#of course I still feel terrible because of this... kind of abandonment if i can call it that way

[jarognieva]

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

A Changed Future (2) | Yandere Isekai

Part 1

It’s so irritating for Haruko 

He remembers how he used to try and make noise in the beginning, when the same thing happened to him

But even without your struggling, he’s got more obstacles than he thought

“Tch all these guys getting in our way, maybe I should just kill them.”

“Haru no!”

“Why not, I'm sure you did it when I was trapped.”

“That…that doesn’t make it right!”

“So? Who cares about right when we’re in love? I think it was you who said that.”

Either way with or without your approval he’s figuring out a way to take down his newfound rivals

He kind of hopes they are as ambitious as the friends who recently abandoned him

Too bad they aren’t

In the original story, the crazy thing about the protagonist was that despite their obsessive love for Haruko and general disregard for those who got in the way of that was otherwise really inspiring

Breaking away from their elitist family for their violent morals ironic right

Joining the workforce, easily rising because of their work ethic and intelligence

And all that while beautifully evading a less-than-clean detective trying to pin the blame of random crimes on them

Which of course got them their own male leads attempting to pursue their affections

Always doomed to fall short because of circumstance or the protagonist suavely crushing their hopes to gush about their love

It was a uniquely terrible tragedy for their characters to be written this way

That’s what the random reviewers would say

Which is why you did feel inclined to maybe entertain them a bit more than the original protagonist would have ever done

“Since you are quitting….I hope you’ll let me treat you to dinner. For all your hard work of course.”

“Uh sure but I have to be home by sunset.”

“That’s a shame then we’ll have to—Wait. Did you say you would?”

“Yeah, are you okay?”

“YES! Ahem I mean yes I’m fine! I look forward to a nice evening together!”

Unknowingly furthering the obsession the protagonist was barely keeping at bay

“So mind telling me what you ordered that day at the restaurant?”

“I think it was my favorite dish there called the berry delight but I’m not sure. I think they changed the menu since I was there.”

“Why not confirm it later today? That way you can tell me if you did see the missing classmate of yours.”

“But I don’t remember exactly where I sat–”

“Then we’ll just have to sit in every spot until it rings a bell.”

“I don’t know if that’s–”

“Don’t fret. I’ll be paying but there's no way we’ll get to try every table. We’ll have to come back multiple times.”

“Okay…”

“No worries I’m sure you’ll get tired of eating there so we’ll go to some other places to give you a rest. Anywhere you wanted to try?”

You’d be foolish to think you could escape them by agreeing to Haruko’s entrapping of you 

It only takes a day of you not responding to messages that they both eagerly awaiting you at your door

And after the first few times, Haruko shooing them away they begin to get resourceful

“Yeah bud nice try their still out.”

“Hm well say that to my lovely warrant right here.”

“Wait! H-h-hold on! Geez I-i’ll go get them now but they are not going to be happy with you!”

It really doesn’t get better as the guard against the protagonist’s secrets begins to be let down as interested parties slowly make their way in

You don’t have the same ruthlessness or ability to deceive as the protagonist you took over for 

On top of that you never actually read the webtoon so you’ll be left trying to piece together whatever few weak points the protag has

Where if you hadn’t already started to make your pursuers interested all those faults are fuel for their agenda

“It’s so unfortunate that the company can sign off on your absence during this suspicious crime but I don’t mind editing records if you wouldn’t mind spending time with me. That way I can vet your personality myself. Over wine of course!”

It’s overwhelming constantly being pulled in 3 directions 

What’s worse you’re completely oblivious when the latest obstacle in the protag’s perfect life finally makes themselves known

“Hello darling, it took us years to find you but we did it!”

“Don’t look like that come give your Mama a hug!”

Part 3: Coming Soon

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Birthday!!! 🎂🎂🎂 Can I have a Merlin prompt? 🎂🎂🎂

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5

Merlin manages to avoid the arrival of Nimueh and her kidnapped apprentice and it’s not even suspicious at all because everyone is avoiding them, and Tristan, because of the huge fight they had about the actual legitimate kidnapping of an unwed, barely of age lady from a neighboring kingdom.

“Does it count as kidnapping if they go along willingly?” Elyan asks, standing above Merlin while he polishes his armor and being no help at all despite being the son of a blacksmith.

He shrugs. “How would I know?”

That gets him a snort of laughter and a slap on the back that only has him stumbling a little bit. If nothing else, his time as Arthur’s servant running around doing chores, and usually running after Arthur and Elyan and their newest terrible idea, has made it so he sort of has muscles now. Access to the castle’s kitchens certainly hasn’t hurt either.

He feels sort of guilty about it. Sure, he’s barely earning any wages himself since it’s mostly going to Ealdor’s debt, but they’re out there working hard to irrigate the land and fix up the village and he’s eating well and sleeping in the nicest room he probably ever will, and sure, he’s working, but he also spends a lot of time just hanging out with Arther and Elyan.

“She’s pretty alright actually, for a noble,” he continues. He hasn’t been going to nearly the lengths Merlin has to avoid her. “Especially for one that grew up in Camelot.”

“You grew up in Camelot,” Merlin says.

For a moment Elyan looks a strange cross between forlorn and wistful. “Yeah, but me and my dad and my sister are just commoners. It wasn’t so bad for us, after the queen died and the prince went missing, but the nobles got it the worst. The king had never been the most comprising of men, but he really became something else after all that. I assume that’s why the de Bois left.”

Merlin startles. “The de Bois are from Camelot? They said that this was their grandfather’s castle!”

Elyan blinks at him. “What? Of course they are! And this was his castle, it’s just that familial relations broke down,” sometimes Elyan says things that make it so clear he spends too much time with Arthur, “and so their father’s was in Camelot. Is in Camelot, and still abandoned because no lord is willing to take up there and risk the king’s ire.”

“Why would the king care if someone else lived there?” he asks.

“Well, he took his brothers-in-law fleeing his kingdom a little personally, Merlin,” he says, rolling his eyes.

Wait. Wait – “Their sister was the queen of Camelot!?”

Elyan stares at him for a long moment then reaches out to rap his knuckles on the side of Merlin’s head. “What kind of schooling does that village have over there? I’ll tell Arthur to add it to the list.”

Better schooling wouldn’t be a bad thing, but, “I know her name was Ygraine! Ygraine Pendragon. No one told me her maiden name was du Bois!”

“Well,” Elyan says, looking uncertain, “maybe they just didn’t want it spread around. It’s not like they left under the best of circumstances. But I’m from the city proper, and everyone knows about the queen’s family there.”

“Right,” he says faintly.

How do things just keep getting worse?

He’s serving the king of Camelot’s nephew!

[ryssbelle]

The Brozone Misconception

(This picture is more a joke don't take it too seriously)

This is a kind of long analysis, deep dive, and discussion about certain fandom misconceptions. I am 100 percent open for discussion but I would ask that you read the whole thing first before reaching out, and please be respectful!

A link to the og google doc with images as tumblr image limit killed part of the essay XD

Essay under the cut

There is a common misconception in a small subset of the trolls fandom about the character of Brozone. That is their reaction and treatment of Branch, their overall purpose in the story, and whether or not Branch should have forgiven them. Whether or not their trauma born toxic traits which they aim to grow out of should be forgiven or not.

Let’s begin with an analysis of the beginning, middle, and end of their arc progression more or less.

We start with our favorite problem child, Jonathan Dorian, mounting the pressure of tonight's show, building expectations, and showing us, the audience, a bit of what goes on every time these guys perform: 

Making Bruce do 100 more push ups in the time before showtime (1 minute) 

Pressuring Clay to wear the funderdrawers even tho he clearly doesn’t want to 

Rebuffing floyds attempts to calm himself down

And his worst crime

Making Baby Branch Nervous

Now you could see all of these and think “Evil! Evil John Dory! Jail for John DOry for 1000 years!!” because he is being oh so toxic. Now JD’s main motivation for pushing his brothers so hard in this moment has to do with the “Perfect Family Harmony” which according to baby Branch no one has ever hit before

And you can see the strain it puts on the other brothers not just through the scenes i showed before but Clay literally tells us

John Dory not only sees it as a great achievement, but he is putting his own and his families self worth all on whether or not they accomplish the perfect family harmony

(ignore the crappy cropping image limits)

And when they fail he blames it on them not following his lead 

He still believes after all of that that they can successfully complete the Perfect Family harmony 

This looks to be about the first time the brothers air their grievances out to their older brother about how they actually feel about not only completing the harmony, but the direction of the band itself.

All of this happens within the heat of the moment, and only continues to get worse as when confronted with all of this Negativity JD decides to leave. You can see by his facial expressions in the above screenshots he was already feeling terrible about the situation as a whole. Animation is very show don’t tell just as much as live action is, it’s very important for storytelling as a whole. A character should not have to SAY they are remorseful for you to be able to see it.

So JD leaves leading his other brothers to leave as well. Ironically they are following his lead badum dum dum. 

Now we can assume this is probably par for the course for these guys, cuz Grandma is right there, and she just lets them leave, you say plot convenience I say subtle story telling/ It is implied they do this all the time and will eventually come back. (they don’t)

(Also ignore this image its also a silly and not serious XD)

Now you may be thinking, Ricky, you say that Brozone is not toxic, yet you show us the worst examples of their character. Listen dear reader, this is only the beginning, what I’ve shown you is merely the establishment of the eventual conflict that will be part of the driving force behind character growth and the story itself. 

Let’s move on to adulthood. The main arguments against Brozone happen here, other than the initial abandonment of Branch, which, I should remind you, happened when the oldest among them was still a teenager (teenagers are dumb). 

In this section I also have to mention another movie, and another character, as he is usually brought up in these discussions 

Creek

Creek is usually used as a comparison to the Brozone bros in the argument that Brozone is EVIL AND TOXIC AND UNFORGIVABLE and Creek by comparison should be seen in a better light and not deserve the hate. To be honest I have never seen the level of hate that has been given to Brozone leveled at Creek in the slightest. He is canonically a toxic character, and one who is incredibly self serving which a majority of the fandom recognize and vibe with. Creeks admittedly rancid personality is a massive factor in his appeal (at least for me), and that is kind of the point of his character: To be awful and unforgivable. Creek wasn’t made as your average side character, Creek was specifically made to be an antagonist, to be a contrast to one of our main protagonists, Branch. That is why they are always at odds with each other within both 3D media and 2D media. 

Taken from the trolls wiki

Creek has also shown disregard for Branch’s hobbies in the main show, tossing his puzzle into the fire. This was during Haircuffed, when Creek didn’t want to do Branch’s puzzle

Which you think not so bad, its just a puzzle! Well…

Puzzle’s have incredible significance to Branch, a comfort object if you will, and another way to feel connected to his Grandma. Now you might cry “Creek didn’t know it was significant! He can’t be held responsible for that!” HE SHOULDN’T HAVE TO KNOW THE TRAUMA BEHIND THE PUZZLE TO NOT DESTROY THE PUZZLE.

Conversely let's look at the Brothers:

Throughout the course of the film they are a bit rude to Branch and dismissive of him:

JD:

Bruce:

Clay:

(You could argue the face grabbing is just a troll thing cuz)

But anyway

These scenes are minor things that add up during the course of the film for the purpose of showing off the traits they will put aside and grow out of for the sake of each other.

(brb reading xmen)

Lets talk about Xmen, you think JD is bad well watch this

Bam!

Anyway

Before we tackle the entire argument scene let’s first tackle the individual character of each of the bros, Specifically: John Dory, and Bruce, who are most criticized for their actions.

John Dory is one of the first brothers we see return in the film, and his first and foremost objective is to collect Branch so that they can go get their other brothers to rescue Floyd. Some have called John Dory uncaring for his younger brothers, but if that were the case why start the rescue mission at all? An uncaring brother would just ignore the letter and go on with his life, but John Dory literally drops everything just to go rescue his little brother. The letter even specified getting the other brothers first, but John Dory goes alone to get Floyd out of danger as fast as possible only retrieving the other bros when he fails (and cuz he didnt know where they were, can’t waste time when you got a brother to save)

A brother who didn’t care about his family wouldn’t go through all this effort. Some would say he’s only doing it for appearances sake, but for whom? Him and his brothers have been out of the limelight for 20 years, JD especially has been isolated in the neverglades, who is he trying to impress with this? No one, he’s just a good brother.

Also a reminder! When thinking about breaking Floyd out he is not the first to bring up the harmony! Floyd is, John Dory had a much more clever idea

So it's not just to complete the harmony either.

He’s also held on to all the merch from their Brozone days, mementos of his family, it shows how he cares, but also the flaw he aims to overcome: his desperate attempt to cling to the past, the better days.

Now let's go to Bruce, easily the most scrutinized of the brothers (because of the baby comment) 

When he first sees his brothers again this is his reaction: 

(Another point for JD, got ignored but is more happy to see his bros getting along)

Bruce is excited to introduce them to his family, excited to reconnect.

(Note: At this point tumblr stopped allowing images so i will be giving descriptions along with a link to the original google doc for reference purposes these are screenshots from the movie)

Cut image: Bruce introducing his wife to his brothers "These are my brothers, unexpectedly"

(Still excited and immediately introduces them to his wife despite them being “unexpected”)

Cut Image: Brandy saying "It's so nice to finally meet you"

“It’s so nice to finally meet you” Implies that he’s talked about them at length and the possibility of them meeting up with one another.

Also all of his kids completely ignore their mom, just to ask their father something, or tell on their sibling, or ask for his help as seen in this entire clip

With the ketchup kid he assures his kid he will handle it (and yes Brandy had to handle it but um rescue mission?) and that he loves them he just needs a bit of time to address, um who was it again? His brothers, right…

Bruce is argued as being incredibly selfish, I had seen a meme once that had suggested Bruce would let his own children die before he would give up his own life, which is horrendous and blatantly untrue. Bruce only tries to turn away his brothers when John Dory brings up the perfect family harmony and that’s before he knows it's for Floyd, once he finds out it’s for Floyd he is immediately on board! His biggest concern about the harmony at this time is how they’re going to do it. 

As for “abandoning his family again” Bruce is going on a rescue mission, which he asks his wife before hand if it is alright

Which she approves, he also agrees to cover for a WHOLE MONTH for the yoga retreat (Also seen in the clip above)

He spends the majority of the journey caring for Tiny Diamond as well, he lets Tiny into his hair, carries him around in a baby sling he’s a dad to any kid who needs him.

Clay doesn’t get as much scrutiny as either of the older bros, most likely due to his inability to leave the golf course and the fact he apologizes to Branch at the end. There are many things that mimic the same in the ending scene but let’s address the points brought up within the argument that people use to claim the evilness of Brozone. 

Also fun reminder, Clay is the one to start the fight, Not John Dory, not Bruce, Clay just a fun note (he is a lil problematic and argumentative and thats why i love him)

Clay brings up John Dory being bossy which sets everyone off into a tangent about the past, past actions that they think are resurfacing

Cut image, the beginning of the argument:

Clay: No. No, dude. You’re forcin' us to be perfect, just like you always have, so we can hit the perfect family harmony.

John Dory: Yeah. For Floyd.

Bruce: Is it? Or is this all just so you can tell people what to do again?

John Dory: Wha What?

_

Bruce: This isn’t gonna work if you keep on bein' the same old John Dory.

We all know John Dory’s reason for being “bossy” ; his reason for his perfection, once done out of an effort to impress, is now one out of necessity. They need to be perfect because now someone can die, and the others can’t see that due to their own trauma at the hands of JD’s perfectionism. 

As shown way at the beginning of the essay, all of the brothers suffered at the hands of JD’s past obsession, Bruce had to look a certain way pushing his body past its limits, Clay had to act a certain way disregarding his own happiness to keep up an image, Floyd was ignored and his advice pushed aside, and Branch was pushed to be perfect when he was only about 2 years old (or a month old if you go by the brozone blog). JD also suffered, pushing himself to make song after song, mentally exhausting himself and inadvertently hurting his brothers in the process of doing what he thinks is right for them. 

JD also had the responsibility (as a teen) to parent all of his younger brothers:

Cut Image:

John Dory: Well, I’m not allowed to change. I’m the oldest. I had to be the leader.

John Dory: Why do you think I moved to the middle of nowhere? So I didn’t have to be in charge of anyone. Four little brothers is a lot of responsibility.

You could argue it's his responsibility as the oldest but Grandma was right there, they shouldn’t be his sole responsibility. 

When most of them left it was done out of self preservation, to protect their sanity and to finally find happiness outside of a place that was no longer bringing it to them. They were kind of acting how most would want Branch to act, they cut out the toxic family for their own safety. 

Bruce:

Cut image:

Bruce: [stammers] Why do you think I left? So no one would treat me like you did.

Clay: 

Cut Image:

Clay: I’m gonna find trolls who take me seriously. Next to Clay is a picture of himself in a graduation cap

(Also that is Clays graduation photo, they are all around teen years in  the prologue which means this is either a middle school graduation photo or he graduated early and is still not taken seriously, which as someone who also faces that [only being seen one way despite your achievements] is incredibly discouraging and soul destroying) 

They most likely didn’t return due to the fact they didn’t want to be faced with this kind of treatment again (golf course entrapment aside) 

(Now you’re probably wondering about Floyd and he’s a whole other post, this is mostly focusing on the brothers who receive the most criticism due to misrepresentation)

During the argument they talk about going their separate ways, it is admittedly harsh they way they talk about leaving again, but they never say they’re leaving forever. Bruce has to return to his wife and kids, Clay left the golf course without one of its leaders, JD has his own life and routine, of course they’d go back to it once it was over, but that doesn’t mean visiting is off the table, and that they’d never see each other again. 

Cut Image: John Dory: What? The mission’s the mission. [chuckles] You didn’t think we’d all live together when this was all over, did you? Singin' songs and roastin' marshmallows?

Again i recognize JD is being an asshole here, but he is only knocking the idea of living together off the table, which kind of understandable they’re all adults with their own lives they don’t need to live together, I don’t get mad at my sister for going back to her house when shes done visiting. But again it is more how they say it then what they’re saying

Cut Image:

Branch: [scoffs] Oh, I’m sorry. Is that funny to you? That I might want us to actually be a family again? Tiny Diamond, pull over. Now.

Seen is JD's look of regret

You can see on his face that he regrets what he said when Branch says this, when he gets angry at him, he didn’t mean it like that. Thats when the don’t be a baby comment comes in, they still don’t actually understand why he’s upset, they think he’s acting childish, they don’t recognize he’s changed yet

Cut Image: The bros reaction upon hearing of grandmas death

These are their faces when they hear what Branch has been through, they obviously are upset, they’re hurt on his behalf, they are remorseful, this and their future actions signify the shift from who they were (hurt kids turned hurt adults, fighting over their past trauma) 

After Branch leaves, they, on their own accord, continue the mission to save Floyd, which is how they get caught, and during the final climax control freak JD relinquishes control, having changed and lets Branch take the lead. This is after Branch reminds them they don’t have to be perfect to be in harmony, just to be as they are together which they AGREE

Cut Image:

JD: We'll follow your lead, Branch

Once they save Floyd we are brought to Bruce’s restaurant, he brings them there to host their reunion, there is where branch gets encouragement from JD, where Clay apologizes, where Floyd reminisces and you can see JD engaging with his brothers more than just encouraging Branch he has joined Clays sad book club

Cut Image: JD reading a sad book behind Branch and Clay talking about said book club

This isn’t the end of their reconnection, this is only the beginning. They still have lots of time to grow, and to become closer as family. 

Now lets head back to Creek for a moment before we close this off:

We have brought up the puzzle destruction and his purpose as an antagonist. The main argument most people use is that Creek had no other choice but to sell out his entire race to be eaten and killed to save himself. He had a choice, Branch would’ve let himself get eaten if it meant protecting all of troll village as noticed when he protects poppy in twt (though he might’ve actually found another way out), Poppy would’ve as well. In tbt Floyd begs each of his brothers who meets him before the climax to let him die so they don’t face the same fate, these are all selfless acts. Creek reacts selfishly, eat everyone else but don’t eat me, then he smugly confronts Poppy, obnoxiously laments about how he has to live with his actions when if he were a truly good and selfless character wouldn't have been an issue. He smiles smugly, shrugs his shoulders, and lets himself be carried to safety when his people look at his betrayal with disbelief and sadness. 

Creeks actions in the 1st movie are awful, they’re supposed to be, they’re meant to be unforgivable crimes, and that is why he is killed in the 3D canon, legit he is dead in the 3D canon. 2D and 3D are different continuities, which is part of why I find them (Brozone and Creek) to be mostly incomparable.

Brozone’s arc only affects Branch and each other and in the end they grow stronger, and into better people. Creeks arc/actions affect an entire species and their survival, within the 2D continuity his actions only continue to be self serving, and rather toxic (more for funsies but you know) he should not have been forgiven, but he was. His actions were deplorable yet forgiven which then begs the question why aren’t Brozones? Creek also wrote the apology song solely to humiliate Branch in front of his friends which is not cool bro, Branch did not deserve the treatment he got in the episode from anyone. 

To conclude my thoughts are that Creek and Brozones actions are incomparable, Creek’s actions are not meant to be taken in a positive or sympathetic light, he is a villain cut and dry, that is who he was made to be and he does it wonderfully. I don’t hate Creek, I love his character, he is awful and that is great! Love toxic awful characters! Brozone are a representation of a broken family coming together again, they are toxic, and then they grow, they are meant to do so, the villains of that movie are Velvet, Veneer, and familial trauma all of which get mended by the end of the film. It’s not perfect but its there, and the ignorance of it is what causes these major misconceptions. 

TL;DR Learn media literacy please

[maxdibert]

One thing I can't stand is how Marauders fans always bring up that Severus was a Death Eater and call him a Nazi. Like, he wasn't a Nazi! He spent years saving people and regretted it almost immediately! They made me so mad grrr

I think the problem with this fandom is that most people in it are very young, sometimes even teenagers, who don’t have a broad perspective on life or the world in general, and they tend to see everything in black and white. Of course, joining the Death Eaters was wrong, but many young people (especially vulnerable ones like Severus) fall into extremist groups or associate with terrible people at an early age.

One of my best friends today was part of a far-right political group when I first met her at 18. Today, she’s a social worker, and her ideas couldn’t be more opposite to what they were back then. But she came from a family that was literally part of a religious cult, and it was what she thought she was supposed to do. Then she went to university, broadened her perspective, cut ties with that nonsense, and now she dedicates her life to helping vulnerable youth.

I’m a criminal defense lawyer and work with an organization that helps people reintegrate into society after serving time in prison. I’ve heard all kinds of stories. And when I say all kinds, I’m not talking about people who just shoplifted once; I mean people who’ve lived incredibly messed-up lives and made terrible decisions. But the thing is, I’ve met people whose histories are absolutely horrendous, yet today they’re as harmless as teddy bears. People can change, especially young people who didn’t have good role models, emotional support, or resources.

Young people, particularly those abandoned by adults or left to fend for themselves, are especially vulnerable to going down the wrong path. You have to understand the context, see beyond the tree and look at the whole forest. That’s something Marauders fans refuse to do, because if they did, they’d have to admit that, yes, Severus was incredibly vulnerable, that he didn’t have resources or support, and that the rich kids who had everything chose to torment him to the point where his only escape was to align himself with the only people who accepted him and made him feel safe. Unfortunately, those people turned out to be a bunch of extremists with horrible ideas. But that doesn’t fit their narrative—or maybe they just can’t grasp it yet because they’ve still got a lot of growing up to do.

[acaptainbyanyothername]

It is so important the Weepe and Saskia episode came directly after the Jonas and Phineas episode, because it really drove home how similar these dynamics are and where they fundamentally diverge.

First of all, Saskia and Jonas got their origins in very similar ways. According to Third Person’s Midst Messages series, beta Phineas (then called “Puck”) was originally a much more self-assured knight-in-shining-armor type, and Weepe was a showbiz guy that actually performed on stage and could command a crowd. Later, when fleshing out the story and characters further, Third Person essentially shaved those parts off of them to make the characters of Jonas Spahr and Saskia del Norma.

On a meta level then— of COURSE Phineas and Weepe are so obsessed with Jonas and Saskia! They are literally looking at their better half, the part of them that was stripped away to increase their flaws. Out of meta and in the context of the story, Phineas and Weepe both put Jonas and Saskia on pedestals. They then deal with these pedestals in interesting and horrific ways.

The pedestals exist because Jonas and Saskia saved them in some regard—Jonas by pulling Phineas out of the Delta, and Saskia through her kindness to Weepe when he came to Midst. This results in Phineas and Weepe primarily seeing Jonas and Saskia as the symbols they represent: heroic Prime Consector and the kind, too pure for this world pillar of the community respectively. These pedestals superimpose a fundamental power imbalance in the dynamics: Phineas feeling inadequate compared to Jonas’ Valor and charm, and Weepe thinking his awfulness will eventually twist Saskia away from him, Then, all of the problems with these relationships come to a tumultuous head when the moon fell on Midst, and it’s interesting to note that both Weepe and Phineas both partially did the terrible things they did to save face for themselves to their counterpart: Weepe specifically wanted to not be there or mentioned during the Cabaret bust, and Phineas went so violent over Sherman in an act of desperation partially to prove to Spahr he was worth something. Both of these attempts end up failing and fracturing their relationships, and Weepe abandons and Phineas is abandoned. These relationships then do not see each other until close to the end of season 3.

One of the major themes of Midst is change and metamorphosis, both on a physical and a mental level. All of the four characters go through a high level of change during their time apart, but Saskia and Weepe’s change is purely physical, while Phineas and Jonas’ is purely mental (save some beard shenanigans). Weepe’s entire body transforms into the clear skeleton man we know and love, and Saskia literally gains another body from the tearror. However, even after these drastic physical alterations, they remain fundamentally the same person. Saskia is still kind and community-focused, and Weepe is still the same diabolical bastard. Conversely, Jonas and Phineas had their worldviews so rocked (Jonas a little slower than Phineas, but Phineas got to smoke a moth about it) they individually decided to renounce the cult and value system that provided structure to their lives. They both interact with others and the world around them differently because of the mental changes they have undergone (seen in Phineas attempting to take greater responsibility for his actions and make choices for himself instead of just following orders, and Jonas learning to take agency and grow a backbone).

This is why Jonas and Phineas manage to reconcile and Saskia and Weepe don’t. For as different as their reunion scenes are, there’s a striking commonality: Saskia and Phineas both express the sentiment “I’m angry at you and I don’t know if I can forgive you” and Weepe and Jonas both respond with “Good, you should be.” It’s why they say those things that matters though. Jonas and Phineas have internally changed since their last meeting. Saskia and Weepe have not. Jonas has reached a point where he’s no longer asking anything of Phineas or placing undue pressure on him, and so he accepts Phineas’ negative emotions and imperfections for the first time in their relationship. Weepe just accepts no forgiveness because he thinks he deserves it, because he’s the same terrible person he’s always been and internal change is impossible. Or so he thinks, at least. Phineas changed and Jonas changed to match him. Saskia and Weepe were incompatible with their polar opposite values, and stayed that way permanently. To tie it back to the idea of pedestals, Jonas happily stepped off the pedestal he was on and Phineas let him—they’re both at zero. Weepe couldn’t take Saskia off her pedestal or view himself as anything less than lower than her, to the detrimental point of denying himself the chance to grow from his mistakes.

These relationships could have easily ended up very differently. In an alternate version of Midst, Jonas and Phineas could have decided to kill each other and Saskia and Weepe could have survived and attempted to try again with each other. It end up happening the way it did because Phineas and Weepe had very different facilitators of their respective metamorphosis. Phineas was guided by the Mothers Merciful to come to a new self-understanding. Weepe had Imelda fucking Goldfinch. Change doesn’t happen in an isolated chamber, it’s influenced by the people around us. Phineas was guided into change. Weepe was tortured into it. If Phineas was not treated with the kindness he was, or Weepe was treated with a little more, there’s a chance the story could have unraveled very differently.

In conclusion (this post ran away from me a bit haha) the codependent relationships of Phineas and Jonas, and Weepe and Saskia heavily parallel each other but reach different conclusions in the key places they diverge, i.e. the internal versus external change the characters went through and the type of support they received. These relationships are mirrors of each other—I think Saskia and Weepe represent the worst possible road it could have went down and Jonas and Phineas represent the best, and the key was a successful metamorphosis and accepting the other as a person as they are, off a pedestal.

They all love each other to a frankly obsessive degree. Sometimes love isn’t enough though. Sometimes it’s just circumstance and a willingness to change that ends up being the determining factor.

[theaceace]

While Dream was hanging out in the fishbowl, a few dreams and nightmares that (like the rest of the Dreaming) think Hob would be the best thing to happen to Dream in a long time and also that Dream has abandoned them all, go and start bothering Hob in the waking world

But because they're dreams and nightmares, it kind of manifests as (usually awful) hallucinations. Specifically of Dream, a lot of the time (look they're trying to get their lord's attention by needling his human, yes it's stupid, no they don't have any better ideas)

And Hob, with the same attitude that's carried him through 600-odd years is like 'well I guess immortal life is already so goddamn weird this might as well happen' and just rolls with the fact that he is having hallucinations now. Learns some coping mechanisms, gets really good at not reacting to them even when horrible terrible things are happening

So when Dream finally does get back and goes to see Hob, he's just like oh cool I'm seeing things again, thought I got over that like ten years ago, ah well got a lecture to finish, better get on with it and barely even glances at Dream

Dream, of course, reacts to this like 🥺 like the sad wet cat he is, but also maybe this is a bad time. His friend is shaping young minds, he's very important and busy, Dream can come back later

So he pops back into Hob's life that evening when most people are, if not asleep, then at least at home. Hob's in the New Inn (of course) but it's quiet enough that Dream thinks maybe Hob will talk to him this time

Absolutely nothing. Like sitting across from a brick wall (and because Dream tends not to be noticed if he wants, and he very much doesn't want to be perceived while he begs forgiveness from a mortal, people's eyes just kind of skim over him, which isn't helping with Hob's assumption that he's a figment of Hob's imagination)

Dream is feeling very, very cold. None of the gentle things he's been saying to Hob have got anymore reaction than his hand tightening slightly around his marking pen (Hob is waiting for something horrible to happen, as it so often used to when he imagined his stranger, and is getting more and more tense the longer it doesn't)

Eventually they're the only ones left, even the bar staff have gone home because it's Hob's pub and he has a set of keys. So finally, FINALLY Hob looks up and is like 'oh, you're still here. We're still doing this, then' flatly

Dream: I thought I might - (he was going to say apologise) Hob: yes alright get on with it, the sooner you start the sooner you can piss off again (thinking this is a vision here to torment him) Dream: ...very well. I understand, and you need not worry, I shall not trouble you further. Only, let me ask, one final time: do you still wish to live? Hob: (well it's never gone down like this before, at least I'm getting some variety in my waking nightmares) what sort of bloody stupid question is that, obviously yes! Dream: I am. Pleased to hear that. Goodbye, Robert Gadling

So off he goes, leaving a bottle of wine that he pinched out of someone's dreams on the table. Hob scoffs, rolls his eyes and goes to bed

And panics the next day when one of the bar staff asks where the super fancy wine came from, and also who his friend was last night, didn't get a good look at him, but I don't think I've seen him before?

There Hob is. Screaming internally, because he's only gone and fucked it all up and now he's NEVER going to see his friend again

(obviously he does, probably because one of the nightmares finally confesses what they did to Lucienne, who tells Matthew, who speaks both fluent Dumb Human and Dramatic Fucker Dreamlord and manages to get the two of them in the same room long enough to talk it out)

[auspicioustidings]

Look I will write it but urgh. NSFW abo nonsense below.

Alpha Soap who kidnaps beta reader to some abandoned warehouse because she's "in heat". She keeps crying that she's not an omega, he keeps saying he can smell her slick and growling at her to stop hiding. Makes her try to make a nest then makes condescending comments about how bad it is. Fucks her with no lube or prep because she's built for it so doesn't need any. Knots her through her screeching, coos at her he knows how good it must feel. Makes her try to purr. Doesn't matter that his bark doesn't work how it would on an omega because she's so terrified she'll follow his orders regardless. Sinks his teeth into her neck to add her to his pack.

For the best he says, she's so insatiable his little slut omega that he needs his pack or he'll never be able to fully satisfy her. Isn't she lucky his pack are willing to take on such a terrible brat of an omega? So kind of them to bring all sorts of plugs so even when a knot isn't in her, she's still kept nice and full of their cum. It'll settle her they say. That's what omegas need after all, they need to always be covered in their alphas scents, full of their cum and attentive to their every need. Sometimes they'll bring another omega in and fuck him through heat as a demonstration. But they'd hate for their cum to be wasted on an omega who isn't theirs, so she'd better crawl over and clean out his ass properly.

So she'll be a good little girl and stay chained in her nest in this warehouse while they train her to be a proper omega. If she'd just give in and stop fighting then they promise they'll take her home and they won't need to punish her so much. Doesn't that sound nice? They'd even give her a bath. I mean they'll need to make sure to rub their cum right back into her skin after, but after weeks in this warehouse doesn't a bath sound nice?

By the end of the month she is their perfect little omega. Begs for knots so nicely, always wants their clothes to put in the big soft nest they've set up for her at home, never wears underwear under their oversized shirts and is willing and eager to take them whenever they ask. Of course they're not setting her up to fail just so they can punish her again, but it's only nature that when she denies her omega instincts they need to get her back on track even when she pleads and says she didn't mean it. It's for her own good <3

[fumifooms]

Firefly wedding chapter 42 - 43 : Together - With you forever

How are we feeling broskis. These two chapters were an evil rollercoaster I need to talk about them. Thing are looking up…??? But also things are so transparently going to get worse. The outcome is happy in the moment but it’s setting up for failure by promising things that are still too up in the air. Will the red string of fate truly keep them together and for how long. The story’s been ramping up both references to her sickness and future death and to their happy ever after, which! Is very thematic and also terrible for my heart.

We go from sad about the backstory to soothed by the kind gesture to euphoric in the dreamlike flower field scene to scared and dreading to tentatively pleasantly surprised to paranoid "how can this go wrong" to indulging in the happiness of the moment to having sadness like a stone in your stomach.

It starts with some more setting up of their upbringings and weaves some pretty explicit parallels and causal links, and so when Shinpei talks about "only seeing Satoko", we know that his reflex to cling onto one thing hard, as if it’s the only thing he needs for happiness, was born from never having had anything. Going from having nothing to having one something is enough in his mind, but of course that’s not true, we know that, and that wouldn’t go as well as we’d like to think. And this is exactly what the leap between chapter 42 and 43 illustrates, from a high to a low in a blink of an eye, because Satoko couldn’t sate his hunger if he were to only feed on her to fuel his life.

This far he’d been fighting for scraps of attention and hints of affection, even illustrated in how he says "being asked so many questions by you makes me happy" even when the questions are about such sad things.

And then it doubles down with the possessivity and oh we see where this is going. Isolation and jealousy and violence. But this is where the supreme yandere writing enters!! They get to healthily confront it and deal with it, they are able to de-escalate!!! THEY DE-ESCALATED!!!

Firefly Wedding is a lot about balance, about hope vs facing reality, about obsession being bad vs care still being good, about running away from things while confronting others, about it being okay even if it’s a little bad or dishonorable, living in the past vs overthinking the future, leaving the past behind vs giving up on having a future, about compromising your health if it’s for the sake of living fully. About who gets to decide what you should do when and for what, and that counts your family, your lover and yourself too. Who gets to decide if you should die when and how and for what or who, if you’re allowed to cut your own finger for an oath or allowed to marry into a loveless political marriage like shackles, or marry into misery?

Satoko’s expressed it before too, sometimes Shinpei scares her, especially when he gets intense like this. But Satoko’s also had these very same thoughts, even if she has to abandon everything, maybe living on the island with Shinpei for the rest of her life would be better than to fight to get back home. Maybe a little wonderland of just the two of them, like the flower field, like the firefly lake, those unfiltered moments of the world’s beauty and inner peace, forevermore is what she wants. Maybe Shinpei is saying what she craves inside of her but knows herself is unattainable and based on unhealthy grounds, but what she craves nonetheless. The tension is high, how will she react? Push him away? Fold the knee?

But she sees herself reflected in his eye then. And she loves him. She loves him, and that’s why she knows she can’t let this go on. Because she cares about him.

Satoko refuses and we think it’s gonna get even worse. We think oh, the confession plans are so over. It’s gonna become a life or death chase or something now, like the fake-out when Shinpei felt "betrayed" by her and said he’d kill her except now the emotional dams are truly burst open.

LADIES GENTS AND PALS, EVERY ROMANCE’S LAST BOSS!!! COMMUNICATION!!! SUCCESS!!

And in her words you can hear how she’s already planning for her death, caring about how he’ll live after she’s gone. We’ve already had a very harsh wake up call with the mirror scene and it haunts us while reading just as much as it haunts Satoko, it haunts the whole narrative, it haunts the love. She’s doing Shinpei an ultimate selfless kindness with this consideration, reflected again and again in dialogue, also worried when she mentions how he has no attachment to life.

This is the beauty of Firefly Wedding as a yandere story, it’s about an obsessive lover who can’t handle the thought of their significant other not being there and the inevitability of that happening even in the best case scenario. About not delaying the inevitable but basking in the value of it while it’s there regardless, even if flawed even if fleeting. Both of them resigned to their own deaths and finding little worth in their lives, yet still making something out of them and fighting to have them be theirs. Their life, their death.

IT’S! THEM! BOTH!

Living as a zombie vs dying having felt alive.

It’s similar to the "If you don’t have a future then give it to me" -> "Live a good life, if not for yourself then for me" the story has played with before, but reframed once again as we grow one step closer to "if you can’t take care of yourself because you value your life, then maybe take care of yourself because you value your life with me".

So she tells him she loves him and everything is so great for a second before we go oh no. Oh no. Of course. How could I have forgotten. The abandonment issues!! The insecurities and paranoia mixing together into the possessivity soup!! The need for something to be material for it to be real, for it to be externalized to be able to trust it, and oh god he wants her pinky finger-

But the worst is avoided once again. Unlike many other stories of the like, this would have been a moment of full character regression for Shinpei, where all progress is lost and he becomes uncontrollably violent again, but no, there’s a key difference between Shinpei and those others, he cares. He has grown, and every turn for the worst was easily countered by openly talking.

How? It’s all only possible because he’s grown to truly value her words. To trust her. These chapters set up several times the conflict of "I don’t trust you saying good things about me", but that’s a him issue, that’s self-sabotage and self-defense jumping out when his trauma makes him hang onto her words like they’re life or death to him. The conflict is that he doesn’t trust her, but the resolution is that he does tust her.

He’s pitting his faith in her words against his instinctive lifelong fears and worldview beliefs, and her words are winning, because he’s allowing them to. Because he loves and trusts and values and cares about her. Having Satoko in his mind was supposed to make up for all the bad that could and would ever happen to him, the one shred of happiness that made it all worth it. It’d make up for all his past pain and fill the void his trauma left, but instead he fights it head on by himself, it’s his own strength from loving Satoko that fills that void, for his own sake. Love! Wins!

It’s so beautiful to see them learning how to love moment by moment throughout the story.

That’s definitely one of Firefly Wedding’s biggest strength and appeal I think. You can pinpoint in the character’s reaction the moment something clicks in them, the moment they realize something or when an emotion or fear kicks in, when a lesson is learned, all in just expression, body language and composition framing…

And this is our reward.

It is! It is healthier and happier than anything what Shinpei had asked for would have given! It’s getting better, beyond all of our wildest hopes!

Satoko got wet here to protect mere doodles representing her life plans with Shinpei, which isn’t exactly great for her health. Ultimately, on a small scale, risking herself for a very unimportant thing that however symbolizes something very important to her. I’ve had this thought before but it’s interesting to think of how Shinpei is literally bad for Satoko’s heart.

Besides the general stress of her situation or the time she chased after him out in the rain, I wonder if the jumpscares he regularly gives her by being naturally stealthy are physically bad for her… This might be something that won’t happen anymore, now that she has confessed and she isn’t as conscious around him anymore, but in the confession arc let’s call it, it was a very recurring gag. Stress is a natural part of life and can’t be avoided, and trying to extend your lifespan to the theoretical maximum is a risky unsatisfying game, so I’m wondering if that’s true in some ways… It’d go well with the manga’s themes I mentioned earlier, about how even if it isn’t the safest best bet you should embrace and pursue true love, and you should live your life fully and lively without overthinking. Sometimes knowingly potentially shortening your life for things that matter to you is worth it. He makes her heart beat, and is that truly such a bad thing?

Just before this we saw Shinpei give her his hand to help so her feet wouldn’t get wet. He wants to protect her fully, but we’ve seen several times how Satoko is ready to endanger herself for Shinpei, even jumping into the fray to shield him. He wants to protect her, sometimes from himself, because he loves her, but because she loves him she’ll always take the more dangerous path for the chance of him being alive and happy. The both of them lovingly selfless, and their wishes incompatible because of this. To marry or not to marry, how to marry, who to marry, for whose sake? What way to go about it would maximize the other’s happiness and the fullness of their life?

The red string of fate tying their pinkies together forevermore… Something doomed to be undone sooner or later, by circumstance or inadvertance or accident.

Reality crashes back in. Her health, her health, her health.

Reality crashes back in in ripples through the scene, and then one final wave when other characters walk into the new scene with something serious and ominous to discuss. Satoko and Shinpei are in a little make believe world of euphoria right now but the audience dreads for the reality of things. Satoko’s words talk of both living together forever, and of death, of living together forever until the end. Contradictory and irreconcilable you romanticize it into making sense.

The name of the chapter, "with you forever", is an impossible pipe dream of a lie. But that’s what Shinpei is hanging onto, and it’s all that Satoko wants.

And so they fantasize about the future and talk their daydreams into reality, making each other promises about eternal love and house plans, children and celebrations and domestic routines, about a life together they very might never get to have.

[hadassah4ever]

igby slocumb pre-dating & dating hcs

this takes place after he ran off bc he deserves it <3

warnings: like 1 mention of sex but that’s it, igby being insecure as hell, my lazy ass writing 💀

w.c.: 851

pre-relationship

• this boy really wasn’t expecting to fall in love so quickly again

• he obviously notices attractive people, but it typically doesn’t go further than a date or two, maybe a one night stand

• when he realises he really likes you, frankly he’s terrified

• he’s already dealt with one situationship running off, his ego would be completely decimated if you did too

• so he pushes down his feelings and doesn’t tell you, but honestly, he’s terrible at hiding it

• he would physically need to stop himself from staring at you for too long, and he doesn’t even realise how lovingly he looks at you

• so yeah, even if you aren’t completely sure, you have a general idea of how much he likes you

• eventually when his feelings for you would get too heavy, he’d start ignoring you

• again, this boy has some anxieties about you leaving, not even mentioning his already existing self esteem issues

• but anyways

• you’d obviously get a little pissed at him for basically just completely ignoring you, not knowing about his past ofc

• so when he does confess his feelings, it’s a big deal

• obviously he’s not hauling you to a 5 star restaurant and sprinkling rose petals on a fancy hotel bed, but it’s a big deal for him

• it probably comes after a bout of him wanting to see you again, then ignoring you for a bit again

• and you show up to his apartment and get into a squabble about how disrespected you feel and how if he just wants to leave, then you can just stop talking

• then he probably starts crying because that’s literally his worst fear (he’s hiding his tears tho because 🎶boyyys don't cryyyy🎶)

• and you immediately stop because you didn’t want to go this far

• and he starts dropping small hints about his past with sookie and how scared he is to lose you, and how torn he is between pushing his feelings for you down and his crippling fear of abandonment

• then you comfort him and let him know that you’d be open to dating him (as long as he stops ghosting you, off and on again)

• bing bam boom ur dating

dating

• he really starts to unravel his “i need to be witty and sardonic 24/7” persona and allows himself to become SLIGHTLY more tender with you, of course with an igby flare

• after you comforted him, his fear of you leaving eased up a little

• obviously it didn’t disappear overnight, but he realised that if you were going to run off, you probably would’ve done it one of the many times he’s ghosted you, or during the night you two fought

• you’re still there, though!!! so that’s a win

• he doesn’t really plan dates, he either spots you out and about and just joins you on whatever you’re doing, or he calls you up day of and asks if you wanna go out (you’ve gotten used to it)

• mentally, he convinces himself he’s the big spoon, but as soon as you two start to cuddle and fall asleep, he’s curling up on top of you, his head on your chest

• if you gave him any kind of nickname he’d pretend to hate it

• like, you’d probably just be like “hey igs” and he’d be like “yuckyyy ewww” but internally he’d be squealing and kicking his legs in the air like a schoolgirl

• he literally loves anything you do

• not even work or interest related, he just watches you do anything and is in love

• brushing your teeth? what a cutie. washing the dishes? you’re so responsible. sleeping? in the least creepy way possible, he could watch you sleep forever.

• he would NEVER say that out loud, though, he doesn’t really express love through words. he just looks at you with those little puppy dog eyes of his.

• he has a really hard time expressing his love for you at all, but you sense it.

• i think the closest he could get to it though would be a mixture of quality time and gift giving

• HE doesn’t plan dates, but if you wanted to plan something, or even just ask him to do something with him asap he’d be sprinting to your apartment

• he’d probably give you small gifts and not really take any credit for it

• small things, like your favourite snacks, or something that fit your interests, like a stuffed animal that reminded him of you, it’s yours

• and when you thank him he’d be like “yeah it’s whatever” but he’d also be all heart eyes

• he’s not really one for pda, he doesn’t really have anything for or against it

• he’d probably hold your hand or whatever, but i feel like full on making out is too much for him

• he does really like being close to you, though. he mainly just saves it for when you two are alone

• he’s also still healing from his “sex = love” mentality he had

• and even after that and all of his insecurities and fears, he’s still a wonderful boyfriend, just in his own, igby slocumb way.

[hezekiahwakely]

I would actually kill to hear your post 200 jmart messy divorce thoughts you alluded to in those tags

Woof OK let's get into it then

My foundational piece of thought for this comes from the fic it will be this, always by bluejayblueskies on ao3. That fic is basically the closest I consider canon to the 'jon and martin managed to survive somewhere else, with consequences' ending (if you're an 'optimist' like me and you choose to believe in that option :P) Their relationship in that fic has similar tones to the show-- the writing captures the feeling of TMA well--and the fic in general is very bleak and cathartic, clinging to the edge of a damaged relationship that's about to fall apart. So, I enjoyed this fic A Normal Amount and it's stuck with me ever since.

Now I don't actually have the brain cells or the energy levels to write the fics that're floating around in my head atm, but here are my scattered thoughts on the subject of jmart post-mag 200:

Basically, they can never truly come to terms over the final decision

(Jons desire to end the world's suffering, vs Martin's POV, the betrayal of their relationship and Jon's self hating suicidality)

At least, definitely not in the first few months when they're forced to live together bc they're stranded in this brave new world and have no one else.

Both fall back on negative habits. Jon starts smoking, withdrawing, becoming paranoid; obsessively searching for signs of the fears.

Not one person in the world understands what he's been through. What kind of sacrifice he made. And they don't know how much he failed them all.

And his body hurts. All of his wounds hurt. His head struggles to clear and the empty space in it seems so silent. He sometimes gets mentally lost without the eye to guide him.

He almost wishes they had died. He wishes he hadn't cut the tether. But hes so happy Martin is alive---even if he seems to hate him right now. That's ok, hes alive. Even if he can't smile at him anymore.

Jon craves any sort of comfort. But the only man who had ever wanted to give him that is now enormously angry with him and maybe rightly so. And besides, of course, he's so unworthy of comfort that it's shameful to even desire it. He deeply wishes he could stop wanting it, to stop feeling so disgusted with himself.

He feels disgusted with himself regardless. Helpless and hopeless and confused in this floundering relationship and so very guilty of the things hes done.

He's sinking deeply, deeply into self hatred and despair.

But he still lashes out at Martin occasionally bc he's a bastard

(And bc he deserves to a little bit, y'know? He's angry about a lot of things right now and he has a right to be! And some of those things might be bc Martin uhhhhhhhh. Did not always treat him with the most compassion, understanding, or patience during the apocalypse.)

NO I don't think their relationship in show is toxic or abusive. I think it's realistic that two people who love each other very much in terrible circumstances are going to fuck up. and them hurting each other makes for good drama. anyways

Martin also withdraws, becomes cold and passive aggressive. Assumes the caretaking role for Jon (again) and walls off his feelings

He just can't forgive Jon for leaving him like that. For betraying his trust. For abandoning him. For hurting him immeasurably deeply by forcing him to kill him

And he can't understand his reasoning for doing so, when he thought that there was a chance for them to get out and be ok, and it could have all been so easy, but Jon didn't seem willing to take it. He chose to die instead because of his guilt, and martin is so, so angry at him for that.

And now he's stuck. Again. Forced into caring for someone who has treated him badly, AGAIN.

And he has no one to talk to. No one outside of Jon to go to for comfort, and being around Jon hurts. He is increasingly alone. Again.

Martin's fine. Everything is fine. He doesn't want to talk about it. Would you like some tea? I.e., it's time to shut the fuck up, Jon.

His anger and resentment sometimes turn his tongue as sharp and cold as an icicle. In those moments of icy rage, Martin thinks his voice sounds like his mother's.

Except when he finally can't hold it in and he explodes at jon like a sadness volcano, because Jon can't even look him in the face anymore. And then he leaves to go cry alone in their bedroom

Eventually communication breaks down. Then I have a few fun ideas for what might happen

Jon has a full-on mental break. Becomes catatonic. He's paralyzed by the need to stay here for Martin... but he's also held in place by the webs he sees now tying around his whole timeline. He was never going to be able to stop what they had planned for him. None of his choices ultimately matter --so he stops doing or wanting anything. It will all be taken away from him eventually. Whatever's going to happen will happen regardless of what he does

At the same time, he is experiencing so much pain and so much guilt and self hatred and lack of love in their relationship that he's desperate to escape it. When he finds no relief from any quarter, he becomes extremely suicidal. The only two things holding him to life are 1. not leaving Martin alone, and 2. his hopeless resignation to the web.

Starts having severe panic attacks.

Has that PTSD 'avalanche' where, now that he's finally somewhere he can be relatively safe, everything that happened to him is hitting him all at once.

He's scared of everything. He's scared of what might happen to Martin. He's scared of himself. He's scared of Martin.

Then there's the vomiting, anorexia, agoraphobia, bodily neglect, other passive self harms, the whole nine yards. He's physically falling apart.

Jon has a very bad time.

And he's moved almost entirely beyond Martin's reach

Martin is suddenly forced to come to terms with the fact that Jon needs immediate, intensive medical help if he's going to survive

Fate turns slightly in their favor, and they find a good physical rehab doctor, a good psychiatrist, and a good therapist for both of them. Perhaps at this point they're separated, maybe just bc of a hospitalization, but they're attending counseling together.

In my happiest ending, Jon responds well to the meds and is able to start talking to someone about his overwhelming feelings. Martin is actually able to find therapeutic help for his trauma, finds other people to help him and Jon so it's not all on him anymore, and he starts getting more of the love and support he deserves from his boyfriend

they recommit themselves to the relationship and to making it work. slowly, they start healing.

While also beginning to rediscover all the reasons they loved each other in the first place :)

In a sadder ending, one of them dies ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Eventually both, if we're being honest. One would not last long without the other. Not with that kind of connection

Or perhaps they do separate. Maybe they keep in close touch, in which case I think it would lean more towards a happy ending. Orrrrrr they make a hard break of it. Maybe it's sudden, urgent, painful and messy. Maybe they dont see each other again for years.

Regardless of what they do, I don't think they could truly be apart forever. They would visit. Even if it hurt every time. They would want to see each other again.

Because they care about each other.

But maybe, in one timeline, they need some space to heal and rebuild their lives and themselves. Maybe when theyre ready, they'll try again.

I may continue this later with my other branching ideas possibly but I wanted to get this bit out while it was fresh and I was thinking about it. This line of thought continually haunts the back of my subconscious so I'm always happy to share it

[donkeys-waffles]

My head cannons about All for Inko

I always hear how AFO has Inko in a gilded cage, how he's possessive and controlling and how horrified Inko would be at the revelation. And I always liked the idea that those feelings are mutual between them. Maybe not the possessiveness, but the fear of abandonment, especially if the Inko Shimura theory is true.

Imagine Inko living her entire life in the system, not really knowing the love of her parents or even the love of regular adults. What if she never got adopted, taking into consideration the fact that the society we're given in MHA is one driven by quirks, the stronger the quirk the more desirable/respected the individual (looking at Bakugou getting away with verbal and physical abuse for nearly a decade without any backlash.) It's possible she wasn't adopted as a result of her weak quirk factor (you can kinda think of it as a measure of success, as utterly messed up as it sounds, it's possible that people wanted the kids with the strongest quirks first because of their potential for making billions as a hero later in life. Again, super messed up, but a thought coming from what we've seen throughout the manga.) A result of prejudice that ended with Inko never really feeling paternal love, or a consistent source of it.

What if AFO didn't fall in love with Inko just because she was kind, gentle, and loving. What if she was not only a supply of what he yearned for but also a mirror, someone he could actually relate to. Someone who had to look out for themselves their whole lives.

And if so, how would that potentially alter her perception of her own life. What if she knows she's in a gilded cage but him being her first real source of love (no matter how ugly or twisted,) keeps her there.

What if all I said about her backstory is true, it's not just AFO using her as his source of the unconditional love he never received, but it's completely mutual.

Now, I get it, he's a horrible husband, he's never depicted actually being there for either of them aside from a monetary provider. But this is the best part. She loves him, many people can't forget their first love and many others consistently make excuses for the actions or inaction of those they love. It's something you need to remember, you can throw a stranger behind bars, but it becomes incredibly complicated when that person matters to you.

He provides money, maybe the odd gift or letter, hell maybe even a phone call, and she tricks herself into believing he's still there.

She knows she's in a gilded cage, and logically she knows her husband is terrible, but leaving him or confronting the issue entirely would shine a light on her greatest fear, being abandoned again. Tricking herself into thinking that he's just busy and that's why he didn't even send a text when their son was in TWO WARS THAT RECIEVED GLOBAL ATTENTION.

AFO is afraid of being abandoned which would lead me to believe he isolated her on purpose, putting her into this gilded cage so she'd forever be taken care of by him and adored from a safe distance (kinda like Yoichi,) and she stays, tricking herself into believing that she isn't practically a single mother, out of fear of recognizing her own abandonment by the hands of a loved one.

Now what if she knew of his criminal history? It's easy to believe that she'd try to leave. And that's plausible. But I find it much more interesting it she didn't, for the first reason, he's the first man to show her kindness.

He's her husband, who probably bought her gifts, was a big quirk nerd who reads comics, was good with children, charming, handsome, and definitely the type to be kind (even though it's all so he can manipulate you later of course.) And that's not something I think she would find easy to forget. She would 100% set boundaries with him regarding Izuku and their life together. But I just find it interesting is all. Their love would be incredibly toxic and codependent and definitely obsessive.

And I would be lying if I said I didn't eat that crap up. :)

[aliesther-eistein]

Oh bloody hell! Here, in Elden Ring fandom, I feel completely lost and furious.

I am not new to FromSoftware games. I enjoy death. I enjoy defeat. I am getting fucking excited when characters I love suffer, when I have no choice but to give them death. Damn, those games are full of despair, loss, guilt, they’re build on situations when you (or someone else) have no other choice but to become a murderer, and sometimes murder is a mercy. Well, mostly it is.

So, you see, those games are dark, and most of characters we love are involved into terrible things. Still, we love them. And you know why? Because they have their reasons to do so.

And I just can’t understand, what one certain kind of people are doing here and when did this shit start?

“I know he’s a war criminal, I know that his past is not an excuse for him, but I still love him…”

Why the fuck are you writing this?

Firstly, why the fuck you are searching for damn excuses for you being a fan of some characters?

Secondly, why the fuck you are telling me that “his past is not an excuse”?

Sometimes yes, it’s not. But sometimes it certainly is. Yes, I am talking about Messmer.

Marika being a horrible mother, betraying, abandoning him, is not an excuse for him to commit genocide, BUT the things Hornesent did and kept on doing to her people is a fucking excuse for him to burn all of them into the ashes, and I will never understand those of you, who tell me otherwise.

Like, guys, just how you imagine it?

Your people, your kind, damn, your very home, everyone who was around your mother, around you for the whole of your youth are getting fucking slaughtered just for being them. They die a horrible death in front of your eyes, and your mother could be just next. Do you know how it feels when you understand that every day could be last day for your family, your beloved ones, your village? Do you know how it fucking feels when all around you die?

I tell you: you will never forgive this. When you see this massacre with your own eyes, when you know you or your mother are the ones to die next, you will do everything you can for it to happen NEVER FUCKING AGAIN.

When you see your people mutilated just for who they are, all you can think about is revenge and the most horrible death for ones who done this to you and your kind. In this situation you don’t need excuses to take the spear, impale and burn them all, enjoying their screams, cuz they simply deserve this.

It’s kinda popular nowadays to believe that every conflict or war have both sides being wrong, but you know, in real wars there is always one side who starts that goddamn war. And mostly this side is, you know, wrong. In case of Messmer this side is Hornesents. Marika and Messmer are ones being attacked in the first place, and they have their right to answer this aggression and stop this damn genocide of their people ones and forever. Isn’t it just… obvious, no?

I don’t get it. Why are you trying to be so… kind and allforgiving? Why are you trying to understand both sides when there’s simply nothing to understand? Finally, why the fuck are you trying to judge characters of those games from the position of modern western society and so? Even nowadays, right fucking now, there are people fighting for their home, encircled by enemies, with their families lost for months in the depth of nowhere. They have been fighting for their very existence for centuries. We have been. Will you tell those people to forgive, forget and “both sides are always wrong in every war”?

Oh, I forgot, it’s Tumblr, so you will. Of course you will. Ban me right now. I am full of grief and desire your hatred.

This post wasn’t only about Elden Ring.

[roseadleyn]

CAN YOU PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO MORE YANDERE CASSIS FICS

i would never abandon you guys after you sent asks like these

i'm sorry if this took too long. i'm still busy and this took me time, i do hope it was worth the wait though!! enjoy <33

WHY DO I STILL FUCKING MISS YOU? || Cassis Pedelian.

tw: hints of abuse, sexual implications, said sexual implictions are dubcon, obsession, reader is on the breaking point and falls off of said breaking point

this is cassis after the timeskip

'Sweetheart.' His voice is like honey, sweet and rich and deep, but in your dazed and hazy state, all it does is pull at your sanity even more. 'I need to go.'

You hadn't slept.

How could you? How could you do anything except stare, and stare, and stare into blind nothingness, with hot, stinging eyes, because you were in the embrace of a man who claimed to love you, yet he isolated you from your life and the world and everyone you ever knew, and locked you up in dark, dark rooms where you were all alone, and did such unforgivable, terrible things to you? How could you sleep?

Your captor's hands ruffled your hair. You knew he had seen your state of unhappy consciousness, and you knew he was waiting for a reply.

The thing was... as messed up as it was... you didn't want him to leave. If Cassis left for the day like he usually did, it meant you would be doing nothing the entire day, just lying there in silk and lace, waiting for him like some kind of toy. When he was here — and when you actually behaved — it was at least a relief to have another human being in the same room, someone who ran their hands through your hair and rubbed your tired, weary shoulders, someone who talked and even told you stories about his day. You had read almost every book in the household, and there was only so much painting you could do, and because he had taken you to his own palace, you couldn't even see his family —

'Angel?' You could practically hear the smile in his tone, prompting you, warning you, to say something. To say what he wanted to hear.

You made your decision. Letting out a shuddering breath, you inched closer into his embrace. 'Stay.'

Cassis moved the hair away from your eyes. 'Yeah? You want me to stay?'

You nodded, tears forming at the thought of another day of just roaming your way too big home, doing absolutely nothing with your time and — no, wait — it was not your home. It was his home. This was just your house. Yes. That was it. 'Please.'

Cassis kissed your forehead. 'Are you sure?'

You reach pale, trembling hands around his shoulders and look up at him with wide, sleepless eyes. 'If you go… no… please…'

You didn't like this, but he really was all you had now. It was him, and it had been him for so long, and it was still going to be him, in the future, as far as you could see. Was it really wrong? Was it wrong to miss him when he left? Was it wrong to feel joy when he returned? Was it wrong to let him pull you close and wrap you in his cashmere sweaters that were way too big on you? Was it wrong to love him when he kissed you breathless?

No. It couldn't be. Cassis was good to you; you could talk to him. You could make it okay. He had never… never hurt you… even those long, long hours spent in the darkness of the room… he hadn't hurt you, he'd done it because — because you broke his heart first. How could you reject him so, when he loved you so much that it destroys him?

'So… you'll stay?' You ask, and your voice is both hopeful and heartbroken.

Well, if he heard the break in your voice, he chose to ignore it. He smiled, and that damned smile of his was pretty enough to make you tear up all over again. 'Of course. I would never leave you.'

That was all you needed, and you let Cassis hold you, kiss you, murmur praise in his low, calming voice into your ears, run his hands over your body and underneath your nightgown, to the place that still made you tremble — except this time, you did little to stop him.

You thought about how, a few months ago, you would've fought back against him — fought back against him fiercely and passionately, fought back like your very survival was on the line, only for Cassis to bring you down, calm you down, drag you back to the bed and remind you of who amongst you two was stronger, smarter, infinitely more capable, of to whom your pretty body and mind forever belonged to.

And as Cassis withdraws his hands — though still keeping them wrapped tightly around you — you thought about how you used to take every possible chance to escape. Windows, doors, basement trapdoors, even butter knives that you'd desperately try to fend Cassis off with. Nothing had ever worked. It only made things worse for you.

And as the pale, silken white curtains turn blue and pink and rose gold with the sunrise, and the entire room seems to glow in the silence, you thought about how beautiful Cassis is. He's divine, with pretty eyes of molten gold, and pale, pearly hair, and a smile so heavenly that it almost — almost — doesn't even suit him with what he did to you.

And as Cassis's sleeping form entangled itself with your much smaller, much softer one, you thought about was how much you used to fear Cassis, and yet — if Cassis were to leave you, then…

Well, you're not very sure about what you'd do, but… it might just break you.

tagging ; @mysticmeena, @writerig, @loekas, @loekas, @ykassu, @dion-s-lawyer, @that-one-pretty-bitch, @yourlocalintrovertt, @orlic1a, @hmerus, @cerisearan, @dxmoness, @salvatvre, @d10nsaint, @meow-meow-potato, @parkykwho, @izumi-astra-123, @ithil-lucien, and @palaceofghosts.

[nanomooselet]

Little but Fierce VI

She winds up… there's the pitch…

Poor Nick. It never stops being funny. I'd feel sorrier that this happened to him but he's such a bastard in his introductory episode. It's like karma in advance.

Heheh. Kar-ma.

Meryl and Wolfwood behave very much like siblings to each other, while Vash and Roberto treat them like their awful terrible kids. Roberto does actually try reach out to Vash as a mentor once or twice, but of course Vash is fuck-off old and doesn't need that kind of assistance, so he's gently deflected. Roberto is old and wise enough to keep his distance. Nick, for his part, enjoys pissing Roberto off, and Roberto is for his part duly pissed off.

Still, Vash is the reason they're all even there in the first place and Meryl shows him concern. And Vash, in his way, fusses over Nick the way Roberto feels responsible for Meryl. A lot of what Vash does, he's doing pretty much solely for Wolfwood's benefit. I mean, look at this pathetic wet kitten of a man - you can't tell me he doesn't need it.

I've already talked at some length about why exactly Vash is like he is about Wolfwood, but what's he like about Meryl?

Pretty much exactly as fond. He's just quieter about it. To my read, he's confident she and Roberto can look after themselves and each other. That's really endearing to him, but not something he has to do anything about. And Meryl's not suffering the same kind of identity crisis as the Punisher/Wolfwood/Nico. Meryl knows exactly who she is, she's just trying to get everyone else to acknowledge it, and Vash does so from the first - she's never anything but "Meryl" to him, not "newbie" or "little lady". She never has to demand that of him.

Nor is she in directly a victim of his godawful brother, which thankfully means she isn't his responsibility to help - or at least, no more so than any given human. Also, it's Vash. What's that? Someone is invested in his well-being? Golly, that sounds suspiciously like he's being cared for (which of course he doesn't deserve), or (more reasonably) like someone vulnerable to being caught up in Knives's manipulations. Or just someone vulnerable to Knives period. Stampede out!

I though you guys were buddies./I thought you three had something special. 

No way./Yeah, not really.

Too bad for him, he's met his match in Meryl Stryfe.

In direct contrast to every other character around Vash, she's only one there not because she has to be, or because she needs or wants something from him, but because she decided to be. She's one of the only characters with agency, after all.

Real people aren't monsters like that./He's a man, not a monster.

But I won't give up, no matter how unreasonable the assignment!/I won't abandon an assignment just because it's silly.

We can't just leave him hanging here./No way. We can't just leave him here.

And she's also decided he needs help. So come hell or high water, this man is getting helped.

It's her knack for finding the truth without quite knowing the reasoning behind it. In physical terms Vash really, really doesn't need help, and it's the mistake Knives always makes; that because Vash ostensibly doesn't have powers like him, he's in need of a defender. (And because this is Knives, that means it's up to him personally, and he's entitled to Vash and his exclusive love/loyalty/devotion in return. Any protests Vash makes are clearly just human corruption.) But what Vash actually needs is something his brother has never, in any version of the story, demonstrated the capacity to give him. Even sensitive little boy Knives back in Maximum relied on others for reassurance up until the moment he decided he couldn't.

Vash is more inclined to be someone others rely on, to the point of being maladaptive. It's being unable to help that gets to him, especially when he's held responsible.

What he needs is emotional support. Or, well... faith.

Wolfwood gives that to him eventually, but it takes some serious work, and it comes with its own attendant difficulties, like the fact that Nick's not in a position to extend Vash help himself no matter how much he might want to. Nick is, like Rosa and like Vash, a pragmatist. Do what you have to do.

Meryl has never needed that kind of direct demonstration. To her, Vash is a person, and people always need help, and she's not going to be prevented giving it. End of discussion. And despite being mistaken on some particulars, on this point she's more right than even she knows.

The contrast with Wolfwood is incidentally why Meryl hitting Woofwoof with the truck isn't just fucking funny, it's the perfect way for him to be introduced. He can't catch the same bus as Vash by happenstance because this time Vash is his actual target. He can't have Angelina II because personal transport is autonomy he's not permitted to have.

Instead, Meryl's own autonomy and narrative significance had her run the plot right into him, completely ruining whatever plans were laid for his entrance. Notice Roberto tries to steer Meryl away from the collision course they're on, to no avail, and Vash winds up flipped over. Fantastic.

Wolfwood is getting dragged around; Meryl is the one doing the dragging. When she discovers Vash's secrets, she works to accept them and integrate them into her worldview - which means that the moment she learns he's a Plant, she doesn't reject him or become fearful of him. She instantly accepts that must mean the Plants are also people. That gives her a fuller understanding of the conflict, and especially Vash's view of it, than most. It's not a matter of "Whose side are you on?" It's "How do we move forward together?"

Wolfwood's knowledge has all been filtered through the Eye of Michael, so he's more aware of the details, but can't disentangle his true beliefs from the ideology driving them.

Meryl has a better understanding of the abstract. And that, in turn, entitles her to learn what the available methods are, and judge them...

...But it also entitles her to something more precious: Vash's unquestioning trust.

It's certainly much less dramatic than the demonstrations between Vash and Nick, but I have to say: any amount of exposure to Knives and his histrionics would leave me, at least, pretty relieved to have it.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

[writingfics-passingtime]

Hello my love!! For the mistake prompts:

Miracle Baby by Nothing but Thieves + Dealers choice!

This is such a fun idea😮‍💨 Happy drabbles!

Wasting My Time

This drabble is part of JJ’s Mixtape - a mini series based on my followers’ favourite songs and characters. You can read more of them here!

Song Prompt: Miracle Baby

Pairing: Matt Murdock x reader (romantic, no pronouns used but disclaimer that this one feels more female-implied than others)

Word Count: ~1450

CW: Swearing, mentions of drugs, explicitly implied sex

Note: First, I love the subtle roast calling this a “mistake prompt” thank you Ella 😂 this song is so cool and gave me hazy dive bar feelings, and going-home-with-hot-stranger feelings. Hope you enjoy!

Matt hated things like this.

His fingers idly tapped against the cool condensation blanketing the beer bottle on the bar in front of him, halfway torn between thinking about his trial in the morning and debating whether to go out tonight. Either way, he was itching to leave.

It was loud. The obnoxious kind of loud, not the kind where you could feel the appreciation for life and joy and merriment. Being dragged along to these stupid law school alumni mixers was the worst way to spend a Sunday evening. Yeah, you hated things like this.

But you’d just spotted the perfect distraction.

At your 10 o’clock. Tall, dark, handsome, sitting alone at the bar. Better yet, he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else but here, so, common ground.

You made your way through the masses, through the thick and clogged atmosphere saturated with terrible work-related jokes and the desperation to impress. Everyone else was in a sea of familiar faces but not you. You didn’t go to Columbia for law school. You only came because your roommate was too shy to come alone and promised she wouldn’t abandon you the exact way she did about five minutes ago.

Besides, you’d only lived in New York for three months and you’d spent so much energy settling into your dream law job that you hadn’t given much attention to making friends. Or to sex. But that was about to change.

Hence, the lone wolf at the bar.

After ordering some kind of sour cherry and lime cocktail with an over-the-top name, you settled on the stool next to the man. He didn’t acknowledge you and a quick glance at his walking stick gave you an indication as to why not.

“Let me guess,” you turned your head towards him and he looked your way. “Criminal law?”

He nodded, smiling with half his mouth. “What gave it away: the cheap suit, or the air of constant dread?”

You laughed, and the sound of it made Matt’s smile crack open. “You didn’t hand me a business card the second I sat down. And the lack of white powder around your nose.”

He laughed back, and you were successfully distracted.

His name was Matt, you soon learned. Past knowing he practised criminal law and that he graduated from Columbia you learned nothing more about his law career. You told him you were new in town, he told you he’d lived here his whole life, you told him you were grateful to meet someone so normal who’s been around forever and still thinks this city is worth staying in. He asked you why you chose New York and you said it just seemed like the right place to be. You couldn’t explain in. You blushed when you admitted it and your heartbeat picked up, so maybe you were doubting that decision.

He asked you about your hometown and turned his body completely towards you. You told him about it, about escaping on scholarship to Princeton, and your knees were soon gently resting against his. Somewhere throughout the course of the conversation, he rolled the sleeves of his white dress shirt up to just below his elbows. He took his time, made a subtle show of it.

You sipped slowly, Matt noticed; you weren’t here to get drunk. The citrus of your drink complimented the lavender in your shampoo, body wash, whatever the fuck it was that was the calmest thing in this place. It was clear you two were getting on well. So much so, no one bothered you.

Finally, he asked: “Where do you practise?”

“Nuh-uh,” you shook your head and pulled a knotted cherry stem from your teeth. “You and I are having a nice conversation here, Matt,” you chuckled. “All I do, all fucking day, is talk about law, think about law, breathe the fucking law-”

He grinned and held up an apologetic hand. “Message received.”

“Let’s talk about anything else.”

“Okay,” he held up that same hand towards you, putting the ball squarely in your court. “Shoot.”

You narrowed your eyes and twirled the stem between your fingertips. After a moment of contemplation, knowing very well where this may lead, you decided that this tall, dark and handsome distraction was worth the risky line.

“Do you think you could beat a grizzly bear in a fight?”

His eyebrows shot up but he didn’t stutter. “Excuse me?”

“No weapons. Pure brawn. One-on-one. Who wins, you or the bear?”

“The bear,” he waved his hand decisively. “No question.”

“Thank god,” you breathed in relief, nursing a smirk behind the stem in your fingers. His puzzled look was his question, so you answered. “Six percent of American men think they could beat a grizzly bear in a fight. Which means, there are about…” you looked around in a estimate head count, “four men in this bar who vastly overestimate their abilities.”

Matt bumped his eyebrows. Another question.

“I’m just making sure you’re not one of the four,” you said after another sip. Your glass was almost empty.

“Oh?” Matt cocked his head and found himself drawn in closer. “And why is that?”

You placed your now-empty glass down, letting it hit with a finality against the wooden bar. “Forgive me if I read you wrong, just seemed like you were searching for a reason to get the hell outta here too.”

Matt let your comment linger, and lifted the bottle to his lips to take another swig. He drained the last little bit and placed it on the counter next to yours. Your heart was beating pretty fast and you tried to calm your cherry-stained breathing, tried to look cool and collected. You wanted him, and you were the perfect distraction.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

Your breath in was shaky. Risky. No one else would’ve heard it.

“I’m just making sure I’m not wasting my time,” you said. “It’s not usually that fun, going home with a man who thinks they’re more capable than they actually are.”

He laughed once through his nose and pulled his beaten leather wallet from his coat pocket, placing thirty on the table to cover his beer, your cocktail and a tip for the bartender. “Trust me, sweetheart,” he stood and held his open palm out to you. You took his hand and left your stool with your coat and bag over your other arm. He leaned down, leaned in, so you could hear his husky promise over the sound of the bar. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Sufficed to say, you had never met a more capable man.

His place was nice, his sheets were clean, he was strong and generous and attentive and that was a big problem. Because this was supposed to just be a distraction. A one-night thing. But it was hard to leave his bed at two thirty in the morning, it felt like tearing yourself away. And that was a problem.

Stay, he’d said. He had fresh towels, a toothbrush, he’d call you a cab in the morning after he’d made you coffee. I can’t, you said. On any other night you would have, but tomorrow was a big day. He understood, didn’t press the matter, and he called you a cab after wishing you a twenty-minute goodbye.

It was only at quarter to nine that same morning, when you were walking up the front steps with a takeaway coffee in hand, that you realised you didn’t have any way to contact him other than through your roommate, who might have his information. You didn’t even know Matt’s last name.

Matt thought about you as Foggy prepped the client in hushed whispers from the defence table. As he straightened files and pens and his personal voice recorder, he wondered when he’d run into you again. You’d been a good distraction. Too good. It was like you were still next to him, like he could still smell the cherry and lime, the lavender and honey and-… wait.

You settled next to your boss and put thoughts of last night out of your head, ready and focused to take on the day. It was a big one. For the first time since moving to New York, you were the lead on a case.

Matt’s mind raced as he listened to every whisper in the courtroom, and as he listened to them hush as the judge kicked off proceedings from the bench.

“Are we ready to begin?” Judge Wallace asked in a deadpan, looking straight to the defence’s table. Foggy stood.

“Defence is ready, Your Honour.”

From fifteen feet away, Matt heard the prosecutor stand. He closed his eyes behind his glasses and held in a sigh when he heard your voice say:

“Thank you, Your Honour. The State is ready to proceed.”

Oh… fuck.