#multi part anon

[twopoppies]

.

[rendevok]

step into the light

what do you see?

my sun,

my stars

shining on me

[idontplaytrack]

Can we get Janis asking reader (Regina’s sister) to spring fling or some other dance please??? Thank you!!

Betting on us like Vegas

Janis ‘Imi’ike x fem! reader

Warnings: coarse language, fluff

Janis struggles to ask reader to the Winter Ball, when the best way to do so has been right there all along.

Read other parts here!

“So…Winter Ball.” Regina sat before Janis on a barstool, pulling the brunette out of her thoughts.

“What about it?” Janis furrowed her brows together, confused.

“You’re going, right?”

“Duh.” Janis answered, “With y/n.”

“Asked her yet.”

Janis snorted, “Nope. Not a clue how.”

“One year coming up?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Kill two birds with one stone.” Regina suggested.

“Easy for you to say.” Janis bites back a scoff.

“Come on, ‘Imi’ike.” Regina lets out an exhale in amusement, “You probably know her better than I do now.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t say that.” Janis sighs, “I have a couple ideas, actually.”

“Well, you have three weeks starting today. A lot of work to do.”

“And…have you asked Cady yet?”

Regina chortled, “Yep. Two nights ago.”

“That soon?” Janis’ eyes went wide.

“Eh.” Regina shrugs, “Believe me, you’d need the three weeks. Outfit planning and coordination, hair, makeup, how to get there, how to get home, what you guys wanna do there, what to avoid—”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” Janis stops her. “Wouldn’t it be…awkward now that we live together? Where do I ask her?”

“Where do you wanna ask her?”

“I dunno.”

“God, Janis. Seriously?” Regina rolled her eyes, a little annoyed at the girl’s indecisiveness.

“I can’t do that here, can I? You and Cady are like pesky houseflies that we can never get rid of when we need to.”

“It’s a promposal. I’m not asking you to consummate the marriage.” Regina joked, “Relax.”

Janis scoffed, “Why is it always that with you?”

“I don’t know, I’m a bitch?” Regina continued, “Whatever way you choose to ask her to the ball, I’m sure she will love it.”

“You know, I thought Cady would’ve been a much earlier riser than you were.” Janis remarked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the island.

“Most of the times, yeah.” Regina confirmed, “She’s uh, tired.”

“See, you guys get it. So please stop with those jokes before it gets old.”

“I’ll try.” Regina shrugs, “Guess a part of me can’t believe my little sister’s all grown up now and in a relationship. Doing the things that one would do in a relationship. So I joke, but yeah I hear you.”

“Hey, does she get migraines a lot?”

“Uh…not before the whole thing with avoiding our mom started. I guess that stress triggered them. And now…it’s become more frequent. I mean, there’s also PMS. But I’m actually worried. If they don’t improve even when there’s less stressors to possibly trigger an episode, I’ll try an get her an appointment.”

Janis nodded, “Good call. She started having another one last night, made her so nauseous, I felt terrible.”

“That’s twice this month.”

“At least. God knows she doesn’t tell me everything.” Janis admits, “She seems to have some sort of ‘baseline’ headache all day.”

“All the more reason she needs an appointment.” Regina sighs. “I mean, I get it. Being in some sort of pain all day, everyday really makes you very irritated.”

“Can I show you something?”

“M’kay, what…?” The blonde asked carefully. Janis went over to the cupboard by the TV console and retrieve an embroidery piece.

“I was thinking to ask her with this. It’s not done yet, obviously but do you think—”

“I think, you can just ask her and she’ll say yes immediately. But Janis, this is your strength. You’re great at this, she’s always gushing about how good you are at it. I think it’ll be a nice touch. And she gets this nice art piece to keep and hang up afterwards.” Regina answered, “Honest. And those…are her favourite flowers so you’ve got that right. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

"Ah, sometimes I just..." Janis hesitated, "Doubt myself."

"She loves you so much, she loves whatever you do. Remember that when you ever find yourself second-guessing." Regina said quietly.

Janis looked shock for a brief moment but nodded appreciatively. "Okay, I...am going to get started on breakfast before those two wake up. Any requests?"

"You're the chef, you decide." Janis laughs. Regina bites back a smile, masking it with a smirk.

"Waffles it is." Regina decided. "Are eggs okay or is she gonna spew?"

"Uh...not sure, honestly. She could be feeling better now."

————

"Good morning." Janis looked up from her phone and saw you walk towards her.

"Oh, not good." You groaned, sitting down next to her.

"Well, I'm sorry you're not feeling to great. But, you gotta eat your breakfast." Regina turned around to face you as she replied, placing a plate with waffles and cut up fruit in front of you.

"Hey!" Cady's voice rang through the room.

"Morning, baby." Regina gave her a quick smile, "Just in time. Breakfast's ready."

"God, I'm so sick of this." You grumbled to Janis, she rubs your back, "What is even triggering these migraines so frequently?"

Regina speedily answered with, "Stress."

You stabbed your fork into the waffles, eating a forkful of the syrupy goodness. Janis was about halfway done with hers, but of course, since she woke up way before you did.

Quietly, you got off the stool and walked over to the fridge to grab a Diet Coke and cracked it open. This drink was one of the few things that alleviated the ache for you, so they now have it stocked in the fridge for precisely that reason. It was Sunday so the four of you were pretty free to do whatever. After breakfast, Cady went on a walk, Janis washed the dishes while you dried them and Regina? She went around the apartment cleaning it.

"Hey." Regina stood next to you after awhile, "Tomorrow, I will make you an appointment with our regular doctor for your headaches and migraines just to be safe. You've been having them for quite awhile now so I'm worried, please just go, okay? I'll take you."

You glanced at her, "Okay. I will."

Regina nodded, relieved. Then she remembered something, "Oh, by the way...I found a yellow face mask under your bed while cleaning the place yesterday.”

"Oh, that's never been used. I got it in New York at the Drew Barrymore show. Just kept it. Guess it must've fell."

Now that the dishes were done, you just stood there with your sister to chat. Janis was in front of the fridge, picking out a drink for herself. Then, she makes her way to the living area to watch TV. "If you need to shut the curtains to help your migraines, please do. Anything else you need, tell us, okay?"

"I'm fine, Reg." "I'll always be worried about you, you're my sister."

“How’s your back pain been lately? Doing your PT exercises?” You retorted.

She laughs, “Weather’s getting cold, so it’s acting up more frequently. But yes, I’ve been doing the exercises.”

You hummed, tilting your head and pinching your temple, “God, I’m in hell.”

“Go lie down.” She nudged you. “Go. Close your curtains, no candles, no lights, no nothing. Just lay down and see if it helps.”

You groaned, dragging your feet towards your bedroom. “We have popsicles right?” Janis asked as you shut the door and curtains.

“Yes.” Regina confirmed.

“It’ll blow over after three days. We’ve picked up on a pattern.” Janis says.

“So tomorrow’s day three?��

Janis nods, “Yeah.” Eyes and hands still focused on her embroidery work.

“Okay. Anyway, me and Cady are meeting with Gretchen and Karen for dinner tonight. You wanna come?”

“y/n said she didn’t so I’d better just stay home with her. I want to finish this piece ASAP, too.”

“Okay.” Regina said back, “No worries.”

“She’ll need those popsicles if I remember day twos correctly. She will be throwin’ up tonight.”

“That means it peaks there?”

“I’d say so.” Janis shrugs. “Look at this.”

“I’m looking at it.” Regina sits down beside Janis. “What? There’s nothing wrong with it—”

Cady returns home at this moment, holding a box of donuts. “I bought donuts for the afternoon.” Cady beamed.

“That’s from the new place, no?” Janis asks.

“Uh-huh. The line’s finally short enough when I walked by so I decided to get some.” Cady sets down the box, “Why…is the house so quiet?”

“I told y/n to sleep off her migraine. She’s working on an embroidery project to ask y/n to the Ball. And I was waiting for you to get back, because I’m bored.”

The nap was a bust, but at least you woke up to a very dark apartment that kept your migraine’s pain level to a minimum. As usual, the nausea came back as it always does at this point of an episode. So you were miserable. But you knew it also meant that the pain was going to dissipate soon. As hungry as you were, you couldn’t be bothered to move. The door opens up as your mind started to drift. Janis peeked into the room, “Oh, hey, honey. How you feeling?”

“Tired. Of this.” You gestured vaguely. “Oh, and nauseous.”

Janis sat down and held onto your hand, giving it a squeeze, “I’m sorry, baby.”

You leaned and slowly plopped onto her lap. She chuckles, combing a hand through your hair and massaging your head.

“I’m hungry.” You muttered. “But I can’t— do we still have Zofran?”

“Yes. Do you want one?” She asks, still massaging your head.

You nod, “I’m gonna sit in the bathroom.”

“I’ll be right back, hm?”

Janis left to get the medication and very quickly returned. You were leaning against the sink countertop in the bathroom, watching the damn toilet bowl. “Here.” She hands the pill to you and you took it. You gave up waiting and just went out to the living room. Making a good decision by sitting in the couch seat right next to the trash can. “Lay on me, honey.” She says, easing your head onto her lap again.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Mm, of course.” You nodded, playing with the rings on her fingers.

“You see that thing on the table?” She asks, carefully reaching forward to grab it, “I made this for you.“

You squinted at it, trying to read the words on it.

‘Will you go to the Winter Ball with me?’ It read. She’s sewn it on with thread in your favourite colours, the question surrounded by your favourite flowers.

“I also got you some flowers, been sitting here thinking about how to ask you…but I figured this was a good idea. Every moment I’ve spent with you, I’ve loved. But it’s the ones like these…peaceful moments, alone. Doing nothing, that I love the most. Because I get to soak in every little bit of it. Of you.”

You sniffled, covering your mouth with the back of your hand when you saw her hold onto the bouquet of daises. “That is so sweet, Jan— my god— Yes, of course. Of course I’ll go with you.” She set down the floors and cupped your face, pressing a tender kiss to your lips.

You sat upright, admiring the flowers, “These are so beautiful.”

“The most beautiful flowers for the most beautiful girl.” She slung an arm across your shoulder, pressing a kiss to your cheek as you removed a card from the bouquet. You kissed her back, then noticed this on the card, in her handwriting, there was this— lyrics from one your favourite songs. One that held great significance in your relationship milestones. This was the song playing when you were texting Janis for hours that one night. And made you realise you had to do something.

‘I’ll love you through all our phases.

If this is our chance to make it,

I’m betting on us like Vegas.’

🏷️ Tag list:

@ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @ludoesartandstuff @pda128

💭A/N:

Not my best work— I got distracted big time lol and I’m dealing with a bad backache, but here it is, anon! Hope you enjoy🫶🏼

[eroticwound]

I love your thoughts on The Bear. Particularly the Berzatto siblings. I was wondering if you could talk about Mikey. And possibly his relationship with Richie. Outside of the internet when I talk to peers about the show people are quick to demonize or dislike Mikey. They cite his behavior with Lee and his taking part in ganging up on Carmy with Donna as reasons why. Also, how Richie was so desperate to get away from the beef.

I would love to hear your opinion about how this could be someone’s impression of Mikey. And how you would describe Mikey to someone who maybe isn’t seeing the whole picture? Or just how you would describe Mikey as a person in general.

And do you think his relationship with Richie was very one sided? Do you think it was always Mikey in the lead? I’ve read some fic that truly makes Mikey terrible to Richie.

Hi anon. Thanks for this incredibly thought out ask. Cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoy getting questions like this :)

Michael Berzatto is a complicated guy and he’s a guy we don’t get a lot of screen time with. That’s by design. He’s the character haunting this narrative. Mikey is the Laura Palmer of The Bear (I have that disease where I see everything through the prism of Twin Peaks), and as such we get to know him mostly through people���s grief. Through their imperfect memories. We’re left missing him just as much as any other character. And while I would love a feature length movie showing Mikey’s last days a la Fire Walk with Me, I very much doubt we will get that. So we’re left to figure out this complicated character with scraps.

For these reasons, I do get why people don't understand Mikey. As you mention, they are literally not given anything close to a whole picture. In fact the screen time we have most with him is during Fishes, when he is quite literally at his worst. If people only saw scenes where Carmen was yelling at people in the kitchen or where Richie was being sexist to Syd, I'm sure they'd have a poor opinion of them as well (in fact, being in this fandom after the first season, I can confirm that most of tumblr disliked Richie).

The healthiest we see Michael is in the Ceres flashback in season 1. He’s exactly how everyone describes him: loud, brash, funny. Both Carmy and Richie are just having the best time, completely immersed in the story he's telling. Even Nat’s having a great time, though both brothers stop her from adding raisins, which is Donna’s recipe for the dish they're making (side note, I find it so interesting that Nat is the one trying to follow their mom’s recipe. She's still trying to please Donna, to garner favor, whereas the boys, who Donna relies on in the kitchen and emotionally, feel fine deviating from Donna’s recipe). Even beyond the Ceres flashback, we do get flashes of what makes Mikey great in Fishes: the opening is him checking in on Natalie, he's really sweet and engaging with Carmen in the pantry, and even though Carmy doesn't take Mikey and Richie trying to set him up with Claire well, it's still proof that Mikey cares.

The thing is Mikey is mentally ill, like Donna and like Carmen. He’s dealing with some sort of chemical imbalance (depression or bipolar) on top of the severe parentification he got from Donna. I talk about it at length in my unfinished series delving into the partentification of the Berzatto siblings. As I point out in those posts, Mikey is actually the sibling getting the worst of the parentification, which is a form of abuse where there is a role-reversal between parent and child. Nat can't morph herself easily to accommodate Donna's dysfunction (she un-normalizes it), so she gets Donna's ire instead. Carmen was also parentified, especially when Mikey was out of the house growing up (they have such an age gap), but Mikey was the oldest. He has high EQ and can morph himself to accommodate Donna's dysfunction. It has in fact shaped him into the person he is. Which is someone who is trying to avoid all of the bad: bad outbursts from Donna, bad feelings from his siblings, bad reactions from outsiders to their family dynamic. He's also trying very hard to avoid the bad emotions he's feeling. Michael is looking to avoid all of this through any means necessary, which includes using alcohol and drugs. As I mention in that parentification meta series, using substances is quite literally the only way he's managing his distress.

I want to talk about each point you mention people citing as to why they don't like Michael. But first, I want to preface it by pointing out that Michael has been forced to move back in with Donna. His failed business ventures and poor mental health have forced him back into this scenario that is NOT GOOD FOR HIM. That scene where Cousin Michelle says to Carm that it's not good for him to be in this environment? Well, it's not good for any of the Berzatto siblings. And throughout the episode, you can tell how exhausted Mikey is by it. By having to fulfill his role as Donna's pseudo-partner.

So let's start with Michael and Donna ganging up on Carmen in the kitchen. When Donna and Mikey do this they are functioning as a parental unit. This is the perfect example of Mikey's parentification at work, of Michael acting as Donna's partner. It's what he's been trained to do to maintain the delicate ecosystem of that house. Donna's emotional state is given top priority. Everyone else's emotions fall to the wayside in light of what she's feeling, otherwise you get fallout like her crashing her car into the house. Mikey talks to Nat about this at the start of the episode:

What do you think she's at right now? A 4? A 5? She's not at a 6.

The siblings literally have a rating system for Donna's moods. They're all trying to avoid escalation above all else. Michael in particular. So in that scene with Carm in the kitchen, Mikey is trying to keep things from escalating. This is something Carmen knows too—hell, it's the first thing Carmen asks Mikey to do in Fishes:

Hey Mikey can you come inside and be you for a little bit, I don't know how to deal with these people.

Carmy needs Michael to come fill his role of buffer between guests and their family. Carmy, notably, gets Donna duty—a role I'm sure Mikey filled before Carmen came along. I say this based on Donna calling Carmen "Michael" when he's trying to coax her to the dinner table at the end of the episode. She's implying talking to her like this is what Michael does. When the people you know irl cite this moment, unfortunately this is the rebuttal: this is Mikey's role. Donna needs his emotional support. Otherwise she'd be more abusive towards Nat and Carm. Michael is doing it for the greater good.

As for Lee, that's another great example of soooo much being implied. Lee, along with Cicero, were best friends with their father, and it is heavily implied that Lee and Donna had a fling or two after their dad fucks off (whether Mr. Berzatto is dead or a deadbeat, who’s to say?). When Lee is helping Donna clean shit off the floor, Mikey grabs a beer from the fridge and asks if they are "doing this again." Basically, Lee and Donna have been romantic before. This means Lee would have been around erratically growing up. And it's clear Michael and Lee have a historic antagonism because of this. Lee's first interaction with Michael in the episode has him threatening to "lay [Michael] out." This screams to me that Lee stepped into the man of the house role, and that Mikey and him had altercations that got physically violent. That's why Mikey says at the dinner table, "I can throw forks cuz this is my father's house." That feels very much like something a kid would say to a man who is trying to replace a missing father. And it's especially heated, because it is Michael who has had to consistently step into the man of the house role for Donna and for his siblings! Michael couldn't leave like Lee when Donna and him broke up. Living with Donna and keeping his siblings ok is daily life for Michael.

So all through the episode, Lee is poking a bear (Mikey Bear to be exact). Lee calls him out about telling the same old stories, embarrasses him in front of everyone by revealing he's borrowed money from Cicero and had to move back in with Donna. Lee has been explicitly disrespecting him. And maybe if Mikey was in a better place, he would have been able to roll with it, but as I mentioned before, Mikey is not in a good place. He's depressed, he's been drinking and taking something (pain pills?) to manage the stress he's under. Him throwing forks is not a lucid reaction. Frankly, if people don't also blame Lee for that outburst, then they really weren't paying attention during the episode.

Finally, onto the Richie portion of your question. Richie’s family is something I would *love* to get more canon info about. All we know is that he's not Italian but Polish, his home life wasn’t great, his dad sucked, and Donna allowed him over so often that he’s practically her fourth child.

Richie and Michael grew up together. They're best friends, practically family. It's why Richie is "cousin." Michael's relationship with Richie is his closest relationship. Everyone says Mikey was their best friend, but Mikey's actual best friend was Richie. Period. And there's some complicated jealousy between Carmen and Richie because of what each is to Michael: Carmy's jealous of Richie and Michael's genuine closeness, and Richie is jealous that Mikey has special regard for Carmen as his actual brother. You see this jealousy in the very first episode of the show during that first walk-in fight: Richie was there for Mikey, buried Mikey and took care of Donna, and yet Mikey left the restaurant to Carmen. Left the money in cans for Carmen, so he could fulfill their dream restaurant together. There's honestly some great fic out there that goes into this jealousy. I'll come back to link it if I can find it.

Bottom line is that Richie was the closest person in Mikey's life. They have the same humor, the same life experiences. They had each other's backs. So when you ask if Richie and Michael's relationship was one-sided, I'm going to answer with a resounding no. They're literally besties. It's just by Fishes, Michael has deteriorated. His depression and drug abuse and failures have shrunk his life. Just compare where they're both at: Michael's moved back in with his mom, is single, and is telling the same old stories from their youth. Richie, on the other hand, might have anxiety (the xanax from Dogs <3), but he's in a stable and loving relationship and has a child on the way. That's why Richie asks Cicero for a job—not to get away from Mikey, but to make more money for his expanding family. And yes, he wants to amount to something more than working at a sandwich shop, but hell, so does Mikey. Neither of them want that for the rest of their lives. It's why Michael tried other business ventures. They fail, so he's stuck at The Beef. But it's a weight around his neck bringing him down. He says as much to Carmen when they're in the pantry:

Yeah but the place is no good, Carmy. It's a fucking nightmare. Like trust me I'm doing you a favor.

He even tries to set it on fire for the insurance money! Only Carmen sees the potential.

As for whether it was always Mikey taking the lead, I do think there's some merit to that. Mikey is talked about as more charming than Richie. You see it in Ceres when the edit compares Mikey telling the Bill Murray story to Richie telling the Bill Murray story to his date. Mikey is loud and funny and can "dial a room." Richie can too, but I think Mikey has more finesse. Still, they rely on each other. They back each other up. Michael would hook people with the stories, and Richie would embellish and inject at the right points or reel Mikey in when needed. They supported each other and worked together. I think any fic you might be reading that's demonizing Michael isn't accurate to his character and is actually falling into a pretty common fic trope: if the focus is Character A, then a fic author will cast Character B as the villain in order to serve whatever they're writing, twisting and embellishing the traits of Character B until they’re barely recognizable. Could Mikey be dismissive and hard to contain? Sure, but I don't think that means he didn't love Richie, or was undemonstrative with his affections. Even when Michael was out of it on drugs, they still had a very close relationship—Richie says so. In fact, everything Richie says about Michael supports this. I see zero support in canon for their relationship being one-sided. I'll say it again, they loved each other.

So this is how I would describe Mikey: loud, funny, obnoxious. He could dial a room. He cared deeply for his family, friends, and employees. He suffered parentification and has some sort of chemical imbalance. In fact, because he was charming and loud and funny, people could ignore his deterioration. Even Richie says, "he was Mikey Bear! I thought he'd come out of it," because he was able to come out of it up to that point. But after decades of not treating the problem, the only solution Michael could see was killing himself. He's a complicated character. He's a tragic character. He's the Laura Palmer of The Bear.

[tortoisebore]

Asking for a friend 🤭👹👹 is there any chance we’ll get to read the Hey Sharpshooter unrelated nsfw content you wrote?

(i’ve been in line to vote for an hour so this came at the perfect time lmaooo)

it’s not part of the story, it’s completely different & u won’t see it unless you stalk the anonymously posted e-rated wolfstar tag ☠️☠️☠️

[willowser]

Random question but how many asks do u get on average? I’m asking a bunch of other blogs too

so—i'm not going to answer this question !! quite simply bc i think that, in the era we're in within our fandom and in our community and in our niche, i think that numbers have the potential to cause more grief than good, and on the off-chance that someone sees a number in our little corner here and ever uses it as a comparison to their little space—i would be devastated.

but !! i do want to take the time to say that i try to answer every ask i get with similar levels of enthusiasm, and if i haven't answered your question and you know that it sent—i am coming !!! i am on the way !!! i want to chat with you about your ideas !! but it just takes me a lil more time bc i want to make sure i'm returning the effort that you gave me 🩷 and a lot of times, i like to keep some of the sweet things yall take the time to say to me—to myself ! before i share them with everyone 🩷 so if i haven't responded yet, i'm holding your hand in mine !! and thinking of what to say 😌

[rewritingcanon]

u r australian? how do u feel about heartbreak high?

LMFAOOOO IS THIS WHAT WE’RE KNOWN FOR NOW 😭😭

anyways i mildly like malakai

haha…. yeah….

[lovesickeros]

Absolutely love your sagau fic with neuvillette and furina, ur writing is actually insane! Looking forward to reading more of your works :)

YOU!!!! when i find u...count ur days....... /j /lh

[imminent-danger-came]

Shoutout to MK for immediately gathering his friends after Monkey King was sealed into the scroll! Even if it was dangerous, he called them and didn‘t try to do everything himself!

CHARACTER DEVELOPEMENT /pos

let‘s see how long that lasts. I‘m expecting some CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT /neg sometime in the future. I mean, sure, it looks like Wukong started his healing arc. but MK ? Not so much

Sure he had been hoping it would be something small. But he was lying to himself and knew it, the thing overpowered Wukong in 5 seconds flat after all.

But he still ended up being seperated from everyone.

Somehow it legitimately feels like a decent chunk of the season focused on how MK was different from his mentor but still ends up making similar choices… almost like he can‘t escape being like Wukong. Being worse than Wukong. Like it‘s desti- 💥get‘s shot💥

Both MK and Monkey want/ed things to stay as they are. Only MK wants to keep that by staying as he himself is now too, while Wukong wanted to become stronger to protect what he has.

But the world is going to mold MK into one of the most powerful beings to exist whether he wants to or not. It‘ll drag him down kicking and screaming if it has to.

Wukong leaving to get stronger vs. MK leaving because he‘s too strong and doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

Wukong leaving his friends behind by choice vs. MK‘s friends being taken from him, time and time again, even when he asks for help.

Young Wukong intentionally aggravating powerful beings and causing massive destruction vs. MK doing the exact same thing entirely on accident. When he‘s trying to help even.

FIGHT.

On one hand, MK leaning on his friends at the beginning of s4 seems like a good thing (and it partly is!), "we're stronger together" and all that. On the other, I can't help but feel part of MK's reliance on his friends—which alone isn't necessarily a bad thing—comes from a place of "I can't do anything on my own" (thank you trigram furnace scene). MK is this very interesting mixed bag, where he wants to be right by his friends sides yet in the same vein believes he should be able to do it without them.

MK leaving in 4x08 was out of the belief that "everything he does just makes things worse", and that if he had stayed he would eventually hurt the people he cares about. In ROTSQ MK went off on his own to procure the trigram furnace to try and prove that he could do it alone.

Mirror MK: "Listen, every time we get in trouble, we turn to Monkey King or our friends or SOMEONE. They tell us a story and we find that smidge of motivation we need. Well—now we're on our own. It's just you."

Ultimately, both of these decisions come from the same place: MK's lack of belief in himself. In s2 and s3 he's not strong enough, but in s4 when he finally has more power he's "too strong", he's "destined to cause nothing but pain and suffering".

I think back to the 3x14 "to pain" scene a lot, because holy fucking shit how can you not, but particularly this line-

MK: "You still think that the universe really wants anything, from any of us?" Lady Bone Demon: "Don't you?" MK: "I try not to think too hard." Lady Bone Demon: "So it would seem."

-in tandem with this line-

MK: "I don't know if all of this happened because it was destined too—but I have to believe that I found the staff so I could use it for good. To help people."

-along with MK's s4 arc, drives me INSANE. MK never thought himself destined for anything, he considered himself a "regular noodle delivery boy with the powers of the Monkey King." But in s4 that distinctly changes, and it does so in such an interesting way with how MK's foil with Wukong develops.

Watching MK go from believing he's not anything special (1x09 and 2x05 you bitches) to believing he is chaos incarnate has been a wild ride, and one that I expect to only continue to go down. Pair that with Wukong being forced to come face to face with the hurt he himself has caused (3x10 and 4x11), and boy are we sure in for a time!

The tragedy of both MK and Wukong is that they hurt people and cause pain when they're trying to exactly the opposite. Different paths, same inevitable end—except the student usually goes farther, don't they?

[wolfieolfie]

NEW VIDEO!!!!! 🕺🕺🕺🕺

go look if you wanna!!!!! and check out the map call while you’re at it!!!!

[jacquesthepigeon]

Actually i gotta ask-i know ladybugs ACTUAL audience is Babies but.....are the BABIES still wtahcing at this point? Like their schedule is hectic as fuck their products are Bad Bad and proooobbaly overpriced choking hazards so. Who exactly is watching it? (Using your blog as the public forum it has become. Somehow)

My guess is they just watch whatever’s on tv without really following the show with the dedication older viewers do. From what I remember at that age, I had shows automatically recorded every week but I didn’t keep track of the story progression itself.

[eskawrites]

Flayed!Robin & Feral Nancy...there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about them.

Anyways, I'm rewatching ST S2 and at the point where Will starts to forget everyone.

Was that an idea you considered for Robin in your Flayed!Robin fic? And were there some other ideas you liked but didn't quite make the final cut? And if so, what were they?

i love this question anon, you're my new favorite

it is an idea i considered! but i scrapped it early on for a couple different reasons. i kind of made flayed robin more of a mix between the actual flayed and vecna's victims in s4. there are actual narrative reasons for it--vecna was stronger/more prominent than he was in s2, robin is older and her brain is slightly more developed than will's would've been, etc. and so on--but mostly i changed things to make it easier to write from nancy's pov. also, while a scene where robin doesn't recognize nancy would've been juicy, it didn't fit with all the other ways vecna used robin to hurt her

as for other stuff, there actually is a fair amount that i changed or cut! the original outline had a scene where El looked for vecna but ended up seeing robin instead. i ended up scrapping it because at that point it felt too obvious, and think both nancy and el would've figured out robin was flayed (or at least in danger) because of that. there's still a version of that scene chilling somewhere in my notes doc though

also, the epilogue was going to be so much longer. i even sketched out ideas for how they eventually defeat vecna. but it all started to feel like a tangent, and i really wanted the focus to be on nancy and robin (i even cut some steve scenes to keep the spotlight on them lol), so i changed the epilogue to really zero in on that first day after they get robin back and the dynamic between her and nancy throughout it

[steelycunt]

pride au coming in 2026 yall be ready!!

[inkykeiji]

clari, i'd love to see some dazai x reader fics from you in future! i feel like you've really fallen for him (going off your tags LOL) and tbh i don't really like soukoku so it'd be nice to read some stuff where we get dazai all to ourselves, i think you'd have a lot of fun with him. <3

YOU WILL ANON YOU WILLLLL i pinky promise!!! i already have an idea for a dazai x reader fic, it’s v angsty but also v sweet HAHA but at this current moment it’s just a little sapling of an idea—which is to say i have the general concept of the plot, how it starts and how it ends, and the themes all figured out, but i am missing the middle (aka how i get to the end). but it’s an idea that’s been bouncing around in my head for a bit now and it’s also like ????? idk comforting so i rly want to write it soon <3

and i HAVE really fallen for him anon you’re so so so right!!!!!!! he has Consumed my entire skull tbh. but i agree with you 100%, so you definitely will get some stuff where you get mr dazai wholly and completely, without having to share him with anyone else <3 u know me hehe i just looove my trios so (*/ω＼*) those happen too ofc

[otomes-and-tears]

Hi Bee! Multi-fic Nevra anon coming in to say hello again! I was wondering how you felt about mystery/sci-fi genre visual novels? I was wondering because I wanted to suggest a really wonderful game to you, though I’m not sure it’s your taste? I was watching a vtuber recently who streamed a game called GNOSIA, and I fell in love with the art and story and found myself super obsessed with it. Unfortunately, not a whole lot of NA knows about it I think? It’s super popular in JP tho. It’s like playing a single player Among Us, but you’re going against AI and have stats you need to build which can greatly affect gameplay and is necessary to unlock some skills. There’s a small bit of romance, but it’s not the main focus and is super minuscule (Pt. 1)

Hello Multi-part Nevra anon! It's always a pleasure seeing you here ♡

You just sold me on this game lol A psychological horror sci-fi game WITH NONBINARY CHARACTERS? SIGN. ME. UP. It's going STRAIGHT TO THE WISHLIST!

[alwaysthefool]

Third part of melting??

It’s almost up!! I didn’t upload it bc i thought no one was reading it lol