#or if its gonna end with him like running for president or something

[biblicalhorror]

Thinking about how the last two seasons of You have ended in Taylor Swift montages thereby making the show a part of TS canon BUT more importantly establishing Joe Goldberg's status as a confirmed swiftie

[princessbrunette]

𓏲ּ ᥫ᭡ ₊ ⊹ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃a continuation from the rafe and puppy universe…(click me) ࣪

rafe doesn’t always treat puppy!reader so nicely. infact, sometimes she really tests his patience.

he drags you through the front door to tannyhill with a hand wrapped around your arm — thick gold rings wound round his fingers undoubtedly leaving bruises in their wake as he yanks you inside. you can’t keep up with his long strides, tripping over and having the eldest cameron repeatedly carry the entirety of your weight with his hand everytime you stumbled— wrenching you back to your feet.

whilst this occurs, he lectures you through grit teeth — at the end of his tether. “what’d i tell you huh? what’d i fuckin’ tell you ‘bout manners?” he asks and you’re not sure if it’s rhetorical, letting him march you up the stairs to his bedroom.

“its no big deal—” you hiccup through pained whines as you try to pull away from his stern grip, only making him tighten it.

“nah, nah — you knew exactly what you were doing at the country club. running that mouth when i — i specifically told you to behave today.”

there had been a very high class event, ward forcing rafe to take you along to get you accustomed to the kook-lifestyle after so long of slumming it at the other side of the island. you were ditsy, but not dumb — you saw the way the camerons looked at you, with pity — like you simply weren’t made for this world. thats why you got so attached to rafe, he didn’t pity you. it was tough love, so you assumed — the boy constantly lecturing and berating you but would be the first to save you from any potentially damaging or dangerous situations, and god forbid anyone spoke to you as poorly as he did.

the afternoon was unsavable from the start. you may have been responsible for the large chocolate fountain at the food table falling, you’d accidentally insulted the president of the country club to his face, you’d mistakenly smeared food on the back of rafe’s shirt, and when rafe was rightfully lecturing you for that — you bit him. you bit him infront of one of the important businessmen he had been trying to impress. you understood his anger for once, you’d messed up.

he tosses you onto his bed making you stumble onto it, turning around to watch the way the boy angrily rifles through his dresser drawers, furiously continue to ramble at you. “you know i’ve been saving this, yeah — saving this from when you really messed up. ‘cos i knew you would. you’re a pogue, and you’ll always be one. and — and i’ve been here, tryna look after the runt of the litter — and yet you still disrespect me.” he shakes his head and you watch forlornly, watching him find what he was looking for and begin to pull it out.

“well you wanna run that mouth? wanna— wanna bite me in public? i’m gonna have t’treat you like the dirty pogue puppy you are— okay? didnt wanna have to do this kid but you leave me no choice. s’gotta be me to discipline you, alright? c’mere.” in his hand, you instantly recognise to be some form of muzzle. like the type you’d see on a dog, but this time perfectly crafted to fit a female face. you’d had no idea where he’d got such a cruel item, he had to have had it custom made just to shut you up, a sick fantasy he’d been sitting on. you cower, and he’s unphased.

he undoes the buckles on the side so that he can put it on you, but not before yanking your hands to his belt and leaving them there. “undo this. you’re gonna wear this, n’then you’re gonna let me take what i want from you. a’ight? i’m in charge. you’re gonna learn your damn lesson whether you like it or not.”

you whine as you obey him, trembling fingers fumbling for his belt. the worst part about this, was that you couldn’t deny your arousal. the manhandling, the degrading — you were a sensitive girl, who had sensitive needs, but something about the boy you had such a crush on, the same boy who would deny reluctantly cuddling you to sleep when you had a bad dream that one time, treating you so mean was making your cunt ache with need.

“i’m not gonna bite, i just want to kiss again.” you wail weakly as he brings the muzzle to your face, scoffing out a chuckle that read directly as ‘fat fucking chance’. rafe had kissed you a few times. moments of weakness. he couldn’t deny his feelings for you but — well, actually yes he could. he did deny his feelings for you, and often too. he was head over heels and he didn’t like that.

“kiss? you— you think you deserve a kiss after the way you behaved today?” once the muzzle is fastened and you’re staring up at him with big watery puppy dog eyes, he finishes up with yanking off his belt and undoing his zipper, trying to ignore how your pitiful expression looked. rafe was mean but he wasn’t an idiot— he knows you didn’t mean to be the way you were. you were innocent, naive — but god if taking advantage of that didn’t get him off.

his heart twinges at the sorry look on your face so he flips you over onto your front on the bed, body sprawled out and bouncing from the force. “nah…” he answers his own question as he tugs your dress up your back to reveal your soaked through panties between trembling thighs. he thumbs at the wet patch above where your hole sits meanly, scoffing. “you’re gonna shut up and take this dick. maybe then you’ll get your damn kiss.”

[that-spider-fan-over-there]

BNHA 430: This wasn’t very “My Hero Academia” of you I’ll be honest—

Okay, where do I begin? Uh. So the story reached its conclusion. Congratulations, and all the best to Horikoshi-san for telling the story he wanted to tell for ten years, loved the characters, the little world he created after the cancellation of his previous works, I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

... but in my opinion: the last seven chapters were so bad- I don't think I can see this ending as anything other than a contradiction of what we were shown. Like, I thought we'd get a twist, everyone would be fine, something would change. I'm wearing the clown shoes already.

So, I'm just gonna treat this as a normal chapter, and not a final one, because I'll be here for days if I open this can of worms, which, I will not lie, is very bad (I'll open it at some point, not now.) I'm posting this on the.. 6th? Because apparently there's an announcement in the 5th and I don't wanna spoil the fun.

So, uh, under the read more are my thoughts on the ending, be warned I'm very, very negative about it.

*sigh* Oh boi, how killing the League made this go from an "underwhelming" to a "tone-deaf" chapter- I mean, Jesus fuck, leaving things open-ended don't erase the fact they can't make a single appearence to prove me wrong, if they were alive, the last five chapters were a waste of emotions and keeping them hidden was a stupidly cruel move.

Funny the narration is just "people aren't equal but it's because of these differences that people find common ground to get along"- THE VILLAINS WERE KILLED OFF FOR BEING DIFFERENT BRO WHAT DO YOU MEAN- "if lending a hand and caring is being a hero then we all became the greatest heroes". Izuku, whatever you're drinking, I'm taking it and drinking it all by myself. You may have cared. But Tenko died. On accident. Because you gave him OFA.

I liked the "Midoriya-Sensei" part. For 5 seconds. It's fitting, he loves learning stuff, he's good with kids, until you say it's only because his embers were gone. Then why use it as a tease for seven chapters only to just get rid of them at the end? Is running to Ochako really the last we get to see him use it? Not even as a part-time hero? (not that it matters at the end-)

Ragdoll works with the WWP, Tsukuachi was head strategist in the final battle, Hawks is the (H)PSC president, why wasn't Izuku hired at an agency? Intelligence was a huge part of his character, yet the moment he was fully Quirkless again, he was out? Men truly aren't created equal...

"Cursed power", "blessing", "special" — the only thing special about OFA was being haunted by a guy whose brother was insane enough to hunt it down for generations. A Quirk's a Quirk; having multiple people/powers in one body isn’t special, Tokoyami and Shoto exist. Izuku made it special using it on his terms. But I guess "meant to save, not kill" was a lie, as eight out of ten people who had it died. Nine out of eleven, counting BNHA: HR. Tenko died because his body couldn't handle the Quirk, but I guess Izuku isn't gonna think about any of it? Katsuki was right about this too, holy shit.

Spinner wrote a book (not a comic, guess he took offense to Izuku. Fair, actually). Mr. Compress got a panel, but no real mention of the LoV? They broke the status quo for months (in-universe), and after all of that, nothing changes? Did Spinner know about Tenko, how he became Tomura? And the people who will read it and pull an MLA? TomurAFO had followers, now he's martyr a lá Re-Destro, I’m hoping Spinner didn’t commit suicide like that guy.

Ochako’s expanding Quirk Counseling. Reform’s implied (it only said expansion), but Himiko still became what Curious wanted her to be: A cautionary tale. And I’m still asking how Ochako knows Himiko went what through, she only told Ochako she was hated because of her Quirk and how she loves. I wanna think she’s reforming it, but nothing else changed, why should I think she’s the exception?

(At least she's seen as a hero on her rights… even if it took 429 chapters, messy writing, her face looking like rubber, and still being a girl recognized as a "caretaker", not a kickass hero).

Shoji's travelling through Japan to solve discrimination and got a prize for it. No foundations or mentions of Spinner being the main reason he did it, just "standing atop those who rose up eight years ago", just solving it peacefully, you sure are, buddy. Like, I'm sure you are being successful but how exactly are you solving this? I mean, you "solved" the hospital fight by fighting Spinner with Koda- Oh wait, time constraints, we can't elaborate how.

Shirakumo showed the noumu state could've been reversed, yet Katsuki, who never killed someone aside from AFO (and he was gonna die anyway), fatally exploded him. I hoped it was a misunderstood panel but no. He died because he wanted to save Tenko. Even fucking Gran Torino was alive by the end of this. Why.

I think Shoto is the only main character I’m not really having a problem with (Ochako's ending required Himiko for it to feel somewhat complete. Sorry, Ochako). I’m weirded out that they mentioned the billboard using the guy whose life was ruined by it as an example, but other than that, he’s doing fine. Wish we saw him talking to his siblings though. But alas. No mention of Fuyumi and Natsuo. And Rei's with Endeavor. Fuck.

Inko got so sidelined when Mitsuki and Masaru got half a chapter, by the way. Just one panel for her, the protagonist's mother.

Schedules not aligning is one thing, but Class A not opening an agency together? They survived two wars together and you're telling me they wouldn't say "WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER AND WE'RE TAKING MIDORIYA WITH US"? Also, where’s the "world where heroes have time to spare" when they look so busy? Were they understaffed or working as celebrities? (if someone says it was for the suit I will point out to the three nepo babies of Class A, Katsuki’s a dumbass if he forgot that detail).

Dude. We wasted pages on a kid that can throw plates from his hair. To tell him he can be a hero. Coming from the guy who had to go when he lost OFA. I'm not taking this parallel seriously.

I wish Izuku wasn't in "everything’s fine" mode until the end. We're really gonna leave him at "implied" mode, not confirm if his mental state's fine? Being open and emotional was an appealing part of him and now we just get “Yeah that’s just how it is”.

This one's petty and irrational, I know, but since I'm letting some of the steam out: I hate Izuku's new design; face scars (the constant "HE FAILED" reminder makes my eye twitch and I wish that was a joke, but also so many characters in BNHA got face scars, it doesn't even stand out), "perfect tie", normal formal attire- where's the character highlights? The things that make Izuku stand out?

But hey: He gets to be a hero again! Not with skills, heart, intelligence, strength, in spite of Quirklessness. No, he has an Iron Man suit! That Class A paid billions for. The government should be paying Class A and B (and Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu) instead, but all they get is a pat on the back. If the suit broke down, hurt or killed him while in it I'd laugh (Hatsume and Melissa worked on it? Oh it's gonna happen). And Toshinori, what happened to him, did he hit his head when he landed on that building!?

Went from: Smiles cover his fear and reassure people, believed saving is about saving body and soul, wanted to help Tenko, only didn't because Gran Torino said it wasn't a good idea. Disliked people were being heroes for fame and not because it's the right thing to do, only used support items as reinforcement and a precaution, never as a full solution, even Iron Might was so he’d have a chance to fight, not a solution.

To: If Tenko died smiling, it wasn't resignation, he was saved, even though he died. Didn't care AFO killed the Shimura - his mentor's - bloodline. Is fine with the billboards existing, even though it caused things like the Todoroki plotline. Now he's giving Izuku a suit, when the last time he did it himself, it didn't save him and his spine was almost snapped? Dude, what?

Also I thought he was paralyzed but I guess he just had a bad back.

... I hated BKDK's conclusion. It's actually so laughable how much I hate it. If it had another outcome, I'd probably be overjoyed. But:

Thematically, Tenko wasn't rescued, it wasn't a perfect victory because AFO still got away with what he did to him. "End of an Era and The Beginning" is hollow, nothing changed for the world they lived in, and it doesn’t look like they stand out among other heroes (these are AM’s successors. How.) What new era is this, really?

Their resolutions and relationship rebuild? Offscreen, but Katsuki was the one with the Iron Man suit idea for Izuku and apparently that compensates for it. Because he’s the one who can solve all of Izuku’s problems now, not motivate him to be better anymore. It wasn’t even Izuku’ idea, it was Class A, and sure it’s a nice gesture but we’ve seen Toshinori barely come out alive even with one.

Izuku barely batted an eye to any of the things he went through - losing his arms and/or OFA? Seeing Spinner's breakdown? Lady Nagant!? Katsuki or Tenko dying!? SOME INTROSPECTION, PLEASE IT’S BEEN OVER 100 CHAPTERS SINCE YOU’VE BEEN THE EMOTIONAL MC—

Katsuki's insecurities were for nothing by the way! Izuku's empathy and heart never mattered, a Quirk was more important to be a hero in the end. BULLIED HIM FOR NOTHING BUDDY- shouldn't have done it at all but wow did it become even more pointless in hindsight. Like Twice's death. Or Katsuki’s death, since “Control Your Heart” meant nothing as well.

Izuku still remembers Tenko, but has he done anything about it? No one wants to remember him, Himiko or Touya. Spinner's book will not be taken seriously, Mr. Compress was sidelined, Twice's death was pointless. They didn't change society, they've returned to the status quo. Pointless as Izuku losing his arms.

That fucking suit- Wow, he really couldn't be a Quirkless hero, the casual rivalry was just erased for an easy way out of Izuku's consequences, there's no catching up because Katsuki paid for Izuku a way to be a hero. He went full on-simp in the most disrespectful way.

And it ends with Izuku seeing Tenko's... Ghost? Hallucination? Vestige? I guess we’ll never know, because Izuku’s following his dreams again! Let's ignore he's doing this during class hours and he definitely should be in UA but who cares, he probably quit and we'd never know, as aside for the BKDK/DKBK fics, being a teacher was clearly a inferior choice for him and he can't do both ignore Aizawa and Present Mic look at him being the world's greatest hero!

It just took 1 year of trauma, scars, following on his mentor's mistakes, losing the thing that "actually" made him be a hero, having the first and the last people he tried to save dying because of his existence (one literally by his hands), proving anyone can be a hero! By ignoring the guilt of those you failed, give hands and sparing your thoughts, having superpowers and/or connections who'll give you a suit! Fuck this shit I swear-

A story about hope bent itself over to give the protagonist an unearned happy ending, when it said it was for every character who wants to connect to that hope, who wants to give that hope. Izuku went from "wanting to be a beacon of hope and save people" to "talk about beacons of hope, but in the end, others are doing this better than you. You had none of the willpower to be one." He's not hope or unity. Act 3!Izuku is just a plot device, I feel nothing for his ending other than irritation.

You could’ve had the BKDK proposal with a double spread handhold, and I'd still think Izuku's ending isn't earned anymore. His "happy ending— actually. BKDK crumbs are compensation for this ending, I feel cheated out of this ship (I feel like I'm shipping the version of them in my head, nott the canon one 424 onwards, and it only got worse from there-)

So. Yeah, those are my thoughts about the ending. I think. I don't know if these are all of them. I feel horrible about hating it, but I've sat on this chapter for days and right now, not a lot can make me like it, especially with the timeskip, which made this "open ending" a rushed and incomplete mess. If you disagree with me, honestly, that is very fair. I'm glad for you if you liked the ending. I'm just disappointed, and wanted to share my opinions. (and I do have more stuff to say about it but I think I've been negative enough)

But for the weeks I spent hoping this wouldn't slap a classic shonen ending in this catasthrophic mess and for making me feel like a dumbass after what we got in the end: Everything after 410 that isn't 421 and 422 is non-existent to me, this epilogue was a freaking waste.

Thank you for reading.

[demontruth]

Prison Time for Trump is needed and this Why...

Y'all, I just did the math (if I did it correctly), I just realized something Trump could get 136 years in prison!! Because each of 34 counts comes with a maximum of 4 years if the Judge decided that Trump should do them separatly boom 134 years! Which fingers crossed. I know that highly unlikely but still the thought makes me so incredibly happy!! However I do think the Judge should give 'No Longer Teflon Don' some prison time.

Here's my thoughts on that. Because no matter the amount of time it's gonna fuck with Trump's head psychologically, as I see it. He's gonna be put in handcuffs taken out of the court room, hopefully. Put on a prison bus, once again hopefully. He's gonna be taken to a prison, maybe it be white collar or please let be federal prison. They're still gonna take all this clothes from him and anything that he has like his expensive ass watch and everything else he has on his person. Then they're going to strip searching him, which I feel extremely bad for whatever prison guard that may end up having do that. Give that man bonus, no joke. That's gonna have to do that. But still just that experience is going to be humiliating and demoralizing which I'm sorry he deserves in my opinion. Maybe but doubtful it will teach him some humility. Then they're going to make him get into whatever color jumpsuit, may it be orange, oh please Jesus let it be orange! Then those he going have to put on those lovely prison shoes. Then they're gonna take his ass to a cell where he's gonna have a celly no doubt. Hopefully its someone that fucking dislike him strongly and not one of his MAGA asshole. And then they're going to close the cell door. That sound alone I would imagine would have a profound effect on him mentally. Because he's the arrogant, a narcissist, egotistical, sociopathic. In that prison he's just like everybody else. He's can't stand up there thinking he's the big man having all his loyal MAGA cult followers screaming and cheeringfor him. That's going to mess with him like nothing else. And put him on a level with what he considers common people is going to mess with him in a way that nothing else ever could. Because he won't get special treatment, the prison guards aren'tgoing to treat him better then the other prisoners shit they might treat him worse if he acts up. Ithink it's so important that it happens to this motherfucker. It's time he brought down to the level he deserves. The level he's been running from forever. Because has anyone seen him now? I have no by choice, just watching the news and of course he's all over the news. He looks so defeated, pathetic, sad, old, beaten, tried, as he would say zero energy. As evil as this may sound and I really don't care... I fucking love it!! Give more of it!!

Now we just HAVE TO DEFEAT him in the Presidential election!! Biden may not be what we want either but it better then a man that's going be hell bent on revenge on everyone that disagrees with him, but on trial, who still want to but him on trial. Remember he still has at least 2 more trials coming and if gets back in the White House he'll do everything in his power to squash them. He'll go after the FBI, the DOJ and every other agency that investigated him. He will literally go on a witch hunt! Don't be mistaken and don't be stupid enough to believe he will not go full Dictator if he gets back into the white house. Trump likes/loves power far too much either far actual prison time with more criminal trials down the road he'll use that power to make sure that don't happen. See the whole I want to President again is just a Red Herring, to distract everyone from his criminal trials and a way to make them go away.

Once again I'm saying something I've been saying since before Trump became President the first time omg I'm tried. But anyway. Trump doesn't give a flying monkey shit about anyone but himself! Not the us the American people, not our Foreign policy, not climate crisis, not gun control, not education... nothing!! The only reason his sides with the Conservatives is because they kiss his ass. I completely understand why us on the left will not. But it does put us in the position of Trump not doing that we need him to do. So as much as I hate this we should pick somebody on the left that would be willing to kiss his ass so hopefully he would start doing what we want him to do. And you have no idea how much that pains me to actually write that!

But we on the left need to start fighting like we did in the last Presidential election! Grass root efforts, hitting the streets, online, fucking everywhere, especially with swing voters! We have get Biden re-elected no matter what because this another election of our life times that will matter in more then just 4 year from now!!

[igetnosleep]

Rekindling

Sequel to "The Night we Met" another attempt at angst. mostly written in Leon's point of view set after RE: 4 remake in mind.

So some TW: Four pages of Leon picking you apart, Leon being needy (If you count that as a warning), thoughts of mutilation (Leon wants to get close to you but is unable to express himself properly), Anger, implied smut (I cannot write smut for the life of me), angst, some comfort but I take it from you.

Six years.

Six years since Leon had last seen you.

It felt so far away the memory of Raccoon City was ingrained into his mind like a brand.

Then they took you away had you relocated far away from him away from anyform of comfort. He wished he could have followed you at that moment and have you in his arms longer.

It felt like decades had passed since he saw you.

He wished he could pour everything out, rip his skin off and have the weight in his chest fall out bloody and ugly, but you couldn’t know that. He had to beg on his knees to make sure you didn’t end up like him. You wouldn’t have survived USSTRATCOM. He barely survived. You would have died.

Mission after mission, saving the president's daughter, the DSO decided to throw him a bone. Reward him for all of his hard work.

Now here he is finally, he gets to see you, standing in front of your apartment door. Not Sherry unfortunately, Simmons wouldn’t let him. “Make up your mind Golden boy, what's it gonna be? Think fast or I’m pulling my offer off the table.” He wanted to kill that man, jaw clenched as he accepted his superior's terms.

He steeled his nerves reaching up and knocking on your door staring hearing a dog barking and the sound of nails tapping against wood floors then scratching and more barking, you had a dog. “Coming!” your voice rang out as you unlocked the door and he was met with a determined pitbull sticking its nose past the door trying to get a feel on him.

You held onto its collar the large puppy with a powder face, sniffing excitedly as its tail whacked your leg. “Noooo don’t run off you’ll get me in trouble again.” You spoke gently, eyes trained on the pup. Slowly you looked up at him and your eyes widened in surprise, like you saw a ghost.

“Leon?” Your voice was confused and unsure. He gave you a small nod, his lip quirked up trying to give you some semblance of comfort. Your grip on your dog loosened giving it the chance to approach him, he offered his hand allowing for a sniff of approval and affectionate licks to his palm.

You had changed a bit, you looked skinnier, unfortunately, he missed the softness in your body even if it was brief how long he’d held you. You looked tired, you hadn’t been sleeping. Why did you look frail? 

You looked at him like you didn’t recognize him, your eyes searching for something, a remnant of him from when you met.  The same man who had left you alone now thinner, cheeks sunken and heavy eyebags and dark circles. Hesitantly you touched his cheek watching him tense before forcing himself still.

Those blue eyes you couldn’t get out of your head dulled and tired. The back of your hand gently smoothed over his cheek and he sighed shoulders drooping, a hint of vulnerability. Leons hand coming up and grabbing yours pressing your hand against his cheek as he took a breath.

He needs more, more than just you touching his cheek. Morbidly he wished he could sink under your skin and feel your warmth, would you mind? Would you mind if he did that? You wouldn’t would you? 

Sink his teeth into your skin and rip your throat out, maybe claw his way into your chest and make a home next to your beating heart.

Your life felt too inviting. Your warmth all too accessible, willing, open for something like him always longing for something.

Then again. There was that fear. Fear of getting too close too fast, seeming all too eager for something more. He’d come out bloody and red staring back at you scared and confused. 

Your voice cut him out of his head. He blinked and hummed a small beckon for you to repeat yourself “Do you want to come in?”

You led him inside pouring both a cup of tea, chamomile, “Helps the nerves..at least that's what the lady down the hall told me.” you spoke almost in a daze, still surprised to see him there. You pour some honey and lemon into both mugs.

Silence felt deafening between the two of you, his eyes trailing the interior of your apartment, the dog lying peacefully on the couch cushions, he never took you for a dog person, the way the carpets seem to overtake the living room, how warm it felt in the apartment despite the air being at the coldest temperature known to man.

“How have you been?” It feels like a stupid question to you, but he knows it’s all you could think of at the moment, you weren’t social you could barely keep eye contact. Were you trying to go back to the night when you looked at him trying to find the puppy you met all those years ago?

It almost felt nice that you were trying to find something to cling to like how he’d started trying to take note of how you lived every detail to how you dressed was something he wanted to write into memory. You were an open book he held the highlighters and pens writing annotations on your pages underlining and highlighting the details that caught his attention.

You could barely peer into him. Leon felt like a blank journal, the cover beautifully decorated yet when opened held nothing, no words or details to keep note of, how he preferred it now, it wasn’t your fault. He reminded you of the ones you collected but never got the chance to use, he seemed torn and frayed, being through too much to know pages torn out secrets hidden between lines and invisible ink. He felt more like the blacked out lines you’d see in a government document. At least in the movies you’d seen but at this point you were sure it was the same.

A part of him felt angry you didn’t immediately know, you couldn’t get a read on him, see what kind of person he was now without feeling like you were intruding. The man in your living room is more of a stranger if anything rather than someone you thought was a friend.

Could you classify what you had as a grounds for friendship?

You hardly knew let alone understood what happened yourself.

Leon barely tried to acknowledge it, finding himself torn between wanting to acknowledge and longing to forget what happened even if it meant forgetting you sometimes.

He almost wanted to scream at you, resentment at the life you were living now like he didn’t make the choice to protect you. 

He bit back a scowl. Glowering from his spot. “Fuck you.” his mind supplied it was terrifying how it felt like it was creeping into his veins, anger, resentment.

You looked small under his gaze, did you regret it? Did you regret meeting him? Were you starting to regret letting him into your home?

He took a deep breath, the aroma of honey and lemon mixed into his cup easing his nerves. He needs to calm down. He’ll scare you if he keeps going on like this. You hadn’t seen him in years. You didn’t even know what he’d done for you. “And you never will.” 

It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault. 

Leon knows better. He’s not his father. You’re not at fault.

“I’m..” he paused, debating telling the truth before shaking his head “I’ve been better.” you bit your tongue. Your cheeks flushed red as you rubbed your forehead. “Sorry..I just..You can’t talk about anything can you?” You were smart peeking into the cracks of his walls. He shook his head “No, sorry.” He looked down, somber hand coming up to rub his forehead. 

You sat in awkward silence, you weren’t used to the bitter tone on his tongue. You didn’t know what to say, what could you say? What could you do? His shoulders looked squared; he was guarded; rigid. 

His eyes narrowed and observed the area, what was he looking for? God fuck who knows something a hint that you had moved on that you were just fine without him. 

Resentment towards you festering in his mind despite him pushing it down but it clung to his gut unwilling to go away. Bitterness coated his tongue. You were scared one wrong move could break him and have him crumble like he was fragile. He wasn’t fucking fragile. “You have something on your mind?” He asked his finger tapping against the mug in his hands impatiently. 

You weren’t stupid, mostly just caught off guard by his behavior. Shifty eyes and rigid body language. Clear indication that he wanted to leave, to go back to wherever he called home.

“Sorry..I guess I’m still surprised to see you..” you apologized for your lack of words, it only proved to make him feel worse.

This meeting felt like a mistake. Everything about it felt wrong. 

Leon placed the mug down on the coffee table as he tapped his knee anxiously. “I should go.” Already getting up and moving towards your front door. You stared at him confused. He wasn't here for maybe a few minutes.

You didn’t want to leave it like this: a wordless exchange of nothing too much simmering under the surface too much needing to be said but fear and reluctance prevented them from being said.

“Leon.” Your voice was gentle trying to pull him away from his head “Are you..feeling up to a hug?” You asked, arms opening up in a curious invitation. 

For a moment he wanted to decline her out before he did something he would regret but he wanted to be selfish. He gave so much and let his superiors take so much of him it felt like there was nothing left to take. 

Just for a moment, let him have something.

Let him have this.

His arms wrapped around your shoulders, hands moving over your back slithering down and locking you in place while your hands hesitantly rest on his waist. Your hands were shaking at the unexpected contact not understanding how quickly he would change his demeanor. 

Leon nuzzled your neck, his hands clutching your shirt for a moment. He felt like he was reliving a good memory. A piece of heaven he thought was locked away from him his hands felt bloody, unclean, clutching your shirt.

You smelled nice. The scent of the soap you used was intoxicating a deep breath and he was ingraining it into his memory, his hands roaming down to your sides then up your shirt, feeling you jolt in surprise “Leon?” You voice surprised but not pushing him away cheeks flushed warm, almost burning feeling lips against your neck.

You pulled away staring at him eyes wide “Push me away. Please say something.” he murmured, his forehead leaning against yours. Your breath mingled with his while his fingers dug into your back pulling you closer with each moment of silence.

Your mind was racing, the sudden change the way he stared at you.

What the fuck?

Holy shit.

You were certain you might blow a fuse or burn out with how he was staring at you. What could you do? Say no? He did say that but the words weren’t forming in your mouth. Your name was rough on his tongue “Please say something.” he whined his voice cracking his hand coming up to cup your cheek his lips brushing against yours as you managed break out of your thoughts staring back into those pretty eyes of his ones you knew you could get lost in staring into for a long time if he allowed it.

“Keep going.” You gently urged your hand going over his thumb brushing over the back of his hand. He could get used to that feeling. His eyes darted down nudging your nose as he murmured, asking gently “Can I?” a small pause and you nodded allowing him to continue.

His lips were chapped desperate over yours. Your hands on his cheeks as you moved your mouth clumsily against his. “Bedroom?” he asked clumsily, he felt like a rookie again, legs wobbly as he guided you to where you spent your nights and mornings wrapped up in nothing but peace.

Need and desperation were the two emotions he felt during that moment. Being able to hold you to bring you close to the feeling you wrapped around him, his nails digging and clawing into your skin begging to be let in to be a part of your life without the blood and the fear, without the constant mockery or over reliance of his skills.

The morning after it was like he’d slept for the first time in a while, a proper sleep, no restless tossing and turning, no screams and vivid nightmares that came for his throat. Just sleep.

Leon breathed for what felt like a long time. Searching for you before wrapping his arms around you pulling you close his hand smoothing over your chest, a familiar heartbeat, a rhythm that made him relax with a scary realization.

He didn’t want to leave.

He wanted the warmth of the mornings and the cold nights wrapped under your blankets wrapped in you.

You.

You.

Fuck how long had he needed you?

How long did he need to be away before realizing that this was heaven. 

The pearly gates that he knew he’d be rejected from, He realized he gladly fall if it meant staying with you.

His hands were stained in blood staining your skin with his filth. He needed to make his place here. He needed you. He wanted you.

Fuck. 

Fuck fuck fuck.

What was he doing? What was he thinking coming here? Back to you? Back to the memory he wanted to forget?

Leon buried his nose in the crook of your neck, screwing his eyes shut, reluctant feeling like a little kid after being told he had to go to school after summer break stamping his foot whining. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

He refused because he didn't want to leave. This was perfect. Everything about this was home. This was home. You were home. His nails dug into your skin drawing out a whine from you still asleep. This was only supposed to be a visit. He didn’t need to look at his phone to know he was expected back. 

Could he come back?

He wasn’t sure.

Leon stared at you, stirring in your sleep, blinking with bleary eyes staring back at him “You okay?” Your voice is still asleep but trying to stay up for him. “Yeah..go back to sleep sweetheart.” he kissed the crook of your neck while rubbing your arm lulling you back to a peaceful slumber.

When you woke up again, Leon was gone.

[reidsaurora]

hellohello i'd like to order a confetti cupcake with luke alvez and a hint of a "oh shit are we really doing this" kind of relationship/date whatever thank youuu

this is the cutest ever, i'm so happy with how it turned out! hope you enjoy 🫶🏻

"The Mistletoe Mishap" ~ L. Alvez

pairing: luke alvez x gn!reader

summary: "you'd be surprised just how seriously the bau took their christmas in july celebrations."

word count: 922

warnings: a couple swear words, mentions of food, a lil splash of sexual humor at the end, i think that's it!

genre: festive fluff ❤️✨️

extra notes: the icon in the collage is by @delicatejareau (edited to fit the theme of the collage a lil better) and the dividers below are by @anlian-aishang!

beta read by: @dungeons-are-too-cold (thank you, love!)

birthday bash | masterlist | ask box

🧁 Confetti Cupcakes - send me a character + concept/trope/au and i'll write you a blurb!

You'd be surprised just how seriously the BAU took their Christmas in July celebrations.

What started as Penelope bringing Christmas cookies to the office one day turned into watching Elf during their lunch hour, Secret Santa exchanges, and weekly contests to see who could show up in the ugliest Christmas sweater (Spencer was winning so far with his sweater made completely out of tinsel).

However, the one unfortunate part of Christmas in July was the mistletoe hanging over every. single. doorframe.

Sure, mistletoe in the workplace was awkward enough as it was, but it certainly didn't help that there was one person you absolutely couldn't get caught under it with.

You and Luke had been dating for a few months by this point and, thus far, you'd successfully kept it under wraps. But every time one of you stopped in a doorway, your heart began to beat so hard, you thought it would bang its way out of your chest.

Usually, you two found a way to keep enough distance that it would be almost impossible to pass under the mistletoe at the same time. But today? The last day of your Christmas in July celebration? Of course it would be the day you didn't.

You and Luke were the last two to show up at the round table room for lunch and a movie, which you'd gathered was Frosty the Snowman when you heard the familiar theme song upon walking in.

Your shoulder brushed something hard as you entered the room, and for some reason, you just knew it wasn't going to end well when you looked up and made eye contact with whoever else was under the mistletoe with you.

You attempted to make a run for your seat, but a familiar voice stopped you in your tracks. "Now, Y/N, you know the rules of mistletoe," Penelope reminded you from her seat. You should've known there wasn't a way out of this, not when Penelope Garcia, self-proclaimed President of the 'Christmas In July Club', was around.

The rules of mistletoe varied a little in the workplace, at least. Some people went for high-fives while others went for hugs. Emily had even gone as far as kissing Tara on the cheek one day, but no one dared to kiss anyone on the mouth yet. So, really, there was no reason to panic, right?

Still, you froze in place, your fight or flight mode clearly not having kicked in yet. Instead, your eyes met Luke's with a look that said, 'please save me,' your hands gripping your lunch bag for some form of stability.

Your chest rose and fell in a rapid rhythm, your heart beating hard against your sternum. "Are we really gonna do this?" you silently mouthed up at him, your whole body on the verge of something close to a panic attack.

"Come on, you guys," Rossi teased, "If Boy Genius can high-five people under the mistletoe, you can too."

Chuckles erupted from your coworkers, but not from you nor Luke. Instead, Luke looked down at you, his tongue jutting out to wet his lips, and somehow, as simple a gesture as it was, the soft eye contact was enough to bring you out of your state of panic. You knew that whatever happened, whether he kissed you or not, and whether or not this kiss led to your secret being exposed, Luke had this, had you.

In one swift motion, he had both his hands planted on either side of your face. "Fuck it," he whispered, barely giving you a second to process the words before his lips were on yours.

His familiar scent fell around you like your own protective bubble as he kissed you, his hold on your face absolutely intoxicating. The taste of his morning coffee burned through you, your stomach doing a loop-de-loop at the sensation.

You knew as soon as he pulled away that all eyes would be on the both of you, but you didn't expect half of their jaws to be on the floor.

"Damn," Emily said, flabbergasted. "Is everyone around here getting laid except for me?"

Penelope was the next to speak, which was quite surprising, considering it looked as though her jaw was out of commission not three seconds prior. "Who knew Newbie could canoodle like that?"

Your face flushed as crimson as the sweater your colleague wore. "Penelope," you scolded her, your hands bringing your lunch bag in front of your face, covering the blush that had taken over.

Luke was having none of that, pulling the lunch bag away from your cheeks. "Y/N sure knows," he smirked before leaving a soft kiss on your forehead.

The blonde all but jumped out of her chair. "Is this a thing? How come no one told me about the thing? Why am I always the last to know about a thing?"

Luke tossed an arm around your shoulders, providing you with a sense of calm and comfort as you thought about your next words. "Technically," you started, "you're all the first to find out about the thing."

"Except Roxy," Luke corrected. "She pretty much knew it was a thing before it actually was a thing."

Next thing you knew, the girls were pulling you over to one side of the room, practically begging for details. Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Spencer sharing a fist bump with Luke, a smile overtaking your face.

Oh, how they got on your nerves, but oh how, you loved the BAU.

-> taglist: @1234-angelika @drayshadow @alexxavicry @nomajdetective @cordyandbilliehavemyheart @darkloverfox @sammyrenae68 @cherrycandle @asgardprincess97 @gh0stgurl @randomwriter1021 @eddieharrington @danielle143 @esposadomd @reidselle @dungeons-are-too-cold @louderfortheback @reidsbookclub @cwritesforfun @cynbx @juismissing @captainchris-pike @lukeclvez

[19joo]

It took me a while (like, years haha) before gathering the courage to post this. I've been writing but I don't usually post them publicly. If anyone here has read til the end, please let me know how I did. >_<

Our Last Night

[MCxJake]

"Do you really have to go?", I asked Jake as he is preparing to leave our hideout and run from his pursuers.

He sat in the bed beside me, leaned in closer, and took my hands. "It's gonna be alright. I'll come back as soon as I can. Once we get this over and done with, I'm never leaving your side again. I promise." He gave me the most reassuring look he could. I can only do nothing else but sigh. I know him too well now to see the uncertainty he's trying to mask from his eyes.

We both knew at this point that a desirable outcome is far-fetched. Nevertheless, I chose to hold on. I needed to. Otherwise, I won't have any other reason to keep going.

It's not that I didn't see it coming. I just hope things had never gone to this. Now that Hannah is safe and sound, all that's left is Jake's freedom.

After the Duskwood ordeal, Jake told me everything I needed to know about him. Apparently, we live in the same country, which is currently being ruled by the most corrupt set of government officials. It all began with Jake discovering a sketchy deal between a certain governmemt official and a foreign pharmaceutical company, which turned out to be our country's president. One discovery led to another, and now their organization has obtained a concrete proof that this heck of a useless corrupt "leader" has manipulated the election results.

It was all going so well. Jake's discoveries has been made known to the public. People were enraged, and started demanding justice. However, this government is a difficult group to get involved with.

We are now fighting for our freedom, and we have never been this close. We worked so hard for this. I am willing to do anything, but losing Jake is just a price I just couldn't afford to pay.

Before meeting everyone, I was merely existing. I've been going through the motions for as long as I can remember. I waited everyday for my life to end, because I couldn't end it myself. My body felt like an empty shell moving on its own.

I remember just blankly staring at my bedroom ceiling, contemplating between getting out of bed or going back to sleep again. I reached to my phone and scrolled at the piling messages I haven't replied to in weeks when I received that text message from Thomas. I don't know what got to me, but the urge to reply at his message was strong. When I saw how desperate they were on trying to find Hannah, I decided to sign myself up. Better do something worthwhile for once in my life, I thought.

As we went further, I noticed things gradually changing. I couldn't point out exactly when, but days eventually stopped being as monotonous as they used to. For the first time in ages, I had something to look forward to. The hollow void inside me began to be filled up with a sense of purpose, most of which I can attribute to this hacker who, for some reason, I began trusting with my entire being despite not being able to know a lot about. I don't know how he did it. He is so enigmatic, yet familiar. Despite everything, I never really felt the need to know everything about him. That must have been me going crazy — but I didn't care. When it came to him, things need not to make sense as long as they felt right. I never connected with anyone else the way I did with him.

The day he went into hiding from his pursuers was the day I fully realized can't live again without him in my life. Right then and there, I was finally able to genuinely want something for myself. We could have stopped upon finding Hannah, but I want him to be something more than a stranger I met in the pursuit of trying to save another. I want to be by his side. At the back of my mind, I knew this madness would likely be the death of me, but I'd happily accept my fate if it meant I could be with him.

Damn it. I feel so powerless.

"Maybe this wouldn't have happened had I not been too greedy. Maybe this is me being punished for trying to get what I can't have." I sobbed. "It's not too late, Jake. We can still back out now." I pleaded.

"Don't be hard on yourself. I chose this. It's my fault you got into this mess. I know I might regret this, but I won't ever forgive myself for not even trying to fight for you — for us." His pleading eyes met mine as he pulled me into a tight hug. "Trust me, please?"

He kissed my hand. "Our time is running out. I have to go."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

[daraku-ou]

ok ok i wanna talk about this at length and not on twitter where i can say like three sentences but i think a lot about how femt will sit around and say how humanity is just awful and disgusting but theres SO many times he seems to be rooting for them. like here how he Let Leo Go. he just let him leave. "he said he didnt wanna play so yknow. He Left." and he yells about how Of Course Hes Not Gonna Kill Leo. leo was so important to stopping the second collapse and femt just let him leave and then when he explained this to despair who is like Dude Why Didnt You Kill Him Or Leave Him There femt seems to be pretty genuinely concerned about despairs wellbeing and. general depression.

then there's in the ova where it's most obvious. hes running around trying to stop this restaurant from being destroyed which Just So Happens to have libra in it. tells leo to forget he was ever there. "i dont need a reason to help them out" femt i am shaking u

and THEN !!! theres curious. curious is fascinating to me for several reasons but i think its really interesting that femt seemingly shows up for no other reason than to Get Curious. wants to take him home for whatever reasons (i have thoughts on this but its too much so maybe another post). but then they immediately start fighting and it really seems like femt is just trying to keep curious preoccupied, buying time for libra to do something. he doesn't really have any reason to get into a petty fight with curious. then when curious is about to attack steven and klaus, femt IMMEDIATELY gets eve and odd to attack him which leaves them in pieces, ultimately ending up letting steven klaus and chain get the upper hand. and then femt just Leaves.

AND THE CALAMITY AUCTION !!! my favorite femt scene. pretends to be the president to break klaus out of jail as hes the only one who can really do anything about whats going on. and later when hes revealed to be the "president" klaus is surprised that someone like femt would even bother to get involved, cuz why WOULD he get involved?? hes constantly saying how worthless humanity is but here he is, actively trying to help. this pisses femt off who attacks briefly but just. Leaves. Again. destroys all the cameras in the room too. god forbid he be seen trying to help out a bad situation

which brings me to the light novel!! as i've said i've been translating it and theres a lot of interesting things. femt talks about how he feels extremely isolated from humanity and when people try to get information from him he just cant understand why they would ever want to be him or have what he has, cuz he clearly has..... Lots Of Issues! it's almost like he's so worried about what will happen to humanity if he isn't there to save them or on the other side of that he has to keep. testing humanity or something. he puts them through his games but even libra admits that theres a line he wont cross. they prefer to deal with him over Other Threats because while hes mass murdering lunatic he still wont. you know. Kill Everyone. unlike curious. i think femt and curious are being set up as foils and i have lots of thoughts on this but theres just too much to say about those two...

tldr i think femt cares a lot more about those around him than he would ever let anyone know. yeah he'll murder hundreds of people but the second hes faced with someone in person that he cant just pretend is part of this vague crude idea of humanity he has in his head its like something clicks in his brain that this is a Real Person and now he suddenly cares. he seems to have this recurring idea of humanity killing themselves or being unable to save themselves which leads him to Extreme Violence and when he helps its like he doesnt want to admit that he cares in some way. hes constantly distancing himself from everyone and i think he should go to therapy <3

[possessesnightshift]

i'm not an eloquent political speech person so im just gonna be direct about this

americans, please please fucking register to vote and vote for joe biden in november

and before you jump to whatever policy thing or weakness of his to counter this plea, just stop. it doesn't actually matter. trump is worse. trump is fucking so much worse

our job from here on out is not only to hold our noses and vote for biden, but also to convince all of our friends family and whoever else to also vote for him in spite of all of his flaws. yes all of them

we need to make the fucking argument that trump is so dangerous, the country would be better off with a drooling old genocide lover whose mental faculties are drying up faster than the sahara desert. we need biden voters to be keenly aware of his shortcomings and refuse to back down. there's no use in pretending biden is still sharp as ever or has this mass grassroots support (he does not). he sucks. he is probably the worst democratic candidate in the party's history.

don't care. trump is worse. he needs to be stopped from taking power by any means necessary. he needs to be STOPPED.

from a non-republican pov, democrats constantly leaning on the "but the other guy is worse" argument is frustrating as all hell. i certainly hate it myself. but what gets lost in the conversation is that the republicans are essentially so beholden to this principle nobody even notices.

i know plenty of small town midwestern republicans who were embarrassed to admit they voted for trump. they voted for him in spite of his nastiness and blatant buffoonery (not in spite of his racism bc they're likely ok with that) because he was on the republican ticket, and to them any republican is better than a woke liberal who wants to take away our gas stoves and force drag queens to read us stories at bedtime

so yeah i kinda don't fucking care at this point

biden is a laughably bad candidate for the election of 2024. any other time he could've run (including 2020) is completely different than now, when he's just too fucking old. so should we just roll over and let him lose? just for trump to finish his term, be biden's current age, and either run for a third term or just stay in power bc the supreme court is on his side and they've been preparing for this for decades? fuck that

actually i think a rotting, pulpy corpse would make a fine president compared to dumbass donald "reality gameshow host" trump. literally if biden dies the day of the election he's still got my vote because it is not for him

the left has to learn to have the tenacity that republicans have. we emulate the right in the worst fucking ways (e.g. closing the southern border for no reason) but we never emulate their pettiness. we never say 'i hate the republicans so much i will willingly vote for someone i kinda hate to spite their smug asses'

remember when trump used to be a joke? remember when he was a giant embarrassment? remember the memes about his illiteracy and his lack of awareness? (see 'covfefe' for more info) trump may have the means to become a brutal dictator, but he relies on people smarter than he is to pull it off

if trump continues to hype up his project 2025 and his fascist ambitions with the swagger and confidence of fdr running against herbert hoover, what does it signal to the rest of the world for that man to LOSE to a corpse with the stamina of a wet flounder? it could stop the fascist momentum in its tracks by associating it with weakness and incompetence (you talk up all this hype and you lose to THAT man?? i guess you must be full of shit huh)

these are fraught times. there's no way to get out of this without letting go of our ideals of a perfect candidate who responds to the political desires of the people. that candidate does not exist and never will

right now we have not just an opportunity to preserve our rotting democracy for a little longer, but something much more special. we can fucking put an end to the trump experiment once and for all. we can make trump wannabes like ron desantis scramble to dissociate their image from the toxicity of the trump administration. we can turn him back into a joke.

at this point im screaming into the wind. no person who isn't already voting for biden is gonna read this far. but i want these words to be here anyway because i think they have value. 2024, 2028, and 2032 are all going to be pivotal election years. we can't wait around. we have to act NOW.

vote rotting fish 2024. i will plug your nose with a clothes pin if you refuse to do so yourself...

[danses-with-dogmeat]

B is for -- Benny Gecko

Aaaaand here is the prompt for the good ole Ben-man himself! He's always a fun challenge to write for with his... expressive dialogue, lol. And this was no exception, but again, I think the randomized aspect of the prompt was being nice to me 😅

Anyway I hope you all enjoy!

And here is the 2k event masterlist, for your browsing pleasure!

--

Pair: Benny x g/n Six

Dialogue Prompt: “Remind me when I said I needed your help?”

Word: Believe

Rating: SFW

Category: Fluff

Word Count: 1.4K

“Baby?” Benny’s sleep-sore voice passed through the fabric of the lightweight bed sheets as he turned to face his partner in the darkness. “What you up to?” 

Six continued readying themself, the sound of shuffling bags, of zippers being pulled up, and buckles being done rang through the casino hotel room. 

“I’ve been up thinking all night, and, it's time. I've gotta just… end this.” 

Benny sat up at that, one hand wiping at his tired eyes as a confused expression settled upon his face. 

“End… what? This early in the a.m.? Angel, you must be guzzlin’ moon juice or somethin,’ you thinking about doing anything right now. Sun’s not even awake yet, what right have we got to be kicking around at this nocturnitus hour?” 

“I didn’t say we, Benny. You can stay here, I just… I can’t sleep thinking about this. Haven’t been able to for days, since we found out about House’s army in that bunker, about the dam and Caesar’s reinforcements coming in and the NCR President… I’ve just gotta do something about it now. Before it’s too late, before it’s out of my hands.” 

Benny blinked at them, the wheels in his head beginning to turn, still only processing half of all they said, but operating suitably enough for him to spit out a response. 

“Sure, yeah, sounds like a dream, sweetie-pie. I’d love to shove a stopper in it all too, just be able to stay here and make sweet music with you all the time. Get Yes Man fired up, override or delete or whatever it takes of that mummified millionaire and get our names up in lights, but… Can’t just be done in one night– ahem, morning. It’s morning, again, I forgot, cuz the moon is still dreaming up there..." Benny shook his head, sleep still tugging ceaselessly at his eyelids as he patted the still-warm spot beside him with one outstretched hand. "Why don’t we follow its lead, hm?” 

The bed shifted as Six took a seat at the foot of the mattress, and Benny found himself scooting closer, wrapping a hand around their waist and leaning one cheek on their shoulder. 

“Hmm, takin’ my advice for once, lovebird?” 

His head shifted as Six sighed, rising and sagging along with their shoulders. 

“No.” They told him simply, and Benny’s chest gave a pathetic little ache. “I can’t sit by and do nothing as war threatens all of New Vegas.” 

“We won’t be doing nothing, sweetcakes.” His hand rubbed over their back, in an attempt to smooth their ruffled thoughts through nothing but his touch. “Everything’s close to ready, an’ we still got the chip. House can’t do jack without that shiny piece of platinum, which means we’re in control here. Just waiting for the opportuneous moment, when our own tin-can-pal can safely transfer power over to us. Then, baby, then we make our waves, ya dig?” 

“Just because House can’t do anything with his underground nightmare, it doesn’t mean Caesar and the NCR are gonna sit and wait. Something has to be done about them now.” They stood up, wrenching their waist out of Benny's hold and leaving him to catch himself from toppling over where he’d been leaning against them. 

What the hell about what I’m saying isn’t getting through that cranium of theirs?

Evidently, it’s a thick cranium, that, he knew from personal experience, but…

Still, Six should know better than to run off like this, like chasin' wildflowers in the wind. As beautiful as the thought of it was, in reality, it was always gonna slip through their fingers.

They may be the fated courier who held the platinum chip, and his main squeeze, both were hefty titles, but they still could never hope to stop this war all on their own.

“So, what about tonight brought all these plans and schemes of yours to the head of the table?” 

Six zipped their rifle bag closed definitively, and he heard another sigh leave them. 

“It’s not just tonight, Benny, I told you. It’s been weeks, and I just… I can’t take it any more. I feel like they’re gonna make their move any minute, and I don’t want to be a waiting duck.” 

“That’s a weird way of putting it, sugar.” He scooched all the way to the end of the bed as he spoke, letting his feet swing over and hit the carpeted floor. “‘Sitting duck’? Wasn’t that it? What is a duck, anyhow?” 

“Benny–” 

“Dollface, just hold on a jiff.” 

“No, Benny. I told you. I’m leaving, you can’t stop me.” As his eyes adjusted to the dim of the room, and as pale sunlight began to lighten the blackout curtains hanging from the windows, Benny could see the way they swung their bag over their back and made to leave with a stubborn sorta purpose. 

They could never hope to stop this war... On their own.

“I ain’t gonna try and halt your moves, baby. If you’d listen, I’m about to tell you I’m coming with ya.” 

He stood up, and started towards the cabinet where he kept his suits. Benny didn’t need to look their way to know that Six was pinching the bridge of their nose, or maybe flaring their nostrils. 

He just does that to them, and he knows it. 

Doesn't mean they don't want him tagging along though. Deep down.

“Remind me when I said I needed your help?” 

Deep deep down.

“Don’t gotta say squat for me to know you want it. May not need it, that’s not really what I’m sayin’, but sure as nuka cola bubbles, you want it. Even if you don’t know that, I do, baby.” 

Six rolled their eyes at him. As he pulled on his clothes swiftly though, he found he didn’t much care. 

He does that to them too, he supposed. He has since they met him. Well, met him the second time, that is. 

“You really want to help me?” He expected there to be more humor in their inquiry, but no, it had more of a genuinity to it. Real curiosity bled through their words, and a lousy sorta feeling made itself known in Benny’s gut. 

“Look," He sighed as he paused his dressing, letting his button-up hang down half-done. "I know, so far, in this outfit I been about as useful as a deck of cards with no aces, or a brahmin with no legs, but baby, all you done for me? The dream we share? Never found a bloke or broad I could relate to more, never found someone to take me as I am the way you have, even through all the muck and grumble I’ve put you through.” 

Benny approached his partner once he’d pulled his iconic suit jacket over his shoulders, and grasped either side of their arms in his hands, pulling them close to look them in the eye. 

“And while I don’t like to analogize myself with the slimy, no good Robert House, I too, am a businessman, whether I like it or not. Got the dress here to prove it, too.” He gestured with one hand down at this checkerboard suit jacket. “And if I owe somebody a debt, I aim to pay it forward, ya dig?” 

Six bit their lip, looking away from him briefly before one hand reached out to touch their chin, drawing their eyes back to meet his. 

“An’ I owe you diamonds and pearls for all you done on my account. But I ain’t got all that, all I can say is… believe me. Believe that I wanna help you, that I’m gonna. And believe that I believe in our dream. Our New Vegas.” 

His hand on Six’s chin rose to boop them on the nose affectionately, and despite their determined look, a smile escaped them, passing right through to Benny as he reflected their relief at his words. 

“Alright.” They sighed, for the umpteenth time this early morning. “I’ll believe you, baby.” They leaned forward, and Benny grinned into it as their lips met his in a chaste little kiss. 

“But for the record,” Six said as they pulled away, much too soon by his account, “You’re no businessman, Benny.”

“No?” He turned his head to them as he finished buttoning up his shirt, moving towards the bedside table as he did, where his Maria laid in waiting.  

“Nah, you’re a conman.” Six practically giggled, and Benny couldn’t find the words to argue. He could only take his gun in hand, and follow them out the door they both set off to change the fate of the Mojave.

[randomvarious]

DJ Spen - "Craze at Midnight" Montreal Mix Sessions Vol. 4 by Lafleche Song released in 1999. Mix released in 2000. House

Here's a somewhat overlooked house banger from the one and only DJ Spen, a music legend from the city of Baltimore who's been at this shit for over 40 years and continues to rack up accolades and high placements on Billboard's dance chart while running his own super prolific record label, Quantize Recordings.

Before we get into 1999's "Craze at Midnight," though, let's try to trace the path that led Spen there, because it really is a little bit nuts…

Spen's career began in the mid-80s as a teenaged DJ in a now somewhat fabled hip hop crew called Numarx, who not only had Spen as one of their members, but also had future president of Def Jam Records, Kevin Liles, too. Numarx had a hardcore edge to them, and when acts like LL Cool J and Run-D.M.C. would swing by the Charm City to perform, these guys would be one of the acts who would open.

But despite presenting themselves as tough hip hoppers, the song that would inevitably end up bringing them the most success was their considerably softer "Girl You Know It's True." And yes, it's the very same one that Milli Vanilli would make world-famous in 1988, eventually ensnaring themselves into a very big lip-syncing scandal when it was revealed that the guys who were 'performing' their songs weren't actually the ones who were responsible for singing the words 😨. Numarx's original version of the tune did not fare well at home, but where it did prove popular was in Germany, which is where it's believed that Milli Vanilli producer Frank Farian had first heard it and then hatched the idea that his group should make their own version of it too.

So that's one crazy piece of info about Spen. Another one is that in 1989, he was drawn away from hip hop towards dance music and ended up joining renowned Baltimore production and remix team The Basement Boys, who worked on tracks for people like Michael Jackson, Paula Abdul, Erykah Badu, Ultra Naté, and Crystal Waters, including producing Waters' own biggest hit, the terrifically catchy early 90s club classic, "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)." Not entirely sure that Spen had much to do with that tune specifically, though, as a little 1991 Baltimore Sun profile of the Basement Boys and that song in particular doesn't seem to mention his name at all 🤷‍♂️.

But while remaining a Basement Boy up until 2004, Spen would also launch his own solo career as a producer too. 1995 would see him debut with a 12-inch on Basement Boys Records called "A Feelin'," which presented his gospel-house group, Jasper Street Company. More Jasper Street 12-inches would then follow, but in '99, he would drop his own Disco Dreams Volume 2 without them, on a London-based label called Black Vinyl Records.

And it's on this 12-inch that you'll find Spen's "Craze at Midnight," a terrific instrumental house jam with, really, none of that gospel or soulful flair that would largely end up defining his long career as a dance music producer and remixer. And according to Discogs, this gem only appeared on a small handful of commercial mixes at around the time of its release, including one by Montréal native Lafleche, as part of his Montreal Mix Sessions Vol. 4 on Tiga's Turbo Recordings in 2000.

So, with a small looped-up bit that's been lifted from the very song that lends its own name to this one—1977's "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)" by Rufus & Chaka Khan—Spen manages to go effectively wild all over his beat with some very extensive and unpredictably rubbery, nylon-squeaky, and wigged-out synthesizer pizzazz. And while all this keyboard virtuosity is already enough to blissfully journey with, Spen still holds his final card close to the vest, until he builds up enough anticipation for something else to finally drop. And you get the sense that it's gonna be a new and ecstatic wrinkle that continues on this same topsy-turvy path of synthy goodness—because he hasn't used anything else yet—but you actually couldn't be more wrong, because what he chooses to unleash instead is a perfectly placed melody of swingin' jazz horns. Surprise! 📯📯📯

So Spen may have co-written "Girl You Know It's True;" he may have co-crafted some fire remixes and beats for some of the world's biggest pop and R&B stars; his record label may be a fixture of the Billboard dance chart and gotten a Grammy nom too; but in my book, one tune of his that hasn't received anywhere near enough of its deserved shine is this extremely fun and enjoyable turn-of-the-millennium knockout. Given what an entity this guy had already proven himself as, it's a wonder that "Craze at Midnight" didn't end up dotting all those big and ephemeral commercial house mixes with the illustrations or photos of sexy girls on their covers, because damn it, it should have!

And what's more is that with this version of it from Lafleche's Montreal Mix Sessions release, you also get to hear it playing alongside The Hydraulic Dogs' "Shake It for Me," another great house track that I've posted about in the past, which samples some of the Roger Troutman vocoder lines from 2Pac's own "California Love" 😍.

[memecucker]

I figured out a way to weaken the pro-slavery cause really early in Victoria 3 bc it starts off really strong bc the Rural Folk are the strongest interest group and they’re led by the pro-slavery Andrew Jackson so you can fuck up the Democratic Party ‘a performance in the 1836 election by just pretending to pass a law that specifically makes just Andrew Jackson mad enough he’ll start organizing a revolt but not the powerful Landowners (bc then that’s just a Civil War with an extra strong South) and that consists of trying to enact Monarchy and if Andrew Jackson is so upset about that even being considered he’ll start a civil war to stop it then he can’t run for President so then he’s not head of state anymore he’s just another IG leader you can exile and he’ll just fuck off and wander the earth until he dies bc conservative countries don’t want someone so supportive of suffrage and liberal countries won’t want someone that’s gonna try and enact slavery. And the reason you want just him to rebel/boycott the election but not the Landowners is bc then the Landowners get to suffer a big loss in clout from losing an election and then you can try to abolish slavery to make the civil war happen and wind up with a really weak CSA in 1838 that’s missing half its states

Anyway I did that bc I wanted to get the civil war over with quick bc I was trying to test out a concept build I’ve been thinking about of turning the US into an anarcho-market-socialist society without using the communist revolution events bc then everyone is gonna wanna abolish the market part (it’ll work better when 1.5 full release happens bc default US rural folk will now support Anarchism over any dictatorial or illiberal voting laws) and incidentally part of the steps I worked out does involve actually going monarchy as the US bc then if you get Nihilists in government they’ll equally support any form of republic over monarchy which is the only non-trade union/non-communist ideology way to enact a Council Republic which you need to enact Anarchy. I felt like doing that bc Anarchism’s effects are kinda lame rn it mostly just greatly reduces the amount of extra political power wealthier pops get but since you normally need to have mostly done a communist revolution that’s literally pointless bc you won’t have rich people if that’s your path but if you circumvent that with the US and installing a monarchy and then having it abolished by a Nihilist setting up a republic of workers councils you could end up with rural folk who don’t want to collective rural jobs and Anarchism could keep some Aristocrats and Capitalists that own rural/agricultural stuff around for like their bonuses but they can’t easily wield disproportionate political power from wealth or something

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Cathy Wilcox, Sydney Morning Herald

* * * *

GOP in full panic mode.

June 6, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

Republicans are scared. They understand that Trump's conviction for election interference is a devastating blow that threatens their prospects in November. If they lose—and they should—their eight-year delirium will come crashing to an end like a bad acid trip. MAGA extremism will not recede entirely, but its high-water mark will be in the past.

That prospect frightens MAGA to its core because they understand they have no vision, no organizing principles, no plan other than revenge—Trump's revenge to be exacted in a second term. If they lose that dark animus, the GOP’s reason for existence evaporates.

The surest sign of the GOP’s panic is the apoplectic rage that characterizes the ugly threats of Republican officials and surrogates after the guilty verdicts. They have lost their collective minds and their grip on reality, history, humanity, decency, and rationality. Their threats are a sign of weakness—not strength! Like the threats of schoolyard bullies everywhere, they emerge from deep-seated fear and insecurity; they are designed to conceal the underlying panic of imposters worried they will be found out for who they really are.

Still, Trump and his surrogates' parade of threats and lawless actions is difficult to bear—especially when they pile upon one another as they did on Wednesday. But as we review those actions, remember that they are signs of desperation and fear by a party on the run. All it took to put the GOP into full panic mode was a verdict by twelve randomly selected citizens who heard the truth about Trump's corruption.

We should not dismiss the revenge fantasies of the Convicted Felon and his pathetic homunculi. But we must keep them in perspective. For all the wild talk about retribution, House Republicans could not impeach Joe Biden despite holding control of the House for the last two years. And after a four-year investigation of Hunter Biden, the best (or worst?) the Trump-appointed special counsel could do was allege that Hunter denied he was an addict on a standard form gun purchase application and paid four years of taxes late.

So, we should take the Convicted Felon’s threats seriously, but we should recognize that MAGA has a dismal track record of delivering on their revenge fantasies.

With that preface, let’s look at the various ways that MAGA extremists are seeking to protect Convicted Felon Trump after 34-guilty verdicts.

Speaker Mike Johnson floated the idea of defunding special counsel Jack Smith, something he rejected in early May (before the guilty verdicts).

Senate Republicans have signed a letter vowing not to cooperate on any legislation that does not directly relate to public safety.

Convicted Felon Trump said that “it’s very possible that it’s gonna have to happen”—referring to locking up his political enemies.

Steve Bannon—a surrogate of the Convicted Felon—said that District Attorney Alvin Brag “should be—and will be—jailed.”

Bannon also said that “media allies” of Biden should be “investigated.”

The Felon’s architect of the Muslim ban—Steven Miller—asked, “Is every House committee controlled by Republicans using its subpoena power in every way it needs to right now? Is every Republican DA starting every investigation they need to right now.”

GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson said “he would encourage Congress to ‘aggressively go after’ President Biden and his family.”

The Felon’s judicial allies are also doing their best to protect him from further criminal jeopardy:

First, the US Supreme Court continues to delay its ruling on Felon Trump's baseless claim of presidential immunity for his attempted coup and insurrection. Every day that the Court delays its decision makes trial in the DC election interference case less likely. The Court’s glacial response to a matter of national urgency is reprehensible. And transparently partisan.

Second, the Georgia court of appeals issued a stay of the trial proceedings in the state RICO prosecution of Felon Trump for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 presidential election. See CNN Politics, Donald Trump election subversion conspiracy case indefinitely paused by Georgia appeals court.

The stay of the Georgia case is worrisome. Per the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the court of appeals issued a stay on its own motion. AJC writes:

Because none of the defendants had requested a stay, this means the appeals court decided on its own to issue the stay, leading some observers to speculate the court may ultimately reverse McAfee’s decision and disqualify Willis and her office. The appeals court, if it agrees to hold oral arguments, has indicated it will do so some time in the fall, and it must issue its decision by mid-March [2025].

As Joyce Vance noted,

“Unlike federal courts where judges are appointed for life, Georgia elects its judges in races that are non-partisan in name only, with predictable results.”

So, unless and until a different prosecutor replaces Willis, the Georgia case is going nowhere. And if Fani Willis removes herself, it is not clear that a different prosecutor would pursue the case. I do not know how Willis would be replaced if she voluntarily steps down, but per NBC,

Under a 2022 Georgia law, when a district attorney is disqualified, the case is referred to the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, who is tasked with finding another prosecutor for the case.

If Willis is disqualified on appeal, we should expect the appointment of a prosecutor who will dismiss the case.

Third, Judge Aileen Cannon has dropped all pretense of presiding over a criminal trial involving unlawful retention of defense secrets and is converting her courtroom into a theater-in-the-round for right-wing attacks on the special counsel appointment process. In a move so unusual it has never happened before, Judge Cannon invited strangers to the Trump defense secrets case to submit briefs and present oral argument over a day-and-a-half hearing.

The challenges to the appointment of Jack Smith are baseless. Similar challenges have been rejected numerous times. But Cannon seems intent on fabricating a record to justify removal of Jack Smith. See Salon, "Not normal at all": Legal experts say Judge Cannon's "absurd" ruling shows she's an "absolute hack".

Meanwhile, Cannon has not ruled on Jack Smith’s request for a protective order to protect FBI agents and other witnesses from Felon Trump's dangerous accusations that they had orders to “shoot to kill” him during the search of Mar-a-Lago.

It is difficult to describe how inappropriate and unprecedented Cannon’s actions are. While we should avoid falling into conspiracy theories, it seems doubtful that Cannon came up with the stagecraft of a right-wing assault on the special counsel in her courtroom on her own. A plausible explanation is that she is being coached by political operatives working for Convicted Felon Trump.

All the above reeks of desperation to protect Trump from further political damage. Those who humiliate themselves and undermine democracy to protect Trump will be remembered by history alongside those faithless servants who abandoned America during prior crises. In the meantime, recognize that their angry outbursts are signs that they are running scared. They can visualize life after the Convicted Felon has been defeated and they understand they have given up everything for the worst president in American history.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[whyareyouhere66]

Okok so it’s totally ok if you don’t remember much because honestly I don’t either 😭

Loki x son!teen!reader this one is gonna have like, plot holes, but we’re gonna just ignore that- ok so some how, we don’t need to come up with a big back story, but for context reader ends up getting imprisoned (?) by the TVA with his dad Loki. Time skip, they end up in the void where they meet the other Loki variants, but once Alioth (the big purple fog time monster) starts coming after them, they all try to run for shelter but reader and Loki get separated. Maybe reader ends up with president Loki but has attitude with him because that Loki isn’t his actual dad. And all reader wants to do is find his dad, and vice versa with Loki. They end up finding each other and reader just runs and tackles him with a huge hug, both of them thinking they lost each other.

ANON this is so cute- it does have a few plot holes, likely, and I hope I did this request justice. please enjoy, and have a wonderful day/night wherever you are

[Almost] a Loss

Dad!Loki x !son!teen!reader

cw: violence, some blood (quick), implied death

x

All around, the landscape is gray, barren, and foggy. With nothing but wreckage littering the dirty ground, a few disheveled trees, it looks like something from your worst nightmares. 

Which that, it was.

You stand in the middle of this void, searching this dry ass landscape in hopes of seeing your father, Sylvie, any of them. But your eyes only see so far before any silhouette becomes blurred in the fog’s shadow. 

“Damn it.” You mutter- seeing no sign of him. The real him, that is.

During the chaos of violence between all the Loki variants, you had followed your dad and kid Loki through Classic Loki’s smoky, green portal to escape the madness. 

But, something went wrong. 

Before your body was fully passed through, the edges turned a deep purple color, and you felt a rush hit your head. Stumbling, you came out in a completely different spot. It had taken you a second to realize, too, that you were now alone.

“No, no no no-“ you think in a quick panic, whipping around in hopes that your dad will be right behind you, but your heart drops when you see no one. You’re lost.

“Shit,” you curse, spinning around like an idiot trying to find even a silhouette, a shadow. But the misty smoke that had crowded your vision before evaporated with the rest of the portal, and your shoulders drop with a shaky breath.

Until you find them, you’re on your own.

The crack of a stick snaps no more than 20 feet away from you, and your head snaps towards the sound. 

“Ugh- those damn bastards-“, none other than President Loki walks towards you, coming out of seemingly nowhere. He’s grunting, and still missing a hand. Great. 

Your stare hardens into a glare, and the small glint of hope shriveled in the back of your mind. 

President Loki is still trudging forward, grasping on to his wrist painfully. Curses jumble on the way out of his mouth, and there’s a blade sticking out of his shoulder. You wince, seeing the small stain of red that surrounds the handle. 

“Ngh- help me, will you?” Using his free hand, he grabs the handle and rips it out of the busted shoulder pad hastily- not too deep, but blood still glistens around its sharp edges. You look away when he throws it to the ground, and scoff. 

The man side eyes your hunched figure, bitterly.

“Some respect,” he hisses, “would be great.” 

It’s beginning to feel cold, the air around you, and the heat from your crossed arms fails to do much. You’re cold, tired, angry, and your father has disappeared with three other versions of himself- one being a reptile. Hearing the bitter quips in his words, you roll your eyes and begin to walk away.

You want to be out of this damn void, to be as far from here as possible. 

President Loki scrambles after you, the cracked sticks and gravel crunching under his boots. 

“I never thought ‘my son’ would be so rude-“ he says, and your head snaps to his direction. 

“I’m not your son, don’t get twisted. You’re not my father, just some clone.” You say through gritted teeth, clenching your fists tightly. This man is infuriatingly obnoxious, it’s sad to think he and your father and almost the same. 

“Excuse me-“ the still intact hand reaches for your shoulder, dried blood smeared across the edges of his palm. 

“Don’t touch me-“

Before you could successfully slap his hand away from you, a sudden surge runs through the ground, the soil. Its force makes you both stumble, and your shoes scuff against the ground as you try to regain your footing.

“Oh gods,” President Loki mumbles, eyes wide, “not again.”

Your eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean,” he doesn’t answer, too busy looking around in sudden panic, “what is it, what’s happening?”

The fabric around your shoulder scrunches between his knuckles, and he’s dragging you. To where, you don’t know, but the continuous rumble under your feet doesn’t let you stop.

“Hey!” You yell, running the best you can when he’s still dragging you by your collar. 

“Just keep moving!” He yells. 

Out of the corner of your eye, a growing form turns in the distance. Clouds of black fog whip around in the air, a face formed of red light and smoky features hurls itself across the land. Your eyes widen.

“Oh. Shit.”

Suddenly, you’re pushing past P. Loki’s strong grip and sprinting forward. You tug his sleeve, telling him to follow.

Across the way, you spot a dusty, rotting shell made of wood sits broken on the ground- looking like the remnants of a ship. It smells like wet soil and dirt, the odor pricking your nose while you press your back against it. Panting, President Loki joins you.

“What the hell are you-“

“Shut up.” You say, breathless. 

“I’m saving your life, you ungrateful little weasel-“ he scowls. Exasperated, you finally give him a second glance.

“Can you fuck off?” You pant, and he grumbles.

Ducking your head around the bend of the boat, you spot the creature once more. It’s gotten bigger, it seems- it’s getting closer. 

The few structures and scattered objects in its path disappear under its foggy form, lightening strikes every time it gets closer. 

You whip your head back around, and shrink further into the rotting wood. You wonder where your dad is, if he too has shrunk beneath the monsters smoke. The thought makes you wince.

“What is that thing?” The pads of your fingers dig into the soil beneath you, as if grasping for something to hold.

President Loki swallows the lump in his throat, head tilted against the boat. 

“…the Alioth.” He speaks hesitantly, voice hushed like someone might hear. 

“The what?” The name is unfamiliar to you, just like the new scared tone coming from someone who mere minutes ago was being as obnoxious as ever. But now, its tense- birds screech in the distance, and dust glides across the surface from the “Alioth”.

“It-“ 

Instead of a rumble, the almost relieving sound of another person is what cuts off his voice. It’s a bit distant, harder to hear over the whispers of power that seem to bounce from Alioth’s smoky figure.

“Come and get me!” You peak over the edge of the boat’s rim, seeing two lights in contrast with the bright red. Green, surging in circles in front of someone, another Loki. And orange- the waving flicker of a flame. 

The raspy yell is all too familiar, and your heart pounds. It couldn’t be your dad, no, not the real him. 

The two figures are far away, you can barely make out any more than their silhouette, but there’s such a chilling feeling rattling your insides and you just can’t shake the feeling that maybe it is.

“No…” you swallow shakily, hands clutching the wood so tightly your knuckles feel strained on its surface. 

“What are you-“ 

The question barely registers itself in your head, blocking out President’s voice. You’re up, running right towards the figures, towards the monster.

“Hey! Come back you moron!” President Loki shouts after you, “Hey!”

But you don’t listen, you don’t turn around. Stumbling over rocks, around weeds and forgotten poles, you run. He’s too close, your dad always got too close to danger. It’s not the first time, no, and you’re not going to let it be the last. 

“Dad!” You scream, voice feeling hoarse. Your heart is pumping against your bones, your breathing loud in your ears. 

“Dad!-“

Suddenly, a wall forms in front of you. You skid to a halt, stumbling back from the sudden action, eyes wide.

It’s not just one wall, though. Various walls, pillars, and walkways begin to appear right in front of your eyes, all outlined by the smoky green of Classic Loki’s magic.

The man stands proud and tall, flowing with all his power in the middle of the growing buildings. Green energy circles his hands, and with strain in his muscles, in his voice, he stands.

You’re unable to see your father anymore, now blocked by a building that you know you’ve seen many times. As the city gets higher, bigger, you know from where.

Asgard.

Glorious golden pillars, now shadow and smoke. 

“Go!” Classic Loki shouts, and only now you recognize the fog beginning to seep closer to the city’s edge. It’s a distraction.

More shouts, but you can’t make out the voices anymore. Too much is happening around you, smoky tendrils are beginning to circle the area in which you stand. The fake city breaks and rebuilds with green energy, and you begin to stumble trying to back away as quickly as possible. Soon, it breaks.

Through the vines of black smoke you faintly see another green energy- Sylvie. But you don’t know how to get there, don’t know where you are. Across the way- Classic Loki stands in front of Alioth with all the power left in his bones.

“Glorious purpose!” Are his last words, before he’s swept away by the Alioth’s wrath.

A surge of wind flows, you nearly tumble to the floor. You have to move, have to get away.

You have to find your dad.

More tendrils fly, snaking around the dust. You try to run, feeling something coursing through your veins. A quick glimpse at your hand and you see the electric green glow, like linework on your skin. 

You face the monster again, still walking backwards hoping to have some way to defend yourself. But when your foot catches a rock, you trip and land on the ground.

“No, no.”

Your veins still flow through your skin, still course with adrenaline and power. But you feel frozen, stuck in the path of destructive fog. You squeeze your eyes shut, turn your face away.

.

.

But nothing happens.

Slowly, you open your eyes once more- only to find smoke falling like ash. 

It takes you a moment to process, to realize that the red glow had disappeared. It had been broken.

Is- is it dead?

Shakily, you sit back up, but can only go as far as kneeling. Your heart still pounds from the shock, and for a moment you feel dazed.

It is. Alioth is dead.

“Y/n!”

You freeze, and look to the voice.

Your dad comes running, shirt dirty and nearly torn, and immediately it’s like a weight lifted from your shoulders.

A sigh of relief, and you’re stumbling onto your feet again. You don’t have time to think before you’re running, running until your dad is right in front of you again. He throws his arms around your shoulders, and pulls you so close that your cheek is pressed into his collarbone.

“Oh my god… oh my god…” you mumble, mind racing out of relief. He’s here, alive and not some pile of dust left behind in the ashes of this void.

Even as the cloud begins to part, stricken with electric green, and the old manor is revealed from its foggy haze- neither of you are able to let go just yet.

“I thought I’d lost you back there.” He laughs, pulling away to examine your face. You shake your head.

“I thought you got obliterated.” He laughs at that.

One last time, you hug him again as if you’re still not entirely sure that it’s real, that he’s there.

You feel Sylvie watching, but you stay close to his side. Loki’s arm rests across your shoulders, and he pats your arm. 

“Ready?” He asks, and you look out at the road ahead.

“Ready.” You reply, before walking forward with your father close by and Sylvie shifting to your left. 

You’re almost there.

[liviavanrouge]

Chat

Sena: ....is it selfish to me...to not want to know them?

Cove: *Looks at her* Your siblings?

Sena: *Hugs her knees to her chest* Yeah....I mean it wasn't their fault that they were taken in and I got left alone but it still hurts

Cove: Can you explain everything to me?

Sena: Apparently my parents died and then it was me and triplet siblings, no blood relatives could take us in...

Sena: My siblings got taken before I did and I was left alone for a short while till Mom and Ma took me in...

Cove: Sena, I'm really sorry about what happened to your parents..so, so sorry

Sena: *Rubs her eyes trying to stop the tears* It's embarrassing being seen like this, I've been the most mature one and now I'm breaking down

Cove: Sena....you're not doing anything wrong, you know that right

Sena: *Tilts her head away silently*

Cove: I think you can be as sad as you want, for as long as you need or you can feel okay about it whenever you want, too

Sena: ....you didn't answer my question from earlier...

Cove: *Rubs the back of his head, looking away* ....I don't think you're selfish for wanting that

Sena: *Perks up surprised*

Cove: Yeah, like you said, it's not their fault you all got separated but I guess I somewhat understand not wanting to know people you've never known...

Sena: *Stares at him*

Cove: But...one day, you might run into them and maybe you'll feel different

Sena: *Looks away, her hair falling out of its buns* Maybe....but right now, I'm grateful for the people who are already in my life, I feel no need to go searching for my siblings just to be happy....

???: Hey.

Sena: *Turns around, her hair draping over her left shoulder*

Elizabeth: *Stands not far then walks closer* Would you mind going? I want to talk to just Sena.

Elizabeth: You can come back, it's not gonna be forever or anything

Sena: I wanted to talk with you as well

Elizabeth: Oh? Then we're on the same page

Sena: *Stands up, watching Cove leave*

Elizabeth: Did Mom's tell you about your parents too?

Sena: My birth parents are dead and turns out I'm a triplet....but my siblings got taken before I did...

Elizabeth: *Looks away* Sorry.

Sena: Why did you want to talk to me?

Elizabeth: *Raises an eyebrow* I was worried about you, I was the one who brought it up but I made you deal with whatever was left after I was gone

Sena: *Blinks twice* Oh

Elizabeth: I wanted to ask you what happened without anyone breathing down our necks

Sena: *Smiles* It was quite rude to bail like that

Elizabeth: *Rolls her eyes, trying to hide her smile* I know, I know, I'm not very nice

Sena: *Looks down her smile fading* All of this.....really upset me..

Elizabeth: I'm sorry Sena, it's a pretty depressing topic

Sena: It is...

Elizabeth: You have to be born in the U.S. to become president

Sena: Huh?

Elizabeth: I get that I was never gonna get to be president but...it just feels weird having stuff taken away not even getting a chance at it..

Elizabeth: I don't like having to know that when I was born I was gonna have a completely different life

Elizabeth: So different that I can't even think about what it'd look like in my head

Sena: *Fiddles with her dress, watching Elizabeth Intently*

Elizabeth: I could've spoken another language, lived away from everything I've ever seen here, had someone else as my sibling

Elizabeth: And then my parents died, and I was adopted and the life I got became a totally new thing forever

Sena: Elizabeth...

Elizabeth: I can't go back to what it was even if I wanted to

Sena: I guess I know how you feel...a little, but to be honest I couldn't care less about a life I could've had

Sena: *Looks away towards the ocean* This is my life...even though I didn't choose it, I'm gonna stick with it until the end

Elizabeth: *Stares at her* I don't know why today was the day

Sena: *Turns her attention back to her*

Elizabeth: Nothing came up to make me ask the question, It was just something I've had in my head for a while

Elizabeth: When it was just me and moms in the living room I just kind of....said it, finally and there you go

Sena: Oh...

Elizabeth: ....learning about them and what happened doesn't change how I feel about our family, Sena

Elizabeth: *Smirks* I'd already figured out a long time ago that moms weren't out biological parents. It wasn't news

Sena: They could've, just not together

Elizabeth: True but I'm not half white or native american. So, no, neither of them could have been my mom

Elizabeth: Nice try, smart aleck

Sena: *Smiles slightly*

Elizabeth: Nothing about the family I was first born in would've made me decide that this wasn't my family anymore

Elizabeth: *Smiles* If you had hoped you'd be free of my big sisterly status, don't think you're so lucky

Sena: *Giggles*

Elizabeth: You'll always be my little sister

Sena: And you'll always be my big sister

Elizabeth: *Chuckles* Ready to head back home? It's been a long day

Sena: Yes please

Elizabeth: Come on, you two, let's go

Sena: *Smiles, and dusts the bottom of her dress off hurrying after her*

[sollucets]

@troubled-mind's 5 ql songs tag ✨

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL shows that you actually listen to. 🎶They do not have to be custom-made for the series. 🎶Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages! 🎶Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating. 🎶Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

i'm not sure who to tag (maybe @hoppipolla my other Music Mutual; no pressure 💜) i hope i've done this right; let's go!

boun - your smile / between us

actually all of the between us osts they released post-series & their mvs slap, so it was really really hard to pick one. (regular ost good also,💜 u boy sompob). please also consider prem's it's always you & yacht&o's unexpectedly (yacht is such a good singer?????) but this one's my favorite. it's just so peppy and cute :')

coldin - romantic devil / semantic error

i went into this tag game knowing it'd ruin any chance of people thinking i am an Obscure Music Liker:tm:. yes my choices are popular but it's okay. romantic devil slaps so hard you guys there's just no getting around it. i highly recommend it for pretending u are in a music video while shopping, it's a really good soundtrack for that (also this live clip??? 💜💜💜)

khaotung - over the moon / the eclipse

look. look what did you expect

(to be clear my favorite khaotung song is actually never too late, but i haven't seen 55:15, so i can't in good conscience put that on here. listen to it it's so good)

i listened to over the moon prior to watching the series actually, courtesy of my spotify recs, and i do just really like it. there's a pretty decent chance it's gonna be in my top 10 in spotify later this year, i'd say. i love how echoey & vibey it is

gemini - hook / my school president

this is the best msp song don't @ me. sorry rock & star it is pretty close, but not that close. i always like a song like this that is about other songs (hozier's almost / sweet music too, ex); it suits tinn's character and the themes of the episode it's introduced in and it's just a very pretty song. gemini has such a nice high singing voice

beverly - andante hourglass / our dining table

i don't think i've seen it like, listed as that english title, but that's what sunadokei means. the ending theme of bokushoku is on kat's original list and also very very good, so a secondary add here, but i really like this op. her voice is very pretty & the song is bouncy and cute, and the lyrics meaning is so..... soft. about a slow-moving hourglass and the precious, dreamlike time we have, and that even when it runs out itll be okay. share all your sorrows and happiness as much as possible [cries a little]

bonus: gawin caskey's cover of bird thongchai's fog or smoke / dark blue kiss

gawin is the only bl guitar boy i'll defend to the death. ill defend some others but not to the death). this scene in dbk.... i actually stopped & went hunting for the original song (a banger!) bc i just really enjoyed his voice & how well the song & the ensuing conversation suited mork.

here's a full cover from a fanmeet with podd (although beware the audio quality and, bless him, podd joining in)

(also ALSO dbk's opening has such memorable violins i had to say something. its so catchy)