pay for almost breaking his heart and prancing around with stupid fucking Deku instead.

But asides from his rage, he still liked you, a lot. He wanted you to want him as much as he wanted you, so he decided to try and attempt to make your first time with him as gentle and as special as he could in the dirty cabin showers.

Bakugo waits with bated breath for the right moment, and the second your hands grip the end of your shirt to pull it up, he slowly emerges from the dark.

“You know, I’m glad you came here alone, at night. It’s almost like you wanted this.”

You jump violently at the low voice coming from seemingly nowhere, and you wildly look around for the source until you see him...coming at you slow from the inky abyss of the room, like a predator stalking his prey.

His figure seems to loom even larger than he actually is, the shadows of his tall body bouncing off the walls and grazing over the top of your head. He seems to be in no rush, taking his time with his hands in his pockets, eyes flashing dangerously at you as he stalks forward until he’s backed you up against the deteriorating wall, chest to chest with you.

“W-what the hell, Bakugo,” you stammer nervously. “This is the girls room, you can’t be here-“

And the hand you raise to push him away is caught in his calloused ones, your other wrist is quickly seized as well and slammed above your head. You cry out in pain and try kicking out, but he wedges a bulky knee in between your thigh and shoves his face mere millimeters away from yours, a mean leer adorning his normally-attractive face.

“What, I can’t be here? And here I was thinking that you almost liked me. But oh, I forgot, Deku’s your favorite, right?” The grip on your wrist tigthens and his leg flexes from in between your thighs.

You squirm and sob, about to ask what the hell he was talking about-

Oh.

Oh no.

He sees the understanding pass over your face, and he laughs cruelly at the horror that comes with it.

“You heard me? How?”

“Not just heard. I saw you, too.”

He lets his eyes drop from your neck, to your chest, and then to the juncture between your legs which was being massaged by his knee.

Tears well up in your eyes as you realize he was watching you this entire evening in the springs. How he got away with it, you didn’t want to even know.

“I saw your hair open for the first time, and not in that stupid hairdo you always do for school.”

He trails his hand softly up the sides of your body and up your neck until he reaches his big hand into your scalp. You whimper and gasp as he laces his fingers through your locks, seeming to caress you but then harshly yanking your head back so you had no choice but to look at him head on.

“I saw your ass pressed up against the rocks, and I wished it was up against my cock instead.”

He removes his hand from your hair and snakes it down to your bottom, kneading and slapping it lightly. You writhe even harder now, too scared to make a noise in case he hurts you even worse, just wanting him to get the hell off of you.

“But I didn’t see the front of you. I imagined what you would look like with tears streaming down your face while I was stuffing you full of me”

He plays with the edge of your shirt, a dark look in his eye as he plays with you. You try to budge your hands but to now avail, only serving in annoying him and shoving his knee up further into your crotch. The pressure on your clit is immense, and your legs start shaking as you’re forced to be suspended almost midair on his knee.

“Take this off,” he says softly, the rasp catching in his voice.

“Bakugo, please. You don’t have to do this, I swear I won’t tell anyone-“

“You think I’m worried about if you’ll tell anyone? Hah! I already know you won’t, wanna know why?”

He leans in, inhaling the scent of your hair and grazing his nose along the side of your neck. You force yourself to breath in and out, feeling an impending heart attack.

“‘Cause if you do, I’ll make sure to fuck you in front of everyone, especially on Deku’s broken body.”

And then you can’t stop them, the tears fall from your body shaking in pure fear at his threat.

You knew he wouldn’t actually do something like that, but hearing it snarled in your ear so softly made you believe it all the same, the power he held while you were fucked, literally and metaphorically.

“Now I’m not gonna ask you again. Take this shit off before I burn it, bitch.”

You don’t want to piss him off further, so with trembling hands you lift the edge of your sticky uniform and start to pull it off, but he stops you with a frustrated grunt.

“Slowly. I wanna savor this while no ones here.”

You bite your lip and suppress a scream as you do what he says.

And oh, does he ever savor it. The shirt clings deliciously to your breasts, and he licks his lips as it ruffles up and over your head. Your skin is perspiring from the humid air, a sheen of sweat lightly decorating your collarbones. Bakugo can’t hold himself back any longer, and you yelp when he comes at you suddenly.

He lunges at your face and pins your arms down by your side again as his lips mesh against yours, his kiss filled with clacking teeth and a thrashing tongue against your lips. The knee you’re straddling is bouncing lightly up and down, jostling you on it and causing your cunt to pulsate with heat.

You let out a distressed moan, and he swallows it greedily, using the advantage of your open mouth to delve deeper into your wet cavern. You open bleary eyes and flinch when you find his already wide open, staring back into unforgiving vermillion orbs.

He pulls back slightly, panting. “I bet Deku didn’t get this kind of treatment, huh? It’s all for me right?”

You don’t know if he’s genuinely asking you or just being insane, so you don’t answer him. Fortunately and unfortunately for you, he doesn’t care for your response, rather more focusing on dragging you by your neck towards the hot showers.

You slip and stumble as he shoves you in a stall, gaining your balance only too late when he turns and locks the door.

“Look, I’m sorry okay? I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, just forget you saw or heard anything at the springs, it was just girl talk, stupid stuff that didn’t mean anything-“

“-even if it didn’t mean anything to you I’ll make sure you believe what you’ll feel after I fuck you senseless.”

And with that, he tugs off his clothes and licks his lips at the sight of you cowering against the wall, naked and oh so vulnerable.

He slowly shifts towards you, pressing his body flush against your trembling one. You can feel the outline of his erection on your thigh, and you swallow at how big it is.

“I don’t wanna have to close your mouth or restrain you when I’m balls deep in that tight cunt. So don’t do anything stupid and this’ll be a whole lot easier for you.”

He reaches a hand down and lightly strokes your labia, relishing in how you whimper and jerk against him, but don’t dare try to stop his hand.

Smart girl

Another hand finds its way to your tits, tugging and pulling at your hardened nipples. You gasp and arch into his touch, slowly coming undone from his ministrations. He humps against your leg like a teenage kid, grunting while he does so.

His mouth is attacking yours once again, but now you’re too tired from the constant surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins to even move your head. You just let him play with your body, your heart, your soul.

“I think the princess is wet enough for me now,” he leers at you when he pulls his fingers away, scissoring his digits to show the strings of wetness he pulled from your pussy.

You squeal and grab onto his chiseled arms as he suddenly hikes his hands underneath your upper thighs and picks you up, forcing your legs to wrap around his middle for support.

He slams you against the wall, the water cascading down your head is making your hair stick to your face, and in a strange and sudden show of intimacy Bakugo softly moves your locks away from your eyes. Your gazes lock, yours desperate and tear filled while his scarlet hues show no signs of mercy, but rather a strange predatory hunger.

Your arms scrabble behind his head and on his shoulders for balance as he slowly sinks you down on his length. You hiss and throw your head back at the sensation of being filled, and he eats it up.

He watches the way your mouth opens, your eyes widen, as every sinful sound your body can make escapes you.

As if he needed more of an ego boost

You wail as the last inches are sucked into your dripping hole, and he lets out a mean breathy laugh.

“Fuck, you really were ready huh? I should’ve taken you weeks ago, little slut.”

Your brows furrow and you try to turn your face away but he snatches your chin in a hardened grip.

“Uh-uh, none of that shit. You were doing so well, don’t turn away from me now.”

He slowly starts to roll his hips minutely into yours, not exactly thrusting but enough movement to make your cunt flutter and throb.

“What do you want me to say? You got what you wanted!” You whisper to him, more tears falling down freely down your cheeks.

He can’t help himself, he groans and surges forward to lick the salty rivers up, gripping your ass tightly when you flinch.

“Tell me you love me. Tell me how much you want me, how much better I am than that green-haired bastard and I won’t shove it up your ass.”

You can feel his abdomen clench and shake from the effort he’s making not to completely batter your cervix so you give in quickly, afraid of what he’s like when his thin strands of self restraint snap.

“I...I love you Bakugo. I really want y-ooh!”

The last bit of your sentence is choked off as he lifts you up all the way to his tip and slams your hips down his length. You gasp and weave your hands through his hair for support, your legs violently shaking at the pain.

He grunts and starts really giving it to you, setting a fast pace as he bounces you on his cock. Your head is bobbing around, you’re fairly certain there’s drool coming down your lips but you can’t find it in you to care as he fucks you into oblivion.

After a couple of more painful thrusts he pushes you against the wall and removes your hands from his hair, holding them above your head against the wall. You’re trapped with your upper half plastered against the dingy tile while your lower half is wrapped his dick.

Your cunt swallowing him down is the only leverage you have, so your whole body weight presses down on his shaft. He moans loudly at the pressure on his tip, your gooey hot walls clamping around him from every angle and you yourself can’t help it when your eyes roll back at the sensation.

He rocks his hips up, and up you go as well, whining and clawing at the wall behind you, desperately grappling onto your sanity as well. Your tits bounce with each thrust, and his glinting eyes take perverse joy in their obscene movements.

Bakugo starts moving in earnst now, deeming the slow strokes enough prep for you. He batters your womb, reaching places not even your fingers could access, making you go cross eyed.

He sees this and snickers at your pathetic state.

“Fuck yeah you little whore. You’re gonna learn no one else can satisfy this slutty pussy like I can.”

You give him nothing but a choked gasp in response. You head moves like a bobblehead, you can’t even see clearly from the water cascading into your eyes. He’s just a towering blob of ashy blond hair and large muscles.

His hips start stuttering in their rhythm, drawing to a close from his contrasting pounding minutes earlier. Your nails rake over his forearms, holding on for dear life as he pants and groans into your ear like an animal. His dick spasms inside you for a second or two, and then Bakugo suddenly holds you tight against him, wet bodies pressed against each other as he cums.

He lets out a loud moan as you whine into his shoulder at the sensation of his hot seed filling you up. You’re held against his heaving chest for a moment of two, the both of you catching your breath until he slowly backs up and lets you slip to the ground.

It’s suddenly very quiet, the sound of the shower is drowned out by the ringing in your head. You’re shaking, shock overcoming your abused body as you refuse to look at him.

But he won’t have any of that. He steps forward, and you flinch yet again, scrambling backwards to put very necessary space between him and you.

“You got what you wanted. Please leave, I won’t say anything to anyone.” You breath out shakily.

He’s silent for a moment before you hear him chuckle. His low chuckles grow louder and more derisive, he’s booming with sinister laughter and you snap your head up in horror at him.

“You think this is done?”

He crouches to your level suddenly, elbows on his knees as he cocks his head at you, eyeing your naked body that he so recently claimed as his. His gaze travels down to where his cum seeps from between your legs, and you quickly cross your limbs over to prevent him from seeing the lewd sight.

“You’re mine now, Y/N. I already told you, you’re not gonna be talking to Deku, or any other guy apart from me. You think they’ll even want you when they find out how you loved being fucked in the dirty showers? Everyone’s gonna call you a slut, nothing else.”

“No, that’s not true you-“

He crawls to you, and it’s so mesmerizingly terrifying to see a man of his build crawl to you like some deranged humanoid that you shut up, words caught in your throat.

“Shut the fuck up.” He says softly. “You’re my bitch now, and you’ll do whatever the fuck I say, when I say it.”

Bakugo might’ve felt a little bad to see the girl he liked so scared of him all because of his doing, but the way you trembled and crossed your legs like the stupid, helpless little girl that you were erased every hesitancy from his mind.

He grabbed your cheeks and smushed them together, paying no mind to the pleas and whimpers you let out in retaliation.

Licking a long stripe up your neck, you shivered when he growled, “now clean up and be outside in 10 minutes, you’re sleeping in my bunk tonight. The guys are all asleep so we’ll just take an empty room in the cabin.”

He released you and stood back up, grabbing a towel for himself along the way. Drying his hair off, his back was turned to you as he started picking his clothes up too.

You just sat there in a daze, wondering what the hell just happened.

“Oh, and Y/N?” He was dressed, and he was at the door now.

“If you think about doing anything stupid or take longer than 10 minutes, I’ll come back in and get you personally. And I’ll make sure that we stay here for the rest of the night, just in case you like your little time alone that I’m giving you too much.”

#tw: noncon #bakugo smut #yandere bakugo katsuki #bakugo x you #bakugo mha #bakugo bnha #yandere bakugo x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #mha yandere #yandere Bakugo #bnha yandere #bnha smut #mha smut

1K notes · View notes