#poor Dream have to deal with his petty brother

[mira-rachel]

[SoulswapDT verse]

I can imagine Nm and Dream goes out for a monthly or even weekly tea party in Ccino's cafe. Ofc this is after Nightmare breaks from stone, 'rescued' by Ink, trained by Ink until the protector deemed Nm worthy to be let out to the public. Lol the training is hell for Nm who just want solitude and not more work, sucks to be him, being the Guardian of Possitivity is no easy task.

Ccino wouldnt even speak a word of their meeting, why would he? He gets to relax, only needing to serve 2 customer, AND receives juicy tea regarding the twins relationship? Sign him up!

First few years turns out fine, with the brothers having a civil conversation that rarely delves into violence, until... Cross enters Dream's group.(still thinking of a name).

Then suddenly the twin's relationship became increasingly more.... chaotic, not the good one. Nightmare, oh the oh so prideful twin, aggitates Dream constantly, reminding him of his failures, and 'slips' up an info or two about the state of Dream's team. Nm will always be the one to damp Dream's happy mood, ignoring how his soul flicks in pain from the sheer negativity Dream is emitting, too prideful and petty to relent.

The poor guardian of negativity often brush Nm's comment away from his brain, the thought of a spy leaking info to Nm never crossing his brain. He is too trusting, too naive, to think that one of his own people is betraying him...

Lol Cross is extremely guilty about breaking Dream's trust, and lying to his teammates who welcomed him with open arms. But, what can he do? He made a deal, a deal that will be beneficial for him and his AU. It'll all be worth it. Right?

Killer is fond of Cross, and tends to show his care through physical violence and teasing. Horror consider Cross as a brother. Dust? He is suspicious of Cross and hides his distrust until there's concrete evidence of Cross' actions, then he'll act. (Dust loves to watch from afar whenever Cross is near, observing him like a hawk, searching for any slip ups or things that indicates betrayal. I do think that Dust is the type to be grateful of whoever is being genuinely nice to him, and will swear his loyalty to said person. That's why Dust is Dream's right hand man.)

[narhinafan]

Referencing to a recent post. I'd be so down for Sarada's being a single mother's daughter not knowing (and/or caring) who her father is. The single mother being some whole new character too, preferably, because come on now, Sasuke needed a fresh start and a clean slate with someone else. He already fked over pretty much every woman he encountered that they'd be living with some traumas Sak//ura doesn't count because she got her own problems being overly obsessed with some boy she fell in love with over his LOOKS and some rivalry pettiness.

I said single because it's pretty clear that Sasuke needed to work on himself first before focusing on being a father (and a husband!) and any half decent person would rather raise their child in a healthy environment than to deal with the baby daddy's issues and abandonments.

IMO, it'd be more compelling show watching Sasuke learning to be a dad without that disturbing and uncomfortable undertone of being forced to via Sa//kura's toxicity and other people's guilt tripping. I wanna watch him wanting to be a dad and being awkward about it than grudgingly doing so because "he had to".

I can go on on how the studio can do better, even with that dreaded ss, but I won't lol the above is personally how I'd have gone about it, esp considering his canon character. I do believe it is very possible he could be a good (or half decent) dad and being genuinely happy about being one, but the development has to make sense if the writer wanted a healthy relationship between Sasuke and Sarada (and his baby mama) in the first place.

I rambled enough, but yeah. Poor Sasuke wasn't ready to be a dad. Or be a husband at all.

Yeah Sarada also got the short end of the stick Sakura's obsession with Sasuke only put more pressure on Sarada and put her in danger.

Honestly Sasuke would have been better off healing before starting a family or finding someone that actually got to know him and he would spend more time with and let him relax and easy up.

I always thought Sasuke would have been awkward, but good dad with him returning a bit to what he was like before the massacre over time. You know melting the coldness of his that built up over the years.

Even if Sasuke didn't stick around I think the family should have gotten together every so often for peaceful family moments outside the village maybe not make it known about Sasuke being the Sasuke Uchiha till Sarada was older. Let her think her dad is just an average ninja that primarily handles outside the village work.

Plus they have the perfect set up for why with Sasuke's past and not wanting it too affect Sarada growing up as she is technically the daughter of a criminal plus they could talk and explain about his family without outright saying who they were and further give Sarada better motivation to be Hokage. She could have inherited Itachi's dream and remind Sasuke of his brother and truly open up a new era for the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke and Sarada could have been handled so much better if there wasn't pressure to have him end up with Sakura to achieve her goal of being with him.

[thegreatfraud]

Solo Act Pt 1

"Why don't you go though the portal? The portal pretty dead right now. You might even have time to see how life been like."

"Your not real and just a manifestation of my grief. Will is dead. He not in this city and your just a trick being play."

The doors to everyone home world open up. The option to SEALED those world is open as Huey quickly located his. Since god damn isola scientist don't tell Huey how EXACTLY it is to seal off the hole from his own world. He gotta wing it.

On the other side of the door is....his old car. Where he last left it. Parked in a grassy hill somewhere nice. Being oprhans Huey and William didn't exactly had a nice home. They move from places to places sleeping in their first stolen car as Huey take a deep breath. Energy gather in his finger tips.

Behind the back of a local casino near the Isola beach. Huey knows he can't rely on anybody but himself for this as he can hear the voice but can't see it.

"You haven't visit my grave for a while? Just come back and pay me a visit....then again you don't have attachment to that world right? All the family you love is gone. You don't believe in love anymore after being burned. Poor little Huey M Ponzi. No dreams, no family, no love ones. Going though job to job to fill the empty hole in your heart. You gonna die alone in this city far away from home."

Damn thing have the voice of his brother. His DEAD brother who he still very miss. Magic? Or have Huey finally crack and gone mad? Huey lies to other and himself all the time. He sometimes can't keep track of what real or not.

Visualize. Concentrate and grasp it. Even if you knows reality. Deny it. Your powers fuel by your belief.

Fake it till you make it champ. You might not be anything more then a fraud. But just for the next thirty minutes. Your a frigging super hero.

"I....DON'T NEED A HIGH SCHOOLER LECTURE FROM SUPER NATURAL BULL SHIT ABOUT HOW I SUCK. I'm gonna live my life the way i want. I save who i want. Damned who i want. I never gonna pretend i'm righteous every again. Not after you...No matter how lousy it is....no more doubts."

He not doing this because he give a shit about what happening to this city. He frankly a uncaring, money obsess petty selfish bastard. He should be at home or in the street trying to rob places while everyone is busy dealing with this crisis.

As a writer this feel like unfinish business. Having someone clean up Huey own mess leave a bad taste in his mouth. Sure there might be gods and monster here...but the portal in front of him his own shitty world. A world that don't bother giving him shit and often chew him up and spit him out.

It burns. PHYSICALLY grabbing the tear and trying to close it as Huey snap his fingers with one hand. The surrounding area warp as if reality being rewritten.

"SHOW TIME! TONIGHT THEME IS....Comedy."

"You need to hold onto what valuable to you...but i guess that hard from someone who keep letting it slip though your fingers. Your a lousy thief."

Huey and the door disappear....as silence once again return to the little corner of Isola.

[obey-asmo]

so i was just thinking about mc dating another demon (NOT THE DEMON BROTHERS/UNDATEBLES) + how everyone would react, i can just imagine lucifer's pride being crushed because mc picked a LOWER LEVEL DEMON OVER HIM ):<

LUCIFER

Man is wrath

He's absolutely crushed but his anger is the scariest thing ever

Firstly he would 100% ignore the relationship you have with the lower level demon and treat you like normal.

Flirting and all

But once he sees you two holding hands and kissing in front of him?

He'll explode

"A lower level demon? You chose that over me?"

He would, after this outburst, never speak to you again and if he had to it would be so formal

Sometimes he would wonder if he was the problem, did he push you away...?

He regrets the way he acted but he just can't bring himself to say sorry

So your relationship remains strained

MAMMON

He is petty.

King of pettiness

How dare she choose a lowly demon over me, the first demon she ever made a pact with me

Me

He would ignore you and even when he does reply, it would be really mean

Not playful anymore and very vicious

After some time he would become territorial

So you'll be hanging out with Mammon and he'll put his arm around you

Or speak up for you and say things like, "actually if you knew MC, they don't ...."

Constantly trying to have a dick measuring contest of who is better friends with MC and who knows MC best

He obviously thinks he's the best

LEVIATHAN

He's so upset but he won't let it show

If MC is happy, I'm happy

Spends a lot more time alone in his room and basically avoids you because he is hurt

He really liked you but it was his fault that you found someone else

He just never spoke up, never told you about how he feels

He would stare at the two of you because he's jealous

Can you imagine the longing? Wistfulness? Pain?

His self-esteem would plummet and he would constantly ask himself why he wasn't good enough

SATAN

To some extent, he doesn't care (or so he insists he doesn't...)

But when he does see you and the other demon together, he glares

Constantly

But never when you're looking

With you, he treats you as usual but everyone can see the way he looks at you, how he's so much nicer to you than anyone else, regardless of your relationship status

ASMODEUS

Homewrecker

He would 100% come out and tell you to dump the demon and be with him

He would fight for you

Also no boundaries but also man, he knows what he wants and he'll be damned if he doesn't get it

Extremely jealous and petty

BEELZEBUB

Eats a lot less

He gyms a lot more too

That's how he deals with his unrequited feelings

Poor guy

He's pretty normal otherwise

You noticed that he ate a lot less and didn't care for snacks, but he seemed ok

He also cannot be alone in a room with you

He just can't trust himself anymore

Not when it comes to you not being his

BELPHEGOR

Stares a lot

At first, you thought it was him sleeping with his eyes open

But no

He's staring in disappointment

He treats you normally and also tends to avoid being alone with you

But he's near-silent when you're with the other man

He also dreams of you

A lot

I recently had to repost a post. sigh. why tumblr :(

(you guys should check it out if you want... it is personally my fave post, kinda nsfw but fluffy. You can access it here)

anyway hope you liked this anon.

bee :)

MASTERLIST

[dontbipanicjonsa]

I’ve been reading Sansa fanfic and honestly I am so fucking tired. What is up with people making her out to be some selfish, mean, vindictive, I-don’t-even-fucking-know-what-else little kid????? Where the fuck does this come from???? What books are you reading?? 

How is it that in a book where characters are committing murder, rape, and even fucking baby exchanges, it is SANSA who needs to repent for her ‘crimes’?

Tell me again how Sansa is a shit person because of one mean thing she said to Arya in a fight but Jon, canonically called a ‘bully’ was the fucking paragon of good behavior as a child. Who’s gonna write the edgy Jon-was-a-pre-canon-bully fanfic huh?? That’s right. Fucking no one. Because we know Jon’s poor behavior at the Wall was driven as much out of his lack of awareness and appreciation of his privilege as it was by his struggle to reconcile the Wall of his dreams with reality. His behavior was an anomaly for him. 

Tell me again how Arya’s seeming class blindness in AGOT is so much better than Sansa’s raging classism. Who’s gonna say it was Arya’s fault Mycah got killed, because she didn’t recognize or appreciate her own privilege? Fucking no one. Because she’s nine, a child, and we’re not monsters.  

Sansa was selfish for expecting things that were already promised to her, but Arya wasn’t? Sansa is selfish for wanting to go to a tourney that’s being held in her father’s name. Sansa is selfish for expecting to be...married to her betrothed? Sansa is selfish for romanticizing/building up the life she is already expected to live? Sansa is selfish because she says Arya will ‘ruin everything’? Lemme tell you I have an older brother and I sure as fuck have ruined plenty of things for him as a kid stuff his friends lent him, that one time he went to watch some Hunger Game movie with his school friends and thought I would be mature enough to tag along and I really really wasn’t. That’s kind of what siblings do???? If Arya comes across as less ‘selfish’ than Sansa, then that’s because she’s hardly ever denied, and even when she is she’s made to understand why. Arya wants to learn to fight? Arya wants to flout expectations? Arya wants to take Syrio along on the ship? She gets it all. Is she selfish? NO. She’s a child. THEY ARE BOTH CHILDREN.

Sansa is mean, for having sibling fights with Arya? Never mind that she’s grieving the death of a part of her, Lady. Jon lashing out at the Wall may be an anomaly, but Sansa lashing out isn’t? WHY. Sansa is vindictive? Sansa who cried when fucking Joffrey dies? Sansa who is repeatedly described as sweet? Innocent? Courteous? 

When exactly is Sansa vindictive? When she doesn’t trust her father- who has been a pretty shit parent to her and fully deserves her distrust- to make the best decisions for her (as he hasn’t in the past) and decides to break one (1) rule in her life to...go to another adult to explain her problem? When she lashes out at Arya in her very valid grief because no one seems to give a flying fuck about helping her deal with it? When she utterly and absolutely ices out Tyrion, the fully grown Lannister man she has been forced to marry? Fuck you.

Ok no. I know. She’s power hungry. Just dying to be queen. I quake in my boots when I read her POV, honestly. Never mind that she is not the one who makes or even influences the decision to betroth her to the prince. (Alright she does in the show. But hey, Arya of the show is a misogynist, Jon is an absolute moron and Tyrion is the good guy so I won’t put a whole lot of stock in show characterization.) Never mind that Sansa’s desire to marry a ‘prince’ is driven more by her romanticizing  and wanting to have a life like the songs, and less to do with power. But nooo. Sansa wants to marry a lord even as late as ASOS. She’s willing to marry Willas because he’s a lord. 

Right. Because it is so much more terrible for a girl to want to marry a rich, powerful, upper class guy to get her out of her current shitty situation where she is utterly powerless, than it is for a slave owning girl to order the massacre of 13-years-old, upper class children. People forget that their fave wouldn’t be the character she is now if she hadn’t been married off to a powerful man all the way back in the first book, who unwittingly gave her a position of power of her own for the first time in her life. Or there wouldn’t be any dragons, there wouldn’t be any khaleesi. Isn’t that how patriarchy works??? Fuck Sansa for daring to want what Dany got- control over her own life via marriage. 

I’m just so tired. The point of Sansa’s character is that she’s empathetic. She’s soft. She’s polite and courteous. She’s nice to Sandor when he doesn’t deserve it. She calls Jon half-brother because that’s the politest term she can use. She stands up for others (Dontos, the people right before the riot, Tommen, fuck she even warns the Tyrells about Joffrey) even when she’s at her most powerless. She cries and feels bad and prays for her abusers. She’s unwilling to play ‘the game’. She chooses to continue to believe in and place value in the songs and stories as ideals that deserve to be lived up to in the midst of a harsh reality that has driven lesser people to nihilism and bitterness. This is who she is. To dismiss these things for the sake of making her out to be some mean and petty little girl is to misunderstand her entirely. 

But who would deign to lower themselves to the perspective of a pre teen girly girl anyway, right? 

[tsuki-sennin]

You and me, babe, livin' for dreams Lifin for love, drinkin' for free Sittin' on top of an old robot, sharin' and carin' it out... The memory's scrubbing you down!

Kamen Rider Geats is filmed in front of a live studio audience~! Seriously, I guess we're going back to that family sitcom vibe Revice had, if only for a bit. But hey, this should be fun, right?

We've got a new set of Riders to become our friends! ...or our enemies, one or the other~! And the triumphant return of homegirl Na-Go about to rock! Witness the Scheme game unfold!

Spoilers, I guess...

-Wan Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanchi

-You did it, Ace! You saaaaaaaved the world!

-Recording!

-Neesan.

-Okay so this obviously indicates that Tsumuri is older than Ace, which lines up with Kokoro Aoshima being three years older than Hideyoshi Kan (...holy fuck, once again I'm a little bit older than a Kamen Rider lead, Jesus it's only gonna get more common from here...), but like... how much older, do you reckon?

-Of course, she definitely was a good bit older than him when he started playing, but I'm wondering if the DGP is a time immemorial sorta deal. How hard did the Qin dynasty fall with the DGP's influence? Were there like a bunch of early Mycenaens playing Fortnite against the Jamato? Did they ever get Linto and Gurongi in on the action? Was the first ever winner of the game like an Australopithecus Africanus?

-Oh wow, I forgot, he made all of the DPG management his family.

-...I can't imagine how lonely he must feel if he thinks Giroli and Tsumuri are acceptable family to him.

-Does this mean Punkjack is his cousin?

-HER FACE UHILJI

-Oh hey, the new cast are in the !

-There's Owl Grandpa, heard a bit of buzz about him.

-Ah, yep, there's Punkjack. Hareruya Win, his name is, which is... very funny, guess they continue with Halloween content well into November like I do.

-Goat Girl! I really hope you're cool too.

-No Na-Go in the intro, huh? Weeeeeeeeeeell, I saw her everywhere in the lead up to this arc, so I guess she's coming to play again soon enough.

-Having a nice family dinner~!

-Looks quite delicious.

-Dad!

-Oh wow, man can cook!

-Y'know Tsumuri-neechan, your loving single father still found the time to cook for his two children. How about we just relax and enjoy this lovely moment?

Tsumuri: I've been done playing house since two weeks ago, when is it gonna end? Ace: Well, if you find someone who can kill God, then I guess I can stop being your little brother- Tsumuri: Shin Megami Tensei VI confirmed! Kill him!

-So, you thought just now to ask about that, huh Ace?

-That we... don't know, hahahahaha :)

-Oh! You just... Win once and you get to play forever and ever.

-...to be fair, that does seem an effective way to get things going.

-Who's the rival of this arc gonna be?

-"Oh shit, Ukiyo Ace."

-Starting today, you are Kamen Rider Buffa Deez Nuts!

-"Wait a fucking second, I hate Geats!"

-"Dude what the fuck, why would you wish for that?"

-Oh shit, Neon! Whaddup girl? Can't wait to see you get that badass new form I saw all over the internet!

-I see John and Ben are doing well!

-...Ah... well, she's definitely still trapped in that house with her mother. That's quite terrible.

-"Do you miss her? :3"

-Keiwaaaaaa, my bestie! I missed you for two weeks!

-Gotta gamble.

-Hmm... this is definitely different. ...perhaps Morio rubbed off on him on an unconscious level.

-Tanuki soba! I hear that Tycoon's core is bundled with a cup of that stuff. That is certainly... a decision.

-Where we droppin', boys?

-It's game time.

-Papa Giroli's mask is super cool.

-Jesus Christ, Ace, what the fuck are you getting the system to give you now?

-Watch, it's gonna be something phenomenally petty like him wishing to meet a

-Desiiiiiiire!

-Oh fuck, he's got eyes on Tsumuri-neesan.

-Poor Azuma is just 110% done with all this.

-Grandpa!

-Oh this guy's gonna be like super evil.

-I'm guessing there's no age limit aside from "over the age of 18", which I guess is fair enough.

-Wow, okay, just stick your brother and the creepy guy coming after you on the same time.

-Jolly Roger!

-"Hey, I don't want this old dude or this random chick, can I trade them in?"

-Oh wow, there're... two three-man teams, I guess he's got a point.

-An Item!

-Oop, there's the Zombie Buckle Azuma loves so much.

-What the fuck are these names... Zelgar? Uzul'Arc?

-Y'know, I think a tutorial stage would be very helpful.

-Or at the very least, some kinda antepiece. Uh, Route Kanal in Half-Life 2 starts by making you pick up the crowbar to get rid of the boards blocking your way, and after that you get jumpscared by a Scanner that you instinctively smack down. And a bit after that, you have to kill Metrocops to progress, which you can usually do pretty easy because all the necessary information was conveyed to you beforehand. That kinda forward thinking would help a lot with keeping players in the game longer.

-Come to think of it, the Jamato give me big Combine vibes.

-Monster!

-I'm the Punkjack!

-Win, I hate you so much you're incredible hjhhlkj

-We transformed!

-These pirate guys

-"Oh, ho! My baaaack!"

-"FUCKING HELP ME YOU SCRUBS"

-I liked you way better when you never talked, Punkjack.

-Ah, so Giroli's not the GM. ...or, at least, not in charge of the game as a whole.

-"I wanna be young again!"

-Quite... interesting uses of literal godlike power, but.

-You are not a normie, Win.

-Okay I take it back, you're really fucking funny.

-Damn.

-Shut yo ass up, Mom. Trying to marry off your kid to a corporate suit. You should be ashamed.

-...I have to wonder, does the Game Master have a vested interest in helping Neon?

-Oh shit, Dad.

-OH SHIT NAOTO

-Neon, your dad is TimeFire!

-Tsumuri-neesan!

-"Well, you guys are fucked."

-Who could you possibly wanna get married to, Goat Gal?

-Oh she just straight up dipped.

-Well, I can't say I found you disappointing, Goat Gal. Hang on, I'm looking this up, what was your name again? Yukie Yaginuma? Letter?

-You certainly were The Letter (Wii U, 2014), not to be confused with the infinitely better Filipino VN The Letter by Yangyang Mobile.

-How about you, Grandpa Tanba? Keilow?

-"Fuck it, it's Ninja Time!"

-Taking a massive shit.

-"Time for you to lose, Fox Boy."

-If you don't fight, you don't survive!

-Na-Go, woooooooo!

-Oh shit!

-Kurama Neon's time to shine!

-BEAT!

-That cheering is ours.

-BEAT AXE!

-Homegirl got herself an axe bass. Just like the kind Marceline had.

-Damn, music and cat motif on the same female Rider? Takahashi must really be trying to make up for Yaiba and Poppy.

-Tactical Blizzard!

-Ah, you can just

-Do that now, damn girl.

-Yeah, that's awesome, I love this power-up. You've more than earned it, sweetie.

-Round 1's over!

-Good job, dipshit.

-"Did that massive shit you take make you feel better?"

-Gotta love homegirl Neon.

-Gotta get that wish!

-"Why do you fight, Fox Man?"

-What on earth happened to Fox Mama?

-The Game Master picks the players.

-Oh shit, Geats got a gold scarf.

-A cipher, huh? Are we perhaps getting Jamato script?

-Oh fuck, a labyrinth.

-Alright, speculation time!

-Neon's dad. What's his name, Kousei? He's obviously gonna be important later. My guess is that he's somehow related to the people in charge of the DGP. He's definitely not the big boss, but the fact that Neon got drafted back in with such an obviously amazing Raise Buckle to start tells me that he's definitely got strings to pull.

-Now, about Fox Mama... I find it very interesting that they got a notable seiyuu to voice her early in the season where she first appeared. Yuka Terasaki, you probably know her as Korrina in the XY seasons of the Pokemon anime, Hephaestus in DanMachi, Kudelia in Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, or... perhaps most notably Luna/Ruka in Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's. This is wildly speculative, but I think that perhaps the actress we saw in Ace's flashback was a Shemp for Terasaki, who actually has done live theater in the past, and Toei's just building up for her grand appearance in the late-game of Geats.

-Anyways I think that's all for now. Join us next week, for real this time when we continue gaming! ...in a big dumb maze!

[robininthelabyrinth]

A Sick Thought - Part 3 - on ao3 or on tumblr pt 1, pt 2

Lan Wangji had long ago suspected that he had done some terribly wrong in a prior life, if only because something had to explain everything he’d suffered from the death of his mother to the destruction and rebuilding of his sect to the loss of Wei Wuxian and the terrible wrenching pain that accompanied it.

If before he suspected, now he was certain.

There was no other way to explain why else he would be tormented by the return of his beloved – as a feline.

He had difficulty even thinking about that, really, even though he’d gotten relatively used to dealing with the fact of it in real life. The thought just sounded so absurd in every possible way:

Wei Wuxian is back, but he’s a cat.

The Yiling Patriarch returned at last, meowing.

Purr, says Wei Ying.

(That last one tended to lead him to disturbing thoughts, and so he refrained.)

They were traveling together now, working together, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian together. It was everything he’d ever dreamt of, except for the part that his wildest fantasies on the subject somehow failed to cover the possibility that Wei Wuxian would be small, four-legged, and insist on riding on Lan Wangji’s shoulder except for when he felt the distinct need to zoom around wildly and would pelt up and down the road at top speed, chattering cheerfully as he did.

Similarly, when Lan Wangji had imagined sharing a meal with him, he had perhaps anticipated Wei Wuixan’s eyes going big and round and pleading, the way he inhaled the smell of spices, the way he would reach out to grab – but he hadn’t anticipated that he would need to bat away Wei Wuxian’s little paw before he consumed anything with onion, garlic, or other alliums, which were bad for cats, and would instead be feeding him little bits of raw chicken with no salt. Sometimes, even often, he would succumb to Wei Wuxian’s pleading and rub on a tiny little bit of chili powder – spice was also bad for cats, no matter how they lusted for it, and so it was bad for Wei Wuxian no matter his pleading. 

He had imagined sharing a pillow with him, hearing his breathing, and they did, he did - and yet, they were literally sharing the pillow, Wei Wuxian’s entire body curled up into a perfect orb of cat right next to his cheek and sometimes waking him up with foul cat-breath, and instead of needing to watch for nightmares he was more concerned about dreams involving chasing (Wei Wuxian had pounced on his forehead ribbon more times than he could count). He could sooth him with his hand, as he’d hoped, but there was a lot less sighing and a lot more purring - a rumble like distant thunder, more vibration than sound - than he’d thought.

Also, he’d imagined their duets to include somewhat more flute-playing and less…yowling.

Yes, it was all…very, very different.

No matter. It wasn’t important that it didn’t match his dreams; what was important was that Wei Wuxian, his Wei Ying, was back.

That was what mattered.

“I really wish we could’ve gotten more information from Mo Xuanyu,” Wei Wuxian said, padding along at Lan Wangji’s side. He’d permitted Lan Wangji to replace the cheap red ribbon Mo Xuanyu had found for him with something a little more elegant, and Lan Wangji hadn’t been able to resist using one of his spare forehead ribbons (dyed red, of course, to match Wei Wuxian’s tastes); the obvious end result of this pleasurable subterfuge was that Lan Wangji was now having some difficulty looking straight at Wei Wuxian without blushing. 

It seemed an appropriate example of suffering the consequences of his own actions. 

“I know he doesn’t know anything about the ghost hand – or the legs, I guess, now that we’ve gotten them, and wasn’t that weird with the Nie sect? Poor Nie Huaisang looked even more torn up about it all than I would’ve expected, all dark circles under his eyes and pale skin, you’d think he’d be better at running a sect if it’s been a decade already – anyway, I’m distracting myself from the main point. The main point is, I can’t help but feel like this whole thing is connected to Mo Xuanyu somehow.”

“Agreed,” Lan Wangji said.

Poor Mo Xuanyu.

Lan Wangji had not in nearly a decade and a half regretted his decision never to willingly set foot in Jinlin Tower, but now that he had seen what work they had made of Mo Xuanyu, he regretted nothing more. He who took such pride in being where the chaos was had missed the chaos and wretchedness right under his very nose – for Mo Xuanyu was very wretched indeed.

Lan Wangji had resented Mo Xuanyu at first, always laying his hands on Wei Wuxian without the slightest bit of shame – not that there needed to be shame, given that Wei Wuxian was, well, a cat, and of the subgenre of felines that Jiang Cheng for some unspecified reason continued to crudely refer to as “cuddle-sluts” – and for how Wei Wuxian worried about him and cared for him. 

It did not help that Mo Xuanyu was so well known for being a cutsleeve. 

And then, one day, Mo Xuanyu had gotten Lan Wangji alone and told him with great emphasis that he was deeply devoted to his successful courtship of Wei Wuxian, offering his help in any possible respect, and also wistfully added that he wouldn’t mind it very much if Lan Wangji were willing to offer some suggestions on how to court Jiang Cheng, who was utterly oblivious to any hints.

After that, Lan Wangji remembered himself what shame was, and guilt, and felt it thoroughly – it was no excuse to say that being around Wei Wuxian roused his worst protective and possessive instincts, for it was his duty to overcome them. Be strict with yourself, the rules said, and as always he had failed to remember the rules when he needed them most.

The extent of his pettiness was only magnified when he thought about it all more closely. Mo Xuanyu was not merely someone to be pitied, was more than simply a victim who had suffered under the outrages of the Jin sect – the harassment, the abuse, the deliberate poisoning and destruction of his mind in order to reduce his credibility...That was all bad enough, and it pained Lan Wangji to no end to hear it. 

But more than abuse, more than madness, more than exile to a misbegotten place that somehow managed to beat out Jinlin Tower for sheer viciousness –

It was due to Mo Xuanyu that Wei Wuxian had returned.

He had been willing to give his very life, his body and soul, to bring him back.

And for that, Lan Wangji owed him everything.

Even when it meant –

“We should return to the Cloud Recesses to fetch him,” Lan Wangji said, and Wei Wuxian craned his head around – his tiny, tiny head that could easily fit into Lan Wangji’s palm, covered in a short layer of fur more comfortable than the softest silk – to look at him in curiosity. “I understand that it is a detour.”

“It is,” Wei Wuxian said. “You wouldn’t propose it for no reason, either. What are you afraid of? He’s in the Cloud Recesses, and with Jiang Cheng – surely he’s as safe as safe can be.”

“It is nearly the end of the month,” Lan Wangji said. “My brother will be returning home soon.”

“So?” Wei Wuxian asked, puzzled. And why should he not be puzzled? To even think…and yet. And yet, and yet, and yet. “Jiang Cheng will explain everything to him, won’t he?”

“My brother will be returning home,” Lan Wangji said again. “After a month and more abroad.”

Wei Wuxian looked at him silently, awaiting an explanation. His tail lashed gently against Lan Wangji’s leg.

“He was visiting his sworn brother,” Lan Wangji said. “Lianfeng-jun.”

“Jin Guangyao,” Wei Wuxian said, his tone heavy – he had understood. “Does your brother visit Jinlin Tower often?”

Lan Wangji nodded tightly.

“And has for many years, I expect? Since the end of the Sunshot Campaign.”

He nodded again.

“Surely you don’t believe that he knew what was happening to Mo Xuanyu?”

Lan Wangji hesitated. “I do not know how he could not have known,” he confessed. “I think to myself if I had only been there – if I had overcome my disdain for the Jin sect –”

“Don’t think like that,” Wei Wuxian said at once, a balm to Lan Wangji’s soul. “You couldn’t have known. The Jin sect is the most talented at deception and misdirection – they wouldn’t have let you see. Nor your brother, either - you would have seen only what they wished for you to see, and poisoned the well of your thoughts to discount anything you did see.”

“Perhaps,” Lan Wangji said, and felt more at peace. It was true that even his brother, with his token, could not so easily travel through the depths of Jinlin Tower freely, without an escort. “I do not think Brother knew.”

“I agree. Impossible.”

“And yet - his sworn brother...it is not unheard of for Lianfeng-zun to unexpectedly accompany my brother back to the Cloud Recesses, and I cannot bring myself to believe that he did not know. As a precaution, therefore…”

Wei Wuxian’s ears flicking back and forth. “I see your point. But still, I don’t think it makes sense for us to go to them – why not write to Jiang Cheng and have him bring Mo Xuanyu to meet us here, while we investigate the Chang clan?”

Lan Wangji nodded.

“I’d prefer that, anyway – I really can’t use regular cultivation without Mo Xuanyu around, just demonic cultivation. As we continue to hunt for the ghost pieces, it’ll be good to have both.”

Lan Wangji wondered a little at that. In their first life, hadn’t Wei Wuxian completely abandoned normal cultivation in favor of demonic cultivation?

If so, why the shift back now?

“Besides, I have an idea I want to try that involves him,” Wei Wuxian added casually, so casually that Lan Wangji merely nodded and did not question and did not know until it had already happened.

“Success!” Wei Wuxia hissed in delight, then frowned, poking at his teeth. “Well, mostly.”

“You turned yourself into a catboy,” Jiang Cheng said, his hand over his eyes. “Because of course you did. I hate you. Have I mentioned that I hate you? Becuase I hate you.”

“What’s a catboy?” Jin Ling asked. Apparently he had insisted on joining them, as had Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi – Lan Wangji would have instructed them to remain, but Jiang Cheng had yielded more or less immediately to their requests.

Typical.

“You don’t need to know,” Jiang Cheng said at once.

“How do you know?” Wei Wuxian asked. “Jiang Cheng! What are you doing going about knowing things about catboys? We’ve talked about this –”

“What? No we haven’t! We haven’t talked about anything! You spent the entire conversation that we had over catnip crying your eyes out about how tasty pheasants are!”

Lan Wangji had always surmised that there was more to the conversation than that, being as both of them had emerged significantly less likely to murder the other, but he didn’t have any presence of mind to devote to that line of thought.

Or to any thought.

Not when Wei Wuxian was…well, mostly human.

He had his old face, but a build that more closely resembled Mo Xuanyu’s slenderness and height; his hair was the correct shade, but poking out from the strands were two now-familiar ears that flickered back and forth with excitement. And he was also possessed on inhumanly sharp canines, sharp claws, and what appeared to be a very active tail.

All the features attributed to…well.

Catboys.

(Lan Wangji had also seen the specific genre of pornography being referenced and every single one of those images – including his particular favorite, which involved a collar – was refreshing itself in his mind with a new figure in each starring role.

He was going to spontaneously combust.)

He stammered some excuse and fled the scene at once.

By the time he returned, they had more or less packed up to continue following the guidance of the ghost hand – it almost reminded him a proper night-hunt, actually. The adults, such as they were, led the way, with the juniors following behind, chatting amongst themselves; Mo Xuanyu was hanging off of Jiang Cheng’s arm and chattering at Wei Wuxian like old friends, his eyes curved up in crescents, with much of the terrible pain that he had always carried sloughed off like an old skin, while Jiang Cheng nodded along, oblivious to any hint as always.

Lan Wangji was abruptly struck by a feeling of – satisfaction, he thought.

This was good.

(Don’t look at Wei Wuxian or you’ll start slowing down the trip.)

But how could he resist?

He headed over and took his place at Wei Wuxian’s side, receiving a wide smile – he would die a thousand times over for that smile – for his troubles.

“What do you think, Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asked him, and then barreled right on with the conversation without bothering to wait for a response.

Yes.

This was good.

This was how it should be.

Even Jiang Cheng, who Lan Wangji had despised for years…he made Wei Wuxian happy. And since that was the case, Lan Wangji would be willing to put up with him – on a temporary basis, anyway.

“What is this place, anyway?” Lan Sizhui asked from behind them.

“It’s called Yi City, with the Yi as in ‘coffin’,” Wei Wuxian said casually. “Didn’t you see the marker outside?”

“A better question,” Jiang Cheng said. “If it’s supposed to be a city, why isn’t there anyone here?”

“There is, though,” Lan Jingyi said, pointing. “Look, over there – huh, no. I must have seen the wrong thing.”

“No,” Mo Xuanyu said, and him actually disagreeing with someone when it wasn’t in the middle of one of his fits   was so unusual – even after he’d had so much healing – that they all turn to look at him.

He was smiling.

“You’re right,” he said, clapping his hands together happily, his eyes fixed on the distant spot. “There is someone there! I can see them!”

He raised a hand and waved.

“Xue-gege!” he shouted. “Xue-gege, it’s A-Yu! Come out and meet my friends!”

[msmarvelouswinchester]

Irresistibly Yours

Chapter 4 - My Apologies

Summary - Y/N Y/L/N moves to NYC in hopes for a fresh start after a nasty breakup. There she meets her neighbor, the cynical lawyer, Dean Winchester. A love-hate relationship starts evolving between them ever since they met in the elevator one morning but a desperate situation and a string of lies forces the two friendly rivals to go on a date or rather a fake date. Will sparks fly between them when Dean gets to know Y/N real and up close? Will Y/N finally find her Prince Charming in the grumpy, workaholic, divorce lawyer?

Pairing - Lawyer!Dean Winchester x Y/N

Warning - None

WC - 2551

Square Filled - Fluff ( @girl-next-door-writes's Make Me Feel Bingo); Neighbours AU ( @anyfandomfluffbingo )

A/N - A new chapter! Hope you enjoy reading this!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Beta'd by @miss-nerd95 <33

Series Masterlist Masterlist

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Adjusting her glasses on the nose, Y/N toyed around with the pen in hand, blankly staring at the kitchen wall. The empty sheet of paper sat there on the table, glaring at her. It was a bit old-school, considering her laptop was lying only a small distance away but this was how she preferred to work on her novel. It had nothing to do with her laziness.

The fear of another rejection was weighing heavily on her and she was really close to giving up on her dream of being an actually published writer. However, after her little pep talk to herself last night, she had this new indomitable spirit ignited inside her. Though that spirit was fading away with every passing minute now.

Y/N dropped the pen on the table with a huff, its metallic body hitting the wooden surface of the table as she got up to make herself a cup of coffee. Now, she might not want to admit it, but her novel wasn't the only thing that was troubling her.

A stranger’s callous comments should never hurt so much but when Dean called her stupid or rather a brainless idiot, for some reason, Y/N took it to the heart. She had then come to the conclusion that he was an ass and it was futile to even try and start a healthy relationship, but the bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter in front of her changed every perception of him yet again.

Ms. L/N, I didn't have any intentions of humiliating you. I'm really sorry. I hope you accept this small token of apology.

Walking up to the counter, Y/N picked up the small, white card and read the handwritten apology for the hundredth time that day. She didn't know if she should be impressed at his tacky methods of apologies or be annoyed at him for wrecking her mental sanity. Shaking off her thoughts, she was just about to dive back right into her writing when the coffee machine beeped.

“This is not gonna work.” She sighed, pouring one cup of the warm liquid and bringing it close to her lips. After finishing her drink, she decided to go out on a walk to clear her head but just as she stepped out of her house, she heard soft pitter patters of feet out in the hallway before a small figure of a hazel-eyed girl came into her sight.

Y/N tilted her head in confusion as the little girl ran in the halls. She looked around for her parents, but didn't see anyone else.

“Hey, pretty girl. What are you doing out here all alone?” She called out to the girl, making her stop in her tracks and look at Y/N.

“Daddy says not to talk to strangers.” She said while she cautiously approached the woman anyway.

“Where's your Dad?" She smiled softly, " I'm Y/N. See now you know me.”

“Daddy's-”

“I told you to stay inside, babygirl.” Y/N’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the all too familiar voice of her ridiculously handsome neighbor before the tall figure of the man himself appeared in front of her. His eyes were focused on the little girl as he walked up to her. Dean crouched down to her height, hands gently placed on her shoulders. “Never go anywhere alone again. Alright?”

Does he have a daughter?

But she had never seen the girl before. Y/N was in awe as she saw the grumpy facade fade away when he talked with her. She realised that there were so many things about Dean that she truly didn't know. Maybe she had, after all, misjudged him on some petty conflicts.

“At least your kid was within the building.” Y/N said.

“Ms. L/N.” Dean regarded and turned to look at her. He shuffled on his feet which made Y/N raise a curious brow.

“Hello, Mr. Winchester.” A look of guilt with an underlying hurt flashed in his eyes when she didn't acknowledge him by his first name. He was very sure his effort at a decent apology had been appalling and it made him wince, thinking of the awfully cringy card he had curated by his own hand to convey his regrets.

“She is pwetty.” The girl tapped his knee, attracting his attention while looking at Y/N.

“Y-yeah.” Heat crept up Y/N’s neck when she heard Dean agree with the kid. A moment of awkward silence passed as Dean looked back up at the woman, this time his gaze not faltering making the woman’s cheeks warm up even more. “She is pretty, baby.”

“You are prettier. Look at you! You look absolutely stunning in that dress and hair!” Y/N jumped in deciding to not make the situation more awkward. She hoped that Dean was maintaining his usual poker face, but instead, the corner of his lips tugged up in a little smile as the girl diverted her attention to Y/N.

“Uncle De did my hair.” She said proudly and Y/N stared at Dean. Uncle De? Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought of him to be such a gentle soul. She now remembered that the last time she saw Dean, he had told her about meeting up with his brother.

“He did an excellent job, I see.” The woman said as Dean got up and stood up straight. “What's your name, pretty girl?” She looked up at Dean, as he nodded his head.

“Ava.” She muttered.

“So Ava, remember next time to not go anywhere without Uncle De’s permission. Promise?” Y/N said and walked up closer to the two humans as Ava nodded her head agreeing to her proposition, all the while Dean’s eyes trailed along the woman's every movement. He was the best in his profession and he excelled at reading his client's body languages to figure out conflict, but Y/N was like a puzzle to him right now so he decided to take matters in his own hands.

“I hope you liked the flowers.” There it was, subtle, but at least he owned up to his apology. Y/N observed him for a moment, watching as he was nervously wringing his hands together. He seemed nervous around her. This wasn't the Dean Winchester she had come to know in the last few, quite unfortunate encounters.

“I did.” Y/N wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. He tightly held Ava’s hand to not let her out of his sight.

“De-” she pouted, “Uncle De!” The said man looked down at his niece.

“Stay put for a moment, babygirl. Uncle De needs to talk to this lovely young lady. Then we can go and get ice cream, like I had promised.” He said, before looking up at Y/N. “Listen, I'm sorry for what happened that day. I did not-” Sighing, Dean said before he was unceremoniously cut off by his phone vibrating in his pocket.

His face scrunched up as he stared at his phone screen. Sucking in a deep breath, he let the phone ring until the caller reached the voicemail. He chewed on his plump, pink lip when his phone lit up with a voice message. Y/N had an instinct he was avoiding someone, maybe an ex. Dean must have had some girlfriends.

“I'm sorry, I was saying-” the phone rang again and Dean was so close to throwing the little device against the wall.

“I think you should take that, which seems important. And I would leave you with your work things. I was going out for a walk anyway. Have a good day, Winchester.” Y/N said and walked right past the man.

“Hold up!” Y/N stopped walking before turning around to face the lawyer. “I never had the intention of hurting you.”

“Then you know the story wrong.” She said, shrugging

“Well if we study closely, the scarecrow was actually very intelligent but he never realised it.” Dean shrugged.

“So you're saying that I act stupid.” This time Y/N wasn't offended but she liked watching him squirm.

“N-no I didn't mean that-” He struggled to come up with yet another apology. “Can we drop the subject of the scarecrow? Let's just pretend the story doesn't exist in this context.” Y/N chuckled at the poor man, making him shake his head lightly.

“It's okay, Dean. Go, get the kid some ice cream.” She smiled.

“Join me for a drink sometime.” Dean blurted out without thinking. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he stared at Y/N, trying to gauge her reaction.

“I never pegged you for a guy to ask me for a drink.” She raised a brow at him.

“The card and flowers were pretty lame, I agree…but I do owe you a drink, or maybe a coffee, whatever you prefer.” He said. He knew his method of apologising was crappy but at that moment it was the best he could come up with. Dean never was a man of many words and he sucked at expressing his feelings so it was near impossible for him to think of anything better than this, but now he realised it would have been much better if he would have just knocked on her door.

“Sure.” Y/N nodded.

“How does tomorrow sound? Ava will be back with my brother by then. As you can see I kind of have my hands full right now.” He smiled. Y/N pondered over the sudden change in her hot neighbour’s behaviour. If this was the way Dean chose to open up to her, then so be it.

“Tomorrow sounds good,” she smiled back.

“G-great then!” Heat crept up his neck as he looked at Ava, a bit flustered. He didn't know what her deal was but she always rendered him speechless or stumbled on his own words, trying to form a good comeback. Y/N had an effect on him that neither Jo nor Lisa had ever had on him. Her perky attitude made him want to spend any time he got with her. They were poles apart but Dean found a sense of familiarity in her.

“I won't hold back you two any longer.” Crouching in front of the girl and ruffling her brown hair, Y/N said, “Don't settle with anything less than a triple scoop.”

“Don't give her any ideas,” Dean teasingly warned, “I have no idea how to deal with a kid on a sugar rush.”

“Then don't shy away from asking for a little help. I had to babysit my cousin's kids many times. I know a thing or two about babysitting,” Y/N said.

“I'll definitely take you up on that if things get out of hand.” He said, “See you tomorrow night. Have a good day, Ms. L/N.” He grabbed Ava’s hands tightly, pulling her close as he started to walk towards the elevator. Y/N shook her head, an amused laugh leaving her lips. Some things never change.

“I think the cupcakes worked their magic!” Dean teased, sharing a laugh with Y/N over a glass of Manhattan. This was the first time she had ever seen him laugh. Apparently, he was a happy drunk.

“Some roots of jasmine, rose thorns, a pinch of pearl dust and voila! You have the friendship potion,” She barely made it through with a straight face before bursting out in fits of laughter.

“I had a feeling that there was some kind of sorcery involved.” He said, signalling for another glass for both of them.

“This one’s on me,” Y/N said, making Dean scrunch up his face in an adorable pout.

“No it's not. I'm payin’, I was the one who asked you out.” His eyes immediately widened when he realised what slipped out through his mouth. “Not like an ‘asking out’ asking out. This is-” Dean waved at the space between them “-just a gesture of goodwill.”

“You're adorable.” Y/N giggled.

“What?”

“I know this isn't a date. Just two friends hanging out on a Sunday night.” She shook her head, chuckling as the man picked up his refilled glass and took a sip.

Even if Y/N said it was platonic, the ungodly amount of time she had spent in front of her closet to pick out a perfect outfit would definitely make her rethink her answer. She had skimmed through her closet, trying to find the dress that said ‘just friends’ but to her all the dresses she owned screamed ‘I want you to fuck me’.

Nevertheless, she had settled on a simple pair of blue jeans and a crop top. But she had felt seriously underdressed when she knocked on Dean's door and it had opened to reveal the man in a jeans t-shirt and black slacks, staring at her with a smile on his face.

“Well duh! My first impression of you kinda sucked.” Y/N said.

“I did warm up to ya, didn't I?” Dean chuckled. “Another round?”

“Nuh-uh. Sparkling water for me. I don't want to show up at work tomorrow puking my guts out. And that while nursing a painful hangover? No thanks” She laughed.

“You're no fun!” He chuckled with her.

“I am no fun? What about you, Mr. Turn-down-the-volume?” She said as the bartender pushed a glass of water towards her and poured out another to the man.

“You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?” He shook his head.

“Never.”

A moment of silence passed as Y/N looked across the nightclub buzzing with people just like any other Sunday night. She never thought Dean would be the person to even know about nightclubs around the city but guess she didn't know him that well.

“You wanna head back home? I can walk with you to your place, be all gentlemanly,” he smirked. She liked this drunk version of Dean. He was happier, far more cheesy and funnier than his workaholic version.

“Of course. It's not like we live in the same apartment,” she teased. “Hey, you wanna hit the dance floor before we go back?”

His eyes widened at her sudden question. “No, I don't dance.” He shook his head furiously, clearly stating that dancing was definitely not on his agenda.

“Oh come on, don't be shy.” She said.

“Nope.”

“Fine! You are no fun!” She rolled her eyes, “Let's get outta here then.”

The walk back to their apartment was filled with drunken giggles and cheesy banter. “I had a fun time tonight. Apologies accepted.” Y/N said, unlocking the door to her home.

“Glad to know that. I couldn't have lived knowing you hate me,” Dean teased, “I had a good time as well. I really needed a break from work.”

“So you do accept that you work too much?”

“Agree to disagree.” He shrugged, leaning against the doorway, “Night, Y/N.”

She walked up to the man and pecked his cheek, making his eyes go wide at the sudden affection. He swallowed hard as she stared up at him with hooded eyes. Patting his arms lightly, she said, “Night, Dean, see you in the morning.”

“Only if you're running late.”

Chapter 5

Feedback is highly appreciated!

Let me know if you want to be tagged in this series!

[nightwishesworld]

Hello! I love your writing and if you do take request, might I ask for a family night (including Heisenberg) playing Monopoly please? (OC is already in a loving relationship with Alcina and the girls love her)

Oh boy anon, this was by far the most difficult thing I’ve ever written. It’s not my best cause I know zero about the game so I had to try and work around it. Hope you enjoy anyway!

It's that time of the week again in the Dimitrescu castle. The most sacred and anticipated time of the week; not hunting, not harvesting, not even wine tasting... it's game night.

As soon as the sun sets the girls swarm in the drawing room to ready the space for the night's antics. Daniela digs out the game while Sorine opens all the curtains, letting the warm light of the moon shine through, and Victoria lights the fire and torches. It became a ritual not long after you moved into the castle. The girls often confided in you how they wished to spend more quality time with their mother on more than one occasion. Hunting maidens and harvesting their blood was fun, but they've been doing that forever! It was no longer as thrilling as it once was, not it felt more like a chore that needed to be done. And you can't count how many times Alcina admitted to feeling guilty about not giving her daughters more of her time. So when you pitched the idea of a routine game night, you got very little pushback.

The only one who hesitated was Daniela, and only because she insisted on inviting Uncle Heisenberg, which was totally fine. You get along rather well with the werewolf and enjoy his visits. Getting in touch with him was rather difficult though. Most of his visits were spontaneous reasons to see his favorite nieces, while the other few were strictly business-related held by Alcina. It took her some time to locate her brother, but it also gave you some time to make your way back down to your old home in the village to gather your collection of board games and puzzles. Some were missing a few pieces or cards, but they would have to do for now. Worst case scenario you just buy new ones.

When Alcina finally got ahold of Heisenberg he eagerly accepted and promised to start making his way back to the castle; the girls were thrilled. After all, it wouldn't be proper family bonding time without good ol' Uncle Heis.

In the beginning, it was decided that everyone took turns deciding what game they were going to play. The cycle started with you of course, since the whole thing was your idea, then went from oldest to youngest. Everyone had a blast playing against each other and laughing at one another. You can't remember a time you'd seen Alcina laugh so hard, she was almost brought to tears. Everything was just peachy until Victoria, ever the mischief-maker decided you should play Monopoly. The poor Dimitrescu's had no idea what brand of hellish gameplay awaited them. Only an hour and a half in and Daniela had successfully bankrupt her own mother. The proud look plastered on the girl's face would have been more amusing if it weren't for Alcina losing her temper. That was the one time you couldn't wait for the night to end, and hopefully, never play it again.

Much later that night in bed with Alcina curled up on your chest you woke with a chill running down your spine. It's Daniela's turn to pick the game.

Which is how you ended up lounging on your favorite chair by the fire watching Daniela and Heisenberg setting up the board and organizing the money. Again.

Alcina is sat on the floor next to you leaning comfortably against your chair sipping her third glass of wine. "Why are we doing this again?"

You give her a sympathetic smile. "You know why, dearest, it's game night."

She only rolls her eyes at you. "You know what I mean, draga mea. Why monopoly?"

"It was Dani's turn to chose the game. It'll be fun, don't worry Al."

"Yeah Mother," Victoria giggles. "What's wrong with monopoly?"

"You mean other than how overly competitive and childish you all become?"

You were about to open your mouth when Heisenberg started to laugh. "You say 'you all' as if you aren't just as bad."

Alcina chose to ignore him in favor of her wine.

"Ah! Mother's just upset cause she knows I'm gonna make her go bankrupt again," Daniela smiled as her sisters snickered. "I forget, what did you say you were going to do to me, Mother?"

This caused the chorus of giggles to erupt into laughter. "She said she was going to disown you!" Sorine choked out.

"Forging an alliance against your mother is just plain rude! And you-" she points to Heisenberg, "you stole my companion!"

Laughter erupted in the drawing room. You leaned against Alcina's arm as you lost the ability to breathe. "I did not steal them," Heisenberg handed you both your starting $1500. "I was in a financial bind and y/n was willing to make a deal."

"And just like that our alliance was born." You lean forward and fist-bumped the werewolf. "Let's let Al join us tonight, Heis, now we'll be even against the girls."

He ponders for a moment before noticing his sister's golden eyes burning into him and hastily shakes her hand. "Welcome to the team, sis."

Alcina sighed and accepted his hand in a near bone-crushing grip. You tried not to notice the man wincing. "About damn time."

You shot Alcina finger guns with a wink and "pew pew" and she full-heartedly laughs. "What on Hell's earth was that?"

"A dumb human thing, don't worry about it."

"Horray!" Daniela grinned. "Now Mother has a fighting chance."

"Now girls," you chided. "Let's try to keep this friendly tonight, ok? As funny as it was, and it was," Alcina glares at you from behind her wine glass. "We're going to let it go now. No more ganging up on your mother."

The girls gave an innocent smile, "of course y/n."

"Wouldn't dream of it, y/n."

"Cross my heart hope to die!"

Wait, aren't they already dead?  You shook your head. Doesn't matter.

"Are we using the same pieces as last time?"

"Might as well," you saw before Daniela can get a word out. "We were all happy with our tokens last time, yes?"

Daniela huffed and crossed her arms. "I want to be the dog!"

"Aw come on, Dani," Sorine says. "I think it's only fair Uncle Heis gets to be the dog."

"Since, ya know, he is a dog," Victoria smirks.

To say the atmosphere of the room was intense would be an understatement. But, you couldn't be entirely unhappy with the course of events either since your alliance was winning. Victoria is bankrupt and Daniela has been sitting in jail for the past three turns. Alcina refuses to sell her Get out of Jail Free card. Oh, how the tables have turned. Daniela, much like her dearest mother, is far too stubborn for her own good. She refuses to pay Heisenberg the $50 to get out of jail and Alcina simply refuses to bail her out. Petty revenge, but entertaining nonetheless. It's after midnight now and you're finding it difficult not to doze off against the vampire's arm. Heisenberg is awake pacing around the room as he lost interest in the stalemate already. He was nice enough to take his heavy boots off so he wouldn't disturb Sorine and Victoria's slumber. His repetitive pace was starting to lull you to sleep. You allow yourself to close your eyes for a minute, listening to Alcina's breathing and Heisenberg's hushed stomping circling around you.

The fire was reduced to crackling embers and you were left shivering under Heisenberg's coat. Out of desperation, you kiss the top of Alcina's gloved hand. "Nu putem termina în dimineața? Hai să mergem la culcare." You know she loves it when you talk in Romanian to her. Hopefully, it will give you the advantage you need to end this ridiculousness.

"I've got her cornered, y/n. A little while longer and she'll crack."

Daniela only squinted her eyes and hissed.

You were about to give up and let yourself fall asleep on Alcina when Heisenberg came stomping over, pure anger painted on his face, and kicked the coffee table over. Sorine and Victoria were startled awake by the crashing sound and snowfall of cards. It was honestly the most magical thing that happened all night. He shouted something along the lines of "Go to bed!" but you couldn't make it out over Daniela and Alcina's screams. They pay you little mind as they chase Heisenberg out of the room and down the corridor, the sounds of vases and antique decor crashing following them as they go.

Sorine stands over you looking at you through bleary eyes, extending her hand to help you up. "Bed?"

A lion's yawn overcomes you and you smile. "Bed."

[miraculouscontent]

Didn’t Need Burrow (May 3rd-May 22nd)

Anonymous said:

Don’t Need Burrow to know that Ladybug’s distrust of Volpina will be played off as though she was simply jealous of her because she thought she was going to steal Adrien/Chat, even though she didn’t like Chat! Oh, but she did, she didn’t know it yet. That’s why she kissed him in Dark Cupid!

Not like she didn’t have a bunch of other reasons to distrust Volpina.

(the show also does this a lot where Marinette has an extra reason on top of “““jealousy,”““ like in “Oni-Chan” where the thing she was concerned about actually ended up happening, but the fandom boils everything down to jealousy anyway)

Anonymous said:

Didn’t Need Burrow: Su Han will take the Miraculouses from all the girls because he thinks girls don’t have the “physical and mental fortitude” to be heroes, giving them tto guys instead. The girls will find out about each others’ identities and join in the battle to get their Miraculouses back without any powers, led by Marinette, despite the fact that the genre of Miraculous Ladybug is supposedly Magical GIRL and thus the girls being powerful should be a given

(there was another part to this but I didn’t get it all so I clipped this ask a bit so it could work alone)

tbh the true ending should just be Marinette and the girls kicking each misogynist to the curb without any powers, and Su-Han goes last.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Luka and Zoe, from their styles and hints like the ice cream Luka holds in Truth and the flower on her shirt.... I'm sure at this point the writers will either send him on a tour with Jagged, or make him Zoe's bf offscreen somehow... Also more torture for Mari mentally :)

Of course. :)

Gotta make sure Marinette doesn’t have any choice but Adrien. :)

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Zoe will be Adrien's new love interest because she's "very sweet". Mari will be okay with it because she feels the Guardian must be alone. (And she's still punishing herself for hurting Luka.) The New-Bee and Chat also bond, making her feel even more alone. (But now Lila can't claim she's jealous and her hold over the class is lessened as Zoe becomes more popular.)

I’m super not here for Marinette punishing herself (and the show possibly presenting it as her “growing up” and “doing the right thing”) and for Ladybug getting jealous over the playboy cat.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Prince Ali/Rose turns out to be endgame, while Rose/Juleka gets Lukanette'd -- their relationship happened mostly off-screen and we only see them pulling apart. Juleka has to let Rose go so she can live out 'every girl's dream', possibly even being put on a bus/written out of the series.

In which the Couffaines aren’t allowed nice things because they’re poor-coded.

Anonymous said:

I can’t believe the Pig’s weapon is ACTUALLY a tambourine. I’ve had that down as my guess for the pig miraculous for ages but I never thought I’d actually be right. On that note - Didn’t Need Burrow: the Ox’s weapon will definitely be a hammer, and the Goat’s might be a shepherd’s crook or grappling hook, and the Rooster’s could be a horn.

Congrats on being right!

We’ll definitely see on the whole weapons things.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: That Rose's mysterious sickness from "Guiltrip" episode will be ignored in other episodes.

Honestly, it was ignored in “Guiltrip” too. Rose’s illness seemed to be related to headaches and then they literally have her headbanging in her transformation.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: After "Guiltrip", the dynamics of Juleka and Rose's relationship will revert to the "romantic standing next to each other somewhere in the background".

Just look at them doing [friendly task]... romantically!!

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Tikki's comments about not really understanding love are later treated as her being in denial about her being in love with Plagg. Because the two of them are 'soulmates' *just like Adrien and Marinette*, and there's no such thing as a PLATONIC bond. Plus, it's denying another feminine-identifying character the right to define and declare her own feelings -- she's not ALLOWED to not love him that way! If she says otherwise, she's either in denial or mistaken! Or both!

[flashbacks to “Animan” where Alya denies feelings for Nino as being “like a brother to her” and then gets together with him at the end of the episode]

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: In the upcoming Mr. Pigeon episode, Chat Noir's behaviour toward Mr. Ramier in Lies will not be brought up at all.

Yeah, this is why I knew writing “Lying on the Job” was the right choice. :P The show wasn’t going to do it.

(part of me hopes that this acts as a jinx but I doubt it)

soap-lady said:

Didn't Need Burrow: It will be revealed Adrien always knew about Mari's crush. He tells Plagg it's because not only would rejecting a friend be hard, her akuma would be even scarier than her dad. He later admits at the end of the episode to Plagg that having an "awesome person like Marinette" crushing on him makes him feel good about himself. The show will frame this as charming rather than egotistical.

wow i hate it

throw the whole man away, Marinette

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: The "reverse love square" will happen as a result of Adrien being drunk on a love potion/under the control of a spell which makes him fall for Marinette. This will result in Marinette being uncomfortable with Adrien's relentless pursuit of her...AGAIN...which is, of course, played for laughs...AGAIN. Her friends will probably shame her, saying, "why are you so upset? You used to like Adrien and now he's returning that affection! What is WRONG with you, Marinette?". Meanwhile, during battle sequences Chat Noir will be less playful and intrusive of Ladybug's personal space because he's in love with Marinette now and not her, which is good(minus the"in love with Marinette" part, obvs), except that it will cause Ladybug to suddenly fall in love with the new Chat Noir who is being respectful(and "just like Adrien used to act"), and she'll act like a giddy schoolgirl over him, which will be used to humiliate her for comedy as Chat treats her like a freak now. And no, the show will NOT "call him out" for suddenly being averse to the affections of the "girl of his dreams" but will treat him as justified, because guys who pursue girls are gentlemanly and entitled to love back, while girls who pursue guys are pushy and obnoxious. There will even be a lesson on how you shouldn't have to put up with unwanted advances. Chat will be the one to learn it. There will also be a lesson on how you can't force someone to love somebody else. Adrien will be the one to learn it.

Wow, how’d you get the synopsis to Season 5? Impressive! (⊙o⊙)

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chat will complain about Ladybug not trusting him, so she tries trusting him with further responsibilities which he then shirks, blows off and whines about. Naturally, Marinette is Wrong for DARING to think that her 'partner' should share more of the burden -- no, she HAS to carry everything herself and enable him to keep treating their duty as a game! It's not FAIR for her to expect anything more from him--!

oh my god

he would *gestures loudly to “Lies”*

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chat Noir will *deliberately* mess up a vital task that Ladybug assigned/entrusted him with, either to punish her for some petty/imagined slight (which is treated as Incredibly Serious and Deserving his retaliation) or because he simply doesn't want to have to deal with the extra responsibility. Much like somebody who 'never learns' the right way to load a dishwasher/do laundry/other chores so that somebody more responsible is forced to pick up their slack.

Sounds about right.

“Bonus” if Chat Noir is presented as in the right because Ladybug’s task was “too difficult”/”she didn’t instruct him right”/”you can’t expect him to be perfect on his first try,” or Chat Noir’s shirking is treated as “payback” for something she did that he maybe doesn’t even know about.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette gives up on becoming a fashion designer because her duties as Ladybug/Guardian take priority. Tikki protests not for Mari's sake, but because she enjoys her creative drive/justifies it as a form of honing Marinette's creativity. Thus the lesson is not that Marinette was Wrong because she deserves to have things that make her happy/goals outside of her duties, but because she can fold them into her Greater Purpose.

Miraculous: Tales of Marinette Not Being Allowed to Be Happy

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chat Noir will be (temporarily) killed during one of his 'Pity/Praise Me!' stints, because he decides that he can't function without Ladybug kissing his ass and she's too busy fighting the akuma to coddle him. Naturally, this is presented as Marinette's F-Up of the Week that she must fix at all costs and apologize for, insisting once more that she 'can't do this without him' despite being constantly forced to do this without him.

It’s Ladybug’s fault that Chat keeps sacrificing himself, obviously! She’s just not telling him not to in the rIgHt wAy, and she should be

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Ladybug will finally learn the truth about how Theo was akumatized, but Chat Noir will insist that he didn't lie and that she really WAS to blame for it. And anyway, that was 'so long ago' that she's not allowed to be mad over it anymore. (Bonus: this or other episodes will have callbacks showing that Adrien is still salty over things like being 'stood up', with HIS frustration presented as perfectly valid, as there's no expiration date on HER screw-ups.)

[flashbacks to “Stormy Weather 2″ where Plagg retcons Ladybug’s avoidance of Chat’s date as her standing him up]

+ Yeah, I don’t see Adrien not having expiration dates on his mistakes, and his are always for the better (i.e: stealing the book in “Volpina,” which was wrong obviously, and then Marinette covered for him immediately to get him back into school).

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chloe is given a 'redemption arc' after all... in the vein of her falling for Kim or some other male character and being convinced to change her ways for/by them. On top of being grossly sexist, this lets them slam Marinette even more, painting her as a failure who couldn't help Chloe despite that never being her responsibility in the first place.

“Bonus” if it’s Luka who does it.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Rather than confirming Juleka/Rose, CHLOE is officially revealed to be a closeted lesbian, retconning all of her bullying into the tried-and-trite 'They're only tormenting you because they LIIIIIKE you'. Bonus points if this is used to reinforce the notion that Chloe is irredeemable because 'Evil Jilted Lesbian can't be saved by Hetero LI'/she lied about crushing on Adrien/other toxic and heteronormative bullshit. AND her evilness is Mari's fault for not loving her back!

It’s always Marinette’s fault for not loving people back.

Also, this just reminds me of how much I hate the “lesbian bully” trope fdkjgdfgdfg.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chat Noir throws another Pity Me Party in the middle of a fight; Ladybug is sniped by the akuma while scolding him to stop fooling around. Naturally, this is presented as HER fault for not immediately accommodating his demands for attention. After saving her, Chat mockingly echoes her words about concentrating and keeping her head in the game.

╰（‵□′）╯

EVERY TIME!!

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chloe gets another chance at redemption by learning how to mimic Adrien/Lila and feign niceness. Whether or not her 'redemption' sticks depends upon her patience level; if she sticks to it and 'grows' into another Lila/holier-than-thou lecturer like Adrien, it's considered good (and Adrien gets full credit for helping her change 'for the better'), but if she goes back to being *openly* judgy and bitchy, it's another sign that she's 'irredeemable'.

Ugh, when Chloe’s options are either to be a Lila or an Adrien. All I feel is disgust.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: The Love Square is reversed when Adrien learns Ladybug's secret identity and decides to focus on pursuing her as Marinette. Mari is put off by his advances/still convinced that she can't HAVE a romantic relationship with all her other responsibilities, and is further distracted and concerned by Chat Noir growing distant (as he's bitter over his failures and taking it out on LB/holding a grudge after learning she confided in ALYA and not HIM).

i hate it

And of course the method of “now she’s not interested so I’M interested.”

Anonymous said:

Didnt Need to Burrow: Despite being 'twins' with Juleka, Luka will never show up in another episode. Ever. And the only mentions of him are only about the breakup. Even in Juleka-centric episodes, Luka will only be a passing mention. Oh, and Juleka will 100% stick to just mumbling outside of episodes where shes akumatized. Because gIrL poWeR

I’m honestly just--expecting Luka to have like one/two episodes, maybe to get a charm, and then he’s gone forever.

I don’t know if it’s a mercy or an insult, but the constant mentions of the break-up between Marinette and He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Outside-Of-Spiting-Him definitely are an insult.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: "Gigantitan <insert high number>" episode

NO

NO

ANYTHING BUT THAT.

Anonymous said:

Didn’t Need Burrow: Ladybug and Cat Noir will be able to power up in some way, but they have to form a special bond (this is implied to be a romantic bond). They use this power up to defeat Hawk Moth. bEcAusE tHe pOWeR oF “LoVe” cOnQUerS aLL! Bonus if the characters imply that Ladybug should’ve accepted his affections sooner (Adrien won’t be mentioned at all, i wonder why:p)

I’m cringing so hard right now. I hate everything about this because you sound so correct.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: Lila will be written out/ret-conned from a show because she was only a Unredeemed!Chloe stand-in for time of Chloe "redemption arc". Every speculation about Lila (next Hawkmoth etc) will be applied to Chloe instead as a "plot twist".

I’m half-expecting that she’ll get akumatized as a season finale bad guy, then just immediately move.

Anonymous said:

Didn't need Burrow: Alya is the one who comes up with the akuma repellent charms and Marinette is going to be jealous that Alya is so much a better guardian. Alya'll also probably be able to wrangle the kwamis better than Marinette.

Honestly I might as well just put this one on the card right now. :P

Anonymous said:

Didnt Need Burrow: When Ladybug tells Chat that she told somebody her secret identity, hes gonna be mad, talking about how she broke his trust and the show will portray it as her fault for breaking under the pressure of being guardian. Meanwhile the fandom is gonna be mad at Ladybug. Ignoring, of course, the entirety of the New York Special.

We could sum up the fandom card as just, “Adrien is right and a sad uwu sunshine child, Marinette is wrong and OP and doesn’t give Chat the respect he deserves.”

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Rose's 'mysterious illness' will naturally flare up during times where Pigella might have been useful, with Ladybug getting blamed for her flare-ups/worsening condition.

BANNED

I HATE IT DX

Anonymous said:

Didn’t Need Burrow: Building off of the “Adrien knows about Marinette’s crush and manipulated her for it”, any time Marinette does something Adrien doesn’t agree with or disagrees with Adrien himself, Adrien will play the cute, naïve, sad boi we all know and “love”, complete with Bambi eyes and gratuitous long eyelashes, forcing Marinette to give in to what he wants. This is treated as cute, quirky, and hilarious, never abusive, selfish, or misogynistic.

I mean, considering Chat Noir and “Chameleon,” yeah.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: a) Episode, where Chat Noir is even worse than in "Lies" b) Situation where Chat Noir during meeting with Ladybug is like always (M'lady, Bugaboo, unwanted psychical contact etc.) then Ladybug reveals that she recognized him as impostor because "real Chat Noir never will be so pushy" (bonus points if false Chat Noir is akumatized Felix) c) Writers somehow manage to put both above options in one episode (obviously with real Chat Noir being even worse than his impostor)

“Copycat” but worse

differenttriumphdragon said:

Didn't Need Burrow to somehow correctly predict Zoe's identity as a joke based solely on some blurry pictures and an offhand comment about "secret siblings". Like, a YEAR or two ago.

I’m guessing this is referring to the writers creating her?

Because yeah, probably.

Anonymous said:

Didn't need the Burrow: We will get Lukagami. One of the reasons will be the clash of the Tsurugi-Motto of "No Second Chances" and Luka's snake power of "Second Chance" resulting in some weird sparks flying.

*puts head into hands and groans loudly* kill meeeee

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: The Multimouse!Mylene's model will be based on the Multimouse!Marinette's model (in the same way that the Rena Rogue's model is based on the Volpina's model)

plz no

plz

Anonymous said:

Didn't need burrow: Guilt trip hints at Adrien having actual depression, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but knowing the show, two things will happen: 1. His depression will only exist to make people feel bad for him instead of exploring his mental state and seeing him working through it, and 2. his depression will be magically cured when the LS becomes canon because "true love heals all your mental issues".

All of the above, yes. :|

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Ladybug gets a fresh new look (for the sake of more Real-Life ML Merch), and Chat Noir gets sulky about it. Both because he didn't get an upgraded appearance at the exact same time (despite doing absolutely nothing to earn it), and because he didn't get any input on her new look. So he passive-aggressively complains about the change, saying he preferred 'classic Bugaboo', and Marinette is presented as Wrong for not letting him dictate her power or appearance.

*stares at “Mr. Pigeon 72″* I’m waiting.

Anonymous said:

Didn't need burrow: Imagine after you made that fic where Bustier and D'argencourt get the miraculous they reveal in the show that Bustier's husband/boyfriend/fiance is D'argencourt.

I WILL DIE.

OF LAUGHTER? OF PAIN???

THE ANSWER IS “YES.”

“Bonus” if it’s a DJWifi dynamic where Bustier can get D’Argencourt to do whatever she wants and suddenly becomes aggressive/upset when he doesn’t, which D’Argencourt immediately folds to (because the only “““girl power”““ the show knows is “lol girls are scary when they’re mad”).

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: The Love Square gets 'Reversed' via Alya deciding that Marinette MUST have a crush on Chat as well, since she personally ships LadyNoir. All insistence to the contrary is waved off as denial, and Alya is bound and determined to hook up her BFF with ONE of her crushes, come hell or high water. Thus, Mari gets shoved towards Chat in much the same way she's forced towards Adrien, creating much awkward hilarity at her expense.

Marinette’s entire being: i want to go home

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Alya learns about Marinette getting jilted by Chat Noir during 'Weredad', possibly from Tom and/or Sabine.  She rubs this into Mari's face as proof positive that she really DOES have a thing for Chat, crowing about how she 'does her research' while teasing her about her awful luck with guys. This casual cruelty is 'balanced' by her insistence that she'll help her hook up with ONE of them by forcing her towards both.

Alya, looking at her plans and just shrugging: Hey, now her odds of getting a guy are doubled as far as I’m concerned.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Alya will insist that all of Marinette's romantic woes are her own fault due to her being interested in multiple guys. (Mainly meaning Adrien and Chat Noir; 50-50 on whether she acknowledges Luka's existence as more than just proof of her 'fickle heart'.) She 'supports' her by shoving her into humiliating scenarios with her love interests, blaming all her failures on her 'divided loyalties' and giving her grief for being a 'dirty two-timer' that can't even get off first base.

Yyyyup.

And of course Luka would only be mentioned to shade Marinette.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Tikki will keep nagging Marinette about her inability to solve her romantic woes until Mari snaps that Tikki doesn't know what she's talking about, throwing her own words about how kwami don't understand love back in her face. Naturally, this is Mari's Mistake Of The Week, as Tikki is driven to tears over the rebuke and all the other kwami get pissed off at Marinette for upsetting her, giving her grief until she apologizes.  Tikki barely apologizes in return, if at all.

Ugh, I am just dreading an almost-inevitable “all the kwami are mad at Marinette��� episode, since Marinette literally cannot escape from them since the Miracle Box is in her room.

Anonymous said:

(Mylene's personality anon) Don't Need a Burrow: Mylene's "Marinette's trait" will manifest in Multimouse!Mylene's introduction episode.

Mylene: Soon, I will have successfully swiped a personality trait from each of my friends to form one of my own.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: Characters who are popular fandom choices for alternate Miraculous Holders (Bee!Aurore, Fox!Lila, Cat!Felix etc) are akumatized into evil versions of Core Five Miraculous Team (Ladybug, Cat, Fox, Turtle and Bee)

Season 2462 finale.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: There will be more immediate self-contradictions, where Marinette is berated about how something she's doing/done is Wrong, badgered into following somebody else's 'good advice', and then promptly punished for doing so when the results blow up in her face.  These turnarounds will become so fast that they happen within the same episode.  Naturally, this is treated as entirely her fault.

At the rate her treatment is escalating, I would be 0% shocked. Still disappointed, but not shocked.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: It will turn out that the mysterious future Hawkmoth successor that Timetagger talked about is simply the Shadow Moth.

I laughed at this one so hard because it’s so accurate. I don’t know for sure if it’s a reference to the whole “new villain who’s been around since the beginning who just turned out to be Shadow Moth” thing but omg.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: The akuma-resisting pendants are used as an excuse to push Marinette even further past her breaking point, subjecting her to ever worse humiliations and traumas.  If the fact that she basically NEEDS the pendant to survive is ever brought up, it's in a chiding way; obviously, as Ladybug, she needs to be mentally stronger than this and not rely on a 'crutch'.  Nobody else is insulted for needed the pendants' protection.

Imagine the pendants as metaphors for medication and this takes on a whole new meaning.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: In a counterpart to "Chat Blanc", one episode visits a Bad Future where Marinette was akumatized.  Naturally, this is depicted as entirely her fault, with both Maris being raked over the coals.  No matter what the breaking point was, it's treated as though it was petty and pathetic for her to let it effect her so much.  For bonus points, this was at a point after she got the pendant, but she accidentally ditches or pitches it while reacting to whatever broke her back.

Especially with the reveal of two new seasons, I’m very much expecting Marinette to get akumatized at some point.

“Bonus” for a “Miracle Queen” set-up where Adrien needs to wear the ladybug miraculous and is suddenly good at it despite being awful at it before, ala Snake Noir.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette will wind up making most of the anti-akuma amulets.  This is purely so that, when they inevitably fail, she can be blamed for it.

It’ll probably be like--Marinette needed to do something specific to make the pendants and they’re “only as strong as she is.”

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: The Love Square gets reversed when Alya decides she ships LadyNoir more than MariAdri, pushing her newfound agenda over her BFF's protests.  Meanwhile, Adrien reveals that he knew all along about Marinette's crush, starting to pursue her because he just doesn't uNdErStAnD why she's pulling away, feeling entitled to having her chasing after him even if he never intends to actually reciprocate.  Marinette is caught in the middle and blamed for all this drama.

Marinette, counting down the days where she can finally drink alcohol.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: One or some of Adrien/Chat Noir's past lies gets revealed to Marinette/Ladybug... for the sake of a moral about forgiveness and 'letting things go'.  Meanwhile, he continues to grouse and hold grudges against Ladybug for her supposed slights against HIM without being seriously challenged.

I’m seething.

Anonymous said:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette is shown a 'better world' wherein she never developed a crush on Adrien.  In this 'better world', Ladybug and Chat Noir are romantic partners.  Bonus points if this pushes forward the agenda of reversing the Love Square by getting Marinette to start seriously considering Chat as a potential love interest, treating this as her 'missing the point' of what she was shown... even if the goal was rather unclear beyond guilt-tripping her for having FEELINGS and DESIRES.

The true goal/moral is that Chat’s feelings are valid while Marinette’s are not.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: Hawkmoth will somehow get Black Cat Miraculous and attack as Moth / Cat Fusion (Cat Moth?). After defeating this form, Black Cat Miraculous will be taken from him and without any questions returned to Adrien. Whole thing will happen in one episode.

“Bonus” if Hawk Moth just stumbles upon the ring and doesn’t question it.

Anonymous said:

Didn’t Need Burrow: All Ladybug and Black Cat Holders are soulmates/ have gotten romantically involved. This gives Chat even MORE motivation to invade LB’s boundari-I MEAN to pursue her. Also, LB reacts in horror to this (who wouldn’t?) but its played for laughs.

At this point, I feel like this is the only way for them to push the love square as hard as possible. “Chemistry” has just flown out the window and they need a crutch.

Anonymous said:

Don't Need a Burrow: Reveal that Rose has rich parents because ML writers can't make sad blond(e) character who doesn't have rich parents (and also to increase the "You see! They love each other despite so many differences between them" factor of JuleRose)

Zag, “Stop Giving Rich Kids Sad Backstories” Challenge.

Part of me imagined an episode that just shipbaits JuleRose constantly, with Juleka constantly asking Luka and others advice on “getting closer to Rose,” which just ends up being Juleka asking Rose to be best friends.

[firstfrostfall]

A Cold Lament - Chapter One

a tommy shelby fanfiction

In the winter of 1918, the Shelby brothers returned home from a war-torn France. In the winter of the following year, the middle brother, Tommy, recognizes an opportunity for his family to move up in the world, and it came in the shape of a misplaced crate of weapons.

In the meantime, per the request of his aunt, he gives a struggling young woman a job.

Little did he know, that like the smell of snow on the wind in late autumn, everything was going to change, and it wasn’t just because of some stolen guns.

Takes place during Season One.

“This is a story, told the way you say stories should be told: Somebody grew up, fell in love, and spent a winter with her lover in the country. This, of course, is the barest outline, and futile to discuss. It's as pointless as throwing birdseed on the ground while snow still falls fast. Who expects small things to survive when even the largest get lost? People forget years and remember moments. Seconds and symbols are left to sum things up: the black shroud over the pool. Love, in its shortest form, becomes a word. What I remember about all that time is one winter. The snow. Even now, saying ‘snow,’ my lips move so that they kiss the air.” - Ann Beattie, Snow

WINTER, 1918

Tommy returned from France in the afternoon, after days of riding in a cramped train. Before that, he was crammed in the back of a cattle truck, and before that, well, he was deep underground, caked in mud and blood, digging away in a French tunnel.

It was cold when he stepped off of the cart, shoulder-to-shoulder with his brothers and the hundreds of other men who piled onto the platform. Former soldiers, all of them. Former. What did that make them now?

The sky was a broad, gray hand, and the wind smelled like snow. It was that certain smell that came around when the trees were bare and noses were red. Clean and winter, wide open. Like the whole world was about to change.

For two weeks after returning home, Tommy filled his days with other people, so as to avoid the quiet. Work with Polly in the shop, cards with Arthur at the Garrison, guns, and horses with John, nights with the same pool of working girls over and over again. Without people, the emptiness that came along with the quiet consumed him. He tried to remember what he was like, before the war, but he soon learned that it was impossible to recall, because he was in the after now.

At night, he would lie awake in bed, smoking an endless chain of cigarettes to avoid sleep. Not that it came easy to him, anyway. But there were times, albeit few and far between, where he would fall asleep, and he would find the quiet. Or, rather, the quiet would find him.

The quiet parts were all nightmares, dark rivers of mud and lost souls. He could never tell whether they were souls he knew now, or if they were people from the past, soldiers, screaming in voices made of wire. He would wake with a start, panting and covered in sweat, followed by a sense of relief that it was over. It wasn’t real. Sometimes the dreams would follow him during the day, usually in the sounds of shovels scraping against his wall when it was just him, alone in his bedroom, and the only other noise was the heavy thumping of his heart.

When the dreams that chased him into the day became more frequent, the cigarettes in bed turned into a pipe of opium. It kept the quiet out.

There were few opportunities after the war. Most jobs were an exercise in shared misery, toiling away in a factory for 15 hours a day- at least. So, he took matters into his own hands. It started as glancing encounters with petty crimes. Little shipments of illegal goods, a fixed race or two, then a little more, and a little more… Instead of people, Tommy found a new way to keep the quiet at bay.

Organized crime was a lucrative business, after all. Under the umbrella of the Peaky Blinders, it gave his family name a new sense of meaning, a sense of power.

And then, as if by divine intervention, a crate of guns were dropped at his doorstep. From that moment on, just like the smell of snow, the whole world changed. His whole world changed.

THE BRINK OF WINTER, 1919

He was at The Garrison with his brothers, sipping whiskey and listening to the two of them argue. Cards were scattered across the table, each play held in place by half-empty pints of beer and overflowing ashtrays. Their shared cigarette smoke made the air in the tiny room hazy and thick, so much so that Tommy could feel his eyes stinging each time he blinked.

They were in the middle of a card game until Arthur was losing and subsequently blamed it on John for cheating. Arthur had put a heavy wager on himself winning, which was a poor move on his part- John always cheated at cards. Tommy shook his head, their bickering nothing but static in the back of his mind. Another way to keep out the quiet.

Their argument was interrupted by a knock on the window that separated their private room from the bar. Arthur’s words slurred together and bellowed something along the lines of “open up,” at whoever was knocking. The barkeep, Harry, poked his head through.

“Good, uh, morning,” He nodded to the three of them. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but, there’s a boy here asking for Mr. Shelby.”

“Which one?” John laughed, sipping his pint as he elbowed Arthur in the side.

Harry leaned away to shout a question at someone from across the bar, before turning back to them. “Thomas, he says.”

“The one who matters the most,” Tommy deadpanned, a slight smirk on his lips. He waved a hand at the barkeep. “Send him in.”

Harry muttered a quick “yes, sir” and promptly closed the window.

Arthur, who sat closest to the door, kicked it open. A young man, who really was more of a boy, after all, stood before them. Removing his cap and gripping it tightly in between his fingers, he took a few hesitant steps into the snug.

“Mrs. Gray says she needs you at the shop, Mr. Shelby,” He shifted from foot to foot. “At once, she said.”

“At once,” Arthur repeated with a grin, clapping Tommy on the shoulder.  “What did you do now, eh?”

“Looks like I’m on my way to find out,” Tommy pushed himself up from the booth and finished the rest of his whiskey in one swig. “Tell Mrs. Gray I’ll be right there,” He nodded to the boy and flicked a spare coin from his waistcoat at him. “Go on now.”

Tommy shrugged on his cap and jacket and followed the boy out of the pub, a fresh cigarette perched between his lips. He walked through the streets of Small Heath with his hands shoved in his pockets, watching the boy’s pace hasten in front of him from under his cap. The sky was dark, a thick curtain of gray, save for the tiny bulb of sun that just barely broke through the clouds. It was ominous, no doubt threatening a chilling rainstorm later, or perhaps, snow.

It was almost winter again.

He tipped the brim of his cap to the nameless working men who flitted in and out of the betting shop, a cloud of breath escaping their lips with each hurried “G’day, Mr. Shelby” that they gave him in passing.

The shop was busy, filled with the chattering of hopefuls who placed bets, the sound of a man shouting names and scratching too little chalk across the green board. He noticed his aunt, Polly Gray, hunched over a desk, eyebrows knitted together in concentration. She fidgeted with a cigarette in between two fingers while she read over what he could only assume was a packet of ledgers.

He stopped short in front of her. “You needed me?”

“Oh, Thomas,” She flicked the ash from her cigarette and sat up, the legs of the chair scraping against the uneven floorboards. “What’s your schedule for tomorrow?”

“Not sure,” He replied, “Depends on who’s asking.”

Polly scoffed, beckoning him to follow with a flick of her wrist. “Your aunt’s asking, come with me.” She led him to their family’s parlor, allowing him to step ahead of her while she drew the curtains that separated them from the rest of the shop.

“I have a favor to ask,” She glanced at him from over her shoulder, balancing the cigarette between her lips while she tied the curtains together tightly. She let out an audible sigh and finally turned around to face him.

Tommy leaned against the wall, still tending to his own dwindling cigarette. “What’s the favor?”

“I need to hire someone.”

“Who?”

“A friend,” She replied. “Well, the niece of a friend.”

“Niece?”

“Are you a fucking parrot?” Polly snapped at him. Shaking her head, she leaned over the table to twist out the remaining stub of her cigarette into an ashtray. “I’d have already hired her myself, but since you’ve been back, I need to jump through a few more hoops before making any executive decisions.” She sighed, clearly bitter. “Nothing gets done without your knowledge.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Who is she?”

“I know her aunt from church, she asked me if I could get her a job.”

“You’re asking me for a favor? For another favor?” He clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Seems like a bad deal to me.”

“I didn’t ask if it was a bad deal or not, I asked if I could hire someone.”

He exhaled, bringing the cigarette to his lips and looking away from her. A headache started building up in the back of his skull. “Why here?”

“She trusts that I’ll look out for her niece,” Polly answered quickly, “She has many children of her own, she can’t afford another mouth to feed anymore. Her husband died in France,” Polly paused, taking a seat at the table. “The bottom line is, she thought to ask me for help, and that means something.”

“What’s the name?”

“Caldwell.”

Tommy remained silent for a long while.

“She’s having hard times, and doesn’t want to kick her own flesh and blood out onto the curb.”

“Aren’t we all having hard times?” He raised an eyebrow.

“She’s desperate. Will you help me, or not?”

“This isn't women’s business.”

Polly rolled her eyes. “Her aunt was good to me, while you boys were away at war, back when it was women’s business,” Polly rolled her eyes. “I’m just trying to pay that good nature forward.”

“Since when did you start paying things forward?”

“Since today,” She huffed, “I’ll ask again. Will you help me or not?”

“Why should I waste company resources on a girl we don’t know, for a job we don’t have. Have you met her before?”

Polly glanced away from him, purposefully silent while tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “Her aunt says she’s a good girl.”

“A good girl,” Tommy scoffed, dropping the stub of his cigarette into the ashtray at the center of the table. “Exactly what we need, a good girl . So you don’t know her?”

“Says she’s a hard worker too.”

“Do you even know her name?” He narrowed his eyes at her and then added. “Besides the surname.”

Polly avoided his gaze, instead fidgeting with the golden rings on her fingers.

“Would you just give this a chance?” She cleared her throat. “You don’t even have to hire her. But would you at least see her? Interview her?”

“What job am I supposed to interview her for?” He blankly stared at her. “What have you promised?”

“I haven’t promised anything.” Polly continued, “But I know she’s good with numbers. She’s got certifications.”

“Ah, certifications,” He rolled his eyes, sarcasm lacing his voice. “I’d reckon then that she could find a job, literally, anywhere else.”

“It’s not that easy, Thomas,” Polly shook her head, “If you don’t want her working in the shop, we can find something else for her to do. It’ll be my responsibility.” She paused, pursing her lips. “Her aunt trusts me, she knows I’ll look after her. This is important to me.”

He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a moment. The headache that started in the back of his skull had traveled all of the way to his forehead now. When he opened his eyes, he saw a worry wracking his aunt’s face. He began walking toward the curtains but stopped short.

“I’ll see her tomorrow,” Tommy turned on his heel to face her, emphasizing each word with a jab of his finger. “Three o’clock at The Garrison. But if she’s even a second late, it’s over.”

Polly smiled, clasping her hands together in front of her. “Thank you, Thomas.”

Tommy tossed a cigarette stub onto the sidewalk and twisted it into the cement with the heel of his shoe. He pulled his pocket watch from his waistcoat and peered at it, then glanced up at the gilded sign of The Garrison. It was almost three o’clock.

I’m asking as a favor, Thomas. Ridiculous. He was quickly learning that most favors were an additional headache for him.

The pub was empty, save for Harry who was wiping down the bar top. The barkeep caught his eye and tilted his head in the direction of a booth, where his aunt and another person sat. From where he stood, the other person was the back of a neat head of red hair. Polly didn’t notice him initially, seemingly engrossed in conversation, so he tipped his cap to Harry and made his way into the private room.

The window to the bar popped open, and the barkeep, ever-dutiful, appeared.

“Whiskey,” Tommy said, never looking directly at him. He took a seat at the booth and dropped his cap onto the empty space next to him. “And tell my aunt that I’ll be waiting in here, I’d like to speak with her first.”

Harry muttered a quick affirmation in response and disappeared from sight. By the time he returned with his drink in hand, there was a brisk knock at the main door to the room. Before Tommy could say anything, the door swung open, and it was Polly who stood there.

“You didn’t even say hello.”

“This is your favor,” He gave her a pointed nod. “Not mine.”

She rolled her eyes.

Tommy jerked his chin toward the pub. “You walked her here?”

“Keep your voice down, she’ll hear you,” Polly glanced behind her quickly and waved a hand at him. “Yes, I walked her here. I wanted to make a good impression.”

“A good impression, eh?” He motioned to her with the drink in his hand. “You’ve got an hour of my time. Bring her in.”

He didn’t have the slightest clue as to what job he was interviewing her for.

Polly couldn’t have left him anymore unprepared. He didn’t know anything about this girl, besides her surname, and perhaps that she could add a few numbers together, and her aunt was poor as the poorest. He vowed, at that very moment, that this would be the last time he would do a favor for anyone ever again.

He had better things to do. Better things that specifically involved a misplaced crate of guns that had fallen right into his lap a few days prior, and were currently gathering dust in Charlie Strong’s yard.

Polly left the door ajar. He turned to the frosted window that gave a blurry view of the streets beyond the pub. The sky was still overcast, just as it was the day before. The clouds were significantly darker, it looked like snow was more likely than rain. Then, an unfamiliar voice tore him from his musings. It was crisp and clear, with an accent that hinted at expensive schooling.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Shelby.”

When Tommy turned to look at her, he wondered if he’d managed at all to mask his surprise. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t… this. By the sound of her accent and smooth skin of her face, this girl, or woman, rather, in front of him couldn’t have been any older than twenty. Young, with fair skin, dressed sharply in a cream blouse and green skirt, not a wrinkle or crease in sight. In one hand, she held a folder, and with the other, she brushed a few auburn curls behind her ear. She looked at him expectantly, giving a flash of a smile framed in bright red lips.

Polly painted him a completely different picture. He assumed this girl would be showing up in moth-eaten clothes, raspy voice from working in a factory of some sort, gangly and thin. She was thin, yes, but didn’t look impoverished. She looked like a high society bitch, dropped in the middle of a dreary factory town. It was humorous, in a way.

He took a measured sip of his drink and motioned for her to take a seat.

“Miss Caldwell, was it?” His voice trailed off as he studied her, waiting for her to fill in the blanks.

“Anna,” She answered, smoothing out her skirt on her lap. “Anna Caldwell. Thank you for seeing me today, especially on such short notice.”

He could see why Polly walked her here, and it became quite clear to him that it wasn’t just to make a good impression. She, Anna , that was her name, didn’t fit in around Small Heath one bit. It was evident in the way she was dressed, and the way she spoke.

She looked greener than the fucking grass at Easter. Certainly didn’t fit in around Small Heath. Certainly not fit for waltzing around Small Heath.

“Yes, well,” He cleared his throat, “Polly spoke very highly of your aunt.”

“My aunt speaks highly of her,” She replied. “They got to know each other during the war, as I suppose many women did.”

Tommy nodded, reaching for his drink. For a while, he attempted to make small talk. It was like pulling fucking teeth. Eventually, he reached his breaking point and decided to cut to the chase. One could only talk about the weather for so long. An attractive woman, he supposed, made it easier, but he wasn’t here to make nice with her, he was fulfilling a favor for his aunt. It was a business transaction, as simple as that.

“Why do you need this job?”

“Well,” She opened her mouth slightly, and then closed it, clearly taken aback by the bluntness of the question. “My aunt is a busy woman. I’ve been staying with her for a while now, and I think it’s time that I start finding my own work, to support myself. To ease the burden on her.”

A politer explanation of the situation in comparison to what Polly told him. He suspected it was a half-truth, on Anna’s part.

“I see,” He extended an open hand to her. “You brought a resume?”

Anna nodded fiercely, carefully opening the folder and handing him a thick piece of paper. He took it from her and slowly began scanning each line. She didn’t have much experience, in, well, anything. There were a few CPA courses dated from a couple of years back, a reference or two. No example of any steady job. In fact, she had never worked at all.

“There’s been few opportunities after the war, finding work has been difficult.”

Few opportunities after the war, he hummed at that.

“Where are you from?”

“A little village far from here,” She answered, shaking her head ever so slightly, causing a few strands of hair to fall in her face. “I doubt you’ve heard of it.”

“Humor me.”

“Eastcliff, it’s far south of here.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” He turned the page over. “And you’re living in Birmingham now?”

“Yes,” Anna folded her hands on the table. “A few streets away from this place, actually.” She glanced around the room. “Although I haven’t come around here often.”

He fought a smirk from appearing on his lips. Of course, she’d never come around these parts.

“You took some CPA courses?” He raised an eyebrow, peering at her from over the paper.

She nodded, leaning close to him to point at something on the paper. As he laid her resume on the table, her fingertips brushed across his knuckles. His eyes flicked toward hers and held her gaze. He noticed her cheeks flush, if only slightly when he pulled his hand away. She cleared her throat and tapped a finger on a certain line.

He looked at her hands while she spoke, her words melding together and becoming a lull in the back of his mind. Her hands were smooth, not a callus, or scar for that matter. Not the hands of a factory girl. He glanced up to her face next. Murky blue eyes, fair with a dusting of freckles across her nose, red curls framing her face. No work experience, few references, allegedly from a small village in fuck knows where. It was almost like she appeared out of thin air.

“Well, Miss Caldwell,” He finished the rest of his drink in a single swig. “I’ll speak to Mrs. Gray, and see what we can do.” He reached for her resume, “May I?”

He really had no intention of hiring her. There was no job available, especially since she barely had any experience in, well, anything. It would take a little more than a pretty face to change that. She would turn out to be a bad investment.

“Of course, please keep it.”

Tommy folded it into a small square and tucked it away in his jacket. Standing from the booth, he gestured to the door. “After you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Shelby,” Anna turned to him, smoothing all of her hair over one shoulder. It was long, he noticed, stopping just below her collarbone. “I appreciate the time you took to speak with me today.”

He shook his head. “It was no trouble.”

Polly approached them from the booth she was sitting at, placing an empty glass on the bartop in the process. “Anna, would you give me a moment with my nephew?”

“Of course,” She nodded, her heels clicking against the floor as she went to retrieve her coat from the booth she was sitting at earlier.

“So?” Polly asked him under her breath, eyes darting between him and Anna. “What did you think?”

Tommy leaned against the bar, watching as the girl bundled herself up in a wool coat and matching hat. “I don’t know what you expect me to do.”

“I expect you to do the right thing, and help someone out.”

He rolled his eyes, the right thing. “She doesn’t seem to be struggling,” Tommy jerked his chin to Anna. “Look, she has a nice coat.”

“Oh, please,” Polly hushed, nudging him in the side as she walked by.

“It was nice meeting you, Mr. Shelby.” Anna waved before stepping out of the pub. “Thank you again.”

“I’ll be right out,” Polly shouted to her when the front door closed with a jingle.

“I don’t know what to say, Pol,” He pulled his cigarette case from his waistcoat and placed it on the bar. “There aren’t any open positions at the shop,” He nodded to the door, “Especially not for a girl like her.”

“What do you mean? I’m sure she’d be a fine secretary.”

Tommy scoffed, perching a cigarette in between his lips. “What do we need a secretary for?”

“Having one would keep the shop running smoothly, we could always use the extra hands there. Doing the boring work you boys don’t like. There’s more to this business than just blood, you know.”

“I told you I’d interview her, and I did.” He cupped his hands around the lighter, waiting for it to catch. “She has barely any working experience on her resume besides a few courses. Hiring her would be a waste of time and resources. How old is she?”

“Twenty-three.”

“In that case, she could make some good money on her back,” He dragged the cigarette from his lips and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“You’re despicable.”

“It’s an option.” He shrugged, glancing at his aunt from the corner of his eye. “I interviewed her. Favor fulfilled.”

“What am I supposed to do? Go out there and tell her there’s no job here for her?”

“This was your idea” Tommy deadpanned. “I already told you what she could do. Plenty of men around here would be willing to pay a pretty penny for a night with her.” He pointed to the door with his cigarette. “I’d bet, barely broken in.”

“Is this fun for you?” Polly snapped, jerking her head toward him.

He chose not to answer.

They stood in bitter silence, save for the sound of Polly incessantly tapping her foot on the ground. He glanced around the empty pub, dim light filtering in from the windows. In a few hours, the place would be booming with people, with just Harry managing the bar by himself. It was fine enough for him to do that during the war, there were barely any men around then, anyway. Nowadays? With the men back and in desperate need to drink away their sorrows, he was in over his head, each and every night.

Tommy grimaced. An idea trickled into his head. He peered at his aunt from the corner of his eye and cleared his throat.

“You’d be doing the girl and her aunt a favor if you just told them to pack off,” He reached for his cigarette case and shoved it haphazardly into his coat. “You had to walk her here, you say she’s good. Why would you even want her working with us in the first place?”

“Her aunt trusts me,” Polly sighed. “She knows I’ll keep an eye on her. Can’t say many other places offer that- peace of mind.”

Tommy hummed in response. He turned on his heel to face the bar and started banging his open palm against the bar top.

Polly raised an eyebrow at him.

Red-faced at the sudden noise, Harry came running from the back room.

“Another drink, Mr. Shelby?” He nodded his head toward Polly, tossing a stained cloth over his shoulder. “Mrs. Gray.”

“No, no drink,” Tommy spoke with a cigarette between his lips. “Are you still hiring?”

“Hiring? For the extra help around here?”

“Exactly that.”

Harry paused, glancing from Tommy to Polly then back again.

“Well, uh, yes. Yes, I am.”

Tommy tilted his head to Polly. “Would you look at that?”

Harry knelt behind the bar and began rifling through the shelves for something. Bottles and other miscellaneous items clattered together while he searched. “I put an advertisement in the paper,” He called from below. Eventually, he stood up and placed a crumpled newspaper in front of them. “Not many applicants, though.”

“You’re kidding, Thomas.” Polly took a step closer to the bar.

Tommy thumbed through the newspaper to the advertisement section. He scanned through each job posting line by line, until one, in particular, caught his eye.

“Here we are,” He folded the paper and handed it to Polly, tapping a specific headline with his finger. She snatched it from him and brought it close to her face, eyes narrowing at the fine print.

“She’s never done this kind of work before,” She muttered, never looking directly at him.

That was evidently clear to him. Her hands were a dead giveaway. He still wasn’t even sure if she had done any kind of work before. “You said she’s a hard worker, eh? There’s always time to learn.”

Polly didn’t reply, still clutching the newspaper tightly. She shook her head.

“You can go out there and tell her that it’s either this,” Tommy motioned to the pub around them. “Or on her back. It’s your choice.”

She glared at him, her lips forming a tight-line. Lifting her chin, she tucked the newspaper under her arm. “I’ll show her the advertisement.”

“She’ll be on the company payroll.” He raised his cigarette to her. “Favor fulfilled, Pol, and then some.”

Polly wordless turned on her heel and adjusted the velvet cap on her head. The door to the pub jingled as she stepped out.

“How about that drink?”

Tommy gave him a curt nod. He rested his elbows on the bartop, staring at the glossy wood.

“Huh, would you look at that,” Harry muttered as he uncorked a bottle. “It’s snowing. Early this year, isn’t it?”

Glancing out of The Garrison’s frosted windows, he saw that it had indeed started to snow. Tommy pulled the cigarette from his lips and sighed.

He swore that he had no intention of hiring her.

[albrich]

@fluminas​​ : she is in pieces, less-than-there and easily consumable because even empty this home / this house / this place is a prison and barbara did not survive this long by being herself. “ sure. take it, ” she says of the book in her brother’s hand. “ take whatever you want. ” didn’t her father, after all? the faster she finds what she’s looking for — the deed, the deed, the deed — the faster they can leave, / the faster she can be rid of the restless ghosts lingering at every door (there, where she was eight and asked why she couldn't see her sister and learned what the consequences were for such things. at the study, her governess' grip on her shoulder too-tight. her childhood bedroom, still locked from the outside). but the sun is already hanging low in the sky and will they be able to make it six hours home? " i'll be finished here soon. "

        KAEYA HAS WATCHED HER ALWAYS ——— watched her / watched over her : his little baby sister. from the moment that his gaze had first set upon her and she had smiled so widely at him / no, that’s a lie / there had been something WONDROUS about her then, certainly, but he had been recalcitrant and distant and listless / furious / mired in despair. then she had been barbara and they had been NOT—KAEYA—YES—KAEYA ( a name which they have not been called in years / centuries / eons / lifetimes, lost but not forgotten, screamed in the shadows of his dreams ) and this tireless affection and instinct to protect had not yet been fully formed. hardly so. barely so.

        he had only been HALF—TAKEN BY HER, then, toddler nearly child as she was. it’s far more correct to say that they have watched over her ever since he had caught / words on the wind words carrying words devout and firmly spoken in a softhearted voice / HER DEFENSE OF HIM, his eyepatch, telling others to leave him alone. they are the same ——— isn’t is to very difficult to exist here, dear sister? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS BURNING PAIN? no, not quite, but it’s ( ... ) similar enough.

        small hands that reached for him. wide eyes that met theirs, luminous and full of light. little feet that chased after him as they darted their way through the vineyards, laughing loudly / raucously / his heart overwhelmed with love. frightened tears that stained his shirts, those small hands that reached for him clutching him so tightly. soft flaxen hair slipping between his fingers / time slipping away between their fingers. her laughter whenever he would make it snow ( again, again !! i can’t believe you don’t have a vision / [ an aside, internalized ] darling sister i don’t need a vision you don’t need a vision no blessings from the gods will save you now ) atop her head. the echoes of her sobs whenever it seemed as though ghosts / monsters / HER FATHER were plaguing her.

        they watch her closely / he has found himself her PROTECTOR AND DEFENDER / something like a knight to her princess and how humorous that is, indeed. he’s watched her closely especially now, especially on this trip, even as he carries idle often one—sided conversations, speaking about nothing and everything and the vastness in between : NONE OF IT REACHES HER / SHE’S TOO FAR AWAY / BABETTE LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME COME BACK THERE ARE GHOSTS HAUNTING YOU AND THAT’S NO WAY TO LIVE / TRUST ME TRUST ME DON’T TRUST ME AT ALL. this is a haunted place, a hallowed place, a demonic place. these halls are half—familiar and kaeya feels no remorse taking from the collection of novels that the pegg family had amassed over the generations and piling them / asking idly if he can have them and here, look : a ghost walks beside him / a ghost of his sister—dear.

        it’s as though she’s leagues away, buried far beneath the earth, set into the casket that seamus’s fucking body should be in / will be in. so often it appears she’s made of light and here she is made of shadows and specters, physical body hardly put together held together together at all / if he were to reach out and touch her she would simply DISINTEGRATE, fade to nothingness, without even bidding them goodbye.

        ( he despises seamus pegg, hopes dearly that he’s rotting wherever he may be and if he has the misfortune of being ALIVE that he never returns ——— kaeya hates him enough for BOTH OF THEM. hates him enough for dozens hundreds thousands of people. )

        her back is turned and thus he looks at her truly / no smile upon his face no amusement alighting their features / A SEVERITY AN INTENSENESS THAT SO OFTEN HERALDS TROUBLE. but not for her. never for her. ( how strange it is, to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that duty drives you and you were born for your duty and know that you shall complete it no matter what comes to pass ——— save us save us save your people save our society and bring us anew ——— yet there lie two immovable HEARTSTRINGS, unbreakable / and you know that you could never cut them free. the terror of love. the agony of love. ) ❝ you’re right, barbara ——— it’s hardly as though he can miss these things... i don’t think they’ve been open in decades, ❞ there is a lightness to his tone that stands in conflict to the drawn tenseness of his expression, the set of their mouth, the slight furrow to their brow. ❝ though his organizational skills leave something to be desired. ❞

        THERE ARE GHOSTS HERE / DO YOU THINK ONE OF THEM IS OUR SECRETS / DO YOU THINK ONE OF THEM IS YOUR DAMNED FATHER WHO I CAN BURY AGAIN / DO YOU THINK ONE OF THEM IS YOU AND CAN I GUIDE YOU FREE?

       ❝ you know, ❞ they set the book that they had taken upon a pile of others and cross the room towards her ( remembers lightning cracking and thunder rolling and her quiet tears and her small hand in his as they walked to the kitchens together, hands swinging, a secret to take to the grave ), leaning over her from a conscientious distance, watching her rifle through papers, looking seeking desperately searching for the deed, for the key that will release her from this iron wrought cage that has been growing smaller and smaller and smaller still, forming itself to her body and threatening to send it out to sea. well ——— it’s NAIVE to think that this will free her truly. only barbara can free herself.

        soon. soon.

        the words hang in the air as they watch her / her bowed head / and then he raises his eye to the desk proper, brows furrowing more at the sight of that ugly statue kaeya had always hated and seamus had always loved ( poor taste, through and through ) and he keeps his gaze on it as he pulls at a locked drawer. ❝ i’ve always hated this statue, ❞ they tap their finger against the lock and freeze it and / shove the statue over in one fluid movement, not even bothering to watch as it crashes to the ground and breaks into pieces ( is this how you broke barbara, seamus? is this what you did to her? no ——— no, you did it in increments. slowly. steadily. ) instead : they pull at the drawer again with a sharp pull, hears the locking mechanism break as it pulls open, wood splintering ever so slightly.

        BARBARA STILLS at the sound of the statue breaking / kaeya rifles through the papers in this drawer, perfectly aware that he could’ve simply asked barbara for the key and ——— ah, ❝ putting the deed to the manor beside clergy papers? amazing, how he had no idea what he was doing a great deal of the time, ❞ they take the paper from the drawer and set it on the desk and / look down at barbara who is not looking at him / instead she’s looking at her knees her hands the floor the carpet and THERE ARE GHOSTS HERE. lingering at the doors in the halls upon the walls convalescing around her. making her small.

        barbara isn’t meant to be small.

       ❝ ready to go? ❞ he holds his hand out to her, palm up, remembers with VIVID CLARITY every time that she had taken their hand, her palm growing and growing but always dwarfed by his. remembers how she held him / how she carried them to shore / supporting their burned charred decimated body / weeping. crying for him.

        i will not cry for you, sister, but here : i will carry you home.

       ❝ i think we can make it back to mondstadt and have you back with peony before midnight, ❞ could they? unlikely, truly ——— but before DAWN, surely / kaeya knows how to rush journeys. they’re rather skilled at it, after all / he can hardly have travel take up the majority of the time he’s away from mondstadt, after all. ❝ even with the extra weight, ❞ of course they’re taking a great deal of the library with them. DEAD MEN CAN’T READ, AFTER ALL / though truly, even if seamus were alive, kaeya would take these off his hands, anyways. remorseless.

       ❝ unless, of course, you would like to destroy a few more things in the manor, ❞ it’s a casual suggestion, tone going almost light again as her hand slips into his / they’re almost surprised that they can touch her / that she isn’t half—faded as she looks. ❝ is that terrible tapestry still hanging in the hall? we could improve it by tearing it to shreds. or that vase, you know the one, it looks as though it’s in agony ——— impressive, that pottery could look like it’s in AGONY, ❞ they continue listing random ugly little trinkets and decorative pieces he knows perfectly well that are in this corpselike place / these petty juvenile acts of destruction / childlike for a child.

        ( kaeya, personally, would much rather burn the family portrait. you’ll never touch her again, seamus. never. )

[secret-engima]

Snippet of Made this Promise (Always I Dreamed About You)

(Yes I’m still stuck in the RWBY fandom and still making fixits for it so what. I promise I’m still working on my other stuff just- sporadically. The muses wanna chew on these fixits for a while.)

...

     The sixth time, Raven came back from a raid to find the rest of Tribe gathered in the center of the camp, her brother unconscious and tied up and bloody at the feet of Father, who was holding his heavy scimitar up by his shoulder like he was going to swing.

     Raven threw herself through a portal to stand between them, heart pounding as she screamed at him in a demand for answers. Qrow and Raven had been good. They had done everything he asked and more.

     Father watched her with those same, cold, thoughtful eyes that made Raven feel inhuman and small, “Your brother’s Semblance has been active for months, and it’s been messing up the raids. Messing up everything.”

     Raven stopped breathing —“My semblance brings misfortune” rasped a memory in her head of a Qrow who did not yet exist—, then she bared her teeth, “How do you know? What proof do you have?”

     Father had proof. He smugly recited dozens upon dozens of little accidents, all the tiny tests he’d done in training and the bigger ones on the raids when he started to believe something was wrong. Too many coincidences to be random, too many little flips of fate to ignore. How Raven hadn’t seen them herself-. She didn’t know. It didn’t matter.

     Raven drew her sword —a short thing, a poor thing, scavenged from a dead body just like all the Tribes’ weapons—, “I won’t let you take him from me,” she hissed, “I won’t let you kill him.”

     Father watched her, “And you think you can stop me.”

     “You touch him and I’ll ruin this Tribe with my bare hands,” she spat, “I’ll sabotage every tent, every bike, every move and raid and hunt. I’ll poison all the water barrels, free all the slaves, slit the throat of every sleeping watchman I can find so the grimm break down the fencing. I’ll make you kill me too, and then you’ll be right back to where you started before you claimed us. Heirless. But this time the whole Tribe will know that you weren’t strong enough to keep your chosen heirs both in line and alive.”

     He studied her for a long time. Studied her stance and her grip on her sword, her wild, soot covered hair from the raid and the blood on her face that matched her eyes, spattered there from killing others on his word. He studied her and Raven felt another death looming, this one so much worse than any of hers, because if Qrow died-. If Qrow died, Raven couldn’t follow him. She would go mad. She would lose everything that mattered. He was her twin, she loved him more than the world itself and without him-.

     Then, by some miracle, Father lowered his sword with a chuckle, “Fine, I’ll let him live. He can even stay one of my heirs. But,” That look sharpened and it made Raven feel cold, “only on one condition.” He leaned down so they were nose to nose, and both of them knew she wanted desperately to stab his throat just like they both knew she wasn’t fast or strong enough to succeed yet, “You have to be twice as useful to the Tribe to make up for him. His life is yours, so long as you are exceptional.”

     Raven knew what that meant. No more petty defiances. No more sneaking extra food to the stolen brides. No more letting survivors slip through her fingers in the chaos when no one could prove she had let them go intentionally even though they all knew she had. No more trying to be something other than the Tribe’s heir. He was offering a devil’s deal, asking what mattered more.

     Her twin?

     Or her humanity?

     Raven tilted her chin up in defiance and she swallowed back the dirty, small feeling that settled in her bones as she nodded, “I will.”

[tintentrinkerin]

Harness & Spears

Interlude: Collision Course

Chapter warnings: brotherly angst, brothers fighting

Read under the cut or on AO3

When Sam enters the kitchen, he knows Cas and Dean are there, too. He heard them having an argument about what happened in the spa room, like it’s their business what Sam and Jack do. He feels the need to tell them it’s not. Plus, he’s angry. No, furious.

Cas and Dean turn around, like they’ve been caught, and that’s exactly what’s happened. Cas gives Sam a tired smile, but Dean tenses and folds his arms across his chest. Biceps twitching, lips pressed together. 

“You done with the kid?” he asks. 

It’s already an open attack and Sam would love to shove Dean against the next wall, but that won’t help. It will just fuel Dean’s self righteous bullshit.

“Jack is no kid. Why were you creeping around the swimming pool? Our clothes were there, music was turned on, and I know you can hear it in the hall, too. You knew we would be in there. Why did you have to scare him like that?” Sam starts.

Dean’s eyes narrow. 

“He is, how old again?” he turns to Cas, “Cas? How old is Jack? Six?”

Cas looks very uncomfortable now, he obviously doesn’t want to be involved in the brothers’ fight, which is understandable. He gets up and looks at Sam, apologizing silently. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Dean asks, voice a lot louder now. 

“Hey, leave him alone. He has nothing to do with your petty behaviour!”

“I’ll be in the library,” Cas mumbles and then squeezes Sam’s arm on the way out. 

Poor Castiel. Dean has been giving everyone a hard time since Jack and Sam started to bond romantically and no one really deserves it. Sam wants to understand why, because there’s just no satisfying explanation for Dean being like this. He’s mean to Jack, he’s even responsible for some of the danger Jack’d gotten himself in - okay, given, Jack used to behave very much like a rebellious teen, but he’s changed fundamentally there. 

“He is a fucking kid, Sam!”Dean yells now. But Sam won’t back down. 

“He’s the former God! He’s been the most powerful being on Earth for two years, he’s created whole new universes! And by the way, he brought back your precious angel boyfriend who happens to be millennia old. Don’t you think that we shouldn’t apply our human concept of age to beings that could smite us with a snap of their fingers?!”

The air between them would have crackled if glares were electricity. Sam is loud now, and he knows his yelling can be heard all over the bunker. But he doesn’t give a single fuck about it, Dean is antagonising him and he knows it. He likes to act like he has the moral high ground here, which is funny considering he’d called Sam a prude, and more, when Sam was unable to admit his feelings for Jack. Dean was the one to go after him because of Jack’s feelings. Dean knew Jack was into Sam way earlier than Sam. And he knew that Sam was into Jack. He made Jack install that app to meet up with shady gay guys from the internet. Why is he so spiteful now?

“That has nothing to do with what you do. He almost got himself molested and killed, that was barely five weeks ago! Don’t you think it’s gross to lust after a kid who looks up to you? Who adores you? And who sees you as a father?”

“That’s  idiotic and you know it. I looked up to you when I was a child and-”

Sam stops. He had thought about Jack exactly the same way just a couple days before Gilead happened. 

“You looked up to me, I would’ve never touched you!”

Dean bites his lip and it would be just a matter of time until they’re bloody. 

“Stop comparing mine and Jack’s  relationship to our relationship. The comparison has some fatal errors and you know it.”Dean’s fists clench and unclench and the look he gives Sam is downright hateful. But for what? “What is your fucking problem, Dean? It’s not that Jack is young in ‘earth years.’ Tell me.”

“Shut up, Sammy. Just shut up or God help me-”

The use of the nickname stings Sam. He knows Dean will spit his venom all over the place and keep ruining any private time Sam might have with Jack, Sam can feel it in his guts. He’s like that. He won’t stop. And Sam can’t let that happen. Jack is fragile in his youthful longing and raging hormones. The unfolding love between them –it’s precious to Sam, because he hasn’t felt like that in years. Free of Chuck’s plans, free of hunting, free of the constant threat to their lives. And he’d certainly loved no one more honestly than Jack in years. Maybe Jess. And of course he loves Dean, no matter what. But the love for Jack and the love for Dean are two wildly different things. 

“God help you – what? You gonna hurt him? Hurt me? I’d like to see you try. But I think it’s better Jack and I take off for a while, do some hunts on our own. At least the maids will pay attention to a notice on a door that says ‘do not disturb’.”

Dean grows bright red in the face and his mug, filled with coffee, flies across the room and smashes on the wall. His chest is heaving and… are his eyes just glassy or is he crying? What on earth is wrong with him?

“Yeah, go, Sam. That’s what you can do best. Run away when things get uncomfortable for you!” Dean hisses.

Sam looks at him, disappointed and shocked about how nasty Dean can get. He thought Dean really meant it when he apologized to Jack earlier and seemed to be supportive, in his own quirky way. 

“I’m not dealing with this,” he says and turns around. 

Something clatters behind him but Sam doesn’t look back, even when Dean yells, “Yeah, I guessed that much! You’re a coward, Sam!”

Sam knows he’s not, he’s just too old for getting shit from his big brother, especially when he tries to play the morals card. Dean has no right to talk like this. It will be better if Sam takes Jack and just travels somewhere for a case. 

When he passes the library, he sees Cas, who’s deep in a spell book, but he looks like he’s daydreaming and it’s not a good dream. Why does he put up with Dean’s bullshit, really? This can’t be healthy. 

Back in his room, Sam shuts the door with a thud and a loud sigh. He’s tired, he’s exhausted. Jack is lying in his bed, wrapped in a fluffy purple blanket. He looks like the saddest burrito in the world. When he hears Sam approach, he turns around and looks at him with big, blue teary eyes, there’s not much else visible except his eyes and some blonde strands of hair. 

“Hey, baby,” Sam says lovingly, and undresses. Gets into bed to Jack and hugs the whole angelic wrap. Jack sniffles and leans in, his nose is close and tickles Sam’s cheek.

“Are you okay?”

Jack nods. “Yeah, ‘m okay,” he whispers. “I missed you. Did you bring something to eat by any chance?” 

Sam shakes his head. 

“No, I’m sorry. But we can go get you something.”

“I heard you and Dean fight.” 

Jack looks up and he unwraps a little, strokes along Sam’s chest. It feels so good to be with Jack, he feels loved. Wanted. And it feels right. No matter how young Jack is. Sam needed to make sure that it was the right thing, because he felt that Jack might just have a harmless crush, Sam might be a puppy love. Then he had Aurora. Gilead happened. This topic still isn’t over, Jack doesn’t talk much, but he must’ve been scared to death in there. Since he came back, accompanied by Cas, a year ago, he didn’t use his angel powers anymore, because he wanted to live as human as possible, but still be able to defend his family. It hurts that Dean seems to be still against him, after all that Jack has done for them. 

“Yeah, we had a fight. I don’t know what’s gotten into Dean, lately… I told him I would take you on a hunt. Would you like that?” Sam asks and then gently kisses Jack’s forehead.

Jack trembles. 

“Yes, I would love to do that. Just us?”

“Just us,” Sam confirms. 

“We would be all on our own,” now, Jack sounds dreamy. “Another massage… maybe?”

Sam laughs softly. “Yes, another massage. And no one to disturb us.”

Jack peels out of the blanket more and more. He’s naked underneath, his body hot and his skin soft and he smells still of the massage oils. Sam can’t look away, Jack’s pale body is just beautiful, and how Jack isn’t hiding any of his arousal and excitement… Sam never had a more honest lover. The raw pining is not just flattering – it’s blatantly arousing. 

“When do we start?” Jack asks. 

“I’ll research a case, maybe more than one, and we’ll take some time off.”

“Should I pack my bags?”

Sam holds Jack close, breathes in deeply and kisses along Jack’s shoulder, down his biceps. Jack shivers. Again. 

“Tomorrow…”

What Sam needs right now, is Jack’s love and attention. And he needs to forget the tight knot in his guts that’s twisting and turning and making Sam feel sick to the core. Fighting with Dean is nothing he can just shrug off. 

“Okay, tomorrow,” Jack replies quietly before rolling Sam on his back and crawling on his upper thighs. 

When Jack’s trembling lips kiss down Sam’s chest and his hands start to explore, Sam sighs deeply and lets go of the thoughts that are on his mind. 

“Good boy,” he praises and Jack moans. 

Unfiltered responses. Damn. Sam is already addicted. 

When he’s with Jack, so Sam believes, he can’t be broken.

[mrpenguinpants]

Oh my god, I don’t know how I came up with this idea but one time I was playing a co-op domain that consisted of a party of Childe, Keqing, Kaeya, and Diluc. And for some reason, an idea came to mind.

What if these characters actually knew each other?

It went downhill from there, it went from Keqing babysits three grown men to Keqing reevaluating their own morale for them to me and my friend just labelling the idea as “Keqing’s disastrous and far from desired harem”. The idea spiraled in our heads, totally rent free, that I had to stop grinding domains for a while and just think.

Okay, hear me out.

Just— Just think of their interactions, albeit that their interactions may start roughly given that all of them have personalities that have rough ends, I believe that with effort, it will work out. Childe and Diluc would often disagree on most conversation topics, Kaeya would be... well, Kaeya, on a Kaeya-classified mission to annoy the fuck out of Diluc while the red-headed man deals with the Fatui brute who apparently was on a journey together with one of the neighboring nation’s chosen rulers.

It’s hardly even a harem! It’s just her being done with all these dramatic men’s own agendas and while it make not make a lot of sense, I fell completely in love with the idea. There are also a lot of things they would struggle to understand, like why Diluc just can’t let go of the past no matter how much he grows tolerant of the Knights, or why Childe chooses to keep on a facade of a toy seller just for his beloved brother, and many more!

God, I could go on about this for ages jdncjsjxjsmz— Anyways, taking all of that aside, happy belated new year and hopefully your blog doesn’t suffer again because it’s literally my consistent source of serotonin. Always remember that we love you and hope that you stay in good health! ... while also feeding us with content, hehe

Jokes aside, please always remember that this isn’t a job and you’re free to take breaks whenever you feel like it’s necessary. Thank you if you manage to read all of this and again, belated happy new year!

Yo, pop off anon! This is great! 

I really really wish that genshin could mix more characters together and I know they just started and story continuity or whatever but it would be really nice. We do have voicelines so in a sense they do know each other but dammit, I want more food;; 

I would read/watch the shit out of “Keqing’s disastrous and far from desired harem”. It lowkey reminds me of that fgo comic of Osakabehime, where she thought she was gonna start a harem, when really she’s just watching the mc go through theirs. 

Keqing gives off major “I was not paid enough for this fuckery” vibes. You can not convince me otherwise. I think throwing 2 brain cell Zhongli [who is secretly the only one with braincells in the group] into that mess would be 11/10. I’ve been there before, trying to sleep and then at 3am I get slapped in the face with a 190k word crack/angst fic (which ahem, may or may have not happened with Xiao). 

I’m so glad you have faith in them because I’m imagining they last for two hours on a good day before war paint is brought out. Childe is such a clown bastard, god I hate him, he would be the second Kaeya for Diluc but without the braincells. His only braincell is fighting. Lowkey, I actually really like Childe and Kaeya interactions that people have done, I just wanna see the Team Rocket antics. (If someone has not drawn that I will RIOT. Bonus points if Zhongli is Meowth). Poor Diluc popping 20 aspirin for his headache of having to deal with Kaeya and Childe which just ends up with Diluc trying to commit manslaughter and get away with it. No one will find out if everyone is dead.   

Poor Keqing and her first impressions of seeing all these beauties only to realize, wait I’m dealing with actual children. Remember that Kaeya and Diluc wine talk where they were being petty in front of these two random guys? With Venti in the background. Pretty much the same idea except it’s Keqing with the most “are you serious right now? Right in front of my salad?”. Don’t worry anon, I love the idea too! Honestly, any “in the lore we don’t know each other or we secretly hate each other but OUTSIDE of the lore it’s a constant fever dream” is just mwah 💕💕 Having their soft and vulnerable moments with each other which brings them closer as a group is just ahh I love it. I absolutely adore this.

I can literally feel your excitement anon and I’m LIVING for it. Yo, if you ever think on this more PLEASE share it with us (if you want to of course). We need more interactions, give me hades level of interactions, PLEASE I BEG OF YOU. 

Oh happy be-lated new year to you too 🎉🎉So far tumblr has been alright but I pray it doesn’t get snapped again. Aww you’re so sweet I’m glad this is brings you some good vibes. This ask has brought me to new heights of serotonin haha. I love you too, oh my god I’m actually so soft rn fuck. I hope you’re all safe as well^^ [don’t worry I gotchu on the content] 

Of course, this was some good food hehe

[mydramatiiclife]

Groupie

Admittedly Dean is not the most cookie cutter person around. He tends to toe the line of legal and illegal fairly often. He’s a firm believer in something is only illegal if you get caught, sans the real obvious fucked up shit. 

Basically petty level crime shit. The taking without asking kind of shit. 

It gives him a stupid cheap thrill. 

He’s had everything handed to him in life, his parents are stupid rich. The kind of rich that makes you think you don't actually have to parent the children you chose to have. 

He does what he wants, when he wants, how he wants, and who he wants. (With their consent of course.)

And like every rich kid's story, somewhere between all the stealing, rebelling, and the silent need for his parents love and approval, Dean lost who he was.  

He’s about to graduate college, and according to his father, it’s time for him to ‘grow up and stop with all of this childish shit.’

But growing up usually means you’re growing into someone. 

Dean doesn’t know who that someone is. 

Enter Castiel Novak. 

Dean’s known Cas for a few years now. They’ve hooked up a few times. Took a few classes together. Studied together. They’re friends, though Cas wants it to be something more. And if Dean is being completely honest with himself, he wants it to be something more too, but he doesn’t want to ruin things between them. 

Because Cas is someone. 

Cas, outside of being one of the biggest nerds Dean knows, is a fucking rockstar.

He and his band of brothers, literally his band is full of his brothers, play the local clubs on the weekend. 

He’s got fame, albeit very small, he’s got adoration, he’s got a plan.

Two in fact. 

He can continue his education and leave all this rockstar stuff behind, or he can say yes to one of the record deals he’s been offered and ride that wave for as long as he can. Even if that wave fails, he still has school to fall back on. 

Dean has his options too; he can follow his pipe dream of using his art degree and opening his own art gallery where he would blend art and music together, or he can take the soul sucking route and do what his dad wants and be groomed to take over the family business. 

More than anything though, Dean wants to take some time away to discover life outside of himself. 

You’ve got to get lost, to get found. 

His father overheard him discussing these options with his little brother, Sam, when all hell broke loose. He reminded Dean what a disappointment he thought he was, how he was setting a horrible example for Sam, that he’s an ‘ungrateful little shit’. 

Dean left soon after, Cas had a show tonight and Dean needed to help himself to a new outfit beforehand. 

Even though Cas and him aren’t a thing, he still likes to dress to impress. 

“I hope you actually paid for that,” Cas says as Dean’s pinning on the band's new enamel pin to his brand new leather jacket. 

“You know he didn’t,” Gabe, Cas’ brother and bandmate interrupts. 

Dean smiles and shrugs slightly at Cas, “help me, I’m poor.” 

Cas rolls his eyes, “lucky for you I know just how you can work off your debt.”

“Yeah how’s that,” Dean steps closer into Cas’ space. 

“Be my groupie,” Cas suggests. 

“Oh yeah?” Cas nods. “And what does that entail exactly?” 

“Follow me around, carry my shit, do what I want, how I want it.” 

“Seems easy enough.”

“Cas, you guys are up,” The bar manager interrupts. 

“A kiss for good luck?” Dean leans in and captures Cas’ lips in a heated kiss. 

“Good luck.”

The show’s amazing as always. Dean loves watching Cas on stage. He’s intoxicating. 

They’re tangled up in Cas’ bed, Dean hand tracing patterns on Cas’ bare chest as he gives Cas a run down of what happened between him and his dad earlier. 

“Your dad’s kind of a dick.”

“Yeah,” Dean agrees.

“So what are you gonna do?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what are you going to do?”, Cas repeats. “You’ve got three options.”

“Not really, he’d only support me if I choose the one he wants.”

“Why do you need his support?”

“Because how would I fund the rest? I can’t open an art gallery with no money, and I can’t really run away without at least a little bit of cash,” Dean explains. 

“Well you could do what us common folks do and work while you follow your dreams,” Dean grunts. “Or you could tap into that savings of yours, it’s not like you’re using it to actually purchase things.”

“Hey! I buy things.”

“Like that jacket you were wearing earlier?” 

“Aww, you noticed.”

“Of course I did. I notice everything about you,” He kisses the top of Dean’s head. 

“Okay, even if I did use my savings, where would I even go?”

“With me. You did promise to be my groupie,” Cas reminds him. 

“And where are you going?”

“On tour. Our manager landed us a gig to open for The Vamps.” Cas reveals. 

“Oh my gosh, Cas that’s amazing!” Dean says excitedly, “why didn’t you tell me sooner? You let me bitch about my dumb problems.”  

“Thank you and your problems aren’t dumb.” 

“Whatever. Dude that’s awesome!”

Cas shares how it all happened and what cities they would be touring. “The tour starts a week after graduation. We’d be playing Seattle, Austin, Portland, Chicago, Nashville, and a few others.”

“Those are like all the places I want to visit.”

“I know. Come with me?” Cas asks again. 

“Are you serious?”

Cas nods, “let's get lost together.”

Dean thinks about, really considers it. Graduation is just around the corner. Dean has enough money to get him by, and if things get too bad he can always come back home and follow the path his dad wanted for him. 

He feels like if he doesn’t say yes now, he’ll never get another chance and he’ll regret this for the rest of his life. He doesn’t want that. 

Feeling brave he whispers, “okay.” 

“Okay?”

Dean nods, “on one condition though.”

“What’s that?”

Feeling braver than he’s ever felt, Dean tells him, “I don’t want to go as your groupie.”

“Head groupie it is!” Cas jokes. 

Dean rolls his eyes, “I want to go as your boyfriend.”

Cas smiles and promises, “I’ll dedicate every show to you.”

They kiss until the sun comes up.