#it's not fair to be mad at you for being dead. like logically i know that is not reasonable

[sylveriasarcana]

.

[farfromstrange]

Fictober Day 3: Getting a Pet

Fictober Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Prompt: Finding a pet/Getting a pet (it was originally finding a pet, but I changed things up a bit)

Summary: You think it's time for you and Matt to get a cat.

Warnings: Fluff. Established relationship. Cats. Mentions of future children.

Word Count: 2k

A/n: This is solely based on me wanting a cat. I did have a different version of this already written, decided I didn't like it, and whipped this up in, like, two hours today. I hope you're not mad at me, but the first draft really wasn't it, so I decided to interpret the prompt differently/change it.

Read Me On AO3!

It’s been three years since Matt Murdock stumbled into your life, broken and bruised. A normal person would have run if they had seen The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen knock at their window, but not you. You invited him in and fixed him to the best of your abilities. 

Three years ago, you met the man you fell head over heels in love with. The man who broke your heart then put it back together. The man who once believed he would never love again, that he didn’t deserve it, finally allowed himself to find some peace in your arms. Comfort. Love. 

You moved in together two years ago, and you haven’t looked back since. In fact, you only seem to be moving forward. 

Since he’s been with you, he has been using you as an excuse to Foggy and Karen for why he doesn’t need a dog. He thought he would never have to worry about getting a pet ever again. Until a week ago. 

You were sitting on the couch, head resting on his chest to listen to the steady beating of his heart, when you suddenly blurted out, “I think we should get a cat.”

Suddenly, Matt didn’t have to worry about telling people why he didn’t need a dog anymore, but he had to face you, the love of his life, and talk to you about getting a cat. 

Up to that point, you hadn’t often seen him too stunned to speak, and the times you had, he was facing a greater evil—a greater evil than a cat. 

“What?” you remember him asking.

You nodded against his chest. “Dead serious,” you said, lifting your head to look up at him. You had that determined look on your face, the one that always made Matt’s defenses crumble like wet paper. He could feel it as he brushed his fingers over your soft skin, trying to gauge what you were thinking. 

“I’ve always wanted one,” you continued your reasoning, “and I think we’re ready. You know… for a fur baby.”

Because the idea of a baby was and still is very far in the future.

Matt could feel the excitement radiating off of you that night, and though he had never imagined himself as a cat person, there was no denying he was wrapped around your finger. “You really want a cat?” he asked. 

“I do,” you answered, with an almost childlike excitement.

“I just… are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, it’s a cat,” he emphasized.

“Your point being?”

“They’re… stealthy. And needy, sometimes.” That was the only argument he could come up with. 

You snorted at that. “So, they’re you,” you said, “just… smaller.”

Matt opened his mouth, closing it just as fast. You got him, fair and square. “Alright, I can respect that,” he said.

It was so serious to you that you sat up straighter to look at him. “Of course you would. Think about it. They’re independent, low-maintenance, and they purr. Plus, Foggy and Karen will forever shut up about you getting a guide dog ‘cause we’ll already have a cat,” you said.

He couldn’t possibly argue with that logic. But deep down, he knew. He knew the moment you brought a cat home, he’d be doomed. But he couldn’t say no to you.

“Okay, fine,” he caved, though the smile tugging at his lips gave him away. “Let’s get a cat.”

Fast forward a week, and you have dragged him to one of New York’s animal shelters to find a cat. Fall has fully settled over the city, the air crisp with a slight chill, and the streets lined with leaves of red, orange, and yellow. Matt’s hand is intertwined with yours as you step inside, and though he tries his best to act casual, you can feel the subtle tension in him. The smell of hay and litter toy with his heightened senses. It’s a lot all at once, but he promised that for you, he would do anything. 

This is a decision you will have to make together. So, he forces a smile when you look at him with that worried crease between your brows, and he tells you it’s okay. He’s got this. You choose to believe him. 

“This is exciting,” you murmur as a volunteer leads you through to the room where the cats are held. “We’re getting a cat!” You want to jump up and down and screech like a banshee, that’s how happy you are he said yes, even though you know he did it more for you than for himself, but if you start acting crazy now, they might never let you leave. 

“I like to say, ‘let the cat choose you’,” the volunteer says once you have reached your destination. “So, please, take your time. Also,” she turns around again, toward Matt, “if one of them tries to nibble on your cane, just tell them no.”

You swallow a giggle that threatens to escape. “Thanks,” you smile at her as she leaves, leaving you alone in a room full of… well, cats. 

You have never been closer to heaven. 

“I don’t want anyone nibbling on my cane,” Matt mutters beside you.

You shake your head, laughing. “Relax. They’re just cats.”

Cats of all shapes, sizes, and colors lounge around the room, some curled up in cozy beds, others batting lazily at toys hanging from strings. You take note of the numerous cat trees, some attached to the wall. It looks like a feline paradise. 

A few cats are eyeing you already, but most of them seem rather unimpressed. They must get a lot of potential new parents every day. 

Matt can feel your pulse quicken as you take a few steps forward, letting go of his hand to crouch down near one of the more adventurous kittens—a fluffy gray one with bright eyes.

“Hi,” you almost squeak, reaching out carefully to offer your hand. The kitten sniffs at your fingers before deciding to nuzzle into them. “Oh, you’re so cute. What’s your name?” You read the tag around his neck. “Bruno. Nice to meet you.” You’re not sure why you are telling him your name, but it seems like the right thing to do. 

You feel so warm inside, like you are taking the one step you have been wanting to take from the start. Getting a pet with the man of your dreams. Though you seem to be enjoying yourself a lot more than Matt is. 

He’s hesitant as he steps closer, folding his cane now that he is out of anyone’s eyesight, and he tilts his head slightly to listen to the kitten’s movements—the soft rustle of his fur, the tiny pitter-patter of paws on the floor, and the barely audible purring that you seem to be coaxing from him.

He can’t deny that he is a little jealous. You’re so enamored with him. If he could purr, he would.

“This was a great idea,” you say, turning to grin at Matt, who still hasn’t quite moved past the threshold of the room. You can tell he’s trying to maintain his usual composed demeanor, but his body language betrays him. 

It’s funny to see your usually so stoic boyfriend nervous and almost scared of a few tiny kittens. The smell must be overwhelming, you know, but it can’t be the only thing holding him back.

“Matt,” you hold out a hand for him to take, “come on, don’t be shy. They’re not gonna bite.”

“Maybe not bite,” he says.

“You fight crime on a nightly basis, and you’re scared of cats?”

He frowns. “I’m not scared.”

“Sure,” you say. With a smile, you take his hand in yours again, guiding him toward a small black kitten that’s been quietly observing from a perch by the window. You’re not sure why, but the little guy reminds you of him. Calm, reserved, but always alert. 

The kitten’s sleek fur gleams in the light, and when you bring Matt closer, he lets out a tiny, curious meow. The volunteer said to let the cats choose you, but you have never seen a more beautiful specimen—except for the human-cat right next to you.

“Meet potential fur baby number two,” you murmur.

You guide his hand toward the kitten.

Matt crouches down beside you, but he’s hesitant. For a second, you think he’s going to pull back, but then the kitten nuzzles right into his hand, and he stops dead in his tracks.

A soft smile spreads across Matt’s face—one of those rare, unguarded smiles that makes your heart flutter. 

“He likes you…”

He chuckles softly. “I don’t know… seems like this one might be too calm for me.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Too calm? Suddenly, you want a high-maintenance cat? A second ago, you wouldn’t even touch him.”

“Just saying… might be nice to have a challenge.”

“I think we, but especially you, have enough challenges in your life,” you retort. “Maybe a calm cat is exactly what we need.”

He doesn’t respond, just keeps stroking the kitten’s fur as he curls up even more. Matt has something about you that puts both humans and cats at ease, you notice. The same thing that makes you want to curl up in his arms is making this tiny kitten trust him after not even a minute together. You watch the scene unfold, your heart swelling with affection. He’s so good at this.

You join in eventually. The kitten doesn’t shy away; he seems oddly content with the two of you already.

“So, what do you think?” you ask softly after a moment.

Matt tilts his head, considering, and for a second, you wonder if he’s really thinking about the question or if he’s just stalling. But then, he lets out a quiet sigh and says, “I don’t know… what do you think?”

You smile. He’s been through so much, been so used to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Something as simple as getting a pet—something that brings warmth and comfort—might feel strange to him. 

You remember how it was when you started growing closer. When he asked you to move in with him. When he told you he loved you after you told him first, afraid you might still slip away from him as most people in his life have. Dealing with something small and fragile scares him. Having something to look after and care for scares him. Maybe that’s why you haven’t talked about children yet; he’s scared of making a mistake, of hurting the people he loves and has sworn to protect. But that’s not who Matt Murdock is to anyone but himself.

“I think,” you say, slipping your arm through his and leaning your head against his shoulder, “that you deserve everything good in your life. That’s why you should decide.”

He’s quiet for a moment, his fingers still brushing through the kitten’s fur. Finally, he nods, and the smile on his face turns just a little softer, a little more real.

“I love you,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“I love you too.”

The kitten meows. His collar says ‘Pumpkin’, and that is oddly on the nose, you think. The two of you, finding a cat in October, and his name is Pumpkin. 

Matt chuckles. “Okay, I heard that.” And then, turning toward you, he says, “Let’s take him home.”

Your face lights up. “Yeah?” you ask.

“Yeah. I mean, I already have the best thing I could have in the world, right here,” his chin tips toward you, “but… you’re right. We could use a little calm in our life.”

You press a kiss on his shoulder. “Then let’s do this. Let’s take him home.”

Pumpkin. 

Pumpkin Murdock. 

That doesn’t sound so bad. Now all you need is his last name, too. 

Soon.

Very soon. 

@ebathory997 @the-b33skn33s @scoliobean @drmeghanjones @lanae111 @gpenguin666 @linamarr @itwasthereaminuteago @norestfortheshelbywicked @yarrystyleeza @littlenerdyravenclaw @etanordoesbullsh1t @thychuvaluswife @harleycao @schneeflocky @imjustcal @pipsqueakkitten @merlinbtch @sya-skies @thatonegamefish @amberritonicole @pigeonmama @bohemianrhapsody86 @a-gir1-has-n0-name @winkev1 @callsign-ember @chittaphonstar @buckyyyismahhlife @trublu2u @xnatyx @zomtart @ethereal-blaze @littleagxs @lucienofthelakes @steve-chandler

[venus-is-thinking]

DRDT Chapter 2 Episode 16: Initial Thoughts

Sorry for missing episode 15 :(

That being said, oh my god, Chapter 2 is actually complete! This is so exciting! I'm really hyped to talk about this episode and give my not-live summary of my live reactions!

SPOILER WARNING FOR DRDT THROUGH THE END OF CH 2!!!

CW: Murder, sacrifice, suicide

The Reactions

12-1, this time. I'm still personally partial to the extra vote on Teruko last Trial being Arei (being petty about her "I'm voting for you no matter what" thing), so I would assume Ace is the Teruko vote. If so, I do think it's interesting that he voted Teruko as opposed to, like, Nico. Then again, it might be that it's just more convenient for DRDTdev to consistently put the extra vote on Teruko, lol.

Notably, the dead people have "N/A," not 0. We probably could tell this because of Xander last time, but I didn't check. I wonder if this implies we won't ever need to vote for someone dead (ex. a mastermind who "died" earlier in the killing game).

I'm free... I can read whatever Eden says as genuine...

Take THAT, Whit time loop theorists /j

I do think it's funny/kinda telling? that Whit is only saying this after the trial is over. Like, I feel like the normal time to go "oh my god we're having another trial" is, like... when you find the body? So, it's interesting that his reaction is so delayed.

So, I don't know if this was an intentional parallel, but...

These feel similar to me. I really like the Ace/Arei parallels, where they're both chronically hated people, but Arei apologizes and tries to change whereas Ace lets the fear and paranoia consume him until there's no turning back. Ace only says this after he's already been found guilty of murder; Arei says this before promising to change her ways to the victim of her bullying.

Teruko out here hopping on that self-blame train.

It's so funny how different Hu's standards are when talking about Ace's murder vs. Nico's attempted murder. Like... Hu this is what everyone was telling you like an hour ago. What.

It's really interesting that we're highlighting this line. I wonder if this is part of a theme that we're going to explore further, maybe tied into the "all murderers have to be punished" thing. Or maybe Eden isn't actually accurate here, but doesn't know it; has Ace killed someone in the past?

Fun trick you can do here!

When we first met Teruko a week ago, she was the same person, certainly, but she was also different. She was happier, and she trusted people more.

There are so many good character parallels in DRDT. The Ace/Teruko one was really interesting in this post-trial.

Ooh, new flavor of J anti-murder! This seems to be broadening it to also being critical of the killing game, which would go against my weird hypothetical "J is anti-murderer but also the mastermind" read.

It's interesting, with how this is Ace's logic. It makes total sense for his character, though. I think it's easy for us, the viewers, to forget the fact that the characters probably don't have the precedent of "every blackened ever always loses." When Ace is running the odds, he thinks his survival odds were better as a killer than as a participant in the killing game. And y'know, considering how close he came to dying as Nico's victim, that's kinda fair.

I desperately want to know what Levi was going to say here.

I really like the fact that Ace DID care about Levi. That he intrinsically cares about him, but he knows factually that he isn't supposed to like or trust someone in a killing game. That once he killed Arei, he had to resolve to kill everyone in the killing game, even Levi.

The only way Ace knew to prevent himself from caring was to stay mad, I guess. Kinda unfortunate though, considering that I do think Levi wanted to patch things up with him genuinely.

Meanwhile, Levi, who doesn't understand emotions, is just like "man what the fuck. That makes no sense."

What a pair. I'm sad we're not going to get to see their dynamic anymore :(

In other words, I'm back on the Levi survivor train baby! My biggest problem with it before was that I thought Ace was gonna survive and I didn't think Ace and Levi were both gonna survive, so now we're locking tf in!

This is fun! I always wonder why more people don't try stuff like this. Like... shoot your shot. You're gonna die otherwise, soooo...

Great animation as always

I think it's really funny that Teruko is so fucking mad that she bullies Ace into action. Like, that's so fitting for both of them.

I love using this David expression here. He's just like, "was it that easy? Why was I trying to throw the trial then???"

aaaaAAAAAAAA--

What the fuck!! XF-Ture mention!!!!!!!!

I like the spooky vibe MonoTV has for this post-trial, but I do hope we get our normal silly lil guy back next chapter. I like the MonoTV personality we see all the time. I'm gonna miss it if it just died like that :(

I am also squinting so hard at everyone's reactions through "who is the mastermind" goggles. Maybe I'll analyze them in a different post sometime.

Fascinating purpose. Not "to create despair." Not "to run the killing game until only one participant survives." To kill everyone.

Does this include whichever mastermind?

Why does whoever programmed MonoTV want to kill all of these people? Are they being punished for something?

This countdown sequence fucked me up. The tensions and emotions are so high. Even as someone who was confident that Teruko, at least, wasn't going to die no matter what, I was so on edge. I got really scared that Eden was going to take the hit for Teruko, though, and that's what I was reading into when I wasn't sure Eden would make it to Chapter 3.

This speech, more than any other one Teruko has made or any actions she's taken or endured, really made me feel for Teruko. The fact that she can so casually talk about truly traumatic and horrific things happening to her, while smiling, truly shows how much she's grown used to it. Like, girl. You don't deserve this. What.

The character work on Teruko especially this episode is just fantastic. No words.

This panel stressed me out so bad because it was really just a question of WHO took the bullet for Teruko. Like, if she's thinking this, someone clearly did.

My bets were on either Eden, Charles, or Ace.

Levi, though, was such a surprise to see. Like, in a good way. It means so much.

First of all, it's a callback to the end of the prologue. Levi attacks MonoTV, and when MonoTV tries to kill him in response, Teruko's danger sense alerts her. It's only through Teruko warning Levi to move that Levi dodged the main attack, resulting in only an arm injury rather than death. Now, Levi returns her favor, preventing her from dying from attacking MonoTV.

Second, it puts Ace into the position we see of having to confront the possibility of Levi's death. I got the distinct sense that they wanted Ace to be able to do something heroic on his way out, to prove all the haters wrong (which is why I thought it was possible he'd take the hit for Teruko instead of Levi). By putting Levi, pretty clearly the person he cares most about, into harm's way, it makes Ace take action. It means that he HAS to confront the fact that he cares Levi, and that he has to die.

And, thirdly... I am so fascinated to learn why Levi did this. Was it as simple as a transactional, "you saved me from execution before?" Is it "I thought saving someone would make me a good person?" Does Levi actually feel some remorse for Teruko in this moment, causing him to take action?

No matter what his reasoning, I can't wait to hear from him. I strongly suspect Levi won't actually die from this (at the very least, I hope not, because I really want to hear more from him), but even if he does, hopefully we'll still get some more insight in a bonus episode or a flashback or something.

I'm trying to figure out what triggered Whit here.

This is immediately following "The elevator won't open," but it also definitely can just correlate to "[person] will die if they don't receive immediate medical treatment." I have to assume that something here is reminding Whit of his mom...?

With the weird "Whit knows a lot about hanging" earlier, I got the impression that Whit's mom probably hung herself. From this, I would probably theorize that Whit found her while she was still alive, but not quickly enough to save her. Yikes.

Anyways, I think that means everyone has some kind of despair sprite now! That's fun!

o7

I'm sure many have pointed this out, but do we think he's counting himself here (Arei + Ace + Levi = 3), or do we think he feels responsible for someone else's death in his past (probably Taylor)? I'd lean towards the second one.

Y'know, before I thought Arturo was just pressed about the surgeon thing because people were unfairly hating on him. This, at least, I think implies something relating to Felicity.

Arturo doesn't have any experience saving lives. He left, and Felicity died. He can't save lives; he's only responsible for Felicity's ending. I think that's how he sees it.

On a side note, I think there's a very definite possibility that Chapter 3 cold opens on Arturo saving Levi's life??? Like, how Chapter 2 started with Eden POV, I think Chapter 3 could start with Arturo taking his shot at healing Levi, eventually resulting in Levi stabilizing. I'm not sure who would be there with him. Possibly Hu, since she was leading the "let's get Levi to the infirmary" effort...?

I love executions like this. Accirax has said before that the best executions are what make their recipient feel the most despair, and that's definitely what they did with Ace here. Put the talent aside; fear is what Ace fears the most.

Uhhhh. I'm pulling an Accirax. Part 2 in reblog!

[st4rrmii]

My thought's on the "Ben Situation"

(Obvious spoilers for the trailer below the cut)

Okay, the Ben situation, with him knowing about Brooklynnn being alive, I think y'all are going a LIIITTLE too hard on him rn, like I've seen people saying they're gonna drop him as a fave character and I'm like??? We only have the trailer kets breathe for a moment.

Anyways, based on clothing, it looks like it's going to be in the first few episodes, I'm kinda betting second or third, and with him only finding out at the END of episode 1, that doesn't leave a lot of time between things, unless they do a pretty major timeskip, which I doubt. It doesn't seem like it's going to be a conscious decision where he just- chooses not to tell them because why not, it feels like it'll be a very stress/fear based decision, which is fair!

Think about it, your friend has been dead for 6-9 months, you just found out they were targetted due to possible illegal activity, and now you're in an unknown area to find out/fix what happened, then you find out they're actually alive and in some dino ecoterrorism group, that's not gonna be easy to tell people! Especially with having no proof thanks to the phone being dead, he has no way to ACTUALLY show Brooklynn is alive, honestly I feel like either way someone would've been mad at him, it honestly would've made sense if Kenji straight up didn't believe him and got mad at him for "making shit up".

Overall, it just seems like an overall garbage situation for Ben, on one hand he could tell everyone without proof and risk being seen as literally insane, and on the other hand he could not tell them and let them find out themselves, but not be trusted by them for who knows how long, neither situation is good. Ntm just the mental block of telling people things like that, like y'all cannot tell me you haven't had moments where logically you SHOULD be telling someone something but fear stops you.

I just think we should let the season come out before we make any major judgments on characters, and that goes for ALL of them (I'm looking directly at Brooklynn)

(Also, it looks like Ben and Kenji seem to be somewhat okay after the fight, so I don't think Kenji is just gonna straight up hate Ben the whole season)

[treedaddymcpuffpuff]

Beneath Miles of Stone - Part fourteen - John Wick x Plus Size Fem Reader

Summary: John has been in prison for nine months. He’s content to stay if it means appeasing the high table and keeping peace between the owners of each continental. However, he meets someone who erases that willingness. Peace be dammed.

TW: dubcon ; choking ; breathplay; nsfw

“You could have been killed.”

“You would have done the same thing.”

She thinks too highly of him, he realizes, but that’s the least of his problems right now.

“It doesn’t matter what I would have done,” he says.

She looks at him strangely, as if he’s missing her point in favor of blunt, stubborn thinking.

“I’m not mad,” he tells her, face getting softer.

“You seem mad,” she argues quietly.

“I’m frustrated,” he supplies.

“Is it because of me?” Her eyes get glossy and make him feel terrible.

He stomps on his aching chest with the boot of logic until it quiets.

“A little bit,” he tells her, never one to lie. He wants to elaborate, but she starts yelling at him before he can.

“I didn’t do anything!” She is suddenly a tantrum throwing ten year old who can use big words. “I’m just- I just wanted to see you and then everything escalated so quickly and I thought they were going to hurt her more than they already had.”

His voice is calm and quiet as he tries to co-regulate her emotions with his own.

“I understand,” he provides, subduing the angry child inside of her. “But there is a difference between bravery and a death wish. You versus several men should flag as the latter.”

She opens her mouth, but he raises his hand to placate her. “I didn’t say it wasn’t brave.”

Instead of coming down, her anger just spreads and rages like a flame catching on dry wood. “But just that I’m a stupid, weak woman? I wasn’t trying to be brave, I was trying to help her! If it was just the one, I could have handled it! She was screaming!”

It is a harsh and exaggerated version of what he is saying, but he still can’t discredit her logic entirely.

“That’s not what I think,” he says.

The smile on her face is meaner than she’s capable of being. He’s never seen her try so hard to be indifferent and he hates this look on her.

“It’s the you being dead part that I’m talking about,” he says, eyebrows pilling down as if the thought alone hurts him.

“Why do you care, John?” She asks, slowing down a bit, letting melancholy talk her out of anger.

There’s so much he could say in response to that, none of which would make this less complicated than it already is.

Maybe he should have stayed away from her originally, but the thought didn’t even occur to him because he craved her presence so much. Even now, leaving her life alone sounds a lot like trying to quit smoking crystal meth.

Except he knows that if he quits cold turkey, he will end up consuming every ounce he can get his hands on no matter what price is payed in the end.

If he leaves her, then she’s free game for the other side of him that eventually and brutally gets what it wants, and so he’s staying right here.

“I do care.”

He knows she’s going to tell him how he really feels despite what he just told her with his own mouth, but saying ‘I care because you’re the only thing I do care about and you’re never leaving me whether you like it or not ’ is just too much.

“You don’t have to.” He’s exhausted with her trying to sound independent and aloof, when she doesn’t have to be. Not with him.

And it irks him. And he knows it’s not fair to be mad because he comes and goes as he pleases and holds his emotions dangling in the air where she can’t reach, but his anger gets the best of him whenever it concerns her.

Everything gets the best of him when it concerns her.

“I do. You need protection if you’re not going to care about protecting yourself.”

She laughs without mirth, looking down at her hands and picking at them so she doesn’t scream at him again. “No, I don’t need you to protect me.”

like hell you don’t, is what he wants to say with teeth and venom.

“But you don’t care about protecting yourself,” he reiterates, jamming his pointer finger into the table and making it shake to get her attention.

She looks back up at him, shoulders tensing in surprise.

“Why should I care about myself?” She asks, and the fact that she means it with her hard, wild eyes and fervent tone just makes him more angry.

There are probably a million reasons why she should care about herself, but the one that mostly concerns him is that he needs her and can’t fathom a life void of her presence. He’s so fucking selfish it would make Dionysus himself appalled.

“Because you’re softer than you think you are,” he says, cursing himself for never finding the right words despite thinking about what he wants to say so extensively.

It just offends her, like he knows it will as soon as the sentence leaves his mouth, but he has to stand by it because it’s not as if he’s not telling her the hard truth.

“I’m stronger than you think I am,” she says.

“There’s a difference between strength and valiance.”

Now they’ve just arrived back at the original point and are effectively running in circles and he’s never been a fan of repeating himself.

She can’t believe he thinks this lowly of her. It fucking hurts - hurts that he feels like he needs to stay around to keep her head from being lopped off just because he has some imaginary debt that he has to pay to her.

She wants him to leave but at the same time if he leaves she feels like she’ll snap and lose the remaining hope she’s been grueling to hold onto. Instead of becoming hardened by this conversation like a strong person would be, she’s crumbling more by the second and ready to grovel at his feet and she absolutely despises herself for showing him that she’s just an obsessed, weak girl that wants his approval so bad it’s disgusting.

Tears that have been threatening her this entire time begin to win their way out of her eyes.

“It’s okay to be soft,” John says, thumb twitching to wipe the first drop of fluid off her cheek. She pushes him away, and her prize is him grabbing her wrist in his iron grip before she can move.

“I’m sorry.” She says her favorite words and he has no idea what she’s apologizing about. For trying to swat him away? For being emotional? For the events that day? None of which are things she should feel sorry for. In fact, he can’t find a reason that she should be remiss, especially while he’s staring into her broken face and feeling like the biggest asshole alive.

She complies, but it’s not like she has a choice when he’s effortless at manipulating her body into any angle he wants.

Right now, that angle is vertical so that he can kiss her.

His lips touch her top one, opening slightly, gently coaxing, anger forgotten at the doorstep of her sadness.

She opens her mouth for him, and he holds the entire side of her face in his huge, sturdy hand while they take turns sucking lightly at each other’s lips.

Her hands take their favored place gripping onto the soft leather of his jacket, helping her boost onto her toes to reach his face.

If she could think, it would be about how her feelings and her doubts don’t matter as long as they can keep doing this slippery dance of mouth and tongue.

He’s all consuming, this man. All she can taste is his warm saliva. All she can feel is him pressed against her and the expert motion of his big, teasing tongue. All she can smell is his fading cologne and his spiced skin. All she can hear is the wet suck of their embrace. She’ll understand anything he wants, do anything he wants, kneel at his feet and kiss his shiny dress shoes and say thank you for the opportunity to do so.

His resolve blooms like a delighted sunflower opening directly under the warm spring sun, and he can think more than she can but it’s only about how fucked he is because this woman exists. And how there is, after all, a merciful and loving God, merely because she does exist .

The kiss is not enough, they both decide. She presses herself against him and he palms her waist hard enough to ident.

His jacket comes off, so she grabs around his neck and he lifts her completely off her toes and backs them into the couch.

He lays with her on top of him, and she doesn’t bother asking him whether she’s crushing him or not because he’s pushing her hips into his abdomen so hard that it’s like he wants her to smother him with her body.

She gets her hands into his trimmed mane and the bulk of it feels wonderful against the nerves in her fingers. Soft silk that would make any blonde, hair obsessed movie star jealous.

He tugs the hem of her shirt and she helps him get it off, then plops down so that their hips align.

He has to sit up and lean back against the arm of the couch to reach and keep kissing her.

She’s distracted by the feeling of something obscenely large pressed up against the junction of her thigh and actually wondering if it’s a weapon or his dick and then dwelling on how she’s going to take it inside of her if it’s the latter.

He chuckles and holds her in place and nuzzles her while she laughs and folds in to protect herself, playful even despite the desperation of their desire.

He’s laughing so hard that his lips are quaking when he has mercy and, instead, kisses her cheek. He grabs her hair softly and brings her ear to his mouth where he can’t help but suck and bite at the dangling lobe before talking orotund just for her. Just because he knows that she likes it.

Her giggles turn to breathy whines while he massages through her bra with one thick hand.

“Soft girl,” he says. “Let me protect you.”

She turns slack and pliant in his grip while her insides melt and mix into throbbing mush from his words.

“Do I have a choice?” She asks him, rubbing her hands over the rocky runway of his chest.

He’s glad she asks, because he was just about to mention it. “No.”

“I’ll-ah-think about it.” Despite her defiant words, she is thankful for the lifted responsibility, and hums, snuggles deeper into him like a cat curling into a dryer.

He pulls her nipples out above the seam of her bra and worries them with calloused thumbs.

She moans, kisses at his neck and chest, lifts his shirt up over his stomach. He gets it off with one hand, and she pulls away to stare at him.

He trades pulling her bra off for her admiring his body.

She wants to look uninterrupted at this beautiful bare man that she’s never seen fully before, but he can’t keep his hands off her puffy tits.

Her mouth is made clumsy by his teasing when she tastes the raised scars on his chest.

She wants to kiss every pink mark slashing his golden skin, and the little, determined creature tries despite his rude hands plucking and pinching her body incessantly. She kisses right down to his belt, and his hands bunch her hair while she takes her turn terrorizing him with her sinfully soft mouth.

She licks the fluffy line of hair on his tummy, pulls on his belt loops to urge his pants off.

Her nurse brain brims with pride upon seeing the barely-there, scabbed stab wound spanning between his sculpted hip bones.

He lifts his ass up, puts both hands behind his head to hold himself and watch the show of her struggling with denim and shoes and socks to get him in his boxers.

Her perfect jiggling tits, determined expression, caring hands get him to a point that he’s so hard he’s aching, and it’s not difficult to see the mountain of his cock underneath clinging fabric.

He almost thinks she’s about to ask him something while she stares at his dick like it’s the first time she’s seeing one, but she surprises him and kisses his thighs instead.

He hums pleasantly, relaxing for her mouth while she moves it up to his hips.

Her timid hand rubs at his length, exploring, assessing. Of course he’s thick and curved just right, she should’ve expected it since he’s so perfect in every other way. She looks up at his handsome face and her cunt clenches at the lazy, sultry expression he wears. Crafted by Aphrodite herself.

She can’t keep his eyes for long, instead goes back to kissing the skin she exposes as she pulls his underwear off.

He’s velvet stone, dark, wide, long. Wiry, thick black hair covers the base of him and clear fluid stains the deep red tip.

She kisses his shaft, trails her lips up to the top and tastes his cum.

John rubs her scalp, hums in approval.

She gives his slippery head a wet, sloppy peck, then pulls away to talk into the sensitive tip of his cock.

“You’re so fucking hot,” she tells him, flushing at her boldness.

“Prove it,” he says.

She takes the start of him so well in her wide, warm mouth, sucking and licking while her hand massages the length of his dick. Saliva spills down to help balance friction.

Sloppy slurping noises eclipse his whispering sounds of pleasure.

It doesn’t take long for her jaw to start aching, so she lets up suction in favor of taking as much of him in her throat as she can. She makes herself gag on him a couple times, and he pumps into her mouth, and she smiles even while she chokes.

It rubs her sore, but she gets more saliva as a prize and uses it to soak him.

Finding a rhythm that she can handle and that makes his thigh tendons and cock clench reflexively, she stays steady for a bit and just bobs her head and sucks while she rubs with her palm.

He grips onto her head, pushes her too far and makes her choke and sputter again. She comes up for breath and he rubs her cheek, coaxes her slippery mouth open with his thumb and lays it heavy on her tongue. She suckles, looks at him through shy lashes.

“You okay?” He asks, obviously holding back.

She’d rather handle choking than the feeling she gets from his caring, apologetic voice, especially when she already feels so Goddamn helpless and thick headed.

“I’m a big girl, John,” she says, plopping off his finger, “I can handle it.”

“Is that what you want?” He asks, gripping her harder, sliding his dick against her lips, almost angry with the way her defiance delights him. He opens her mouth wide with his fingers and lays his fat tip on her tongue.

She groans, canting her hips at the sudden change of his attitude, and blindly nods.

“Are you sure?” He asks, teasing her with his thick head pulsing hot.

She growls in frustration, looks up at him with her fierce, tough, beautiful eyes.

He shoves in while simultaneously pushing her head down, stretches her to gagging and then past that, feels her teeth as she struggles to breathe and keep wide for him at the same time. Her nails dig into his skin, reflexively pushing away, trying to get oxygen back.

He lets her go, and she comes up for breath, sputtering and coughing, tears already dribbling down her cheeks. He keeps her lips around his head while she barely collects herself, and then pushes back in and makes her jaw pop.

Instead of letting up, he fucks her mouth. She has to breathe through her nose and concentrate every oral muscle she has on relaxing so she doesn’t vomit on his dick. Her throat screams at the intrusion, tears streaming down her cheeks and puddling into his pubic hair, vision turning blurry and lungs burning.

She’s drowning on his cock and he’s not stopping and there’s nothing she can do against his cruel, relentless grip except take it.

It’s heaven.

Still, her body reflexively fights for air, hands clawing and pushing and feet kicking at the couch cushions for purchase.

He releases her and she wretches her mouth off to gulp oxygen. His hands are weighty on her cheeks, smearing the mixture of his cum and her tears into delicate skin purely for visual entertainment.

His grip constricts like he’s going to take her mouth back, and she opens wide despite her raw throat and streaming tears, a line of obscene drool dribbling from her swollen lips, starving for more of him.

“Sweet girl,” he murmurs, faux soothing, keeping her head where he wants it with his hands threaded through her hair. “If what you need is a big, mean man to put you in your place, then that man is going to be me. Do you understand that?”

His brave human nods yes, falls to pieces in front of him with a tiny smile and he could cum just by watching it happen.

He spends the next few minutes fucking her throat at his leisure, being just soft enough to keep her conscious until he cums.

Half of it shoots down her esophagus while half of it leaks out of her mouth and coats her chin and his stomach.

He lets her go, and while she pulls back and sputters and swallows, it dribbles down onto her neck and chest.

Her hazy vision returns and her lungs greedily suck all the air they can hold.

His cum dribbling onto her puckering nipples is a wonderful, obscene sight. It’s hard to look away from the view, but he pets her face with pride to coax her teary eyes onto his own. She smiles, kisses the pad of his thumb.

“Come here,” he tells her, patting his chest. She crawls up and lays her head on his shoulder, still whimpering and coughing.

He soothes over her hair and back, holds her tight. “How you doing, honey?” He asks, pressing his fingers into her spine and working out the knots he finds there.

She sniffles. “I’m fine. That was wonderful.”

His grin is heinous, carving into the crown of her hair.

She’s still in her pants while he’s completely naked underneath her, so he tugs at her waist band to make it even. Once they get them off, he replaces lost heat with the blanket from the back of the couch. He turns, having already mastered the art of cuddling, and she tucks into his side so that his deflating cock is pressed against her ass. His hands rest on her tummy and she thinks he’s going to go lower, tenses in anticipation for the relief of his fingers, but he stays put, and, after a minute, she hears the faintest snore leave his mouth.

She turns her head, and there he is with his jaw popped open and eyes closed, sleeping peacefully.

He looks fucking adorable like this, and she can’t believe that a few moments ago this man was thoroughly throat fucking her. The thought of a big, soft, dangerous, Discovery Chanel lion taking a well earned nap after having his fill of a fresh zebra comes to mind, so she leaves him sleep and snuggles tighter beside him, closing her eyes and trying to follow despite the unfair arousal still running rampant through her body.

She wakes up in his arms while he’s carrying her to bed. The sun has gone down outside and the apartment is black, so she can’t see anything, but she can tell he’s got his clothes back on by the feel of him, and her face drops in dissapointment. He navigates them right into her room despite low visibility and lays her down on the mattress.

She tugs on his forearm lazily. “Lay with me?” Her voice is hoarse and quiet.

He kisses her forehead and tucks a blanket around her. “I have to work,” he says.

She lets him go. “Tonight?”

“Yes,” he tells her.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” She asks.

If he says yes, he might be lying. “You will always see me tomorrow if I’m alive,” he promises, kissing her fingertips, then her wrist.

“Don’t die,” she whispers, eyes wide awake and anxious now. “Please.”

He kisses her palm, then the top of her hand. “Okay.” It’s stupid to agree to her terms, because he can’t guarantee his mortality, especially with what he’s going to be doing, but he doesn’t want her to be worried.

He gives one final kiss to her lips and then he’s gone.

��———————————————————

“John,” Marvin greets, nodding, opening the metal door so that he can step inside.

John tips his head. “Marvin.”

“How you doing?” Marvin asks, blowing smoke into the air.

“Good. Yourself?”

“I been better,” Marvin says. “He’s got us working for our money tonight. I’m guessing it’s because you’re back, huh?”

“I’m here,” John replies.

Marvin sighs and stamps his cigarette out on the bottom of his shoe. “Let’s get to work.”

John sits at the round table with the rest of them. Smoke clouds the dark room in thick curtains. He greets familiar faces, listens to hushed conversations of the people around him. A woman in fresh leather sets a drink in front of him and he gulps it down.

Viggo sits next to him and pats him on the back. “You seem relaxed. Just get your dick sucked or something?” His voice is low and private.

John takes another drink.

“Three minutes late, too. She must be good at it.” Viggo grins.

The cat’s out of the bag, just like he figured it would be, but he still grips the glass so hard he feels it crack in his fist.

He turns to him. “Don’t.” It’s a simple word that holds enough warning weight to make Viggo’s face apologetic.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “And for the record, I would have done the same thing to those idiots.”

John barely relaxes his grip.

“You don’t have to worry about them,” Viggo says. “He came crying to me like a child, but I’m glad he did. Because now I can offer your girl protection as well, John.”

He says nothing.

“If you’re back in, people are going to start noticing that you’re distracted. And you can’t always protect her while you’re on the job.”

John’s jaw ticks.

“All I’m saying is, your lady love is worth the services I can offer.”

“I don’t want her involved,” John says.

Viggo snorts. “Немного поздно для этого.”

John takes the last drink of his spirit. “Yeah.”

“Excellent.” Viggo smiles.

[sweatertheman]

Let's lay down some rules. For one, we'll be assuming both characters are in the best possible state to fight. Harry is hopped up on drugs and alcohol, and wearing the Fairweather T-500 armour looted from The Hanged Man, boosting all his stats and making him far more durable. He has also found his gun, and has a full barrel. Vriska is in her god-tier form, so she possesses flight, undeath so long as it is neither a just nor heroic death, probability manipulation, and mind-control.

Now on to pros and cons.

Harry is a normal-ish human. For the sake of making this more fair, I will divide Harry into three forms. Thinker, Sensitive, and Physical.

Thinker Harry is a Big Brain Boy. He's good with words, and reasoning. He understands physics, has a large repitoire of facts on-hand, can make good logical inferences, and is kind of a sociopath. He's weak as hell, and he's awful with people, but boy is he smart. His massive intellect will allow him to come up with great strategies on the fly, but unfortunately, his poor physique and emotional intelligence leaves him unable to deal a good amount of damage, and open to hypnosis.

Sensitive Harry is half-mad, and can't hold a steadt hand, but physically, he's alright, and emotionally, he's a genius. He has prophetic visions allowing him to see the future, and speak to the dead, and at his best possesses near total faculty over his actions, insane as they may seem. His lack of motorics skill means he may be unable to land a shot on her, or react to her moves on time, and his lack of intellect may leave him a horrible strategist, but what he lacks in prowess he makes up for with supernatural knowledge.

Physical Harry is a monster, a total beast. He's strong as hell, and deeply connected with his instincts. He knows how to make threats, hurt people, take the pain, and just knows sometimes. He also possesses great motorics, being able to hold a steady hand, move quickly, and be really cool. Unfortunately, he has awful intellect and psyche. He's dumb as a rock, and would be very easy to manipulate, if you managed to catch him.

As for Vriska, she's fairly simple to explain here. She's not a good strategist. She acts incredibly impulsively, and usually acts out of rage and insecurity. Plus, she's overconfident as hell. What makes her a deadly opponent is that she cheats! She can mind control you into doing what she wants, or manipulate the odds to force you to fail. Plus, she can fly. If she wanted, she could like, make it 100% likely that a meteor hits you and you die.

All this being said, who would win?

[runespoor7]

What first made you ship chengqingxian?

several factors! Mostly the fact that I love when all of JC's important relationships except JL are because of/thanks to WWX, and the friendship between WWX and WQ is my favorite (she's his intellectual equal! she's the one person he respects! she's the one who said the thank you and I'm sorry line, which he remembers and respects in his second life! do you know how rare that is! they bonded over mad immoral impossible science! to be fair the WN scene of boasting for his sister's achievements did a lot to get me to realize the extent to which she and WWX are similar.). @demoiselledefortune and I had also spoken about WQ/JC as a good possible crackship for JC - that was before Untamed came out.

I like the idea of the three of them together because they all have things they'd prioritize over the other two (not necessarily easily!) and they're all the sort of gremlin who goes "hm, yes in a minute" when being persuaded to go to bed (JC: busy with sect stuff; WQ/WWX: busy with research, or in WQ's case work) and then proceed to work for six more hours. They're cool because whenever there's a disagreement the sides are up in the air, depending on the issue.

Also if I'm going to sexualize the GC transfer I should extend the same logic to WQ's participation. Yes, she wasn't JC's beloved shixiong whom he trusted with everything, but she had them laying down. She's the one who performed the "operation". She impersonated Baoshan Sanren. She lied to JC so she could do what she wanted with him (it was what her brother asked her, and it stroked her ego - to be able to test her theory!) and she betrayed her sect in one fell swoop and it landed her and hers in the BM with a dead brother. Hybris, etc.

Anyway I think her and WWX's dehumanizing of JC for the purpose of the transfer is really fascinating and hot. WQ coming to know JC beyond his being her experimental subject is interesting - especially since when WQ isn't busy committing treason for the sake of ego/science/her brother asked, they have similar priorities! JC coming to know the woman who saved him (on WWX asking!) and whose voice he may still hear in his dreams as Baoshan Sanren's is fascinating! WWX should have a smart friend at home that he can rope into mad science, preferably on one of their loved ones, for their own good! WWX and WQ both can look at JC like this is theirs. They did that. WQ rebuilt him up and WWX is so deeply embedded in JC's identity that if you take it out what's left wouldn't be JC anymore. It's a ship that's easier to implement with a canon divergence starting sometime before JZX bites it, which is a bit inconvenient, or you need to write about WQ surviving if you want to set it after WWX's resurrection, so there are practical downsides. Which probably explains why I haven't written much of them.

they could be happy and there's potential for horrendously fraught and fucked-up crimes against JC's personal agency, so I'm all for it.

[tobiasdrake]

Time to start up the sixth chapter, Chapter 4!

By process of elimination, I get to hang out with Vivia this time around. Who might be planning to slit my throat with a box cutter. Which. I mean. I have murdered quite a lot of people, so fair's fair. I'm not gonna fault him that.

I'm so excited!

Last we saw these characters, Kurumi was dragging Yuma away to "investigate". Nice to see Halara realized someone should go chaperone those two kids and make sure they stay on-task.

Or Yakou had a moment to sit down and go, "Wait, did I just assign Yuma-supervision duties to the rando? She might actually be an enabing influence. Halara, please fix my terrible mistake."

(She is, in fact, an enabling influence.)

My money's still on Dohya District. I think they flooded Dohya on purpose to disguise the entrance to their secret lab. Creating a place that would be supremely difficult to access. Or, at least, it would be for anyone who did not own a submarine.

Is this seriously our plan? Just walk around the city knocking on doors and going, "Hi, is this a secret lab? No? Okay, have a nice day."

Halara's offering this up as evidence that the secret lab must exist. If it wasn't real, why would they be trying so hard to hide it from us?

But. Like. Disgruntled ex-Amaterasu staff launched a terrorist attack against the city, like, yesterday - and Yomi got blue-balled over it in the middle of his big "taking down the terrorists" moment.

There are reasons why Yomi might be going on a law-and-order purge of disgruntled ex-Amaterasu staff right now other than "He wants to keep us from finding the secret lab." Does he even know that we know about the lab? That's not something anyone ever told us; Vivia happened to overhear it while using whatever remote-viewing or bird's-eye Forte he has.

Yomi doesn't have much reason to suddenly panic and go, "Oh shit, the Master Detectives are gonna find the secret lab!'' and then start activating extreme-measures contingencies like Halara's implying.

Well. Unless the new sub's bugged like Halara suggested. Hmm.

You fucking poser. I know you're only saying that to look cool. I know that because you do all kinds of flashy shit, most of which involves beating cops within an inch of their life and occasionally drowning them in the river.

Which, by the way, is extremely cool. You set out every morning to look as badass as humanly possible, and you succeed. I would tip my hat to you but it's a floofy piece of fabric that doesn't tip.

I do not, as a matter of fact. However, before you continue, I will say that a restricted area is where I would most expect a secret facility to be. Of any kind. That seems like the logical location. Why have we been knocking on doors in Kamasaki all morning if a place called "The Restricted Area" exists?

Waste of my fucking morning. Y'all owe me a breakfast burrito KANAI WARD SIGNATURE MEAT BUN.

You have a lot of courage and spirit, Kurumi. And an impressive ability to dodge cops. But your judgment needs work. Holy shit.

Why are you only bringing this up now? How long have you been sitting on this? You have not been a very good informant, Kurumi.

"They're doing strange experiments on homunculi somewhere in the city but no one knows where or what or how. We need to learn more."

"I mean, there's a forbidden zone that no one is ever, ever allowed to enter but the corpses of the dead are allegedly being trucked in there for mysterious reasons. Weird, huh? Anyways, no idea about those homunculi. I'll see if I can find anything out."

This is something you should have told me about on the rooftop, when you were first telling me that homunculi are a thing. I'm super mad at you right now. We could have all been choking to death from toxic gas days ago.

SHAME ON YOU. Not one minute ago you were saying

And now that we have a lead, you're like, "Mm, nope, sounds fake." You don't even follow your own advice; You just say things to look cool, you fucking poser.

Yeah, that's right, I caught you posing.

I don't know if I trust you to handle this yourself anymore. Maybe you should take Kurumi with you. She's bad at making logical connections but she has an open mind, so you two can cover each other's shortcomings.

I mean. Yeah. Despite everything, they truly are.

[maguro13-2]

Shattered Hero ~ Origins of the Ink Demon : Episode Maka Pt.13 ~

[Chun-Nan (Day) - Kenichi Tokoi]

Ashley : Hey, Two of dumplings please!

Mona : Here you go. It's on the house.

Young Cricket : Hey, Ashley. Thank you for saving my life back there. If I haven't been defending myself from those strange masked guys, I would have easily defended ourselves from danger.

Ashley : My pleasure, cricket. You can count on me anytime. So do you wanna help spend time fixing up the dojo? Kat and Ana are worried that the dojo has left a huge mess after their fight with a demon.

Young Cricket : Oh that's weird, I took the demon child back to it's father so that the Dojo can be safe and sound. Speaking of which, I wonder if Mona ever on her part time job on giving these tasty dumplings. I'm going to create a work of masterpiece that will ever complete me in the science fair and also Penny is working a new invention that will give Wario a new bike.

Master Mantis : So I got a word from Princess Peach. Here look at the newspaper.

[Newspaper : LEADER OF THE KOOPA TRIBE BURNED TO DEATH BY FALLING OFF INTO THE LAVA PIT]

Mario : What!? Me, a murderer who mad that bowser fell into a ridiculous death. It happened on that Crocomire creature who was cooked to death by Samus!

Luigi : Yeah I don't like the sound of it, Mario. Buring a Koopa alive is kinda murder as in that result. You literally cooked a turtle to death and watch his skin getting melt except for his spiny shell!

Mario : Well, I'm sorry that he finally got what he deserved! Told you, cooking someone alive is the result of death and carnage, roasting some turtles is a kind of murder.

Luigi : But you didn't remember that Bowser Jr has a magical pot that has the ability to revive anyone from the dead after being cooked alive! Is that how video game logic works?

Mario : You tell me. Anyways, we're sigining up for the new Samsh Bros game titled "brawl" after Melee since the Space Colony Ark and I was in an incident too after I got framed by his son that makes them coconut heads force me to clean up crap all over on the island! And I just wanted a vacation, this is why I hate 2002 because of that incident! I wished went on a real vacation in Hawaii.

[radio buzzing]

Mario : Luigi! Can you turn off the radio! It's going on with the buzzes!

Luigi : I don't think that's me doing it, Mario! I'm not doing it with the radio.

Mario : Then what are...

Seto : (via radio) Hello! This is Seto the deathless from Needless! I just discovered a shocking truth and it's quite possible to spread it for you! It is just revealed that the Mabuki known as Demon Weapons were all part of an Alchemical research by Shotaro the Dokeshi, the boy who has unleashed an ultimate taboo for creating the demon weapons and it is also stated the Death the Kid that everyone know and love is Dracula's servant Death, a black wolf in sheep's clothing! He ordered Shotaro and the heroes of Soul World into taking down the Kasugatani family tree and I cannot believe that he would do such a thing! This was all a stage to make Witchkind's greatest downfall and will be on the verge of extinction! Tell Maka Albarn that everything she entrusted is a lie from Shinra! A lie to the devil himself! Please, understand the truth and let Truth win!

Mario : What!? Dracula's servant and Castlevania boss character death has been ordering all that!?

Luigi : Damn! So the actual Death the Kid was captured by King Boo! Konami is real smooth for showing their tricks up in their sleeves! I guess the Shinigami from Soul Eater was just a kid that is the human form of a Yokai called Kyokotsu! Lucky bastard! I don't know why the crazy story of Soul Eater was really false and to think that Maka Albarn is the hero of that world! This is the real world and we need to wake ourselves the hell up!

(suddenly lights went out)

Mario : Hey! The lights went out! What's going on here!?

Luigi : This could be a real messed up move!

Daisy : Guys! It's happening! Someone has broken into Nintendo and a recolored Shadow is heading this way!

Mario : Recolored Shadow? I don't know of this recolored Shadow!

Daisy : You gotta believe me! He is an acutal recolor of Shadow and he has the purpose of manipulating a hedgehog from the future and killing the blue blur himself! They say that he'll make the planet fall into darkness along with Real World AU itself!

Mario : Oh yeah!? Well who is this bozo that is attempting to drown the planet in darkness?

Mephiles : Simple question you may ask. But it shall be the living things that shall rejoice their selves to darkness! You'll just be lucky that you will be in your nightmares and all that frustration will easily hurt a heart and soul!

Mario : Ahh, sh**! I knew it! I knew someone in the building is going to get us! Hey, what do you think you're doing!? No! Stop! DON'T TOUCH ME!!!

(Mephiles laughs evilly)

Mario : Luigi! Guys! HEEEEELP!!!

(the lights were suddenly turned back on as Mario is missing)

Luigi : (gasped in shock) MARIO!!! NOOOOO!!! NOT MY BRO! ANYTHING BUT MY SWEET BRO-O-O-O-O-OOOO!!!

Mona : What's going on here!? Mario's missing!

Luigi : Yes! A recolor came by and took Mario hostage! Who could've done this!

Mona : Yeah, as a result of in that, Wario is missing too! and I haven't getting a direct call from him!

Waluigi : And who am I going to play tennis for what!? Now I don't have someone to play Tennis or Golf! And there will no be kart racing for tomorrow!

Luigi : (looks up into the sky, yelling) MARIOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

"Meanwhile..."

Mizune : [whistling a tune] Hey, dad. Long time no see. Do you remember who I am now? It's me, Mizune, your beloved daughter. (sees a photo frame of Mouser) I know that you haven't seen your daughter in years and I haven't seen you in years.

[Sadness - Seirou Okamoto]

Mizune : I promised you that I would able to reunite with you for a long time. But I haven't realized that I was the not only person that I ever get to see you again.

*flashback*

Mouser : Listen here, Mizune. You'll grow to be a strong girl just like your old man and when you do, you'll be just like me someday when you get older! How does that sound!

Young Mizune : Sounds great! I want to be the greatest being that I ever wanted to be the icon of my own! I will become the world's greatest treasure hunter there is!

Mouser : That's my girl!

*flashback ends*

Mizune : So now I understand that you wanted to see your own daughter again, dad. But now that you're gone dead, it's like that I never get to see you again...and I never felt this alone because I wanted to become the strong girl that I dreamed of! I dreamed that I would become the world's greatest treasure that there is and no one will ever take it away!

Blair : Long time no see, Treasure hunter!

Mizune : My rival from the same school, Blair?!

Blair : What are you doing here at Mouser's grave? What's the matter, Mizune? Cat got your tongue?

Mizune : You know why I came to daddy's graveyard, I came to mourn his loss of him after he died, he vanished from existence. I didn't know why I wanted to be the villain that is a part of a story. Believe it or not, I will never be a villain like this. Eruka was right about this, Medusa is not the friendly person that I expected to work with. No wonder why the author would make me the villain of the story. But...(grabs Blair by neck) If anything happens to Free or Eruka in the country, you'll pay. (Blair backs off)

Blair : So what!? That's how that I was such in an influence since we know each other at High school. I come to the church in Maryland everyday. You're begging that you planned on reviving Shinra's grandson to wipeout the planet, would ya? That's genocide!

Mizune : I didn't say that we of Ashley's kind were supposed to destroy the planet, that would be the heartless that is their doing! Here's something that I needed to tell you something, I didn't wanted to become a stupid villain! I wanted to become a hero of another story! I am sick and tired of the heartless' crap! That stupid Medusa and her dumb sisters would eventually get their asses kicked by the force! I could never trust a cold-blooded son of a b*tch that has us ever done to our kind. Thanks to unknown circumstances, Medusa and her sisters would be gone missing to confess their crimes against humanity. If only they were here to destroy the planet that easily.

Daroach : Still thinking about Mouser's loss, would you? I'm so sorry to hear that your father has passed on!

[Dark Samus Appears - Kenji Yamamoto]

Mizune : Daroach? Is that you? What happened to yourself? What did you go a little blue? Wait a sec, (her visions show Dark Nebula who is currently possessing him) Dark Nebula! How did you--?!

Daroach : (possessed by Dark Nebula) Escaped from imprisonment? Yes that's right. It was all thanks to this mice who freed me from that horrible prison that I lay dormant for all eternity. I have needed time for such lovely reunion to your master's body.

Blair : Hold the phone. Are you saying that Daroach is Mizune's master?

Mizune : And my adoptive grandfather as well. Enough fun and games, Dark Nebula! You come right out that body of his! I mean it now! You'll never cover the planet in darkness, not even the king of all Ink Demons would able to bring humanity into despair!

Daroach : (possessed by Dark Nebula) Fat chance, Mice girl! Once I reclaim my right position as ruler of the Underworld, I shall get rid of Earth's underworld rulers Hades and pluto, so does Yama himself to bring the darkness and despair for the rest of your lives! Both Humankind and Witchkind shall forever be in their miserable fates.

Mizune : Dark Nebula!

Daroach : Here! Have a present from your late father!

Mizune : What the-!?

*DBZ SFX : LOUD EXPLOSION*

Blair and Mizune : (coughing out)

Mizune : Dark Nebula! (realizing that Daroach disappeared) Damn it! He's got Daroach and now they're both gone!

Blair : Oh no! He must've went into space! Along with...the Squeakers!

Mizune : Daroach, no! (falls down on the ground) ...No! (whimpering) It's should've been me, not him! It's not fair! Why couldn't Dark Nebula just take me instead and be it's own puppet? I will never forgive for this Nebula! I'll make sure that you'll die with a terrible fate! A fate that you'll never forget just like what you did to daddy! I'll kill you for this!

(Dark Nebula laughs sinisterly)

~ Act 13 : Personification of Darkness ~

[my-blessed-prince]

Sunday Excerpts, Home in Narnia, Ch. 1, Verity POV, pt. II

@vsnotresponding @olive-riggzey

“Okay.” Lao said, and he quickly removed himself from her embrace. His pace was far too quick, and he entered into her small home, though not without taking a quick peek at her, before disappearing inside.

“Lao, wait for me!” She said, and she ran up the pathway into her home. Verity burst into her home, and to her dismay her mother was there.

“Why’d you bring the boy over?” She said with pursed lips. “It’s not proper.”

“You know, if I have no friends, then I’ll disappear entirely. And more missing children is not proper, mother.” With a shove, she pushed past her mother. The woman didn’t care that her eldest daughter was gone, but perhaps she would care when she had no children left or had to take care of Ray on her own.

The tiniest of smirks appeared on Lao’s face, and she giggled, the anger from before dissipating. With her arm in his, they scampered off into her room. Her mother didn’t bother to stop her. She didn’t bother to do a lot of things besides belittle her.

She shut the door behind them, if only because it was very improper, and she sat down on the floor with Lao.

“She glared at me right when I came in.” Lao said, and he opened her suitcase.

“Now, Lao.” Verity said in a drawled out tone. “You wouldn’t want to help me unpack. That isn’t proper.”

“My eyes will probably get burned out if I see your underwear.”

“That is exactly what will happen.” Verity said. “I read about it at school. Boys go blind if they see girls they like, or worse yet, know they have underwear. And then they stumble around.”

Lao started to fold her clothes, and he said “I haven’t stumbled yet.”

It was Verity’s turn to blush at the reference. “You haven’t met a girl you like–”

“I have.” Lao said.

Her blush deepened. She wondered if she was the girl he liked. Lee and Ray insisted that was the case, but it was hard to tell.

Verity started to fold the clothes with Lao. “What is she like?”

“Adventurous. Sasses her mother, and rightfully so. Smiles a lot.” Lao said. She saw his hands shake a little while folding her clothes. “I think if I go blind, it’s because she’s bright, and not because of her clothes that I’ll fold.”

“Do you fold other girls' clothes?” Verity asked.

Lao was quiet again, and he said “It’s a secret.”

She pouted. He did this a lot. Got close to admitting that he liked her, and then backing out far too soon. Ray was right, Lao was a scaredy-cat.

“How long do we have until Ray and Lee show up?”

“Depends.” Lao said. “Ray is never on-time to things. I told them that you’ll be here three hours from now, but if Ray is with Lee…I’d say five hours just to ourselves.”

“You’re naughty, Lao.” Verity said with a click of her tongue. “You would have gotten two whole hours of alone time with me.”

“But you see.” Lao said. “I figured we needed one hour alone for each month we haven’t seen each other. It’s only fair after being forced into going to separate boarding schools.”

“True. It’s the only logical choice.” Verity said.

“I also scared Lee into not showing up early. I said your mom would get real mad at him.”

Verity laughed, while she folded her clothes. “He’s terrified of her, Lao.”

“Exactly.” Lao said. “Works to my advantage sometimes.”

Verity took a pile of clothes that they had folded, and she started to put them away in her dresser. “So what are your plans after being so devious–”

Her question was cut off by the screeching voice of her mother. “Verity! Stop flirting with Lao, and come do your nightly chores.”

Verity’s shoulders slumped, and she put the last of the clothes away. “I’m coming, mother.” She said in her most dead-sounding voice.

Lao got up, and he placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder. “To be a maid with you.”

“Quite boring.” Verity said.

“Not when it’s with you.” Lao said, and he did his famous small smile. 

She shoved his arm. “You got Lee and Ray to show up so late, so you could do chores with me?”

“I figured it would take about four hours to accomplish, and then that’s an hour alone. They could have been extra help, but you know how Ray is.”

“Whiny, and then we have more chores.”

“Precisely.” Lao said. “So, I thought it would be best to come alon–”

“Verity!” Her mother screamed again. “Get over here! If Lao can’t help, then he can leave.”

“She knows you’re a good cleaner.” Verity muttered.

“I know.” Lao said, and they left the room. 

It didn’t particularly matter that Verity lived in a very small house. She and Alina had been the poorest students at their boarding school. Aiko and Leia were some of the popular girls that hadn’t cared, and they had all gotten along. They bonded through having terrible parents. But then a year before, the three of them had disappeared when going to play while Verity was sick. 

Now she was alone, and it was experiences like this she would only have Lao to vent about. Although, he didn’t quite understand the way that they did. Lao had been an orphan since he was eight. 

Her mother was all flushed, as if Verity and Lao did something terribly offensive, and she fanned herself. Verity barely restrained herself from burning holes into her mother’s skin through her glare. Lao kept his face more neutral than usual, if that were possible. 

“I haven’t had anyone to clean for me–I might take you out of that boarding school and keep you here.”

Verity’s blood went cold. She didn’t really care for school, and she got bullied at times, but there were other loser girls that were bullied and a few sprinkling of teachers who were kind. 

“If I have an education, I can help secure a finer home and someone to help clean–”

Her mother scoffed at her. “Yes, when you’re twenty-five. I’ll be a corpse by then. You have more practical uses for me now. I’ve relinquished your records. You’re staying here. I’m homeschooling you.”

Verity’s eyes burned. She didn’t need to ask to know that there would be little schooling done, and it would be mostly chores and being a personal slave to her mother. 

“Ms. Cecelia–” Lao said.

“Shut it.” She snapped at him. “You’re lucky I allow you here. Giving my daughter impure thoughts–”

Verity’s face flushed. Was it that obvious that she liked Lao? That wasn’t a crime, was it? It wasn’t like she wanted to do very…adult things. But sometimes she thought about what it would be like to receive a little kiss.

Lao was silent, but from the corner of her eye, she saw the flame dance in his eyes. “How can I be of service, Ms. Cecelia?”

“About time you asked.” She said, and she thrust a list at him, and it unraveled all the way to the floor. Verity shuffled closer to Lao, and they looked at the list together. 

[drxwsyni]

show me heaven, take me to hell︱okkotsu yuuta x f!reader

“Going so long ensuring that you wanted him and nobody else ended up having adverse effects, all this time spent putting you first had turned him selfish, and he didn’t quite care anymore. He needs you—all of you, anything less for any longer and he might just go mad.” a/n: this is my part for @seita’s corrupt-a-virgin collab! i was really excited to write a fic with this prompt, and this collab was super fun so pls go check out the other writers involved!!! words: 3.7k warnings: ALL CHARACTERS AGED UP 18+, noncon, somnophilia, virginity loss, rough-ish sex, oral (f. receiving), fingering, choking for a quick moment, creampie, a little praise, heavy stalking & obsessive behaviour, gen. yandere themes

Yuuta liked to think he had control over his emotions—but peering down at you, he knew that was far from the truth. How those emotions manifested was what he could control, because if it weren’t for the steely expression cemented into his face, he’d be sure you’d know of all the debased things running rampant throughout his mind.

And yet, he doesn’t fear the falter in his masquerade right now.

You’re fast asleep, none the wiser to the looming figure of your boyfriend, locked onto the way your chest slowly rises and falls in a rhythmic manner. How his eyes nearly gloss over as they travel down the curves of your body, half exposed as you’ve only pulled the sheets up to settle around your waist.

Yuuta reminds himself to breathe, exhaling a little too shakily, wondering to himself how he’s made it this far. He was a damn good actor, and he knows that fact currently stood as the only thing that’s gotten him to where he is today.

If he thinks back, it’s hard to even find one moment out of all the time he’s spent with you in which he’d shown you his genuine self. Hell, the very first time you spoke to him wasn’t even honest. He remembers asking you your name after introducing himself, lying through his teeth because he already knew what your name was. Yuuta knew what rank you were (well below his), your cursed technique (too weak to really protect yourself), how long you’d been working alongside Gojo (two weeks―starting the day after Yuuta had gone overseas). But he still asked, enamoured with the way you bashfully looked down at your feet when he praised you for being able to put up with the white haired sorcerer so far.

Another lie―how he claimed he’d love to team up with you and show you around, when it was just to keep you as far from any real danger as possible.

But you didn’t know that, going along with each and every falsehood that left his mouth. Lie after lie, he’d draw on the knowledge of you he’d spent months gathering, gradually molding his character into whichever form earned those soft little gifts of affection. Becoming the person you wanted, the person you needed, slowly until you recognized him as someone special. Yuuta did everything right—only to be completely overwhelmed now that he had you alone.

Because of course suppressing himself wouldn’t work out in the long run. Burying the desire that felt goddamn near insatiable, ignoring the feeling of it festering, growing into something ugly and uncontrollable—the kind of thing he saw in others, and exactly what he was trying to protect you from. But Yuuta wouldn’t let himself believe that what you really needed protecting from was him, even though standing over you now, proof of that reality was finally beginning to surface.

Just for a second, maybe not even that, it crossed his mind—just a taste couldn’t hurt, right?

The bound passion he could never let see the light of day unraveled in the dead of night. You were just so tempting, blissfully unaware of the danger towering over you, a vulnerability that tore away at the seams of his self control.

Yuuta felt the first thread snap, a barely there fracture to spur his irreversible descent into self-destruction.

Moving without really even thinking of any future consequences, long fingers that were calloused from battle and endless training reached to where the sheets atop you rested. White, silken and gleaming under the moonlight, he carefully, calculatedly pulled them down your body. Letting it pool at the foot of the bed, he slowly appraised your sleeping form.

An almost inaudible curse left him, whispered under his breath—he didn’t even notice the way your sleeping shorts were discarded onto the floor before peeling back the sheets, but he couldn’t miss it now. Maybe...you wanted him to find you like this?

No...he knew you weren’t that daring. The two of you might be dating, but all those past insistences of not wanting to move too fast, dancing around intimacy like it was the bane of all evil alone told him that this naivety was genuine.

There was that, and the fact that you were staying in his guest bedroom. Too shy to sleep in the same bed, how cute. He was all too understanding just a few hours ago, leaving you for the night and planning on retiring to his room. Only he was drawn right back to where you lay, realizing it was yet another subconscious lie to tell you he was fine with taking things slow, giving you your space.

He wasn’t even supposed to be in this room—there was absolutely no way you planned on Yuuta finding you like this.

A voice in the back of his head warns him, tugging at his subconscious to leave you be. Yuuta ignores it for the first time, crossing a new boundary, knowing that it won’t be the last.

You’re sprawled on your back with the hem of your oversized shirt riding up just a little.

A little too much, he thinks, eyes travelling lower and lower until they land on the lace trim of your panties. Thin, adorned with a small bow at the top. His fingers itch, wanting to feel the fabric for himself, likely soft in comparison to his rough hands.

Yuuta props one knee up onto the bed, the mattress sinking slightly with his weight. With one more glance, just to make completely sure you’re still fast asleep, he allows his fingers to trace up the inside of your leg. Gliding along your calf, then meeting the soft plush of your thigh. Your muscles don’t even twitch, unmoving as his hand gradually creeps higher, higher, higher.

All he needs is to be closer, something to tide him over until you’re willing to let him in. He wants to know just what it feels like to have you under him, little weaknesses you hold that nobody else knows of.

Just a taste, he reminds himself.

Yuuta peers down at you, relieved and on edge at the same time when the tips of his fingers brush against the cotton fabric of your panties. Ever so lightly, his ring finger dips lower, gently pressing against your clothed slit.

The heat between your thighs makes him shiver, warmth pulling him in impossibly closer. Your legs are spread just enough for Yuuta’s hand to fit perfectly in between them, almost invitingly so. He feels like all of his nerves are standing on end, vibrating as just the simplest touch has such a large effect on him.

It’s a familiar feeling, despite always looking at ease, he frequently had to mask these turbulent emotions inside him so that he didn’t scare you away, just as so many others did. This new sensation, not having to worry about constant control, it was unimaginably refreshing. He didn’t want it to end.

You don’t seem to be stirred in the slightest, which is good, because he’s not quite satisfied. The both of you did have a tiring day to be fair—now making you a heavy sleeper. Yuuta deems it a saving grace, curiosity unquelled in wanting to know how far he could push his luck.

That same singular finger travels along the dainty fabric, gently dragging up your folds until stopping at your clit. Experimentally pressing into it, Yuuta spots the way your brows just barely draw together for a moment. The sound of your breathing meets his ears, turned airy as your lips part when he begins rubbing back and forth, a light friction that makes your sensitive, untouched body react unconsciously as you continue to sleep.

Yuuta thinks for a second of how you touch yourself when you’re alone—if you do as he is now, teasing your clit, making you squirm at the light stimulation. You’re not waking up, but your body is still reactive even in this state. With how your panties hug the curves of your body, how he presses them into your heat, it’s not hard to see the small patch of your arousal already leaking through.

It’s cute, you’re so much more honest when you’re asleep.

An idea strikes him, coming more as an intrusive thought than anything helpful, but it’s dangerously enticing nonetheless—if he could make you cum without waking you up. Earn a glimpse of what he hoped you’d let him see eventually.

You look like you want it, chest rising and falling a little heavier, and when he pointedly nudges your clit with the smallest increase in force, your breath hitches.

It would be cruel to leave you like this—Yuuta isn’t a cruel man.

He’s doing this for you now, not himself. It’s repeated in his head, words reassuring as he slinks onto the bed. His grip is delicate, pushing your thighs apart a tad bit more, just enough to make room to lower himself between them.

Eye level with your heat, the scent of your arousal washes over him. He can’t help but place a few ghosted kisses on your inner thighs, a quick nip at the supple skin that leads to a trail of the same before his lips hover over the seat of your panties.

Through long lashes, he focuses on your face, almost shuddering with you as his tongue comes into contact with the patch of wetness, dampness growing as he licks a slow strip up over the cloth. Yuuta repeats the action—once, twice, three times, then loses count. His movements are slow, soft and steady, taking what he can get but soon becoming frustrated with the barrier in his way.

The hands placed on your thighs twitch, and it only seems logical that if he wants to finish what he started, he needs to make things a little easier for himself. An unnatural strength imbued with cursed energy flows through his palms. He’s eager, doing it without thinking, not realizing the force he puts behind his actions until the seams of your panties tear with almost no resistance.

Yuuta’s eyes widen slightly, because his plan was to merely push the fabric aside. But that problem can wait, especially when he can’t.

The offending fabric is casted aside, and Yuuta knows he wants to take his time. Testing the waters, his thumbs come up to spread apart your soaked folds, taking in the way your hole clenches around nothing as he gently blows cold air against it.

He’s not shocked to find your muscles twitching so easily now, reacting to every little thing he does. Not shocked, but it does make him greedy. It makes him want to abandon caution entirely. Taking his time turns out to be a lot easier said than done—when his tongue places a few kitten licks onto your clit, the near sinful whimper that escapes you has his lips latching on and sucking instead.

You’re always so quick to flee from him, Yuuta can barely get a lasting kiss in before you push him away. To hear that leave your mouth, intentional or not, it’s dangerous. He’s starved for intimacy, starting to lose sight on why he’s worked so hard to become close with you, drowning in the thoughts of why he instead wants to rip that safety he provides from you entirely just to see the things you keep hidden from him and everyone else.

There’s his own personal heat building, hips grinding into the mattress now and then to relieve the ache you don’t even know you’re causing in him so quickly. It doesn’t do much, if anything it only makes his resolve weaken, low groans making their way up his throat and sending soft vibrations onto your sensitive nub.

His tongue darts back out, flattening as your hips buck against his face, trying to gain more friction.

And all it tells him is that you want this—just as much as he does. You’ve never told him, but you don’t need to. Your body speaks for itself.

The wet muscle pushes past your entrance, Yuuta’s nose bumping your clit every time his head jerks when his tongue curls against your walls. From how your body tenses, the feeling unmistakable under his large hands, he can tell you’re getting close.

All the breathy sighs and whines leaving you, the overwhelming taste of you on his tongue and in his mouth, it clouds his judgment more and more as each second passes.

Yuuta forgets about the hard work he’s put in to keep you safe, to make sure you ended up choosing him over everyone else. You’re intoxicating, and he can’t get enough. There’s no such thing as just a taste, not when he’s stopped trying to hold back and instead starts trying to devour you.

You deserve more, he thinks, coating his ring finger with your slick, teasingly swirling it around your entrance before letting it sink into your heated pussy. It reaches far deeper than his tongue, and with a few thrusts, curling his finger inside you, Yuuta finds what he’s searching for as you tense hard around the slender digit. His mouth returns to your clit, sucking and flicking it with the tip of his tongue.

Yet no matter what he does, it’s still not enough. He wants to watch you finally fall apart, wants you to stop pushing him away.

And he realizes, it’s not a want, but a need. One that can’t be satisfied as easily as he thought when he first removed the sheets from your unsuspecting body. Going so long ensuring that you wanted him and nobody else ended up having adverse effects, all this time spent putting you first had turned him selfish, and he didn’t quite care anymore.

He needs you—all of you, anything less for any longer and he might just go mad.

Yuuta can’t think straight to save his life, he’s hooked on the way your body shakes beneath him, adding another finger pumping in and out of you, groaning against your clit as he desperately ruts against the bed.

You’re responding so well, it only confuses him more as to why you haven’t let him take care of you sooner, as clearly you needed him like this. He can practically hear his name fall from your lips, airy and begging him for more.

His eyes are screwed shut, and yours are open.

“Ahh—Yuuta...wh—ngh”

Those calloused fingers know just how to make you shake in pleasure, not relenting as you suddenly cum around them. He feels your swollen clit throb, over and over against his tongue.

When you start to convulse, near pained whimpers leaving you, he finally stops.

He’s frozen for a moment, your full awareness dawning on him.

A sheen of sweat clings to you, chest heaving, heartbeat going a mile a minute and hammering against your ribcage. You were falling back down from the high that made you see stars, the closer to reality you got, the more you understood what had happened.

The fear would hit you first, and it’d be fast—you’d scream, fight, try to leave him.

Yuuta knew this, he knew you, and so he moved faster.

Before you could make another sound, panic rising in your throat, a firm hand clamps over your mouth.

And god, you look fucking terrified. Both hands flying up to push him away, nails biting into his wrist while tears begin to well in your eyes. Irises swirling with fear, confusion, betrayal.

It should make him feel guilty, it does—but it’s not enough to stop him from wanting to make it worse.

His palm stays cemented over your mouth, muffling your cries. “Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

It’s not, all your squirming does is grind against his aching cock. And he’s so far gone that he might as well go further—he doesn’t even try to stop you. The hand over your mouth pins you down well enough, your body so much weaker compared to his.

“M’sorry, just—fuck…”

You’re not calming down, struggling harder with each second that goes by while Yuuta fights to hold you still.

“It’s alright, baby, you’re okay.” With everything running through his mind, the only thing consistent and true is that he has to be inside you. 

His free hand grips the waistband of his sweats and boxers, hastily pulling them both down at the same time. He hisses when the cold air of the room meets his cock, slapping against his abdomen. He’s already in between your legs, and you’re still trying to get away, hips lifting off the sheets as your legs helplessly kick. Your movements are uncalculated, frantic—it’s an accident when his cock brushes against your heat.

You squeal at the contact, but there’s nothing you can do to stop him from rutting against you, length sliding between your folds and coating him in your slick. A slight shudder runs through you as the tip of his cock catches on your puffy clit, repeatedly nudging it with each thrust.

It’s not enough. Not before, not now, he can’t seem to satisfy whatever want inside him has broken loose, and you’re forced to deal with it all because he couldn’t keep himself in check.

“Just relax, okay? Gonna make you feel good...promise you—”

Yuuta practically chokes on his words, lining himself up with your entrance, unable to stop his hips from pushing himself inside you all in one go. Blood rushing behind his ears drowns out the sound of your whimpers, lost in the way you keep sucking him back in when he goes to pull out. So goddamn tight—Yuuta’s glad he’s made sure he was the first to get to you, despite the circumstances.

He’s a mess, you’re a mess, it’s sloppy and it’s perfect, because the quick back and forth of his hips goes so deep that he’s grinding against your clit with each thrust. Your whines are in tandem with his movements, pain mixing with the building warmth spreading throughout you.

The body draped over yours is so much larger, broad shoulders blocking out the moonlight as Yuuta keeps himself propped up above you with a hand beside your head. The one over your mouth disappears, lightly wrapping around your throat for better purchase instead.

It’s too easy to lose himself now, letting his guard down—and you jump at the chance.

There’s a shove to his chest, and then he’s being kicked down the bed. The door is on the adjacent side of the room and so to make quick time you scramble across the bed sheets. Of course, a hand too cold clamps around your ankle, and it feels like he’s about to crush the bone beneath when Yuuta drags you back.

All your pleas go ignored, and he’s suffocating as your body is pinned against the bed by his own.

A lanky yet toned arm snakes around your waist, lifting your hips to meet his. “Just a bit—” there’s a pause, groaning as he drives his cock right back into your pussy, “—bit longer…”

Yuuta hasn’t completely forgotten why he decided to take things this far, his free hand reaching down to toy with your clit. With the new angle, his cockhead hits that soft, spongy patch that has your walls fluttering around his length.

Your fighting spirit diminishes more and more, not much strength to begin with in how you were woken up, only worsened by the way the coil in your stomach keeps tightening. When you go to shove the arm wrapped around your body, it’s not genuine, not completely at least. You’re overwhelmed just as much as him, and letting it happen doesn’t seem all that bad.

Slick is dripping down your thighs, the sounds of skin slapping against skin echoing throughout the room alongside his grunts and your airy moans.

There’s a shake in your body, legs unable to keep themselves up as your voice breaks through the noise. “Yuuta...p-please…”

It doesn’t matter what it is you’re begging for exactly, but he tries to console you anyways. “I’m right here, baby. Just let go for me…”

The pads of his fingers press harder circles around your clit as the cant of his hips picks up.

You’re reaching your end, unmistakable in the way you tighten around his length, your muscles contracting and releasing. Yuuta is right behind you, thrusts growing erratic, barely pulling halfway out before sinking in again.

“Ah—that’s it, cum for me, good girl—”

There’s a moment where you go quiet, body locking up and mouth opening into a silent scream. It’s enough to have Yuuta’s body reacting much the same, a harsh ‘fuck’ leaving his lips before painting your walls white. There’s no thought to pull out, just that he wants to relax with you in his arms.

You’re trembling, aftershocks washing over you in waves, especially when he slowly drags his cock out and past your g-spot before leaving you empty.

Yuuta finally releases you from his hold, watching as you slump pitifully into the mattress. There’s a trail of his cum leaking down your slit, a little pool of it forming on the sheets. You look absolutely ruined, face turned and smushed against the bed—he can see the tears heavily wetting your cheeks, mouth agape as your chest heaves.

And he just...stares. Somewhat out of breath himself, hunched over, unmoving otherwise while realization crashes down on him.

You’d never forgive him, you’ll leave the second you get the chance. What Yuuta’s done to you is irreversible.

...As far as you know.

It’s always been like this, he thinks. Yuuta keeps you endlessly in the dark, meticulous pre-planning to make sure you’re protected always. And so he steps away, tucks himself back into his boxers, pulling up his sweats and grabs his phone. It looks like you’ve pretty much fallen asleep, which makes his job easier.

Plan A through Z, Yuuta has something to fall back on no matter what.

The screen illuminates his face, fingers swiping until Inumaki’s contact shines back at him. The cursed speech user owes him a favour, and there’s no time more perfect in Yuuta’s mind than now to cash it in.

A deep sigh from him sounds throughout the room—you won’t remember this happened, none of it. Yuuta will clean you up before Inumaki arrives, use reverse cursed technique to handle any wounds you may have, and then he’ll have his friend make you forget anything past going to bed.

While he still wants to keep you safe, keep you pure—it’s no longer for the same reasons. 

Darkened eyes land on your weakened form, and Yuuta knows this won’t be enough for him. You’ll push him away, he’ll get impatient...the rest is predictable, to say the least.

His message sends, phone turning black. 

Somehow, he’ll need to find a way to earn more favours.

[jamie-on-fire]

"You were both taller than me til Uni." He hadn't gotten his growth spurt until he'd already graduated, yet another guarantee that secondary school boys would never find him fit enough to go after. But that had been such a minor humiliation, tied into memories and questions about his biological family. He always felt vaguely guilty for wondering about them when he had such a loving family who'd chosen him when they didn't have to. His uni therapist had told him that was an unhealthy thought pattern, but almost all of Jamie's thought patterns were probably unhealthy by that logic.

It was such a relief that Finn wasn't angry that Jamie fair melted and gave Finn a spontaneous hug. He just needed people to not be angry at him. "Thanks." Finn's summary of events seemed rather pessimistic, but Jamie didn't want to detail his previous experiences. "Both of you? That's mad, that is. Still, it's nice to see you." He blushed because how rude was that? "Sorry, that makes me sound daft. Is it bad? No one's been - it hasn't been awful for me. You know, I just read books and - well, people keep thinking they want to shag me and then end up talking about their brother or their mam or their dead lover. It's a bit like being a therapist, I guess. I don't mind it. I promised -" He chewed his lip but decided that if anyone was trustworthy, Finn was. "My last - employer, she and I - she didn't - it wasn't like that, with her. The sex. She called me a bottle. A rare vintage. But I think I made her cross more than anything. I'd cost so much and she didn't get what she wanted. And then -" The words spilled out so easily. "Well, we had sort of a row, and she said she was going to sell me, and I told her to go ahead, and then my friend, Rory, she - worked there as well, she was afraid I'd get sent - well, somewhere like here I suppose, she'd grown up in a place like this and didn't think I'd do well - she found a way to free me only of course I was a numpty and got caught-" He found now that he couldn't stop talking, even to take a breath. "And then she was going to - I didn't know what she was going to do to Rory, so I promised I'd be good and behave properly and not cause problems if she'd let Rory go. And she did. So really, it's not so bad. Cuz Rory's alright. You know. And all the other kiddies. It's alright if I'm here if they're not."

"No, no, he's very much shorter than I am," Finn corrected Jamie. He always joked that he'd stunted Charlie's physical growth by pushing down on his head when his son was a child but that obviously wasn't true. He suspected Charlie had just been a runt of his brood. Or herd or hatch, whatever the collective noun for baby dragons was.

He let out a long sigh as he listened to Jamie, really wishing he'd known about this. Did it even matter though? He probably would've already been here if this all went down in the last six years. "I'm not mad, I get you were doin' the best you could and what you thought was right." Finn narrowed his eyes a little then. "Though I wouldn't say you're better off here, literally fuckin' imprisoned for likely the rest o' your life. Yes, I would know that considerin' both Charlie and I are here as slaves, been here for the past couple years or so."

[kazzyboy]

Okay I’m so mad about the people bullshitting over Max’s letter. So I’m going on a rant, strap in.

My sister is dead. Yup, dead. Been dead for awhile. It’s actually kinda funny cause both her and Billy were 18 when they died (still hanging onto my BillyHargroveLives clown car), but besides the point.

We didn’t usually get along. In fact, I can think of five occasions where we actively got along. That’s five occasions in the thirteen years of my life I spent with her. We were either arguing or just ignoring each other. I know Billy and Max are not blood siblings and probably only knew each other for (a very estimated) six years, but there was, apparently, a lot of animosity and things between them.

Before I go on, I’m just gonna say that you can hate or love or be indifferent to Billy, idc. He’s a complicated ass character and that’s good. Please do not try to say he was/is incapable of change and he deserved what he got (because no one fucking deserves that wtf). My sister was little, she was always little, but she was just as troubled as Billy. You want to know the only thing I thought at her funeral, for hours of silence? She’s just a kid. She’s just a baby.

Billy was still a teenager and still had plenty of fucking time to change. On top of that, I know abuse is not and will never be an excuse for his absolutely rancid behavior, but it is a factor. It’s a very concerning factor, at that. But Billy did try— he tried not to hit them and he tried to fight the mind flayer and he tried to protect them. The sacrifice was not a complete redemption, no, not at all. But it was a start.

This is where I start talking about Max. I guess I’m Max in this situation. I know it’s different— my sister was my blood sister and I spent years of my life knowing her etc etc, but being in that vicinity to someone for years (calling them your sibling) is exactly what Max did. Not to mention she watched him die, gruesomely, for her and her friends (blaming Susie for that Lowkey). Even if you didn’t watch them die or had no part in it at all, there is always going to be guilt. Logically, I knew I had physically no way of knowing what would happen to my sister, but I still blamed myself, just a little. If I had done this, if I hadn’t done that. And there’s the guilt of relief in knowing someone who was hurting you directly or indirectly is gone. It fucking sucks.

So Max spent years watching someone she called her brother get smacked around, drive her around, be forced to watch her. And there’s guilt for that, too, because people have feelings and a lot of those are empathy. Max is a good person, no matter how shitty Billy had treated her and her friends, and she knew it wasn’t fair— the way Billy was treated and the way he treated others. Say what you want about it being an excuse, but abuse in any capacity royally fucks you up. Again, not an excuse for his behavior, but a factor. There will be that hurt there— knowing it was unfair and she couldn’t help it and the gut-wrenching knowledge that they could’ve changed, that they were getting better. So yes, Max wrote Billy a letter and she cried over him and she felt like shit about it all. It may not have been right or perfect, but she’s a human being and that’s probably how she felt. Feelings are endlessly complicated and likely conflicted.

On another note, it is also important to remember that these people are fictional. The actors/actresses did a fucking fantastic job and all deserve a gift basket or some shit

I don’t care if Neil felt bad or not I want to run him over with a tractor

Rant over until further notice

[talkfantasytome]

I would like to know an opinion from you, who is a reader and writer, without favoritism using more the logic and facts of the book.

What are the chances of G+A, E+A and E+L happening in ACOTAR and why do you think so?

By logic I think G+A has an 85% chance of happening, for several factors pointed out in the books and in interviews. E+L I have doubts because it depends on what will happen in the next book and E+A for me is dead

Hi there!

Interesting question! And a tough one to ask me to answer as a writer and a reader, but also just to use logic and facts. I'll do my best, but admittedly, on some points in may appear as more of an opinion as a writer, or my own interpretation being a writer and understanding how things can be done.

However, I did really love including that focus in my answer! I did try to keep out favoritism and stick to logic. Admittedly, when asking specifically about all three ships, I'm now including all in one post and I'm sure one will appear favored, so I apologize for that. However, I did stick to facts of the book and facts about SJM - since you asked about my thoughts as a reader and writer, I felt I had to bring in certain things we know about SJM, in particular her style and the stuff she's likely to do.

This is a very big question you're asking, though. So, a fair warning, this post is very long. I have provided the word count below so people will have fair warning. There is also a TL;DR section at the bottom (before the post divider above my disclaimers) with a paragraph on each pair, for those interested in my opinions but don't wish to go deep into facts and thoughts.

I only ask that if anyone is looking to discuss this with me further, for any reason, that you do read the full post first before coming back to me with questions or concerns. :)

WC: 8,821

If you're interested, please keep reading for the ramblings of a mad woman...

The first thing I want to talk about is:

Foreshadowing.

Foreshadowing is the technique of hinting at future events in a story using subtle parallels, usually to generate more suspense or engage the reader’s curiosity. (Grammarly)

Writers, publishers, and readers all f*ing love foreshadowing. Even if you're a fan of big surprises and plot twists, foreshadowing is such an amazing and wonderful thing to see. I think it's because, even as a reader, even if you want something to completely throw you off guard, when you go back and see the foreshadowing later on, you respect it. And it makes you appreciate that author's craft. And true readers - as well as writers, of course - love to do that. As a reader, I loooove when an author does something that foreshadows something to happen in two or three books. As a writer, I strive to be like that.

But an important note to make about foreshadowing - it's typically about using "subtle parallels", once that could generate suspense or engage our curiosity. That's just something to keep in mind throughout this piece.

If you don't take the time to think about foreshadowing, and to understand its importance to writers and readers alike, then you're not going to be able to think critically about questions like this. And you're going to write a lot off as just something to make the readers happy or something a little pretty or fun.

And you'll also forget how crucial foreshadowing is. It is important, but it's hard to do, and it's not going to be done on something minor. You're not going to foreshadow what someone is going to make for dinner that night - not unless the choice of meal, or that meal itself, will end up being a vital plot point.

Similarly, you're not going to foreshadow things like, say, future possible relationships just to make that relationship an "oh, look, they're just platonic friends with minimal importance in that relationship". No. If you're foreshadowing something that will become just a friendship, it's going to be a massive, live-or-die, most important, life-altering friendship. It's going to be a friendship that changes the course of the characters lives.

So, having given that small lesson, I'd also challenge all readers of this post to read everything I've said with foreshadowing in mind as well. In some places I bring it up and mention it more, but I feel like foreshadowing is the most important literary device in questions like this. So as you read, see if there are other parts I bring up that are also foreshadowing, but I didn't say were foreshadowing. I think you might be surprised at how much it is laced through everything, just as it is extremely predominant in these books.

With that in mind, I'm ready to move on to the main questions:

E\ain & Azriel

Quickly, for this section, basically my entire focus is on why I don't believe these two will share a book, which - based on SJM's explanation of the second set of three ACOTAR books - means they're not endgame. If you're interested in an argument more about why these two aren't endgame based more on what's in the books about the characters, how they interact, etc. and doesn't focus on which books we'll get, you can see a very long post here that I made on that. On top of that, you did ask me this question "as a reader and writer", and I found that in answering "as a writer", it lended more toward talking about which book we'll get a bit more than which endgame relationships we'll get (even though they're basically synonymous lol).

I think they have an incredibly small chance of being endgame, personally. I hate making blatant, all out, 100% positive statements without the facts to back it up, and right now, we don't have that. Because we don't yet know who Az will be paired up with for his book. We do know he'll be getting something, as SJM has said she's excited to write his journey, and that is too big a statement for it to be a side journey.

So, we know Az will get a book. And we know that SJM is planning two more full novels for the series. There will be at least one novella, I believe, potentially two, but I'm not considering those. Based on what we've seen from Az, as a writer (as you requested 😉), I cannot see him being a novella story. Especially not after Sarah has talked about how excited she is for his journey.

The other reason I believe he'll be a full novel - the novels are for those who are hitting true rock bottom. Look at Feyre in ACOMAF, and look at Nesta in ACOSF. The main character for the novels will hit rock bottom, to then go through their character arc.

And Az is hitting it now. You can see it coming. He's moved on from pining for one female to pining for another, and while yes, he could technically get E\ain, there's a reason they're not together, and I firmly believe it goes beyond Lucien.

Lucien is the excuse. I know you asked about these from the perspective of a reader and writer, but just quickly - as someone who also is PHENOMENAL at preferring the emotionally unavailable, I know exactly what's going on with Az.

I'm not exaggerating here, for the record. I'm 29 and have never had a boyfriend because I CANNOT like the right guys. If you actually show interest in me, or are someone who could, I will not like you. I also won't like you if you're married or in a relationship, no, that's a turn off, but if you're emotionally unavailable in a way that means we will never be together - that's my jam.

Sound familiar? 👀

So, yeah, I know Az. And I know what he's doing with E\ain. Unlike me, he might go for something physical - that kiss attempt - but even in that he was thinking it would only be that one time. Because he knows she's not emotionally available. And NOT because of Lucien. Lucien, as I said, is the excuse. He's the "reason they can't be together" in Az's mind. He's "the obstacle to my happiness". But he really isn't.

E\ain said herself, in ACOFAS, she doesn't want a male. And we have reason to believe she wants to become human again. She isn't actually happy as a Fae, and she doesn't want to be with a Fae. And, friendly reminder, Az is Fae. 👀

So, Elain is emotionally unavailable. She may be physically available to Az, but I do not believe she is emotionally available to him - or any Fae - at the moment. I'll get more to that in the Lucien section, too.

Despite the lack of development around this information in ACOSF, and the fact that we can't know this for certain since we've never seen her POV or the POV of someone who truly knows E\ain - no, I don't believe either sisters truly do - this did not change in a year. I know E\ain's own personal turmoil and issues won't get solved on the side, off-page. Despite her lack of development so far, I do agree with those that ship E\ain and Az on one thing - she IS a main character. Or, at least, she will be. Hands down, 100%, of course. She's an Archeron. Sarah has said she'll have a book. It's all a fact.

So no way in hell did E\ain's emotional journey happen off-page. E\ain's journey is not solely going to be her training, or finding her value in Prythian in terms of what she'll do during the day and how she can help against a villainous threat. There will be an emotional journey. It's called a character arc. One of the character development resources I have bookmarked includes this diagram:

Source

This is a standard character arc. And while it may appear that it can all be stuff that happens to the character, which it can, take a look at the end point: character is forever changed.

That, in and of itself, implies that this arc goes beyond what is happening to the character, and expresses how all of those things happening are also working the character internally. More importantly, no one wants to read a book about a character who has no emotional journey, only a physical one. As a reader, I can attest to this. As a writer, I understand this and...am working on it in my own writing. 👀

Lastly, we KNOW SJM likes a good emotional arc. Feyre - hit rock bottom. Nesta - hit rock bottom. Bryce (CC) - hit rock bottom, and lived there for two years. Aelin (ToG) - she hit rock bottom on some levels, in different ways, multiple times. That girl went through some serious emotional shit, on top of all the stuff happening to her and around her.

My point - E\ain's book will include an emotional journey. And even if she's not at a full, devastating rock bottom, it will be something close to it. I have thoughts on what could cause it, what her bottom could be, but that's not for this post.

So, both E\ain and Azriel will have a book. And some believe it will be together. Allow me to explain why I believe all that I just said, as a writer, tells me it won't be:

Their journeys are too big for one book.

That's it. That's the main kicker. And it sounds stupid to some, I'm sure. So allow me to explain.

Azriel is so close to rock bottom, he's passed Bikini Bottom. He's taken the wrong bus home, and he's passed the final stop before he gets to Rock Bottom. And he's gonna be there until someone else comes along and blows up his hand glove to help him fly out of there. (If you don't get the reference, you're probably too young to be reading ACOTAR. 👀)

He's on his second girl he's pining after who is emotionally unavailable. A girl he doesn't actually want, but is just an idolized representation of what he wants. (This post, the Share Life with Me section explains my thoughts on that.) He's also struggling with a ton of other things. I won't list them all, cause this post as become a beast, but we know he's dealing with a lot.

In fact, that Az isn't able to sleep is a big sign of where he's at emotionally. I mean, he's an active male. And he's got a lot on his plate. He's busy, he trains, he is definitely physically tired regularly. But he can't sleep, because he has so much shit going on in his mind. All the stuff he's struggling with, not to mention his own feelings of inadequacy. You cannot convince me Az is not close to rock bottom.

E\ain, on the other hand, is nowhere near it. If she was, we would have been given an inkling. In ACOFAS, we got some Cassian chapters, clearly meant to help prepare us for ACOSF, and give us all some Nessian angst because we were all shipping them by then. BUT. More importantly than that, we got a little snippet into Nesta's mind too, when she got home after Solstice. It's the only time, other than Wings and Embers, where we got Nesta's POV before ACOSF. Both of which were meant to tell us a lot about her. Wings and Embers offered a lot of character development, and a look into something that happened to help explain a bit better Nesta and Cassian later in ACOMAF. (Also, I'm convinced Sarah just loves them and writing them, so couldn't help herself in writing that scene. lol)

The ACOFAS piece, on the other hand, was specifically designed to tell us where the hell Nesta is at emotionally. ACOFAS offers a bridge between ACOWAR and ACOSF. It gives us answers to tell us what's going on in their lives, so we don't show up a year later and are like "so, what's all this?" And the biggest answers it gave us was about Nesta, because the end of ACOWAR did not give us enough to tell us that's where she'd be at a year later.

So ACOFAS came in to tell us where everyone's at, and those Nesta POV pages gave us a look into Nesta, to see her without the lens of another person's perspective. And what did we see? Nesta, drowning at rock bottom.

As a writer, that is how I read the purpose of all that happened in ACOFAS, and why we got that snippet, as well as the purpose fo the Wings and Embers little chapter.

We have gotten nothing like that on E\ain. We have crumbs in ACOFAS that tell us she's not happy as a Fae and doesn't want to remain as such. And then in ACOSF we get a few quick looks at her through others' eyes, none of which tell us much. Maybe some minor foreshadowing, but nothing to tell us what is actually happening with her.

And then, basically the last thing we are given about E\ain in ACOSF is a comparative vignette on E\ain and Nesta in black for Solstice - which, yes, has a huge purpose. Everyone who says it doesn't is, I'm sorry, very wrong.

As a writer, I feel I can confirm, you would not include such a comparative vignette like that for no reason. I may not be published, and I do love a good description, but look at the way it's worded - it's not just about the physical descriptions, but the feeling you get in seeing those two women in black. What black does to them. If it meant nothing, no editor would keep it in. So much can be read in those words that I'm sure SJM and her editors expect us to think they mean something more. For them to then have no purpose, mean nothing, it would actually be incredibly misleading writing in a way authors don't do in their books. Yes, in interviews they may say thins to mislead readers. Yes, they may try to make their foreshadowing super subtle and hard to catch. But they're not going to blatantly, obviously foreshadow the opposite of what will happen. They're not going to spend a few paragraphs describing a character in a way that implies the Night Court drains the life from her, and then end with her finding her true home in the Night Court with a person that embodies night. Because those two things don't align.

But I digress.

The point is, that's very little with E\ain. If you read the scenes very carefully, yes, you'll pick up on certain pieces that I do think will be used later. But none of it tells us E\ain is close to rock bottom. If anything, it tells us E\ain is trying to pretend or prove she's not going to hit rock bottom - which, admittedly, a bit of a death sentence for you E\ain longer-term.

What I'm getting at here is that Az is ready for his story, E\ain is not.

Now, one good argument against this would be - well, only one person will likely be at rock bottom. You, yourself, Kasey, said that E\ain and Az's journeys are too big to be one book. Clearly you're assuming both will hit rock bottom. But, if E\ain doesn't, then their stories aren't too big.

Fair point, except this:

We know E\ain is getting a book.

A book that will be hers the way ACOSF was Nesta's. Obviously, I hope the next two books will provide more development for the love interest than my bby Cassian got. That being said, the books will have a protagonist, and a love interest who is also the silver medal protagonist for that book. Both will have journeys, absolutely, and their journeys will align.

And E\ain Archeron will NOT be the "love interest" in the book she's in. In fact, that's a HUGE argument people make against gwynriel. That these books are about the Archeron sisters, so the next book must be E\ain's. Their argument is that these stories are all about the Archeron sisters.

Okay, first of all, that's wrong. We know it's wrong, because we know there are two more books, and there's one more sister. So you cannot say that it's solely about the Archeron sisters.

However, they're right in one regard - the Archeron sisters are f*ing important. On so many levels. And while, at the moment, E\ain only has enough development to maybe be a love interest in the next book, she WILL NOT be that. E\ain will be the main protagonist. E\ain will be the Nesta, and her love interest will be the Cassian. You cannot convince me otherwise. Not with E\ain's Seeing powers, being Cauldron-born, and the journey/conflict Sarah has started setting up for her. It's not enough for its own book yet, but she's laid the groundwork to allow a build in the next book or novella, so that when we get E\ain's we'll have a better idea where she's starting from.

To say the next book is an E\ain/Azriel book means you are expecting Az's story to take second place, and that's not happening.

Az has had a POV chapter - yes, it was an exclusive, so not everyone could see it. But, if you wanted to, you can no problem. So, we have an idea of where Az is at - both in terms of actions we saw and what's going on in his mind.

We've seen that, and we know he's hitting rock bottom. Which means his love interest likely will not hit rock bottom. She will have a journey of her own, for sure. Some form of character arc that helps her be who she needs to be for Az, and for the plot of the book. So, even without Sarah telling us how excited she is to write Az's journey, we've been given enough to know that in Az's book, he'll likely have the gold medal protagonist slot.

More so than that, we have not seen E\ain's point of view at all. And while we haven't seen any character's point of view who is a possible love interest for Az, we do know that, at least for the main character, SJM seems to like to give us that first, while also testing the waters a bit.

Again, ACOFAS, a couple Cassian POV chapters plus the Nesta section of that one chapter. We actually got a smaller POV for the main protagonist, interestingly enough, but it made sense with the novella considering she was not spending time with everyone else. But we still got the snippet. However, that's just one book. So we need to go to a different series to talk more about SJM's preferences.

Let's think about Throne of Glass. Written entirely different - entirely third person, and every book was technical multi-POV. However, book 1 was heavily Celaena. We had minimal Dorian and Chaol POV sections until book 2. Similarly, in book 3 we got a very small amount of Rowan POV and Aedion POV, but then in book 4 they came in and shared a lot more page time. Why? Because, I believe, when she can SJM does like to test the waters a bit, try it out. Learn the voice without it being so crucial and central whenever possible. I could be wrong, but I don't think it's a coincidence that we saw that. That she gave us sneak peeks into the minds of people who, in later books, we'd see more fully. She would build to them being a main POV.

Of course, Manon and Elide were exceptions. And maybe Lorcan? I honestly can't remember if we got a Lorcan POV snippet in QoS, or if we just started to get Lorcan in EoS right away.

However, Manon and Elide were different. We couldn't just get a teaser snippet of Manon's POV in book 2. That would have spoiled a lot and had no place for flow. Same with Elide. Those two women came in and from day one as characters in the series they were too important, and too separate from others, to be a smaller POV in their first book.

So, to me, as a writer, SJM has shown a bit of a trend in giving us the POV of characters before the become true main characters with their own POV. I believe we will see E\ain's POV before she is the main character of her book. Which we haven't yet seen. So I can't believe her book is next.

Which, considering all the things I've said that explain why Az's book is, is another reason why I don't believe they'll be one book and are endgame.

E\ain and Lucien

Now, we know Lucien has his own story, journey. SJM has confirmed we will see him heal and grow.

Of course, if I'm right about how Az and E\ain won't be in a book together, and Az is the next book, then it sort of confirms that the sixth will be E\ain-Lucien. But I'll go into a couple other reasons why I believe there will be an E\lain-Lucien book.

First of all, let's ask the question - if I'm wrong, and the next book is E\ain-Az, then who's the sixth book about?

Some people say it's Lucien and Vassa - because we know we're going to get a deeper look into Lucien's journey. And, I would agree, if we have it confirmed that book 6 is Lucien's and E\ain has had her book, then yes...I suppose Vassa is the only option.

However, as a reader and writer, I can not see that happening. For one, I definitely got Vassa/Jurian vibes in ACOSF. I mean - banter. We know how SJM feels about the banter. Plus, they're both mortal, and Sarah doesn't really like to have endgame ships that can't actually be together their full lives. And I agree with what some others have said that I don't see her doing with Lucien what she did with Lorcan. She's used that already, and while Sarah can get repetitive with certain things, she likes to repeat herself in ways that can feel different.

So, as a reader who has learned a bit about SJM's general style, what she enjoys, etc., going beyond "signs" in the book, I can't see her doing Vassa and Lucien as endgame.

Beyond SJM's style and everything, though - we also have to remember what mates are in ACOTAR. They are different than Throne of Glass, just as the Fae in ACOTAR are different. These are not the same exact being types - Sarah adjusted them.

So, what do we know about mates - all from ACOWAR, ch. 24:

The male feels the bond stronger - "there will always be a...tug. For the females, it is usually easier to ignore, but the males...It can drive them mad."

Bonds are allowed to be rejected - "It has been illegal in our territory for a long, long time for males to [kill whoever their mate chooses to be with. Same with the other courts]. On the continent, there are territories that would believe the females literally belong to their mate."

Rejecting the bond is not a magical rejection - "It is their burden to fight through, but some believe they are entitled to the female. Even after the bond is rejected, they see her as belonging to them."

These are all such incredibly important points, especially when considering Lucien's future.

He feels the bond stronger - but Elain still feels it. There will always be a tug. She's just better at ignoring it, because as a female, it's easier. But he feels it, badly. I do believe Lucien is strong enough to not be driven mad, but that's how powerfully he is feeling it. We should remember that. Because if that's the case, do you really expect him to find comfort with another woman?

Bonds are allowed to be rejected...in Prythian. That's a MASSIVE caveat. This isn't like an "oh, you can undo this". No, in Prythian, their laws allow females to make a choice on who they will be with, mating bond or no. But other territories don't always allow that. Which helps lead into the next point even more:

Rejecting the bond is not a magical, official process that will release the male from the bond, in any sense. Now, the quote I pulled, Rhys is explicitly speaking about those who feel entitled to their female mate. HOWEVER, what it signifies is that, when a female rejects the bond, it is not some magical process that will suddenly lessen the tug or anything. And it sure as hell doesn't dissolve the mating bond. That bond is there, for life, and nothing can destroy it.

Sorry, but I'm going to trust Amren's understanding over everyone else's, considering she is literally thousands and thousands of years old.

So, even if E\ain rejects the bond. Which, like, if she wants to do that, go for it. I'm not saying she has to accept it, it's her life, her choice. However, that's not going to suddenly change anything for Lucien. A lot of people seem to think once she rejects it, Lucien will be more free. But no, that's not the case.

He will be just as bonded as he always was. Just as desirous for her. And, my guess, he'll be waiting to see if she'll ever change her mind, because we have no reason to believe the females can't do that.

Because of this, we can conclude Lucien is still entirely focused on E\ain, especially since she hasn't yet rejected the bond. So no, I can't believe Lucien and Vassa will be a thing. Based on the text, it sounds like it would take years - decades or centuries, even - for a male to be able to ignore the tug to his mate enough to enter into a meaningful relationship with someone else. And we don't have that kind of time in these books.

Taking out Vassa as an option, Lucien is left with E\ain. The same way E\ain is left with Lucien as I've now explained why I don't believe the next book is E\ain-Az. It's not exactly the best reason, and I'm sure Elucien shippers would hate it, but by process of elimination considering who we know we're getting journeys for, and what seems to make the most sense, E\ain and Lucien end up together.

However, I also think there's more to it than that.

As I've mentioned, I believe a piece of E\ain's journey is likely going to be her struggle with being Fae. She's not happy as a Fae, she wants her old life back. And I don't judge her for it - she had no choice in the matter, and that f*ing sucks. I do believe there will be more to her journey as well, but I believe that's going to be a big pice of her emotional arc.

Lucien has become, to E\ain, the main representation of everything she doesn't want - poor bby boi. Similar to how Nesta struggled with the idea of having an actual mate because it's such a Fae thing, and in claiming Cassian as hers she would be letting go of a final piece of her humanity, I think E\ain is also projecting a lot onto the mating bond. It's become the representation to her that she is no longer human, and is the reason she lost the things/people she loved. It's not - Grayson may have said that, but I think we all know he would have dumped her for being Fae regardless of if she had a mate or not.

So, if E\ain's arc is going to be about accepting herself as a Fae, then it makes perfect sense that Lucien would be an incredibly important piece of that story. Because, to be able to accept herself as she now is, she will have to stop blaming him and projecting her hatred of being Fae onto him. Az has no part in that journey, that arc. He, at best, could make her feel something good that might be nice for a little while. But she will not learn to love herself, to accept being Fae, by sleeping with Az.

Now, I'm sorry to say, nonnie, but that doesn't mean E\ain and Lucien are definitely endgame. Because SJM could do something where E\ain still chooses to reject the bond at the end of the journey.

That being said, I find it highly unlikely that will happen. Considering SJM said that each book will be about a "couple". It's not just "love interests". It'll be about a couple, meaning each book's couple will end up together - or, at least, most likely they will. Plus, we know that SJM enjoys her happily ever afters.

I do agree that the fact that Rhys mentioned females being able to reject the bond is a possible form of foreshadowing. HOWEVER - I actually find it very unlikely it would be about E\ain.

Why?

Because he and Feyre were talking about E\ain. SJM prefers her crumbs to be a bit more subtle than that - except maybe everything to do with Nesta and Cassian, but to be fair, neither of them are subtle either. XD

It would be such blatant foreshadowing for a conversation about E\ain's mating bond to lead to a new piece of information that females are allowed to reject the bond, to be a segment foreshadowing E\ain rejecting that specific bond.

Remember, foreshadowing is subtle hints to tell us what will happen in the future/later in the story. So, I do believe that conversation is more likely hinting at other possible mating bonds that have had rejections in the past.

I don't really believe that E\ain will reject the bond.

However, even if she does, my belief is that it would be early on in the book, maybe while she's still really in whatever dark space she'll be in. And then, for other reasons, or maybe just because she herself feels a bit more free, she ends up spending time with Lucien, and then throughout the book falls in love and at the end decides to accept the bond. Because I do believe a rejection is reversible, seeing as the bond can't be broken.

As a writer, that last scenario is actually what I would probably go for. However, this is SJM's world, and it's up to her what the different laws about everything is. I just believe a rejection is reversible because so far everything we're told about a mating bond rejection is that it's basically just a woman saying no. It doesn't magically affect the bond.

There are my thoughts on E\ain and Lucien, separating them from Az as much as I could, to explain why I believe they're likely going to be in a book together.

Admittedly, I don't have as many thoughts on them as endgame, because I will say that I haven't seen a lot of foreshadowing in the books yet to confirm that. Which is why I, again, focused more on why it makes sense that they would share a book.

Az and Gwyn

Disclaimer: I will also be referencing E\ain here. I did this on purpose, and kept certain arguments out of the E\ain-Az section because, when I talk about those two, I like to talk first and foremost about reasons why I think they're not right together or won't be in a book together without bringing in Gwyn. I believe there are a ton of signs that have nothing to do with Gwyn, and don't need her for comparison, to provide that case. Plus, I do think that if you bring Gwyn into the argument that goes against E\ain and Az, some then just say I'm biased toward Gwynriel and my reading his clouded by that.

You said, nonnie, by logic, you are about 85% certain Gwynriel are endgame. That's a decent percentage. However, I'll admit, I think I'm higher, probably closer to being between 95%-99%. Like I said, I can't be 100%. But, I'm great at deductive logical reasoning. And, if you've read the rest of this post, I believe I've already deduced that Az and Gwyn would been a book together, because like how E\ain has one other option besides Az, I think Az only has one other option besides E\ain.

He's had almost no interaction with Emerie, definitely nothing stated or seen. And we know Mor isn't an option because she and Az will never be together, since she can't be emotionally involved with men.

So, logically, I may have already convinced you that Az's book will be with Gwyn, which means they're endgame. Yes, like I said, SJM could do something where the female rejects the bond, and I could see that being an ending to the fifth book more than the sixth - but, since they're also mean to be stand alone books, to an extent, SJM is gonna want her happily ever after in all three of them. Also, more than that, I don't see SJM putting Az in a mating bond relationship where he gets rejected - he needs literally the exact opposite. A rejected bond would not put Az on the journey toward healing. It would give him a drill and he'd tunnel far beyond rock bottom to a place he'll never come back from. So, to me, no matter who it is that ends up being with Az in his book, I believe they are definitely endgame.

However, let me give a few more reasons why I think they're endgame:

1. Not a Crack Ship

Firstly, I just want to remind everyone that Gwynriel isn't a crack ship. If I'm getting technical about it, I could just say it's because they're actually in the same world - same books, even - so it's plausible because they literally know each other and can know each other. The term crack ship initially came about to talk about ships that go across fandoms. Azriel and Legolas, for example, would be a crack ship, because they are in different universes and literally could never, ever end up together.

However, more than that, I wrote a long post about why they're not a crack ship here.

In that post, I discuss the bonus POV chapter, the structure of that chapter, and what all of it most likely means, from the mind of a writer. A quick recap:

The chapter is a comparison. It is half and half Azriel's focus on E\ain and Gwyn. Beyond that, you also get a moment between Az and each girl, and then a moment between Az and another who knows what's happening (Rhys knowing about him almost kissing E\ain, Clotho knowing about him giving Gwyn the necklace) - and that those conversations provide us reflections in Az's mind that are TELLING.

Basically, the two sections mirror each other. The only reason to write a chapter like this, in this way, is to provide a comparison. The only reason to provide a comparison, UNLESS we're actually getting confirmed endgame information (i.e. say it was a true love triangle, and Az was speaking with each girl separately to tell them his decision), would be to show us that these two females have something worth comparing. In this case, it's likely their relationship with Az, in particular their effects on him and his thoughts about them, and how it all makes him feel.

We see Az get shy about his hands around E\ain, but not Gwyn. We see his shadows skitter back from E\ain's breath, but they leap out and dance with Gwyn's. We see Az think of E\ain only in the physical sense - he wants to have sex with her, but that's all we see - vs. we see Az picture Gwyn's smile at opening the gift, and he tucks it away in his heart.

These are specific comparisons, mirrors. And I didn't bring up too many details on what happened in that post, because that post wasn't meant to go into which one is endgame. But here, I can bring those up, and express that in the mirroring chapter sections, in the comparison we were given, I believe the signs point to Gwynriel.

2. Foreshadowing

I spent a lot of time talking about foreshadowing at the beginning of this post, for a reason. And while it was relevant in the other two sections, I was saving a lot for this one because this relationship has received an insane amount of foreshadowing in the shortest amount of time.

And, a vast majority of it was definitely in the bonus POV chapter. If you have not read the chapter yet, I do encourage you to look for it. It's not difficult to find it online, but make sure you get one that has both the E\ain and Gwyn section, because without the Gwyn section you don't get much of the foreshadowing.

The bonus chapter, as I mentioned, really did provide a comparison of E\ain and Gwyn. And yes, you come out of it knowing Az wants to have sex with E\ain, and he's not thinking that about Gwyn. It seems damning, except for a very important factor:

Sex isn't all Az wants.

He wants a relationship like his brothers have. That means more than sex. And yet, all we see from Az with E\ain is physical thoughts about her, or later on an argument that she should have been given to him, since her sisters were given to his brothers. Bad argument, horribly misogynistic, and none of his other points had anything to do with his actual feelings for her. She has just become a representation of what he wants, and it's blinding him.

You do see some foreshadowing in the E\ain section, much of which I do believe is hinting that they are not endgame. The biggest one is when she breaths sharply and his shadows "skitter back". That's a subtle hint that tells us his shadows reaction to E\ain.

Others might argue that it was one time, but we have seen his shadows retreat around E\ain before. We just didn't fully understand how bad it was. However, the other truth is, we can't be sure back then it was "bad". Because SJM did it with Mor too, even when Az and Mor were, I believe, endgame in her mind. It's possible SJM had remained undecided on E\ain and Az until ACOFAS, maybe even ACOSF. For all we know, SJM got Gwyn and Az on a page together, and it was like Nessian all over again. And this chapter is meant to represent that and show us how certain things that we clearly didn't always interpret to be bad (and maybe she even hadn't and just got lucky with) are, in fact, a bad sign.

My point, let's not think too hard on Az's shadows in ACOMAF and ACOWAR, because we know that these books didn't start getting planned until they were working on ACOWAR, maybe even already promoting it and done writing (?). And authors can change their minds. We writers try to stay as consistent as possible, but sometimes you just don't know every single thing that's going to happen, and new information is going to come in, and you just have to make sure it doesn't actually conflict with what you've already provided.

In this case, the idea of Az's shadows knowing who is right for him, and skittering back from those who aren't, would actually be consistent and fitting, and SJM likely needed us to understand that Az's shadows retreating aren't good.

But how did we learn that?

Well, beyond the use of "skittered back", which definitely has a more negative connotation, we get more when we see Gwyn later in the chapter.

Azriel ends up in the training ring, and there Gwyn is. Surprise! Cause his shadows didn't warn him, so now he's stuck and has to at least greet her.

While talking, at one point Gwyn's breath exhales visibly, and you get a description of Azriel's shadows "darting out to dance with it before twirling back" to Az.

That's a very new interaction with shadows, one we've never seen before. We've already seen the shadows retreating with Mor, who we know is wrong for Az but whom he pined after. Now we see them retreating again - skittering back, even - with E\ain. Another one he is pining after, though pining might be a strong word here.

We clearly know that the two reactions mean two different things. By my own logic, I would already assume that we're being told E\ain, like Mor, is not endgame for Az. And that Gwyn, who receives such a different interaction, is. However, if you're not sold, there's another part of the conversation that I believe is an important clue.

Gwyn asks Az about his being called a "Shadowsinger", if it means he sings. This, obviously, amuses Az, but his explanation is:

"I am a shadowsinger--it's not a title that someone just made."

I AM a shadowsinger. It's who Az is. It's a part of him. For Az to accept himself fully, he has to accept this about himself as well. I'm not saying he hasn't, it's just a general notion.

The shadows aren't bad, they are a part of Az, of who he is. E\ain and Mor aren't chasing nasty shadows away to let us see Az better. They're scaring away a crucial piece of who Az is, so that they'll never fully know him. You can't know and truly see Az without his shadows.

Basically, E\ain and Mor both have Az hiding a part of who he is, but around Gwyn he is himself fully, his shadows on full view. And he's comfortable - he's not worrying about it during the chapter. No, instead, he finds "something restless settling in him. Even his shadows had calmed."

These hints, in all honesty, don't feel super subtle. I'm not going to lie. However, they clearly must be a bit subtle, since not everyone is catching them or reading them the same way.

And that's fine. We all read things differently, interpret them differently. However, as a writer, and one who has read basically all of SJM's books, I do feel like I have a really good idea of her style and how to interpret what she does. It doesn't mean she can't or won't surprise me in the future, but in this, I do think my interpretation is right. Because I understand the importance of a comparison.

I believe she used the comparison as a form of foreshadowing. In fact, I believe she's done it a few times with comparisons, and that the bonus POV chapter was just the longest, most continuous comparison for foreshadowing we've seen.

3a. Banter!

I can't not bring this up. But it should be quick.

SJM has stated, out right, one of the endgame signs for her, or a sign that a couple should maybe be considered to be endgame, is banter. That is incredibly important to her. Yes, she likes wings and tattoos - but that's just what you need for the main male. But ALL her couples have some form of banter, and they're all different to suit them.

Aelin just drives Rowan nuts with innuendos and outright statements and little negliges. Manon and Dorian have that taunting type of banter going. Rhys and Feyre have a super flirty style. Nesta and Cassian just egg each other on and use sharp words that would make most people cry, but instead just makes them both hard. Even Aedion and Lysandra had their own style of banter. We didn't see as much spoken banter but, I'm sorry, Lysandra using her different animal forms to bother Aedion as they made their way to Terrasen, or her tackling him when in ghost leopard form, those are just a more physical style of banter and you cannot convince me otherwise.

It's a thing. E\ain and Az don't have banter. Sure, they talk to each other...sort of...once a year. But they don't banter.

Gwyn and Az have more of a banter-type relationship. We haven't seen too much of it yet, but just the taunting each other about the obstacle course - Az being all "no prize cause you won't do it" and Gwyn needing to prove him wrong - is a form of banter. Again, it may not be spoken, but if you broaden the concept, it is banter - a competitive banter.

3b. Relationship Trait

Similarly, all of her endgame ships have at least some trait that makes each relationship unique. It's often aligned to the banter, but it's there.

Again, with Feyre and Rhys they're just stupid flirty in an obvious way, except they do it mind to mind. Cassian and Nesta are more unique, again, in how they somehow manage to build each other up while sounding like they're tearing each other down. 👀 Elide and Lorcan have the "we're the last thing you'd expect" thing going for them - considering the insane height difference, and yet Lorcan is definitely more afraid of Elide.

Basically, there's something there that makes them unique. But, with Az and E\ain, there really isn't much other than "aw, the two prettiest got together". But that's not a trait for a relationship, just as being pretty is not exactly a personality trait - it's something that might affect your personality traits, for sure. But a person's face doesn't automatically mean any type of personality trait. But nothing would really set them apart, give them a unique aspect to their relationship and how they connect to each other.

Gwyn and Az, on the other hand, would be that ridiculously competitive couple. They'd likely connect and relate to each other through games and competitions. They'd probably use dares and challenges to push the other to be better, to go outside of their comfort zone, etc. I mean, I'm about 95% certain that the first time Gwyn flies with Az - assuming it's in a lighthearted scenario and Gwyn has had a certain amount of healing already - Az will literally be like, "You scared, Berdara?" and that's how he'll get her in the air, cause Mother-forbid she give in to that.

4. Nicknames

So, this isn't one that SJM has mentioned, but as a reader and writer I couldn't help but notice she does this for alllll her biggest ships. And typically, it's a slightly more taunting nickname, at least at first.

Rhys - Feyre darling. It's a term of endearment now, but it started out with a teasing tone.

Cassian - Nes. Yes, I'm also upset we lost sweetheart, but I think I know why - after ACOFAS SJM wrote Crescent City, and decided to give Hunt "sweetheart" for Bryce, and she doesn't like to repeat nicknames. But he also has "Nes", which also is more taunting, especially as she tells him not to call her that.

Hunt - Sweetheart. As mentioned earlier. And this most definitely started out in a taunting manner.

Aelin - Buzzard. Obvs, Aelin plays with the boys on this one. Rowan's nickname for Aelin has always been a term of endearment and soft, but "Buzzard" started off in a bit more of a taunt. It's also soft, but considering it's a reference to his hawk form and how he fusses, there's a taunting tone to it.

It's a big trend in her books that's definitely noticed, but I haven't seen it discussed as much.

And this is, to me, one of the clinchers. It is, arguably, a form of foreshadowing, but it deserved its own section.

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. "See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger," she tossed over a shoulder.

This is really huge. He may be a shadowsinger, but people don't call him this.

At least, for ht most part. I can't remember if others ever call him just "Shadowsinger". If any do, it was definitely disgruntled Illyrians or something of that ilk, and it was meant derogatorily. Which means Gwyn is actually reclaiming that name for him, and even though it's used in a taunting way, Azriel knows it's not in a judgmental way. It's just an "I now know this is you" way.

In fact, by using that name in the way she does, it's a form of acceptance of who he is. And a reminder. Remember, he told her "I AM a shadowsinger - it's not a title..."

And here Gwyn is, turning it into a title, likely a direct reference to that conversation. And reminding him, this is who you are. I see that, I know that, and I am not afraid. I mean, she is taunting him, not to anger him or make him feel small. It's a taunt to say "Game on, I'm in, you won this round but I'll prevail" sort of thing. (Remember, competitive.)

As a writer, seeing Gwyn call Az a nickname, having noticed this trend in SJM's works, feels like a huge sign that they are endgame. Thinking about the meaning behind her using that term as the nickname does the same, because in doing so she's telling him the thing he's always wanted to hear from others - "I am not afraid".

Summary

Well, there you have it, nonnie. My own logic and facts - maybe not literally presented as perfect screenshots always, but I was doing a lot of writing - to explain my own personal opinion.

This is my own opinion, and I will not state that this is 100% a fact of what will happen, as only SJM knows what's to come completely. However, I did appreciate the question, because as someone who loves writing and does do a lot of writing, I do feel like I sometimes see things a bit differently, or look at them with a different eye - at least after the first read through.

That being said, there are other people on here that provide absolutely amazing analyses of stuff like this. Many better than mine, and far more succinct. Though, this was a big question to ask me to hit all three ships at once. lol

TL;DR

E\ain and Az are essentially both too big of characters to share a book, as they will both have big, emotional journeys to go on. The only way to get them both in a book is if one doesn't hit rock bottom, but we know Az is going to do just that and is on his way there. That would mean E\ain would be the one to not hit rock bottom, which would also mean she's not the main protagonist of the story, because that would be Az. That's not happening, E\ain will be the main protagonist of her book. But, as a writer, that rock bottom trend is obvious, and you can't have two people at their true rock bottoms as the main protagonists, because they'll never be able to pull themselves up. The love interest will have their own journey, but they'll also be the ones that are guiding the main protagonist out of the dark, as Cassian did with Nesta.

E\ain and Lucien are, kind of, logically deduced to have a book together. However, if I'm right that E\ain's journey will include her needing to accept now being Fae, and that she has been using Lucien and their mating bond as a representation of all things Fae that have ruined her life, then it would make perfect sense that Lucien would be the one to help her along her journey to acceptance. Because she will need to first stop putting it all on him.

Gwyn and Az have a lot of foreshadowing, and the main one I focused on was her shadows. It's not a new argument, but it is important to remember that comparisons can be used a multitude of ways and done differently. It's not always a blatantly obvious "well, girl a is like this and girl b is like this". It can be done throughout a whole chapter, in how you structure it. It can be done in a vignette. But what's important is to recognize the comparisons, and then analyze for foreshadowing, cause those are often a spot you'll find a wealth of it laying around. And the Az POV bonus chapter was just that - a chapter structured in a specific way to mirror the two sections and provide a comparison of the two females, and use it as a form of foreshadowing. They also hit a few important SJM endgame bingo spaces. In particular the banter, the fact that they have a trait unique to their relationship - even now, when they're just starting to be friends - and also Gwyn's nickname for him that has started out as a form of teasing, as all of the main character relationships have had in SJM's novels.

As always, these are my opinions. I have based them on my own experience in writing, as well as on my own interpretations of what I've read in ACOTAR and other SJM books to help me understand her as an author. I promise to respect your own opinions, all I ask is that you also respect mine. I have tagged this carefully, because I know not everyone wants to see this content, but if you do, please I just ask that you're respectful about it. And to read the full thing before coming back to me about it.

Many of these opinions are shared by other tumblr users, absolutely. As are the interpretations and analyses. So most likely they won't all seem new, but this is my own work. I typed it up entirely on my own over the last six or so hours - while procrastinating stuff I actually really need to do.... - without referencing others posts. If anything feels similar, I apologize for that, it's likely because you and I share the same opinions and interpretations.

[foilfreak]

4 Lords Raise Rose AU Ideas

Not a single person asked for this, but that other post where I talk about the 4 lords adopting Rose but still technically being terrible people got way more popular than I expected it to, so, with about 6 shots of tequila in my system and a terrible urge to spit my thoughts out for all the internet to see and judge, I’ve decided to make a follow up post. Here’s how I think the 4 lords would take care of Rose in the event they rebelled against Mother Miranda and decided to raise Rose as their own instead, but like under the cut after a little bit cuz i accidentally went way too fucking hard with this and I don’t want ppl to get mad at me for making them scroll for an hour to get past this post:

First and foremost, I think they’d do it in stages, and what I mean by this is that Rose would essentially be given to a specific Lord for some period of her life, like a couple years, and then when she was deemed old or strong or annoying enough, she’d be moved to a different lord for some period of time and so on and so forth. They would do this because a) they all live in different areas and have shit to do so it’s easier to have Rose live with one lord at a time and then the other lords can just go visit her there from time to time, rather than try to work out a weekly custody schedule which we all know Alcina and Karl would NEVER be able to agree on so let’s not even bother, and b) because each lord would have either some skill or set of knowledge that would make them the best for caring for Rose at that specific point in her life. This way, all the lords have a (somewhat) equal chance to be a part of Rose’s life and teach her something while she’s with them. So with all that in mind now, let’s get down to who would have Rose and at what point in her life.

1. Starting off with infant Rose, I think she’d end up with the Dimitrescu’s for the first few years of her life, and the reason why I think this is because... well, Alcina IS already a mother to 3 girls, and while we don’t know a terrible amount about Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela’s “upbringing” under Alcina, we can gleam and theorize from her notes that, despite their fully grown bodies, the girls could very well have started out with the mental and physical capabilities of infants, and thus needed to be cared for and brought up in a similar manner as infants or children until they reached a certain point where they could officially be considered adults in mentality and ability, not just in physical appearance. So with this in mind, it’s entirely possible that Alcina could have at least some vague idea of how to care for an infant child through her experiences with the bug sisters; perhaps there’s some gaps in her knowledge, but if nothing else I imagine Alcina would be an infant Rose’s best shot at surviving infancy if only because the other 3 are so incompetent on how to care for a baby that Alcina looks like an expert in comparison. Not to mention that, of the possible locations for an infant to be raised, I do genuinely think that castle Dimitrescu would be the safest place for Rose to be kept during this vulnerable part of her life. Not only that but if Alcina has actually come to care for Rose as though she were one of her own daughters, then she would absolutely spoil Rose rotten with all the nicest clothes and fanciest toys, things that a small infant wouldnt be able to appreciate but would show that she’s loved and cared for nonetheless, and don’t even get me started on the bug sisters, I could see them fawning over Rose for hours on end, playing with her, singing to her, telling her stories of all the man-things they’ve gotten to play with today, and so much more. Overall, Rose would just be the most spoiled and pampered little baby with the Dimitrescus and there’s no changing my mind about this. The only thing I’m struggling to wrap my head around is how they’d feed her, since I doubt a small infant would take very well to blood wine and human flesh. I suppose it wouldn’t be terribly outrageous for them to hire a wet nurse/nanny to care for Rose during the day while the other Dimitrescus go about their daily duties, and when Rose is finally old enough to be introduced to solid food (I.e. fried human flesh cubes) they could do what they always do and turn the nurse into wine too, I guess. It’s not a solid idea but it’s more plausible than anything else I thought of so it’ll work!

2. After spending about 3 years with the Dimitrescus, Rose would then be moved to the Beneviento house. Now, If u don’t know anything about 3 year olds, then you’re probably ignorant to the fact that they are some of the craftiest, sneakiest, and most coniving groups of people to exist on this planet. 3 year olds are masters at getting into and touching just about anything and everything u don’t want them to touch, and worst of all, u won’t realize what they’re doing until they’ve already done it and left a huge mess behind, so while the Dimitrescus love and adore Rose dearly, they know it’s sadly time to hand her over when they find her sitting on top of a pile of dead bodies playing with a metal scythe in the dungeons. Once Rose is dropped off at the Beneviento house, I imagine Donna is her usual stoic self the first few weeks Rose is with her. She’s not cold or distant necessarily, in fact she’s quite happy that it’s finally her turn with precious baby Rose, but Donna isn’t exactly known for being outwardly expressive herself (and even Angie isn’t being quite as forward as she normally is), so things are quiet and peaceful for the first little while that Rose is under her care. It’s not until Rose takes an interest in her doll Angie, and more importantly the things that Donna can do with Angie, that things really start getting fun. By the end of Rose’s first month in the Beneviento house she and Donna are the best of friends and often spend their days either playing dress up and make pretend with Donna’s extensive doll collection, or playing elaborate games of cat and mouse, where Donna will set up lots of puzzles throughout the house for Rose to find and solve (I.e. rose has to match her dress to the doll with the same one as her to find a map telling her which kitchen cabinet Donna hid the chocolate in, or something like that), but be careful little Rose, Angie has been trying to get her hands on that chocolate all day, and if u take too long, she’ll find the map first and eat all the chocolate without saving you a single piece. Just silly little puzzles with enough at stake to engage the mind of a curious 3 year old, but never enough to put rose in any actual danger. Donna is nothing if not a watchful caretaker, so she makes sure she has sight of Rose at all times, occasionally giving her a hint if she’s struggling, and perhaps occasionally making things harder if that day’s puzzle is proving too easy for her. Overall, Rose’s time with Donna, while not as grand and luxurious as the Dimitrescus, was still a fun and enriching experience for the young girl, and there’s nobody in this world who thinks that Donna’s scar is cool more than Rose.

3. After another 3 years with Donna, Rose is now 6 years old and officially far too good at puzzle solving for Donna to keep up with. No matter what she tries or how hard she makes it, Rose just keeps blazing through the puzzles at an almost alarming rate, making it clear that Rose is desperately in need of not only a change in scenery, but also a change in education, and this is where Salvatore finally comes in. After leaving the Beneviento house, I think the next logical place for Rose to stay would be with Salvatore, who, with lore hinting at him perhaps being a scholarly man of some kind, would basically act as her elementary school teacher throughout the duration of her stay. Now, to be fair, Rose could have gone to Heisenburg’s factory, but Heisenberg outright refused to take her and the other 3 lords decide that the factory is simply too dangerous for Rose rn, who thus far hasn’t shown any signs of being anything other than a normal human girl with no noticeable abilities (save for a smart mouth and a terrifying habit of popping up when least expected, a habit she mostly uses to mess with Heisenberg, much to his disdain and Lady Dimitrescu’s delight), so it is to the mutant fish man’s unimaginable delight that he is unanimously voted Roses next caretaker, and the one responsible for her basic education. Despite his initial excitement however, when Rose is finally dropped off at the windmills by Donna, Salvatore realizes that he’s not 100% sure what to do with Rose now that he has her. He’d like to get started on her education right away but at the same time he’s so fearful of Rose hating him because of his disgusting appearance that he kind of just... avoids her entirely at first. He’s never far away from the little girl and is always ready to jump to her rescue should she need it, but other than that Salvatore seldom allows himself to be seen for the first month that Rose is with him, the only sign of him still being around being the platefuls of food that mysteriously appear in Rose’s room 3 times a day, as well as the occasional shiny trinket Salvatore found and thought Rose would like. At first, rose doesn’t seem to mind being left entirely to her own devices, but after every stone, log, and rotting fish corpse within 5 miles of the lake has been turned over and thoroughly examined, Rose decides she’s had quite enough of her Uncle Sal ignoring her, prompting the headstrong little girl to go looking for him herself. She finds Salvatore hiding underneath a patch of floating algae not far away from where she was playing and all but demands that the mutant man come out of the water and give her something to do or she’d tell Mother on him. Salvatore, shocked by the small child’s fearlessly blunt request, hesitates, not wanting to frighten Rose, but ultimately relents, crawling out of the water and timidly suggesting that he teach her how to read and write. Rose quickly agrees, seeming totally unbothered by Salvatore’s grotesque appearance, and the two quickly move to the schoolroom that had been set up specifically for Rose, where Salvatore spends hours upon hours a day teaching Rose everything he knows, filling the little girl’s head up first with the basics, letters and words, then numbers and simple equations, followed later by historical dates and time periods, algebraic formulas, and classic literature analysis, then biology, chemistry, physics, astrology, calculus, ecology, and so much more. Basically, anything there is to know, Salvatore knows at least something about it and he’ll make sure that Rose knows about it too. In the 3 years Rose spends with Salvatore she goes from already sharp as a whip, to being smarter than most adults even, and Salvatore takes immense pride in how intelligent and knowledgable Rose becomes thanks to his surprisingly effective teaching style. Overall, as a caretaker, Salvatore is pretty weird and doubts himself a lot, but Rose thinks he’s funny and loves learning from him so they get along very well and she loves him very dearly! He probs teaches her to swim and fish too.

4. So another 3 years come and go with incredible speed, and its with great sadness on Salvatore’s part that Heisenberg finally comes banging on the fish man’s door, all but demanding that he now be given his turn with Rose. Now, personally, I can see several different arguments being raised by the other 3 lords over why its a terrible idea to let a 9 year old anywhere near Heisenberg, much less be given into his care fully. After about 9 years of seeing his siblings paling around with the constantly growing child, and looking like theyre having the time of their lives all the while, however, Karl decides that perhaps there’s more to this little girl than he originally thought, and, with his interest now piqued (or at the very least looking forward to pissing the other 3 off for entertainment purposes), that its only fair that he be given a turn with her now too, seeing as how he’s the only one who hasn’t been given the chance to be her caretaker yet. This naturally does NOT go over well with the other 3 lords. Alcina all but threatens to kill Karl should he step so much as within 10 ft of Rose, while Donna pipes up and demands to know what his sudden interest in Rose is. Even Salvatore, who is quick to flinch away from direct conflict, goes as far as to harshly point out the plethora of times Karl had outright denied their previous attempts to get him to engage with Rose, so why on earth would they hand her over to him now when he’s previously shown to have absolutely no interest in her? After a long spout of yelling between the 4 siblings, an agreement is reached, wherein Rose herself will be given the chance to decide whether she wants to go with Heisenberg, or whether she’ll return to one of the other 3 lords for the time being. It is to Alcina, Donna, and Salvatore’s absolute horror however, that Rose enthusiastically agrees to go with her Uncle Karl to live in his factory, and with the deal already set, the other lords can do nothing to stop her from going. The trip to drop off Rose at heisenberg’s factory is a long and arduous one, especially for Salvatore, who sobs the whole way there about Rose forgetting about him despite the young girl’s insistence that she’d visit. The first thing Karl does after officially having Rose handed over to him, is give her an extensive list of all the places in the factory in which she is under no circumstances permitted to enter without his permission (which basically only leaves the control room and the old storage closet that acts as her bedroom as viable places for Rose to go and explore). The second thing Karl does is dump her in her new storage closet bedroom and then hightail it for his workshop to work on whatever sick and twisted amalgamation he’s got cooked up this time around. At first, Rose isn’t terribly bothered by this, since she’s used to having something of an “adjustment period” when she’s with a new caretaker, but unfortunately for her, this adjustment period lasts a hell of a lot longer than the others did, and by the time 3 months of almost no meaningful contact with Karl, Rose decides to take matters into her own hands and ascends into the depths of the factory despite the express orders not to do so. Now, going back to the idea that the 4 lords are still pretty terrible people, I doubt Rose has been kept ignorant to the less savory aspects of her caretaker’s lives, and tbh she probably doesn’t think anything of the fact that the Dimitrescus makes wine out of the blood of virgin women or that Salvatore still does cadou experiments (and had her help on occasion), but I imagine even Rose would find the projects Karl works on to be at least a little

4, cont. gruesome and horrifying in nature, especially since Heisenberg is the one she knows the least about. However, instead of turning Rose away from Heisenberg, these terrifying metal creatures she sees locked up only spark her already insatiable curiosity, and by the time she finally tracks Karl down, Rose is all but trembling to learn more about this horrifyingly fascinating metal world. Unfortunately, Karl is not nearly as happy to see Rose as Rose is to see him, and the engineer all but grabs Rose by the scruff of her neck and drags her back up to the control room, yelling and screaming at her all the while about how she was explicitly instructed not to enter these parts of the factory without his permission. Needless to say that Rose does not enjoy this treatment and immediately lashes out, half out of anger and half out of confusion as to why Karl was treating her like this. He was the one who wanted her here in the first place, so why the hell was he just ignoring her now? It didn’t make any sense and it was starting to piss Rose off, so naturally the only thing left for her to do in order to solve this complicated situation would be to continue to disobey Karl until he either gave up and sent her back to one of the other lords, or finally payed some damn attention to her for once. So that’s exactly what she did. Every single day Rose left her room (which Karl kept telling himself he needed to put a lock on, but never did cuz he’s an idiot) and descended down into the depths of the factory looking for something ogle at or tinker with, and every single day Karl would track her down wherever she’d managed to get to and throw her back upstairs threatening to feed her to the lycans if she did it again. This incredibly frustrating cycle continued on for the better part of the next month or so, finally coming to a head when Rose managed to wander into the part of the factory where the... less than successful experiments got put whenever Karl doesn’t have any further use for them but is feeling too lazy to kill them off himself. Long story short, Rose runs into a Sturm that chases her around the factory, causing all manner of mayhem and destruction, and would have torn her to ribbons had it not been for Karl, who jumped in at the last second and was able to fend the damn thing off long enough for Rose to get the ever living fuck out and back up to the control room where it’s safe. There’s a lot of loud noises and explosions coming from deep within the factory that last for what feels like an eternity, but Rose doesn’t dare venture out again until everything has gone eerily quiet and a deep sense of worry has settled in the pit of her stomach over what had become of her latest caretaker. Turns out the Sturm had recognized its creator and, after watching its initial prey escape because of said creator, quickly decided that it fucking hated Karl with every fiber of its being and wanted him dead if it was the last thing it’s propellers did. Now, we all know that Karl is a big strong boy who’s more than capable of handling his own creations and taking down strong enemies, but the Sturm is a creation that even he struggles to control on good days and today is decidedly not a good day so not only does Karl not have the slightest bit of control over the death machine trying to kill him, but its also a lot stronger than Karl initially thought and apparently not picky about the method which causes Karl’s death, which is evidenced by the nearly dead Sturm ramming itself into a power generator as a final act of defiance and nearly blowing up the whole factory and everybody inside. Heisenberg is able to contain the explosion somehow but not without considerable damage to himself first. Rose is, naturally, quite horrified to find Karl passed out in the elevator that had taken him up from the lower levels of the factory where the explosion was, skin burnt nearly to a crisp in certain areas and blood pooling from just about every part of him, and immediately heads over to try and help her injured caretaker.

4, cont. again cuz I physically can’t stop myself. Now, I imagine that any normal 9 year old probably wouldnt be able to handle this sort of situation in any meaningful way, but i think we can all agree that Rose is the furthest thing from normal (especially considering who raised her) and has probably seen enough blood and gore to not be terribly freaked out by it, but this is where things get a little speculative because we don’t know what Rose’s powers are exactly but we do know from the final cutscene that she does have them, perhaps even a plethora of abilities, and I like to think that some of those powers are related to Ethan’s superhuman healing capabilities, but unlike Ethan however, who from what we’ve seen could only heal himself, Rose can actually heal other people (tho this isn’t something she’s aware of at this point in time). The second the elevator door opens to reveal, what looks to be, a half-dead Karl slumped over in the corner, Rose panics and runs to him, doing everything she can think of save for maybe grabbing him by the collar or slapping him across the face, to try and get Karl to wake up, except nothing works, he wont wake up no matter how hard Rose tries and i imagine this must be incredibly distressing for Rose who never intended for something like this to happen or for her caretaker to die because he had to protect her even tho he told her not to go down there because its dangerous and anything down there WOULD kill her if given the opportunity. Anyways Rose is now full on sobbing on top of Karl like only a 9 year old who just discovered that her actions have consequences can, but unbeknownst to her (and technically Karl cuz he’s a little busy bleeding out all over the floor) Karl’s wounds are slowly beginning to close, the burns on his face and hands shift from a bright red to a dark brown before crusting over and flaking off, and even his breathing, which had been labored and inconsistent at first, began to level out slightly. Karl woke up not long after that and was surprised to find that a) he was still alive, which was cool, b) he was injured but not in indescribable pain, also cool, and c) there was a literal sobbing child all but sitting on top of him, which is definitely not something Karl was expecting but he supposed he’s been met with worse things upon waking up after almost dying so why question it. After taking a moment to gather their bearings, the two return to the safer parts of the factory to rest and recover and for the most part this little incident of their’s goes largely unspoken, with Rose not exactly in the mood to talk about how her disobedience nearly got herself and Karl killed, and Karl being too fucking tired to go after her about it, especially since she seems to have learned her lesson. The only downside to this whole thing is that now Karl has a busted up fuckin leg thats gonna take an eternity to heal even for him, and with so much work to still do he’s more or less forced to drag Rose around the factory and use her like the annoying assistant he never wanted (except he did want her, thats how this whole fucking mess started, you lug), except that Rose, who is more than used to playing lab assistant from her time with Salvatore, quickly proves to be a rather capable and handy person to have around, if only because she knows the difference between a philips and a flathead screwdriver even better than he does. An amicable, if still slightly awkward peace settles over Heisenberg’s factory once Karl starts actively engaging with Rose and giving her something to do on a daily basis, even if its just standing around watching him work and occasionally having her questions about what he’s doing answered. It doesn’t take very long after that for Karl to begin realizing that perhaps throwing a huge tantrum to get Rose to come here only to ditch her upstairs by herself for 3 months might not have been the smartest (or most considerate) thing he’s ever done, and even goes as far as to (kinda) apologize to Rose for being such a dick to her since she arrived.

4, last one i swear. Rose forgives him, though not before adding that she already knew he was an asshole from Alcina, which earns her a halfhearted swipe from Karl that Rose easily dodges with a childish giggle. From that point on their relationship improves astronomically as Karl finally gives in and teaches Rose about about engineering and everything else that goes into making the metal horrors that he’s known for. Karl is shocked at how quickly Rose picks up on the trade, getting to the point where Karl wonders if he should start giving Rose her own projects to work on, but quickly rolls his eyes and groans when he remember that Salvatore was the one responsible for her education up until this point, the mere thought of having to give compliments to that “moronic freak” for giving Rose such a good educational foundation makes him want to vomit despite how secretly impressed he is. Overall, Rose’s time with Heisenberg starts out shaky, very shaky even, but after a bit of disaster and some swallowing of the pride on Karl’s part, they end up growing quite close and have a nice fun Uncle and martass Neice dynamic. They make a good team and Karl does genuinely enjoy having a little assistant around to help him with his projects, even if Rose can sound a bit too much like Alcina on some days for his liking.

5. 3 more years come and go and now Rose is a strong and healthy 12 years old, perhaps riddled with a few more scars and smearings of ash and motor oil across her skin than when she first arrived but still strong and capable nonetheless. Going back to that first statement however, this of course means that it’s time for the other 3 lords to come banging on Karl’s door for a change, all but demanding that Rose be handed back over to them. Karl of course refuses, telling them all to fuck off and that Rose didn’t want a leave the factory, so upon realization that all 4 lords were gathered here with the intention of taking Rose back to live with them indefinitely, a fight immediately breaks out between the 4 siblings, as each one makes their case as to why Rose should be returned to them and not the other 3, which of course none of the 4 lords can come to an agreement about because they ALL want Rose to stay with them. So after another long and pointlessly arduous argument, Alcina finally breaks, proclaiming that they’d be here for all eternity of they didn’t make a decision now, and that, like the first time the 4 siblings argued over whether Rose should go with Heisenberg or return to one of the previous lords, Rose would be the one to decide which of her four caretakers she would return to. The agreement is made reluctantly, mostly on the part of Salvatore, Donna, and Heisenberg, but there was seemingly no other way for them to come to a decision, so it would unfortunately have to be up to Rose to decide which of her 4 caretakers she wants to stay with permanently. Rose is quickly brought before the 4 lords and explained the situation, before being given some time to herself to think and make her final decision. A tense and uneasy silence falls over the 4 lords as they wait for the little girl, who they had shown an uncharacteristic amount of mercy and time and devotion and love in the 12 years since Mother Miranda had brought her to the village with the intention of using her to revive an already lost and long-gone baby that she never would have gotten back no matter how hard she tried. Although they refused to admit it to one another, the lords all secretly knew that Rose had wormed her way into each of their cold, dead hearts, reviving an aspect of their humanity that they’d all thought had been lost ages ago. Rose came to the village bringing with her a wave of death and destruction, and yet throughout her childhood she has brought them nothing but light and life, illuminating their previously dark and desolate existences. The 4 lords loved their Rose very dearly and desperately wanted her to be happy, yet each of them possesses a dark and selfish desire to have Rose pick them over the other 3, to come and live with them forever and fill the hole deep inside them that they never knew needed filling. After a short while, Rose comes back out and stands before her 4 beloved caretakers, looking around nervously as she picks at her fingernails. The silence is thick and heavy as the 4 lords stare at the young girl, waiting with bated breaths for her to give her final verdict. Rose continues to say nothing as tears begin to flow from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks in thick streams as the girl begins to sob, dropping her head and clenching her dress. The 4 lords look between one another in confusion, unsure of what to do with this sudden burst of tears. Rose tearfully admits that she can’t and doesn’t want to choose which of the 4 lords she wants to live with permanently because she loves them all very much and wants to be able to see and live with all of them, like they’ve done thus far. Although the lords detest the idea of having to share Rose with anyone, they reluctantly come to an agreement for the girl’s sake, deciding that they would continue with the arrangement they’ve had thus far, only that Rose would switch between caretakers every 3 months instead of every 3 years, giving rose plenty of opportunities to see each of her caretakers just like she wanted. From then on, Rose continues to live her life

5, cont. growing up and learning more and more from each of her beloved caretakers. Although Rose would likely never know what a normal life looks like, living with 4 criminally insane monsters in the remote mountain village in Romania, it would be impossible to say that she wouldn’t have a happy life despite that. Perhaps its because the girl simply doesn’t know any better, so she doesn’t have the ability to see just how messed up her life and her 4 caretakers really are, but i imagine that Rose probably wouldn’t care very much to learn even if she had the opportunity. She’s a happy little girl living a strange but enjoyable life with the only family she’ll ever need. What more could she possibly ask for?

6. As for how Mother Miranda would play into this whole scenario I’ve just drunkenly spat out, im honestly not 100% sure. Ive seen some people suggesting that MM just kinda chills and lets the lords do what they want with Rose, but tbh I honestly don’t see that happening in this universe. MM would still have been just as crazy and driven to get Eva back as she was in canon, so i doubt she’d willingly standby and let her “false children” take away her one shot of getting her real child back simply because they didn’t want to hurt her, i just don’t personally see that happening. The two most likely scenarios i can come up with is that the Lords either banded together and look Miranda on together, their combined forces being enough to take her down and kill her, OR, Ethan is the one to take down MM like he did in canon but he passes out before he can get to rose, giving the lords (who he hadn’t ended up killing but just escaping from i guess) the opportunity to slide in, grab rose, and hightail it out of there, leaving Ethan’s body to be retrieved by Chris, who, due to not seeing or hearing Rose anywhere, believes that Rose must have been accidentally killed along with MM, which he later tells to Ethan and Mia. Regardless of how MM gets taken out of the picture (or if she’s given room to potentially come back later), the 4 lords retreat with Rose and begin the whole cycle I explained up above, but i did want to briefly address how I saw MM fitting into all of this since she is a vital part of the original story and the biggest obstacle to the lords having anything to do with Rose.

Anyways, that was so much longer than I intended it to be but I had so much fun with it just because it gave me the opportunity to spit some fun ideas and potential plot points out about this cool AU that I like and hope someone does SOMETHING with, please god someone do it, I’d do it myself but i have enough projects at the moment unfortunately. If you managed to make it all the way to the bottom, thank you for reading all of that, I appreciate it, and I hope you enjoyed at least some parts of this, and maybe even agree with some of the things I said. Feel free to leave your own ideas in the comments, I’d love to read them and hopefully if enough people like this maybe i will actually do something with it. Who knows? I certainly dont. Anyways thank you for reading all this, i hope you have a great day, and maybe ill see you around in another post. Bye!!! <3

[kybee1497]

Okay genuinely and not in a bitchy way.

people that dislike Bobby because he didn’t credit the boys. What did you want him to do?

Be like oh, I know I suffered a terrible tragedy that I’m still in therapy for 25 years later. My best friends all died on what was supposed to be the night of our lives and I’m alone now. I got back into music and I released music we already had been playing as a band under my new name. The music that we had been playing as a band that I’m the sole survivor of. This music was written by my best friend who’s dead now. Let me open myself up to being hounded by the media about the tragedy and my loss and 10 years from now I’m going to get invasive questions from reporters.

Like was he supposed to be “shout-out to my boy luke for writing this song for our band. He’s dead now, the rest of my band is also dead now and I’m traumatized. Anyways thanks luke, you’re a real one. No questions please.”

Canon: Bobby was close with his friends and band mates. They had inside jokes and Luke was hanging off Bobby just as much as he was the other boys.

Canon: Bobby stayed behind to flirt with Rose, they stayed close enough that their kids were close

Canon: Bobby released some of the bands music, he left at least unsaid Emily, bright and finally free, maybe edge of great I can’t remember. It’s logical to assume he only released the music the band was already playing/was on the demo

Canon: Trevor has a therapist that he can go to at the drop of a hat. Carrie is used to this. He panics often enough that it’s not odd that he’s flying off to visit his therapist all of a sudden, she just embarrassed that people are seeing him.

Canon: he loves and supports Carrie very much.

Canon: he never mentioned the boys to julie.

Canon: rose and Trevor were still close recently.

Canon: Luke and the boys felt betrayed that he didn’t mention them. Luke is mad about the music as he wrote the songs. Reggie is more mad about the money. Alex seems uncomfortable. They want to talk to him and confront him to see why he did it.

Canon: the boys are dealing with the trauma of dying and coming back 25 years later.

Canon: trevor and Carrie live in the hills, secluded where it’s safe and they have a hardcore gate to keep people out.

Canon: rose also knew about the boys and the music and she also never told Julie

Canon: Julie is 16, rose has been dead for a year, following this. The most recent Julie could have spent a lot of time around Trevor, she was 14-15 at the oldest. The trauma of losing his band and the technicalities of who wrote the songs aren’t really appropriate to discuss with a 14-15 year old, her mom knew, if she thought it was important she would have told Julie, and if Trevor had convinced her not to and she was uncomfortable, she wouldn’t have let julie be around him which there’s no evidence of.

Canon: Bobby was a 17 year old kid who lost his best friends, then went on to record the music the band had performed together. He has not obviously stated the songs were written by Luke in his conversations with Julie.

We don’t know why. We don’t know if it was strictly because it wasn’t something he wanted to talk about with a child as it’s a heavy topic. We don’t know if he didn’t want to bring up trauma and open old wounds? We don’t know if he got roped into a contract with a clause that he couldn’t talk about the band. There aren’t enough canon clues to understand what actually happened or his intentions.

There are two main theories

Bobby chose to profit off of the music his bandmate and friend luke had written. He changed his name and avoided all mentions of his past life. He is a liar and a cheat and the boys are right in their hatred of him and feelings of betrayal.

Bobby was a traumatized kid. He was probably taken advantage of by a cutthroat industry. He also probably didn’t want to discuss that with his daughters best friend, a literal child, or share his trauma and grief.

One of these theories is not any more canon than the other. It’s totally okay to not like Bobby, you don’t have to like any character, do what you want. But it’s not fair to act like you’re simply following canon and that your posistion as an anti is more valid and ‘canon’ than a stan.