#kind of salt but not really to some extent

[judyhopps934-mt-zd]

After watching Miraculous Ladybug’s season 5 finale, I can only sum up my thoughts into three words:

What the fuck????

If everyone is right about seasons 6 and 7 being tacked on after season 5 was done and there have been no revisions, then the ending would feel very weird. Which was the reason why it left a bitter taste in my mouth because nothing would have been resolved if season 5 was the end, especially since they could not work around Adrien being away from the fight since he was IMPRISONED BY HIS FATHER!

(To which I also say what the fuck were Gabriel and Tomoe thinking, but that is a whole other post of its own)

I understand people not wanting to continue watching the show because of how the ending turned out. However, if people are right about the finale setting the background and ramifications for season 6, then I will still be here. Once I read through everyone’s Tumblr posts pointing this out, I realized that they have a point, especially knowing how seasons 3 and 4 ended with my heart being shredded to pieces but knowing that this is the best way (best not being synonymous with ideal) to wrap up the season and set the new challenges for the upcoming season. 

It is all coming together(ish) in the most bizarre way possible.

And I will still be baffled yet intrigued.

[judyhopps934-mt-zd]

Quick disclaimer: Don’t agree with this choice. Yet, I also don’t blame her.

But I can see why.

I read an article about the top 10 kindest cartoon protagonists (Marinette just happened to be on the list). In addition to what a commenter said about thinking about Adrien’s future (in terms of custody and what ifs), the other part of the reason is that Marinette sees the good in others to a fault. 

The kwamis warned her, but she (somehow) thinks that she saw that deep down, Gabriel cares about Adrien (which could be due to perception - we the audience are let in FAR more information than Marinette, and perception/POV is key in decision-making). Additionally, her nightmare from the Akuma was that Adrien would be upset if she k!lled or something bad happened to Gabriel while she was protecting/defending Adrien. 

With kindness to a fault, not many great decisions can be made, especially since Gabriel manipulated/gaslit the situation to garner “sympathy” even though he does not deserve it. After all, it was in his final wish and what may have been included in The Wish*.

And Marinette may or may not know this (at least the part in which Gabriel does not deserve to be “spared”/something along those lines)

I genuinely do have to ask what people mean when they say that Marinette wanted to "spare" Gabriel when she tried to reach out to him in "Recreation"

I'm so deep in the Gabriel/Agreste family perspective that I too can't see it anymore what she tries to do here, just like Gabriel didn't

As stupid as the question may sound now but can somebody clue me in on what her attempt here was? The man was dying anyway in a couple of hours, Nathalie would have stayed gone too and everything that the Agreste's ever were would either go to hell or Tomoe would take it and that means Adrien would have remained parentless and had to pay the price for all his family's sins and mistakes (not to mention what Tomoe would have done to Adrien).

What exactly was she trying to propose? How exactly was she "sparing" him?

[nottivagos]

HEY YOU! CMERE! Welcome Notti's "Not So Innocent" Notebook where I write some filth to make your Friday a little bit better <3 || 18+ mdni pls and ty

an: this was all brainstormed with the lovely @emchante & @orangeblossomsintheair,, love u both so much for giving me the confidence to make this a thing!! 💕

Introducing... Divorced Mechanic AU : DR3

Running a garage isn't easy, but when you're Mechanic!Daniel Ricciardo who's just freshly out of a divorce, it's even more tough. He's sexually pent up, frustrated that his wife left him, with the audacity of ostracising him from his kids, and now realising he has no one to fuck.

So when you, a ditzy receptionist, obviously only hired because of your looks and not your brains, you quickly become his next target. Deep down he knows it's wrong, very wrong. You're noticeably younger than he is, let alone anyone in the garage, but there's something about you that just pulls him in.

Divorced Mechanic!Danny who's uncaring about his looks. He hasn't got a wife to criticise him or impress anymore, so why should he give a fuck about his appearance? He's grown an unruly mullet, facial hair grown out more than usual whilst becoming slightly salt and peppered, the once baggy overalls hugging his stomach and muscles ever so much more tightly, showing off his large arms and new found softer belly. He's even now turned to smoking as an outlet to cope with the pent up stress the divorce brought him, which you've commented on out of concern, just to be met with a tensed jaw and an angry mutter about how you're "trying to fill the void of his wife".

Divorced Mechanic!Danny who's actually the softest brute you've ever met. Despite his angry demeanor as he works in the garage, he'll always look over you. Large hands coming to rest on your shoulders out of the blue whilst your eyes are fixated on the computer, as he asks how you're doing, offering to help if necessary as he subconsciously kneeds the knots in your shoulder muscles. He's always there to defend you, no, protect you. Especially when you're teary eyed after a customer has shouted at you, calling you a "useless clutz". To the extent that he's grabbed the jerk by the collar of his shirt, twisting it as he tells them to scram with a snarl. The client scampers away, before he turns all his attention to you, large hands cupping your burning cheeks as he mutters his apologies, whilst asking if you're okay. You're speechless, the space between you suffocating as you appreciate his softer features up close for the first time. He really is like a caring bear. <3

Divorced Mechanic!Danny who's sees you waiting in the rain for your bus after work, completely drenched and shivering. He pulls onto the side of the road, car window coming down as he signals for you to get into the car with a caring grunt. You happily comply, as you say your "thank yous" to him for his kindness. He responds with another grunt, the car eerily quiet. That's when you see a tattoo on his arm with the name of a woman on it. You ask who the woman is, and his jaw locks into place, grip on the steering wheel tighter than it was originally. That must be the ex wife. You ask him if he misses her, to which he replies with a grind of his teeth before glancing at you briefly, muttering a "fuck no" underneath his breath. You apologise multiple times, not realising how much of a sore subject it is to him. He responds with a gentle hand resting on your thigh, reassuring that's it's all good. He then goes onto telling you about his kids who he rarely sees because of the divorce, and in that moment you see a softness that you'd never seen in the mechanic before.

Divorced Mechanic!Danny who's spoilt by your baking. As a result of his kindness in driving you home, you bake him a sweet treat as a way to say thank you. He grumbles a "you didn't have to" as he examines the cakes in the tupperware, but his eyes are soft and thankful for the gift. It then becomes a normality that you bake him a sweet treat for the end of the week, the tradition becoming known as "Cake Friday" in the workshop. <3

Divorced Mechanic!Danny who snaps at you after suggesting he turns his loud divorced dad rock down during a very stressful day in the workshop. He bellows in your face that it'll "be the best music you've ever heard" whilst working there, leaving you upset and silent as a result. He gets a pang of guilt after this, coming back over to the desk to apologise, offering you the AUX tomorrow as a way to say sorry, reassuring you that your colleagues will have a "talking to" if they criticise what you play all day.

Divorced Mechanic!Danny that pounds into you angrily after you mess up for the millionth time this week, fucking you dumb because that's what he only thinks you're made for, as he grunts insults into your ear gruffly. The soft tummy he's formed as a result of the divorce acting like a cushion against his relentless thrusts whilst he calls you "the pretty little receptionist that makes a good fuck".

Divorced Mechanic!Danny that notices that you're significantly on edge one day. He offers if you want to share a smoke with him. You reluctantly accept, knowing you'd never smoked before. He lights up the cigarette, passing it over to you with a smirk. You take a puff, choking on the burning sensation of the strong tobacco, as you quickly give it back to him with a disgusted wrinkle of your nose. He chuckles, before taking another drag, pressing a hot kiss onto your lips as he passes the smoke into your mouth, with a soft groan. He then promises you he'll teach you how to take your cigarettes better in the future before patting your shoulder and walking off leaving you shunned and breathless, before stubbing out the nub with his boot.

Divorced Mechanic!Danny with a spit kink. He forcefully grabs your jaw with his large hand, forcing you to open your mouth, followed by his lips harshly kissing your's. He spits into your mouth before abruptly pulling away, your cheeks a burning crimson from the abruptness of the assault on your mouth, before he mutters into your ear that "that's all you were good for" to him.

Divorced Mechanic!Danny that has no control over himself around you. On one certain occasion he's more of a brute than usual, his anger overflowing as he assaulted you with might, leaving you bruised and swollen. After that, he doesn't hear a peep out of you all day. Feeling concerned, his angry exterior crumbles, his tone gentler as his soft tummy presses against your front, asking if he'd done something wrong, trying to coax the truth out of you. Little does he know the distance between your bodies is driving you insane, unable to make eye contact with him as you grow increasingly horny.

Divorced Mechanic!Danny who lets you feed him cake on his birthday. Straddling his lap, his oil stained white vest rides up his chest slightly, revealing his happy trail and softer tummy. You spoon feed him some cake, allowing the crumbs to collect around his mouth before licking them off the corners of his mouth with a smirk, before pressing a soft kiss on his lips, whispering in his ear "happy birthday" in that sweet, sultry voice you know makes him go crazy. This has the right effect on him, as he's ready to cum right there in his boxers like a teen again.

Divorced Mechanic!Danny who teases your cunt with a wrench as he has you bent over a client's car, calling you all sorts of degrading names, making sure you know your place after making him horny all day because you wore something revealing innocently because the AC wasn't working in the reception area.

Soft sex with Divorced Mechanic!Danny which is beautifully different to your typical type of sex with him. Soft praises mumbled through breathy pants as you both appreciate each other's bodies, hands trailing ever so softly over each other's flesh. In that moment, Danny realises that he can appreciate the soft, intimate parts to sex again, his cracks becoming more clearer. Your hands gliding into his unkempt mullet, appreciating the soft curls as he thrusts his hips up gently, enjoying the slowness of your love making for once.

i feel like i might've forgotten a few things but i'm honestly so overwhelmed with ideas for this AU that i could write for years...

[rassicas]

In the splatoon fanbase, there are many misconceptions surrounding the relationship between inklings and water. without fail whenever I mention something related to the topic I'll get replies of "actually the canon is [some popular but incorrect theory]" "no they can do this and this canonically [it's actually a headcanon]" "no its really [something NOA made up]"

so to briefly go over The Facts:

Inklings canonically die when submerged in water. And yes, getting "splatted" is them dying for real, respawning is also an in-universe thing that has existed for at least 2000 years and not just a game mechanic. While the dying in water thing originally came from a game mechanic, it has been repeatedly stated that they incorporated this into the inkling's biology. The water weakness is not because of the water itself being toxic. The reason is based in osmosis. in the process of their evolution, Inklings (and octolings) changed a lot, and one of these changes was the ability to transform between a humanoid and swim form. Doing this transformation requires skin that is a thin, semi permeable membrane [this kind of skin is a trait found in real life molluscs]. The evolutionary trade off is that, because of how semi permeable their skin is, the ink inside of their bodies will bleed out when in contact with another liquid. This is the answer given directly by the series' creator. And here it is confirmed that while the water weakness originated from game mechanics, it is very much became a part of an inkling's in-universe biology. Kind of like how a slug will die if you sprinkle salt on it (for a reason that's almost the same as the inklings), but ultimately needs salt in its diet through the food it eats to live, inklings do drink water and other liquids. Its also not like they touch water and immediately explode, it seems they can wash their hands in it and dip their feet in it and be fine.

Some people think the water weakness is stupid, personally i think its reasonable because Inkling biology is already weird as hell and of how ridiculously advantageous it is to be an ink-based cephalopod. the ink gives them the ability to jump absurdly long distances and cheat death to an extent. they're not losing much by not being able to dunk themselves in water. Anyway point is it sucks that all the relevant canon information on this is one of those japan only things/exclusive to developer interviews and pretty much every time it's brought up in English the localizers make shit up. I plan to make a video about this one of these days, but with how 'controversial' the topic is, and how many little details and connected concepts there are, I've been holding it off because I want to do it right. there's also some specific details that are unclear that I've been hoping would be clarified in the artbook or a dev interview but haven't, I might just have to go for it at this point. for the time being, i hope this post helps clear up a few things!

[fictionandfixation]

Older Bachelor headcanons!

Older Bachelor stardew headcanons because I’ve been playing lots recently! All sfw, some mentions of smoking/alcohol 💕 also please bear in mind I am no SDV expert, so sorry if these go against canon occasionally!

Harvey ☕️🔬📚

• Secret smoking habit that he would rather die than tell anyone about. Not often, but during flu season when he’s stressed, you can find him cooped up in his room with an imported cigar or a Marlboro Gold, an espresso and an Agatha Christie.

• Plays classic soul, funk, golden oldies and jazz in the foyer of the clinic on an old-timey record player, and chooses every day from his large record collection. Frequently irritates Maru with the extent of his Doris Day enjoyment.

• Kind of wide-set - very broad shoulders, and quite tall.

• Packets of salted peanuts and cookies on the clinic foyer desk which he restocks every week.

• Goes to fetch you personally from the mines or Skull Cavern sometimes when you get knocked out. And he also keeps a vintage forest green car behind the clinic to pick you up in. He hopes one day you’ll wake up on the way back and compliment his tasteful vehicle choice or notice he’s bringing you home. You don’t.

• Best friends with Evelyn. Worst enemies with George.

• Tennis player. Plays with whoever will say yes in the mountains and always manages to punt the ball into the lake somehow. Also used to be in a rock climbing club at university, and has sort of sinewy forearms as a result.

• Outrageous flirt after a few glasses of Pinot Noir, mostly because I think he’s on the spectrum but also because I think it would help him stop being quite so nervous.

• Brown suspenders. Every. Single. Day.

• Gives Jas and Vincent candy after their checkup.

• “Sweetheart/honey” as a nickname for you.

Elliott 📜🖋️🐚

• Striped. Matching. Pajamas.

• Finds, forages and cooks mussels when he needs to impress someone. And on that note, very much a French cuisine enjoyer.

• If blue cheese has no fans Elliott is dead.

• Rizz master. Silver tongue. Read so much romance when he was a teenager that it has actively become a part of his personality to be a book boyfriend.

• Very willowy and slender. Metabolism of the gods. Puts away food like it’s nobody’s business.

• Can read several languages, but just can’t master an accent so never uses them in a spoken context. Definitely a student of Latin.

• English accent headcanon! Probably spent the first couple of decades of his life in somewhere high-income like Warwickshire, or (more likely) Cornwall or Exeter, on or near the coast. I am also envisioning him as having been to an old collegiate university like Durham, or maybe a college at Oxford (Merton I reckon).

• Writes and then burns poems about everyone he’s ever been in love with. Starts keeping them when he meets you.

• Chats fashion history with Emily and Haley.

• Religious about his collection of cravat-style ties because he’s seen the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice a few too many times.

• Frequent book club gatherings with Caroline, Marnie, Robin and Jodi (mostly because mothers love him, the main selling point here being that he has definitely read at least one Jodi Picoult book. He does not remember anything about it, he’s just glad to be invited).

“Dearest/my love” as a pet name.

Shane 🍺🍕🐓

• Snores. Very quiet about it though.

• I know a lot of people HC Harvey as oldest but I reckon it’s Shane. He also acts the most like a bitter old man whereas I feel Harvey is just ‘mature’.

• Could be convinced to grow a beard. Maybe.

• Goes for a jog three times a week. Hates it. Refuses to stop and really isn’t even sure why he does it himself any more.

• Secret Lana Del Rey enjoyer. Mainly a fan of Midwest emo, classic rock, nu metal and sometimes country but the kind of country where they sing about killing people and getting away with it.

• Raised by heavily Christian parents in the Deep South. Yes this is a Southern accent headcanon. Yeehaw.

• Lets Jas put eyeshadow on him sometimes. Shaves properly only when she wants to put makeup on him.

• Craft beer’s number one opp. Wants an ice cold tap Budweiser only, and if there isn’t enough head on it he will be asking for a refund. Not that Gus would ever do that to him.

• Has muscle with padding. Very strong, very wide in stature, but not lean at all. Biceps wider than your neck that you could (and would) use as pillows.

• Makes the most insane hangover breakfast known to man. Bacon. Pancakes. Sausage. Home fries. Butter. Syrup. You’re putting on a bit of healthy relationship weight for sure with Shane as your partner.

• “Darlin’/baby” user. “Sweet cheeks” as a joke. Kind of a joke.

Hope you guys enjoyed these!! I am down irretrievable for Older Bachelor content because I love ✨older men✨

Please let me know if you’d like some more for these characters or the other bachelors and bachelorettes!

[leonstoenailunderhisbed]

I just got out of my psychology class and I kept having thoughts about Leon and how his mind works. Here’s a psychoanalysis on Leon bc I truly do like how his brain works:

TW: mentions of mental illnesses, substances, substance abuse, suicide. (Guys- I am not a medical psychologist or a medical psychiatrist. This is strictly based on my psychology class, take this with a grain of salt.)

Leon suffers from Combat and Violence Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This type of PTSD (because there’s subcategories) is most often common in veterans and in men.

More often than not, one can tell when someone’s suffering PTSD (flat voice, substance abuse, inability to sleep, change in personality, etc.)

Leon in RE2/RE2R didn’t necessarily show signs of PTSD until after the events took place. Leon was too busy trying to survive that his brain shut off the emotions he was feeling “in the heat of the moment.” He was scared but it was his survival instinct that allowed him (or the player) to move forward. Hence why I think he also suffered from Depression and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD).

ASD is commonly found in patients with PTSD, ASD is kind of like the first stage after a traumatic event took place. PTSD victims often find themselves having frequent panic attacks. I think it would be safe to assume that Leon in RE2/RE2R had several panic attacks during or after Raccoon City. I don’t think he’d go to therapy/psychiatrist/psychologist because in RE4R he stated that he immediately got called to the White House after he survived RC. And this is where I think it got worse.

RE4 and RE4R both portray very distinct Leon characters. One is more “fine” than the other in short words. Leon in RE4og doesn’t necessarily show signs of having mental issues but maybe he’s just good at masking them. Leon in RE4og often finds himself being very witty or very lean back. He’s less serious but I think it’s a coping mechanism. Up to that point in his life, he’s been in very serious situations that I think this is his way of gaining some of that control he lost when the virus first started. His brain is fighting battles of being in control or letting others control him. In this case- the situation is controlling him. He wants to have that sense of individuality and most of the time this is a coping mechanism. To gain back some of the things he’s lost in the process.

In RE4R, however (and I’m going to be very bold with this one), we don’t know much about how he feels. He is flat and his demeanor is distant to an extent. I’ve noticed a few changes to him from when he first started the game to where the player made it halfway. In the beginning of the game (when he’s with the two Spanish cops) he’s similar to RE4og- sarcastic and a little unserious. Which can be guessed as his normal personality. He doesn’t really show how much he’s actually been through with those two strangers. He’s got better things to worry about- he neglects his own issues. When he tries to find Ashley and he sees the zombies again- his PTSD gets triggered and it makes him be able to pull the trigger (aside from the player lol) There are few types of reactions when PTSD gets triggered and I think Leon’s reaction is a bit depressing.

When Leon sees these zombies again, his brain automatically jumps back to the memories of Raccoon City and almost immediately finds himself back in his former self’s shoes. But he doesn’t have time to linger, he forces those thoughts away and keeps going. I don’t think he wants to have time to think about what just happened because he’s often trying to keep his brain occupied “sorry, must’ve slipped” or any other phrase he says makes me believe that he’s just trying to make himself laugh (because believe it or not, laughter really does help with mental issues) or he’s trying to make the situation seem lighter. Or maybe he’s in denial, his brain hasn’t processed that the same thing that happened in RC is happening all over again. And when you’re in denial, you are repressed. Sigmund Freud said that repression is when someone turns something (trauma, thoughts, events, feelings) away. They deliberately choose to cast their thoughts and feelings aside. Leon bottles his emotions, it’s his defense mechanism. He doesn’t smoke (as mentioned in the game) nor does he drink (there’s a Reddit post that perfectly summed it up for me) He knows substances aren’t good for you and the fact that he’s against them makes me believe that he has other ways of dealing with PTSD such as exercise. I’m not saying this just because Leon looks very built, I want to think that maybe half the reason he works out isn’t just for his job. I think it also because it helps him mentally.

Mobility, sleep, and nutrition are the most important things to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy.

I’ll get on to RE6 because in that game, he pulled a 180 imo. RE6 Leon is more empathetic. He cares about the people that could’ve survived. He suffers from survivor’s guilt. After RE4/RE4R, Leon probably became more aware of his struggles and has tried to deal with them. He’s become more human, he’s allowed himself to feel human. He’s still the same serious guy with the flat effect but he’s becoming more open about his thoughts and feelings. I think the game is trying to hint at us that MAYBE he’s getting better. (Guys this is a stretch okay. RE6 is lowkey messy)

Now on to the films (I’ve done the liberty of researching a ‘order’ of when these may have taken place and not by the release date order so you guys won’t get confused):

ID Leon: He’s very compassionate in this one. He has a sense of self righteousness but I know why. He wants to make up for the losses of the people he’s seen die. He wants to fight against the corporation and wants to end the spread (submarine scene when he talks about RC) He wants to make up for what he couldn’t save. (Hence why he didn’t give Claire the chip- he wanted to protect her because he cares for her)

Degeneration Leon: Protection can only go a long way. Leon is more… assertive in his objectives, if you will. He’s back in his RE4 days in other words (any of the two games tbh, this Leon is complex) Leon wants to keep fighting for his cause. Not only is he forced to be a soldier for the government but he also has found a drive. All his pent up PTSD and trauma has shifted into something else. If no one could’ve been the hero then HE’LL be the hero himself, does that make sense?

Damnation Leon: Haha Russia go brr (sorry) Again, he’s become more chill. When he’s with JD, he’s funny but still cautious (bc let’s be honest, JD could’ve still shot his ass) nothing much to comment, I think he’s been consistent since Degeneration.

Vendetta Leon: NOW WE GETTING JUICY. This man- this Leon is the epitome of what a relapse does to you. Leon is seen drinking away his problems. He’s relapsed back into the mentality where his brain is finally processing everything. He’s even tried to attempt suicide- that’s how bad he got. His PTSD, his ASD, depression (bc you can’t tell me he didn’t have depression) it all came back to him and it made him feel shitty. He lost his power over himself, he no longer feels useful. He feels empty and broken. That’s sh he drowns himself in his own sorrows. Because he’s learned that if you drink until you pass out, you don’t dream. He doesn’t sleep- no. He’d rather black out because when you’re in an unconscious state, you don’t dream at all. You’re simply just lying there on the floor with your eyes closed. And that’s the feeling Leon wants to feel. He wants to forget everything for one minute and just calm down. And alcohol does that to you, that’s why people with PTSD become addicted to substances.

DI Leon: homeboy somehow got better (I’ve yet to watch DI lol) but from what I’ve seen, he’s definitely back to his “normal” self. He probably learned that maybe living life is the best thing. That if his attempt would’ve succeeded, then he wouldn’t have been able to live to his fullest. Regret makes people do a lot of things and I think Leon matured and learned.

[yannaryartside]

A REVIEW OF SYDNEY'S JOURNEY INSIDE SYDCARMY

As a person who profoundly yearns for sydcarmy, I would like to say…

Syd can love Carmy despite everything

But she cannot stay with him despite everything.

Not despite the problems in their relationship, not despite his inability to resolve his issues. And more importantly, not despite her own mental health, happiness, and dreams.

this is kind of an open letter to the writers of this show...because I have concerns of how they will rap this up, particularly for Sydney. It all got worse because of that Mattew interview.

PART 1:THE LOVE IN THE STRUGGLE

I understand what the show is doing with Carmy and Syd, showing the reality of loving someone with mental illness and (metaphorically) loving someone recovering from addiction. The struggle to do right by each other, coming from both sides, is excruciating and frustrating to watch, but it is beautiful (to a certain extent).

They are also playing into all of Carmy’s insecurities of never being good enough even when he tries his best. So what better way to heal that than showing Carmy that he was good enough for Sydney to love him despite him failing her (as a partner and friend). The love triangle thing is salt to injury until Carmy decides to stop ignoring all the ways Syd affects him. But that has to be in unison with him leaving behind all his bad coping mechanisms: the work addiction, the self-sabotage, and a toxic relationship.

I get it. But you have to show the other side of the coin. How can you love someone despite everything (despite how they hurt themselves and you) and still decide to do what’s right for you? To keep your side of the street clean, as the character in the anonymous meeting said.

Syd has been a punching bag (emotionally) for the majority of her screen time. Even her trying to discover her culinary voice in s2 was framed in the context of Carmy’s abandonment. I was pissed off after s2, but now I am baffled and angry.

Some time ago, I interacted in this fandom with someone who said Syd would be a prop for Carmen's growth; in all fairness, I think they meant a plot device. A character whose sole purpose in the narrative is to show the main character “the right way” (with a romantic relationship or not), like Gandalf or something. A character is never explored in depth and, therefore, absent of agency besides the elements of the character that favor the path of the main character.

I am not saying every element of Sydney's character has been crafted to favor Carmen. But the show has shown some intent of never giving her any agency besides sticking with these people in this broken system because she loves them all, Carmy especially.

I understand why Syd would choose to stay; she has found a place where she belongs, I just wish she didn't have to sacrifice a good opportunity to achieve her own creative vision, to have more financial security, and even her heart (now broken) in order stay at the Bear. Because that is the narrative, the show is feeding you. Do you want me to applaud her for being loyal despite letting go of all her dreams and sitting by a man who has rejected her in multiple ways just so she can prove she is the one? No, respectfully, fuck you.

If Syd is in love with Carmy despite everything, that's fine; that's just life, and you can do nothing about it. If she lets go of her chances to pursue her dreams waiting for him, that's on her.

Not to mention, this show crafted this character in a particular way. She is insecure about her talents, and despite having great people skills and exemplary leadership, she doesn't believe she can manage it all on her own, walking to the sound of her own drum and her will. I need that for her. That growth, just because it really feels like they have been building up to it. The character that never saw themselves in a leadership position but by doing it discover they are meant for it.

CALL YOUR HERO BY IT'S NAME

I also need her to have credit for everything, right there on the screen: the recognition, the opportunities, the adventure, and the self-exploration, the love.

Why are we trying to make peace with the fact that Sydcarmy may be open-ended? and (in that same context) that Syd's culinary success could also be open-ended, or just a brief plot point in this show that nominated Ayo as a "lead" in award shows?

Regardless of creative decisions, even if you want to make a show solely about closing bad chapters before opening the good ones, it could be done better. This is not a shipping or a fandom thing.

Sydney gets to be the peace (the real one), but that will never be acknowledged by the other characters and only firefly by the man she has loved for all the show's runtime? Why is it that the audience cannot explore/witness Carmy's desire for her? To see him dream of her and call her his actual peace? To pursue her and trying to be better, especially for her? Why does that only get to be a glimpse in your narrative? You already decided that was what you wanted for your main character, you could at least tell your audience that's what you want.

They spend a lot of time and energy deceiving us, but they have to put in (if not time) an equal amount of effort to show why Sydney is the right choice.

Also, why is that only the black woman, the one whose culinary journey we don't follow and explore? Particularly in her getting credit for it and feeling good about her chosen profession? Marcus got to go to Copenhagen, Ebra and Tina got culinary school, and the shows have followed them in their journey to gain confidence in this craft. We got a whole episode of Carmy's journey (and Luca's).

You have four young chefs that we follow so we can get a journey inside the paths in this industry: Luca, Carmy, Syd, and Marcus. Three of these young chef characters (the three men) had the opportunity to travel and have mentors who valued them and recognized their potential; what about Syd?

This point keeps pissing me off. When Matty Matheson decided to open his mouth to say, "Sydney doesn't have professional training," it hurt extra because I am sure some people were watching who, even if they watched the show, may doubt that he was incorrect.

Syd is the only restaurant member who actually went to culinary school. The fucking CIA. The only acknowledgment the audience has of her culinary experience is that line of dialogue of Carmy being impressed by her resume in the fucking pilot. Besides that, the only element of her journey being brought up in dialogue constantly through the seasons is Sheridan Road, her most recent and painful professional failure. It also doesn't look good that Syd is the only one not " European trained" of the young chefs and is precisely the one whose recipes and creations are never properly acknowledged or explored.

The worst part of all this is that Sydney is the only woman in the main cast whose childhood dream was cooking professionaly. Tina, Marcus, and Luca discover this passion later in life, you could even say Carmy didn't dream of fine dining before Michael cast him out of the sandwich shop. But Sydney likely grows up dreaming of this as the only daughter of a single father (who is likely a first-generation American), a girl who lost her mother quite young; therefore, she is conscious about time and how she decides to use it.

So, dear Bear writers, please let Sydney win; at this point, I am begging you. Out of dignity and craftsmanship, if I cannot ask for more. You may resolve this in s4, or whatever time you are thinking for this. Let me inside her heart, her deep motives, to find her courage, let her shine. Follow her. She will love Carmy still, and if Carmy comes from her, let her be his.

[sukunasweetheart]

according to some fans sukuna could also be a r*pist.what's ur thought on that?

Tw: discussions of rape

Im guessing this is rooted from the moment where he asked about the women and children 😭 which is odd, because he literally said "it'll be a massacre!" right after... he had murderous intent, not lust. Or maybe women and children taste better!

I know if you look at my masterlist you'll see a couple of dubcon fics and its true i like dabbling into dark content with sukuna quite often, but canonically speaking, sukuna has never been portrayed as an inherently sexual individual.

He is quite the opposite in fact, he is a complete nerd for jujutsu, he values strength above all and i just don't see him being interested in raping someone...? Though i understand him committing atrocities and believing that the "weak" deserve to endure their own suffering has kind of led to people getting the idea that he wouldn't be opposed against raping someone but i really disagree with this idea

He has shown time and time again that he is completely uninterested in weak people, in fact, he doesn't even give them the time of his day - most of sukuna's victims have been killed off quite quickly and without him paying much attention to them at all, he simply doesn't care about those who don't match his bare minimum expectations.

And those that he does end up liking to some degree, people who have the power to give him a somewhat worthy fight, he does respect them in his own way, which is indicated by him learning their full name and being more responsive and engaged when he's fighting them. When he was fighting yorozu, she asked him to "wait!" even after they had started fighting, and i found it interesting that he actually stopped and heard her out before continuing the fight. Additionally we can see from uraume's relationship with him, he is also not keen to abuse them at all, in fact he is quite chill with them??

If sukuna is uninterested, he does not even bother looking at them twice. When he is interested in someone, he has shown he maintains a level of respect for them. In my opinion, it doesn't matter whether this interest is romantic or platonic, i think one can depict a lot about the other...

I definitely don't think he doesn't rape because he thinks its morally wrong or whatever, i feel like he just 1) lacks an inherent desire for sex (he is more infatuated with a person's strength and jujutsu) 2) he doesn't go out of his way to torment those weaker than him, he is just that disinterested in weak people 3) to people that he ends up liking to some extent, he respects.

Sukuna is a very sexualised character (i dont hate it, in fact i love it a lot 😍) which i think makes him more prone to easy misunderstandings that he is sexually impulsive as well, but gege has shown us its really not the case! (Yorozu came over with her whole pumpum out and he did not bat an eyelash)

Please take anything i say here with a grain of salt, i am obviously not gege akutami so i wouldnt dare to say i know sukuna inside and out, but this is just my honest thoughts on this question!

I won't completely rule out the idea that he may be a rapist, gege hasn't portrayed his past, we barely know anything about sukuna personally- but judging from what we already have canonically, i don't think he would be a rapist.

I know that in fanfics, almost anything is game and i really enjoy viewing sukuna from all kinds of angles and perspectives, i truly believe he is such an interesting and appealing character, i could also write up a whole essay about how flexible he is to write with, but this is already quite a lengthy response to a simple question so i will leave it here 😭

[tofics]

Out Of This World

Chapter 5

Masterlist

Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x fem!Reader x Dean Winchester

Summary: You and the Mikaelsons are fighting a powerful witch that’s trying to take over New Orleans. The only solution: banishment to another universe. However, the spell goes… wrong, and it’s not the witch that ends up in another universe, but you. - At the same time, over a thousand miles away in a bunker in Lebanon, Kansas, an alarm goes off: a rift has opened up. The Winchesters and their angel partners in crime decide to investigate. What will they find when they get to New Orleans?

Word count: 5245 words

Warnings: A whole lot of anxiety, but probably less than in previous chapters.

Previously: "Who's to say she's not a witch herself?" You gawked at Dean. Is this guy serious? A shriek laugh slipped out of your throat before you could stop it. Me? A witch? The situation was just getting more absurd by the second.

You had visited many different places with Elijah over the years of your relationship. He'd taken you to various countries and cities, exposing you to locations and cultures you'd otherwise have never seen.

Stepping foot inside a bunker, however, was still a first for you.

Sam, who introduced himself as Dean's younger brother, gave you the tour. According to him, it covered the basics: kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, the library and its adjoining 'war room'. The name weighed in your stomach like a heavy stone. You could only imagine what kind of wars were planned in that room, or who those wars were fought against.

"I know it kind of seems like a maze, but trust me, you'll find your way around soon enough," Sam said as he led you through one of the long corridors back to the library. You couldn't help but notice that he'd deliberately left some doors untouched and unnamed.

"How are you holding up?"

You shrugged in response. "It's fine. I've lived in similar places, I'll get the hang of it."

When Dean had mentioned that they lived in a bunker, you had imagined a small, crowded space; clammy, dimly lit and stacked to the ceiling with cans and containers - basically, your average prepper's bunker. You couldn't have been more wrong. Besides an obvious lack of windows, the complex was eerily similar to the compound you'd lived in for the past years, with its many rooms, hundreds of books in the library and old-looking knick-knacks everywhere. It was both a comfort and a punch in the gut at the same time.

"Not what I meant." An amused smile played around Sam's lips as he held open a door for you. You pondered the question until you arrived back at the library where Sam gestured for you to sit at one of the large tables.

"I mean... I'm okay, I think. I don't really know. This is my first time being stranded in a different universe, so I have no reference points, but I think I'm doing okay, all things considered."

"I'll say." Sam's smile was warm and full of compassion. It reminded you of Dean when he'd paid for your coffee almost a day ago now. You hadn't seen much of that in him after that. He had practically ignored you for the entire ride to the bunker, save for some comments here and there that were more in response to Castiel than directed at you. It was just as confusing as it was irritating. You could understand his suspicion to some extent, but with the way he had snapped at you back in the alley, and the way he'd occasionally looked at you through the rearview mirror... Something just wasn't adding up.

Either way, you found his younger brother much more likeable. He was a lot kinder to you, in the same way Castiel had been during the long hours on your drive to Kansas.

"Alright!" Dean dropped the contents of his arms onto the table you and Sam had taken a seat at. He'd brought all the essentials - silver knife, salt and holy water - as well as an angel's blade and a gun loaded with silver bullets in case things went south, both safely tucked into the back of his pants where you couldn't see them. He’d meant what he’d sad to Cas in the alley way. Things were never that easy. There had to be a catch. And he was gonna find out what that catch was.

"Pick it up, if you'd be so kind." Dean gestured at the silver knife and then crossed his arms as he waited for you to touch the knife. He trained his eyes on you so he wouldn't miss a single thing, no flinch nor twitch. If you were going to have a reaction to any of the basic tests, he'd know.

He watched you cautiously lean forward and inspect the items he'd dropped in front of you with furrowed brows.

"What's this?"

Much to his annoyance, Sam jumped in to explain. "Just a few tests to confirm you're human. It's standard procedure for everyone we bring here. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Dean huffed. "Ts, yeah, we'll see. Go on, then." He nodded at the knife again.

Instead of picking up the knife though, you looked up at him defensively. "What is your problem with me! Why'd you even bring me here if you're so sure I'm gonna do something to all of you?"

He didn't have to think about drawing the angel's knife. It was simply in in his hand as he brought both of them down onto the table in a slam. "Take! The knife!" he bellowed.

"Dean!" Sam chided him from the side, but he didn't care, didn't even look at his brother.

You jerked back, obviously taken aback by his harsh demeanor, and then finally reached for the knife. Dean's fingers tightened around the grip of his own blade. He didn't miss the way your hand was shaking, nor the way your eyes flitted to his blade and back to the table.

"Okay? Can I put it back down?" The knife laid calmly in your palm, your hand showing no sign of not being able to handle silver.

Dean's jaw clenched. So you were no shapeshifter, fine. So what. He felt it in his gut that something wasn't right with you.

"Water's next, then." His eyes stayed trained on you as Sam took the knife from your hand and handed you a shot glass instead, filled with water from the tiny flask Dean had brought.

Again, instead of drinking the holy water, you eyed the content of the shot glass first, then even sniffed at it. Dean felt his throat vibrate as a low growl worked its way up. His patience was worn thin. "Quit stalling. Bottom's up."

There was a defiance in you that he definitely did not like. The way your eyes narrowed at him had his hand twitching, but just then you finally brought the shot glass to your lips and downed the water in one quick go.

Dean watched you like a hawk in the silence that followed, but you just blinked at him. He groaned in frustration.

Not shapeshifter or demon then. What could have counted as good news to other hunters just drove Dean’s frustration up. Could still be a witch.

“Keep an eye on her hands, Sammy. I’m gonna get the shackles,” he growled and tossed the angel's blade over to his brother.

"Shackles?!" Even though you'd stood your ground during their 'tests', the word still came out in a shriek, and in no small part due to the large silvery dagger that Dean tossed to Sam. Paired with his words, it was very clear that the dagger was intended for you.

Sam caught the dagger with ease and you instinctively leaned away from him.

"What? Dean, no - it's okay, don't worry," Sam hastily said to you before turning back to Dean, "is this really necessary?"

"Are you kidding me?" Dean turned on his heels and stared at his brother in visible anger and disbelief. "Since when are precautions not a necessity anymore?"

"Dude, that's not what I'm saying. Just look at her! She's-"

"I am," Dean cut in. "And I see no reason not to be suspicious! Hell, for all we know, she could've opened the port- stay where you are!"

You froze in your spot, hands raised in the air apologetically. "Look, I'm not trying to cause anyone trouble-" you started, but Dean cut you off as well. "Yeah well, too damn late. And put those hands down! Don't even think about hexing us."

I wish I could hex you, you thought in annoyance, but you knew better than to say that out loud. Instead, you inhaled deeply. Breathe. You got this.

"Like I said. I'm not trying to cause anyone any trouble, and clearly my presence here is not... endorsed by everyone." You threw a quick glance at Dean before you continued. "So it's probably best if I just go."

"Like hell it is. You're not going anywhe-"

"Uh, boys, if I may?" Castiel interrupted the scene as he stepped into the library. He was followed by a young man who shyly smiled at you. "I think I might have a solution for this... problem." He nodded at the young man who'd stood patiently beside him, a child-like smile on his face. "This is Jack."

"Cas." It sounded like a warning, almost like a threat, the way Dean spoke the angel's name. You glanced back and forth between Castiel, the young man and Dean. The tension between them was palpable, yet you couldn't say what'd brought it on.

Castiel replied in a similarly low tone, although you weren't sure if it carried the same veiled threat - from what you could tell, this was just the way he spoke. "Dean. You can trust me on this."

Judging by Dean's face, he was not a fan of whatever Castiel was suggesting, regardless of whether he trusted the angel or not, but he didn't interrupt Jack when he stepped forward into your direction.

There was nothing threatening about the young man's approach, but you found yourself taking a step back regardless. Sam and Castiel seemed kind enough, almost sympathetic even, but Dean's attitude towards you had your nervous system on high-alert.

"Oh, it's okay. I won't hurt you." Jack smiled at you again as he closed the distance between the two of you. "May I?" His hands were hovering near your temples, clearly awaiting your permission to touch your head, yet he didn't offer an explanation. It was rather unsettling.

"Uhh..." Your eyes flickered from his hands over to Sam's face. Despite his furrowed brows, he still gave you an encouraging nod, and so after you swallowed down the lump in your throat, you gave your okay.

Despite Klaus' best efforts, Elijah hadn't spoken much in the first night of your absence.

While their sisters had been out studying the ancient scrolls again, Elijah had sat in the compound's office and stared into the flames of the fireplace. Klaus had tried his best to be there for him, but his older brother had ignored all his attempts, save for the glass of whiskey he'd slipped into his hand and had dutifully refilled throughout the hours.

Even though Elijah had appeared calm on the outside, Klaus knew that there was a storm raging inside of his brother. It was no secret that you meant everything to Elijah. 'Always and forever' was the Mikaelson motto, their pledge to each other that come what may, family would come first, always, forever. You had become a member of that family a long time ago. Rebekah and Freya were not trying to find ways to bring you back purely out of loyalty for their brother, but because they cared for you like they cared for each other.

What the Mikaelson siblings felt for you could only be topped by Elijah's fiery love for you. Klaus had seen his brother fall in and out of love multiple times over the centuries. Lovers came and went as time progressed - an almost unavoidable process in the life of an immortal. Still, he had never seen his brother fall for someone in the same way that Elijah had fallen for you. He loved you deeply and openly and with an intensity that none of his previous matches had been able to ignite in him.

His brothers silence troubled Klaus, and he was not a man that was easily troubled. Paranoid, yes, but worries about his siblings usually rarely extended further than what consequences would brought about for Klaus himself.

This was different, though. Usually, Klaus was known to be the one to act out of blind rage, led by feelings and with little concern for the consequences of his actions. Elijah's moves were always more calculated and thought-through, the counterpart to Klaus' reckless nature. Even when it came to protecting their family, Elijah never acted on a whim.

And yet, Klaus couldn't shake the feeling that with your disappearance, all bets were now off the table.

He couldn't know, of course, how soon he would be proven right.

Elijah was teetering on the edge of madness.

Out of all the battles his family had fought throughout the centuries, all the hurdles they had overcome and obstacles they'd had to face - this one could be the one to tip him over the edge.

In all of his wretched time on earth, he'd had but two rules: family comes first, and do what must be done.

The latter was commonly a result of the first one. Elijah would stop at nothing to ensure the safety of his family, no matter the consequences. There was no such thing as a price too high to pay. If there was something, anything, that could be done to remedy a situation one of his family members found themselves in, he would find it, and he would get it done.

But what was there to be done now? What could he do, now that you were god-knows-where, lost to a universe that wasn't his?

There were no arms to twist, no men or women to bribe, no deals to be made or lives to be threatened. There was no one to blame besides Athea, that wicked scum of a witch, who was already dead, having succumb to her own spell that took you from him.

He'd have his sister bring her back to life if they could, if not to reverse the spell, then to rip her apart limb by limb, slower and more painful than her previous death. He had wished for her death so many times before in the previous months, but now, it just wasn't enough. One death simply would not suffice for what she had done. This banishment, this punishment that you were now enduring had been meant for her. Against all odds, she had found a way to bring about even more suffering with her death. It was as much an insult as it was the superior move. They had been checkmated without ever even sensing the danger.

The most gruesome aspect of it all was his inability to do something about it.

Never before in his life had Elijah ever felt so useless, so powerless, so completely and absolutely helpless.

So he did the only thing he could do.

He drowned himself in whiskey and waited for his sisters to return. Maybe they would bring news. Maybe they wouldn't. Nothing he could do about it, but drink and wait.

And drink he did.

"Brother, wake up! They're back." Klaus' voice sharply cut through the hazy dream Elijah was experiencing. He found himself in the same place from the night before, where he sat down in front of the fireplace and drowned his pain and worries in as much whiskey as Klaus would supply. The glass still sat in his hand, its bottom caked by remnants of the dark liquid.

"Get on with it! I want to know what they have found. I'd expect so would you." The irritation in Klaus' voice did not go undetected, but Elijah didn't care, nor did he quicken his movements. His body was stiff from the hours it had spent locked in the same position and his head felt dull, empty and exhausted from the worries that had hounded him deep into the night and the alcohol he had consumed.

"Oh, for Christ's sake." The glass was ripped from Elijah's hand and he was pulled upright abruptly by the collar of his shirt. Despite his dazed state, Elijah's hand caught Klaus' wrist as quickly as his brother had moved on him. "Take your hands off of me, Niklaus, unless you wish to spend the better half of the next hour re-attaching them to your body."

Klaus arms went up in defense, paired with that god-forsaken, devilish grin his brother was known for. "Alright, alright, no need to be so prickly about it. Just get a move on so we can hear what they've got to say."

What they had to say was a whole load of nothing. Their sisters looked tired and defeated, and Elijah could tell from the second he laid eyes on him that they did not come bearing news, or at least the kind that could have lifted his spirits.

According to their studies, the simplest solution - reversing the spell - was out of the question, as the original spell had been worded in such a way that a reversal was impossible. This didn't surprise Elijah. After all, it had been part of why they had chosen this particular spell in the first place. Its irreversibleness was what had drawn them to it in the first place.

Since a simple reversal was out of the question, a new spell would have to be created to bring you back. This proved to be a difficult task on various levels. For one, a spell of such power had to be perfect down to the last syllable and its pronunciation. The slightest deviation or variation in pitch or emphasis could have a tremendous impact on the spell and its effectiveness, beyond things imaginable.

"It would need to be thoroughly tested to ensure full efficiency and to rule out possible side-effects. The whole endeavor could take months, if not more. Not to mention the amount of power it would take to conduct the tests. We would have to send something or someone to another universe, which on its own is a massive feat, and then bring them back. Even with all of you by my side, I don't know if it would be enough." Freya's voice was coarse with exhaustion. His sister was visibly spent. On any other day, Elijah would have ushered her to bed to rest. Today, he found himself indifferent to it.

"Well, that should not be a problem. What else do we have a little extra witch for?" Klaus spoke smugly from his side. "Where is she, by the way? Davina?"

"She left." Rebekah sighed and dropped into one of the arm chairs in the foyer. "And rightly so, as much as I hate to say it. I promised her to get Kol back, and now, we have yet another thing that takes precedence. Understandably so," she added with a look at Elijah, then continued. "Still, I don't know if we can count on her for this endeavor."

"We shall see about that. Kol is as much part of this family as is Y/N." Klaus spoke before Elijah could interject. It was an odd feeling, to weigh a brother against his girlfriend, but Rebekah was right: you took precedence. Kol was already dead, and yet, he was still there in the ancestral plane, making him closer even in death than you in life. It was the only acceptable option to Elijah, that you were still alive. If you died in another universe, entirely impossible to reach or protect... He pushed the thought away at once, unable to complete it.

"I don't know if Davina would see it that way. I believe her commitment to our family does not stretch much further than our beloved brother." Freya's voice had a sourness to it as she rubbed her face and sighed. "Even so, it doesn't matter. Until we know where precisely Y/N has ended up, it doesn't matter who we have on our side or not." The eldest sister paused for just a moment, seemingly gathering herself before continuing. "If we are able to create a retrieval spell - and that's a big if - it has to be tethered to a specific location. I'm no physicist, but from what we've gathered so far there is an infinite number of universes besides ours. The energy it would take to send the retrieval spell through each universe... It would have to be infinite as well. It's simply not possible."

Silence settled in the foyer as each of the siblings digested Freya's words. Elijah pressed his hands into fists. Your rescue slipped further out of reach with each detail they uncovered. Would he ever see you again?

He dug his nails deeply into the palm of his palms, unaware that he was drawing blood.

"Would it be possible to track me, if you were to send me after her?"

The faces of his siblings all turned to him at once.

"You cannot possibly be suggesting that we send you to a different universe as well?" Disbelief mixed with a hint of anger in Rebekah's face. It was enough to make the volcano that bubbled in Elijah erupt.

"And why not, sister? What would you have me do instead? Sit by and watch as you and Freya do all the work?" His words slowly rose to a shout and his legs started moving on their own accord, carrying Elijah through the foyer at a restless pace. "You cannot possibly expect me to idly stand by as the hours pass and we know nothing of her whereabouts. NOTHING!"

"Come on, let's find you a room and get you settled."

Whatever Jack had done, it hadn't take more than ten seconds. One moment his fingertips were gently touching your temples, and the next he'd dropped his hands from your face and announced that you were not, in fact, a witch.

Everyone in the room had relaxed a little at Jack's declaration, except of course for Dean. He'd just stared at you for a couple of seconds before he'd turned on his heels and had left the room.

"Here you are," Sam said and gestured around the room. "Bathroom's right through that door and you can put your things in that dresser over there."

Even though your motel room had been more spacious, this was clearly an upgrade in every way. The furnishing was sparse and functional - a bed, a nightstand, dresser and desk - but it looked clean and in shape, almost like the exact counterpart to the room you'd spent the previous night in. The motel room had been sucked dry by too many occupants, but this, this was a space waiting to be lived-in.

It was more than you could have hoped for. As far as you were concerned, you would have taken the couch in the library if you'd had to.

"Thanks, Sam. I really appreciate it."

"Let me know if you need anything, okay? I'll let you get settled in." He patted you on the shoulder and was almost out the door when you called him back.

"Uhh." You chuckled awkwardly. "I hate that I have to ask, because you've already done so much, but umh... Any chance you got some spare clothes laying around somewhere? It's just - I didn't exactly plan for a trip, let alone an interdimensional one, so... This is kind of all I've got."

He left with the promise to find you something for the night and before you knew it, you were in your new room all by yourself. It felt eerily quiet, the only sound coming from a clock above the door to the hallway, and you realized it was the first time you were on your own since you first ran into Dean and Castiel.

It was kind of nice. The past 24 hours felt like a whirlwind and the sudden quiet was almost soothing, if it wasn't for the tight knot in your chest. You had first felt it when the realization dropped that the spell had gone wrong, and it had only tightened since. Meeting Dean and Castiel had been distracting and intimidating enough to temporarily distract you from the sensation, but that only made it more noticeable now that all of the distractions were gone.

You dropped on the edge of the bed and planted your face in your hands. The inner corners of your eyes were already stinging again, alerting for a fresh wave of tears, but you could only sigh at the prospect of crying yet again. You'd already spent so many tears, you were almost surprised you had any left at this point. Regardless, the first drops came quickly and you gave in with another sigh, letting the tears roll down your cheeks as fast as they would come. What else were you going to do anyway?

The answer was taking a shower, as it turned out just a few minutes later. As quickly as the tears had come, they'd quickly dried up to an occasional drop and a lot of sniffles, leaving you as a puffy-faced, snotty mess. Your whole face felt sticky and itchy and your body didn't feel nowhere near fresh either, so you forced yourself off of the bed and into the shower.

The first warm jets of water brought about another wave of tears, although this one tasted more of exhaustion and less of sadness and pain. You were no stranger to crying, but here, in this unfamiliar world, it seemed to be all you could do to process your emotions. So you let yourself cry into the steady water stream for as long as your body needed to while still taking care of yourself. The tears rolled as you shampooed your head and they shook your body as you lathered it in shower gel, but they subsided into small little sobs as you rinsed yourself off, an occasional hiccup sneaking in and replacing a sob here and there.

By the time you were drying yourself off, your eyes were red and swollen, but you still felt miles better than before. There was a comb in the mirror cabinet above the sink, along with a toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as some generic deodorant. Just like the furniture of the room, the cabinet only held the basics, and you made a mental note to ask for sanitary products the next time you saw Sam. For now though, the few items would do. You brushed the stale taste out of your mouth that came with the fits of crying and then combed through your hair carefully, taking your time with the knots that had formed in the chaos of the last day.

Sam had apparently snuck into your room and dropped off a change of clothes on your bed while you had been in the shower. Whether they had spare stuff laying around or he'd taken a few things out of his own closet, you didn't know, but everything was a few sizes too large on you, save for the pair of underwear that was definitely a woman's pair and, miraculously, more your size. You were thankful for it all regardless. The clothes all smelled freshly washed and were quite comfortable thanks to their large size. Together with the shower, they almost made you feel comfortable. Almost.

A chair splintered on the wall, thrown with such force that its parts flew across the foyer. Elijah's chest was heaving, his breath shuddering as he forced himself back into a calm state. His sister's voice sounded from behind him.

"I understand your concern-"

Elijah flipped around and stared at Freya with fury. She raised her hands in return, but didn't retreat.

"-but even if we did use the same spell on you, I couldn't promise that you would end up in the same place as her. The incantation we used did not specific a specific place for the person to be sent to. You could end up in a different universe entirely and then you'd both be lost to us."

Elijah closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Once he was sure he could control his voice, he spoke quietly. "Do not suggest that she is lost to us." One hand was pinching the bridge of his nose, his other was held out in the air like a stop sign. There was a slight tremor in his arms, barely detectable to anyone non-human, and it was a clear indicator of how much strength it took him to remain calm in this moment.

Freya replied equally as quiet. "That is not how I meant it. All I meant to say is that I cannot guarantee that you will be sent to the same place she was sent to. The risk is simply too big."

Elijah's hands balled into fists again. "You cannot send me there, we don't know where there is, and we cannot get her back unless we find out where she is. Did I get that right?"

"...yes." The defeat was audible, despite the small word. Elijah sighed as the emotion carried over to him and flooded him from head to toe. He couldn't lose you.

"Elijah, we need some rest." Rebekah's hand found his shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "You know she means the world to us too, but we can't work on empty tanks. Let us recharge, then we'll go back to work."

It took a moment, but he eventually nodded. His sisters both briefly touched his back, an expression of empathy and comfort, then headed up the stairs to their respective rooms. Elijah stood for a moment, then straightened, a new destination in mind.

"And where might you be off to, brother?" Klaus asked from behind him. Elijah didn't turn around to reply.

"Do some research of my own."

Unsure of what to do, you strolled around your room. Sam said he'd be back for dinner, and while he didn't explicitly tell you to stay in your room, it felt like the safest choice. Despite Jack's okay on you and you seemingly having passed all of their tests, Dean's reaction had been anything but reassuring and you didn't trust the man not to slap some shackles on you the next time he saw you, so you decided to inspect your room instead.

The drawers were all empty, but the desk held a notepad and some pencils. For a lack of better things to do, you sat down and began to scribble down the list that you drew up in the diner.

Find out if magic exists in this universe.

Safe to put a check behind that. You couldn't exactly tell yet what kind of magic this universe held, but they did have rifts too, as well as ways to open them, even if they were different from yours. On top of that, they had angels, as well as a variety of other things apparently, judging by their 'tests'. So: check.

2. Find the spell that brought you here.

By some miracle, stumbling across Dean and Castiel had led you straight into the arms of knowledgeable men on the topic, and they seemed to have a large library at hand. Going by their hunter's profession, you bet some of these books would have spells in them.

3. Find the ingredients.

Depending on what number 2 on your list would reveal, it would likely also come with a list of ingredients needed to complete the spell. You just hoped it wouldn't be more difficult than gathering the materials had been back in your universe. They did say something about angel's grace... You'd have to ask them about that.

4. Find someone to perform the spell for you.

Well. It looked like you had your work cut out for you.

It was time to interview the Winchesters.

Series Masterlist - Mobile Masterlist

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[starry-bi-sky]

Danyal Al Ghul's missed potential - this kid is not gonna behave like his canon self if he's with the league of assassins until his late formative years, and my reasoning why

(feel free to take this all with a grain of salt this is just my thoughts on it, this is all mostly amusing to me and isn't trying to be negative towards anyone else)

similar to how i was talking about how danny growing up in crime alley would affect him, demon twin aus with danyal al ghul make me laugh a lot (affectionate) because... whose teaching danny to unlearn all the ecofascism he picked up from the league of assassins? whose teaching him to be kind? to be gentle? Not the LoA thats for certain.

(you could plausibly say Jazz but she's only 2 years older than Danny and do you really expect a fellow child to properly explain why X is wrong to another child and have it be 100% effective? i don't doubt it'd help to an extent, but not in the same way an adult explaining it would)

plus a ton of other things, like whose teaching him to value human life? not the LoA. Whose teaching him how to adjust to living with American society after he ends up with the Fentons when he's 8-9-10? Who teaches him that killing is wrong, whose enforcing that?

(not the Fentons if you're going the neglectful parent route, and Jazz can try but i really don't think Danny is going to listen to her, a stranger who isn't even part of his grandfather's league)

How do you teach a child to value human life when the greatest development window for that opportunity has closed and he's already formed his own opinions?

You're not gonna get a Danny whose exactly like his canon attitude if he's staying with the league during his formative years (0-8 years old). you're not. You could get someone LIKE it, potentially, or someone who has traces of it or is similar -- like danny's wit and jokes and sarcasm, and on some level his kindness. but you're not gonna have a carbon copy. Development doesn't work that way. "nature" can only do so much in the face of nurture.

If anything, it doesn't even have to be a major change -- in the league he cans till be kind, but it's probably going to manifest in a different way than what is considered normal. Tough love, for one. But there's gonna be something that affects him negatively. Why make him 'always good/kind' when you can make him a brat who develops into a kinder (if spikier than in canon) person?

TLDR: Danyal Al Ghul would not be like how he is in canon if he's with the league until his late formative years -- not without any lasting pr permanent impacts from the league at least. Missed potential to make him an absolute nightmare like damian was -- especially in his early years when he first arrived to the Fenton house.

(this doesn't apply to danyal al ghul aus where he's either given to the fentons as a baby/is reincarnated/etc. this is mostly aimed for danyal al ghul aus where he fakes his death at like, 7-10 and somehow ends up, personality-wise like his completely canon self by 14 without any differences.)

(and even then if he's five or four, or even three, he would still be traumatized and influenced by the league. he'll just have more time to adjust. the sooner he leaves the league the more likely he is to be like his canon self, but not like an exact copy)

(more under the cut)

Anyways what I'm saying is that there is prime missed Danyal al Ghul potential to make him an absolute NIGHTMARE to the Fentons however way he ends up with them, just like Damian was with the Waynes! Cuz why does Damian get all the fun? Danny got the same training and endoctrine as him! He is also an ex-assassin! Why is Danny the only one who is 'well adjusted and non-violent' hm? Hmm?

Why can't he also be mean, and stabby, and a total stuck-up in some way or another? Have fun with his characterization, its prime opportunity to play play-doh and clay with him! If he starts out as X how does he get the personality traits of Y, and thus become XY?

Like take this with a grain of salt if you will, but make him arrogant. Make him an asshole! Make him a bad person at first! Because he will be! He's the blood son of the batman and you mean to tell me that damian is the only one arrogant about it at first? Make him stabby and mean even at 14 when he's begun to chill out! Have fun with it! If he's with the Fentons at any point past the age of four or five then he's gonna be a nightmare to handle because he still remembers the league and his time there.

(and while it gives him more time to chill the hell out, his time at the league is still gonna leave an impact on him.)

also what im saying as well is have him and sam potentially get along like a house on FIRE. Again, Danny grew up under the views of an ecofascist cult and nobody to challenge those views to him until he got to amity park at whatever age in late formative years he was at. He could be about as intense or even MORE intense about environmental awareness/rights than Sam is!

(also him being supremely unimpressed with Sam's wealth. he gave up a palace in the mountains for this town. because that's funny to me - like let his past have more influence on him! it'll be fun!)

you could have a danny who doesn't kill but doesn't fully understand the value of human life because jazz is like two years older than him and isn't that good at explaining why people's lives are important. he won't kill but he's not morally opposed to it. there's very little chance he actually gets bullied at school because he nearly killed Dash the first time he tried anything.

Danny could have scars, physical ones, because its implied in multiple canon that training starts at toddling (my best bet is 3 at minimum and ~maybe~ 2 but only on the later side of 2. Good fucking luck getting any infant under 2 to do anything you ask, ESPECIALLY assassin training. They're gonna stick the weapon in their mouth sooner than they're gonna do katas. This is coming from a daycare teacher.)

there's more examples of how danny being at the league during his formative years would affect him, but those are just some of them. he could have a sword! An appreciation for weaponry and nature. Maybe he still speaks all shakespearan and formal, does he still make bodily threats to people? If Damian is still threatening people at 14 why can't danny?

[slugcatmusings]

What is the Rot? Why is the Rot?

Spoiler Warning and Holy Wall of Text Batman Warning. I got WAY too into questioning the turbo-cancer here, hopefully my rambling makes sense.

So, the Rot is… weird, from a biological standpoint. Really weird, if you stop to think about it. It’s most frequently described as some variation of cancer, and it certainly fits the criteria for it. Caused by damage to DNA? Check. Multiplies uncontrollably? Check. Comes in both benign and malignant forms, one stationary and the other mobile? Big fat check. Heck, even the Rot cysts eating other creatures kind of fits, according to some research I’ve done – there are apparently cancer cells that will eat other cells, which makes sense in hindsight since cancer cells are cells that have lost important genetic restrictions, which may include whatever lets cells identify other cells as “do not eat.”

(I ain’t a biology whiz and I’m doing research on the fly while getting my thoughts out here, so take whatever I say about biology with a grain of salt)

So, Rot is clearly cancer of some kind, right? Case closed. Except when me and a friend of mine were talking Rain World theories on Discord, she brought up some interesting points that got me thinking.

First point: Rot cells obviously mutate in a way that affects FAR more than just cell replication and termination. Some of the cysts can HEAR. As far as I know, cells in the body do not hear sounds. They communicate via chemical signals and maybe, MAYBE react to temperature. Hearing involves complicated, specialized sensory apparatus to pick up on vibrations in the air. Even if you simplify it and say that it’s only vibrations, that’s STILL a multicellular thing, not a single-cell thing. It’s something that took millions of years to evolve on Earth, if not billions.

And while Rain World’s timeline goes on for long enough that it those kinds of mutations might happen eventually, Rot cysts have the ability to hear pretty much right from the start – because even the Proto-Long-Legs react to your presence like the Daddy Long Legs do, and the Rot in Spearmaster’s campaign, where Pebbles has recently contracted it, reacts the same way as it does in later campaigns. It’s already able to hear.

As far as I know, cancer just means the same cell duplicating over and over again. Are more mutations possible with each division, as errors are made in the DNA during splitting? Probably. But not to THAT extent. There’s no way a lump of cancer somehow mutated the exact complicated genetic blueprint needed to grow organs, at least not without outside interference.

Second point: Cases of Rot are way too consistent across the board. Now, we don’t have a huge sample size to work from, but from what we see from both Pebbles’ Rot, and Hunter Long Legs, they’re… pretty similar. Hunter Long Legs is basically a mobile Rot cyst. They move the same way, seem to grow the same way (starts as a growth inside/on the body before eventually freeing itself from whatever wall/flesh it grew from in some capacity and moving elsewhere), they have the same senses, and they even eat the same way, via something like phagocytosis (how white blood cells “eat” invading organisms via engulfing them and breaking them down in a sac in their main “body.”)

Now, this doesn’t tell us much, because cancer, when it does emerge, is pretty consistent in symptoms/what the mutated cells do once they start replicating. It’s pretty much the same regardless of whatever organism the cancer is happening in. But what ISN’T consistent is what causes the DNA error in the cancer cell in the first place. IRL, cancer can be caused by all kinds of things – smoking, radiation poisoning, being out in the sun too long, drinking deadly chemicals and whatnot, anything that damages DNA. But in RW, the only time we ever hear Rot talked about, or see it present, is in the context of an iterator having f*cked up while mucking around with DNA. Pebbles was trying to create an organism that could change his own genome, and No Significant Harassment created Hunter as a messenger and probably mucked something up in the process in his haste to get them to Moon.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t other causes of it, of course, we’re working with a sample size of two in an apocalyptic world with who knows how much potentially DNA-damaging stuff around, but… that’s still awfully consistent.

So, combining these points and everything we know to be canon, Rot is:

an organism that lives inside another organism

Until a certain condition is met, it cannot harm said host organism.

Once said condition is met, it goes out of control, wreaking havoc on the organism’s systems and mutating, giving it sensory capabilities and an appetite

Said condition is apparently someone messing up when re-arranging genomes, in yourself or others

It is widespread across multiple different species, at least iterators and slugcats but potentially other species as well.

Once you have a bad case of it, it is apparently NOT CURABLE. Pebbles tried everything he could think of but apparently exhausted all of his options by the time of the Survivor/Monk campaigns.

So, with all the context FINALLY laid out, here’s my wild theory: Rot isn’t a cancer. It’s a symbiote turned parasite. Specifically, I believe it’s a symbiotic microbe that lives inside the cells that make up every other creature in Rain World, and is held in check by a specific gene that all species share, and altering or getting rid of that gene causes it to go berserk, taking over and eventually mutating the host cells.

Yeah, I did watch Parasite Eve let’s plays as a kid, why do you ask? Anyway, hear me out here.

There is precedence for single-celled organisms living inside of other single-celled organisms. They’re referred to as intracellular endosymbiots (hopefully I got the spelling right there), and the most well-known one is probably the mitochondria. The powerhouse of the cell is thought to be descended from some bacteria way, WAY back that was engulfed by a larger cell and not only survived it, but BENEFITED from it. Since then those ancient proto-mitochondria and eukaryotic cells have mutually evolved to be dependent on each other. So it’s entirely possible for something similar to have happened in Rain World.

However, I don’t think it happened NATURALLY, here. Because something that’s able to take over a cell entirely and begin wildly mutating it is NOT something your average cell wants inside of it. There’s a VERY high chance of extinction if you do that. Which means that of course those funky bio-tech loving Ancients either took a look at a wildly dangerous cellular parasite and went “hmmm we can use this” or made one themselves.

Why did they do this? Who knows! Currently, I’m tied between “they needed a better powerhouse for the cell to power the various weird adaptations they’re building into various creatures,” “there was some sort of disease that this parasite gave immunity against and they wanted to make use of it,” and “it gave their creations massively powerful regeneration factors that made them much easier to maintain.” Possibly it was all three. Whatever the reason, the Ancients either found or created this parasite, and put it into their creations’ cells, hoping to reap the benefits.

Well, they got the benefits, but they also got a microbe that hijacked the cells and harnessed their pre-existing DNA blueprints to build organisms disguised as great big blobs of cancer. Which is not exactly ideal, but hey, they just had to figure out a way of keeping the cell hijacking from happening! And the way they ended up going about it was to alter the thing so that so long as there was a specific DNA sequence in the cell, it laid mostly dormant. All the benefits, none of the risks – so long as that specific string of genes remained intact.

And then BECAUSE it was so beneficial, they spread their artificial symbiote and it’s genetic reins throughout ALL of their creations, from the smallest pipe-cleaning slugs to the iterators. Which meant that as their purposed organisms replaced most of the original ecosystem, they spread the symbiote as well. Thus making it possible for pretty much ANY creature on the planet to come down with a bad case of the Rot. And with the iterators, I wouldn’t be surprised if this symbiote is tied to their self-destruction taboos. Try to cross yourself out? Well, it’s gonna maybe happen now, but it’ll be a slow painful death as you’re eaten alive from the inside and all your own parts turn against you, so was it really worth it?

And they never told their creations this perhaps even actively hid it, because why tell them the cause of the main deterrent to them mucking with their taboos? They might find a way around it. The iterators were left ignorant of how Rot works, and because of this they never figured out that Rot HAD a cure after all: rebuilding that genome that reins in the symbiote. Because why in the name of the Void would they repeat the same mistakes that gave them Rot in the first place, and potentially make it worse?

[mothsakura]

Thinking of Watcher DLC...

It's been 4 months and I am still thinking of Watcher DLC, so I am just gonna yap here- this is mostly my speculation. i need watcher dlc to come out auughhh i neeeed it i neeed it i need more rain world I NEEED MORE RAIN WORLD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE HYPERFIXATION IS HYPERFIXATING !!!!!!!!!!!!

Trailer details:

First, the trailer

I want to bring attention to 3 things: -poleplant -rot -void theme/watcher coming out of the shadows First I'll start with the pole plant as it will be easiest to explain. This most definitely takes place before saint's campaign, as I have not seen pole plants (I believe they went extinct?) in saint's campaign. Further details about the timeline are with the blue lizard's typical appearance (lizards look slightly different in saint's campaign), which too suggests that this is at least before saint. (Also lack of snow but I think that is too obvious) The rot is another thing I wanna focus on. We only see rot originate from two things: the iterators, and failed purposed organisms. The rot is also not specific to pebbles, as iterators have already known about the rot before pebbles got it. We can assume that we are either near an iterator district, or directly in it (judging by machinery and pipes in the background.). Now who is this potential new iterator? I am unsure, but I know it's definitely not pebbles' and moon's district both due to the screenshots on the steam page, and the fact that we've already explored all major plot points in pebbles' and moon's stories, adding more to their stories would be a rather bold move. Last thing, void themes and seemingly watcher's ability to come out of the shadow. I believe these two are connected. Although I have no clue what watcher's ability is, and what it has to do with void, but perhaps watcher can camouflage themselves in the shadows similar to how white lizards blend into their environment? Perhaps this ties into the void theme somehow? Although really I am unsure for this one.

Steam page, specifically the description:

"Rain World: The Watcher is a DLC expansion of Rain World. Journey beyond to something, somewhere only ever glimpsed. When the world beneath your feet cracks and crumbles, will you hold on to all you once knew? Or dive into the unknown?

The wilds that await will be unlike all that's come before.

Unknown creatures stalk and climb and dive and hunt. New breeds rip and pluck and burrow and hide. Predator and prey redefined. And through the middle of it all, a lonely lost slugcat trying their best to outlast the ravages of a warped world."

"Journey beyond to something, somewhere only ever glimpsed." caught my attention first. This further proves that this will not be in pebbles' and moon's district. However the last part, only ever glimpsed, suggests we know about this new place at least by some extent. Perhaps we have heard about it in character dialogue? Perhaps it is one of the districts of iterators we already know (NSH, Suns, UI, CW, SoS, and all the miscellaneous broadcast ones)? I believe that the latter is the case, especially with UI (close to pebbles, justifies the rot? also I am coping because UI has no lore), NSH (unsure how rot will tie in to him, but we have definitely heard a lot from him) or Suns (once again unsure how the rot will tie in, but we have heard from them a lot too). "The wilds that await will be unlike all that's come before." too shows that we are definitely gonna be in a new place. Another thing, the "when the world beneath your feet cracks and crumbles," this can either be a metaphor for a major change, or quite literally some kind of collapse or disaster. Honorable mention to warped world, also playing into the major change metaphor, or some kind of disaster.

"Unknown creatures stalk and climb and dive and hunt. New breeds rip and pluck and burrow and hide." I believe there will *definitely* be new creatures as well, some perhaps using the sand (and... salt... i think?) to burrow, and jump out at ya' like a dropwig or stalk ya' like a white lizard, or swoop down at ya' like a vulture! Except it's gonna be new variants or perhaps some new creatures altogether!

Screenshots:

I do not have much to say about this except for "this isn't pebbles' or moon's district", which has become more and more clear by now. I am very curious about this pink place however:

Why is it so pink? Is this iterator machinery or some kind of mast / tower / tall place ? Why can we not see any fellow iterators. I believe, the regions shown in the screenshots are still wips to some extent, so if this is the case, perhaps video cult and the dev team have yet to add iterators.... if not, I wonder where exactly this place is? Is it far far away from iterators? Is it facing somewhere an iterator cannot be built? WHY IS IT SO PINK!!! I unfortunately do not have much else to say about screenshots aside from they're very funky and I cannot wait to play Watcher DLC................................... I need watcher dlc omfg I need more rain world this hyperfixation is no joke......... I hope this ramble has been at least to some extent comprehensive, and that I did not make myself sound like a fool trying to seem too smart XD If ya'll have anything to add on, or speculate on other details, please please do in the notes or comments!!!

[mentallyisekaid]

「 ✦ Fatui Harbingers x La Signora's Sister! Reader, PART 2 ✦ 」

---

Part 1 [Part 2] Part 2.5 Part 3 Part 3.5

It's highly recommended to read the parts in order, otherwise few things will make sense!

Author's note ~ From this chapter forward, Y/N will develop a strong, somewhat intimate bond with her fellow Harbingers, but it's still, essentially, platonic. After coming up with the full storyline for this series, I figured it'd best to keep romance to a minimum, so it won't distract me or the readers from what's happening plotwise. But make no mistake - all of them care quite fiercely about you... it's not labelled "Harbingers x Reader" for nothing :) And of course, you're free to interpret their relationship in any kind of way you prefer <3

---

Featured in this chapter, we have (drum roll, if you please)... Scaramouche, Childe and Columbina!

Warnings: brief/indirect spoilers regarding Sumeru's Archon quest and Scaramouche's lore

Word count: 3k

---

A month had passed since the funeral, and the day you'd become the 12th of the Fatui Harbingers at Pierro's request.

*Note ~ Even though Signora's dead, I still consider her to be one of the 'Eleven Harbingers', and thus Y/N's position will be the 12th!

Truth to be told, you hardly cared whether such a dubious position had been offered to you out of respect for Rosalyne's legacy, or merely because they'd wanted to keep an eye on the immortal girl who possessed two Visions.

For the past five centuries, your life had lacked any clear purpose - perhaps this new title could change things to something a bit more... colorful?

Perhaps they could be the change.

On that note, there was something quite peculiar you'd come to notice about the infamous Harbingers.

Despite joining their ranks, you had kept the reason behind your questionable situation as a secret, so on a very essential level they still knew next to nothing about you (except for the Director who definitely knew enough to make you very uncomfortable!) In this regard, shouldn't they have considered you a stranger, or at least a high security risk?

Yes, yes they should have.

Yet not only did they treat you as one of their own, but it appeared that for some reason, these people cared about you to an extent beyond just professional relationships, always looking out for you in weird ways, like making sure you didn't overwork yourself, stayed healthy and never lacked any weird luxuries like expensive bath salts - that, and the fact that they were almost constantly lingering around you...

As someone who'd grown used to getting by on their own, you didn't really know what to make of their behavior. Or how to return it.

But did you dislike it? Not really. Why? Well, you were still sort of figuring that out.

You were currently sitting in Pantalone's office, looking through some financial reports while the Regrator himself was away on a business trip. As things stood, this was pretty much all that your title as a Harbinger was good for - assisting your colleagues by handling the less direct approaches to their duties as diplomats of Snezhnaya. It was only natural that you weren't yet expected, or trusted, to do any actual fieldwork.

So, your days were mostly spent being surrounded by endless piles of documents...

*knock, knock!*

...and them, as you might have guessed.

You sighed, placing the papers down on the desk when another round of impatient knocks came in. Clearly, that someone was going to invite themselves in regardless of your answer, and it wasn't hard to narrow down the list of possible suspects since only the highest ranking members of the Fatui were allowed in this part of the headquarters - frankly, the doors here tended not to be Harbinger-proof?

But it's not as if you really minded, breaktime was due anyway. Also, their company was always vastly more entertaining than work!

"It's not locked, you know" you commented, leaning back on your chair.

A scoff was heard before the door was rudely pushed open, and an unfamiliar character marched with such arrogance you'd think they owned the place. This made you raise an eyebrow; what an admirable sense of superiority? It wasn't someone you'd met before, but judging from the way they carried themselves, you recognized them nonetheless.

The man with child-like features (and a rather beautiful face) stopped in the middle of the room, staring curiously, though somewhat condescendingly, at the girl behind the desk.

"Are you," he started, "perchance the Director's newest recruit?"

"It's already been a month, but I suppose... in any case, what can I do for you, mister?"

"Mister?" The Harbinger crossed his arms, both amused and irked by your way of addressing him. "Ha, do you not know who I am?"

"Oh, no, I'm fairly certain I do," you sighed. "A presumptuous attitude, and a strikingly non-traditional kasa hat... the Balladeer, I presume? I heard you were busy playing a god in Sumeru with one of Dottore's segments, so I thought it might be a while before I get to meet the last one of my colleagues. But here you are - Scaramouche, was it? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He was being rude too, you were just returning the discourtesy.

Scaramouche held back a chuckle, the bells from his hat jingling.

"Ah, yes, that would be me. And as to why I bothered coming all the way from Sumeru just to meet you, miss Twelfth..."

"I have a name. It's Y/N."

He clicked his tongue, taking a step closer.

"Yes, yes, whatever. Now, sit there and listen. I was in the middle of my little experiment on blasphemy when I suddenly heard that the Jester had recruited a new Harbinger, who, incidentally, has two Visions and is supposedly immortal - but she blatantly refuses to reveal anything about herself. Surely, you can imagine my slight annoyance at this, seeing as you, on the other hand, seem to know an awful lot about us."

You smiled a bit, fiddling with the quill pen in your hand.

"Yes, I don't exactly go around advertising my past to others. But aren't you same in that regard, Scaramouche?"

"I won't amuse you by answering that." He smiled eerily. "The point is, I don't like being kept in the dark - it gives people the chance to stab me in the back, and that's not something I'm particularly fond of."

"Ask the Director, then. I can assure you he knows all kinds of scandalous things about me - about all of us, no doubt."

He shrugged. "That won't be necessary."

In the blink of an eye, Scaramouche was no longer where he'd been standing before. The Sixth Harbinger had suddenly jumped on top of your desk, scattering the paperwork you'd spent hours organizing. He leaned forward with a smug look on his face, grabbing your chin between his delicate fingers.

"So, our little miss Harbinger refuses to reveal her secrets? We'll get those out of you, don't you worry~"

"My goodness?" Your previously dull eyes sparkled a bit. "What a bold move - it's certainly... something. I must say, I find your character quite fascinating, Balladeer."

"Likewise."

Behind that ruthless, indigo gaze, was a forlorn soul that had faced so much injustice...

When travelling around Teyvat for the past centuries, you'd caught bits and pieces of hearsay about Scaramouche's tragic past - most of it probably accurate. But it wouldn't have been wise to bring up such matters when you'd only just met him, especially since the Balladeer was widely known for his foul temper.

Though, judging from the way was looking at you, he probably knew what you were thinking. Even so, there was no ill intent in his eyes.

A new voice suddenly interrupted your odd encounter.

"I hope you're not harrassing our princess, dearest Scara!"

Tartaglia waltzed in to the office with an ominous smile. Scaramouche jumped down from your desk, scoffing at the sight of his ginger colleague.

"Ha, barely! I just happen to find her very intriguing."

Childe laughed a bit, stepping forward to pat your head.

"Well, I did tell you she was special, comrade. And to think you didn't believe me? Yet, here I find you. It seems Y/N Lohefalter is capable of drawing the attention of even the Balladeer himself, ahahhah~"

You followed their interaction, thoroughly entertained - compared to your previous uneventful life, this was certainly refreshing.

"Foolish boys," yet another familiar voice was heard, and Columbina strode in gracefully. "Avoiding your work to disturb Y/N with these shameful antics? Pierro would be quite displeased. Now, perish."

Damselette then turned her attention on you, smiling sweetly.

"Would you like to have an afternoon snack with me? I hope you've been eating enough, my dove."

"Now, now, don't be greedy..." Scaramouche taunted. "It's rather obvious that she and I were having a conversation."

You smiled a bit, pointing at each one of them with your pen.

"Technically, you're all are here equally uninvited. And on that note - as much as I'd rather do anything else right now - I really should continue with these documents or they're going to pile up..."

"Hey now, you know Pantalone doesn't like it when you overwork yourself, Y/N," Childe pointed out, crossing his arms.

Columbina smiled gently. "Yes, how about we go and have some tea instead?~"

Scaramouche raised an eyebrow at this.

"You sure speak to this girl in an unprofessional manner, Tartaglia, Damselette - if I didn't know better, I'd say it sounds almost intimate. Trying to snatch her away from me, perhaps? But you've already known her for a month; it ought to be my turn to get acquainted with our new little Harbinger. Y/N and I have some things to discuss, after all..."

"Oh?" Childe raised an eyebrow. "Then what exactly were you and her chatting so intimately about before I came?"

"Enlighten us, Balladeer," Columbina chuckled.

You shook your head a bit.

"Let's not go down that rabbit hole-"

"No." Scaramouche cut you off with a smug expression. "These two, and the rest of them... would agree with the opinion I shared with you, don't you think? Surely it's something that we've all been wondering about."

Columbina and Childe shared a brief but knowing look - it wasn't hard to guess what the Balladeer had said to you, and though he should have gone about it a more discreet manner, they couldn't deny their curiosity either.

The angel-like Harbinger walked next to you, brushing back a loose strand of hair from your face.

"I'd rather hear this from you," she hummed.

Her touch was a little cold but gentle, not at all unpleasant. You just weren't used to this kind of physical intimacy, or rather, it had been so long since you'd experienced any kind of intimacy, that it caught you a bit off-guard whenever your co-workers offered these weird gestures. It's not like you... really minded this. But it did make it hard to refuse when they the asked you for something.

You sighed, leaning back on the chair.

"Of course, I... know you're all somewhat displeased that I'm keeping these secrets from you, about my past, that is - how I've lived for this long, and how it's possible that have two Visions. It might be difficult for you to trust me because of this, but even so, I am not obliged to reveal anything. And you know as well as I do that the Jester already knows what there is to be known; he wouldn't have let me join otherwise."

Scaramouche narrowed his eyes, not content with your answer.

"Yes, but I also know that the Director is a man of his principles - either those secrets are shared of your own accord, or not at all."

"Then maybe you don't need to know? Maybe you're better off not knowing?"

Tartaglia frowned, leaning against the wall next you.

"Being a part of the Fatui already means that we're in way over our heads when it comes to anything questionable that's going on in Teyvat. Your... situation, is included in that, even more so because you're one of us now. And in case it's not clear yet, we do care about our own, even if that often gets a bit lost behind our agendas and differences." He put a hand on your shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. "So, we'd like to know more about you, Y/N. I'm sure that's what Scaramouche has been trying to tell you too, albeit he has a weird way of choosing his words."

The Balladeer crossed his arms. "What a speech, Childe." It sounded like a snide remark, you somehow sensed that he didn't mean it as one.

"For once, I agree with these two," Columbina said. "Though both are going about this in a rather thoughtless manner. Regardless of her past and whether or not she chooses to disclose it, she is a Harbinger - and that does not necessarily mean we should know all these things about her. Her only responsibility is to serve the Tsaritsa, after all."

She smiled at you. "But it is a shame you don't seem to trust us very much, Y/N."

Reverse psychology? Smooth.

"I think you've misunderstood me, though. It's not about trust."

You stood up from Pantalone's fancy office chair, stretching a bit.

"At this point, revealing those things might or might not cost me, but I'm pretty sure I won't gain anything from it either. If that's the case - well, is survival not about keeping the trump cards you have, or at least not giving them away for free? And information is often more valuable than Mora."

"You sound like the Regrator, though I'm sure he would disagree about the Mora part." Tartaglia chuckled. "But I like the way you think! So, what is it that you'd like in return for those secrets?"

"I'd be happy to arrange whatever it is~" Columbina singsonged. "Within the bounds of good taste, of course."

Scaramouche clicked his tongue. "What an insufferable girl - what is it you want, then?"

You tilted your head, wondering why these people were so invested in you. One day, you'd surely understand... but in this moment, you could only think about their offer and how it was just slightly too tempting to refuse.

"Well, right now, I'm craving for some excitement. Something more thrilling than this paperwork I'm drowning in day after day. I don't suppose one of you has a solution for that?"

Columbina's soft laughter jingled in the air.

Scaramouche was glaring at you.

Childe's eyes were sparkling.

"Excitement, you say?!" the ginger exclaimed. "Oh, that won't be a problem. How about we make a little bet, Y/N?"

"I'm listening."

"Let's fight a bit~ I've been wanting to see what you're capable of, and a match against the Eleventh Harbinger is far from playing around, so I'm sure it would prove exciting enough for you." He nodded toward the two gemstones hanging from your belt. "Use those Visions, any weapons and all the shenanigans you can possibly come up with - if you think you can. I promise to make it worth your while. Naturally, you'd have to share some of your past in exchange..."

You raised an eyebrow at his suggestion. "...if you manage to win, that is?"

Columbina chuckled. "Careful, Y/N. You'll get Tartaglia too excited~"

Scaramouche rolled his eyes.

"I'm not sure you understand what you're agreeing to, miss Twelfth. But by all means, go play with this idiot - I'll gladly come and watch, it ought to be entertaining. The next phase of my mission in Sumeru is not due in a while anyway." (And if by some miracle you do manage to beat Childe, I'll come up with other ways of discovering those secrets.)

The Balladeer as well had grown quite captivated by you.

Childe smiled innocently. "How about it, Y/N? Are you in?"

"You bet."

---

...who in their right mind had recruited this maniac?

Sure, the Harbingers had inhuman abilities, but this was pure madness. Tartaglia had yet to even demonstrate his Hydro powers, much less a Delusion, but merely by using his agility and a pair of escrima sticks he had already brought you to your knees.

It's not as if you considered yourself to be a particularly skilled fighter, but you did have five centuries' worth more experience than him, and quite a few tricks up in your sleeve. But Childe only ever gave you the time to use your polearm - no Visions, no shenanigans - and even so, you didn't manage to land a single hit on him.

You lay on the floor of the training grounds, breathlessly gazing up at Tartaglia who was pinning you down with his knee.

"Ready to yield, girlie?"

"Ha... I'm not, *huff*, giving up that easily..."

He smiled, putting a bit more pressure on your chest - not in a painful way, but it was still enough to diminish your remaining fighting spirit rather quickly.

"Alright, alright, fine... please, *huff*... stop, Tartaglia... I, *huff*... give... up..."

"You can call me Ajax, by the way."

The ginger stood up, gazing down at you with a grin on his face. Well, at least now you knew that the rumors about his martial arts prowess weren't exaggerated? Neither was the fact that whenever he did fight, there was this euphoric (honestly a bit scary) aura around him. Reminder - think twice before you accept a challenge from this guy in the future!

That said, you had quite enjoyed yourself...

Ajax offered his hand to you, and you meekly took it, allowing him to pull you up from the ground.

Columbina and Scaramouche, who had been silently observing from the sidelines, appeared slightly amused and certainly pleased by the end of your struggle. This outcome had been more or less expected, but ever so welcome. A Harbinger never backed on their word, after all~

"Now then, my angel..."

"...you better keep that promise."

The three of them led you to a small lounge, dimly lit by a fireplace and deserted from any members of Fatui. Exhausted, you slouched down on a couch and closed your eyes.

Damselette came next to you wordlessly, laying down and letting her head rest on your lap. This was a habit of hers that you didn't mind; while admittedly rather intimate, it was something like this that you had long yearned for.

Childe leaned against a nearby wall, smiling at you encouragingly. For some reason, you always felt at ease around him. He was like an "older" sibling - more than she ever was, the one you'd already lost before her death.

The Balladeer was sitting on an armchair, observing you with an unreadable expression. The slight softness in those cold eyes was perhaps only noticed by you; an abandoned soul recognizes its own kind.

"Now then, Ajax, Scaramouche and Columbina. Allow me to tell you a story - one that discloses how my first Vision came to be. While I'm at it, I suppose I might as well reveal why Rosalyne and I shared such a difficult relationship..."

(to be continued)

[ilikekidsshows]

Ok. Something I see in the ml fandom sometimes is really starting to bother me. It's not common, per se, but I've seen it enough times now that I'm about to lose it. But people don't deserve me yelling at them/on their fics, so I'm venting here instead. XD As always, feel free to ignore this/not respond if you'd prefer. I'll try to be vague, but I also understand if this is...too specific.

So. With that out of the way. I get near livid these days whenever I see an 'Adrien as an abusive romantic partner to Marinette' AU. Like to an extent I understand, it's an alternative universe. Non canon. Exploration of a "what if." Don't like don't read, yadda yadda. And generally I just...move on.

But also. At the same time. It just makes me so ANGRY. To know this exists. That multiple people can have the absolute gall to take a *canon* abuse victim. Who is sweet and patient and kind (genuinely, but also because he has to be, if you subscribe to the fawning interpretation). And turn him into a manipulative abuser, the unambiguous villain of a story. (And yeah, I've seen the argument that abuse victims can sometimes go on to become abusers themselves, but that doesn't really justify writing Adrien specifically this way? It's still...grossly out of character? Not to mention a bleak and insulting trajectory for his journey as a victim?)

But even better....they take a character who is canonically being gaslit, more or less, by his girlfriend into glorifying his abuser and downplaying the abuse he experienced (I know the term isn't exactly correct but gdi calling it mere "lying" is also an understatement). And then say, you know what. What if we do a switcheroo! And make that same girlfriend -his- abuse victim instead! Let's once again make it about how terrible *she* has it, because canon doesn't already focus on Marinette being upsette enough apparently. It just...leaves such a poor taste in my mouth???

To be clear, these aren't Marinette salt fics, some sort of weird "see how -you- like it" thing. No, these are "Marinette is a victim who will ultimately triumph" stories, not necessarily written by people who even dislike Adrien (if the stories were explicitly Adrien salt I wouldn't have read/come across them in the first place).

And yeah, I understand fan-fiction is often OOC and/or can be a way to deal with one's IRL struggles. But dear GOD does it piss me off like nothing else when someone chooses the *canon victim* to be the Big Bad that the self-insert character gets to overcome. It's plain insulting, is what it is. Long story short, leave Adrien alone and choose a different freaking character to be the abusive jackass!

....you know, I'm think ultimately it wouldn't bother me so much, if it weren't for fandom's much more widespread tendency to indulge in Marinette wangst and act like she's the epitome of human suffering, often at his expense or while ignoring his struggles. So I guess this sub-genre of abuser!Adrien is the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

Anywho, rant over XD I think I've calmed down a bit, so if you read this, thank you for providing a space for me to vent and I hope it wasn't too annoying!

---

This blog does double time as an analysis and vent blog, so sending in pet peeves is completely allowed and even encouraged. Yeah, like, even if Adrien wasn't an abuse victim, seeing a trend of “abuser AUs” for any character you're a fan of is annoying. When something annoying gets combined with this fandom trend being basically the culmination of things pushed in canon, it turns downright aggravating. 

Because that's really the thing that makes it more than just another case of basic “well, we need someone to mistreat our lead so that she can overcome hardships”; it has its roots in something actually harmful going on in the show and fandom. Adrien's victimhood constantly gets sidelined, or he's demonized for his trauma responses, so a fic trend where he continues the cycle of abuse just comes across as even more victim blaming.

Meanwhile, Marinette's petty grievances are treated as signs of how she's the biggest victim on the block, she's suffering so much more than the literal abuse victims, so a fic having her be literally victimized by the very abuse victim whose victimhood she commandeers in canon is both very expected for this fandom but also really aggravating.

I’m saying I get it.

[mixedup-sideblog]

41 letters…what the fuck.

The charges listed against Peck:

- SA of a person under 16.

- SA by foreign object.

- SA oral.

- SA with use of anaesthesia or controlled substance.

- Using a minor for SA.

- Sending harmful matter.

Drake Bell was sexually tortured by this man when he was only 15 years old and 41 pieces of shit wrote this kind of crap in support of his abuser….

James Marsden:

“I do intend to shed light on the fact that he has learnt his lesson…the earth would fall from the sky before Brian would think about doing something like this again.”

- ahh don’t worry everyone, James is pretty sure he would never drug and r*pe a child again so let’s just let him off on this one!

Taran Killam:

“Brian is fully aware of his misjudgement and takes full responsibility.”

- poor old Brian making that minor misjudgement when he decided to prey on a child, turn him against his father, against his family, isolate him and groom him then repeatedly SA him. Don’t worry he’s stepping up and taking full responsibility!

Joanna Kerns:

“There must have been some extreme situation or temptation exerted upon him.” and “ I would hire him today to work with children.” And "a good man that made a mistake, not a bad man who got caught."

- see that’s all it was poor Brian could not resist the extreme temptation, of course blame the 15 year old victim not the fucking adult, it’s always the same bullshit from these people I swear.

Ron Melendez:

“I also know the young man…I have met his family, seen his behaviour…I saw him pursue a friendship with Brian, maintain their close ties…Brian made a large mistake but it was not his alone.”

- surprise, more victim blaming, more trivialising. A mistake is forgetting to lock your door or putting salt in your tea instead of sugar…repeatedly r*ping a child is not a fucking mistake - it’s a fucking crime!

Tom DeSanto:

“Brian is ashamed and remorseful about his lapse in judgment.” and “ I met Drake…he seemed very fearful of his father and unable to communicate with him whatever sexual issues he was going through”

- again - broken record here but r*ping a child is not a bloody lapse in judgment! And again - victim blaming and suggesting his family were at fault!

Will Freddie:

“I can only reiterate how devastated Brian is and how these past events have forever changed him.”

- well thank god Brian is so devastated that he got caught - poor thing. The threat of prison probably has ‘forever changed him’ but I’m sure his inability to stop himself from SAing kids has done far more significant damage to his victims (and yes I believe he has more than Drake).

Kimmy Robertson:

“An outrageous, overtly gay, over-sexed person…he totally took advantage of Brian’s willingness to help.”

- the amount of victim blaming in these letters, particularly this one, is just astounding. The 15 year old boy took advantage of the 40 something year old man? Do you really truly believe that Kimmy? I’ll say it again for the billionth time - What. The. Fuck.

And this is just the snippet, there are 34 more letters - all I’m sure are variations of the above examples. The fact that we live in a world where these people not only do and get away with this shit all the time but also are supported so wholeheartedly when they’re exposed for doing it, is quite frankly terrifying.

I do not accept - we did not know the extent of what we were defending as an excuse here. You knew the charges it’s even clear in the letters themselves - you know it’s about the SA of a child (a child some of you even knew personally), you decided to disregard them, defend them or downplay them. You are only coming out now with weak-ass apologies because you have to - in reality you never thought those letters would see the light of day outside the court room.

I’m sorry but the amount of victim blaming, trivialising and excusing here is just more proof to be added to the huge pile of evidence that Hollywood is a cesspit, it does not care about victims, it does not care about children.

If anyone is still in doubt about the amount of systemic CSA in Hollywood please go and watch An Open Secret (whole thing is on YouTube)- a movie that they desperately tried to bury but is just as hard hitting as ‘Quiet on Set.’

[sploopyghost]

I like salt fics but i feel like some of them get blown out of proportion. I get it it's exaggerated but for some i feel like the characters are too ooc. It's fanfiction so you can make them however you want but i feel like there is a way to have a salt fic without the characters being unrecognizable

Alya is always a one of the biggest supporters of lila in salt fics but she also somehow turns into an attack dog. I get Alya took Lila's side without questioning it and easily brushed off Marinette but to an extent it kind of makes sense . Marinette is a very jealous person and always seemed to jump to conclusions when it came to Adrien. I feel like if you wanted to write Alya without making her too ooc you could lean more into her flaws of always seeming to brush Marinette off and not hearing her out without proof but never demanding proof from Lila. Alya is stubborn and would be even more so when she feels like she's right unless she's proven otherwise. For Alya to know that she's wrong it would have to be spelled out for her or the consequences would have to hit her in the face. She could start losing followers on her blog after all just because Marinette's friends blindly believe Lila doesn't mean everyone else would. They would immediately see through the already flimsy story Lila told and how stupid it is for her to be telling everyone that she has a connection to ladybug. You could write that Alya doesn't check the comments at first too excited about the number of views and instead checks it months later when her views and followers start going down. After the interview with Lila people would start to look into her while also going back to older videos Alya's made. People would eventually start to get fed up with how she presents theories as facts or just never fact check anything

Nino is someone who is easy going and goes with the flow which can be good but it can also be a bad thing. If you're too easy going and ok with going along with everyone else you'll eventually be caught up in something bad. Nino can be written as someone like this, who goes along with the majority because it's easier. Unintentionally he would choose to side with the Alya and the rest of the class about Lila even if he knows something doesn't add up or not hearing Marinette out and her side of the story is wrong. But with everyone believing Lila it would be easier to go along with everyone else until things smooth over even when he feels guilty about it

Adrien in salt fics is uncaring of Marinette's feelings and wants to keep the status quo even if that means throwing Marinette under the bus. While Adrien is naive and has no spine he still cares about his friends but he does turn a blind eye to their misdeeds and their flaws. You could write how he often excuses Chloe's behavior even when she's being mean towards them in front of him. The class would start keeping him at arms length not necessarily cutting ties with him but not spending as much time with him. They don't want him to choose between them and Chloe they just want him to stop making excuses for her and taking her side when she's in the wrong, because lets be real would you want to be friends with someone who always defends and excuses their other friends behavior when their being shitty towards you

Marinette salt is rare and there isn't really much of it, but if you wanted to write a salt fic about her you could lean into her obsessive and stalker behavior. For example the episode where she works together with Chloe to sabotage Kagami, you can write the consequences of her action for that episode. It's an event with plenty of famous people and as a result cameras. Aside from that there are a lot of people there so why wouldn't someone see what her and Chloe were doing. Someone could record what they were doing and recognize that they were going after Kagami someone who is influential. They would upload the video and it would immediately go viral. People easily recognize Chloe and already know about her history of bullying and her attachment to Adrien, so it's no surprise that she would harass the girl he's with. However no one recognizes the girl with Chloe, until people start commenting about how they go to school with her. They comment about her behavior and how she frequently does weird things to get close to Adrien and talks about the future that she's going to have with him. Afterall Marinette does a lot of these things in view of people. This would not only effect Marinette and her reputation but also her parents and the people around her since people would ask how they didn't notice her behavior earlier