#it’s just frustrating to make me love these characters and get attached to this world and then execute their stories so terribly.)

[starryeyedcas]

Every Destiel Fic I’ve Ever Read [WIP]

Let’s do it! I took this list directly from my twitter

I’m not really going to post my ratings and stuff and I’m not going to copy what I said verbatim because as I grow older my opinions always change and every fic deserves love regardless of what some stranger on the internet thinks! Check these out if you need something new to read :)

Also, side note: A lot of the fics I tend to read are either non-canon or pre S10. If your looking for canon type, recent fics this will not be a list for you and I apologize :(

Also pt. 2: Some of the fics that I have listed on my twitter are no longer available so I have decided to not list them here. It’s very sad because there were some really good ones! Regardless, I’m still trying to keep this list as up to date as I possibly can when it comes to my reading ventures. Either way, I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I do <3

1. NINETY ONE WHISKEY

By komodobits, 401,193 words (not counting other fics in the series)

Please, please, please! Read this if you haven’t yet!! It’s a slow burn, World War II based fic and it’s my absolute favorite fic of all time. In fact I think it may be my favorite story of all time!! I come back to this fic always. If I’m sad, I read it. If I’m happy, I read it. I’ve read it probably 4 or 5 times at this point and it always holds up. I will say though, IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY. Dean and Cas are written VERY well, in fact every character in this fic are written to perfection. You find yourself growing attachments to side characters that you may have even forgotten existed in the show. I seriously cannot recommend this one enough. You will not regret it.

2. A BRIEF GLIMPSE

By cloudyjenn, 12,356 words

I’ll be honest, this one is special for me. This was the very first Destiel fic I ever read back in 2014. That being said, I may be a little biased towards it but I do genuinely think that it’s very cute. It’s a Slice-of-Life esque story with light supernatural happenings; where Castiel is in high school and has a very big crush on his best friend, Sam Winchester. Things start to go awry when Sam invites Cas to a carnival. I won’t spoil too much though! If you want a quick read with some fluff, definitely read this one.

3. SMELLS LIKE ROSES

By unknown :(, 53,828 words

Uhoh! A Djinn fic! I remember this one just hurting me so much. Dean is living his dream life. Everything around him is perfect and he’s mysteriously very happy. When you get to the end of this fic, holy cow the heartbreak. It’s written very well, you obviously can’t go wrong with a fic that slightly follows canon. I really like this one and I might reread it again soon but I cannot stress enough how much it hurts! Stay safe out there.

4. NOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH

By Tracy, around 4,700 words

Shorter fic based around s5 episodes 3 and 4. This one is good but it’s also very painful. I think I like fics that hurt me lol. There are some warnings I want to state! This fic features substance abuse, non con, mentions of torture and A CHARACTER DEATH so please be careful! This is told through Castiel’s perspective and all the summary says is “Castiel’s new life begins and ends with Dean.” So I will leave it at that. (Also as a side note whenever I think of this fic I think of the song ‘And So it Goes’ by Billy Joel. Listen to that while reading and you are sure to shed some tears. Stay safe friends xx)

5. PAINTED ANGELS

By WinnJennster, 105,637 words

This one used to be really popular, so it’s likely many of you have already read it. Either way I will still recommend it. It’s a nice little “reunited” type fic in which Cas is an author and Dean is a painter. I will say, however, that the angst in this fic is HEAVY. Personally, I’m not huge into giant angsty fics like this, or maybe the type of angst portrayed in this one. I just remember feeling a little frustrated by it. YET, this fic has a lot of good memorable moments with some fluff sprinkled throughout. If you love angst, this is the fic for you. WARNING though, you need an AO3 account to read this fic. If you’re not already logged in, you’re out of luck.

6. TWIST AND SHOUT

By Gabriel and standbyme, 97,556 words

Who are we kidding?? Everyone on this website KNOWS this fic. You all could probably recount it backwards, forwards, sideways, upside down. Who knows. All we know is that this fic is a capital S-A-D. When I was in high school, I LOVED this fic. I adored it, no matter how much it made me cry. Because YES there is a MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH. And NO it’s not FUN. Can I be honest? After rereading it, I feel as if Cas and Dean are out of character! Doesn’t mean it’s a bad story, absolutely not. It’s beautiful! I think it’s wonderful and obviously I recommend it. But you could change the names of the boys and you wouldn’t even know its based off two characters from Supernatural. This is my hill and I will gladly die on it. Read it if you dare, but remember to beware OOooOOoooOo (another side note: I had to go to the fic to get the link for this post and I swear to God my eyes watered when I read that first sentence. I HATE and I LOVE this fic all at the same time.)

7. SMOKE IN THE MIRROR

By letters_of_stars, 52,327 words

Oh shoot! Dean is an artist and he needs a nude model!! Who do you think is gonna take the bait?!?! In all seriousness though, I really adore this one. YES Castiel is nude and YES Dean is painting him but if you’re expecting smut right from the get go you are mistaken! I wanna say this is another slow burn?? But it has also been a while since I’ve read it. I just remember liking this one a lot. In my original rating, I gave it a 5/5 so that’s gotta mean something. Another little slice of life with a lot of good moments. Check it out!

8. A HOME BENEATH THE STARS

By CheshireMoon, 71,240 words

Hi, it’s me again. The girl who likes fics that rip her heart to SHREDS. I’m gonna be about as vague as can about this one because boy did that ending catch me off guard when I first read it. So Dean is homeless, right? And Cas is a kind hearted, Good Samaritan, astronomer. When the two meet Dean’s life changes… for the better… I’m gonna leave it at that. You could be ignorant like me and skip over the warnings to this fic and just leave it to good will and faith that this fic will leave you happy and giggly. Or you could do yourself a favor and know what’s coming but not know when it happens. Either way, I still recommend this one. I really like it, just make sure you have a fluff fest fic waiting for you on the other side.

9. THE FACE OF HEAVEN

By orange_crushed, 9,772 words

This one is short and so so sweet. Another type of slice-of-life where Dean is just a gay bartender living his best gay bartending life when he suddenly comes across a fallen star whose name is Castiel. It’s very unique and I love it so much. In my original opinion of this fic I said I didn’t like the formatting? And I think what I meant to say is, I don’t like reading long paragraphs but the formatting to this fic is perfectly fine lol. Still a fun little read and it’s pretty fluffy!

10. SO MUCH TANGLED THREAD

By imogenbynight, 37,428 words

Holy crap! Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES. It’s like, Ninety One Whiskey almost, except there’s time travel, and supernatural happenings, and OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS FIC. It’s ends pretty quick but it’s still so so so good. Please read it, show it some love. I think about this one from time to time and I still smile. Much like with Painted Angels, you need an account to read this one. So make sure you’re logged in! If you don’t have an account you best get that invitation fr.

11. DIAMOND STAR HALO

By had, 4,924 words

Just pure fluff told from Sam Winchester’s perspective. I kind of have a soft spot for fics told from a third party perspective because it’s like they’re seeing Dean and Cas how WE see Dean and Cas and it makes me all giddy, I dunno. This is a good short read and you should definitely read it after reading something really sad and heart wrenching!

12. CINDERWINGS

By bendingsignpost, 181,619 words

STOP!! I love this fic!! It’s a Cinderella type story, there’s a masquerade ball, Dean is a PRINCE. Very fantasy with supernatural elements. It’s WONDERFUL. The way the author writes about the world through Castiel’s perspective is super entertaining and funny and I love the misunderstandings that happen within the story. If you love fantasy and monarchy and magic and parties, this is definitely a fic for you.

13. ONE WHITE LIE

By komodobits, 11.179 words

I can’t lie, komodobits is my favorite fic author and so I am a little biased towards their stories. This one is no exception. It’s hilarious, lighthearted, and fluffy. The range that this author has with their fics amazes and horrifies me. How can one person have that much talent? I have no idea. This is just a komodobits appreciation post, you got me. Anywho, Castiel tells a small lie to the Winchester brothers and they mess with him. Not based in canon, a very slice-of-life fic. I love it, please check it out.

14. FORGET-ME-NOT BLUES

By noangelsinthegarrison, 68,689 words

Ahhh I remember this one. Another slice-of-life, have you noticed a pattern? Sam and Jess are getting married! Woohoo! Of course Dean is in the wedding but so is Castiel, someone Dean has history with……….. Basically there’s misunderstandings and mutual pining and it’s fun. It’s got all sorts of romcom elements with just a dash of angst!

15. MUSCLE MEMORY

By komodobits, 18,961 words

Give me a story that’s loosely based off of 50 First Dates and written by my favorite fic author and suddenly I’m in Heaven. I’m a really big fan of movie AU’s, especially well written and this one is no exception. It’s kind of sad though, but if you’ve seen 50 First Dates then you should expect that. Even if you aren’t a fan of movie AU’s, I would still suggest giving this one a read.

16. KIND OF A FOREVER DEAL

By komodobits, 111,460 words

STOP LOOKING AT ME. YOU THINK IM PUTTING TOO MANY FICS BY THE SAME AUTHOR HERE? WELL YOU LISTEN TO ME PAL, THIS WON’T BE THE LAST ONE EITHER!! Ahem, this fic is awesome and sort of a fan favorite already!! Slice-of-life, teenaged angst, summer camp, LoVe, it’s amazing! The way that the author wrote the friendship between Dean, Cas, Jo, and Victor has me in tears. Very wholesome and heart wrenching, highly recommend!

17. IMPERFECT PROPOSALS

By Fallen_Angel_Meg, 111,082 words

Another movie AU! This is loosely based off The Proposal and filled with fluff! You really don’t see a whole lot of crossover fics that are long like this one, but it’s fun to read and you’ll probably fly through it just like I did. Do you like The Proposal? No? Read it anyways xx

18. CHECKED OUT

By whelvenwinge, 27,127 words

Okay this one, is really good. Like really good. It comes complete with original artwork and fantastic storytelling. Castiel is a librarian and he really despises Dean Winchester, an acclaimed author. It’s sooooo good, I cannot stress enough how much I think you should read this. And you’ll get really pretty pictures to look at! The ending is great, the beginning is great, it’s just wonderful. So what are you waiting for? Run along now and read it!

19. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

By habitatfordeanwinchester, 2,593

This one is just cute. It’s short and fluffy. Imagine Castiel working at a Chipotle and getting special instructions on a mobile order. Can you guess who they’re from? If you’re sad and need a pick me up, just read this one. It’s so cute!

20. C-S-T-L

By komodobits, 90,377

It has been a really long time since I read this one. But I know that I loved every second of it and I was crying during the majority of it. Either because I had just got done reading 91w or because the story itself made me emotional. Either way it’s a fantastic read! Castiel is an android and Dean is tasked with adding him to their army for the WAR. This fic has wonderful world building, really in-depth character exploration, and the ANGST. I’m probably going to read this one again sometime soon~ JOIN MEEEEE

[unfortunatelyilikebnha]

Bnha makes me so mad because it could’ve been good. It had a lot of good aspects. But in the end none of them were satisfyingly resolved so it just feels bad.

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

Nobody asked me for my opinion on the controversy that dropped today when the Sonic Movie cast pay rate was revealed, which is fair ig since I try to stay positive on this blog. But in case you're wondering, yeah as a certified AFAB™ I'm pissed, but not really specifically at the Sonic crew. Actor pay rates are usually negotiated between agents and the production companies so just like all the other problems with the Sonic movies, this is most likely an issue with Paramount and their patented dumbfuckery. Disclaimer that obviously it could very well be a Sonic crew issue as well, obviously I don't know the inner workings of the entire film production.

Also, if you're mad about this: please be mad about the pay gap that has been going on as long as Hollywood has been alive. This isn't a problem unique to the SCU. I know the phrase "pay gap" is thrown around a whole lot but do you guys actually know how big an issue it is?

Recent percentages are that male and female actors have "a wage difference of about 25 percent," with an estimated difference of $1-2million between star-power men and star-power women.[x][x] Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone said she made $500k to Michael Douglas's $14mil– and when she was asked to be lead in a film being made in ~2022, the lead male, who was "new", was going to be paid $8-9mil, with her salary still at $500k. Last December, Biggest Monopoly In The World Disney was sued by 9,000 women over their pay gap.

This article is from 2019 but brings up some big fucking pay gaps between leads– for instance, Gillian Anderson was offered half of what David Duchovny was for the X-Files reboot as one of the two main fucking characters, Amanda Seyfried has disclosed she made 10% of what her male co-star made on an undisclosed film, Natalie Portman made 1/3 of the salary of Ashton Kutcher in No Strings Attached, and Ellen Pompeo, the titular character of Grey's Anatomy, was paid less than the actor playing her love interest, Patrick Dempsey. In fact, Dempsey was being paid almost double what she was.

However, BIG issue with the 2019 article: it only focuses on what White actors are being paid. Research shows that Black actresses make 57 cents to every dollar white actors make on a good day. Viola Davis, one of the most popular and talented actresses of our generation, has said that black women "get probably a tenth of what a Caucasian woman gets. And I'm number one on the call sheet." Octavia Spencer had to collaborate with Jessica Chastain to make sure they both got paid the same amount of money on a film they both worked on, and revealed that her new salary increased 500% afterwards.

At the end of last year, while promo-ing The Color Purple, Taraji P. Henson broke into tears while talking about how little she's being paid when compared to her white and male contemporaries. And when she talked about the gap, I find it so fucking frustrating that the general audience response was to immediately blame the only Black female producer on the film. I have a million gripes with Oprah Winfrey but TCP cast has said that she herself managed to fix a lot of the problems on set and was nothing but supportive to them. Oh, and there were a lot of problems on set, including a lack of food and dressing space for the main actors. And this is all from celebrity women. Just think about how Hollywood is treating women who don't have the star power to speak up.

Of course this isn't even a problem solo to Hollywood, let alone Paramount, let alone just one movie. And honestly it was probably really sad that when I saw the pay rate for the Sonic 3 cast, I wasn't even surprised, because I've seen worse on bigger projects.

[sapphic-agent]

Let's Talk About How Book 3 Ruined Aang

If you've seen any of my prior ATLA posts, you know that I don't hate Aang. In fact, I quite liked him in Books 1 and 2. He was flawed, as all characters should be, but the show didn't shy away from those flaws or justify them. He was called out for burning Katara and rushing his firebending, Sokka and Katara were rightfully upset when he hid Hakoda's letter, he willingly owns up to the fact that his actions helped drive Toph away, and his entire arc after losing Appa and finding hope again in The Serpent's Path was beautifully done.

(Hell, even in The Great Divide Katara says what Aang did was wrong and he agrees. It's played for comedy, but the show still makes the effort to point out that what he did wasn't the right thing to do. You're just meant to understand that he was fed up and acted off of that)

Those flaws and mistakes were addressed and improved upon and helped Aang to grow as a character.

But for some reason, that aspect of Aang's character was completely flipped in Book 3.

The best examples of this are in both TDBS and EIP. Both the show and the fandom are too quick to brush off that Aang kissed Katara twice without her consent, one of which after she explicitly said she was confused about her feelings.

(And yes, she is angry in response and Aang calls himself an idiot. But after this, it isn't really addressed. They go on like nothing happened for the rest of the episode. Aang's lamentation comes from screwing things up with her romantically, not that he violated boundaries)

The show never really addressed why what he did was wrong. Not only because he wasn't given consent, but also because both times he isn't thinking about what Katara wants. In both instances, Aang is only thinking about himself and his feelings. This is something that persists through a lot of the third book. And by Sozin's Comet it ultimately ruins any character development he had built up in the second book.

One thing I feel was completely disregarded was the concept of having to let go of Katara in order to master the Avatar State.

For me, the implication wasn't that he had to give up love or happiness necessarily. He was emotionally attached to and reliant on Katara, to the point where she was needed to stop him from hurting everyone around him and himself. This is obviously detrimental to his functionality as the Avatar. And the point of him "letting her go" wasn't that he had to stop caring about her, it was that his emotional dependency on her was stopping him from being the Avatar he needed to be and that was what needed to be fixed. I don't even think it's about the Avatar State itself, it's about being able to keep your emotions and duty as the Avatar separate.

(If you look at Roku, he loved and had a wife. It wasn't his love for her that messed everything up, it was his attachment to Sozin. He wasn't able to let Sozin go and not only did he lose his life for it, the world suffered for it. It's the unhealthy attachments that seem to be detrimental, not love itself)

And Aang realizes that in the catacombs, which is how he's able to easily enter the Avatar State and seemingly control it. He let Katara go.

So then why does it seem like his attachment to Katara is not only stronger, but worse in mannerism? He liked Katara in Books 1 and 2- obviously- but he was never overly jealous of Jet or Haru. He only makes one harmless comment in Book 2 when Sokka suggests Katara kiss Jet.

But suddenly he's insanely jealous of Zuko (to the point of getting frustrated with Katara over it), off the basis of the actions of actors in a clearly misrepresentative play. Katara showed a lot more interest in Jet and Aang was completely fine with it.

(Speaking of EIP, Aang's reaction to being played by a woman was interesting. He wore a flower crown in The Cave of Two Lovers. He wove Katara a flower necklace. He wore Kyoshi's clothes and makeup and made a funny girl voice. He willingly responded to Twinkle Toes and had no issue being called that. And for some reason he's genuinely upset about being played by a woman? Aang in Books 1 and 2 would have laughed and enjoyed the show like Toph did. His aversion to feminity felt vastly out of character)

I guess my point is, why did that change? Why was Aang letting go of Katara suddenly irrelevant to the Avatar State? It felt like him letting go was supposed to be a major part of his development. Why did that stop?

Myself and many others have talked about The Southern Raiders. The jist of my thought process about it is his assumption that he knew what was best for Katara. And the episode doesn't really call out why he was wrong. Maybe sparing Yon Rha was better for Katara, maybe it wasn't (the only one who's allowed to make that choice is her). Pushing forgiveness? That was wrong. But the episode has Zuko say that Aang was right when the course of action Katara took wasn't what Aang suggested.

Katara's lesson here was that killing him wouldn't bring back her mother or mend the pain she was going through and that Yon Rha wasn't worth the effort. That's what she realizes. Not that she needed to embrace forgiveness. How could she ever forgive that? The episode saying Aang was right wasn't true. Yes she forgives Zuko, but that wasn't what Aang was talking about. He was specifically talking about Yon Rha.

And that was wrong. Aang can choose the path of forgiveness, that's fine. That's his choice. But dismissing Katara's trauma in favor of his morals and upbringing wasn't okay.

I know it sounds like this is just bashing Kataang. But it's not simply because I don't like Kataang, in my opinion it brings down Aang's character too, not just Katara's. But let's steer away from Kataang and Katara for a minute.

The one thing that solidifies Aang's character being ruined in Book 3 for me is the fact that he- at the end of the story- does the same thing he did in the beginning.

He runs away when things get hard.

Aang couldn't make the choice between his duty and his morals. So he ran. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but subconsciously he wanted an out. And this is really disappointing when one of the things he was firm about in Book 2 was not running anymore. His character went backwards here and that's not even getting into the real issue in Sozin's Comet.

There's been contention about the Lion Turtle intervention. For many- including myself- it's very deus ex machina to save Aang from having to make a hard decision. And that in turn doesn't reflect kindly on his character.

Everyone- Sokka, Zuko, Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Yangchen (who was another Airbender and was raised with the same beliefs he was and would understand which was the whole point of him talking to her)- told him he had to kill Ozai. They all told him it was the only way. And he refused to listen to any of them, rotating through his past lives until he was given the answer he wanted.

And before anyone says that I'm bashing Aang for following his culture, I'm not. Ending the war peacefully, in my opinion, wasn't the problem. In a way, I think it allowed the world to heal properly. However, that doesn't make up for the fact that Aang refused to make a choice and face the consequences of that choice. Instead, he's given an out at the very last second.

Even if he couldn't kill Ozai and someone else had to deliver the final blow, that would have been better than the Lion Turtle showing up and giving him a power no one's ever had before. It would have been a good compromise, he doesn't have to have blood directly on his hands but what needs to be done needs to still get done. It would also show that being the Avatar isn't a burden he has to bear alone. That when things get hard, he can't run away but he can rely on the people closest to him to help him through hard decisions.

All these issues aren't necessarily a problem with Aang. Aang prior to Book 3 didn't have most of these problems. This is a problem with the way he was handled

[bixels]

If it's not too much trouble would you mind sharing more on your thoughts about AJ? Esp the line she shouted at Rarity and her "struggle with sexual identity" I'm kind of new so I would like to hear more! Does Rarity also struggle with sexual identity and fearing AJ would leave? I love the family oriented person A and the business inclined and impressed by shiny new things person B trope

Ok, this is gonna get into head canons and personal opinions.

The writing in Rollercoaster of Friendship (and EQG as a whole) is much simpler and more stripped down in comparison to FiM (most likely to appeal to a younger audience; don't want to seem like I'm dissing the writers), but that one confrontation made me sit up in my seat because it carries the entire special.

More under the cut cuz I don't want MLP analyses clogging up my blog.

For one, we've seen AJ get frustrated and angry about the same exact conflict over a girl in FiM (Rara), establishing a pattern. And even though she's right (her friend really is being manipulated), I read both cases as her acting out in jealousy too. Here's this girl who she's felt a unique attachment to being "taken away" and changed by someone new. This is most apparent in RoF; the moment Vignette introduces herself, kisses Rarity on both cheeks, and establishes herself as Rarity's "new best friend," AJ immediately reacts with shock, betrayal, and boldfaced jealousy (made even worse when Rarity forgets her during introductions). Although AJ acts independent, she's actually very emotionally dependent on certain people in her life.

If we come into this with the assumption that AJ has romantic feelings for Rarity –– which is a normal assumption given the director/writer confirmed the special was written as a romantic drama between the two –– AJ's line is all the more heartbreaking. If I may slip into fictional speculation: your crush is no longer listening or paying attention to you, even though you know something is wrong and that she's getting hurt. Your frustration at her lack of awareness is really your anger at her lack of care –– she doesn't care about you anymore. So in a fit of rage, in your big, dramatic confrontation, just to make her look at you, react at you, feel how she's been making you feel all day –– unwanted and unspecial –– you hurt her back. AJ yells, "You're not special!" and Rarity cries.

And what really gets me is that AJ lies. In this moment, she lies that Rarity's not special when (again, assumption of romance) she's the most special person in the world to her. So special that she's placed all her feelings of self-assurance and security on their relationship. So special that the moment their relationship is shaken and she doesn't know to recover it –– recover herself –– she lashes out, acts against her character, and says something dishonest just to hurt the girl she loves.

(Honestly, rewatching this special, AJ is so insecure and attention-needy. The way she pouts and slouches and lags behind the group and says, "Never mind. It's nothing," when asked what's wrong is textbook "please pay attention to me and ask me what's wrong because i need a reason to be honest about feelings i know i should be ashamed of" behavior.)

I think AJ's insecurities (which could be tied to her lack of experience with romantic relationships) reveal how she has a tendency to misattribute and redirect anger onto the person she cares most about (see Simple Ways as well, where she's caught on the opposite end of a jealousy spat). This could easily become a very toxic trait, but AJ grows past it. Near the end of RoF, the two come together and apologize. AJ recognizes her entitlement and confesses her insecurities about their relationship. She felt hurt and attacked when her status as Rarity's best friend/girlfriend was threatened because it's a role she uses to self-identify –– if Rarity isn't hers, she loses part of her identity. And she admits that she thought her motivation was to protect Rarity, but really she was just being selfish and protecting herself. Rarity was busy and stressed and needed someone to lean on just as much AJ needed her. She isn't AJ's emotional support girlfriend, and it wasn't right to expect her to be one.

(Which is why Rarijack is peak because throughout both series, they repeatedly show just how important honesty, open communication, and trust is in maintaining, supporting, and growing a romantic relationship.)

[gardenvinus]

Seeing the way Stanley thinks and handles himself (with fears, shame, and everything else) I still don't know why Ford, and even the fandom, seems to come to the conclusion that Stanley is a selfish and self-centered character. He didn't even want to ruin Ford's project, maybe he chose the wrong words to explain what happened, but he genuinely didn't mean to ruin anything, (I mean, Stanley was genuinely afraid of being alone in his town, he was angry and frustrated, and he was afraid to tell Ford, but I don't think he wanted to break Ford's dreams, you can tell Stanley really loved Ford, it's not for nothing that you base your life on protecting someone and encouraging said person, knowing this, why would Stanley do that with full intention?) not to mention the abuse and abandonment, which was stronger (and it shows) for Stanley than for Ford and Shermie, no matter how you look at it, it's kind of sad; Stanley surely wanted to hold on so tightly to Ford or to the little he had that he considered him to be something more than a failure, a spare part. After what happened with Ford and his most important relationships, Stan seems to have avoidant affect, like: I will actively screw up before I fully attach myself to someone.

FILBRICK PINES YOU ARE A SON OF A BITCH! I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!!! How the fuck can you live with doing that to your son?!

and then there's that fucking Filbrick... this makes me realize that he was going to get rid of Stanley with or without the accident... I hope he rots in hell, seriously, they screwed up Stan's life more than necessary, and it pisses me off when they say that the rest of what happened to Stan was Stanley's fault alone. Are you kidding me? His whole fucked up environment made him not want to improve himself and not believe that he could improve, why? If his important figures told him that he was a copy, a defective thing, an extra, a thing that's just making space. Not even Caryn! and her fucking BIG brother were able to refute anything knowing that Stanley was capable of fighting the devil himself in order to protect him, Stanley only asked for Ford's loyalty, to speak clearly, if they had spoken things could have been different. And the fandom tries so hard to always make Stanley out to be the idiot when he wasn't the only one, Ford I love you but you are also the biggest idiot I've ever seen, you waited for your brother to literally die to realize that. How do you spend thirty years feeding that hatred? Why do you blame Stanley for not listening to you? Why should he listen to the idiot who only wanted to know where he was to serve as his messenger? And you have the audacity to get angry and tell your brother that he did everything for you, that you're giving him the opportunity to do something good for his useless life? Don't fuck with me Ford, ahhhh!! It makes me more and more angry every time I discover more things about the Lore of Gravity Falls, because Stan had every justification for being a piece of shit person, and it makes me more angry that he had agreed to go on a trip with Ford, and that he recovered his memory so quickly. 😡😡😡😡😡😡

Or maybe I'm making a world out of something so basic.

[luvrbug]

When they have a crush on you

«─────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───────────»

▸ Characters; Law, Kidd, Luffy

▸ Warnings; GN reader

▸ a/n; my first OP work !!!! im still trying to grasp how to write for them but !!! i hope you all enjoy :] (psst- requests are open!)

«─────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───────────»

-> LAW

▸ Law refuses to show any emotional vulnerability. So when he realizes that YOU are the one making his emotions go absolutely haywire- its not a good scene.

▸ He cares about you so much. He doesnt form attachments easily, so when he does prepare for him to never let go.

▸ He starts to avoid you. Like, you cannot find him on the polar tang type of avoiding. He's afraid to put you in serious danger, he's wanted by the world covernment, has billions of beri on his head- he couldn't stand to put you in more danger.

▸ Law SAYS he is perfectly content with holding these feelings in until he dies. He is lying. At some point his frustration comes to a head and he just , corners you in the sub after not speaking to you for THREE WEEKS and word vomits all his emotions out while looking like a tomato.

▸ If you accept law is . surprisingly elated. This commitment doesn't feel heavy or scary like he imagined. He's not the biggest fan of PDA but he ABSOLUTELY links pinkies with you when walking around. (bepo, shaichi, and penguin are yall's biggest fans ever. they SO hide in the bushes during the first date and get discovered 😭)

▸ If you reject law .. he'll retreat back into his shell. He was open with you, and now he probably wont be. ever again. Really awkward interactions ensue.

-> KIDD

▸ He's so oblivious to his own emotions !!!!!! He's so mean to you all the time but he's killing anyone who lays a hand on you. He feels nauseous and feverish and embarrassed whenever he's around you but he's anxious and jittery when you're NOT around!

▸ He gets sooo jealous too. you could be like, sitting next to someone and he'll be breaking a tankard in his fist 😭.

▸ HE TRIES SO HARD TO IMPRESS YOU!!! He's smashing someone's face in extra flashily when you look his way. Carrying super heavy objects when youre in his vicinity. showing you all his latest inventions. He's almost like a really aggressive, abrasive puppy waiting on you to praise him.

▸ He probably blurts out all of his feelings when you sit just a little too close after one too many beers. He's raging at you for "making my head all spinny" and "making me feel like im gonna vomit glitter" while Heat and Wire are cackling in the background. Killer has his head in his hands while Kidd continues his drunken rant.

▸ If you somehow manage to wrangle him back to the ship and accept his confession, you will have a clingy, kissy kidd to deal with. He will not let you go. Your post-confession gift is a cranky, hungover kidd.

▸ If you reject him ... Kidd practically explodes. Not at you, but everyone who pisses him off is getting chewed out 10x as bad. He's hurt, and he needs time to tend his wounds. Your friendship will never be the same, but he won't make your life a living hell.

-> LUFFY

▸ Luffy is straightforward, honest, and determined. If he likes you, he'll say it loud and clear. He doesn't exactly know the line between romantic and platonic feelings, so it'll take someone like robin or sanji to clear that up for him.

▸ He is also very physically affectionate. Where you go, luffy goes. You have to practically beg to go to the bathroom alone. Skinny, Tall, Short, Chubby; luffy loves it all! He gomu-gomu no cuddles you constantly.

▸ He doesn't really get jealous. He trusts you! And he knows youre great, so obviously everyone would want to spend time with you! Just make sure he's in your top priorities.

▸ Luffy's confession is in everything he does. He never steals from your plate unless he's given permission, always makes sure you get the best cuts of meat / best quality veggies. He may just suddenly hold you and kiss you if hes in the mood. Luffy is probably on the aro/ace spectrum, so your relationship may be on the platonic spectrum some days + the romantic spectrum some days.

▸ If you turn down all of Luffy's advances, hes naturally a little let down. He won't stop caring about you, but he'll attempt (key word; attempt) to give you space and not be so affectionate. (how could you possibly turn this boy down >:[)

[frozenjokes]

long list of mcyt ships and my dumbass opinions this post was getting too long and I have so much more to say

skizzpulse: needed to write about this because I don’t ship them at all but something is deeply weird about them in a way that is neither platonic or romantic. They have transcended human definitions of Relationship to me. No they’re not a QPR either. They’re weirder. Whatever you’re thinking they’re weirder. Do not separate. Attached at the hip.

etho: etho is in a realm of his own where I simply can not ship him. he’s not doing the romance. he’s not doing the qpr. he’s not doing shit. And it’s not because he can’t pull bitches; he is swagless and a loser in a way that brings ALL the boys to the yard (as opposed to Grian who is similar except he can’t pull anyone), he’s simply getting weird with it. He walks right past any sort of relationship into something deeper; resident sopping wet animal. aro/ace also but this isn’t nearly as relevant as the autism

cubscar/convex: favorite hermitcraft ship and it is not even close. It is NOT EVEN CLOSE. in the way scarian are both covered in lighter fluid and holding matches, convex are also doing that except it’s become a game of who can set the other on fire without being lit up themselves, and they’re both having the times of their lives (ends with both of them on fire every time without fail and it’s usually scar’s fault). they’re insane about it. the vex shit???? insane. their minds are beautiful and deeply wrong. I think they should kill each other.

solidaritimes: I will never forgive Scott smajor for separating scar and Jimmy in secret life he has no idea what he took from me. In a world where Jimmy is often the butt of the joke (by his own volition, I understand) the sheriff deputy thing was fucking beautiful. Sunshine and rainbows, love and support and adoration and everything good and healthy. A massive breath of fresh air and easily my favorite part of the hermitpires crossover. They mean everything to me. I’ve never seen such losers be so in love. Failgirl power.

redscape: another banger. These guys are GOOFY and I think Scar hits a magical combination of being Completely Exasperating vs Setting Off Mumbo’s Bullshit Radar which makes them bounce off each other in a lot of fun ways. They are versatile as a couple between banter and shenanigans and dedication, it’s a pairing I generally think of as very healthy and fun and if you also like all of these things don’t read my Boatem Ghosts AU because I make redscape awful and Mumbo pays the full price! Whoops! I love to think about them falling fast if I am writing them as romantically/sexually inclined characters, where Scar is frustrating but at the same time charming and silly in a way that draws Mumbo in. Mumbo on the other hand challenges Scar and chips away at his facade in ways he finds exciting. I like a Scar that wants to prove himself to Mumbo, win him over, where Mumbo is just lightly exasperated about the whole thing.

cleo/cub: probably the only pair on this list that I think are friends normal style. I just really adore normal style friends cleo and cub feuding about their museums so I had to tell you. I need to write them as friends more often. I love thinking about cub helping cleo fix up her stitches as well as other maintenance on their body. guys who nudity doesn’t matter to they’re both just chilling with their shirts off. special platonic dynamic to me.

ranchers: I don’t care about ranchers

moonrot: I don’t normally ship cleo and pearl in most of the smps or whatever. However. The specific dynamic they have in my boatem ghosts au makes me a little insane I really like them together. Pearl is a little bit deranged in her Wanting Revenge On Scar but ougghg that pirate scar’s hanging out with… she’s so cool… and then Cleo brings them to the ghost island and Pearl thinks she’s even cooler cleo is So Awesome ougghggh and then she gets worried because Scar is a Ultra Murderer TM so she’s quite protective over Cleo and doesn’t like Scar being around them AT ALL but her ass is dead so she’s not doing shit about it. The pining once Scar is out of the picture is Out Of Control. I should write a one shot about this.

ethubs: I think this is the only ship I can honestly say has ever been too weird for me. I think they’re deranged in a way that makes my skin crawl. I am deeply afraid of them. They’ve never kicked it normal style in their lives. I look at them and I don’t know what I’m seeing. It scares me. I respect this ship deeply and leave freshly slaughtered sacrifices at an altar once a week in a hope that will be enough for ethubs to leave me alone.

[chaifootsteps]

just me or is the whole 'saying this is like fanfic is homophobia' framing kind of frustrating? like just to list out the tropes that have come up so far in HH/HB:

female character is written as an evil shrew who gets in the way of the m/m pairing

relationship that starts with rape/dubcon rewritten into true love (this one is probably more common in bad BL manga but I'm willing to bet there's some overlap)

character is the child of a mob family

portrayals of rape/sexual assault treated as titillating / used for drama

portrayals of domestic violence/abuse used mainly to get viewers to feel sorry for a character instead of making them sympathetic on their own terms

abusers/rapists being all powerful monsters solely to torture the victim as much as possible

characters are either Good or Bad and writing is heavy handed about driving this point home

writers has one character they stan and baby above all others and not only the writing but the world bends around them as they eat up more and more screentime while the actual main characters are shoved to the side

writer has one character they hate and they hate other people liking them so they derail them in the most obvious way possible

writer has one pairing they despise and go out of their way to make them seem familial to shame the fans who ship it

writer has intended pairings in mind but they just kinda happen regardless of how much work has been put in to give them real chemistry

the plotlines jump all over the place with no consideration given to the differing stakes each create or audience fatigue when too much is introduced at once/too many hanging threads are left, similar to what happens in unplanned serialized fiction. consistency and worldbuilding errors abound. conversations/events that seem like they should change the status quo kinda don't but there's so little way to tell which one is which that audiences cannot gauge the stakes and either stop being invested or just take the show as it comes since there's no point anticipating anything being done with a lot of its characters & plot points

too many characters, often some of whom don't serve much purpose but the writer is way too attached to to ever cut out (looking at you, Andrealphus & Vassago)

characters are rewritten on the fly. due to the lack of planning their arcs start and stop or get quietly dropped when the writer tires of them

pervasive attitude of misogyny - female characters are underwritten, bitches, dumb or accessories to the men. The world revolves around the (usually white) m/m pairing/s

the main premise is dropped in favor of shipping drama or character shilling

etc.

There's probably more but those are the big ones - like s1 wasn't perfect but s2 really does feel like it became fanfic of itself. I understand Viv being frustrated if it seems like a broad dismissive brush instead of specific critiques, but there's a couple of problems here:

when people give specific critiques she either misrepresents their points to frame them as bad faith (tacitly encouraging her fans to do the same), complains people keep making the same point or writes defensive threads about how people just don't get it because, for example, the show totally demonstrates Millie has qualities other than Wife and Violent

when people say something 'feels like fanfic' as far as I've seen they aren't immediately using it as shorthand for 'it has LGBT characters'. usually when they expand on their points what they're getting at is a lack of planning and a lack of experience or competency in the writer that gives the whole thing impression of being done by an amateur who's either young or still learning their craft, or both

it's the same lack of experienced hands that resulted in the opening of Hazbin being so amateurish and lacking the sense of having actual episodes until other staff writers were brought in to clean up the mess

like yeah I don't like the implication that 'fanfic=automatically bad' since I've read some good stuff myself and maybe people could be more specific; but usually this critique is coming from people who actually like fanfic, who've read a lot of it and who recognize the tropes from the worst fanfics out there in Viv's work

Viv's little "Um, actually, fanfic is good and queer and so if you use it as an insult towards my shows, you're homophobic" snit is one of the more rancid things she's said. When you lay it all out like this, it really does go to show how her stories embody all the worst, most harmful tropes bad fanfic -- and bad writing in general -- has to offer.

[calicobigamy]

I can't be only one, right...?

I wanted to finish the game and then write this post but I gave up. I put in 100 plus hours and just could not go on once I got into act three. Maybe no one will hear my pitiful cry from the void, but I must scream for the sake of my sanity.

I was completely and utterly disappointed by Baldur's Gate 3. 

It had huge maps like an open world game yet I had no desire to explore the settings despite their beauty. It had hours of dialogue as an RPG would and yet I found myself skipping characters' responses. The game mechanic structure was inspired by DnD, a story-telling game dictated by some rules, lucky rolls and the extent of players' imagination, yet I was strong-armed into fighting impossibly stacked battles. A story-telling game dependent on the players’ attachment to their and their teammates' characters and yet this game lacked any kind of narrative consistency or depth of feeling. 

Larian wanted to make an open world RPG, based off of DND mechanics and somehow did the worst version of all three. The studio touts that Baldur’s Gate 3 has 17,000 possible endings and 2 million words, but to what end? What did this game have to say about what happens when people rise to the challenge and become heroes despite their circumstances or fall into the dark and become the monsters they were supposed to fight? What did it suggest might happen when fate deals you a bad hand but in doing so also helps you find true friends or love with the other? Ultimately, nothing. 

BG3 is so large that it ends up being incoherent. No writing or game structure decisions were made to keep the narrative tight and on theme. It urges players to choose a moral alignment, but most decisions, good or bad, seem to end up having little effect in the end. To play the game at all you have to resort to save scumming and that in turn deflates the possible impact of so many plot points of the narrative overall. 

Forcing players to save scum in order to progress through the game is terrible design in general. Statistically speaking the bosses make impossible critical hits again and again. I was playing in the game’s “casual mode” and found myself struggling to get through confrontations with bosses that were at a lower level than my own. If you are reading and thinking oh well you are probably not using tactics or spells well, etc., let’s do a little experiment…

Take your d20 (https://rolladie.net/roll-a-d20-die if you don’t have one in person). In the third act of BG3 I had an AC of 13 as a sorcerer with 100 plus HP. Roll your d20 ten times or more. How many times out of ten would your character have gotten to hit mine successfully? Unless an enemy is extremely lucky it should be unlikely that an enemy could hit my character every turn they get. And even if they do they would have to roll for damage which is only a single d6, d8, d10 or d12 plus a modifier at lower levels depending on your class. Again an enemy would have to have an extremely lucky roll to hit me every turn AND deal significant damage. During an in person DnD session that is just a bad night for my character. In a video game on casual mode that is significantly suspicious. 

So what you might say. You've made and enjoyed the fanart, memes and etc. You got your $61 worth of playtime. So many other people were fine with the game, what is your problem? 

I love video games. They blend so many artforms and tell stories in ways never done before. It is a medium unique to our current century and when historians look back they will view video games as an insight to our culture. 

It frustrates me to no end that Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered the next gold standard. Too many games have done open world and RPGs in a fantasy setting far better for Larian (Swen Vincke) to have made the design and writing choices they did with BG3. There are so many podcasts and shows that have written better stories through the DnD format. I am embarrassed for the medium as an artist and frustrated as a player. Players and the industry deserve better than to have artists, actors, engineers etc. burn themselves out creating maximalist behemoths like this game. A game that is beautiful but basically unplayable, narratively, nihilistic and incoherent. 

[rmwb-fanfics]

How to remake Harry Potter:

(A step by step guide)

We’ve already had one god-awful adaptation that way too many people think is good. This is our one chance to have the book characters represented correctly, along with the plot they support.

I’ve put YEARS of thought into this. I’ve written scripts for episodes of a hypothetical tv show. I’ve drawn concept art. I’ve done shit. So I figured I’d share my thoughts.

1. Stick to the books*.

Stick to the books has a massive asterisk next to it because I mean the plot and characters. Some stuff (as you’ll see later) should be changed.

Nothing in this show should feel out of character. Harry should be closer with Ron than he is to Hermione. Snape should be a real d*ckhead. Hermione should be judgmental of those who don’t think like her, etc etc. The way these characters navigate their relationships is why the fandom is still relevant. It’s why canon-compliant fic is popular in the first place. We like their dynamics. SHOW THEM APPROPRIATELY.

Plot is a sticky thing because I’d say there’s wiggle room, but not too much. Certain characters have to die. Certain events must happen. You cant change that stuff.

2. Use the Medium.

You’re using film as a format to tell your story. Ideally you’d us animation, but I know Warner Bros has less creativity than Disney’s remake department, so I won’t even try and pitch that.

Use colour and saturation. It can help contextualize emotion. It can make us subconsciously recognize things. For instance, the scene growing more saturated when Ron walks into the room when Hermione is wearing the horcrux, or any multitude of other uses this could bring.

Bring in costume design that (actually fits the world) but also helps show how that character is feeling. What they’re thinking, their personality, their future, etc.

Make magic fun™️. The books sort of sidelined magic in 5-7. Don’t do that. Divert from the books. Magic should feel alive. Colour-code them so we as an audience can recognize spells and what they might do before we see it. Implement sound design to make each spell unique and vibrant. Make this world subtly bursting with magic like it was in the first few books. Have it weave around characters, wrap them up. Be creative with action scenes. Force transfiguration into battle scenes. Choreograph your duels. Show don’t tell us that a wizard/witch is powerful. Turn people into portraits. Lock them up as mice. USE MAGIC.

Your set design should reflect this. Everything should be bursting with personality. Don’t just use the shitty movie sets. Inject some colour, have the surroundings aid you in telling the story. Get weird with the camera. Use these tools to their fullest potential.

Actually fucking try.

3. Utilize Music.

Music is just… such a massive part of film. It’s frustrating how often even the best filmmakers overlook its use. Characters should have themes that mature and develop as the series goes on. Have action arrangements of the themes to play with heroic moments. As the series progresses, we grow attached to these themes. When they appear, the audience FEELS something. Don’t reuse great pieces to force emotion. (Dumbledore’s Farewell in The Prince’s Tale. Are you fucking kidding me?)

For example: Have a theme for Neville that starts out timid and uses very shy instrumentals, but we first hear a change when he stands up to the trio at the end of PS. Then it gains more instruments until OotP, when it grows again. Once we get to DH, it can be used in this heroic swell as he chops the head off the snake in front of Voldemort and everyone watching. The audience, consciously or not, will feel that moment even more.

Have a theme for Ron and Hermione that might not even be romantic until HBP when it gains that element. PLAY WITH MUSIC.

Themes for mystery, adventure, loss, love, friendship, LOCATION. Let them come back throughout the series to highlight various moments. See Lord of the Rings and The Hunger Games, as well as (surprisingly) the Fantastic Beasts films.

Let music affect the visuals. Magic can bend and swivel with the music. Use it to tell the story. Use it to show emotion. Use it to progress a character’s arc. USE CONSISTENT MUSIC.

4 . Be Bold.

This is the big one and it may seem like I’m contradicting myself but I’m not. Rowling’s work hasn’t aged crazily well to modern fiction standards. This is your chance to rectify that. Fill plot holes, actually think through the politics. Introduce world-building elements that enhance the story/characters. (The house system, and how Slytherin fits in. The logic behind avada kedavra???) Get creative with solutions. Contradict the original work when it comes to description of location. If it doesn’t work for the film format, don’t force it to work here.

Spend more time with characters we know are relevant, but maybe not to the plot. These are your Ginny Weasleys, your Seamus and Deans, Nevilles, etc. Really fill them in. Give them more scenes. Ginny has two phenomenal arcs that play completely off-screen, explore them. Show us her friendship with Hermione. Show us her insecurities and her faults. Give us more of her and Harry’s friendship. We know they get married, so maybe fix the whole “Rowling wrote the epilogue first, but didn’t realize she was waiting too long to introduce these characters until HBP”.

Add scenes. Add jokes. Add smiles and covert looks. You have more time, which means you have a chance to focus on friendships, and romance, and world building.

Tell multiple storylines. Give Remus and Tonks a cool spy/thriller subplot interjected with the main story in OotP. Show us more of Fleur staying in England. Give us more of Harry and Sirius bonding. All of this stuff can fit loosely into canon, and be welcome creative additions.

BE BOLD.

And finally,

5. This is your chance to not only retell the story, but to do it better.

RECOGNIZE THIS. Take advantage of this opportunity and enhance canon, don’t fight it.

Don’t add Hermione and Harry dancing because *YOU* don’t like where the romantic pairings went. Don’t add Draco sympathy because you want him to have a redemption arc. Don’t dumb Ron down because you don’t like the fact that he’s just like the teenage boys you dated in High School, and he was a bit immature.

Make changes, be bold, use music, stick to the books*, use the medium, but take this as the opportunity that it is to enhance what came before.

Thank you.

[mcrdvcks]

Sweet Dreams - Chapter 3

Chapter Summary: Alexandria continues to try and find her place in a world not meant for her.

Word Count: 7.9k+

Pairing: Logan (X-Men) x Original Female Character (platonic relationship)

Notes: thank y'all for the love on Oblivious, Baby, Oblivious! as i said on that post, don't be afraid to send in a request or ask.

anyways, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Series Masterlist - Chapter 2 → Chapter 4

AO3 Link For Chapter

Charles gave Alexandria the week off to catch up on sleep and to make sure she was healthy. Hank had also made a smaller version of the headband, making it into a small metal piece that sticks onto the middle of her forehead.

When asked about how much sleep she usually got with HYDRA when she was let out of the med bay, she was afraid to answer. She wasn’t quite sure how much sleep normal people got, mutants or not.

So, she had told the truth, around every 2 and a half weeks.

Logan had heard her words, and though he didn't say anything, his face tightened in that familiar way that indicated frustration. He couldn't imagine getting by on that little sleep, even with all the crap he’d been through. For a moment, he almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

"Two and a half weeks, huh?" Logan finally muttered, crossing his arms as he looked at Alexandria. He didn’t sound surprised, just tired. Tired of all the messed-up things people had to endure in this world, himself included.

Alexandria nodded, her expression guarded. She wasn’t sure if she should have lied, since lying came naturally to her, thanks to HYDRA.

“Yeah, sometimes longer,” she said quietly. “If they were feeling generous.”

“Generous,” Logan repeated, the word dripping with sarcasm. He shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. “That’s one way to put it.”

Hank had walked in just in time to hear the last part of their conversation. He was holding a tablet, likely containing her medical records, or maybe some new tech he was working on. "Logan, Alexandria," Hank greeted them with a nod before turning to Alexandria. "I was just going over your vitals. The new headpiece seems to be working well, but we’ll need to keep monitoring you. If you feel anything unusual, let me know immediately."

Alexandria looked down at the small metal piece now attached to her forehead, a far cry from the cumbersome headband she had worn before. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but it still felt foreign. Like a reminder of the control she had lost, and might never fully regain.

"Okay," she said, her voice steady but distant. "I’ll let you know."

Logan grunted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "She tell you how much sleep she was gettin' with HYDRA?" he asked Hank, though it was clear he was still talking to Alexandria in a way.

Hank glanced up, eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Not much, I presume?”

"Try every two and a half weeks," Logan replied flatly. He didn’t raise his voice, didn’t make it sound like a big deal, but the impact was there all the same.

Hank’s expression darkened. “That’s...well, that’s beyond cruel. It’s inhumane.”

Alexandria shrugged, as if it wasn’t worth discussing further. "It was what it was," she said simply. There was no point in dwelling on it. That was her past, and she had no interest in letting it dictate her future—whatever that might look like.

Logan, on the other hand, didn’t seem quite as ready to drop it. "You don’t gotta act like it’s no big deal," he grumbled. "Ain’t no one here who’s gonna judge you for what you went through."

Alexandria shot him a sharp look, her eyes narrowing. "I’m not acting like it’s nothing," she said, her tone defensive. "But there’s no point in crying over it either. It’s done. Over."

Hank exchanged a glance with Logan, who just shrugged. It wasn’t like he was going to push her to open up. He sure as hell wouldn’t appreciate it if someone tried to do that to him.

"Fair enough," Logan finally said. He could respect her need to keep things close to the chest. Hell, he lived his entire life that way. "Just don’t go thinkin’ you gotta handle everything alone. You’re part of this team now, whether you like it or not."

Alexandria raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that supposed to be comforting?"

Logan smirked, but there was no real humor in it. "Take it however you want, kid. I’m just saying, you don’t have to go through this by yourself."

Hank cleared his throat, stepping in before the conversation could get any more tense. “Logan’s right. We’re here to support you, Alexandria. But if you need space, we’ll respect that too.”

“Yeah, well, space is something I’m used to,” she replied, her voice cold but not unkind. She wasn’t trying to push them away; she just didn’t know how to let them in.

“Gettin’ used to other people is part of the deal,” Logan pointed out, though he didn’t press the issue further. “Just...take it slow. No one’s expectin’ miracles here.”

Alexandria didn’t respond immediately, her eyes drifting to the window where sunlight filtered in, casting long shadows across the room. The idea of taking it slow was foreign to her. Everything with HYDRA had been fast, brutal, and unrelenting. But now, she wasn’t sure what to do with all this...time. Time to think, time to feel. Time to figure out who she was outside of the person HYDRA had molded her into.

“I’ll try,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. It was the most she could offer, and she hoped it would be enough to satisfy them.

Hank smiled gently, recognizing the effort it took for her to even say that much. “That’s all we ask, Alexandria. One step at a time.”

But now, she was determined to catch up on the work Charles said she didn’t have to do. Alexandria wanted to do it, to prove to herself that she was capable. That HYDRA hadn’t taken away her pride.

She also knew that she needed to get more sleep. After the first three days of being out of the medbay, Hank came by and told her to sleep. He mentioned that it would be a hard habit to break, but to try and sleep every 3 nights and slowly wean herself down to every night.

When she asked how he knew, he said he had his ways.

Which meant two things, either there was some sort of sleep tracker on the headpiece, or they were keeping an eye on her. Possibly both.

On Saturday, Kitty and Jean offered to take Alexandria out on a ‘girls day’, which made Scott pout like some of the dogs she had seen in HYDRA when they didn’t get to chew on human skeletons.

Kitty was bouncing on her heels, her enthusiasm barely contained. “So, Alexandria, what do you think? We could hit up the mall, maybe get some lunch, and just hang out. It’ll be fun.”

“What Kitty means is that she wants to go to a store that sells body wash and body sprays since they’re having a major sale.” Jean added, her arms crossed with a small smirk as she looked over at Kitty.

“…Okay, maybe. But it’ll be fun! Have you ever been to one of those stores, Alexandria?” Kitty asked.

“No. Wanda and Natasha took me to the mall, but we only got clothes.” She replied.

Jean straightened up against the wall, “well then perfect, you need some body wash that isn’t just the one supplied to us.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll love smelling all the different kinds of scents. Maybe we can even get candles.” Kitty said.

“That’ll be a fortune we don’t have Kitty.” Jean sighed.

Alexandria stood up from her bed and went to her desk and opened her drawer. “Not if we have Tony Stark’s credit card.” She waved around the platinum card.

Kitty’s eyes widened as she saw the platinum card gleaming in Alexandria’s hand. “No way! Is that really Tony Stark’s card?” she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and excitement.

Alexandria nodded, her expression as deadpan as ever. “Yeah.” She wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to put a damper on their spirits by saying she stole it. But Natasha did give it to her, so maybe it wasn’t stolen, more like borrowed.

Kitty practically squealed, her excitement bubbling over. “This is going to be the best girls' day ever! We can get whatever we want!”

Jean shook her head with a smirk, though there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. “You know Tony’s not going to care about the bill, but try not to go too crazy, Kitty.”

Kitty grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “No promises!”

Alexandria tucked the card back into her pocket, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. It wasn’t about the shopping or the credit card; it was about having control, even if just a little. She was used to being controlled, being told what to do, how to think, how to feel. But now, in this small way, she could do something for herself. And maybe, just maybe, she could learn to enjoy it.

“Let’s get going, then,” Alexandria said, her voice calm but with a hint of anticipation.

“Wait, you can’t just bring Tony’s card without showing it off,” Kitty teased, nudging Alexandria playfully. “You’ve got to make a big deal out of it!”

“Why would I do that?” Alexandria asked, genuinely puzzled. “It’s just a card.”

Jean chuckled, shaking her head. “Because it’s Tony Stark’s card. And you’re with us, which means we’ve got to make this outing memorable. C’mon, live a little.”

Alexandria frowned, her mind processing the idea of “living a little.” It wasn’t something she was used to, but she didn’t want to disappoint them. They had been kind to her, something she wasn’t sure how to handle, but she recognized it.

“I’ll try,” she said after a moment, her voice softer than usual.

“That’s the spirit!” Kitty said, grabbing Alexandria by the arm and leading her out of the room. “Let’s hit the mall!”

As they made their way out of the mansion, Alexandria felt a mix of emotions swirling inside her. She had been on missions, faced down enemies, endured years of training and conditioning, but this felt different. It was unfamiliar territory, and part of her was wary, unsure of what to expect.

The drive to the mall was filled with chatter, mostly Kitty excitedly planning out their shopping spree and Jean chiming in with occasional comments. Alexandria listened, trying to get a sense of what this experience was supposed to be like. She was used to analyzing situations, figuring out the best course of action, but this was… different.

When they finally arrived at the mall, Kitty practically bounded out of the car, her excitement contagious. “Alright, first stop: the store with all the body washes and sprays! We’re going to smell so good by the time we’re done!”

Jean smiled, walking alongside Alexandria as they followed Kitty inside. “Don’t worry, Alexandria. If this gets overwhelming, we can take a break anytime. Just let us know.”

Alexandria nodded, appreciating the gesture. “I’ll be fine.”

They entered the store, and Alexandria was immediately hit with a wave of different scents. It was almost overpowering, but Kitty was in her element, grabbing bottles off the shelves and excitedly showing them to Jean and Alexandria.

“Smell this one!” Kitty said, holding up a bottle of vanilla-scented body wash. “It’s amazing!”

Alexandria took the bottle and sniffed it tentatively. It was sweet, almost too sweet, but there was something oddly comforting about it. She handed it back to Kitty with a nod. “It’s nice.”

“Nice? It’s perfect! I’m definitely getting this one,” Kitty said, tossing it into her basket. “What about you, Alexandria? Any scents catching your eye?”

Alexandria hesitated, unsure of how to answer. She wasn’t used to indulging in things like this. Her life had been about survival, not luxury. But she knew they were trying to include her, and she didn’t want to seem ungrateful.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted, her voice quiet.

Jean stepped in, offering a gentle smile. “It’s okay. Take your time. There’s no rush.”

Kitty, sensing Alexandria’s uncertainty, softened her tone. “How about we try a few different ones? We can help you find something you like.”

Alexandria nodded, grateful for their patience. She let them guide her through the different options, trying out various scents and slowly getting used to the idea of choosing something just for herself.

She never knew there were so many different kinds of scents. And most of them had extravagant names like ‘Bright Moon’ and ‘Into the Stars’.

After a while of smelling the different scents, she came upon one that she didn’t think she’d like. It was sweet smelling, the back of the bottle said it had notes of fresh strawberries, golden shortcake and whipped cream.

She picked up the bottle with a hesitant look. "This one’s really sweet," she said, her tone neutral.

Kitty practically bounced over to her side. "Oh, that one’s amazing! It’s called ‘Strawberry Delight.’ It’s like dessert in a bottle!"

Alexandria sniffed it again, still unsure. “Dessert?”

Jean joined them, her smile genuine but with a hint of amusement. “It’s a little on the sweet side, but it’s supposed to be fun. It’s all about what makes you feel good.”

Alexandria raised an eyebrow. “Feel good?”

Kitty nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Sometimes, the little things can make a big difference. You might end up liking it more than you think.”

Alexandria gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. She could tell Kitty was genuinely excited about this, and despite her usual reserve, she didn’t want to ruin the mood.

“Alright,” Alexandria said, trying to match Kitty’s enthusiasm. “I’ll give it a shot.”

Kitty squealed and grabbed a bottle of the Strawberry Delight’, adding it to her basket. “Perfect! You’re going to love it!”

As they continued through the store, Alexandria found herself starting to enjoy the experience. It was a new sensation, having a say in something as trivial as body wash. It was a stark contrast to her previous life, where choices were made for her, not by her.

Jean, noticing Alexandria’s gradual shift, kept the conversation light. “So, what do you think of this ‘girls day’ idea so far?”

“It’s different,” Alexandria admitted, her voice more relaxed. “Not bad, though.”

“That’s the idea!” Kitty chimed in, her excitement undiminished. “We’re just here to have a good time and take a break from all the serious stuff.”

“I think I’m getting used to it,” Alexandria said, surprising herself with her own words. “Not that I’ll be joining every shopping spree, but... this is nice.”

Kitty’s grin widened. “See? I told you it would be fun!”

They made their way to the checkout, with Kitty and Jean chatting about their favorite finds. Alexandria, still holding onto her bottle of Strawberry Delight’, felt a strange sense of satisfaction. It wasn’t just about buying things; it was about participating in something that felt normal, even if only for a few hours.

After paying, they headed out of the store. Kitty was already planning their next stop. “So, next up is the candle shop. They’ve got a sale on all their candles, and we’ve got to check it out!”

Jean laughed lightly. “You’re really on a shopping spree today, Kitty.”

“You know it!” Kitty said, practically bouncing on her heels. “We’re going to make the most of it.”

Alexandria followed along, feeling a mix of anticipation and relief. She wasn’t used to this level of normalcy, but it felt good. For once, she didn’t have to worry about missions or expectations. She was simply... there.

As they walked to the candle shop, Alexandria couldn’t help but glance at Kitty and Jean, noting how their enthusiasm seemed to lighten the atmosphere around her. It was a far cry from the harsh environment she had come from, and though she was still adjusting, she was starting to see the appeal.

Kitty pushed open the door to the candle shop, and a new array of scents greeted them. “Welcome to the candle wonderland!”

Jean raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. “You and your candles. I swear you could live in this store.”

Kitty laughed, already picking up candles and showing them off to Alexandria. “You’d be surprised. There’s something about a good candle that just... makes everything better.”

Alexandria took in the shop’s offerings, her eyes scanning the rows of candles with different scents and designs. It was almost overwhelming, but in a good way. She picked up a candle labeled ‘Serene Forest’ and gave it a sniff. The scent was earthy and calming, a stark contrast to the sweetness of the body wash.

“Do you like that one?” Kitty asked, noticing Alexandria’s interest.

“It’s... calming,” Alexandria said, her voice thoughtful. “I think I might get this one.”

Jean nodded in approval. “Good choice. It’s nice to have something relaxing to light up.”

They continued exploring the shop, Kitty picking out candles with names like ‘Ocean Breeze’ and ‘Lavender Dreams’. Alexandria took her time, carefully selecting the scents that appealed to her. Each choice was an experiment in normalcy, a small step toward finding a place for herself outside the constraints of her past.

By the time they left the store, Alexandria felt a sense of contentment she hadn’t expected. It wasn’t just about the items she had purchased or the day out with Kitty and Jean. It was about the simple act of being part of something, of enjoying a moment that was her own.

As they made their way back to the car, Kitty’s chatter continued, filled with plans for their next outing. Alexandria listened, her expression more relaxed than it had been in a long time.

Jean glanced over at Alexandria, her smile warm. “You did great today. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Thanks,” Alexandria said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I did.”

Kitty gave her a playful nudge. “See? Told you it would be fun. We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

“I’d like that,” Alexandria replied, feeling a sense of warmth she hadn’t felt before.

As they drove back to the mansion, Alexandria looked out the window, feeling a mixture of relief and anticipation for what lay ahead. For once, she didn’t have to be on guard. She could just be.

They ended up getting much more than body wash, body sprays, and candles. Jean had brought them to Sephora to get some expensive shampoos and conditioners, to which Kitty was very amused and happy that she was embracing Tony’s credit card.

Jean parked the car in the garage and opened the trunk, around 15 large paper bags completely filling it. Kitty jumped out of the car with the same enthusiasm she’d had all day, while Alexandria and Jean followed at a more measured pace.

“Wow, we really went all out today,” Jean said, looking at the overflowing bags. “I think we might need a separate car just for the shopping.”

Kitty laughed. “That was amazing! And thanks to Tony’s credit card, we didn’t have to worry about the bill.” She turned to Alexandria with a wide grin. “You did great today. I’m glad you had fun.”

Alexandria nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “It was...different. But I liked it.”

Jean reached into the trunk and started pulling out the bags. “Let’s get this stuff inside. I’ll help you carry some.”

Kitty grabbed a few bags, her excitement still palpable. “I’m going to organize everything in my room. We’ll have to compare our finds.”

Alexandria picked up a couple of bags, her thoughts already shifting. She was used to analyzing situations, but this was a new kind of experience—one she wasn’t entirely sure how to process. Still, she was trying to let herself enjoy it.

As they made their way into the mansion, Logan happened to be coming down the stairs. He spotted them with the armfuls of bags and raised an eyebrow.

“Did you ladies rob a department store or something?” Logan asked, his tone as gruff as ever.

Kitty grinned, clearly unfazed by his demeanor. “Nope, just had a really successful shopping day. We’re totally stocked up now.”

Logan’s gaze shifted to Alexandria. “You didn’t get too carried away, did you?”

Alexandria shrugged slightly, still holding a couple of bags. “Just bought a few things. Nothing extravagant.”

Logan grunted, not exactly convinced but clearly not interested in delving further. “Well, as long as you don’t turn the mansion into a store.”

Kitty laughed, nudging Alexandria playfully. “Don’t mind him. He’s just being grumpy. We had a blast.”

“Yeah, it was... enjoyable,” Alexandria admitted, a bit more relaxed than usual.

Logan’s expression softened slightly, but only just. “Good. Just keep it in check.”

With that, Logan turned and headed back up the stairs, muttering something about needing a drink. Kitty watched him go with an amused look before focusing back on the bags.

Jean and Kitty began sorting through the bags, finding places for everything they had bought. Alexandria watched them, feeling a strange mix of contentment and apprehension. It was a world so different from her past, and while it was nice, it was also unfamiliar.

“I think we should get everything organized,” Kitty said as she rifled through a particularly large bag. “And then maybe have a snack. I’m starving.”

Alexandria raised an eyebrow. “Is that something you usually do after shopping?”

Kitty laughed. “Not usually. But today is special, right? We can treat ourselves.”

Jean, who had been unbagging a set of bath products, looked over at Alexandria. “So, Alexandria, do you have any plans for tonight? Or are you just going to relax and enjoy your new stuff?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” Alexandria said, her tone thoughtful. “I suppose I could use some downtime.”

Kitty grabbed a box of chocolates from one of the bags. “Perfect! Let’s all just hang out. We can watch a movie, eat snacks, and just chill. It’s a nice change of pace.”

“Sounds good,” Alexandria agreed. It was a simple suggestion, but it felt right. For once, she could relax without the constant pressure of her past life.

As they continued unpacking and chatting about their day, the atmosphere in the mansion felt lighter than usual. It was a small reprieve from the usual intensity, and Alexandria found herself appreciating the moment more than she would have admitted.

Later that evening, as they settled down with snacks and a movie, Alexandria couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude. She had come from a place where her every move was controlled, and now, in this space with Kitty and Jean, she was starting to find something like normalcy. It wasn’t perfect, and she still had a lot to work through, but it was a start.

Kitty was sprawled out on the couch with a big bag of popcorn, Jean was flipping through movie options, and Alexandria found herself settling into a place she hadn’t thought she’d ever experience—simple relaxation with friends.

As the movie began and the room filled with the sound of laughter and conversation, Alexandria leaned back and allowed herself to simply be. It was a small victory, but it felt significant. She wasn’t sure what the future held, but for now, she was content.

---

The next day, Alexandria found herself holed up in her room, with a candle lit. Jean taught her how to light the candle without needing a lighter. All she needed to do was use a little bit of her telekinesis to light it.

She tried it, and surprisingly it worked. She had never used her powers for something so… domestic and non-threatening.

One thing she didn’t know she liked doing was reading. Alexandria may not be able to read in English, but she can read in Russian.

She bought a book called ‘Wuthering Heights’ and had been reading it since the afternoon. Her headphones were on, a song called ‘successful’ by Ariana Grande flowing through her ears, who was also someone Jean put her onto.

Her room also smelt quite good, not just because of the candle burning, but because she ended up using that strawberry body wash she got, along with the fancy shampoo and conditioner.

“Ostav' menya v pokoye. Ostav' menya v pokoye,” rydala Ketrin. “Yesli ya postupil nepravil'no, ya umirayu za eto. Dostatochno! Ty tozhe menya ostavil; no ya ne budu tebya uprekat'! YA proshchayu tebya. Prosti menya!” Alexandria murmured as she read along to the book.

Logan came to her door, it was nearing 11 o’clock at night, and he wanted to make sure she got some sleep before she went back to classes tomorrow.

He knocked and waited a few moments, getting no response. He knocked again and waited a few seconds before opening the door, seeing Alexandria on her bed, her feet in the air reading a book with headphones over her ears mumbling words he couldn’t understand.

“Trudno proshchat', smotret' v eti glaza i chuvstvovat' eti potrachennyye vpustuyu ruki,” otvetil on. “Potseluy menya yeshche raz i ne pozvolyay mne videt' tvoi glaza! YA proshchayu to, chto ty sdelal so mnoy. YA lyublyu svoyego ubiytsu, no tvoyego! Kak ya mogu?” She continued murmuring to herself as she read the book.

Logan leaned against the doorframe, his eyes narrowing as he watched Alexandria. She was engrossed in her book, completely unaware of his presence, her lips moving silently as she read the Russian text aloud. The scent of strawberries filled the room, mingling with the earthy aroma of the candle burning on her desk. It was a sharp contrast to the usual scent of metal and sweat that Logan was used to.

He hesitated, unsure whether to interrupt her or just leave her to her reading. He wasn’t one for intruding on anyone’s space, especially not when they were focused like she was. But it was late, and he knew from experience that pushing herself too hard—physically or mentally—wasn’t going to do her any favors.

He didn’t know why he felt the need to check on her, but something about her situation resonated with him. Maybe it was the way she had collapsed in the rain a few weeks ago, driven to the brink by her inability to sleep. Or maybe it was something else, something deeper that he didn’t want to examine too closely.

He knocked lightly on the door again, this time louder to ensure she could hear him over the music. Alexandria didn’t react immediately; she was too absorbed in the world of Wuthering Heights. Logan recognized the look in her eyes—he’d seen it in the mirror plenty of times before. It was the look of someone lost in their own head, trying to escape from something they couldn’t quite put into words.

“Kid,” Logan called out, his voice gruff but not unkind. “It’s late.”

Alexandria’s head snapped up, her eyes focusing on Logan as if she’d just realized he was standing there. She quickly pulled off her headphones, the music abruptly cutting off. “I didn’t hear you.”

“No kidding,” Logan muttered, stepping into the room. He glanced at the book in her hands, recognizing the language. “What’re you reading?”

“Wuthering Heights,” she replied, her tone neutral as she placed a bookmark between the pages and closed the book. “In Russian.”

Logan nodded, not surprised. “You should get some sleep. It’s almost midnight.”

Alexandria frowned, glancing at the clock on her nightstand. “I’m not tired.”

Logan crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze steady. “Doesn’t matter. You need sleep.”

She sighed, clearly not in the mood for an argument but not wanting to give in either. “I’ll sleep later.”

Logan’s expression didn’t change, but his voice softened just a fraction. “It’s not up for debate, kid. You need rest. You’ve been running yourself ragged since you got here.”

Alexandria’s eyes flickered with irritation, but there was also a trace of something else—uncertainty, maybe even a bit of fear. She didn’t like being told what to do, that much was clear. But there was something about Logan that made her reluctant to push back too hard. Maybe it was because he reminded her of herself, in a way. Or maybe it was because she could sense that, underneath his rough exterior, he actually gave a damn.

“I’ll go to sleep soon,” she finally said, though it was more of a concession than a promise.

Logan didn’t push further. He knew when to back off. “Alright. Just make sure you do.” He turned to leave but paused at the door, glancing back at her. “And if you need anything… you know where to find me.”

Alexandria watched him for a moment, her expression unreadable. “Thanks.”

Logan gave a curt nod and left her room, closing the door behind him. As he walked down the hall, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Alexandria than she let on. He wasn’t one to pry—hell, he had his own share of secrets—but he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of demons she was wrestling with. And more importantly, whether she could fight them off on her own.

Back in her room, Alexandria stared at the closed door for a long moment before setting her book aside. She had planned to keep reading, to lose herself in the words and the story, but now the room felt different—quieter, more oppressive. Logan’s presence had been a reminder of the real world, of the things she couldn’t escape no matter how hard she tried.

With a sigh, she blew out the candle on her desk, plunging the room into darkness except for the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the curtains. She lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, her mind racing. Alexandria grabbed the metal piece Hank made her to keep out other people’s dreams and stuck it on her forehead, her mind quieting.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to relax, to let go of the tension that seemed to cling to her like a second skin. The scent of strawberries lingered in the air, a faint reminder of the small comforts she had allowed herself today. It wasn’t much, but it was something. And for now, it was enough.

---

Professor Xavier told her to meet him after classes by the Danger Room. She had never gone in it yet, only heard a few things from her classmates about it.

She met him at the door of the room as he turned his wheelchair to face her. “Ah, hello, Alexandria. I was hoping today you might be up to showing us your skills.”

Alexandria nodded, her face set in its usual neutral expression. “Sure. What do you want me to do?”

Professor Xavier gestured for her to enter. “We’re going to run a few scenarios to get a sense of your abilities in action. We’ve seen your control over telekinesis and heard about your skills with dream manipulation, but we’d like to see how you handle a more dynamic environment.”

As they entered the Danger Room, Alexandria took in the sleek, high-tech surroundings. The room was designed to simulate various environments and scenarios for training purposes. Today, it was set up like a dense forest, with trees and underbrush extending as far as the eye could see.

Professor Xavier positioned himself at a control panel. “You’ll start by demonstrating your telekinesis. Move objects, lift them, show us what you can do. After that, we’ll incorporate some elements that require your dream manipulation skills.”

Alexandria took a deep breath and stepped further into the simulated forest. She raised her hand, focusing on a large rock nearby. With a subtle movement of her fingers, the rock began to levitate, hovering in the air before gently lowering back to the ground.

Professor Xavier watched closely, nodding in approval. “Good. Now, let’s try something more challenging. I’m going to create a few obstacles for you to navigate through. Let’s see how you handle them.”

With that, the simulation shifted. Trees began to move and rearrange themselves, creating a maze-like structure. Alexandria’s expression remained unchanged as she moved through the obstacles, her telekinesis clearing a path by pushing aside branches and lifting fallen logs.

“Impressive,” Professor Xavier said. “Now, let’s incorporate a scenario where you need to use your dream manipulation.”

Alexandria raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. She was used to being told what to do, and this was just another challenge to tackle.

The environment shifted again, this time into a more chaotic scene. The trees became distorted, and shadows seemed to come alive. Professor Xavier explained, “This scenario is meant to test your ability to handle stress and manipulation. Imagine this as a chaotic dream environment. Try to bring some order to it.”

Alexandria closed her eyes briefly, concentrating. She reached out with her mind, projecting calm and order into the chaotic environment. The shadows began to recede, and the distorted trees straightened, transforming into a more stable and peaceful setting.

“Excellent,” Professor Xavier said, a note of genuine admiration in his voice. “Your control over your powers is impressive. You’ve managed to bring a sense of calm even in a chaotic situation.”

Alexandria opened her eyes and gave a curt nod. “Thanks. Is that all?”

“For now,” Professor Xavier replied. “But… if you would like I could give you a different scenario. To test your fighting skills.”

She raised her eyebrows, partially amused, partially excited. She hadn’t gotten a chance to fight since she’d been here. It had been almost 2 months of no punching bags, no guns, knives, nothing. Perhaps Charles caught onto that.

"Sure." Alexandria's response was clipped, her eyes narrowing slightly in anticipation. It had been too long since she had been given the chance to fight—too long since she had felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins as she faced an opponent. The idea of finally being able to release some of that pent-up energy was almost thrilling.

Professor Xavier nodded, his expression unreadable, though there was a hint of concern in his eyes. "Very well. I’ll modify the simulation to include some combat elements. Remember, this is a controlled environment. The objective is to assess your combat reflexes and decision-making under pressure."

Alexandria didn’t need the reminder. Controlled environment or not, she was ready to show what she could do. The forest setting around her began to shift once again, the trees and underbrush morphing into a more open space with a few scattered boulders and uneven terrain. It was a landscape designed to test agility and awareness.

From the edge of the clearing, several figures materialized—simulated opponents, armed and ready for battle. They were clearly not human, more like humanoid constructs, their movements mechanical yet fluid. They approached her, weapons raised, their expressions blank and devoid of any humanity.

Alexandria rolled her shoulders, loosening up as she prepared herself. She didn’t need to think twice. As the first construct lunged at her, she moved with a speed and precision that spoke of years of training. Her telekinesis flared to life, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent the first attacker flying into a boulder with a force that shattered its synthetic body on impact.

Another came at her from the side, swinging a blade that glinted in the artificial light. Alexandria ducked, narrowly avoiding the strike, and with a swift motion, she grabbed the blade telekinetically, wrenching it from the construct’s grasp and driving it into its chest. The construct crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

The remaining attackers hesitated for a split second, as if recalculating their strategy. It was all the time Alexandria needed. She focused her mind, sending out a telekinetic pulse that knocked them all off balance. Two of them staggered but recovered quickly, advancing on her once again. The third, however, wasn’t so lucky—it was thrown back against the trees, its body collapsing into a heap of twisted metal.

Alexandria didn’t give them a chance to regroup. She launched herself at the nearest opponent, her movements fluid and precise. Her fist connected with its face, and she followed up with a telekinetic blast that sent it crashing to the ground. The last remaining construct tried to retreat, but Alexandria was on it in an instant. With a final, powerful telekinetic push, she crushed it into the ground, its limbs splayed out at unnatural angles.

The clearing was silent once more, save for the sound of Alexandria’s heavy breathing. She stood in the center of the carnage, her eyes blazing with the intensity of the fight. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, her mind slowly coming down from the high of combat.

"Well done, Alexandria," Professor Xavier's voice broke through the silence, his tone measured. "You handled that with remarkable skill. Your reflexes and decision-making are impressive, especially given the complexity of the scenario."

Alexandria straightened up, wiping the sweat from her brow. "It was easy enough," she said, though there was a slight edge to her voice, as if she had been hoping for more of a challenge.

"I expected no less from you," Professor Xavier replied, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied her. "But this was just a preliminary assessment. There’s more we need to explore when it comes to your abilities—especially your dream manipulation."

She nodded, though she wasn’t particularly thrilled at the idea of using her dream powers. Combat was one thing—something she understood, something tangible. But dreams? They were a whole different territory, one she wasn’t entirely comfortable with.

As if reading her thoughts, Professor Xavier continued, "I understand that your dream manipulation might not be something you’ve had much opportunity to explore in a combat context. But it’s an important part of your skill set, one that could be invaluable in certain situations."

Alexandria didn’t respond immediately, her mind turning over the possibilities. She knew her dream manipulation was powerful, but she had always used it for more subtle, less direct purposes—mostly to keep people away from her own thoughts. The idea of using it in combat was new, and not entirely welcome.

"Alright," she said finally, her voice steady. "What do you want me to do?"

Professor Xavier’s gaze softened slightly, as if he understood the internal conflict she was grappling with. "We’ll start with something simple. I’ll create a scenario where your opponents are influenced by a dream-like state—something that distorts their perception of reality. Your task will be to manipulate that state to your advantage."

The environment around her shifted once more, the clearing darkening as if the sun had suddenly set. The air grew thick and heavy, a mist rising from the ground to obscure the edges of the clearing. Alexandria could feel the change in the atmosphere, the way it pressed down on her senses, making everything feel surreal and dream-like.

From the mist, new figures emerged—these ones more fluid and less defined than the previous constructs. They moved in a disjointed, almost ghostly manner, their forms flickering as if they were caught between different states of being. Alexandria recognized the nature of the scenario immediately—these were manifestations of dreams, or perhaps nightmares, their reality unstable and shifting.

She closed her eyes for a moment, reaching out with her mind. It was a delicate balance, manipulating a dream state. Too much force, and the whole construct could collapse, leaving nothing to work with. Too little, and the dream could spiral out of control, becoming more of a threat than the opponents themselves.

She began to weave her influence into the fabric of the dream, threading her thoughts through the mist and the figures within it. Slowly, she started to shape the dream to her will, making the figures more solid, more real. They became easier to predict, their movements more coordinated and deliberate.

The figures moved toward her, but this time, she didn’t rely on telekinesis alone. She reached deeper into the dream, warping their perception of the environment. The ground shifted beneath their feet, the mist thickening around them, causing them to stumble and falter. One of the figures reached out as if to grab her, but its hand passed through empty air, its form dissipating like smoke.

Alexandria pushed further, intensifying the dream’s effects. The figures began to move slower, their forms becoming more disjointed and fragmented. She could see the confusion in their movements, the way they struggled to maintain their shape and purpose. It was as if they were caught in a loop, unable to break free from the dream’s hold.

She didn’t stop there. She pushed the dream to its breaking point, unraveling the last threads of coherence that held the figures together. One by one, they disintegrated into nothingness, their forms dissolving into the mist that surrounded them.

When the last figure had vanished, Alexandria opened her eyes, breathing heavily from the effort. The mist began to clear, the environment shifting back to the neutral state of the Danger Room. Professor Xavier watched her carefully, his expression thoughtful.

"That was… impressive," he said slowly. "You managed to dismantle the dream construct entirely. It’s not something many can do with such precision and control."

Alexandria gave a small shrug, though there was a hint of pride in her eyes. "It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be."

"Perhaps not," Professor Xavier conceded, "but it’s still a significant achievement. You have a natural talent for manipulating dreams, and with more training, you could become even more adept at using it in a variety of situations."

She nodded, though her mind was still processing what she had just done. The power she had over dreams was something she had always taken for granted—something she used out of necessity rather than choice. But now, seeing it in a different light, she realized that it could be more than just a defense mechanism. It could be a weapon, a tool to be wielded with precision and purpose.

"Is there anything else?" she asked, her voice steady despite the tumult of thoughts in her head.

Professor Xavier shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Not today. You’ve done more than enough. Take some time to rest and reflect on what you’ve learned. We’ll continue your training tomorrow."

Alexandria nodded once more, feeling a sense of satisfaction despite herself. She had proven what she was capable of, not just to Professor Xavier, but to herself. And as she left the Danger Room, her mind was already racing with possibilities—ways to refine her abilities, to push herself even further.

---

Later that evening, Alexandria found herself back in her room, the events of the day replaying in her mind. She had gone through the motions of dinner, but her thoughts had been elsewhere, focused on what she had done in the Danger Room. It was strange, feeling proud of herself—strange, but not entirely unwelcome.

She sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes drifting to the small window that looked out over the grounds of the school. The sun had long since set, the sky a deep, inky black dotted with stars. There was a sense of calm that settled over the mansion at night, a quiet that she found comforting.

But even in the silence, her mind wouldn’t rest. She kept thinking about her training, about what she could do better—how she could push herself further. There was always more to learn, more to improve upon. And for the first time in a long time, she felt a sense of purpose—a drive to be better, not just for herself, but for those around her.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear the knock on her door until it was almost too late. Startled, she looked up just as the door opened, revealing Logan standing in the doorway, his usual gruff expression in place.

"Got a minute?" he asked, his voice low and rough.

Alexandria blinked, surprised by his presence. She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon—if at all. But she nodded, gesturing for him to come in.

Logan stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He didn’t sit, instead choosing to lean against the wall near the window, his arms crossed over his chest. He studied her for a moment, his gaze intense.

"Heard you had a good session in the Danger Room today," he said finally, his tone neutral.

Alexandria shrugged, trying to play it off as no big deal. "It was fine. Nothing I couldn’t handle."

"That so?" Logan’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he didn’t quite believe her. "From what I hear, you took down those constructs like they were nothing. Even managed to mess with a dream scenario without breaking a sweat."

She glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction. It was hard to tell with Logan—he was so closed off, so guarded. But there was something in his tone, something that told her he was impressed, even if he wouldn’t admit it outright.

"Yeah," she said, her voice quieter now. "It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be."

Logan grunted, his expression unreadable. "You’re good, kid. Real good. But don’t let it go to your head. There’s always gonna be someone stronger, faster, better. And you gotta be ready for that."

Alexandria nodded, understanding the truth in his words. She knew she wasn’t invincible—far from it. But hearing it from Logan, someone who had seen more than his fair share of battles, made it hit home in a way she hadn’t expected.

"I know," she said, her voice firm. "I’m not looking to be the best. I just want to be ready for whatever comes next."

Logan studied her for a moment longer, then nodded, as if satisfied with her response. "Good. Keep that mindset, and you’ll do just fine."

There was a pause, a silence that stretched out between them. Alexandria wasn’t sure what to say—wasn’t sure why Logan was here in the first place. But she found that she didn’t mind his presence, even if it was unexpected.

"You ever think about what comes next?" she asked suddenly, the question slipping out before she could stop herself.

Logan looked at her, his expression thoughtful. "Every damn day," he said quietly. "But it ain’t about what’s next. It’s about surviving what’s in front of you. One day at a time, one fight at a time."

She nodded slowly, taking in his words. It made sense, in a way—living in the moment, focusing on the now. But it was hard for her, always thinking ahead, always planning for the future. She wasn’t sure she knew how to just live in the moment.

But maybe, with time, she could learn.

"Thanks, Logan," she said after a moment, her voice sincere. "For everything."

He gave a small nod, his expression softening just a fraction. "Anytime, kid. Anytime."

And with that, he turned and left the room, leaving Alexandria alone with her thoughts once more. But this time, the silence wasn’t as heavy—it was filled with the possibility of what could be, of what she could become.

She had a long way to go, but for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was on the right path. And that was enough.

For now.

i translated a part of 'wuthering heights' into russian and then changed my mind and made all the russian into english, except for that one section since my book is back home and i'm halfway across the country at college. but, you get the gist.

[eunxhan]

❝ I'll do whatever it takes to keep you locked up in my arms, and no one else will ever have you. ❞

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Ꮺ 😻 Anon Requested ⨾ Hiiii!!! First of all good day/night before all! I just saw that you write for Identity V and I couldn't stop myself 😔 I need a yan!joker and yan!ripper right now!! (Not really but you surely understand what I mean 🤭) - 😻 Anon

Ꮺ Eun Replies ⨾ Hello, good day for you too. This was interesting for me as i never seen any yandere types of both of the characters much and identity v is so underrated to me. I'm not sure if you wanted separate or poly so i decided to go with the first option, of course if you wanted polygamous I wouldn't mind writing them both again— I hope this brings you joy.

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Ꮺ Disclaimer — I do not condone this kind of behavior in real life situations. Unhealthy relationship, possessive and obsessive behavior, delusion, abduction, abusive behavior. English is not my main!

Reader & Genre ⨾ GN!SURVIVOR!reader,

Words used ⨾ 10, 300+ ( 24 headcanons )

Character ⨾ Yandere!Ripper, Yandere!JOKER, A bit OOC for me.

Links ⨾ My Navigation and Mandates

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I view Ripper as a possessive type of yandere. He often desires and demands attention and affection from his beloved, and can quickly become enraged and jealous if his beloved gives attention to others or ignores him. He is very possessive and controlling, and will go to extreme lengths to keep his beloved all for himself.

Which he often tries to charm and seduce his beloved, and may even use his charm and sweetness to manipulate his dear into doing what he wants. This could involve him using his darling's love and affection against them, making them think that he loved them more than anything else and that they must do what he wants and cater to his desires. Attempting to shape their thoughts, feelings, and behavior according to his own desires.

Ripper also been shown to be very obsessed with his beloved. His obsession with his beloved can often lead to irrational and violent behaviors, and he frequently resorts to violent means to ensure the preservation of their relationship.

Ripper's possessiveness can often reach obsessive and unhealthy levels. His jealousy and need for control over his beloved's actions, attempting to prevent any opportunity for his beloved to even consider or interact with others. Such as forcibly isolating his beloved from the rest of the world.

If Ripper sees his beloved in the trial, he would likely be incredibly furious and possessive. He would want to be the one to take his beloved out of the trial, and would not want anyone else touching or coming near them. He would likely resort to extreme measures to try and prevent anyone from taking his beloved away or causing him to lose control over his beloved.

He likely not hesitate to kill any other survivors who try to get near or touch his beloved. He would have extreme anger directed towards the hunter, as he blames the hunter for putting his beloved in this situation, He would resort to desperate and obsessive means to free his beloved by whatever means necessary.

If his beloved tries to avoid him in and out of trials, he would likely become very frustrated and angry.nHe would view the avoidance as his beloved rejecting and avoiding him, which would fill him with jealousy and fear of losing his beloved.

He'll try to become more pushy and clingy towards his beloved, wanting to always be close and attached to them and not letting them escape or reject his advances. He would also become very demanding and insistent towards his beloved, wanting them to give him attention and affection and to stop avoiding him.

Ripper wants to abduct his beloved away, resort to very dangerous and violent means to try and abduct them away. He would likely resort to extreme measures such as kidnapping his beloved and holding them captive somewhere private and secluded, not letting anyone know their whereabouts or preventing any possibility of their beloved escaping him.

Wanting to keep them constantly by his side and not allow any time away from him. He will not allow any chance for his beloved to escape or have their own freedom.

Ripper, when he is the hunter and dealing with a survivor darling, may be more unpredictable in his behavior since he can be more emotionally reactive and impulsive than Joker. Ripper may still attack his beloved when they're a survivor, as he may see them as not being the perfect version of his beloved that he wants so desperately. He may prefer to kill them and start over with a new version of his beloved, not wanting to deal with an imperfect version of his beloved that he can't control or manipulate.

Ripper would likely want to immediately hunt them down and attack them. Ripper is a very possessive yandere, and would feel extreme rage if his beloved is interacting with anyone else besides them. This would trigger his obsessive and controlling mindset, and would quickly resort to violent means to abduct them and keep them to himself.

Ripper suffers from insanity, he will have a distorted view of his beloved and would experience delusional thoughts and feelings.

In his head, he may hallucinate and perceive his beloved as having different physical features and appearances than they actually do. He would also be likely to have extreme beliefs and views about his beloved, such as viewing them as an extension of himself or belonging to him.

His twisted perceptions and beliefs would likely cause Ripper to act in extreme and violent means towards his beloved, attempting to abduct them and forcefully remove them from everyone else and isolate them only to himself.

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I view Joker as a manipulative and calculated type of yandere. He often acts in a charming and sweet manner, but also has a twisted and manipulative side to him. Joker as a sadistic type of yandere. He takes pleasure in making his beloved suffer and feel pain, and enjoys seeing them scared and helpless. He wants to break down their will and force them into a state of dependency on him for protection and comfort.

Joker's sadism can be viewed as a form of mental and emotional abuse. He wants to completely control and manipulate his darling, treating them like a puppet who must follow his whim, and showing no regard for their feelings and desires.

He wants to break down his beloved's identity, breaking their will and brainwashing them to make them comply to his desires and fantasies. Joker enjoys seeing his beloved weak and helpless, enjoying their suffering and fear and finding comfort and satisfaction in dominating them, rooted in his need to have power and control over his beloved.

He wants to be the source of all the joy and happiness in his beloved's life, and wants to make sure that they are completely dependent on him for comfort and security. He has a very controlling and manipulative mindset, and wants to keep total power over his beloved, wanting to shape and mold them into the perfect partner for him.

If he sees his beloved in the trial with him, he would likely feel a mix of emotions. He would likely feel excitement and a sense of power and control over his beloved, wanting to be the one responsible for their protection and saving them from the trial.

Just Like Ripper, He would also likely feel a sense of jealousy and anger towards the other survivors in the trial, wanting to be the one who has all the attention and affection from his beloved, and not wanting anyone else to get in his way or come close to them. Because why would you want anyone else, when you can have him?

He would likely try to immediately separate his beloved from the other survivors while still within the trial. Being aggressive and violent behaviors towards the other survivors while trying to forcibly separate and take his beloved away from them.

If his darling tries to avoid him, he would become extremely frustrated and angry, feeling rejected and abandoned by his beloved. The lack of affection and attention from his beloved would fill him with anger and jealousy, and his possessive and controlling nature would be activated. Trying to force them to give him attention and affection by any means necessary, even if it means physically dragging them away with him.

For example, he might resort to restraining them physically to try and hold them so they are forced to be with him. He might even resort to kidnapping and abducting his beloved to ensure they cannot get away from him or reject him.

With his extreme possessiveness and controlling nature, would not hesitate to use force and aggression to possess and control his beloved.

He would possibly resort to more violent and abusive means to maintain control over his beloved, keeping them completely isolated and trapped with no means of escape. The lack of control and the feeling of rejection and abandonment would trigger extreme anger and rage, which could cause him to direct his violence and aggression towards his beloved in a fit of rage. He will do anything as to dangerous methods such as kidnapping, physical force, and threats or manipulation to get his beloved away from everyone else and keep them all to Himself.

If he sees his darling survivor in the trial, he's unpredictable sometimes he'll attack his beloved directly but sometimes he wants to save them, at least not until he managed to abduct them. Once he had manage to separate his beloved from the other survivors and take them with him, then he would have no issues with attacking his beloved or treating them quite recklessly.

Joker suffers from sadism and sociopathy, he would have a distorted and twisted view of his beloved as well. He experience delusions and hallucinations, and would not see his beloved as they actually are but rather how he wants them to be. He have a twisted and demented version of his beloved in his mind, seeing them as a broken and helpless slave who needs him to maintain their stability and sense of self. His delusions would likely trigger his anger and violence towards his beloved, as he would act out in obsessive and abusive ways to force these delusions to be reality.

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Ꮺ ⨾ I DO NOT CONSENT TO MY WORK BEING COPIED OR TRANSLATED.

[pineappleciders]

Ddlc girls with an s/o who acts edgy, snappy, and aloof because they don't want to get attached because of all their friends moving away when they were little? (Totally not me requesting for comfort of my favorite characters)

DDLC GIRLS WITH AN ALOOF AND SNAPPY S/O

INCLUDES: monika, sayori, natsuki, and yuri

MONIKA

she kinda unintentionally gets you to open up and be softer around her. you don't know what it is, but she's just easy to talk to

she never pushes you to talk about yourself or anything, and she decides that if you wanted to talk about something then you'd come to her

when you do, she sits down and pays careful attention to what you say

when you start talking about your friends leaving you as a kid, she listens intently and waits for you to finish, getting all of your anger and sadness out

she puts an arm around you and holds you close, reassuring you and being quiet while you cry or just sit in her arms

monika is good at respecting boundaries. she doesn't try to push being friends or talking onto you when you first meet, so you guys just kinda ended up getting close without even knowing how it happened

when you two start dating she doesn't push you into anything. she encourages you to maybe come to her club or meet her friends, but she understands if you don't want to, and is sure to let her friends know not to push you

she's vry sweet and respectful, and doesn't get frustrated easily so she doesn't mind if you're snappy or mean sometimes.

when u two have been dating for awhile she might scold you for saying something rude to someone, but it's lighthearted and she understands why you lash out sometimes

SAYORI

sayori, similar to monika, is pretty patient. but when you two meet she's kind of insecure that you dislike her or don't want to talk to her, so she might not talk to you for a bit and isolate herself

it might take a talk with monika for her to learn that you don't dislike her, it's just the way that you are

when she understands that it's a coping mechanism, she still wants to get close to you but she doesn't push anything (if you get upset with her she might withdraw from talking to you for a bit, the last thing sayori wants to do is make you uncomfortable)

she might get a little giddy and happy when you laugh at one of her jokes or open up about yourself,, but quickly tries to calm herself down as to not scare you off

she has the urge to isolate herself and push everyone away a lot, and sometimes does, so she understands the need to be edgy and stuff

it honestly makes her sad when you're sad, so if you're sad and opening up about your abandonment issues she'll try her best to listen and comfort you

it ends up with her trying to distract you by making your favorite food or taking you somewhere; or just cuddling and watching your favorite shows

she's super nice but she'll get insecure if you ignore her or act mean,, so when you first met she makes it her goal to get you to warm up to her!! doing little things like showing interest in what you're doing or buying you something from the vending machine

NATSUKI

natsuki also acts snappy and aloof because of abandonment issues

since you both kinda built a wall for your own protection, it might take a while to get to know each other and chip at the walls

but when you two become friends, she's less mean and stuff (especially when she gets to talk about what she loves; if you like manga she'll ramble about it for hours with no care in the world)

she starts audibly laughing at your jokes and being goofy with you, and you do the same. it's basically u two let your walls down around each other and nobody else

you both learn to communicate with each other for the sake of your relationship, because it would be incredibly difficult otherwise if you two just huffed and walked away every time

if you snap at her or say something you don't mean, she'll run off and ignore you for awhile, eventually forgiving you and telling you that you hurt her feelings

if she snaps at you, she'll constantly try to talk to you every chance she gets at school but you keep turning your bead. eventually she gets you to stay and talk it out with her, and she apologizes saying she didn't mean that and she was just upset

natsuki is naturally insecure of her tendencies to push people away and be rude to protect herself, and she honestly hates herself for it. so having another person that does the same thing might help her understand you better

she feels bad about you losing all of your friends as a kid, and she'll low-key insult them for moving away (even if it wasn't their fault) and she tells you that it wasn't your fault and that you have her and the others now :)

she's also lost many friends in a short amount of time and has abandonment issues, so you two stick together like glue. lots of sitting in your bed together, watching tv or listening to music. you two feel very safe in each other's presence

YURI

yuri is kinda awkward around u at first. she's not really sure how to start conversation or talk to you at all (she already struggles with making convo, but your rough exterior makes it harder)

you get closer as the two of you share your passions and interests, like when she rambles about her favorite books or poetry, and gets all shy afterwards

she kind of assumed you wouldn't really care, but her eyes light up when you share your passions and express interests in hers as well

similar to her and natsuki, you two might butt heads or not get along at first, but yuri really cares about you and you the same. despite some arguments you two always end up together

she's less shy and more awkward and weird with you. she isn't really scared of what you think (or at least, she doesn't show it) but she's more curious as to what's going on in your head (sometimes it results in her zoning out and staring at you and getting embarrassed and apologizing when you notice)

yuri feels bad about your childhood. she doesn't really expect for you or anyone else to stay with her, so she's weirdly relieved about you also struggling with issues of your own

you both have tendencies to push people away, intentionally or not. yuri is shy and hides in her she if she makes a mistake or is judged, constantly afraid that she'll scare people off. you're aloof and also hide in your shell, to protect yourself and to not have to face losing people you love again

when you're dating you're very comfortable around each other. you both expect the other to leave, but it doesn't happen, and yuri couldn't be more thankful

[formula1fanfiction]

Pierre Gasly / Max Verstappen

Title: I'm all yours, i've got no control

Pairing: Pierre Gasly / Max Verstappen

Characters: Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton

Prompt: Gasly-Max, fighting for world championship is create so much pressure and to Max the best way is to deal with is fucking other drivers

The best way to deal with pressure of winning world championships? Sex. It's the races that he can't control that get to him the most. His car blowing up on him is not ideal. He kicks what's left of his car in frustration and thinks of potential fucks.  

George? He's been a good fuck in the past, very pliant and happy to do anything but George crashed today and he went there after Singapore and George had just cried all over his cock. He doesn't want to comfort someone, he wants to fuck them.

Charles? Another good previous fuck, but Charles has been on the podium today and he's the type of person who can't contain his own excitement and he's not in the mood for Charles' bragging right now.

Lewis would just say no, as would Carlos, Checo and Fernando Alonso. Then it hits him Gasly. He's not been with the Frenchman for a long time, not since he was demoted from Red bull, but it had always been good fun.

"Gasly." He finds Pierre in the lobby of the hotel. "Max?" Pierre turns around a smile on his face. Max has never noticed before, but he's beautiful. "Did you want something?" Max realises his been staring at him for too long.

 "Remember in 2019 when you would sub for me when things weren't going well? Do you still do that?" A flicker of something flashes on Pierre's face, something Max can't read but he quickly changes it back to a smile.

"Well I was going to celebrate with Charles and I don't really bottom any more but I guess I can make a one off exception for you." Max is bouncing on the soles of his feet in delight as he leads Pierre back to his hotel room.

"Are we just going to get into it?" Pierre shrugs his Alpine jacket off and lays it over the arm of the chair. "Yes, does the traffic light system still work for you?" Pierre shrugs. "That works for me."

Max decides it's time just to get fucking on with it, Pierre yelps being taken completely by surprise, he's rugby tackled onto the bed, hands pinned either side of his head. "What's your colour on this?" Max asks, his hand sneaking down Pierre's chest, pushing up his team shirt and squeezes his nipple. "Green."  

"Do you still love it Pierre? Being tied to the bed and coming on my cock alone?" Max dips his head down and bites Pierre's right nipple, he Frenchman hisses underneath. "Whatever you want, sir."  sir, fuck he wasn't expecting that.

"Good thing I came prepared to deal with sluts." Max always comes prepared for his kinky fantasies and takes out two pair of hand cuffs from the draw in the night stand. "Do you always travel to race weekends with handcuffs sir." Max bites his lip to stop himself smiling. "I do, actually."

Max locks the first pair around Pierre's right wrist and attaches it to the bed. "Colour?" Pierre's eyes darken with lust the blue completely disappearing and turning black "Green, sir." Max nods approvingly and repeats the action with the left wrist.

"You look very comfortable for someone who says he isn't a bottom anymore." Pierre shrugs, the best he can anyway. "Maybe, I like the fact you can do anything you want to me sir and i'm helpless." Fuck, Max almost comes in his pants.

Pierre pulls lightly on his restraints just to test them but is cut off when Max lightly smacks his thigh. "Stop that or ill spank you."Sorry Daddy." Pierre whispers. Fucking Pierre, knows exactly what he's doing, driving Max bloody insane that is.

Max decides to ignore the daddy comment, not giving Pierre the satisfaction, instead he takes out a bottle of lube and a condom. Max drizzles the lube over his fingers and pushes up Pierre's hips, until they are pressed up against his own chest. "Daddy..." Pierre whines, like the little brat that he is but Max catches him off guard and pushes a single digit inside, twisting his finger, Pierre accepts the first finger easily, pretty suspicious for someone who is a top but Max doesn't comment on it and, adds  a second finger.

Max takes a long time opening Pierre up just to piss of the other man. "Daddy please, I need your cock." Max ignores him completely and strokes over his prostate, drawing groans from the older  man. "Daddy." Pierre whines even more, bucking his hips up into thin air, trying to get any type friction. Max only takes pity on him when the bulge in his own jeans becomes too hard to handle.

Pierre watches, his mouth watering as Max pulls down his pants and boxers together, freeing his massive cock. Max takes himself into his own hand and gives himself a few strokes, forcing himself to stop and quickly rolls on the condom. "Colour, Pierre?"

"Green." That's all consent Max needs, he nudges the head of his cock against Pierre's lube slick entrance  and slams inside with one hard thrust. Pierre growls and digs his fingers into the metal of the cuffs. "Love it when you fill me up with your cock." Max has to use every inch of his will power to hold back from fucking Pierre senselessly. "daddy, please." Pierre whines and tries to push his hips up and down,  however Max has his hips in a tight grip, not letting the Frenchman move at all.

"Such a naughty slut, begging for me like that." Max, just can't take teasing Pierre anymore, his own cock is crying for attention buried inside of Pierre. Max pulls all the way out, only to slam back inside of him this time, picking up a rough, deep pace, slamming inside Pierre with a mighty force. Pierre makes the cutest noises when he's been fucked hard, each little sound only turns Max on even more. Max finds Pierre's prostate petty quickly  and angles each of his thrusts to hit the swollen gland, pulling even more noises from Pierre's throat.

"I need to come, fuck." Pierre arches his hips up off the bed, Max quickly puts a stop to it and grips his hand tightly around the base of Robert's cock. "Bad little sluts have to wait until Daddy comes first." He can't believe he's using Pierre's embarrassing words, but he's way too gone to give a shit.

Max  pounds into Pierre with all his might as he feels his orgasm building into the pit of his stomach, it only takes three more thrusts and he's coming inside of the condom. Max pulls out and rolls off the condom, making Pierre whine in frustration. "Daddy?"

"Do you think you deserve to come? Sweet little Pierre." Max  asks as he starts teasing Pierre's cock, dragging his hand up and down the pulsating member really slowly. "Please daddy, i've been a really good boy" Max starts to stroke the hard cock a little quicker. "Ok baby, come for daddy." That's all Pierre needs to hear and he's coming hard, shooting his load high into the air and splattering all over his own chest. "Good boy, daddy's good boy."

Max cringes as he reaches over and releases Pierre's hands from the handcuffs. "Can't believe you have a daddy kink." Pierre giggles. "I don't, I just knew I could get you to play along."

Somehow, despite Pierre being the one locked up, it feels like Max was never really in control at all but it's made him feel a hell of a lot better.

[starrysnowdrop]

Why Hali/Aymeric?

This is something that I’ve been wanting to write up for a long time now, and I’ve finally been able to get my thoughts down properly. For those who have been around for a while might be used to my ship by now and can see how their chemistry is, but I know I have some newer followers that might be interested in this explanation. Or perhaps you’re just curious even though you’ve been here forever. Either way, I thank you in advance for taking your time to read this! See under the cut below.

So, you might or might not know that Hali is actually not my first WoL OC, even though she is pretty much my only WoL OC now. Before Hali was created, I had an Auri Hingan Samurai woman named Yume, whom I had created back in 2019, shortly after the release of Shadowbringers. I didn’t realize it at first, but because of how I had written Yume, as a stoic, no nonsense warrior through and through, but also someone who was dealing with a lot of trauma and trying to find purpose in her life, I soon had a hard time shipping her with anyone. Over the years I had tried shipping Yume with Cid, G’raha, and I briefly thought of Artoirel, but before any of them, my first choice of an NPC ship was Aymeric.

Why Aymeric? Well, it took me quite a while to realize that a huge part of me wanting to ship Yume with Aymeric as a first choice was a very personal one. Aymeric was the first character in FFXIV that I completely fell for. Though I enjoyed the characters of Cid, Haurchefant, and G’raha in ARR, it wasn’t until we meet Aymeric that I had gotten attached to the world and the story through finding a favorite character of my own. Aymeric is so special to me, and that made me try to ship my only WoL at the time with him. But as you can see, that ultimately didn’t work out.

It didn’t work out because Yume and Aymeric didn’t vibe well with each other. There was a severe lack of chemistry between the two. I had realized that Aymeric is much too polite and respectful of decorum to break Yume out of her shell to make a deeper connection than just comrades that respect one another, and I didn’t think Yume was the kind of person that Aymeric would come to love either, as she would likely remind him of the many Ishgardian nobles that he was around all the time, for many reasons which I won’t elaborate on here due to brevity. And as I didn’t have any other OCs at the time, continued developing Yume and an NPC ship with Aymeric was discarded. Although I personally was very saddened by that, I thought it was the right decision for both characters.

Yet, I continued having trouble writing any kind of ship with Yume. After a few years, as I kept getting frustrated with the ships I was trying to write for her, I got inspired to make another WoL OC that would be different from Yume in every way. She actually would end up being much more of a self insert than I ever expected, but nonetheless I fell in love with the pink haired, happy go lucky Lalafellin woman who would become Hali Aloke, my pride and joy.

As I got Hali through base ARR and into the ARR patches, I didn’t have any intention on trying to ship her Aymeric and to try a WoL x NPC ship with him a second time, as I actually had intentions to ship Hali with Krile later on in her WoL journey.

But everything changed once Hali met Aymeric in 2.4, the lead up to Heavensward. I saw them in the cutscenes together, and as ridiculous of a height difference they had, I still couldn’t help but giggle and squeal whenever they were together. They just were incredibly adorable, and I couldn’t hold myself back. I just had to try to ship Hali with Aymeric.

So I decided to try to write a few prompts with them together and see how their dynamic was. And it was even better than I had expected. Their chemistry was so amazing, and the dialogue between them flowed quite effortlessly. Not only was I highly impressed and kept getting inspired to write more and more, but I got a ton of positive feedback from so many people telling me that they loved Hali and Aymeric together.

And I guess that was that. I have never looked back since. Hali x Aymeric are my everything (well fandom wise of course); my ship makes me so damn happy. Just looking at them makes me smile and want to write and gpose more. I can’t get enough of them. It’s to the point now that I don’t know if I could ever write a ship better than Hali x Aymeric. And you know what? I don’t even want to try at this point.

I still can’t fully comprehend how a pink haired, bubbly, sunshine of a lalafellin woman and a noble, brave, and charismatic Ishgardian knight could be such a beautiful and dynamic couple that would not only bring me endless joy but also keep inspiring me far more than anything else I’ve ever written. It is utterly beyond my comprehension, but somehow it works. And I am forever grateful that I just followed my heart and wrote what I wanted, and not for anyone else’s approval, but my own.

I somehow hope this helps inspire someone out there to not be afraid and just go for the ship they want to write for, despite what the fandom at large says. Trust me, it’s worth it.