#let LOOSE a proper very angry rant

[bobalegsanji]

౨ৎ Zosan duck saga ౨ৎ

Little passion project with my sweet friend @fruityumbrella

After Zoro manages to get lost somewhere on an island (God knows when, where, or for how long) he finds a pond with 6 abandoned ducklings

He's definitely not the most knowledgeable about this, but recalls baby ducks aren't supposed to be on their own- shouldn't their mother feed them or something? To be sure, he scoops them up in his arms to get Chopper to check up on them before dropping them back in the pond (if he ever finds it again. Whatever)

The ducklings are surprisingly calm in his arms???

The moment he returns to the ship Nami first screams at him because ''where the actual fuck have you be- are those ducks???'' ''Yes.'' ''Where did you find them?!?'' ''A pond.'' ''BRING THEM BACK????''

Turns out, ducklings without a mother imprint on the first moving object they find

...

They refuse to leave him alone- putting them down on the ground on the deck for the first time resulted in very loud, unsatisfied chirping. They try to jump back into Zoro's arms (which is wayyy too high for them). The view of a now embarrassed Zoro surrounded by 6 angry ducklings who want nothing but to be back into his arms is so funny everyone (but Zoro) ends up with tears streaming down their face

It's no use trying to get them to leave. Both Chopper and Sanji refuse to leave the ducks on the island (since they've imprinted on Zoro, they'd never return to their mother and ''we'd be killing them,'' according to Chopper). They decide to keep the ducklings for the time being, soon enough they've learned independence and can leave, and it's not like 6 little ducklings are going to cause any trouble among the crew, right???

The ducklings follow Zoro everywhere. Napping on the deck? Ducklings are pushing each other to sleep on top of his chest. Eating dinner? There's now 6 baby ducks under the table, quietly snagging whatever food anyone secretly passes them (no one listens to Sanji's rant about which food is healthy for them and which not, or the dangers about overfeeding). Showering? Ducks sit in front of the door, patiently waiting for Zoro to get out again.

The biggest problem is sleeping. Zoro isn't able to sleep in his hammock anymore. The ducks can't get in and out of it themselves (they get cranky when they don't get their way), but they also refuse to sleep anywhere but on top of Zoro. Their unhappy quacks are so loud both Zoro and his 6 patrons are sent to sleep in the kitchen

Sanji is, at first, wildly unhappy with the new arrangement. He's up the earliest and stays up the latest, spending most of his time in the kitchen. His job description never included 'take care of a big, green swordsman and his 6 pets.'

As it turns out, he doesn't actually mind the ducks. They're definitely not quiet, but he enjoys the company. Zoro usually falls asleep without a care for whatever Sanji is doing, and slowly the ducks start to get more comfortable with Sanji's presence. The first time one of them waggles over to take a closer look at what Sanji's doing, he swears his heart melts.

Problem: with Zoro sleeping, and Sanji busy with cleaning and prepping food, no one has eyes for the 6 brats running loose in the kitchen

''Zoro?'' ''Hmmm, what? I'm trying to sleep and this one wants to climb on top of my fucking he-'' ''ZORO?'' ''WHAT?'' ''WHY IS THERE A DUCK IN MY COOKING POT???''

They'd quickly spend as much time with Sanji as with Zoro. A little ramp is build from floor to counter to make sure the ducklings can get up and have a proper view of whatever it is Sanji's doing (Franky made it for him after finding out about his back pain, most likely resulting from having to pick up or put down a duck every 3 minutes)

Sanji gives the ducks little baths in the kitchen sink, letting them float around for however long they want. He definitely does not sit down and stare at them for 2 hours, cooing at over how cute they are (Neither does Zoro come the kitchen inside 7 times during those 2 hours to check whether they're finally done. He absolutely doesn't miss having his 6 buddies follow him around. Nope.)

They basically end up coparenting. For nap time and outdoor time they're with Zoro, for entertainment and food they're with Sanji.

They still favour Zoro (he's still their mama in their eyes), but Sanji's at least as (if not more) present in their life. He makes sure Zoro takes good care of them when Sanji's busy, makes all of their meals, makes sure Luffy doesn't include them in some stupid game that could hurt them- it's become a fulltime job, but Sanji has started to fall in love with them so much he doesn't even mind

Zoro has no choice but to take them with him when going out in town. He's written their names on his arm in order not to forget (he's dumb and can't keep the ducks apart). Someone's like ''oh what's that?'' and he goes ''it's to not confuse my ducks?? Obviously.'' The person he's talking to is like ''... that doesn't make sense. You wrote their names down, not how to tell them apart?? Are you fucking dumb?''

Zoro gets grumpy and moody all day. Sanji's finally done with his sullen mood in the evening and demands to know what's wrong. Zoro explains, and Sanji can't believe that HE STILL CANNOT KEEP THEM APART??

''Marimo, that is NOT Neko. Neko has a WHITE spot above her left eye.'' ''This one has too!'' ' 'MARIMO, that is her RIGHT FUCKING EYE, you ABSOLUTE IMBECILE''

The ducks are SO clingy. There's constantly one in Sanji's apron pocket, one on his shoulder and at least one on the counter. Any time Zoro goes outside, there's a minimum of 4 ducks in his haramaki and one on top of his head.

Sanji's the biggest hypocrite about their rules. He's always telling Zoro to cuddle with them less, ''they're becoming adults and need to learn to grow independent!'' ''The galley is no place for a duck, take them outside while I'm cooking!'' ''NO ducks on table during dinner time.'' (He never listens to his own rules)

The crew ends up (silently) referring to Zoro as their 'mama' and Sanji as their 'papa'

Sanji has to find out the hard way. He's busy with making lunch- already annoyed at the heat and the chores and having had to make breakfast with Zoro in the fucking kitchen (who's STILL not allowed to return to the sleeping quarters), and then Usopp enters. He's holding 2 ducks, quietly talking to them to try and quiet them down: ''It's okay- shhhht, it's okay... Oh, seems like daddy's busy, lets go find mama hm?''

''Usopp, WHAT did you just say??''

Usopp can barely form a sentence with the way Sanji's glaring at him- ''well um... yknow... since ,.. well since zoros like the mom...and you take care of them too..youre kind of...well yknow...umm...luffy said it first!!''

Sanji's having an existential crisis while still elbow deep gutting fish. '''im not a dad! i wouldnt be. why would you say that? no usopp seriously why would you say that. im like the ducks cool older brother. or like. an uncle. im basically a good friend. yeah were good friends.''

''Sure...?''

Sanji and Zoro end up growing closer through their time in the kitchen (and already having 6 children). Arguments turn into conversations, turn into drinking together, turn into holding hands in the dark of night until they kiss

The kiss is better than they either could've expected, until one of the ducks gets jealous-

''This is YOUR fault, you stupid Marimo!''

''What do you mean my fault? He pecked you!!!''

''Are you fucking deranged, of course it is your fault!!! Look at him, he'd never do me any wrong if you weren't here!!''

''????!!!''

''You really have nothing to say???''

''Are we kissing or what?''

''SHUT THE FUCK UP MARIMO''

Their bickering ends up scaring the ducks. They're scattered around the ship, resulting in Sanji and Zoro quietly bickering & cooing over their lost children, searching for them together while trying not to wake anyone up

Franky sees how happy the ducks are in the kitchen sink and decides to build a pond on the deck for them

The pond ends up being a blessing and a curse. It becomes a hot spot to relax, sometimes the ducks stray over towards Zoro napping next to the pond, or one snuggles up near Robin while she's reading

Luffy also falls into it. More than once.

Zoro does too. Every time, sanji totally losing his shit because zoro emerges from the water with a flower and a duck on his head and he looks like a deranged lilypad

During cold winter nights, Sanji refuses to let the ducks sleep outside. He makes a blanket fort in the kitchen with all blankets and pillows he can find to make sure they're as comfortable as possible ( + he's in the kitchen most of the day and night, so it's always one of the warmest rooms on the Sunny)

Zoro doesn't care about it. He thinks it's useless and a waste of time, but when everyone's sleeping he still goes over to the kitchen to check up on his babies and make sure they're doing fine

He falls asleep next to the cushion fort and forget the walls aren't real. He falls right through it and ruins the fort but the ducks are fine they just climb onto him and go to sleep again

Val & me might be delusional but at least are we CUTE delusional ♡

[starfall-spirit]

Precious Collateral

Read on Ao3 // Fic Masterlist // SJM Omegaverse Masterlist // Dark Feysand Masterlist

Summary: When Rhys set out to collect his dues from the head of the Archeron house, he knew the man would be begging for more time. What he didn’t expect was to be offered the youngest daughter as collateral.

After spending only a day in the temperamental woman’s company, he found himself utterly enthralled with his new guest—and with no intention of letting her father scrape together the funds that would grant her her freedom.

CW: None

Chapter III

She’d be fine. She’d been fine before now. Feyre had presented nearly three years ago and while she had never gone into a true heat or mingled with alphas of either gender, her omega traits were still very much present. So why after three years of being without a proper nest was she so eager to create one now.

Everyone claimed an omega could only be comfortable enough to nest in a place they considered safe. Here she was, trapped and terrified—though she’d never admit her fear—and on the verge of tearing apart her bed and closet just to have something resembling nesting fabrics.

So what the hell was wrong with her?

There was a soft knock on the door, making her pause her pacing.

“What?”

It swung open to reveal a blonde bombshell with a quick smile. “My, you do have an attitude, don’t you? Good. Rhys needs someone to give him a hard time for once.”

“I—”

“I’m Mor by the way. His cousin.”

She eyed the female for a moment, noting she too was an alpha. Not exactly rare, but not something you see every day either. Feyre wondered if the woman had as much control here as Rhys and his goons seemed to. “I’m Feyre. Why are you here?”

Mor waved off the rude tone, her smile only seeming to widen. “I know if my life was flipped upside down in a matter of a few hours I’d want a girlfriend to help me through it. I might not be able to change Rhys’ mind about this, but I’d like to make it easier. If you’ll have me as your friend?”

A friend. More likely someone to babysit and spy on Feyre while her cousin was off killing people. Or whatever it was he did for entertainment. But maybe Feyre could manage to turn things in her favor. Put the woman at ease and learn the weaknesses of this place—more importantly, of its master.

“I’d like that,” she said, turning away as her nervous energy returned.

“I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well at the moment.”

“Well, of course you're not. You haven’t done anything to settle in yet. Are the things the boys brought you for your nest in the closet? I can help you if you’d like. Or not. I know some omegas can be rather particular. What did you bring from your room at home? We can work around that.” Feyre blinked, watching Mor march over to the walk-in closet Feyre had spent an embarrassingly large chunk of the morning sifting through. “I swear those boys don’t have half a brain cell between them,” she said, seeming genuinely angry on Feyre’s behalf. “Hold on, hon. I’ll handle this.”

Breezing out of the room, Mor left her alone, the door cracked open enough that a shrill, “Rhysand, you idiot!” rang back up from the ground floor. Was the woman that careless, or was it a trap?

Whatever the case may be, it would likely be her only chance of escape. Picking up her sandals from the night before, Feyre eased the door open, thankful for the well-oiled hinges. From her place on the landing she could see the entirety of the impressive foyer. The only sound throughout the house at the time was from a room somewhere beyond it—Rhysand and Mor’s verbal volleying over what Feyre assumed was the bedding situation. Unless the woman had been putting on an act, after all.

She had to gather her courage and run before they were done with their discussion. Loosing one last nervous breath, she descended the steps. ~~~~~ Cassian

“What a ballsy little thing.” Mor paused her rant at the comment, eyes sliding his direction. “I thought she’d at least wait a few days before trying to run.”

After the fit she’d pitched last night, the whole house had been convinced she’d be on her best behavior. Rhys had never been shy about handling defiance in the ranks of those he employed, and while the girl was in a very different role here, she had earned it from what Rhys relayed after putting her down for the night. Maybe the fact any of that was necessary to begin with should have told them the lesson wouldn’t stick.

“You put a camera in her room, Rhys? Seriously?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Morrigan,” his brother scoffed, holding out a hand so Cassian would return his phone. “I showed her to a room that already had a surveillance system installed. Months ago.”

“Rhys!”

His brother chuckled, turning to face the wall that shielded their escapee from view. “Want a turn, Cass?” He blinked. “Mor here let her out and after least night’s… lesson, we may need to try a new approach. Az won’t be back for a bit.”

“I’ll leave the discipline to you, Rhys.”

He shook his head. “Another punishment will only make her more mulish right now.”

“So what, I go out there and haul her back inside to show here we’re all on your side in this?”

“Aren’t you?”

Rhys raised a brow as they heard the front door briefly open and click shut. “Unbelievable.”

Pushing to his feet, he headed for the foyer, taking his time about it. It wasn’t like she’d truly get anywhere with the border guard active twenty-four hours a day. The first thing he heard was a yelp. Feyre had foolishly rushed down to the gravel drive before fully putting her shoes on, scraping up the bottoms of her feet if the colorful language to follow was anything to go on.

“Couldn’t even wait until someone told you we’d left the house?”

He only let her make it a few more steps before throwing her over his shoulder and stalking back into the house, chuckling at the little fists she beat against his back. “Put me down, you oaf!”

“Sorry, sweetheart. Not gonna happen. I’ve got to admit, I was sure that last night would have knocked some sense into you.”

Feyre froze. “Last—You know what happened last night?” she whispered, sounding horrified.

He chuckled. “Feyre, everyone knows what happened last night. You didn’t exactly take it with grace. So what happened to all of those pretty promises about being good, hm?”

She made a pitiful sound, going limp over his shoulder, apparently resigned to her fate. That is until she realized they weren’t heading back to her room. “Please, I don’t want to see him.”

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a little bad about it. Regardless of what trouble the brat had been stirring the past two days, Cass had always been a sucker for a pouty omega. But if the girl was going to be staying here he couldn’t afford to let her put that together.

Trudging back into the main living room, he hunched over enough to drop Feyre on the cushion beside Rhys. Mor rolled her eyes. “Get the shit I told you to,” she muttered, before making the sort of dramatic exit only the Sterling cousins seemed capable of.

“Feyre darling.” She refused to look at either of them. “Petulance won’t do you any good here.” Locking a hand around her ankle, Rhys yanked her down the couch until she was close enough for him to lean over. She wasn’t stupid enough to lash out at Rhys from her position. Then again it could just be her sore backside ensuring that much cooperation at the moment. “Let’s get these cleaned,” Rhys murmured, reaching for a first aid kit someone had brought in the time it took for Cassian to retrieve their guest.

“What?”

“You’ve cut your feet, darling. Perhaps you thought not wearing your shoes helped you keep quiet, but it did you no real favors today, did it?”

“Mor was testing me.”

He stayed silent, apparently unwilling to incriminate his cousin in the girl's eyes. Cassian took a seat at the other end of the sofa, lifting Feyre’s head enough to wedge a pillow beneath it as Rhys started tending to the minor cuts she’d earned. She looked up at him, clearly confused by his attention beyond bringing her back to the house, not that he had a good explanation to give her. Or himself for that matter. She was distracted soon enough anyways, whimpering when Rhys took an alcohol swab to the worst of the cuts. He tried not to think about why the sound unsettled something in him. Why he wanted to distract the sweet thing beside him from the small hurt. She’d certainly earned it, bolting without any solid plan.

She wasn’t going to be here forever. Eventually Rhys would get bored or Archeron would make another shady deal to scrape together the money he owed them. And the omega would leave.

He couldn’t get attached.

He wouldn’t get attached.

~~~~~

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[isfjmel-phleg]

I'm rereading Mother Carey's Chickens, a 1911 children's book by Kate Douglas Wiggin, mostly because there's a subplot in it which I think might be relevant to my search for portrayals of CEN in children's literature of this era (...and guess what subplot got axed in Summer Magic, a loosely adaptated 1963 film version--but that's another issue). Anyway, this time I found myself unexpectedly sympathetic toward a character Wiggin does not want the audience to be very sympathetic toward.

(and wow, this got longer than I expected and is A Rant, sorry!)

Basically, the book is about the Carey family--a widow and her four children--who have suffered a significant finanical decline after the father's death and have to move into a new house in a small town and make a lot of sacrifices and adjustments, while having various slice-of-life adventures. Not long after the move, their cousin Julia comes to live with them.

And Wiggin really hammers it into the reader's head that Julia is annoying. She's "the pink of perfection" (a phrase memorably used in a song in the 1963 film), she knows it, and she never lets anyone forget it. (Think a female version of my OC Josiah, and you're probably not far off.) She won't shut up about the rich family she used to live with, and she can't be bothered to join the others in anything so demeaning as chores. She's so dull and imaginative that "she bored her own mother terribly." She has no sense of humor, she's no fun, she's tidy and clothes-conscious, she gets perfect grades in school--in short, she's the worst and nobody likes her. Even Mrs. Carey admits "frankly" that she doesn't like Julia.

And the other children are understandably frustrated with her and very vocal about this among themselves. There's friction between her and the Careys--and the Careys don't always come off looking very good either, although the narrative doesn't recognize it. The two oldest children (who are about fifteen and fourteen, I think) even go so far as to write a poem mocking Julia's appetite (and, by implication, her weight) and tacking it up in her room. Julia in tears shows it her aunt, who finds it funny and has to struggle to show the proper sympathy. Julia protests that the family she used to live with never mentioned her appetite and instead encouraged her to eat. Mrs. Carey concedes that her older children can get carried away with joking and forgot Julia wasn't used to it.

And then she adds, "And don't forget, my dear, that in a large family like ours we must learn to 'live and let live.'" So clearly it's Julia's fault for being so oversensitive about just a joke, right? Because nobody likes her, and she had it coming. She needs to learn to have a sense of humor!

Eventually, Kathleen, the younger Carey daughter, in a moment of provocation lets it slip that Julia's father is the reason the family has so little money (long story). An angry Julia tells her aunt. Kathleen feels horrible about it and apologizes profusely, but Julia is not immediately forgiving and points out what a victim she is here--as a fatherless girl and a guest in their home.

And then Mrs. Carey gives her A Speech (emphasis mine):

"You are wrong there, Julia. I fail to see why you should not take your full share of our misfortunes, and suffer as much as we, from our too small income. It is not our fault, it is not yours. You are not a privileged guest, you are one of the family. If you are fatherless just now, my children are fatherless forever; yet you have not made one single burden lighter by joining our forces. You have been an outsider, instead of putting yourself loyally into the breach, and working with us heart to heart. I welcomed you with open arms and you have made my life harder, much harder, than it was before your coming. To protect you I have had to discipline my own children continually, and all the time you were putting their tempers to quite unnecessary tests! I am not extenuating Kathleen, but I merely say you have no right to behave as you do. You are thirteen years old, quite old enough to make up your mind whether you wish to be loved by anybody or not; at present you are not!"

Does Julia deserve to be informed that she has been standoffish and unhelpful and whiny and needs to be a team player? Absolutely. Blaming her for the Carey children's behavior though? Not so much. And to tell anyone--especially someone so young--that whether she is loved is solely up to her and currently no one loves her--is incredibly harsh and uncalled for.

The narrative consistently presents Mrs. Carey as The Ideal Mother, so there is no recognition of the hurtfulness of such a comment. Instead, it's that comment in particular that is presented as what finally prompts Julia's character development.

Not to be loved, if that really were to be her lot, rather terrified Julia. She secretly envied Nancy [Carey]'s unconscious gift of drawing people to her instantly; men, women, children,—dogs and horses, for that matter. She never noticed that Nancy's heart ran out to meet everybody, and that she was overflowing with vitality and joy and sympathy; on the contrary, she considered the tribute of affection paid to Nancy as a part of Nancy's luck. Virtuous, conscientious, intelligent, and well-dressed as she felt herself to be, she emphatically did not wish to be disliked, and it was a complete surprise to her that she had not been a successful Carey chicken.

At this point, I am feeling sorry for this child, obnoxious though she can be. This girl has a father who isn't in her life much and a mother who was flighty and bored with her and either died or left the picture when her daughter was five so she was raised by a governess and has been trying really hard to be everything her mother wasn't--well-behaved and responsible. And now after living with an apparently kind and accepting family, she's been transplanted to an unfamiliar environment with cousins who complain about and mock her. No one is listening to her; no one is bothering to help her. She talks about her friend's family so much because that's all she knows. As annoying as her displays of perfection are, it's her flawed attempt to seek love and validation. She feels inadequate compared to her outgoing and universally adored cousin Nancy (who co-wrote the mean poem and has been the most vocally critical of her--guess her heart doesn't run out to meet just everybody!), and the narrative faults her for lacking the right sort of personality. Apparently the only acceptable way for her to earn love is to make an effort to be more like Nancy. And Julia desperately wants to be loved.

But there are people who love her unconditionally! She points out that her friend, the daughter of the family she used to live with, always loved her. Mrs. Carey replies, "Then either Gladys has a remarkable gift of loving, or else you are a different Julia in her company [...]"

Ouch.

She then proceeds to accuse Julia of committing "the sin of causing your brother to stumble" by provoking her cousins' annoyance. Kathleen, though, doesn't agree and apologizes again. And Julia takes pity on her, shows some affection, and they make up.

From here, Julia is on the road to character development, and Mrs. Carey gets all the credit for it. And sure, Julia has learned that she needs to be more helpful and less critical, but she has also learned that love is earned and that her family will only accept her if she toes a certain line. Is this really any different from her previous efforts of performing perfection?

And anyway, it bothers me that the narrative is so merciless to her. Yes, she's got major issues that she needs to grow past. But is being a girl exhibiting the results of a problematic upbringing enough cause for the level of vitriol that she is given? Couldn't there have been a more effective way to prompt her character development than for a family member whom she respects to tell her she's unlovable? Wiggin's narrative extends compassion to the flaws of characters like Nancy but withholds it from others (not just Julia). Why? Why are some people more deserving of understanding? Because they're the main character?

And that's never really struck me before, I've always read this book at face value, but somehow today I ended up with emotions about Julia Carey. Who knew. If you've got this far, thank you for coming to my Rant.

[sternenteile]

★ @ghostbustingreen​ asked:  🍵Pour one out for Geno, Nikki

OH DREAMY  THE CANS OF BEES YOU’VE JUST OPENED. LET’S-A FUCKING GO. i’mma put this under a read more because i’m aware that i’ll probably be getting really fucking vile here. y’all been warned.

holy shit, let me just say how STUPID some people are for thinking that people who like geno have CLEARLY never played super mario rpg because if they did, they WOULDN’T like geno because THEY THEMSELVES DON’T. they often like to compare sales and say that smrpg was a ‘flop’ that few people liked, on top of the fact that their opinions make them so blinded by bias that they can’t fathom other takes.

let me break down how fucking brain-dead this take is and why it makes me want to get these dumbasses brain transplants, STAT. put them on the front of the brain transplant waiting list, because they DESPERATELY need them.

first of fucking all, bitch, your experience with smrpg is not everyone else’s. just because someone’s favorite character is geno DOES NOT MEAN THEY DIDN’T PLAY THE GAME. there are so many other lovable characters in smrpg (mallow, jonathan jones, booster, valentina, smithy, jinx, etc), but if someone’s favorite is geno, they SURELY don’t know the other characters and OBVIOUSLY never played the game. LOL SMRPG PLAYS THE GAME FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME HAHA

you know another reason why people make this shit up? because of geno mostly being known for being a smash request. i do agree that this does blow, as i wish people would stop associating geno ONLY with smash and let smrpg fans just appreciate him and his game as a whole, but GOOD FUCKING GOD. guess what? a lot of people heard about geno and therefore smrpg BECAUSE OF THAT. guess what happens when people hear of a game and fall in love with a monumental character from that game? they might, you know... play the game?

B-BUT THE GAME IS SO HARD TO GET! YOU CAN ONLY GET IT ON MODERN SYSTEMS IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE FEW TO OWN A WII U OR AN SNES CLASSIC.

sit your pure christian brainlet ass DOWN, karen, because you underestimate the rampant piracy when it comes to nintendo games. i know that people doing something that may be harmful to your pwecious favowite cowpowation is enough to make you clutch your doterra essential oils or your unwashed dick, but it’s a thing! wow! especially with games like earthbound, super mario rpg, and chrono trigger, snes emulation is extremely common. it’s how most people get to play these games nowadays because of nintendo’s own failure to provide alternate means of play through legal methods. it’s how i got to play super mario rpg all those years ago! through an emulator! yes, i’m a filthy fucking pirate! yo ho ho, bitch, try some fucking grog and sing a fucking shanty with me, because we’re going plundering for nintendo’s tasty treasures.

you know what that means, by the way? the sales for smrpg on the snes DO NOT COUNT AS THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE PLAYED THE GAME. WOW, FUCKING SHOCKING, RIGHT? HOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO GOT IT ON VC? THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SNES CLASSICS? THE PEOPLE WHO PIRATED THE GAME? THERE ARE A BUNCH OF THEM. YOU ACTUAL BUFFOONS. HOW DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT. ARE YOU LIVING THAT FAR INTO YOUR INFESTED UNWASHED ASS THAT U CAN’T REALIZE THAT. LMAOOOOO HOW IS UR IQ GOING BEING IN THE SINGLE DIGITS

oh, but none of that matters, right? people who like geno still never played the game because i said so, therefore they deserve to have people going out of their way to their smrpg fan content, to their social media, and to FUCKING DOXXING PEOPLE because they like a video game character!! death threats? wanting to literally smother, gas, or set fire to people who have a preference for a non-problematic video game character? TOTALLY OKAY! if it was just about morons being morons, i wouldn’t even be this hateful and spiteful, but it’s gone so above and beyond that to the point that these people deserve nothing but having their asscheeks devoured by their local alaskan bullworm. go back to snorting your own fecal matter and getting high off of your own farts, you filthy neckbeards. maybe your lives are the ones who should be re-evaluated as being ‘wastes of oxygen’ if you’re making death threats OVER A VIDEO GAME CHARACTER.

this is why i hate the smash fan base. no, i don’t hate smash fans, obviously. i’m in the rpc and i know a lot of smash fans. i love them dearly. however, the general fan base is a toxic wasteland and a lot of this behavior is either overlooked or normalized. this is the same fan base that allowed grooming of minors to run rampant for so long, after all. this is the same fan base full of mouth-breathers who want nasty art of underage smash fighters and make it by the tons. it’s the same one full of some of the horniest, pathetic turbo-incels i’ve ever seen. the fact that i hate the smash fan base more than HOMESTUCK’S should speak volumes. it’s REVOLTING. leave me the fuck alone, i’m a mario rpg fan and not a part of your fucking fan base. i want nothing to do with y’all, so stop seeking me out just to cry and moan because i like a video game character you don’t like. you fucking freaks.

[harper-emory-writes]

The heart strings (chapter 2)

Pairing: Aragorn x original female character (devon)

Words: 1511

Summary: to be summarised later

Warnings: violence, smut in later chapters, trigger warnings of abuse and flashbacks, mentions of langague and rude female names 

DON’T LIKE IT , DON’T READ IT!

authors notes: another chapter ....

Devon pov 

Her body was in denial; complete and utter denial as she squirmed underneath the stranger who had pinned her to the ground. His breath warm as she felt his lips press against her mouth. Her mind was screaming at her for liking it but the harshness from him made her squirm as she was shielded slightly from the rainstorm. 

Her mouth was soon grabbed again by his lips, the feeling slightly intoxicating as he grabbed her lips. His tongue tried to delve into her mouth as she opened up her mouth slightly, the stranger's tongue delving to explore her mouth as she tried to push him away. Their tongues were battling for dominance as she was trying to escape the ranger’s hold of her, his body still pinning her from above as she grabbed his lower lip with her teeth, the taste of blood seeping from where she bit him. That soon got his lips off hers as she quirked her eyebrow at him her eyes watching his as he muttered some words under his voice. “Little one you would wish you never would have done that.” Her reply was dark and bitter in her tone as she spoke. “I told you I had to get to places why are you keeping me.” His chuckle at her was almost condescending as she watched him before he spoke again. “Then we will get you on your way but what have you done to your eye? It looks sore little one.” Devon flinched slightly at the mention of her eye the large puffed-up bruised area which she could not cover, the reason why she worked most nights at the tavern and sometimes slept there because of everything. Her voice piped up again as she murmured “it’s nothing to worry about.” Her eyes were wary as she watched him again his face switching from one of a predatory wolf to one of worry as he spoke yet again. “What’s your name little one.” Devon was confused how could one moment he could be kissing her with no worry and the next he is asking for her name, things weren't making sense in her brain. Her mouth soon opened as she muttered hoping for the stranger to not hear her name. “My name is Devon.” He gave her another wolfish grin before he spoke, “Devon is a very pretty name for a maiden to get caught up by the wolf.” 

Her eyes watched as the stranger sat up, her eyes wary as she tried to get herself out of the situation she was currently in. Her body was weak from the lack of proper nutrition that she gets at home. Her hair messy-looking as her cheeks were flushed red from the kiss. Her body was not used to the rush of blood that went to her ghostly pale skin. 

Her fingers clenched up as she curtly spoke again. “If you would excuse me I have to go home.” Her mind was trying to tell her to stay but she could not especially with her life going to and from the tavern and back to be a pretty girl in torn rags. Her back soon turned to walk away hoping that the strange man would not follow her. 

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The door creaked opened as a loud shrill scream as devon walked in the door. “You little whore where have you been!” Devon soon cowered as her mother came storming towards her. Devon shrank as she was verbally ranted at by a person who was supposed to love her. “You good for nothing wretch, I wish you just died!” Devon soon walked off as her mind wandered to the strange man who she had met in the woods. Her bruising was obvious in some areas. Especially across her arms and under her lower eye, the bruising made her wince as her arm was grabbed by the woman who treated her like shit. “Don’t you dare walk away from me you little wretch.” Devon’s eyes started watering as she was trying to focus on doing the chores around the house, the job that she had always done ever since she could work at the tavern. 

Devon was exhausted her body was aching and she wanted to sleep as she wandered off to go get the bucket and cloth to clean the floor with.

Aragorn POV 

His body quietly wandered through the forest, following the small girl who he tried to comfort earlier, something was off but he could not judge her on what had happened to create such distrust between a human girl and another. He was curious as he led Brego onto a small mound, his eyes spotting a small house that was lit up from the dark stormy night as he wandered down slightly closer to it. The windows giving him enough of a viewing chamber as he saw Devon being held by another woman, some part of him wanted to burst in and pick her up but he wanted to wait and see what devon would do, she was almost petrified so something had happened previously.

Devon pov 

The smell of blood was noticeable as Devon groaned, her abdomen was torn up again. The wound was a recurring one as she clutched at her stomach, her fingers being soaked from her shirt as she came running out of what once was her home. Her hair was loose as she pulled the knife from the old wound. Her eyes gleaming with unshed tears as she runs off forgetting about the man she left in the woods. Her eyes were flickering from the pain as she ran away from the home she always knew. 

Her arm was soon grabbed as she heard the voice behind her. “Sshhhh little one your ok your ok come on.” Devon just sobbed slightly as he held her face tightly against his chest as she just wanted to dissolve into a hole. The need for closeness was not normal she was shaken as her eyes just watched, her eyes were slightly sunken in from the lack of care she had been given her hair was sparse on from the normal length of other female’s hair. The stranger kept hold of her as she hid into his chest, his cloak protecting her slightly from the rain.

Aragorn pov 

He quietly held her as he muttered hoping she would hear him. “Come on little one let’s get your wound looked at.” She flinched as he spoke to her, his eyes softly looking at her as he wanted to help her. His fist was balled angry that someone would injure their own daughter but he wanted to help her. The worse thing was that anytime his hand moved she flinched because of the obvious sense of being scared when others touched her.

His voice was still subdued as he spoke to her. “Come on little one let’s go home.” Her eyes watched him unsure of whether she should follow him or not, her wound was not easing the bleeding as her hand was covered in blood as he tried to soothe her in the hysterical state she was in. “Shhh, little one let me help you.” Her eyes were calculating his movements as she spoke again. “No no I am fine please just leave me alone.” Her clothing was still damp as she started shivering his arms where she was drenched. Her body which was shivering was getting more noticeable as her skin noticeably paler than normal. Her injury was going to make her pass out at some stage but he did not know when she would suffer from the blood loss of her injury. Her look was like a deer in the headlights, her light-colored eyes were wild as she fled from him again.

Devon pov 

She ran her feet overtaking her as she fled from the stranger, she might have wanted to stay with him but her mind was cautious but her flight instinct was strong. Her foot soon slipped in the claggy mud which littered the forest due to the storm. Her stomach slammed into the ground as she slipped over her body caked in mud from the slip down the slope of the forest. Her eyes slowly fluttered shut as the loss of blood made her pass out.

Aragorn pov  

His eyes were watching from the outer woods, he soon found the distinct mark of a slipped foot as he slowly saw the body of her passed out. He smiled softly as he picked her up slowly walking back up the slope she had passed out from the loss of blood. He looked at her wound, in the light as he knew that she would not be comfortable unless he could treat her wound.

He made sure that nothing was coming in the dark as he proceeded his trek back to the small wooden cabin in which he had made his home for the last couple of days, it was close to Bree as he took the small girl home.

[bigskydreaming]

I’d say the thing about some characters lending themselves better to some stories than others actually can apply to the Batfam as well, and is a sign of how well-developed they actually are. I know I’ve ranted in the past about the tendency to try and fit the Batkids into niches like the smart one and the angry one and all of that, but in terms of story TYPES, I think they do have certain niche-like feels that mean some of them are better suited to certain GENRES of story than others.

For instance....I didn’t love Grayson, but that was more due to the overshadowing circumstances and the fact that I just think King and his writing suck. A lot. But the basic premise was not at all out of Dick’s wheelhouse. He IS well predisposed to kinda globe-trotting, spy versus spy, switching disguises like they’re outfits, making the most out of his ability to make friends everywhere he goes and turn enemies into allies.....those types of stories. Not saying these should be his only stories, by any means, or that he can’t center in all kinds of other types of stories, but I’m just saying, these kinds of stories do have more of a Dick Grayson feel than they do various other Batkids.

Similarly, Jason is better suited to gothic horror types of stories than the others, just in general. His history with the Lazarus Pit, his general disposition, his THEMES, like....they speak to the same kind of aims and tones that gothic horror both births from and embodies.

This might just be me, but to me, Tim is best suited to kinda oddball, off the wall sorta stories, and that’s part of why I’m so meh on him just being shelved into the uber-genius, mini-Bruce, heir to the best detective mantle kinda thing. I’ve spoken before about how much I miss 90s Tim, but to me, Tim was always at his best, and at his best-defined, most feeling like uniquely HIM, when he was playing the underdog. When he was just this well-intentioned kid who plunged into this world that was so much larger than viewing it through his camera lens had prepared him for, but he had spunk and determination and he wasn’t about to back down or let anyone think he was in over his head so he was gonna make it through whatever the superhero life threw at him even if flying by the seat of his pants the whole way. So to that end, I mean, I think Tim is at his best when just dealing with totally WTF kinds of stories. The cross-dimensional capers, the time travel mishaps, the ‘great, I was abducted by aliens on my lunch break and now apparently I have to save planet FUBAR with nothing but my pocket knife and scathing dry wit.’

I would fucking kill for Cass at the center of noir type stories where its like, idk, the Maltese Falcon and she’s the jaded but still optimistic-at-her-core PI when trouble walks into her derelict office wrapped up in an eggplant shawl and the name Stephanie. Maybe its just that I don’t think there’s enough focus on the fact that Cass is SMART and she’s as much a detective as any of the family, does plenty of investigative work and if she’s heir to the cowl she’d be just as good at the mystery side of things as Bruce is, but just......noir stories just FEEL like dappled shadows and eerie shades of blue and black with hints of moonlight spilling through slatted blinds and all of that just screams Cass to me, faint notes of jazz in the background, a wry smile on her lips as she plays her informant like a fiddle when chasing down clues.

Duke is another globe-trotter in feel to me, like his backstory and his family and his stories with the Outsiders, like, I really want to see Duke on more superhero teams than just the Outsiders now that that’s over, because he’s better suited to stories not confined just to Gotham, I think? Like, Duke fits the conspiracy theory chasing niche to me, like, his character really comes to life when pursuing leads all across the world, digging into his past, his family’s past, seeing how it all connects to various mysteries of the DC Earth that are generations old but still affect the present....like I don’t know how many people have read Planetary, but that to me is a PERFECT fit for Duke, and I would love to see him with his own Planetary style team or even just part of one.

Damian is best suited to coming of age stories, which sounds vague, but the thing is, it really is its own genre. So much of Damian’s character, the best parts I think, are about Damian FINDING himself, DEFINING himself......he more than any of the others, debuted so clearly defined by his origins, his parents, who he was CREATED to be.....and so he more than anyone else is perfectly poised to star in stories that are all about him breaking away from that mold, from parental expectations or preplanned destinies, or even just searching for things to define him on his own terms rather than through the eyes of others. Stories that are about choosing your own path, making a self-realization or having an epiphany about who you truly are or what you want to do with your life....that to me, is Damian’s best niche. Again, doesn’t mean that other characters can’t be great in these kinds of stories as well, just that if I’m pairing one character to one genre they lean into best, this is what’s that for Damian, IMO.

Steph is a bit of an oddball for me, and I don’t quite know how to describe this, but she’s best suited IMO to those kinds of stories that like......there’s not really a specific NAME for this type, but you know them when you see them. The best comparison I can think to make is like.....the kinds of stories Harley Quinn stars in? To be clear, I’m not drawing parallels between Steph or Harley or saying they’re the same kind of character at ALL, I’m just saying like.....Harley is another character who overall is very hard to pin down in specific concrete terms, but nevertheless is centered in various stories and adaptations that are nevertheless very clearly HER.....and that’s the kind of thing I picture for Steph. She fits that niche that isn’t really a niche for anyone BUT her, because nobody else can summon that type of feel for it......the kind of story that you can’t switch anybody else in for her because the story only works with her specific kinda....energy. Bleh. I really wish I could describe it better, like its very clear in my brain, but its a story that’s more of a kind of FEEL than it is a specific description? If that makes sense like at all? LOLOL. Whatevs.

And Babs, like, I would love love love to see her centered in a proper cyberthriller. I mean, they’ve done stories kinda like that with her as Oracle, but not to the extent I’m thinking. I mean just full on cyberpunk dialed up to 11. Give me Babs enlisted by the JLA because Brainiac is loose in the internet and she has to go into cyberspace utilizing different avatars of herself and calling in allies as needed as she relentlessly hunts a villain through landscapes of data she maps and molds and turns into traps. Babs hyper-fixating on her task, her hunt, to the degree that she has to be reminded to pull herself out at times and take care of her physical needs, has people grounding her so she doesn’t get lost in cyberspace and the lure of it all, this place that’s her domain and where she shines the brightest. And so it balances that razor edge that makes for the best cyberthrillers IMO. The ones where all the possibilities of the future as embodied in technology and cyberspace are balanced with the necessity of remaining human, of being human and with roots and history embedded outside of it, in the real world. And with there being a clear juxtaposition between the two even as the protagonist goes back and forth between the two extremes of their existence, the physical and the ephemeral.

Anyway. Like I said, you can mix and match and its not like Dick can’t star in gothic horror and Jason can’t do off-the-wall dimensional hijinks or noir detective stories and Tim and Cass can’t do coming of age, etc.....its just in terms of what I was talking about, how some characters lend themselves MORE easily to certain kinds of stories than others.....this is how I perceive the various Batkids.

[obscureoperations]

#8 for the prompt thingy

<3

Dude... first off, I'm sorry it took so long. I just really didn't know where to go with this prompt. I stuck to the basics, y/n (reader) finding out about his sickness. Self indulgent angst ensues.

For the longest, you had convinced yourself that it wasn’t him. There was no possible way he could be The Count. You had been tuning into that old radio station for years, Monday through Thursday at nine pm sharp. For the longest, you didn't connect the dots, the stranger’s voice was so much deeper than Martin’s. Though they did share the same odd way of speaking. Cryptic at times--and at others exceedingly blunt. At one point, you had to admit, you had a small crush on the anonymous caller-- you always had a thing for the macabre and bizarre. He explained his crimes in a way that was akin to reading lines from a textbook.

The young man was sick-- that much was clear, but you felt somewhat sympathetic towards his predicament. His thirst for blood was most likely a medical condition. No one in his family cared enough to get him any help. And then there was the loneliness--being othered by everyone around him. Sometimes, you could clearly hear the sorrow in his voice, still mourning the loss of a proper upbringing. You often wondered what he looked like. Was he some scrawny kid living in his parent’s attic? At times, his voice didn’t sound natural.. As though he was intentionally masking his tone.

He became your instant crush. That one hidden desire that no one needed to know about. The long and stagnant work days seemed to drift by--with the slight hope that the Count would call in that night. At one point,you were clearly becoming a bit overly invested...you needed a distraction. As always--your wishes were granted. The distraction came in the form of one beautiful boy

~~

When you first met Martin, he seemed to be too good to be true-- he had a quiet sort of way of invading your thoughts. The moment you spotted him behind the counter in Cuda’s shop, you couldn’t understand why his face looked so familiar. There was a far away sort of look in his eyes as he stared off in the direction of the windows. He looked, somewhat out of place-- almost as though he belonged to another time. His skin was luminescent under the sunlight.

You felt as though you had just been punched the moment your eyes met. He looked just as startled, all color seemed to drain from his face-- he regarded you with the most curious expression.

Your relationship was almost effortless, it all started with you visiting him at the shop. Did you really need a can of coke every day around noon? Apparently you did. He seemed to catch on quickly enough, he was no longer as flustered whenever you’d arrive. He even went out of his way to make polite conversation, stepping away from the counter as soon as the lines cleared.

It was pretty silly in your opinion, why were you so drawn to this kid? A month ago, you didn’t even know he existed-- and now you were left figuring out ways just to see him.

He told you his schedule, the time he usually went on break--what time he usually got off. “Just in case… I like talking to you y/n.” The two of you were pretty much inseparable.

~

“P-please don’t leave.” His voice was barely a whisper. He sat crouched down in the far corner of your room. Close to the window, he seemed to like surprising you in that way-- the look on your face when you let him in very nearly broke him. You had been crying, that much was clear. The moment he asked you what was wrong, you flinched away. You didn’t want him to touch you. Had he done something wrong? “Y/n What did I do?.. why are you crying?”

He had truly screwed up, why couldn’t he just leave well enough alone? He hadn't called in to the station in months. Since being with you, he didn’t need to. He finally had someone to talk to. The crushing loneliness quelled by the sound of your voice. The assurance that you actually saw him. You entered his life like a dream-- you were the person he had been searching for. He was sure of it! Even your face looked so familiar--he would catch glimpses in the midst of his dreams.

But now, he had messed it all up. He just wanted to check in. Assure his ‘followers’ that he was still alive, and at this point actually happy. In his most recent call he had disclosed that he met someone--the best person in the world. Obnoxious sounds of broken glass streamed over the airwaves “Ya hear that? I’m sorry ladies--but the Count is officially taken!”

You had felt a slight flicker of disappointment, but it was more so fueled by nostalgia. If you didn’t have Martin, you might be a bit more upset-- but you were glad that the caller was coming out of his shell. They might convince him to get help! The more and more he spoke about the union, things began to fall in place. He mentioned everything from the way they would laugh-- to the way that he wished they would finally quit their job. “It just leaves them so tired and overwhelmed.. I-I just want them happy-- and with me all the time.”

You were just ranting about your job the other day. Martin… Please say that it’s not you.

~

“Don’t leave? Martin,“You broke me! You ruined everything we had and- for what?”

He was sobbing, knees buried against his chest, as you try to explicitly explain why everything in your relationship was wrong.

Why couldn’t he just tell you?! He could tell you just about anything..right? Why leave you so afraid for his well being every night. You would have loved him through anything. Sickness, doubt and old age, But he was somehow still insecure. He still felt the need to hide this part of himself-- you knew all about his addictions. You had yours as well.

Your mind was reeling--- you really wanted to crawl over and wrap your arms around him. He looked so small huddled against your windowsill, fingers lightly covering his ears. Gently rocking himself back and forwards, muttering breath his breath-- “I should have said something… y/n. J-Please don’t leave…”

So this was him. You actually Had the Count. In a way, your prayers had been answered. He cared for you enough to keep this part of himself hidden for so long. Perhaps you overreacted--but you really just needed Martin to trust you.

You tried your best to still yourself, absentmindedly wiping at the corners of your eyes. Out of all things, you weren't going to cry. At least, not in front of him. His tears were enough. You wanted to forgive him,you really did. It didn’t sit right in your soul, to be angry with him. It was much like the nights that he would disappear,without any reasonable explanation.

Your fingers card through his hair, as your irritation continues to rise.Dampness soaks into the fabric of your jeans-- at one point you want to physically pry him away from you.

“Why should I care about your tears, when you clearly don’t care about mine?!”

He seems almost startled for a moment, as he blinks. His expression alone continues to tug at your heart strings.

“Y/n.. I care… so much. I love you.”

There it goes again

“Where? I can’t see it. I can’t touch it! Martin...where is your love?”

He remains immobile for a moment as another wave of sobs wracks through his slight frame. He clutches his knees to his chest, fingers digging into the cuffs of his jeans--

You didn’t expect an answer. You didn't have the answer. You just wanted him out of your sight.

“The trees…” He mumbles..almost incoherently.. “Y-you can feel it in the trees. a--and in the sunlight….that’s when you love me too.. Right?”

And you did.. Unfortunately so. You nod briefly as you reach for your overnight bag.

“And in the breeze? You think of me then?”

He looked so small, crouched down in the corner of your room with tear stained cheeks.

If it was anyone else, it would have been so easy to cut them loose. But this was Martin. 

“Darling, I need you to talk to me.”

[wreath-of-laurels]

Todoroki/Iida - Iida becomes a villain

So @doomsdaybeamxd​ prompted me with

Pairing: Todoiida AU: Iida falls in with the villains. Big Angst Time

I’d normally write a mini fic as is proper but my brain has too many ideas for this. So here’s a general idea of how I think it goes as if I actually tried to write a tiny bit, it wouldn’t stay a tiny bit. 

As it is, I’m writing at least some of this in Variations on a Theme. How much I’ll do, I don’t know.

Childhood friends

Shouto and Tenya met shortly after Rei was put in the mental hospital.

This happened because Enji was feeling guilty over Rei and seeing Shouto being lonely so was for once in his life was trying to be a semi-decent father and decided to arrange regular playdates.

No, Enji never considered to let Natsuo or Fuyumi play with Shouto. If he thought about it, he'd have reasons but they'd all suck.

Shouto was lonely and so was Tenya as he got bullied for being ‘weird’ and bit by bit they established a friendship.

There may or may not be mutual puppy crushes involved.

Enji after gaining a +1 in parenting points, loses 10,000 by saying that Tenya is the sort of good, loyal son that he’d be proud of, and accidentally implying that Tenya is there to change Shouto into a version of him.

This makes Shouto hate Tenya, assuming that he was in on it, and he refuses to spend anymore time with him. This upsets Tenya and baffles Enji. Enji doesn’t even consider the possibility that it was his fault.

Years pass.

They meet again at UA

Years past and Tenya is really looking forward to seeing Shouto again. Elementary and middle school were not fun and he got bullied a lot. Surely Shouto has forgiven him for whatever he did!

Nope. 

If anything Shouto’s angrier as he still has feelings for Tenya and he wants them gone. Shouto won’t even tell him why they’re no longer friends. Just that it’s Tenya’s fault.

The sports festival goes about the same as before except that Tenya gets the call about Tensei just before his fight with Shouto. 

Stain killed Tensei instead of crippled. His mother lets this drop on the phone.

Tenya instead of going home seeks out Shouto. Shouto’s older brother died. While he never talked about it, surely Shouto knows what it is like, maybe even knows how to cope.

Endeavor has just been blabbing away at Shouto. So Shouto is angry and totally avoids looking at Tenya or paying much attention at all, missing all the absolute BLATANT hints that Tenya needs help.

Shouto misconstrues Tenya’s disjointed ask for help and bitterly says that the normal thing is that the weak are ‘thrown out’ and the strong survive. Shouto has no clue that Tensei is dead. 

Whoops.

Tenya and Shouto have their match because the teachers haven’t heard about Tensei yet. It is a lot more brutal than the canon one. Shouto even loses himself for a while and uses his flame.

Tenya loses. Now he’s angry at Shouto too.

Shouto later has the chat with Midoriya, they have their match and Shouto starts thinking over things.

The next day Tenya refuses to talk about anything. None of the students have a clue what happened to Tensei.

The teachers do. Aizawa, Mic and Midnight went to school with Tensei. They try to be comforting. Tenya is super polite while raging inside that when Oboro died and Tensei was upset, they weren’t around. 

To be fair to the teachers, while Oboro and Tensei were close friends, Tensei wasn’t with the rest of them. Everyone was trying to keep Aizawa from falling apart at the time.

Tenya is NOT in his happy place.

Tenya goes after Stain

Tenya is a whole lot less patient at this point than his canon self. He doesn’t wait to go after Stain at this point. As his armour is at school, he uses his brother’s access cards and such to steal Villain stuff from his agency.

The one-on-one battle of Tenya against Stain goes initially better. He gets a few good hits in. Stain is ranting about Tensei was a fake hero. He eventually takes Tenya down but fail-safes in the villain gear kick in and electrocute Stain.

When Tenya gets a hold of himself, Stain is ranting about all the Iidas being false heroes that need to be cleansed. 

Tenya does not take this well.

At all.

And he has one of Stain’s knives.

Tenya finds himself wondering why his clothes are soaking wet. And red.

He then notices a few things (a) Stain is dead, probably has been for a while, (b) there’s a hero in the alley who apparently Stain attacked before Tenya showed up, (c) the hero is dead because they bled out, just like Tensei did, because Tenya was obsessed with killing Stain and (d) his parents and Aizawa have tracked him down and are watching in absolute shock.

Tenya runs. Aizawa recovers first and erases his Quirk, but Tenya runs all the time and even without it he is very, very fast. By the time, the Iida parents recover, Tenya has apparently disappeared into thin air.

This is because he kind of has. The League thought Tenya was Stain and Kurogiri warped him out of there.

Shouto finds out

Over at the Todoroki house, Fuyumi asks about how Tenya is doing, what with the death of his older brother. 

Shouto didn’t know but rolls his eyes. Though after some thought and after learning from Midoriya, it occurs to him that perhaps Endeavor doesn’t own Tenya. So maybe his actions had nothing to do with what Enji wanted.

 Also if there’s one thing he knows about Tenya is his older brother is his world.

And that expression on Tenya’s face during their match looked a lot like the nastier ones that Shouto himself has worn.

Shouto still has Tenya’s number from childhood and vice versa. He considered deleting it but at the time he was using it to remember just how much he hated Endeavor.

Tenya apparently sent some angry messages. 

“Oh no.”

Tenya is with the League

Tenya is so exhausted and upset about what he did and what his parents saw that he’s oddly accepting of being trussed up.

Tomura after some initial ranting about killing the kid who ruined the USJ (even though he didn’t), listens to the news, some police and hero chatter then puts his thinking cap on. 

Hero kid killed Stain. He is oh-so miserable about Stain being killed. I mean look at all the tears on his face . . . Good riddance.

Hero kid killed Stain when he was already out of the fight. Then kept on standing for the lolz. Nice. This could be interesting and Sensei is apparently all for it.

As Tenya is pretty much a Sim with its free will setting off at this point, Tomura instructs him through things, plants some ideas in his head and basically treats him like a very dumb pet. 

Not much happens until Stain’s diary is published and copycats start showing up. Tenya starts to wake up at this and it is not pleasant (though Tomura loves it).

Tomura pretty much points some out and lets Tenya loose and eventually Tenya comes back with a sword.

RIP Spinner.

Awwww... Tomura always wanted a little brother. 

Well, no he didn’t, but now he does.

Shouto and His Newly Reinvigorated Guilt Complex

Everyone is freaking out, trying to track down Tenya.

While they acknowledge that Tenya killed Stain, Shouto’s the only one who thinks that the Hero Killer Killer is the one responsible for killing an increasing number of Stain followers. The Iidas can’t believe that of their little boy, the teachers are letting their guilt taint their opinions and Midoriya and Uraraka are, at the end of the day, idealists.

Shouto knows what it is like to have your hatred of someone turn your life into a tunnel vision. If his father had killed his mother, Shouto has a very good idea of what would happen. 

As it was, Shouto seriously considered killing his father when he was younger. At the time, he only didn’t try to do it because it would hurt Fuyumi and he has a very hard time picturing Endeavor being able to die.

He honestly didn’t take into account that his mother wouldn’t want him to be a killer. 

He still doesn’t take that into account because Shouto, the idiot, hasn’t visited his mother because of everything that has happened. The guilt of not helping Tenya makes him ashamed and he doesn’t think he’s worthy of her. 

Shouto, you complete and utter idiot.

So he’s collecting (stealing) money from home, dyes his hair black and is going undercover to try to track Tenya down.

He’s really bad at the undercover bit (rich kid clothes) and his scar is very distinctive. Plus UA and Endeavor are tearing up the landscape to find him and he doesn’t have a magic portal man to transport him.

He’s all set to get caught when a mysterious burned man offers to show him the ways of the underworld for a price.

From here on?

I really don’t know but I don’t see the internship or summer camp arcs going the same way, if they happen at all.

[21st-centuryliability]

You’re My Sunshine || Ben Hardy X Reader - Chapter 5 - Part 1

A/N: I finally got this damn chapter done!!

Warnings: Mostly just fluff, some angry and protective Ben and angry Roger 👀

It was back to the daily grind, Ben was already gone when you woke up and there was already a coffee order text waiting for you on your phone. As much as you didn’t want to move from your bed you were interested to see just how hungover Joe was. Messy bun and minimal make up, you threw on some clothes, put some food and fresh water down for Frankie and headed out to the nearest Starbucks. Making your usual ‘hot coffees coming through’ dash across set you found the boys. Some looking more worse for wear than others.

“You really need to not drink so much on work nights!” Ben teased Joe as he hid his face and groaned.

“No nooo you’ll smudge your make up” The frustrated make up artist faffed over Joe.

“Good morning guys!” You smiled, laughing slightly at Joes suffering “Hanging are we Joe?”

“Did you get my coffee?” Joe grumbled.

“Right here” You laughed as you handed him the cup, a smile forming on his face as he perked up a little as he caught a smell of the dark beans.

“You’re a lifesaver, I actually love you” Joe was in bliss with his coffee.

“Hey easy tiger, she’s spoken for remember?” Ben grinned at you as he wrapped him around you, grabbing his drink from the tray with the other.

“As a friend, Jesus!” Joe groaned.

“Ouch!” You smiled as Ben placed a kiss to your temple.

“How’s your morning been?” Ben asked.

“Better than Joes by the looks of it” You taunted Joe some more as Ben chuckled.

“You can cut it out now” Joe moaned some more already mostly done with his coffee.

“Could’ve said the same to you last night” Gwil walked over as he joined in on winding Joe up.

“Ha ha very funny” Joe rolled his eyes.

“Don’t turn up to work with a hangover if you don’t want the piss taken out of you” You heard Rogers voice from behind you.

“What Roger said!” Ben agreed with your Uncle, trying to be in his good books even though he most definitely wasn’t.

As Roger said himself, just because he allows your relationship with Ben doesn’t mean he has to like it which was clearly shown by him nudging Bens arm from around your shoulders as he walked past you both. Although it didn’t take Ben long to put his arm back where it rightly belongs. You had countless ‘talks’ and heated discussions with Roger about Ben but he wouldn’t budge, adamant that things would go wrong and Ben would hurt you even though you knew better than anyone that Ben wouldn’t hurt a fly and would never even consider hurting you.

“I’ll talk sense into him eventually, don’t worry” Brian smiled at the pair of you as he followed after Roger, the two of them definitely fulfilled the role of good cop bad cop.

Even on the night you were caught by your uncle, Brian was immediately on your side. After all someone had to stop the wave of red that took over Rogers face. After delivering the coffees you made your way over to Bens trailer, he had given you the spare key when he realized that your ‘office’ was the canteen and he wanted you to have somewhere more comfortable to work not to mention that it meant you would already be in his trailer waiting for him between scenes. Looking round the trailer you couldn’t help but flashback to the night in question.

***

You repeatedly looked at your phone hoping it was a little closer to Ben’s break. After spending the last few hours wading through emails and sorting out potential promo opportunities you wanted nothing more than to spend a little time alone with Ben. Slowly packing up the mess of paper and empty cups from the make shift desk you had made you eagerly awaited the familiar knock on the trailer door. Just as you made yourself comfy on the sofa it was there, the gentle tap tap from Ben.

“Hey how wa-“ before you could finish your sentence Bens hands found your waist as he gently pushed you inside, kissing you passionately almost knocking you over as he engulfed you in his embrace.

“I’ve been waiting all day to do that” Ben chuckled as he let his nose and forehead rest gently against yours.

“I can tell” You smiled as you wrapped your arms round Ben’s shoulders.

“So are we watching a movie then?” Ben asked before placing a soft peck upon your lips before pulling away to get ready to settle down.

“It’s your turn to choose remember” You replied as you watched Ben intently.

Watching movies in the breaks between filming had become a routine for the two of you or make shift dates as you both would say. After all there wasn’t much time for proper dates and the relationship was still very much secret ...well secret from Roger and Brian that is.

You watched Ben as he pushed his messy blonde hair out of his face before removing his T-shirt making it difficult for you to concentrate on the popcorn you were trying to pour into a bowl. Ben chuckled as he caught you trying to cover up the mess you had made, holding your hips and placing a gentle kiss on your cheek. Before Ben made himself comfy he grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and wrapped it round himself. As you placed the popcorn and usual movie snacks on the coffee table Ben had draped the blanket round his shoulders, tapping his chest for you join him. Taking off the jumper you had been wearing all day leaving you in just a cami top, you pressed play on the laptop that sat on the cabinet at the end of the sofa before you took your place between Ben’s legs leaning back against his bare chest. Ben was a sucker for skin to skin contact but in a sweet innocent way, he loved the way your skin felt against his as you relaxed into him. Ben gently placed an earphone in your ear, you didn’t want the sound of the movie to attract unwanted guests, before softly kissing your temple and wrapping his arms around you with the blanket, the blanket that Ben had brought from his flat specifically for such events.

“Are you comfy?” Ben spoke softly into your earphone free ear, his nose gently brushing the side of your face.

“Of course” You smiled up at the hazel eyes that watched over you with absolute adoration, your fingertips tracing patterns on Ben’s chest.

“Just checking” Ben chuckled as his arms tightened around you bringing you as physically close to him as he could, the both of you letting out a sigh as you both became fully relaxed against each other.

It wasn’t until you were just over half way through the movie that the two of you heard muffled voices outside, Ben jumping to pause the movie even though you had earphones specifically so people outside couldn’t hear it.

“What do you mean Y/N is in Ben’s trailer?” The voice became all too familiar.

“They’re always in there together...” Joe accidentally let slip.

“Thank mate” Ben sighed quietly as he whispered.

“Oh crap” You panicked as the voices got closer, pretty much outside the door.

“I’m sure it’s nothing Rog” Brian tried to calm him down followed by Roger almost banging the door down.

“Shit!” Ben froze around you.

“You locked the door right?” You looked up at Ben.

“OPEN UP!” Roger banged his fist on the door.

“Rog, calm down” Brian tried again just as Roger twisted the door handle to find it unlocked, sending the door flying open.

“Erm...” You stuttered as you and Ben remained still on the sofa still wrapped up in the blanket.

“Oh my god” Rogers voice dropped a little as he was faced with his niece snuggled up with one of the boys he specifically told you not to get involved with.

“I can explain” You tried to stand up for yourself but Ben wasn’t about to let you fight this alone.

“...no we can explain” Ben desperately tried not to look Roger in the eye as the drummers temper was visibly rising.

“Oh god you better be clothed under that blanket!” Roger looked away as Ben tightened the blanket around the two of you.

“What do you want uncle Rog?” You sighed.

“What did I tell you?” Roger growled.

“Look we didn’t mean for this to happen” You replied somewhat calmly.

“It just did” Ben spoke softly after you, tightening his arms around you.

“How long has this been going on for?” Roger asked as he took a deep breath as both you and Ben looked at each other before looking back at him.

“Roger, before you kick off...” You tried to explain but before you could get any further Roger cut you off.

“But nothing, I told you not to get involved with any of the guys” Roger replied with anger in his voice.

“I know but...” You tried to speak again.

“You know if this goes public all hell will break loose, fans will go crazy, the paps will follow you everywhere and stick their noses into everything” Roger began to rant “You’ll get worn down and your heart broken and when that happens don’t come crying to me!”

“What are you trying to say?” Ben stood up as you followed behind him.

“This will just end badly and he’ll break your heart Y/N!” Roger finally came out with it, groaning as Ben stood next to you topless “Ben put a shirt on!”

“Ok I think we all need to take a moment to breathe and come back to this when we’re all a bit calmer” Brian tried to calm the tempers that were rising as Joe flung Ben his hoodie that was lying about.

“I would never hurt Y/N!” Ben exclaimed, sounding a little hurt by Rogers claims “She means the absolute world to me!”

“Everyone knows if you mess with Y/N you mess with Ben” Joe finally chipped in, instead of standing there in awkward silence.

“You knew? Who else knew?” Roger looked straight at Brian.

“I didn’t know, I just figured it out for myself” Brian gave the two of you a reassuring smile, you knew if anyone could talk your Uncle Roger down and make him see sense it was Brian.

“We only told the boys and Lucy” Ben smiled down at you sweetly as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

“Oh god” Roger acted as if he was disgusted by the subtle display of affection Ben had shown towards you.

“They were gonna figure it out anyway” You sighed as Roger’s face grew redder and redder.

“AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO TELL ME?” Roger finally broke as Ben stood in front of you almost in instinct to protect you.

“I know you’re angry and upset right now and you’re just looking out for your niece but I promise you I would never ever hurt Y/N, this happened because I saw something in her that I’ve never seen in anyone else. I know this will probably sound cheesy and a little cringey but I fell inlove with Y/N the moment I met her” Ben spoke softly and emotionally “I know there’s the whole no relationships at work thing but we’ll keep our relationship outside of work ...all though that will be hard”

Ben looked at you as he finished that sentence, making you laugh a little and earning a groan from Roger.

“Ok I think we should go get a coffee ...or maybe a shot of vodka... and calm down before talking anymore” Brian hinted at Roger as he guided him out of the trailer by his shoulders “Come on Joe!”

“Meeting in the canteen in 20 minutes” Roger grumbled as he left the trailer, followed by Brian and Joe shutting the door behind him.

“Well that could’ve gone better” You sighed as Ben wrapped his arms around your shoulders from behind.

“Ah I’m sure he’ll be fine in a little while, Brian will get through to him” Ben spoke softly in your ear as you gently placed your hands on his arm as he nuzzled his nose into your shoulder before placing delicate kiss.

“You were really sweet by the way” You smiled as you turned to face him.

“Hmm?” Ben was too distracted in you, tucking your hair behind your ears as he held your face in his hands.

“What you said earlier to Roger” You reminded him as Ben let his nose rest against yours “It was really sweet”

“Well it’s true, I’ve loved you since I first saw you Y/N” Ben spoke softly as he brought you into a sweet but passionate kiss.

“I love you too Ben” You looked up at the hazel eyes above you “Always”

“Here put this on!” Ben smiled as he took his hoodie off and handed it to you before grabbing his T-shirt from earlier on.

“Roger will notice that this is yours, you know that right?” You raised your eyebrow at your sweet but mischievous boyfriend.

“That’s the point babe” Ben winked at you as he went to pick up both yours and his shoes by the door.

You shook your head at Ben as he handed you your shoes with a huge grin, knowing that the road ahead was going to be bumpy, you knew Roger wasn’t going to accept Ben happily and Ben wasn’t going to make it easy.

“Are you ready?” Ben asked, holding the trailer door open.

“Let’s just get this over with” You sighed as you walked past Ben and out of the trailer.

“I’m sure it will be fine” Ben replied calmly as he locked the door.

“You’ve met my uncle right?” You groaned as you started walking.

“Well...” Ben made you jump as he snuck up behind you, wrapping his arms around you waist and swaying you gently “He’ll have to deal with it”

“Do I have to remind you about I’m in love with my car?” You looked up at Ben as he chuckled.

“Well he’ll be hiding in a cupboard for a long time, I’m not going anywhere” Ben’s husky voice in your ear made you melt like butter as he held you a little tighter, gently pressing a kiss to your temple.

As the two of made your way to the canteen, preparing yourself for the bollocking you were about to receive, Ben entwined his hand with yours running his thumb across the back of your hand calming you down. Despite playing your hotheaded uncle in the movie Ben was much more level headed and not a lot could bother him.

Ben walked infront, still holding your hand as you walked over to your friends, most of them a little confused as to what was happening, except Joe.

“There’s the lovebirds” Gwil smiled as you both sat down.

“Anyone know what this meeting is about?” Lucy asked as Joe and Rami sat down with a tray of coffees.

“What are we talking about?” Rami asked as he made himself comfy next to Lucy.

“The meeting? What’s going on?” Lucy asked again.

“Oh that, Ben and Y/N were caught” Joe blurted out as Rami choked a little on his coffee, you kept your eyes on the table while Ben rolled his eyes at Joe.

“Ooh” Gwil grimaced “Should I ask more?”

“Can we just leave it...” before Ben could finish Joe jumped in.

“They were having one of their make do movie dates and Ben was topless” Joe let it all out.

“Joe!!” Ben was beginning to lose his patience with Joe and if they weren’t such good friends Ben would’ve had him already.

“Sorry but they’re gonna find out anyway” Joe held his hands up.

“That’s not the point though” Ben grumbled, clearly not wanting to be in the situation he was currently in.

“Hey it’ll be ok” You spoke softly to Ben as you ran your thumb gently across the back of his hand for reassurance.

“It’s good that Roger knows now right?” Lucy pondered.

“Well he didn’t seem too pleased and the fact he called this meeting says he’s not happy about it” You sighed as Ben looked at you with a little sadness in his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t like it, I’m not letting you go” Ben smiled sweetly as he kissed the back of your hand earning a not so subtle grumble from Joe “Don’t you start!”

“Ben leave him, it’s ok” You tried to calm him but Joe was only about to aggravate him more.

“It’s his fault this is happening anyway” Ben furrowed his brow at Joe.

“Wait what?” Gwil asked confused.

“Ben we knew this was going to happen eventually, you can’t blame Joe for that, yeah he may have blabbed a little but we’re the ones sneaking around remember?” You tried to talk sense into Ben, that this was inevitable and waiting to happen and had nothing to do with Joe “This is something we just have to face”

“I’m sorry for blabbing though” Joe apologized to keep the peace.

“Sorry for losing my temper with you” Ben gave the apology back.

“Hey wasn’t that the hoodie you were wearing earlier?” Joe asked receiving a piercing look from Ben “Alright ok I’ll shut up”

Just as the tension between Ben and Joe had resolved Roger came bounding in followed by Brian.

“Right you probably all know what this is about so I’m just gonna remind you of the no relationships at work policy” Roger grumbled as he sat down.

“You mean the one that only applies to Y/N and I?” Ben mumbled under his breath.

“Ben don’t” You spoke quietly.

“It applies to all of you” Roger stared Ben down.

“Really? Gwil was already in a relationship, Rami and Lucy don’t seem to be a problem and god knows Joe isn’t getting a girlfriend anytime soon” Bens anger came out full force.

“Ok ow” Joe screwed nose up.

“Rami and Lucy are different” Roger tried to explain.

“What, because they’re both cast members?” Ben snapped back as Roger remained speechless “It is isn’t?”

“You’re lucky Y/N is my niece” Roger started to snap back.

[rhub4rb]

Of Birds and Bugs

AO3

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7

-_-_-_-

Marinette hadn't gone to school for the rest of the week. Her parents had heard her breakdown, and decided that a small mental health break would be good for their stressed-out daughter.

Marinette ended up having a long conversation with Kim, Alix, and Max about... everything. From her damned agreement with Adrien years ago, to how her career as NeTi actually started.

Then Adrien had arrived a little later, Marinette not doubting for a second that he had kept an eye out for when the trio left.

Marinette, after all of her training with Master Fu, could sense the miraculous close to her. That, mixed with the amount of time she spent around Chat both in and out of the costume, helped Marinette figure out that Chat Noir was Adrien.

So, Marinette had felt the ring around close by sometime after the trio had first arrived in her room, and her suspicions of him spying were confirmed when, around ten minutes after they had left, Adrien showed up at the door.

"We need to talk."

His brows had been furrowed, he had been fiddling with his ring.

They went up to her room, neither of them looking at the other. Once they were up and the door was closed, Adrien let out a sigh.

"Look Marinette- we can't have Alix or Kim out Lila," He looked at her so pleadingly, and her chest tightened.

"You said it yourself Adrien, her lies would expose herself when the time came," Marinette tried to keep her voice as steady as possible, sending Adrien a leveled gaze.

"Having them speak up about it will just humiliate her! Especially after what she said about knowing- knowing you!"

Marinette flinched.

"And that's another thing! How dare you be mad at Lila for lying when you kept something this big a secret all this time!" Adrien fumed. "What Lila said today was your own damn fault, even if we both know she didn't mean anything by it."

"Didn't mean- Adrien she was being racist!"

"She didn't know what it would sound like, she didn't mean it like that," Adrien had said, looking Marinette straight in the eyes.

When Adrien had left, Marinette was filled with a hollow feeling and soul-crushing guilt. She wasn't even entirely sure why.

Then, he showed up again later, this time as Chat Noir.

He ranted for a while about Ladybug, talking about how she still wasn't seeing things his way, about his frustrations with his strict family.

But then he had talked about Marinette.

She doubted that he knew that she knew that he was Adrien, otherwise he probably wouldn't have started talking about an argument he had not that long ago, with a friend who was being unreasonable.

It had left Marinette stunned for a moment.

Never had she imagined that she would end up being one of the things he complained about.

It made the hollow feeling in her chest more consuming, and her guilt grew to the size of her shadow.

Marinette sighed.

Tikki had reassured her once Chat left that she was not being unreasonable, and that he had quite some nerve coming to Marinette of all people to complain about it.

Marinette had just gone to bed, mumbling a little excuse to Tikki, the weight of the day finally pushing on her eyelids.

Besides the altercations with Adrien, her free week had gone quite nicely in her opinion. The trio would come and visit her after school every day, and even eat lunch with her on occasion. Alix had informed her that the class had been invited on a sponsored trip to Gotham by Bruce Wayne, something that Lila had been quick to claim was her doing.

Marinette had gone to Master Fu as well, getting the horse miraculous, and handing out the snake and dragon.

They talked about Chat Noir too.

"Soon."

It was a weird promise.

-

The Sunday before the class trip, Marinette had somehow managed to convince Alix to go with her to do Marinette's hair.

They didn't go to salon, Marinette's hairstylist being more than happy to do her hair.

Somehow, they instead found themselves in Jagged Stone's hotel room.

Marinette wasn't sure why, she had just mentioned to Jagged that she was getting her hair dyed for the first time, and he had demanded to be present. Telling Alix that Marinette was getting her hair done at Jagged's place seemed to have helped the pink-haired girl go with at least.

"You know, the others are going to freak when they see you tomorrow right?"

Marinette sighed, looking at Alix through the mirror.

"I know, but at this point? I just don't care," she looked down at her lap, clenching her hands. "Not anymore..." she mumbled.

Alix looked pained, Marinette thought once she lifted her gaze again, so she smiled reassuringly at the girl.

"I care about you though. And Kim and Max. It's been nice to have friends to talk to," An offended hey could be heard in the background. "Besides Jagged and Clara, I mean," she added with a grin.

"I still can't believe you used to be neighbors," Alix said, shaking her head lightly.

"My parents were his neighbors," Marinette corrected. "They just kept in contact after my parents moved to Paris."

"They make the best eclairs!" Jagged yelled distractedly, playing with Fang on the floor. "Of course I'd keep in contact!"

Marinette just rolled her eyes.

Her stylist started taking off the foil and washed off the residue dye. Marinette's hair was blowdried and styled, and when Marinette looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile.

It was quiet in the hotel room for a moment as Marinette took in her new look.

"You've really changed, haven't you?" Alix suddenly asked, and Marinette was just about to retort when Alix reassured. "I mean that in a good way! It's just- you seem more confident. Comfortable."

Marinette thought about, turning her head to look at herself again.

"I guess you're right," She looked down at her lap, fiddling with her fingers before looking at Alix again. "I've never really thought of how much of myself I gave to the class, but never really gave to myself," She shrugged. "It's weird, thinking about my own needs, but this week has actually been really nice."

Alix smiled at her, and Marinette returned the gesture.

-

Marinette arrived at the airport on her own.

Well, not completely, a bodyguard had accompanied her, but Marinette had decided against taking the bus with the rest of the class.

The reason why was largely that Marinette didn't want to listen to Lila. Alix, Kim, and Max had tried their best to disprove Lila's claims, but Lila had been slippery and was quick to make excuses for all of their accusations.

After that had gone on for a while, Marinette told them to just drop it and wait until Lila messed up somehow, or until Marinette actually sued the Italian, like she very much wanted to do.

They had grumbled a bit, but Marinette promised that they would figure something out, and if she had to, she would out the liar herself as NeTi.

Marinette was slightly offended when the majority of the class, save for the trio and Mme. Bustier, seemed surprised to see her for this class trip at all. They probably hadn't expected her to come, or maybe Lila had lied about her absence in some way.

She was surprised however, when Rose and Juleka came up to her and complimented her new hair, Marinette stuttering and stumbling over her thank you's.

She had been quite happy with how it had turned herself.

Her hair looked completely normal from the back, except for maybe the fact that it was now loose and bluntly cut at her shoulders, rather than in the usual pigtails. If people looked from the front however, they would see that under the outer most visible part of her hair, it was dyed peach pink.

When she had gotten it done, Alix had noted that it reflected Marinette quite a lot. At first glance, she might seem like a normal girl, but there was something special that Marinette was hiding.

Marinette had sweat-dropped at this, even if she knew that Alix was probably referring to her career as NeTi and not her being Ladybug.

Lila had made a comment about how it made Marinette look like a delinquent, quickly adding that she meant no harm of course.

Marinette didn't pay that any mind, focusing instead on where she was going to sit on the plane.

It seemed Bruce had simply just decided to change the original flight she was supposed to have taken later for when she was originally going to Gotham, because her seat was exactly the same.

She couldn't say that she was disappointed getting to sit first class and away from her classmates, even if she had slightly wanted to sit next to Alix.

When the announcement was made that everyone on first-class had to board, Marinette was stopped by one angry Alya.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Alya asked, crossing her arms and looking at the idol with narrowed eyes.

"Boarding," Marinette answered simply, with a bored tone.

"We're not supposed to board yet if you hadn't-"

Marinette didn't even give Alya the chance to talk, simply walking up to the personnel, showed them her ticket, and boarded her flight, only looking back to wave at Alix, Kim, and Max, all of whom snickering in their hands as they looked at Alya's stunned expression.

Lila was quick to jump into action however, and walked up to the person who was accepting people's tickets.

"I'm sorry, but some tickets must have been mixed up, I'm supposed to sit in first class," Lila said, fluttering her eyelashes and looking at the worker with every ounce of fake innocence that she could muster.

"Do you have any form of documentation for that?" They asked Lila.

"Ah, no, you see, I lost the paper where I printed the email on, and the email was deleted," Lila tried, but the worker looked unimpressed.

"What's your name?"

"Lila Rossi."

The worker typed something up on the computer and simply shook their head.

"I'm sorry, but it says you have an economy seat in our system. I can't get you a first-class seat without any form of proper documentation," They told Lila in a bored tone, it probably not being the first time someone tried to get a different seat.

Lila was just about to come up with something else when the worker simply said next, and she was shoved to the side by what appeared to be pissed off businesswoman.

-

When the flight had landed, Alya wanted to have a serious conversation with Marinette.

Asking her parents to pay for a first-class seat? Unbelievable.

Alya was absolutely seething as she watched her class president walk away with some strange man in a suit. Who even was that guy?

Ever since the class had taken off for the trip, it seemed as if Marinette got special treatment, arriving privately, sitting in first class, and now this, leaving in a private car.

It didn't make sense.

Alya stomped her way over to Mme. Bustier, her face screaming murder. Everyone parted a way for her; Kim, Alix, and Max all sharing a worried look.

"Mme. Bustier!" Alya's voice rang clear in the car park where the class was waiting for their bus. "Why isn't Marinette driving to the hotel with us? And what was the deal with her sitting first class on the plane?"

Mme. Bustier looked at Alya in surprise, having thought that the reporter would already know.

"The plane ticket was one that Marinette had already previously had to Gotham, from my understanding," Alya's eyes widened. "and the rest are security measures made by both Mr. Wayne, as well as Marinette's company."

Mme. Bustier knew full well about Marinette's career, had been one of the first informed as well, partly because of Marinette having to be gone for more than a month because of touring and training.

"What do you mean Marinette's company? Marinette isn't part of any company, I would know," Alya insisted.

Mme. Bustier's brows furrowed.

"Marinette has been part of an entertainment company since she was 13, so I don't know what you're talking about."

Alya was taken aback. Marinette had been in some type of entertainment company for years and hadn't told her?

"I guess you didn't know her as well as you thought," Lila said, putting a comforting hand on Alya's shoulder. "She should have told you about this."

Alya was pissed. Marinette had some nerve thinking that she could just keep something that big from her best friend.

"Why would she keep something like that a secret?" Alya's voice shook as she asked Lila.

"Maybe she didn't want to tell you," Lila shrugged. "or maybe she just didn't want to help you with your career. She could have gotten you so many opportunities, couldn't she?"

Lila's voice was all sweet innocence, her eyes big and thoughtful, as if it was something to be pondered.

"If I was Marinette, I would have told you immediately, friends shouldn't keep secrets like that."

Lila was right, of course she was, and it just made Alya even more mad. Marinette didn't deserve that career, Lila did.

"You would probably be better at it than she is too," Alya said. "What does she even do? I certainly haven't heard about her."

"Ah, I don't know, I don't think I'd be that great in entertainment," Lila looked down, fiddling with her jacket.

"Wha- of course you'd be great! Didn't Clara Nightingale want you to be her protegé?"

"I guess..." Lila trailed off, looking up at Alya before shrugging. "I just don't like all of the attention, you know? I hate being in the spotlight like that, Marinette probably loves it though."

Alya sneered.

"It's just like her, such an attention whore," Alya rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I can't believe I thought she was nice."

The bus arrived and everyone got in, Alya and Lila continuing to talk about Marinette, largely in distaste.

-

Marinette let out a tired sigh as she collapsed on her large, soft bed, another thing Alya had thrown a hissy fit over.

"Why is Marinette's room so much bigger than ours?"

The room was one that had been previously booked for her stay in Gotham, Bruce having somehow managed to extend her booking, rather than changing her room completely.

Kim, Max, and Alix had left not that long ago, having told her all about Alya's little episode at the airport.

It hadn't surprised Marinette that Lila managed to make Marinette's secrecy look bad, she even understood why Alya might have been hurt by the fact that Marinette had kept it a secret.

Marinette had her reasons for why she had kept it a secret however and she felt like it was okay for her to keep certain things private. In the beginning, Marinette hadn't wanted to tell Alya until she had an actual confirmed debut date, but by that time, Alya already seemed to hate her. Why in the world should Marinette tell someone who hated her that she was about to debut as an idol?

As for the contacts, well...

Marinette hadn't wanted Alya to be her friend just because she could get her good contacts and interviews. Jagged and Clara had both warned her about making friends with reporters while an understudy. It was simply just too big of a risk.

"This is going to be a long trip," Marinette sighed.

"Don't worry Marinette, I'm sure you'll find something to enjoy here," Tikki reassured, nuzzling her chosen's cheek. "We could go and explore Gotham for a bit before going to bed," she suggested.

"Are you sure?" Marinette asked, kind of uncertain. "It's kinda late now."

She would be lying if she said she didn't want to, however.

"We'll be fine Marinette, you need some fresh air."

Marinette sighed, before looking at her door. She couldn't go out of the hotel entrance, Claude would be around somewhere and either tell her to head back to her room, or demand to go with her.

She looked at her window instead.

"I guess there's only one way to get out," she turned to Tikki and grinned. "Tikki, spots on."

-_-_-_-

@ozmav @skyel0ve @kuroko26 @shizukiryuu @fangirl-food-feelings @driftingmoonlitpetals @spicybelladonna @thebookwormfairy @god-is-dead-and-so-am-i @melicmusicmagic @minightrose @graduatedmelon @awkwardturtlez @sizzling-fairy-oil @thornangelic727 @royalchaoticfangirl @vixen-uchiha @mewwitch @my-name-is-michell @mikantsume @imfreakingmagical @queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm @constancetruggle @kae690 @resignedcatservant @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @drama-queen-supreme @derpingrainbow @captainmac6 @k-rena-k @lunar-wolf-warrior @friedchickening @fandomfan315 @fanboy7794 @yin-390 @unholykrow @teresarosiadeviluke2112 @ayuchan07 @seraphichana @justanothersepticeyefan @politelyvicious @roseinbloom02 @uncompressed-boi @cadencehood @kaleigh-girlonfire

[matterofperception]

MUSTAT LESKET FINAL MUSINGS

Okay, so I finished the second (and last) season of Mustat Lesket (Black Widows) a little while ago. It ends on a significant cliffhanger, and with a number of loose ends, but the series was never renewed despite the success of its first. Excuse me while I rant into the void, because there is zero fandom here for me to bounce things off (it’s an old show, 2014/16 AND not in English, so...) and I have so many thoughts...

Firstly, I actually really enjoyed the first season of Mustat Lesket, and would recommend it based on that (and because I think Pihla Viitala is wonderful). It had just the right balance of mystery/thrills and drama, but also black/dry humour (I laughed a lot in S1). A lot of it was far-fetched and beyond belief, but you could kind of let that slide because the show never took itself too seriously. As far as character introductions went, I loved Veera and Johanna, and could understand the trajectories that had led them to feel like killing their husbands was a viable way out. Kirsi, well, she just felt like a necessary caricature, designed to milk the drama for everything it was worth. The dynamic between sweet, gentle Veera, emotional, crazy Kirsi, and strong, wilful Johanna somehow worked in S1.

And when Jukka returned, his redemption arc in S1 was done fantastically. Suddenly, you could understand (although not necessarily condone - same as with the widows and the boat) why he’d been such an asshole, and you could also see Veera start to come to that realisation too. The build up to their reconciliation at the end of S1 was the most authentic and believable in the entirety of the series (with the possible exception of Johanna and Petri, though they didn’t have the romantic chemistry that Veera and Jukka had).

S2 however, was an odd and fragmented ride. With the truth of the boat blast that bonded them no longer a looming threat, suddenly the widows were thrown into very separate storylines. Kirsi, despite Veera and Johanna inexplicably taking her back into the fold after her betrayal, spends half the season away from them locked in a genuinely abusive marriage to a man she’s known for about half a minute. She pushes so far past the point of what is forgivable in terms of her friendships with Veera and Johanna, and becomes increasingly difficult to sympathise with. The bulk of Veera’s storyline is focussed on her weird open relationship with a high-profile MP/author who she has absolutely no chemistry with (I used to think Pihla would have chemistry with a rock - she’s had it with basically everyone else I’ve ever seen her paired with - but I don’t see it at all with this guy) while her own husband becomes a mere inconvenience, and Johanna...well I can’t even remember what Johanna was doing half the time, besides the will-they-won’t-they dance with Petri. The widows then intersect at the tiniest dribs and drabs to talk about the DVD. That’s really it.

And Jukka, oh my god, did they write him into the ground or what? S1′s redemption arc shows him falling back in love with his wife, so much that he’s willing to leave her to make her happy, and then to go to jail to keep her and their daughter safe. And S2 opens with him trying to drown her, not even stopping to question the legitimacy of what Kirsi - who has just been coming on to him behind Veera’s back - is saying? He then spends half the season locked in a basement, and when he does finally get free and worms his way back into Veera and Siiri’s lives, there isn’t a single proper conversation between him and Veera about all that’s gone down between them. Yeesh. By the end of the season, he’s gone legitimately off the rails. Even if there had been a S3 (and Jukka hadn’t been shot in the S2 finale), it would’ve been really hard for him to redeem himself.

I honestly don’t know what drove the storyline decisions here. You’d think that logically, the Veera/Jukka conflict and relationship would have the most potential for drama and rich storytelling (not to mention the strongest bond to the underlying trigger plot of the show - the boat blast). We saw nothing of it in S2. Nothing. It was just swept under the rug. They barely even interact.

I guess I’m just really disappointed in where they took this. I wonder if even the writers/actors were in the dark about where they would take that relationship in S2, because the way they played Veera and Jukka’s reconciliation in S1 was just so…emotionally romantic? In that post-sex scene where they’re talking by the fire, Jukka looked like he absolutely adored her, like he’d have done anything for her. The show had also made an interesting decision to not show them having sex (only the prelude, which was incredibly loving and tender), in contrast to Veera/Erno and Veera/Anttu who we quite graphically see having sex... For a while I’d wondered if they were using the whole ‘making love vs having sex’ contrast to highlight that her relationship with Jukka was special, but that quickly got blown out of the water in S2.

(An aside - it’s interesting that Veera and Anttu barely ever kiss throughout the whole relationship, and I wonder if there was a recognised chemistry issue between Pihla and the guy who plays Anttu).

Based on what they’d shown us about their feelings, realistically both Jukka and Veera should’ve been way more devastated by Kirsi’s reveal. Surely, he would’ve wanted to understand. Surely a part of him wouldn’t even believe it until hearing it from her (especially bearing in mind Kirsi has just been coming on to him behind Veera’s back)? Surely he’d have been heartbroken as well as angry? And surely Veera would’ve been more hurt by his reaction, would’ve understood his anger, and would’ve wanted to explain things to him (they basically wrote S2 as if she didn’t care enough to try)? S2 made a huge mockery of the redemption arc of S1. It made Veera look fickle and unattached and Jukka regress into the volatile asshole he’d been presented as at the start of S1. And perhaps most significantly of all, it denied Veera of a redemption arc of her own. The reality, is that she should’ve wanted that redemption - she was wrong about him, and had nearly killed him because of it. Why didn’t the writers address that?? It really pissed me off that they just had Veera brush that whole thing under the carpet.

And Anttu, oh my gosh I don’t even know what angle they were going for with this storyline? Were we supposed to be rooting for him? Because I was really not. First off, I don’t believe that Veera would ever be so desperate to seriously pursue the relationship in the first place - she is fiercely protective of her daughter (to the point she was willing to kill her husband to protect her) so I doubt she would’ve engaged in a relationship that she knew would never provide any stability for Siiri. 

And Anttu himself, what the hell? He takes her out for a public dinner, and then everyone acts like it’s such a shock when the media snaps them out together and reports on it as gossip? Veera’s humiliated and hurt, but doesn’t even have enough pride to walk away from a) him b) the job she has working for his wife until way later on? All the while, her own husband is popping in and out of her life and it’s like she’s just flicked the off switch on her feelings for him? It just makes no sense to me! 

And then there’s the fact that we aren’t shown any great emotional connection between Veera and Anttu. They basically had no emotional or sexual chemistry. We’re meant to believe that the pull between these characters is so strong, and the audience is told by way of the characters that Veera and Anttu are supposedly so attracted to each other, but the chemistry is so non-existent that we don’t see it. The clincher though, is that he was actually kind of an asshole. The show tried to present him as this wholesome guy, but he didn't actually seem to give two shits about her wellbeing at all - he showed up at her house the first time she broke it off basically to convince her to keep sleeping with him on the side (telling her how attracted he was to her while her kid was in hearing distance, wtf), took her out to dinner knowing that people would likely talk, brushed off her concerns about the photos, outed her name to the press against her wishes, stood by his wife and basically belittled her and treated her like the other woman on live television, then when she tried to break it off for good he kept pursuing her because he wanted her, like she was some kind of trophy (and ‘I’m not used to being dumped’ - OH PLEASE!). He had no regard for her feelings or wishes at all. The scene where he shows up at her house with the party invite and wouldn’t even let her speak raised my hackles - I mean, was that supposed to be romantic? Him constantly stalking her despite her saying ‘no’ on multiple occasions, and showing up at her house (and scaring her kid) despite her wishes? Honestly, it just about killed me seeing Veera allowing herself to be treated like that. She deserves so much better, and it was really unsatisfying to see the series end with her going back to him (the fact that he left his wife is really the least of the issues).

So maybe I wrote all that just to come to the conclusion that - I’m actually kind of glad that we’ll never see beyond the ending of S2. Perhaps I’ll just pretend that this universe concluded at the end of S1, before Kirsi had the chance to make that phone call. I’ll pretend that Veera eventually told Jukka of her own accord, that they fought and got angry, and made up and were able to understand each others’ circumstances. That they talked and kissed and made love at the villa, and plotted a way to keep the police off Veera’s back. And then they lived happily ever after with Siiri. Sigh.

[jess-rewatches-prodigalson]

Episode 7: Q&A

Let’s just dive right into this. Spoilers are heading your way. 

1:00 - Malcolm why did you try to talk to the strange man in the dark?!?! It’s not safe you giant doofus. 

1:33 - Gil looks very annoyed and concerned here. This is a man who would ground Malcolm’s ass if he could. 

1:51 - See how Gil’s hands are on his hips? That’s exactly the position Malcolm was in when he was talking to Dani when he was high. Coincidence? I think not. Pretty sure Malcolm is subconsciously trying to imitate Gil whenever he can because Gil is Malcolm’s definition of a good man. 

2:24 - Another instance when Dani directly asks Malcolm if he’s okay. 

2:35 - Edrisa is one strange lady. She doesn’t even look mildly grossed out by the state of those bodies. 

3:53 - Check out JT’s face here. He looks somewhere halfway between annoyed with and concerned for Malcolm. Gil on the other hand is too busy trying to keep Malcolm from jumping off the deep end to be annoyed with him. 

4:25 - Does anyone else find it odd that mother and daughter are sitting so far apart on this bench? I mean, I know they’re fighting right now but still. 

5:00 - “I am far more worried now.” She should be. Ainsley is trying to out manipulate Martin. That’s concerning because a) Martin is a dangerous psychopath and b) Ainsley, to a certain degree, is exhibiting behaviour that probably reminds Jessica of Martin. 

7:00 - I’m starting to believe that Edrisa might be on the autism spectrum. She seems to have trouble reading the mood of a room. She often rambles. She is socially awkward. She talks with her hands a lot. She is very intelligent. She’s a functioning adult but many people with autism are functioning adults if they had proper support as children. Then again, it’s possible she grew up in a home with stereotypical Asian parents who forced her to study most of the day and severely limited her opportunities to socialize in a non-academic setting. 

7:11 - hahaha Gil’s face here. He’s like “Why do I like these two freaks? Why do they look borderline excited in the middle of this morbid situation?”

7:46 - I love the moment when Gil and Malcolm realize that they’re looking for a serial killer. Gil looks guilty. Like he’s blaming himself for not noticing that this murderer was loose sooner. Malcolm looks upset too but it looks like he’s more upset about the effect this is having on Gil than he is about the fact that there’s a serial killer on the loose. Both of my boys need a hug. 

8:23 - They are waaayyy too lovey-dovey inside of Ainsley’s serial killer father’s prison cell. Like did they forget that they’re inside of a psychiatric facility for murderers?!? 

9:00 - The fact that this interaction between Tevin and Ainsley is possible annoys me. I know it was necessary to forward the plot BUT why would two different secure doors be randomly wide open when a guard is moving a dangerous prisoner through the halls? I’m sure those doors are legally required to be heavy enough to close by themselves if no one props them open for safety reasons. (Just my small annoyance. Carry on.)

10:00 - hahaha I love JT. He clearly cares about Malcolm but he also doesn’t know what to say to a dude who is so manic and troubled.

10:22 - I love Dani going on a rant. It’s really sweet. It’s almost as if she knew that if she went on a rant Malcolm would be able to calm down and focus. Look at Malcolm’s reaction to her rant. He immediately calms down and tries to comfort Dani. He refocuses on the case. They are really good for each other’s mental health. They ground each other and I’m so grateful that they’re in each other’s lives.

11:05 - If Edrisa is technically part of the team - why doesn’t she just walk into the room? Why does she wave through the window to get Malcolm’s attention?

11:51 - We have reached a tipping point in Malcolm’s mental health. He just willingly admitted that he’s not okay. Someone sound the alarms. This will not end well. Our boy is going off the deep end....but at least he’s self aware? 

12:00 - The first part of this interview (before Malcolm shows up) is hard to watch. It hurts to watch Martin twist everything into a positive about himself. It hurts to watch Ainsley try to twist everything in the opposite direction. These characters are more similar than I’d like to admit. They’re both obsessed with their outward appearance to the world. They’re obsessed with their own success. They’re driven by ambition. Sure, Ainsley is capable of empathy, and I don’t think she’d ever kill anyone but she’s definitely narcissistic. More so than Malcolm, whose isn’t narcissistic so much as he is obsessed with finding out the truth. More so than Jessica, who really just wants to be less lonely since the world abandoned her twenty years ago. 

13:20 - This is a really interesting point that Martin brings up. He’s technically mentally ill. Does he deserve sympathy for it? I mean, he killed people. I have anxiety disorders and chronic depression. I have a bipolar uncle. A narcissistic grandmother diagnosed with manic depression with psychotic elements (actually, in a lot of ways my grandmother is like Martin Whitly). I understand mental illness. But the second that someone kills another person...that’s where my sympathy ends. At that point I don’t care if you’re mentally ill - you took someone else’s life for pleasure. You shouldn’t be getting fancy therapy and an all-expenses paid trip to a psychiatric hospital. You should be getting the electric chair. (Sorry if this is getting political - I’m generally against the death penalty but psychopathic serial killers and child abusers are the exception to my stance).

13:38 - The darkest of nights?!?! Martin you are making me so angry right now. You sleep like a baby. You have no conscience. That’s literally the definition of a psychopath. You have no dark nights. Your son on the other hand. UGH. 

14:10 - *sigh* look at this. He’s making everything about him. In doing so he’s actually belittling his daughter and her career choice. What kind of a loving father does that?

15:44 - This little moment when Ainsley tells Malcolm that she’s staying is concerning to me. She is so desperate to find her father’s affectionate side that she watches her brother interact with him. She genuinely believes that she is the least favourite child.

16:30 - In this scene Martin says he’s never been to the Bronx. But by the end of this episode we find out that Martin briefly worked at St. Edwards Hospital in the Bronx. Just more proof that Martin is a liar. I don’t know what else to tell you. 

17:10 - Look at that face. That is a man who doesn’t care about his son. That is a man who will say anything to keep Malcolm in the room. To play with Malcolm’s head. That is not a father. That is a monster. Look at how sad Malcolm looks by the end of this interaction. How upset. How scared. He is genuinely starting to believe that he might’ve helped his Dad hurt someone. 

18:56 - Ainsley’s excitement to walk back into that room is concerning. There is ambition and there is obsession. She is obsessed. It isn’t healthy. 

19:25 - “I’d like to discuss one more. Malcolm.” This scene absolutely shatters my heart. For multiple reasons. a) Ainsley just put her career before her brother. She is intentionally starting a conversation that she knows will upset her brother (in front of her brother) because she believes that it will get the results she needs. This is one of the reasons I believe Ainsley is the Whitly child most similar to Martin. AND b) look at Malcolm’s reactions. He is utterly heartbroken. He feels betrayed by his sister. Embarrassed that his father knows about his diagnoses. Embarrassed that this discussion about his mental health is being filmed for television. He looks so sad and defeated here. I just want to hug him. AND FINALLY c) Martin is incapable of even acknowledging that his action have had any sort of negative impact on Malcolm. 

20:15 - And there he is. The most honest form of Martin Whitly. Angry. Explosive. Violent. Things aren’t going his way and that’s unacceptable to him.

20:53 - Another moment that annoys me about this episode. How convenient is it that the alarm starts going off JUST as Martin finishes his little outburst? It’s just timed a little too coincidentally. I know I know. It’s necessary for the plot and the time constraint of the episode. 

21:24 - Look at that. Three people concerned about your shaky handed boy. My heart is full. 

22:18 - Ainsley and Malcolm laughing over their Mom’s phone calls is cute. BUT I feel like Malcolm should be a little more upset with Ainsley right now. I know they’re in a lockdown situation and he probably doesn’t want to fight with her in case that something bad happens to one of them but still. Siblings fight. She treated him poorly. He should be mad at her right now. Malcolm’s acting like nothing happened.

23:55 - Martin is the worst. He really refuses to answer his children’s relevant questions until the camera is rolling. Ugh. Mr. David is not getting paid enough to deal with this family.

25:40 - It’s absolutely disgusting that Martin is so unconcerned when both of this children are in danger, in his presence. Also can someone please explain to me why there was a crow bar in the camera equipment bag? Like for real? That’s not a thing I can see Claremont security approving to enter a serial killer’s cell.

27:00 - It’s not often that I believe that Malcolm is the most rational person in the room (excluding Mr. David of course) but Ainsley and Martin are positively crazy in this scene. Ainsley is desperate and scared but Martin is manipulating her. At least Malcolm has enough common sense to keep a knife away from a serial killer. 

28:34 - The flashback. Martin is holding Malcolm’s hands, guiding the knife. Did Malcolm fight his father before this moment? Was Malcolm drugged into submission? I really need to know more about this. Malcolm looks terrified in the flashback though - he definitely didn’t take the knife willingly.

29:00 - Look at Malcolm’s face. That is pure terror. That is internal conflict. He wants to help his sister. He would do anything for her because he’s her big brother and big brothers are protective. BUT he’s also terrified of giving his father a knife. AND he’s terrified of the flashback that he just had. Look at Malcolm’s face when Martin takes the scalpel. Holy crap. That boy is not sleeping tonight.

31:02 - Another instance where I really don’t support Ainsley. Video tapping the un-consented surgery (yes it was an emergency, I know) performed by a serial killer on her boyfriend. Like. Dude. No. So not appropriate. But she’s doing it a) to try and earn her father’s love and attention and b) she thinks the story will help her career. It’s all about her. And that scares me. 

32:45 - JT and Dani look concerned again. They’re like “What’s the dumbass going to do now?”

33:00 - I love this scene. Gil and Jessica. This conversation is sweet, and intimate in a way that only people with a shared concern can be. How many conversations do you think they’ve had over the years about Malcolm and Ainsley? They’re both worried about their kids. It’s precious and I love it. Also - another example of how Jessica’s heart is in the right place. She really does love her children. 

35:15 - New York Direct News?!? I thought Ainsley worked for American Direct News? Did Malcolm purposely use a different network name? 

35:55 - Is Malcolm giving that look to Ainsley or Martin? I can’t tell. 

37:40 - I feel you Jessica. I feel you girl. He’s playing with both of your children’s hearts now. You are justified in being livid.

38:18 - Concerned Papa Gil for the win! :) <3 

39:24 - I’m really glad that Malcolm is at least aware that his father is playing with he and Ainsley.

40:55 - I love how this episode ends. A rare, intimate moment between Malcolm and his mother. A softer side of Jessica we rarely see, comforting her upset son. Followed by a confused, terrified and equally vulnerable side of Jessica going to the basement.

Dang. This one got long. Sorry. Thanks for hanging out. I’ll post again soon. 

[moonlightflower21]

Killer ⛧

A/N: i hope you guys like this one :') this is complete angst so enjoy! <3

warning: this has mentions of shootings so please don't read if you don't like that.

Leonardo x reader

~my biggest mistake wasn’t falling in love, it was falling for someone that didn’t love me back. i guess i was desperate, i wanted the love you so frivolously gave to others for myself. but that’s life, you live and you learn. no matter how painful it is~

His brain was ricocheting against his skull, his eyes blindly looking around him to see...a glass cage. Around his body was a blanket, the one he shared with Y/N. A growl left his lips as he got up, feeling his blood drip from his temple and landing on his shoulder. But his anger was focused on something else...most specifically...someone.

"Y/N!" Leonardo yelled, his fists thumping against the wall. But no matter how much he tried, it wouldn't budge underneath his sheer strength. One final push and he grunted, slamming the wall with his hands. He was beginning to panic, the walls around him seem to close in on him.

'NO! You gotta breathe, remember what Master Splinter taught you'.

His eyes stung at the remembrance of his father, would he ever get to see them again? Would he ever get to see his daughter again? He squeezed his eyes closed, remembering her sweet innocent face. The day she was born was the happiest day of his life, Leo wanted a more traditional japanese name but you had suggested for something more modern, still incorporating the japanese culture. He had no issue, he agreed simply because the name had suited his little girl so well.

His thoughts were interrupted when he smelt the familiar scent of her perfume. His head shot up and she appeared, her smile pulled sweetly on her painted lips. You sat nonchalantly on a desk, eyes trained on the mutant turtle in front.

"Yes?" You asked, your tone of voice relatively calm despite the chaos growing in your mind. "What am I doing in here?" He growled, his patience wearing thin as the seconds dribbled by. He didn't want to believe this, his lover could be a murderer. But the signs were all there, what else did he need?

"I locked you in, how else would you listen to me?" You grinned, hopping off the table you were perched upon. He shook his head, turning around and pacing the small area he was given.

"You killed them, didn't you?" Leo spoke bluntly, looking straight at you. How was you so damn calm despite everything going on? How were you so relaxed when you locked him in a cage?

"You gotta speak up baby, I can't-"

"You killed them, didn't you?" He spoke louder, his words cutting through his heart like bullets. 'please say no, please say no'

You paused, saying nothing, but he got the answers he wanted. Shock on his face, confirmation on yours.

"Oh my gosh-" He murmured, his eyes begging to sting with tears. Now wasn't the time to become overwhelmed with emotion, but how could he stop the dam of tears threatening to break loose at any given moment?

"How could you Y/N?! How could you do that?? How could you kill them??" He ranted, his voice becoming higher with every word being said. He looked straight to you, his fists clenched by his side. "What about us? What about Hana?? Did we mean nothing to you? Or were we just pawns in your little twisted game?" He stepped close to the wall, his eyes penetrating your gaze. His head felt as though it would burst, so many thoughts rushing to his mind. How had he never seen this before? How could he never see this horrible side? How could you go against the very message he lived by?

You froze when he mentioned Hana, the feelings you tried to bury came to light. Hana, your sweet baby girl. You wished she had never been dragged into this mess, wishing she never grew up thinking what a mess her own mother was. What a terrible mother she was doomed to have. But you couldn't lose the upper hand here, you couldn't let him know that you were breaking apart at the seams too. So with your face pulled into a neutral expression, you spoke again.

"It was easy, they-" "just shut it!" His voice was menacing, disgusted at the person before him. This wasn't Y/N, the one he fell in love with. Your mouth clamped shut, taking a deep breath through your nostrils. "Fine, if you wish Leonardo" and you turned around, walking in the direction of the door.

"Nonono Y/N! Don't leave!!" He yelled after you but his plea fell on deaf ears as you slammed the door shut after. 

The second the door closed you broke down crying and cursing away. You pulled yourself into this horrible dark abyss with no way out, you had to suffer the consequences. No matter what.

His fist weakly leaned against the walls, he had to find a way out of here. And to so, he must follow whatever your game was. He wiped his tears, pushing out any distracting thoughts about his family, about his sweet daughter. He had to win you over somehow to escape.

🔪🔪🔪

"I brought you lunch" your voice rang out, entering the room. He sat up straight, turning around to see you re-enter again. In the short span of time you were gone, he had formed a plan. Granted, he didn't have much time and it wasn't the BEST of plans but he had to try, he had to get back home. With a deep sigh, he pulled his lips into a smile as he greeted you. "What's for lunch?" Leo asked, grinning down at you. For a brief second, he allowed himself to believe he was back at home with you. His smile was genuine and the fear and anxiety in his stomach was all vanished. You were smiling sweetly back, leaning in for a kiss...

"Just your favourite Leonardo" you chuckled, turning around. He snapped out of his trance, looking at you. His stomach still felt fuzzy when you said his name and he despised that. He hated the fact that you had so much of an effect to him despite what you had done. Looking to the side, he noticed there was a small window in which you handed the food to him by. But he wasn't hungry, he felt sick to his stomach.

"Yum.." he faked laughed setting the food down on the floor. He tried to look for the keys but they were attached to your waist and you were on the other side of this cage. How would he reach them?

"Y/N, can we talk?" He asked softly and you paused, turning around. "About?" You asked and he sighed looking down. "I-I know what you did, but we can try again in this relationship. Just me, you and Hana. Us three, we'll just run away" he came closer, his eyes looking at yours. You hesitantly took a step forward, eyebrows raised.

"How do I know you're telling the truth-" "You have my word" he held his palm out. "I promise you" he hated himself for saying that sentence. He never broke a promise before but it looks like he was starting tonight. Your eyes lit up, coming closer to him, knowing he always stuck to his word.

"Really?" You squealed happily and he laughed. "Yes" he laughed and out of pure happiness, you unlocked the door, coming to him quickly.

"I love you" you kissed his cheek and he hugged you one last time, it felt wrong to do that but he couldn't help himself. Taking one last scent of yours, he pushed you backwards, snatching the keys from your hands.

He locked you in, quickly locking the door behind him. "What are you doing??" You cried out, your small fists banging against the wall. An angry glare was etched on his face, as he threw the keys to the floor. His hand was over his heart gasping for air that never seemed to fill his lungs.

"I thought you loved me! You're a monster!" You seethed angrily, banging madly against the glass walls. He shook his head wildly, pushing himself away from the glass cage.

"Love you?? You're broken Y/N! I-I could never love you" his hand covered his mouth after that sentence, never thinking that sentence could ever be said out loud.

You gasped softly, never thinking you would ever hear that sentence. But it was true, you were broken in ways no one could ever fix. You were broken in ways, it would be impossible to place back together. A murmured response came from your parted lips, standing up and knocking over the objects in hot pursuit of something. Your eyes were watering, blurring your vision but not once did you stop.

"What are you doing?" He answered, taking a step backwards. His eyes narrowed watching you stumble over object's but you didn't take a break. You didn't answer, instead finally pausing your rummaging and a small cheer left your lips. Looking back to him, he gasped as his brain fit the pieces together. 'this wasn't happening'

"You couldn't love me, I'm a monster?" You chuckled bitterly, your mascara smeared down your cheeks and face. His eyes teared away from your face to look at the gun resting in your hands, a feeling of dread sinking in his stomach.

"No Y/N you need help, let me help you please-" Leo urged quickly, his tears beginning to drop rapidly as he tried to open the glass cage once more. Looking around for those keys, he hastily tried to open the door with his shaky hands.

"No, I don't want help! I don't need to be fixed!" You yelled, backing away to the wall. "Y/N, stop please!" He begged, trying to come closer. He threw open the door, wobbling forwards to try and reach you. But in your eyes, the look of regret and tiredness swirled in your orbs making his blood run cold.

"No! Just stop it. I-I thought you to be someone you weren't. The times I cried without you there. You were always so busy doing patrol, you never made time for me and Hana. I begged and cried for you, but you I guess that wasn't enough. So you were right, I'm broken. I'm not okay. I never was" you answered, your tears spilling over your eyes and down your neck while his heart dropped, his body trembling. "Wha-"

"But I'm at fault too. I couldn't be a proper mother to our daughter, a good enough wife for you...it doesn't matter now, I hope whoever you end up with, could love all of you and Hana. You both deserve that much. I will always love you, Leonardo. Please tell Hana I love her. So, so much" and with a final soft smile, you closed your eyes, allowing the final tear to spill down your cheeks and you pulled the trigger of the gun that rested against your temple, awaiting the darkness to envelope you.

"NO! Y/N!!" Leo screamed, his eyes closing hearing that bang of the gun go straight through him. No training in the world, no mediating, could have mentally prepared him for this. He opened his eyes slowly, everything happened in slow motion. And he wasn't able to control anything of it. Seeing his ex-wife body lay there, in the pool of her crimson sticky blood was something he'll never be able to erase from his memory. And he hated you for doing this, for scarring his brain of this sinister memory, knowing it would never leave him anytime soon.

His lungs weren't cooperating, it was as though his mind had completely shut down. This couldn't be real. The world was playing some sick game, this was just a nightmare. But no matter how many times he pinched himself, or willed himself to awake, this was the reality he had to face. He sobbed, his cries broken and strangled. His hands covered his face as he wept, not able to look at you.

🔪🔪🔪

Outside, the blur of commotion made his mind go to a different reality. The happy memories of him and you played through his mind like a DVD. He was aware of the paramedics inserting some needle in him to test his blood, the rustling of the fabric around his shoulders provided some warmth to his skin and his brothers familiar voice around him grounded him back to his reality. The one he wanted to escape from. But nothing could console the hole left deep in his heart and soul.

"Where's Y/N?" Someone else asked and he made contact with the person, April. With a bitter chuckle, he spoke.

"She's dead, Y/N was the killer" Leo laughed while his tears poured from his eyes. Someone came around him, burying him in their arms but he didn't want it. He had no energy to push them away, only hoping they could finish the hug so he could go. The smell of Y/N burning through his nostril, the smell of her putrid blood on his skin. He stood abruptly, needing to go home away from the madness around him. The blanket fell from his shoulders as he walked away, trying to hold in tears threatening to break at any given second. "Listen-"

"Let him go, he needs time and space" someone whispered behind him, Raphael.

🔪🔪🔪

He finally entered his home, looking around the empty living room. He honestly didn't think he would be back in the lair but then again he never thought in his life he would witness the death of you. He didn't think he would uncover secrets that would literally change his life forever.

"Dada!" The small cheery voice of Hana made his heart beat faster. He looked down at his small baby girl, a tired smile pulled on his lips. He was sure his eyes were still bloodshot and puffy, his face tinged with red. "Hey princess" he whispered, picking her small body up in his arms. He embraced the little girl, trying so hard not to cry on her shoulder.

In front was Master Splinter, smiling sadly at the pair. He knew what had happened from Mikey and Donnie explaining over the phone and he gently nodded at his teary eyed son. Turning around he walked to his room, knowing that his son would talk to him when he was ready to so.

"What's wrong?" Hana asked, a brow raised in concern. He placed her back down on her small feet again, brushing her hair back with a finger. "Nothing is wrong, angel" his voice cracked and he coughed, trying to hide the tremble so prominent in his voice. Leo tried to force a smile on his lips but it didn't work, he physically couldn't do it.

"Where's mama?" The dreaded question was asked, and all the memories of tonight was played in his mind. He took a deep breath, crouching down so he was at her level. "She's- she's gone" he whispered and Hana looked confused, pursing her lips in a pout and looking over his shoulder. "Lets visit her!-"

"No Hana, mama is gone. Forever" he inhaled a sharp breath through his nostrils, his head bowed sadly. "Forever?" She murmured, her hands toying with the ends of her t-shirt.

"It's okay sweetheart, you have me, and your uncle's and your grandfather. We all love you. Your mom...she-she loved you too" despite himself, a tear rolled down his cheek. Her small little hands wiped away the lone tear, her head cocked to the right as a cute smile donned her lips.

"Okay...can we watch T.V.?" She smiled and Leo slowly nodded, wishing he could be in the mindset his little girl was in. Care free and happy, not knowing the dangers the world held yet. He was sure she would ask for Y/N in the morning, the next day until she was old enough to actually find out what had happened to her. Leo looked at her small face again, her features looked eerily similar to that of yours. Hana's eyes, nose and lips were an almost replicate of her mother's.

He hated this feeling, stuck between hating Y/N because of all the pain she caused but loving her because she was the mother to his baby and because of the relationship they both shared. He thought both of them were so happy, what had he missed? What had led her to commit such a heinous act?

His eyes shot down at Hana who eagerly nudged his hand to get him to move, a trait Y/N held. He smiled softly, picking her up in his arms.

"I'm so sorry" he whispered, kissing her cheek. Taking a breath, he followed his daughter to the T.V., trying to pretend everything would be okay. And maybe it will be, time heals all wounds they say, you learn to live with the wound. But it doesn't always heal a broken heart, it doesn't heal all the memories of the past. No matter what, he was determined to raise his daughter to be the best possible person she could ever be. Maybe one day, he would tell the truth about her mother to her but right now, he was focused on his daughter. That was what mattered to him the most right now.

[brookelynnsanders]

Practice Challenge - Prompt 2

A/N: Here is the second part. Thanks for my amazing beta @freykitten​ who tells me excactly what I need to here - even if I don’t want to. Mentions of @safiya-schreave​ and @clara-choii​

A sloughed down figure rests against a light grey wall, inhaling deeply. A rushy rose dress is spilling all over the floor, nearly swallowing the girl whole. She's desperate for a quiet break - without any judging eyes or snickered remarks. Her eyelids may cover the storm raging in her iris, but the angry waves inside her soul do not seem to calm down. 

She relives each moment. Each twisted revelation followed by the next misstep. No matter how hard she tries to silence her mind - her world doesn’t stop rotating around the past few days. 

The rage in her bones may have simmered down to a slight irritation, but that doesn’t mean she will forget. The disappointment in her father’s eyes the day she had raged like a hurricane finally letting loose, made her cave in at last. A semi apology halfway stuck in her throat was enough for her mum to drop the victim card. So all she had heard the next few days was what a lucky God’s daughter was.

And so the roll began - and not even Vanessa’s little rants could lift her mood this time.  

Now she is here. Far from home. Far from everyone she knows. Left to decide who she wants to be - who the world will see. One of thirty five.

With another deep breath Brooke grabs the leatherbound journal laying by her side. She opens a random page and carefully props up the book on her knees - staring at the blank paper infront of her. The words currently spinning on the merry-go-around in her head are very much waiting to be released onto the blank space. Steady fingertips grab the pen hidden in the back pouch, twirling it between freshly manicured nails. Yet it only hovers above the page, the blonde suddenly at a loss for words. 

So she does what she knows best - pouring out all piled up impressions of the day. Finally giving into the whirlwind of emotions she usually locks away.

Blank space. Here we go.

Let’s keep it simple.

Tea party

Boiling water oozes out of the cracks in my skull

Rephrasing my mantra until it ends up dull

Sticking to the roof of my mouth 

 Underlining the ever present drouth

Thirst is the security blanket I wrap around torn skin

While everyone else offers to fix me with a security pin

I stopped counting how often I’ve screamed “I don’t like coffee” at the top of my lungs

While still gulping down the bitter expectations - not just once

Who would’ve thought tasteless buds would find themselves in an award winning coffee roaster

With an unfastened seat belt going down a rollercoaster

Dolled up like the new edition of Barbie

While I secretly crave a quiet tea party

Brooke Lynn’s heart picks up its pace as the words pour out of the young woman’s soul. Only subconsciously registering what her heart reveals. The last lines spilling out of her guts like the ink droplets flying onto the recycled paper.

Well shit - now I feel worse.

Unease settels deep down in the young woman’s stomach, slightly disgusted by her own facade. She should be grateful to be here - one of the lucky few. Grateful her family cared enough to see her as a “good match”. Grateful to be normal - yes, normal. Because Brooke Lynn Sanders is normal. 

“There are comfier places to sit in than here, you know.” 

Brooke flinches at the sudden voice, before snapping her head around. Her pupils widen at the sight of a gem covered crown propped up on the head looking around the corner. Fuck.  Princess Safiya. 

"Oh really? Marble floor seems to be an upgrade compared to my usual existential crisis spot." Brooke attempts to keep her cool - locking away the storm threatening to take her last ounce of self perseverance - no need to lose her composure during her first encounter with a royal. Just be cool. Sayifa is just as human as you are - at least that's what she tells herself. 

The brunette raises both brows before coming around the corner fully. Her slender hands bury themselves into the pockets of her skirt. A skirt with pockets - nice. Good to know our princess also values practicality. 

"And where would that usual spot be?" 

"Concrete floor of the smoker area next to my university building or the very stained hardwood flooring of my flat," Brooke puts on a cheerful armour once she realizes this isn’t just a one liner conversation. Even chuckles a bit at the ridiculousness of all this. Not even 24 hours have passed since she arrived at the palace and she has already been transformed into a pretty doll, went through her second meltdown of the day, and now she is chatting with a Schreave. Sadly not the one her parents had hoped it would be. 

"Which university?" The woman asks with a slight humm in her silky voice. 

"University of Dakota. My home building is the Healthcare and Social Science complex! Very dull exterior if you ask me." Brooke shakes her head slowly and leans it against the wall, a smile creeping on her face. She remembers countless study breaks spend breathing in THC and contemplating her life decisions. Nina by her side - offering comedic relief - a well needed contrast to the blonde’s bitter remarks. Life seemed much easier then. Even though it wasn't so long ago. 

Her eyes roll to the back of her head for a brief second while she leans her head back. The contrast off the cool wall against her heated skin a welcomed distraction. Her grey eyes flick back to the princess, just in time to see the corner of her mouth tilting up and her barely noticeable nod. 

"Major?" 

The blonde blinks multiple times, a bit taken aback. Very surprised that the woman opposite her even cares. Or maybe she is just very polite.

"Psychology! I was actually about to finish my Bachelor's degree and apply for a Neuro Science Master", Brooke sighs deep before continuing, "but then this whole ordeal happened."  Her perfectly shaped  brows - the result of the makeover she wouldn’t like to repeat - raise high as she purses her lips. 

"Really." The princess breaks her flow with another hum. "Have any specific plans after Master’s?" 

If I even come that far, Brooke adds mentally. 

"Becoming a famous scientist," the blonde answers after a brief pause and let's a little laugh bubble up in her throat. "May sound like I am reaching for the stars, but I would love to get a PhD degree and have an impact as a researcher." 

Brooke knows the exact phrasing of the answer by heart at this point - having had to defend her dreams to multiple judgemental family members. Long used to the "psychology is not a actual science" snickers following her around. 

After a brief pause the blonde attempts to shift the focus of the conversation. "Aren't you in the medical or more like science-y field as well? Or am I mistaken…" 

A small smile appears on her counterpart’s perfectly shaded lips. "Not the stars, a PhD is perfectly attainable. But, yes, ‘science-y’ field is correct. Second year medical student." 

So Brooke's assumption was correct, and the woman opposite her seems more open minded than her relatives.

"Oh wow!" Brooke Lynn adds, impressed. "People who have the guts to study medicine really impress me," she mentions with a little smile. "How come did you choose such a difficult major?" She’s a little bit unable to imagine how people can put themselves through so much stress. She pulls regular all nighters for research purposes, however, medicine just seems like the most direct path to a burnout.

"I’d like to help people. Even more than what my current position allows," the brunette pauses. Brooke wonders if the woman already regrets saying too much. "You said Neuro. Anything specific you’d like to research?" 

"I actually have the same reason for my career choice, and not to sound offensive, but I find DID, Schizophrenia, and personality disorders really fascinating, and that's why I would love to find out more about the mechanisms involved in those disorders. In order to contribute to better treatment methods - obviously. Also, in general there are so many brain areas we only have mere assumptions about - yet not much factual evidence."

Once she takes a deep breath after her last sentence, she gifts Princess Safiya and awkward smile after having realised she ranted a bit. Three years of ongoing studies - and she is still as passionate about her dreams like she was on the first day.

The brunette shakes her head in response, some curls escaping her tight updo. "Don’t feel embarrassed. Those are commendable reasons, partly why I want to go into that field as well." Princess Safiya tilts her chin down a bit, before speaking up again, which makes Brooke painfully aware that she is still slumped against the wall. "I wish you luck with that... “ A seemingly confused blink accompanies the sudden silence. “I’m sorry, I didn’t ask for your name." 

The blonde finally gets up from the ground, grabs her journal, and carefully straightens the fabric of her pastel pink skirt with her other hand before introducing herself. “I'm Brooke Lynn Sanders - but, please, just call me Brooke!” Her last ounce of enthusiasm spills out of her with a grand smile, while she attempts to a courtesy, barely remembering appropriate manners. Thank god her ballet lessons at least taught her how to do a proper courtesy - she might be a bit rusty, though.

“Brooke.” The name rolls off her tongue like it somehow actually belongs there, like they were meant to meet. With a single nod she approaches her farewell. “Well, I wish you luck in your studies. And for your time here at the palace.” Her regal frame now takes a step backwards.

“Thank you very much! It was lovely meeting you,” Brooke adds while letting her glance wander around. The grey walls and gold framed portraits unfortunately giving no indication where she is. 

“Do you know, by any chance, how I can find my way back to my chamber?” Embarrassed laughter disruptis her question as nervous fingertips cradle her neck. “‘Cause it seems like I am lost.”

The princess gestures down the hall to their left, showing her the way. “End of this hallway, keep to the right until you see the main staircase. That’ll be on your left. Second floor is given to the Selected. I’d show you myself, but I have a meeting to get to.” The raise of her brows shows off the glowy highlight on her brow bone while just making sure the blonde would make it alright.

“I am pretty confident I will,” Brooke adds with a confident wink, before saying her finale goodbye. “It was a pleasure talking to you, your royal highness.” A slight grin tugs at the corner of her mouth as the formal title barely rolls of her tongue. “I wish you a lovely evening.”

The  brunette's lips fall open, but she pauses before letting a word flow from her consciousness and offers a small, polite smile instead. “You as well, Brooke,” are her last words before she turns away.

The soft clicking sounds still reaches Brooke Lynn’s pinna long after she last saw the long train of the royal’s skirt being dragged across the marble floor. A silent tug on her heart bringis the mesmerized woman back to reality. The blonde blinks a few times before shaking her head and deciding to finish her writing in her chamber, hoping her maids have finally left, just so she can reflect in peace.

End of hallway - right - second floor

End of hallway - right - second floor

End of hallway - right - second floor

Now what ?

Brooke really should have memorized the location of her room a bit better. So all she can do now is stroll around the halls of the second floor without any concrete plan. 

Well, it turns out that nearly all the halls look identical, and the only thing she remembers about her room is that it overlooks the garden. So as she wonders through the hallway, wondering if she just took a wrong turn, she bumps into someone.

“Oh gosh - fuck, I'm sorry”, the blonde exclaims at impact, before she scolds herself for cursing.

“Oh, sorry! Wait... Brooke?”

Brooke Lynn’s pupils blown wide as she recognizes the person opposite her. “Clara? I barely recognized you!” She exclaims with a smile. Giving herself a moment to take in the girl in front of her. Her once light blonde hair is now replaced by a gold brown colour, and the selected uniform has been swapped for a sleek A-line dress.

“You look great! But,” Clara tilts her head as she takes a brief pause - giving the the girl opposite her a brief one over, “is it you, though?”

“Thank you, don’t you think I would have chosen such a wonderful dress?” Brooke deadpans with an extravasated smile, and she twirls around before pretending to throw up. “Well - I actually asked them earlier why they can't just put me in a suit, but apparently that's not "lady-like enough" - so they forced me into this baby pink dress just to spite me.” 

The blonde is still very bitter about this aspect of her makeover, just feeling incredibly trapped in this doll persona her stylists had created.

Clara rolls her eyes and smirks at Brooke’s complaints. “Tell me about it. They threatened to tie my legs together because I wouldn't stop tapping my foot.”

Brooke can’t help but let out a laughter. “Sounds like our stylists were in a similar mood! Also, like, how did you let them do this to your hair?” she adds in disbelief. “You were such a pretty blonde!”

“I can always dye it back.” The smile on Clara’s face makes it seem like she actually believes that statement. Ohh honey. Brooke’s split hair dye phase is still haunting her to this day.

“And don't tell anyone this, but I heard one of them call me whitewashed,” Clara whispers - even tho no stylist would possibly have access to this floor.

“She wasn't wrong, not gonna lie. It just hurt a little coming from her,” the now-brunette ends on a more serious note. The sting present in her voice.

Brooke’s smile falls and only manages to mutter,  “ohh Clara. I am so sorry.”

Shakes her head, probably attempting to get rid of the memory. “It's alright. It hurts now, but it'll pass. So, where are you headed?” she asks after a brief pause, opening up a new page.

“I hope it does, Clara - I was actually attempting to find my room, but apparently that is easier said than done. The only thing I still remember is that I have the view of the royal garden.” Brooke pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, not even caring the pink lipstick could rub off onto her teeth.

“Not sure if I'm right, but I think that's the opposite of where my room is... so maybe that way?” Clara points out the way she recommends the blonde to take. However, even she seems to be confused in this maze.

“Well, that's the direction I just came from,” a laughter bubbles up her throat. “I freaking knew I took a wrong turn.” Brooke shakes her head in amusement until her glance falls back onto the girl standing next to her. “Where are you headed, tho?”

Clara joins Brooke’s laughter before revealing, “Nowhere. Just walking around.” Her dark brown eyes slowly scan the hallway surrounding them. “It's really pretty.”

“I did the same thing. That's how I got lost in the first place. Just wanted to find a quiet spot.”

The feeling of feathers buzzing in her bones had been so overwhelming she could have run towards the stars if she needed to. But now? Now, all of a sudden, the itch in skull has simmered down, leaving her room to breath. 

“Yeah, I could use some quiet time too.” A quiet sigh leaves the girl’s lips as they just stand in comfortable silence for a minute.

“Do you think the people here ever get lost? Even the royals? This place is hu-uge.” She accompanies the stretch of the “u” with a large gesture - not even encapsulating an inch of this space. “It can almost fit a whole city.”

“At least I hope so - would definitely make me feel less bad for getting lost.” the blonde adds with a quirky raise of an eyebrow.

A visible shiver overcomes Lady Clara swiftly, which leaves her speechless for a cold minute. “Man, I feel guilty all of a sudden.”

“What's wrong?” Brooke let’s concern slip through her facade. One time won’t ruin a reputation.

“I don't know. It just occurred to me how privileged we are to be here -- upgraded to threes, living in an unnecessarily large castle, eating good food,” the woman digresses as her eyes widen abruptly. “Am I bothering you? I'm not thinking too much, am I?”

“Hey, don't worry. Everyone over thinks a bit. And yes, we may be privileged, but we can also make use of this privilege in whatever shape or form. May it be a representation, addressing certain concerns of the public directly to the crown prince, and any other way one could think of,” The blonde attempts to soothe her worries, all too familiar with that same kind of fear.

“Wow. Someone who actually gets me,” the girl whispers, smiling from ear to ear, as if the woman has somehow physically touched her heart.

And well, maybe Clara’s heart wasn't the only one to feel a slight tug. 

As if someone could really melt the ice around my heart.

“Listen, I know this is a competition and we don't know each other much, but I'm glad we met.” 

Brooke nods along with a small smile. Very flattered by the compliment according to the slight blush heating up her cheeks. “It's very nice having someone to talk to.”

Not one to easily overload someone with love and affection at first sight.

“So, the interviews are coming up soon. Are you nervous?”

“Uff.” Brooke’s grey eyes are now fully on display - pupils widen i in shock. “I actually completely forgot about that. To be fair it's a bit intimidating to talk the Prince, but at the same time - what do I have to lose? Let's see if I can keep my etiquette straight and be a nice lady.”

She hopes her weak joke still manages to deflect the insecurity hidden in her voice. 

“Right? But honestly, I feel more intimidated by the princesses than Arin himself,” the girl reveals with a laughter sprinkled into the conversation.

“Ohh really?” Surprise is basically written across Brooke Lynn’s face. “Princess Safiya seems really nice.” Might have to do with the fact I actually met her, thought -

“She does.” Clara leans in close, her hair tickling the tip of her eyebrow, and whispers, “but I've been hearing rumors about Arin and his mom.”

The blonde feels very intrigued all of a sudden and asks if Clara would mind sharing. She’s never cared much for rumors or gossip - but what else could be exciting in this place?

“I don't know much, but apparently Arin and princess Mélanie aren't on good terms. No one knows why.”

Pink stained lips slightly fall apart into an O-shape. Curiously waiting for her counterpart to continue. 

“That's all the stylists would talk about. That and the break up... I don't want to believe them, but I can't stop thinking about it.”

“I mean, gossips don't always have to have an ounce of truth to them... But the stylists work at the palace, so there might be some truth in that.” Brooke indulges herself for a second in to the mystery of it all - letting her thumb and index finger caress her chin before she pulls herself back together. “I  mean, I don't wanna snoop around in their business... But you got me kind of intrigued.”

“Yeah, that's what I thought too. I guess it's just because it's the only thing I've ever heard about them from arguably reliable sources,” the brunette adds with a short scof, before jumping to the next topic. “I'm just really nervous about the interviews and I really don't know much about them. I’m worried I won't make the right impression”

”Listen if you are right for Arin - you'll make the right impression on him. You seem like a really sweet person, Clara. You have nothing to worry about.” Her initial brick wall is slowly softening for the gem reminding her of four-year-old Brooke, terrified of her first ballet lesson.

”I, on the other hand, might accidentally insult him with my dry humor,” she attempts to lighten the mood with an awkward giggle.

“Hey, we never know. Maybe he likes dry humor,” the shorter girl adds with a smile and pats Brooke on the shoulder as if she was the one needing reassurance.

“We'll see about that!”

“And if he's right for you, he'd definitely reconsider different means of transport instead of those awful planes,” Clara adds with a giggle.

Apparently Brooke Lynn’s rant about planes and their environmental impact left a lasting impression.

“I fucking hope so,”  the self proclaimed environmental activist exclaims enthusiastically - her statement being heard from the adjacent corridor. Yet once she realised the f-word had slipped her again, she dramatically slaps her hand over her lips. “I am pretty sure I am not allowed to swear,” she mumbels while looking around before a loud snort escapes between her fingertips.

It’s no surprise Lady Clara crinkles her nose in laughter at her sight.

“Ugh, so many rules,” she adds with one last giggly breath before putting on a serious face. “I hope it'll all be worth it.”

“I doubt it will be. But, hey, I’m in for a good time, not a long one.” Brooke adds a wink for good measure, not yet ready to share how she even ended up here in the first place.

A stomach grumble pulls Brooke back out of her thoughts. “Someone's hungry?”

Clara answers with a chuckle, “Do they have room service or something? Are we allowed to eat when it's not meal time?”

“I fuck-” Brooke catches herself and restarts her sentence - like a real lady -, “I really hope they do. Your best bet would probably to ask your maids.”

“Ah, right. I guess I better get going then; unless you want to join me.”

A tempting offer, but Brooke certainly has emptied her capacities for social interactions today. 

“Thank you, Clara, but I am actually not really hungry! I'll see you tomorrow morning then?”

Reminding herself that this isn’t just all fun and games. Some rules even apply in certain realistic nightmares.

“Alright. It was really nice seeing you again, Brooke!”

Brooke slightly waves the girl goodbye.

“See you tomorrow”, the brunette giftis her one last smile and walks away in the opposite direction of were Brooke’s room is meant to be. She should really go back and rest.

But all her body craves is to stay in place. Now stare at the empty space. Praying all of this is just a really drawn out dream.

[margoshansons]

The Killing Kind (14/17)

Part Fourteen

MASTERLIST

Summary: Y/N and Happy bond, MJ and Ned worry.

Warnings: Slight angst. Swearing. 

Notes: This is it y’all. The final few chapters. Wow, my heart is breaking. Also, sorry there’s not much Y/N x Peter, I wanted to give my characters the proper setup.

She sat snuggled into the co-pilot seat of the cockpit, her computer tucked into her lap, EDITH scanning for possible locations in London her father was scouting out. 

You’re exactly like me. 

What if it was true? What if she ended up exactly like him? Bitter and angry and crazy while going after people who screwed her over? She had already tried to do it with her dad. What was stopping her from doing it to others? They had the same temperament, the same skill set, the same genius brain that was severely underutilized. 

“You alright kid?” Happy asked interrupting her throng of thoughts.

Y/N shook herself out of her spiral, straightening up and facing the man who had saved them both. “Yeah, uh, I’m just uh, lost in thought I guess.”

Happy smirked, “Your dad used to do that a lot back in New York”

Great. More confirmation of her theory. 

“You uh, you knew my dad?” She asked, unsure if she wanted to know how he was before he got fired. 

Happy chuckled, “Babysat him was more like it. I swear, he gave me and Tony more trouble than the actual gods he thought he was like.”

Y/N chuckled at the thought of her dad being babysat like a five-year-old at recess. “That bad huh?”

Happy rolled his eyes, “Ugh, he was the worst. Kept going on and on about how he was going to be the next great superhero one day.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him” Y?N responded bitterly, remembering her own conversations about his ‘heroics’ around the dinner table. His endless rants about the state of the world. How people like Tony Stark got a free pass because they had tons of money while the hardworking scientists got pushed to the side. 

“You’re nothing like him” Happy murmured, meeting Y/N’s rueful gaze. “He was power-hungry and crazy and  thought he was a god.” 

Y/N played with her fingernails, tearing at the loose skin. Happy grasped the girl’s hand, a gesture of assurance. “You’re better. You care about people. You’re nothing like your father.”

Y/N sighed, relief flooding through her system as newly formed tears trailed down her cheeks. 

“Besides, I don’t think your father was ever capable of loving someone the way you do” Happy continued, motioning toward Peter. 

“I don’t, um, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Y/N denied, not ready to say those words aloud.

“Oh please,” Happy scoffed, “It’s so obvious, I don’t know how he doesn’t see it.”

“He’s an idiot that’s how” Y/N scoffed, blushing at the indirect confirmation.

Happy tilted his head in a knowing gesture. “You’re not wrong”

The two chuckled at their agreement surrounding the spiderling. With all the book smarts in the world, not even Peter Parker could figure out how much Y/N truly cared about him.

“You know he still hasn’t figured out that me and his aunt are dating?” Happy bragged, not realizing what Y/N would do with that information.

“You and May?” She asked, laughter bursting from her. “I can’t believe it!”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Happy leaned back, offended by her insinuation.Y/N saw the blush in his cheeks, the shifting in his seat. She knew those symptoms better than anyone.

“You’re in love with her!” She realized, a smile crossing her face. “Oh my god, you’re in love with Peter’s Aunt!”

“What’d you’d say?!” Peter yelled from the back of the lab, unaware of what was happening at the front of the plane. 

“Nothing!” Happy yelled back, sighing in relief as he met the playful look Y/N was throwing at him. “Don’t you dare.”

“I wasn’t gonna say anything” Y/N smirked, popping her feet on the dashboard of the jet. 

“Have you found anything on Beck yet?” Peter asked, putting some of the finishing touches on his suit.

Y/N turned around to face him, butterflies bursting in her chest as she laid eyes on the boy she loved. “Yeah, he’s in London, and it looks like he just purchased several tickets for an airplane out of Heathrow and a bus tour hours before that.”

“He's gonna trap them” Peter realized. Y/N stood up, grasping his shoulders in earnest. 

“You have to keep focusing” she urged, pointing toward the lab, “Your suit is not going to make itself. I’ll handle my dad.”

Peter nodded, knowing he had very little time before they landed near Heathrow. Y/N sat back down, grabbing her computer and accessing EDITH once more. 

“Hello Y/N” the voice assistant replied. 

Hello Edith, she typed between bits of code.

I need you to disable the weapons system 

“For how long?”

Y/N huffed. Of course, her dad would install a failsafe. Of course, he would put a time limit on disabling the weapons system.

She typed an arbitrary number, hoping it was long enough to buy them some time.

***

MJ was tired of the constant switching of buses and airports. First, it was Prague, and now it was Heathrow. She knew it had something to do with that weird code Y/N had downloaded earlier, but right now all she wanted to do was take a long nap and forget about the science trip that had ended up being more eventful than she had planned. 

“Is no one going to acknowledge how crazy this is?” Brad piped up from behind the group.

“I agree” The other chaperone moved forward, “There has been nothing sciencey about this science trip”

MJ nodded, sharing a shrug with Ned. 

“No no I’m talking about Peter and Y/N” Brad continued. “Has no one else noticed how shady they are? I mean I saw Peter in the bathroom with a much older woman, while Y/N was not far behind, and they're always sneaking away like Venice? And the night at the opera? And now they’re j-just off the trip?” He narrowed his eyes, tilting his head in frustration, “With their families? I mean is no one interested in finding out the truth?”

MJ lifted her finger, silencing Ned’s worried expression as she moved to defend her best friend and current crush from the idiot that had been trying to get in her pants all vacation.

“Well, since Peter and Y/N are not here to tell their truth” She moved against Brad in a move Y/N would be proud of. “What about you? Brad? Why do you think it's cool to take pictures of people in the bathroom? And spy on girls who have no interest in you?”

An unlikely source came to her in support, “yeah dude” Flash jumped in, live streaming the whole thing, “What’s that about?”

Brad stuttered out a small defense, “No, no, no, no, no it wasn’t like that--”

Thankfully they were spared his dumb apology by an even dumber interruption by Mr. Harrington, the teacher who hated this bullshit and just wanted to have a good time in Europe. MJ shot an insincere look toward the unblipped kid before following the rest of the class out toward their tour bus. 

The guy looked shady as hell and she had seen enough true crime documentaries to know that white guys with hair that maintained were never good people. She fingered the USB in her pocket, hoping Y/N would show up like she promised. She hadn’t texted her at all, and it made MJ’s heart pound. 

As their bus pulled onto a traffic-heavy bridge, all she could do was stand next to Ned, eyes scanning the foggy horizon warily, looking for any sign of her best friend in blue. 

“I don’t like this” MJ confessed to the shorter kid, “I feel like something bad is about to happen”

“You’re an FOS now” Ned tried comforting her, “Friend of Spiderman” 

MJ internally rolled her eyes at the acronym. 

“That means, stay calm” Ned continued, allowing MJ to take a deep breath.

She tried to follow Y/N’s advice. 

Breath in for five. Hold for six. Breath out seven.

The storm clouds were gathering and the sound of thunder pulled her out of her ritual. Even though she knew it was fake, the fear was real.

“That doesn’t look good”

“It’s fake” Ned confirmed, “It can’t hurt us right?”

MJ nodded, biting her lip in a moment of anxiety. She wanted more than anything to tug on her curls, the old habit soothing. But she forced herself to stare straight at it, ready for Peter and Y/N to waltz in and save the day at any time. Her hand stayed firmly on the USB in her pocket.

Oops, dropped it a bit early folks haha. Thank you all so much for the feedback and please like, comment, and reblog!

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[moon-ruled-rising]

as the rain hides the stars

read the full story on ao3...

VIII: wearing a warning sign

Bite my tongue, bide my time,

wearing a warning sign.

Wait ‘til the world is mine

-Billie Eilish, “you should see me in a crown”

The palace’s watergarden was built at the request of Maron Martell, husband to the first Princess Daenerys and the one from which Dany got her name, for his visiting family. The greenhouse was humid with plants native to Dorne and several different water fixtures mimicking the ones in the real Watergardens. It was the most peaceful place in the whole complex and where Dany escaped to when everyone else was occupied.

Floating in the gardens was a tradition for her, born from the days when she and Elia would sneak snacks from the kitchens and have a picnic. And sometimes, Rhaegar would join them but those were the days before Aerys’ health took a turn for the worse. Rheagar never picnicked with them again.

Her little tradition was the same every time. After she completed the necessary duties of the night, she would meet Jorah in the concert hall attached to the ballroom, change, and then slip into the gardens unnoticed. It was her sacred alone time and now it was sullied by a trespasser. 

The figure was obscured by the shadows of the palms and backlit by the dim gallery. They made no effort to move from the side of the room.  

“I’ll ask one more time, who are you?”

“I’m sorry. I was just looking for an empty room.”

He ventured another step into the garden, the moonlight settling over his angular features, highlighting the unmistakable arrogant youth in his face. It was him. 

Fuck, she cursed and turned her eyes up to the Gods, you won’t let me catch one break. 

“What are you doing in here?”

Despite the warm air, a shiver passed through her. Her hair clung to her arms and the slip to her thighs. She crossed her arms over her chest.

He shrugged off his suit jacket, “Just looking for a quiet place.”

He held it out to her. She looked from the jacket in this hand to his face. 

“Nothing no one hasn’t seen before.”

Even in her intimate state, she needed to keep her sense of authority. She knew her appearance made him uneasy and she planned to exploit that. She wrung her hair as she stepped out of the pool, water dripping from the hem of her slip onto the Dornish marble tile. 

“Please?” He offered her the jacket again.

His expression was soft. He wasn’t commanding her or trying to even the odds. It was a simple offer. A chill gently shook her and she snatched the suit jacket from him. It was warm and smelled of orange blossoms and hearty herbs, a cologne she didn’t recognize.

“These are the queen’s private gardens, no one should be here.”

“No offense, Your Highness, but you’re in here.”

She looked him up and down, then straightened her posture, “I’m a member of the Royal House Targaryen, I’m allowed to go wherever I please.”

“Princess, what would like me to do?” Jorah questioned from behind her.

Dany jumped at the sound of his voice. She’d been so focused on Jon she forgot Jorah was still in the room. She could have him take the prince away and go back to her floating but she was too wound up from the intrusion to find peace again. And she wasn’t ready to retire.

“You can go, Sir Jorah, I’ve got this under control.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He was only going to wait outside the proper entrance so he could escort her back to her rooms. 

“Alright, Your Highness.”

As soon as he was gone, Dany took up the bottle of whiskey and settled at the edge of the pool.

“So, you’re the poor fool they’re trying to chain me to.” 

“Aye, I’m Prince Jon of the-.”

“I know.”

She took a pull from the bottle before offering it to him. He took it.

“You spent the whole night avoiding me,” he pointed out.

“And I was doing very well until you got adventurous.” She surveyed him out of the corner of her eye. “Elia and Missy gave you glowing reviews, if you care to know.”

“Why send them to talk to me when you could’ve done it yourself?”

“Because I didn’t want to.”

She remembered her promise to Elia, about giving Jon a chance. A thought struck her. Was this prince going to give her the same chance?

“What have you heard about me?”

“That you’re calculated. You’re fast and loose and you burn through men like wildfire.”

There it was. He already made up his mind based on fictitious information spread by petty old hags and jealous debutantes. If that was what he expected of Daenerys, she was more than happy to give it to him.

“And despite all of that you’re somehow convinced I would be a good match? That you would want me to stand at your side for the rest of your life?”

She swished her legs through the water, watching the way it slid off her legs. 

“Of course not but if it means my people live through winter…”

“What’s it like?”

“The North?”

“No, Dorne,” she simpered then rolled her eyes, “Yes, you’re home. What’s it like?”

“It’s cold and it snows a lot.”

“Doesn’t sound like the proper place for a Targaryen.”

“It’s not.”

She should’ve been offended, angry even, but his comment rolled off of her like the water on her legs. The alcohol of the night inhibited her ability to feel much else but deep contempt.

“Well you’ll have to find someone else to grant your aid.”

“You’re not going through with the arrangement?”

“Why would I want to?”

“You would be helping a whole country.”

“Ask yourself this, what does my country have to gain from this?”

He went silent and not in contemplation. She took the whiskey back.

“You see, this marriage is a way for Rhaegar to sell me off. He sees it as a way to settle me down and ship me away so I’ll stop ruining his day with revealing headlines. He doesn’t care about the North, he cares about his reputation.”

It was not Rhaegar’s fault that he was so protective of the Targaryen name. The dynasty stayed in power for 800 years by adapting and changing, making people like them and setting an example of the highest kind. As he’d told her earlier, the people were growing tired of the burden the monarchy represented and any step out of line, any crack in their perfectly moulded facade would be an invitation for the destruction of the Targaryen line.

The worst part was, Dany couldn’t imagine a life of not being a royal. She’d gone to university and experienced something like it there. But even then it was easy for her and money was never an issue. If the crown fell, everyday would be uncertain and her life would be in danger.

“I don’t care what your family gets out of it, as long as my people get what they need to survive.”

She stood, bottle still clutched in hand, “What do you know of marriage treaties?”

“Not much.”

Perfect. 

“They’re just like regular ones. They require that representatives of the two parties sit down and discuss terms and agreements. While I assume you’re already sold on the fact that your country needs me to secure supplies, there’s still the very tricky matter of my opinion.”

She approached a statue of two lovers, bare and frozen, their mouths inches away. She heard his dress shoes on the tile as he followed.

“That’s why my family came south. To convince you to say yes, to help us.”

“No.” she turned on him. “You were dragged here to be appraised like cattle.” 

Her features were placid despite her need to scream. To rage. To raise her voice and burn him with her words.

“You know what you have to do and you’ve made up your mind. But me? I get to decide whether or not this whole operation happens.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why would you need to convince me to help you if my word didn’t matter on this subject?” 

He was silent again. His eyes betrayed nothing but Dany got the feeling he knew what was coming next. In their stillness, Dany took in how the moonlight laid on his strong face. Something about the scene awoke an urge within her.

Dany was well aware of her affinity for pretty men. Hells, the whole world knew she couldn’t say no to an attractive face. Under normal circumstances, nothing would stop her from adding the Northern Prince to her collection but this conquest came with a significant amount of baggage. And there was an edge to him that reminded her of Daario.

Daario. She hadn’t told him where she was going before she left. He probably thought she was still mad at him and that was why she wasn’t home. When in truth, she’d hardly looked at her phone since her flight took off. And the few times she did, there were no missed calls or text messages.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a harsh laugh from the prince.

“What?�� she demanded.

“All day I’ve been told to play nice and make a good impression on you and your family.”

“As you should,” she affirmed, the corner of her mouth tugged into a pleased grin.

“But you… you-”

“I what?”

“You’ve been a rude bitch the whole night.”

Dany supposed she deserved that but it didn’t lessen the sting. She fought hard to keep her composure, the same self-satisfied smirk standing vigilant. She knew the people of the court compared her to fire but Dany liked to think of herself as the personification of the element. Beautiful and warm from a distance, scalding and dangerous up close. 

If she was fire, he was cold, unyielding ice. 

“Did you expect anything less?”

“I don’t want this any more than you-”

“Then why make such an effort?”

“Have you seriously not heard a word out of my mouth? My people are in danger! Our economy isn’t strong enough to secure trade with anyone else. You’re their only help so get off your damn high horse and realize that there are people more important than you.

“I know what it’s like to have people whispering behind my back and calling me names that I don’t deserve. Our lives and positions come with baggage that not even we understand but unlike you, I haven’t decided to take it out on everyone around me and burn more bridges than I build.”

His brief rant brought him closer to her and she caught another whiff of his cologne. She tilted her chin up to meet his gaze but her smirk was gone. There was a fierceness in his eyes that reminded Dany of herself. He was ice but there was a fire burning in there, deep below his cool exterior. Dany would usually fight until she’d worn down her opponent but she’d been put in her place three times in one day. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go to bed. 

“Here,” she whispered, taking a step back and holding up the bottle of liquor.

“What’s this for?” “If you want to marry me, you’re going to need that and a lot more,” she told him.

She looked upon his face one last time before she turned to leave.

“Does this mean you’ll go through with it?”

Dany paused and looked over her shoulder. Her hair and slip were nearly dry, but she kept Jon’s suit jacket wrapped around her. Her intention was to melt him, to reduce him to nothing more than water under another burning bridge. But he tempered her and shrank the uncontrollable blaze of her nature.

“The North sounds like a lovely country. I would like to see it some time.”

She slipped out the greenhouse door, making her way back to her apartments, Jorah trailing dutifully behind her. He didn’t ask questions, he heard it all. 

The back hall was quiet considering there was a party still blazing nearby. The distant sounds of music and numerous conversations muffled by the thick walls. The rooms flanking it shut up, waiting for their occupants to return. It reminded her of walking through their summer home on Dragonstone.

The ancient keep stood empty for most of the year, used only for exclusive diplomatic trips and the Targaryen’s summer vacations. The first few hours there were spent breezing through the lifeless corridors and reveling in the solitude.

Dragonstone was meant to be bestowed to Viserys, since he was second eldest, but after his death the lands and titles fell to Dany. She planned to make it her permanent residence when she eventually settled down but if things went according to Rhaegar’s plan, she wouldn’t need to worry about that. 

They arrived at her door and she thanked Jorah and went inside. Still wrapped in the prince’s suit jacket, she shook out her hair and lay across the settee. The exhaustion she forced to the side settled in, weighing her limbs down, but her mind still rattled with the words Jon said.

No one looking to gain her favor had ever spoken to her like that, no one ever dared. They were overly nice, bought her expensive things, and complimented her to no end. All in an effort to appease her scaley nature and get somewhere, and it always worked. When their relations inevitably bored her, they said nothing and found someone else to bide their time. There was never a time they called her out on her behavior.

Rhaegar tried but their confrontations focused on public habits, not so much her behavioral ones. And the words hurled around in those verbal scuffles never stuck. They didn’t dig their claws into her already abused brain and drag her down a long and winding path of second guessing. 

Luckily, a knock at her door pulled her away from a downward spiral of overthinking. Elia swept into the room with Missandei on her arm. They were blushing and bubbly, glowing from the social atmosphere. 

“It’s so dark in here,” Missy commented as Dany reached up to turn on the lamp. 

“Did you get to talk to Prince Jon?” Elia asked, her voice a mixture of business and giddy girlishness.

As if they were teenage girls at a sleepover about to discuss their crushes.

“Yes, we had quite the discussion,” Dany answered, allowing herself a stupid smirk.

The women looked her up and down. Missy pursed her lips as she sank into the seat at the vanity. 

“Oh, Dany, please tell me you didn’t-”

“Don’t worry Elia, nothing happened. Nothing fun anyway. This-” she tugged at the fabric around her- “was just a gentlemanly gesture.”

“Is that where you disappeared to?” Missy questioned.

“We just happened to run into each other.”

“And?”

“We talked.”

“What did you talk about?” pressured Elia, still standing.

She’d shifted her weight and placed her hands on her hips, employing her motherly nature. “I’d prefer not to say.”

“Daenerys…”

A warning.

“Elia, I’ve made up my mind. About the marriage.”

Missy sat up straighter.

“And what did you decide?”

“I decided that I need more time. A month at least before anything is official. I need to tie up some … loose ends.”

Elia swooped down to hug Dany, pulling her up from the bed. Dany wished she could share in the queen’s happiness but she felt devoid of anything but deep seeded dread. And she’d left out the very crucial detail of Rhaegar’s black mail.

“I’ll tell Rhaegar in the morning, he’ll be overjoyed. I’m so glad you’re considering this. You’re going to be an amazing queen.”

Missy cleared her throat, “I’m really sorry to rain on the parade, but Dany won’t be a queen. She’ll still be a princess. In order for Dany to become Queen of the North, she needs to be granted the crown matrimonial.”

“How do you know this?”

“Missandei studied world governments as part of her degree in Public Relations.” Dany informed Elia. 

“And a quick glance back at my notes on the North told me that traditionally the Crown Matrimonial is only granted once the consort in question proves themselves worthy through an act of honor and great courage.”

The princess frowned and looked toward Elia.

“When you attend the contract meeting tomorrow, bring it up. I’m sure Rhaegar will have it amended to the documents.”

Dany didn’t try to fight back the yawn that crawled its way out, hoping it would remind Elia that she was tired and wanted to sleep. The queen gave her another tight squeeze and hugged Missandei before saying her goodbyes and slipping from the room. Missy was staying with Dany because the guest apartments were for diplomatic guests only. 

Not long after, there was another knock on the door. Dany let out a groan of frustration and got up to answer it. She expected Rhaegar, but it was only the night maid stopping by to collect the dresses. She finally removed the suit jacket and gave it to the woman, requesting that it be express cleaned and returned to Prince Jon first thing in the morning.

“I can’t believe you’re getting married… in a month,” Missandei sighed as they lay on Dany’s bed.

Dany stared at the ceiling, trying to calm her racing mind, “Me neither.”

If she had her way, by the end of the month, there would be no wedding and the past twenty-four hours would only be a bad memory.