#presumably because he didn't want to make it angsty

[fcthots]

Can I request 27. "I'm going to carry you, okay?" with an angsty dash of 5. "You don't have anything to be sorry for." please?

You shouldn't have been out.

You should have never left your apartment, especially not in the middle of the night, especially when Jason didn't know you left, but you just wanted to go on a short walk, but one wrong turn turned your short walk into a very long one.

You could hear a few things: the beating of your heart, the sound of your feet hitting the ground as you ran, the sound of their feet running after you, shouting from behind you.

"Get your ass back here or I swear to God, we're gonna fucking kill you!"

Fuck. You just had to go on a walk to clear your head. You just had to get lost. You just had to forget your phone. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

You were running so hard you could barely breathe. You were faster than them, but not by much, and you couldn't keep it up. You were terrified, shaking, slightly crying. You tried screaming, but no one came. You were lost, alone, scared, and being chased. You wished more than anything that you never left your apartment. You wished you just called Jason to calm down, but you didn’t want to bother him. Regret. Regret. Regret.

You've basically run in one big circle, trying to get anywhere near your apartment, but you were so lost. That street sign, though was familiar, but more than that you had passed it before; something else.

Oh.

Oh no.

You knew the name on that street sign because Jason was telling you about it earlier

...in reference to a trafficking case.

Your heart sank. Their footfalls match the erratic beating of your heart. You were tired. You couldn't keep this up forever and they knew the territory. It seemed you were at every disadvantage.

You turned a corner. You had this one chance to lose them. You use all of your remaining energy to run into the gap between the closed down corner store and apartment complex,

and promptly trip on the uneven concrete. Yeah, you pulled something.

And with your absolutely stellar luck, you picked the one alley that was a dead end.

"Fucking finally. Nowhere to run now. I think we should take our time with this one. She made us waste all that time chasing her, what's a little more?"

You open your mouth to beg for your life, but the words won't come out. You try to get up but you collapse again. You use your good leg to move yourself against the wall.

The three men laugh as they slowly approach you, taunting you. They smile and joke at the tears you didn’t notice were falling. You try to think of any possible escape route, but come up empty. One pulls out a gun and you try not to look at it.

"You really thought you could just run away, huh?"

"You can scream as loud as you want. No one is coming."

The third man laughs. "Don't say that. The screaming is fucking annoying."

They get closer to you and you feel the sweat trickle from your hairline.

Everyone's heads turn when there's a loud thud outside the alley.

You aren't exactly focused on it, but it makes them temporarily stop, so you're thankful for it.

"Marcus, go check it out."

"Fuck you. Why do I have to it?"

"Be louder, why don’t you? Quit being a bitch and go."

'Marcus' leaves with a string of curses. The attention is turned back to you again, with impatient smiles and twisted laughter, but not for long.

They make it about two more steps before Marcus yells and there's a crunch and thud.

The two men stop dead in their tracks. Communicating as if with eye contact, one nods, and the other begins to walk slowly along the wall of the alley with his gun raised until he turns the corner. While the first man tries to split his attention between you and his friend, his friend screams.

The last man turns towards you. He rushes forward in an attempt to grab your arm, presumably to drag you, but he never gets that chance.

There is a loud thunk to the back of the man's head before he's on the floor. You look up and see a red helmet.

You don’t think you've ever been happier to see that shiny red.

"Hey, it's ok. It's just me. I wasn't gonna let anything happen to you, I promise. You're safe now."

You try to say his name as he rushes over to you but it comes out as more of a pathetic and terrified whimper.

"Are you hurt?"

You nod your head and watch him freeze.

"Where?"

You drag your leg out from underneath you. He sighs in relief. His shoulders hunch forward, his forehead knocking against yours. He lands a helmet kiss there.

"C'mon. Let's get you home. I'm going to carry you, okay?"

Before you could even think about attempting to reply, he has you scooped up in his arms. He takes a deep breath in and out and locks eyes with you.

"You ok?"

"no fatal injuries"

He hums in acknowledgement. The walk is quiet. Too quiet. You don’t remember most of the walk. The adrenaline wearing off was making you tired, but Jason's silence concerned you. You shouldn't have gone out alone, it was dumb, but you couldn't handle a fight with Jason right now. That's probably why he was being quiet, he’s mad at you, but knows you don’t wanna fight. He was being so sweet, but to be honest all you wanted was comfort. You can't take him being distant right now.

Fuck it. You can't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry."

He stops on the outside of you apartment complex's elevator, moving to look at you.

You open your mouth to speak again but he cuts you off. "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

"Aren't you mad?"

"I could never be mad at you."

"But you're being all silent."

"I thought you'd want space. Do you not?"

"...no... I want comfort..."

"Alright. And I'm not mad at you. Never mad at you. That wasn't your fault, ok? I was brooding just now because I was scared at the thought of losing you. I love you. So much."

"I love you too."

[1d1195]

Neighbors Extra V

Read Neighbors here | ~2.5k words

From me: based on this ask. Takes place probably in between Part 5 and Extra I

Warnings: a little angsty, a little fluffy, enjoy 💕

It was the stretch of bad weather that did it. Played a trick on his mind. It hurt to think about those weeks without his favorite people. He knew what bad weather could do to people and he knew how it could affect him. It was weird, the night before he rather enjoyed the sound of rain against the window, the slight chill in the air contrasted with the warmth coming off her from the bed. Now it seemed like a curse.

“Harry?” Rory called, hearing the thunder in the middle of the night. It made his heart ache to know Rory called Harry’s name and not for Mumma the way he usually did. Harry rolled out of bed pressing a swift kiss to her forehead despite his negativity settling into the pit of his stomach. He made his way for Rory’s room. He forgot about the frustration he felt about her and the weeks that she chose to separate them. Rory needed him.

“S’matter, lad?” Harry asked sitting on the end of his bed. There was relief in his eyes that was visible in the low light of his nightlight. That relief made Harry’s heart clench. He put his hand on his leg atop the covers and squeezed his shin.

“Is... is Mumma scared?” He asked softly.

Harry tilted his head curiously. “Mummy’s sleeping,” he assured him.

“Oh... um...” Rory was so little looking in his bed. “Mumma gets scared with thunder sometimes,” he explained. “I usually go sleep with her to keep her safe.”

Harry blamed the lateness of the hour for his slow-moving brain cells and not understanding what Rory was trying to tell him faster. “Oh?” He nodded. “I see. Well, do y’want t’come check on her?” He asked standing beside his bed and pulling the covers back.

He nodded eagerly; it was punctuated by a crack of thunder that practically shook the house. His eyes widened with fear while trying to be brave. After his little hospital stay, Harry noted how nervous Rory seemed sometimes—especially when it came to his mum and making sure she wasn’t nervous too. “That was scary,” Harry admitted and scooped Rory into his arms quickly, tucking his head against his shoulder.

“You’re scared of thunder?” He asked incredulously but didn't move his face from Harry's neck.

“Isn’t everyone?” Harry smirked without Rory seeing. “Y'know that Mummy is, me...s'like you’re the bravest one of us."

Rory squirmed a bit in Harry’s arms--like the weight of his phobia and subsequent fake-bravery was too much for him. “I think I’m a little afraid of thunder,” he whispered to Harry. Harry nodded and squeezed him.

“S’okay. S’brave of you t’want t’check on Mummy anyway.”

“I didn’t know if I was allowed to,” he admitted.

“Allowed?” Harry repeated.

“Because Mumma has you now.”

Harry didn’t want to have this conversation in the middle of the night. Not when he was feeling frustrated with the love of his life’s actions. Not when the weather was souring his mood. Not when Rory felt scared, and he didn’t know how to fix it completely.

“Rory,” Harry sighed stopping outside the bedroom. “Mummy and I are always going t’need you,” he promised. “You don’t have t’change how y’do things because m’here,” he pressed his lips against the little one’s forehead.

"Okay," he nodded.

Harry smiled at him again, ran his hand through his hair comfortingly before he headed back in the bedroom. He knelt on the bed and deposited Rory in the middle. She hadn’t moved. Probably tired from being perfect all day, Harry presumed. Rory nestled into the middle of the bed and Harry smiled softly, feeling more tired, thankfully, than when he woke up. His mind didn’t need to reel with more feelings of frustration before he fell back asleep. “Night, Harry,” Rory whispered.

Harry smiled as he drifted off. “Night Rory.”

*

The rainy night turned into a rainy day. Harry was quiet. She noticed it immediately. When she woke up with the help of her internal clock at six-thirty, she realized Rory’s little face was staring back at her. She blinked in surprise, wondering when he got there. Harry’s hand was resting protectively on Rory’s little rib cage and her heart melted so thoroughly she thought she would cry.

Swallowing the emotion in her throat she snuck out of bed to start breakfast as Rory would surely wake up with the help of his own internal clock in about thirty minutes. The rain and dark clouds made her think of her trip to the hospital in the middle of the night, quickly she shook her head of those thoughts.

As if on cue, Harry and Rory descended the stairs as she poured juice for them. “Hi Mumma!” Rory smiled excitedly. Harry released him and he scurried over to hug her legs. She bent and kissed the top of his head before returning to the scrambled eggs on the stove.

“Hi love bug,” she grinned. “Did you sleep okay?”

Rory glanced back at Harry and nodded. “Harry said I was really brave about the thunder.”

She was surprised she didn’t wake to the sound of it and moreover the sound of Rory’s little worried voice because of it. She pursed her lips and glanced at Harry as well. “Yeah?” She asked quietly.

Harry nodded. He pressed a kiss to her temple and grabbed the three glasses of orange juice to settle on the table. “Rory was braver than I was,” he repeated. “He wanted t’make sure y’were sleeping okay. Because y’get scared in the thunderstorms sometimes.”

Her heart clenched with love for the little one. More for Harry for going along with every little detail and every insecurity Rory shared with him. She smiled and nodded. “Thanks, cutie pie,” she ruffled his hair as he held onto her leg still.

Harry sat at the table. Normally, she wouldn’t have paid much attention to the position, but he didn’t really look up from his phone. He didn’t look up when she said breakfast was almost ready—when he usually hopped up to get plates, silverware, etc. Rory followed over to Harry. Joined him by sitting right on his lap, Harry moving instinctively to hold him as they examined Harry’s phone.

“Honey, can you ask Harry if it’s okay first—he might be doing something for work or—”

“S’fine, kitten,” he mumbled, interrupting her without further explanation.

“It’s highlights from the soccer game,” Rory explained.

Biting her lip, she suddenly felt a bit intrusive. Quietly, she set plates in front of the pair and then ate her own food in near silence—save for the cheers and announcers coming from Harry’s phone. It felt odd to feel left out. For so long it had been her and Rory. Perhaps she was imagining it, but she swore Harry almost seemed... annoyed with her.

After Rory started playing on his own, she would ask. Or maybe when Rory went to sleep tonight.

For now, even if she was a bit anxious about Harry’s coldness toward her, she couldn’t help but adore how sweet Harry and Rory looked at the other end of the table. The same concentrated expression on their faces as they watched his phone screen. Her heart was so full it felt illegal to be that happy. Harry kissed the back of Rory’s head without fanfare, without thinking. His phone propped against the flower vase while he ate his breakfast with one hand.

Just as quietly, she snapped a picture of the pair of them. One to send to her family as well as his for sure.

*

Rory and Harry were nearly inseparable the whole day. It allowed her to get a lot of cleaning and laundry done that had been neglected since Rory couldn’t play in the yard with the unending rainy weather. In the late afternoon, Rory asked that they play a few rounds of Candyland. So, they did. Harry smiled at Rory the whole time and chuckled every time her turn brought her back to the Peppermint Forest when she was almost to the Candy Castle.

It almost felt mean spirited.

But the boys went to play again in Rory's room after Candyland. Harry even got Rory to take a bath without the usual argument that ensued when she did. Their little day spent together right under her nose made her a little jealous—although she wasn’t sure who she was jealous of when she thought about it. They paused to have leftovers for dinner (because it was Saturday, and that was their routine) While they played, she read some of her long-neglected book that was often set to the side for room to play with her son.

“Rory wants you t’say goodnight,” Harry said quietly as he flopped onto the couch grabbing the controller off the coffee table. She blinked, glanced at the clock along the wall of the dining area and shook her head at how rapidly the time had moved.

“It’s eight already?” She asked, mostly to herself. There was no arguing, no ‘one more story,’ not even a good night kiss as had happened many nights before when Harry put Rory to bed.

He nodded anyway, scrolling through movie and show options on Netflix without even looking at her. She eyed him suspiciously the entire time she ascended the stairs to Rory’s room. “Hi Mumma,” he grinned happily. He smelled clean and fresh. His room was tidy (thanks to Harry’s kind reminders as they played, she was sure). Rory was perfect. But she may have been a bit biased.

“Hi baby,” she smiled. “Did you have fun playing with Harry today?” She asked.

He nodded. “We played so much,” it was as if he realized it all on his own and how weird of a day it was to have a playdate right near her without hardly including her.

“You did,” she grinned and kissed his forehead. “I love you. Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” She had said it to him since the day they met Harry and he had asked for clarification.

He grinned and rolled over sleepily. “I love you, too, Mumma,” he yawned. She turned his light off, ensuring the nightlight remained on. She closed the door and returned to the living room. Harry was unmoved; legs outstretched on the coffee table.

Harry shifted as she removed her book from the sofa and placed it beside Harry’s feet on the table. He was silent. Her discomfort amplified and she turned to him. “Are you...okay?” She asked. He nodded, still unspeaking. She bit the inside of her lip. “Uh...Harry, it really feels like—”

“It was really unfair,” he mumbled. His gaze was unmoving from the TV but he wasn’t watching.

“What was—”

“You just...stopped talking t’me. Y’didn’t tell me why. Rory had t’come t’me in secret t’invite me t’his game,” he reminded her. “I know why y’did,” he looked at her squarely for the first time all day. “But it hurt. And I never really got t’grieve it because you came back but it hurt,” he repeated. Her chest ached, feeling like he pierced a whole right through it.

“Harry,” she whispered, an apology forming.

He shook his head. “Y’don’t have t’say anything. S’over and m’not...” he sighed. “M’really not mad, kitten. M’not. S’jus’ the crummy weather made me think of it. Playing with Rory all day made me think ‘bout all those weeks I didn’t have with him. S’not fair and s’not anyone’s fault. M’jus... sad.”

Her heart felt shattered. “But—”

“You don’t have t’say anything.”

But she felt like she did. Harry resenting her felt like a very real possibility and it terrified her. “You’ll resent me.”

“Of course I won’t,” he turned to her with such fierceness in his eyes she felt as if the sun had finally broke the cloud barrier after their long weak of rain. “I know why y’did it. But m’sad about it,” he grabbed her hand. “I trust you that it won’t happen again,” he kissed her knuckles. “M’sorry I was cold today. I jus’ never got t’process or tell you how it felt.”

Well, if it was worse than this moment--and she was sure that it wasn’t even a fraction of the anguish and hurt Harry felt at the time--then she didn’t want to ever make him feel that way again. Didn’t want to experience it herself in any manner—even if Harry very much deserved to make her feel the way she made him feel.

“Harry,” she repeated. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. Tongue-tied, confused, and unsure. Things she rarely felt since she had Rory because she couldn't. “I... I don’t know how to—”

“Kitten,” he squeezed her hand. “M’not mad. M’not going t’hold it against you. But I needed to tell you, so I don’t.”

“Harry,” she felt like a broken record.

“Beautiful,” he echoed in the same tone. “M’not mad,” he promised.

She crawled across the couch, curled in his lap and nuzzled against him in a way that a grown woman had no business to do. Tears stung behind her eyes and her breath felt shallow in her lungs. “I was an idiot,” she whispered hoping it would ease the ache, the fear she felt of losing Harry when she had only started to have him.

“Oh, kitten,” he cooed. “Y’might be the most intelligent woman I’ve ever met,” he assured her running his hand up and down her back. “I was mean today. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You should have punched me in the face.”

He chuckled. “Never in a billion years, love,” he brushed her hair out of her face. “You didn’t need t’do it, but I get it.”

“I didn’t. I shouldn’t have. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

“M’telling you, you don’t need to. I won’t behave poorly like I did today again.”

Her heart felt so broken--she was afraid to speak. Worried it would just come out in a mess of sobs that Harry would unfairly have to comfort. “I can’t even believe you’re apologizing for your behavior. It was my own doing.”

“Angel,” he kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose. “You did what you thought was best as a mum. M’never going t’fault you for that; just...” he smiled and shook his head. “Tell me beforehand next time, yeah?”

She snorted. “I won’t ever let there be a next time,” she vowed. He winked at her, cupped her face with his hands that she missed gently caressing her and touching her in between playing with Rory, all day long. Gently, he pressed his lips to hers to seal the promise.

--

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[communicationthroughlyrics]

There's No Hope In Endless Winter

Natasha has been gone on a long mission, so when she comes home, she just wants to spend time with you. But, you have news for her.

A/N: Yeahhhh, sorry bout this one- I also couldn't seem to come up with a decent summary sooooo...yeah. It's angsty and not really happy at all. Just kinda sad, all the way around.

TW: Panic/Anxiety, Depression, Reader has a medical emergency

Word Count: 4.5k

With a ghost-like silence, Natasha Romanoff floated into the bedroom of her shared New York apartment. It had been three long months since she had been on her no-contact S.H.I.E.L.D. mission, jetting her across the world to track and assassinate a major drug kingpin after infiltrating his cartel for vital information. She could hardly contain her excitement to see your face again, to feel the warmth of your body in her arms. The room was pitch-black, but even in the darkness, she could make out the familiar outline of their bed. You must have fallen asleep hours ago, presumably exhausted from your work as a personal trainer.

Natasha's muscles ached from the long flight and the countless hours of physical exertion during her mission. She stripped off her clothes, revealing her toned, scarred body, and crawled under the sheets. The bed's softness and the sheets' coolness felt like heaven after so many nights spent on hard mattresses, back seats, and cold floors. She snuggled in close to you, breathing in your familiar scent, and let out a contented sigh. Nat buried her face into the crook of your neck, causing you to sigh. Even though she knew that you were fast asleep, she couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and belonging in your shared space. 

Natasha being gone always sent your emotions in a spiral. The anxiety and panic that she felt on any given day only worsened as time went on. Your constant worry for your wife would typically result in you holed up in Natasha's room at the compound, drowning yourself in Natasha's clothes, burrowed into her bed until she returned. It was actions like this that had Wanda and Clint checking in with you regularly when they weren't on their missions.

It was one of these check-ins that finally forced a hand for you. Wanda had stopped by, worried because you, her best friend hadn't been responding to her messages or calls. When Wanda went to your gym, the manager said you had been canceling all your appointments. This was highly unlike you, as you had been known as a reliable, punctual trainer. Wanda's attention was piqued. 

"What do you mean, she's been canceling?" an incredulous tone came from the brunette.

"She hasn't shown up for any of her clients for the last week and a half," the manager said, shrugging helplessly. "I've tried calling her, but she never picks up. She left a note on her desk, and has called all her clients herself, telling them they can schedule with someone else."

"When was her last session?" Wanda probed further. 

"Monday," he stated flatly, as he was walking around wiping down some of the equipment. "She was training with one of her regulars and passed out. We sent her home after she refused to take an ambulance. We asked her to stay home for a couple of days, rest, and relax. Apparently, she needed more than that."

This concerned Wanda, so she decided to check on you. She thought you had been doing better in Natasha's absences. As she approached your room, she could hear the soft snores coming from within. Taking a deep breath, she carefully opened the door, revealing you curled up in a ball on the bed. Your usually neat hair was a messy tangle around your head, and you were wearing one of Natasha's oversized shirts. Seeing her friend like this tugged at Wanda's heartstrings.

"Hey Y/N," she whispered, stepping into the room. "You okay?"

You let out a soft groan but didn't stir. Wanda walked over to the bed and gently nudged you awake. "Hey, wakey, wakey. It's me, Wanda. Honey, what's wrong?"

You mumbled something incoherent before burying your face into the pillow, trying to block out the world. "I can't do this anymore," you finally manage to get out. "I miss her so much." 

Wanda sighed, rubbing your back in a comforting manner.

"I know you miss her, Y/N. We all do. But you can't let it consume you like this. You're not being fair to yourself. Natasha would want you to take care of yourself and be strong." Her voice was soft and gentle. "Look at you. You're not eating right, you're not sleeping, and you're not working out. You're not the Y/N I know."

You sighed, looking out the window to avoid the green orbs that were looking straight back at you. "I know," you curl into yourself further. "But, I need her here Wands. I'm scared and alone."

Wanda frowns, sitting down on the bed next to you. "You're not alone, Y/N. You've got all of us. We're your family. We're here for you." She reaches over and takes your hand, squeezing it. "You know that, right?"

You look over at her, your expression softening slightly. "Yeah, I know." You take a deep breath and wipe your eyes. 

"Now, Y/N. When was the last time you ate more than a protein bar or a banana?" Wanda asked, looking at the fruit peels in the trash and the wrappers on your nightstand. "Your boss told me you fainted at work."

You shrugged, "I'm not sure. A few days ago?"

Wanda rolled her eyes. "Okay, that's it. You're coming with me. We're going out to eat. You can't keep living off of protein bars and bananas. You need real food." She helped you up off the bed and led you to the bathroom to wash your face. 

"Wanda?"

"Yes?"

"I don't feel right."

"You're not feeling right because you're not eating right," Wanda replied, giving you a reassuring pat on the back. "Come on, let's get some food and then we can talk about how you're going to get back on track with your training. You're better than this, Y/N." She stops when she realizes that you're standing firm in the middle of your room. You look pale, eyes sunken in, and like you haven't been sleeping. 

"That's not what I mean, Wanda."

You took a deep breath, trying to gather your thoughts. "I feel...off. Not just because I'm not eating right. Something...else. It's like..." You trailed off, struggling to find the words.

Wanda placed a hand on your shoulder, her expression concerned. "Y/N, do you think you might be coming down with something? You seem to be feeling under the weather lately."

"Maybe," you mumble, rubbing your arm. "I don't know. It's just...weird."

"Tell me what your symptoms are, Y/N."

You sigh, trying to wrap your head around how you've been feeling of late. "It started when I was in the middle of a training session..." you started.

Wanda's eyes widened, "What? You kept going even when you didn't feel right?" You nodded, and her frown deepened. She led you back to the bed, so you could sit down.

"Do you have a fever?" she asked, feeling your forehead. You shook your head. "What about chills?" She glanced at the air conditioner, which was blowing cool air. "No, I guess not."

"Not a fever, but I've been getting terrible night sweats."

Wanda raised an eyebrow, "Night sweats? That's not good."

You shrugged, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze. "I'm just not myself, Wanda. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"What else have you been feeling?" she asked further, rubbing your knee comfortingly.

"My muscles ache all the time. And I'm just...tired." You yawned, rubbing your eyes. "Even when I sleep, I don't feel rested."

Wanda frowned. "This doesn't sound good. You should probably go see a doctor." She paused, looking at you with concern. 

"I'm scared, Wanda."

Wanda took your hand and squeezed it. "Hun, it's just a doctor's visit. It'll be ok." You shook your head, just wanting this conversation to be over. "You probably just caught a bug or something."

The next day, the two of you made your way to the doctor's office, where Wanda sat with you through the entire vitals process. The nurse turned to you after gathering some information and asked you if you wanted Wanda there during the following line of questioning.

"No, that's fine," you mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed. 

"So, what brings you in today? Your notes on the check-in sheet are pretty vague."

You took a deep breath, not sure where to begin. "Well, I've been feeling really tired lately. Like I can't sleep, even when I want to. And my muscles ache all the time. It's been going on for a few weeks now, and it's starting to get to me." the nurse jotted some things down, before allowing you to continue. 

"I have been feeling sluggish and sore for 2-3 weeks, I just thought it was me pushing my workouts too far at first."

The nurse nodded sympathetically and continued her questions. "Have you noticed any changes in your appetite or weight?" You hesitated for a moment, not wanting to admit to Wanda that you hadn't been eating right. "Well, I haven't been eating as much as I should have, but I don't think I've lost or gained any weight." The nurse made some more notes. "Well, Y/N, it does look like you have lost some weight since your last visit 4 months ago. Have you been experiencing any night sweats or fevers?"

You shook your head. "Just the sweats, but not as bad as they used to be." You glanced over at Wanda, who was looking at you with concern. "I've been feeling...off, you know? Just not myself."

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes," you stutter. Wanda's eyes shot up at this admission. "I was helping one of my clients use the pulldown machine, demonstrating what I wanted them to do." the nurse continued to take notes, indicating for you to go on. Wanda shifted in her seat as you continued. "I felt a grab in my underarm like I was using the machine wrong," you sighed. "The pain continued throughout the day, and wouldn't go away. I didn't think anything of it till I got home."

"And when you got home, what happened?" the nurse prompted.

"Well, I felt sore all over, but especially my chest, for some reason," you started, Wanda covering her mouth as you recounted what happened. "So, while I took a bath to try and loosen up, I checked both armpits to see if there was something I was missing. I kinda probed and kneaded at my underarms, and felt a large bump, here." you lifted your arm, indicating where you felt the lump.

"And what did the lump feel like?" the nurse asked, scribbling more notes.

"It wasn't hard or anything, but it was...different," you said, struggling to find the words. "It just didn't feel like the rest of my skin." You glanced at Wanda, who was looking at you with a mixture of shock and concern. "At first, I thought it was just a knot or something, but it's been there for days now, and it's not going away."

The nurse nodded, making some more notes. "I see. Well, I'm going to have the doctor look at this when we're done with your vitals. Just give me a call if there's anything else you think might be important."

As the nurse left the room, Wanda grabbed your hand and squeezed it tightly. "Oh, hun, I'm so sorry. I had no idea this was going on. Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't want to worry you," you replied, trying to keep your voice steady. "I thought it was just a knot or something. I didn't realize..." Your voice trailed off as you fought back tears.

The examination room door opened, and the doctor came in. "Y/N, hello," he said, offering his hand. "I understand you've been experiencing some discomfort. Why don't you tell me about it, and we'll see what we can do."

You related the story again, feeling embarrassed but relieved to have someone who seemed to take you seriously. The doctor listened carefully, nodding along, and then asked to feel the lump in your armpit. "Hmm...I'm going to need to get some tests done to determine what's going on here. In the meantime, I want you to rest as much as possible, and avoid any strenuous activity until we know more. Okay?"

"Okay," you replied, feeling a mix of relief and fear. 

The doctor gave you a reassuring smile. "We'll get to the bottom of this, don't worry. We're running your blood and plasma panels, and took a sample from the lump in your underarm." He stood, reaching out his cold hand for you to shake. "We'll run these preliminary tests, and call you with the results."

You nodded, still feeling a little uneasy. As you stood, the weight of the situation began to settle heavily in your chest. You glanced over at Wanda, who was rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms, clearly upset. "Are you okay?" you asked her.

"Honey, I should be asking you that," she offered you a weak smile, helping you out of the doctor's chair.

As you made your way out of the clinic, Wanda wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you close. "I'm going to be right here with you, okay? No matter what it is." You nodded, grateful for her support. 

"Wanda?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Is there really no way we can get a hold of Natasha?"

Wanda sighed, resting her head against yours. "I've been calling her all morning, but she hasn't answered. I even sent her a few texts, but when she goes no contact, that means no contact."

You nodded, understanding the unspoken rule. Even though you knew it was for her safety, it still hurt that you couldn't talk to her. You felt so alone like you were the only one going through this.

"I'm terrified, Wanda. I've never felt like this before."

Wanda hugged you tighter, her warmth offering some comfort. "I know, hon. I'm scared too. But we're going to get you through this. We'll find out what's wrong, and we'll fix it. You hear me?"

You nodded, forcing a small smile. "Yeah, I hear you. Thanks, Wanda."

**

The sun was starting to peek through the blinds when Natasha finally stirred. She pulled you in tighter, realizing you felt considerably thinner than she remembered. You were seemingly dead to the world, breathy snores coming from you as you tossed and turned. Natasha decided she would surprise you, so she quickly rose, kissing your forehead before running to the shower to clean up.

She knew she'd have to tread carefully when she emerged, but the anticipation of seeing your face light up was too much. As she dried her hair, she slipped on her tank top and shorts before padding over to the bed. You were still fast asleep, so she decided to head down to the kitchen, starting breakfast so you both could enjoy each other's company over a warm meal.

Coffee brewed, she laid out a spread of fruit, toast, and eggs. The scent of food wafting up the stairs drew you out of your slumber, unfortunately making your stomach churn. You wondered why Wanda was making you some food so early in the morning.

You padded into the kitchen, still half-asleep, and were greeted by the sight of Natasha, your Natasha, wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts, her hair still slightly damp from her shower. She smiled at you, a warmth spreading through your chest. "Good morning," she purred, leaning over to kiss your cheek. "I missed you, babe."

You returned her smile, albeit with an empty one. "Missed you too," you mumbled, reaching for the coffee pot. "Smells great." Natasha frowned at the lack of emotion from you, immediately becoming concerned.

She poured you a cup of coffee and set it in front of you, then sat down at the breakfast bar, watching you carefully. "Are you feeling okay, sweetheart? You don't look so well." You shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

Natasha frowned, not quite convinced. "You're sure you don't want to tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help." You looked up at her, feeling instantly guilty once you saw her expression.

"I'm sure it's nothing, really," You started. "I just...I had some tests done while you were gone."Her face softened as she reached across the counter to take your hand.

"What kind of tests, sweetheart?"

"I don't want to spring this on you right now, Nat. You just got home."

Natasha squeezed your hand gently. "You know you can tell me anything, babe. I'm here for you, through thick and thin." Her eyes pleaded with you to confide in her, and despite your best efforts to keep her out of the loop, you found yourself wanting to tell her everything.

"Okay," you finally said, taking a deep breath. "It's not something I want to talk about right now, but I will. Just...not today, okay?"

Natasha nodded, understanding that you needed time. "Okay, hun. Take your time. We can talk about it whenever you're ready. In the meantime, why don't we enjoy breakfast together? It's the least I can do while you're going through this."

"That's okay, Nat. I'm not very hungry. But you can have whatever."

She smiled, giving your hand a squeeze. "Are you sure? I made plenty."

You nodded, forcing a smile. "It looks great, though. Thanks, Nat." You worked your way slowly to the confines of your bedroom, stopping to look at your washed-out appearance. You were pale, your cheeks somewhat hallowed. The dark rings and bags under your eyes made you look like a member of the Addams family.

Natasha followed behind you, still in her tank top and shorts, concern etched into her features. "Do you want me to help you get ready for bed? Maybe take a nap with you?" she offered, her voice soft and gentle. You shook your head. "No, I just want to be alone for a bit. I'll be okay." She frowned, but nodded, knowing that these long missions were always rough for the both of you, and you often needed your own space. As you lay in bed, awaiting the call from your doctor, Natasha called Wanda.

"Hey Wands, it's me."

“Nat! Oh, my goodness it’s good to hear your voice, darling!” she started. “I bet Y/N is so glad to have you home.”

“Actually, Wanda, that’s why I’m calling.”

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line before Wanda replied, "Oh? Is everything alright?"

"Well, I wanted to check with you," Natasha began, taking a deep breath. "Y/N and I have been together for a long time, you know that. And we've been through our share of ups and downs. But something is going on right now that I feel she's not telling me, and I'm really worried about her."

There was a moment of silence on the line before Wanda spoke. "What makes you think that?" she asked, her voice gentle.

"I just know her," Natasha replied, her voice tight with worry. "She's not herself. She's distant, and I can tell she's not eating. It's like she's carrying a weight on her shoulders that I can't even begin to understand. I just want to help her, you know?"

Wanda was quiet for a moment, considering her words. "I understand where you're coming from, Natasha."

"I feel like there's a 'but' coming, Max."

"Because there is, Romanoff."

Natasha winced at the use of her last name. She knew Wanda could be annoying that way, but it still hurt sometimes. "I know Y/N doesn't want me to know or worry right now, but I need to help her. I'm her partner, her support. I can't just stand by and watch her suffer in silence."

There was a long pause on the line before Wanda finally spoke. "I understand that, Natasha. You're a good friend and a good wife. And I know you'll do whatever you can to help her through this." Her voice softened. "But I also want you to understand that this might not be the best time to push her. She's been through a lot, and she needs some time to process everything on her terms."

Natasha sighed, a deep pit forming in her stomach at the thought of what could be going on. "Wanda?" A silence followed before a hum indicated Natasha to continue. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Oh, you know," Wanda replied lightly, her tone belied by the worry in her voice. "The usual. Just the constant threat of nuclear war, a power-hungry megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur, and a team of highly skilled operatives trying to keep the world safe while balancing their personal lives."

"Wanda, that's not what I meant."

"I know, Nat. I'm just trying to make light of a very serious situation. Y/N's been keeping a lot of things bottled up. She needs time to process everything, and I think she's afraid that talking to you will make it all real. She needs you to be supportive, but she also needs her space."

There was another silence on the line before Natasha spoke. "I understand. I'll give her time, but I'm here for her whenever she's ready."

"That's all you can do, Natasha. That means a lot to her, I know it. And if there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks, Max."

Wanda's voice was soft, bidding Nher a good day. Natasha could hear the genuine concern behind it. She knew that Wanda would be there for her and Y/N, even if she wasn't always the most subtle about it. They were both so different, but they had been through so much together. They had become a family of sorts, even though they were all from different worlds.

Natasha took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. She couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness, like she was floating in the dark, searching for a lifeline. But she knew that she had to be strong for Y/N, even when she felt like she was about to crumble herself. Setting her phone on the counter, she put away all the food before heading towards the living room, sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee, contemplating what you could possibly need to tell her. After what felt like hours, she went to the bedroom, gently knocking on the door.

"Hun, do you mind if I come in?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. There was a pause, and then she heard the click of the door opening. Natasha stood in the doorway, taking in your eyes red and puffy from crying.

"I, uh... I was just about to take a nap. Do you want to join me?" You asked, your voice barely above a whisper. She walked over to the bed and sat down gently beside you.

"I would love to, sweetheart," she breathed deeply, reaching her arm around your shoulders. "But first, I need to know that you're okay." The statement makes your heart clench, knowing that you are worrying Natasha after such a long and strenuous mission when she should be relaxing and enjoying her time with you.

"I'm... I'm as okay as I can be, I guess," you mumble, your voice still hoarse from earlier sobs. "It's just... a lot, you know? A lot to process." Natasha nods, pulling you closer as she wraps both arms around you.

"Darling, what is a lot to process?" Natasha's voice was soft, almost tentative, and you could feel her heart beating against your back as she held you close. You took a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves before speaking. You were spinning your cell phone in your hands, nervous to tell your wife what happened while she was gone. 

"Let me start at the beginning, Nat." you lay your head on Natasha's shoulder, ready to detail all that led up to your phone call this morning.

As you speak, Natasha holds you close, occasionally kissing the top of your head or running her fingers through your hair to offer comfort. She listens intently, her expression shifting between surprise, confusion, concern, and anger as you recount the events that unfolded while she was gone.

When you finish, there's a long silence as Natasha processes the information. You can feel her heart racing in her chest, and she seems to be struggling to find the right words. Finally, she takes a deep breath and says, "Oh, sweetheart." Her voice is full of empathy and understanding, but there's also a note of worry. "What did the doctors say was the result of your tests?"

Your eyes tear up, as your lip quivers. You get up and go to stand across the room from your wife, afraid to let her see you so vulnerable, so weak. "I have breast cancer, Nat."

Natasha's face falls, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Oh, Y/N," she whispers, taking a step toward you. "My baby, I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you." Tears begin to stream down her face, and she reaches out to hold you, but you flinch, taking another step back. "I'm here for you. No matter what. I love you, and I'm here to help you through this. In sickness and in health, remember?"

You shake your head, feeling overwhelmed. "I just... I don't know how to do this. How am I supposed to fight this? And what about us? What about our future?" Your voice breaks on the last word, and you sink down to the floor, buried in a ball, unable to hold back the sobs that have been building inside you since you first heard the news.

Natasha rushed to your side, quickly scooping up your body and holding you impossibly close. "Honey, our future isn't in question. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," she whispered into your hairline, kissing it.

"But, what happens if you get sent out on a mission again? What happens if you don't come back to me, Natasha? I can't do this without you."

Natasha's arms tightened around you, holding you as close as she possibly could. "Y/N, you are my whole world. I would never abandon you. You are my priority, now more than ever. We will get through this together. No matter what. I promise." She paused, taking a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. "I know it's scary right now, but we'll find the best doctors, we'll get the best treatment. And we'll fight this together. You're stronger than you know, and I'm right here by your side, supporting you every step of the way."

You sniffled, wiping your nose on your sleeve, and leaned into her embrace. "I'm scared, Natasha. I don't want to leave you. I don't want to leave us."

Natasha pressed her lips to your forehead, her breath warm against your skin. "I know it's hard, baby. But you're not going to leave me. You're going to fight this, and we're going to fight it together. We're going to beat it, okay? She held you there for what felt like an eternity, rocking you gently back and forth. "We're going to fight this together, you and me. We're going to be strong, and we're going to get through this. I promise you, Y/N.“

READ PT. 2 HERE

[strawberrymilk-sunshine]

One more tomorrow, with you.

Hi. Sorry if this isn't good, it's 4 in the morning.

Warning(s): None really. This isn't yandere, and there's not really any other content I feel needs a warning. It is a bit angsty though.

Isn't it fun?

Being friends with one of the scariest people in the school had its benefits. Nobody dared mess with you, because they knew what he would do to them.

Why is Floyd so nice to you? You'd never know.

Especially not with how everything turned out.

"(Y/N)!" Some faceless classmate called your name. "I was wondering if I could practice a spell on you?"

"Oh... sure, I guess." You were unsure. You didn't want this, but you couldn't say no for some reason. Perhaps it was fate?

"Thanks. It's nothing too bad, don't worry. It's just a very simple, and very weak, time travel spell." Your classmate explained. "It'll send you one minute into the future. You'll be a bit disoriented, but nothing too bad will happen."

One minute...

A lot can happen in only one minute.

"...alright, do it."

You didn't want to agree. You felt like something was going to go wrong... but, you couldn't stop yourself from agreeing.

Your classmate pointed their magic pen at you... but just at that moment-

"Heyyyyy, what's going on here~?" A very familiar voice chimed in, as a certain someone placed his hands on your shoulders. "You threatening my little cleaner shrimp here??"

"Ah, no, don't worry, Floyd." You told him. "It's nothing major, he's just gonna test out a spell on me."

"Mmmmhh... well, it's probably nothin' good, knowing how people like to treat you... whatever you do to 'em, you do to me, alright?" Floyd asked, trying to threaten your classmate.

Floyd's threat probably worked... which could have been why your classmate messed up so severely.

They were worried about messing up. Worrying about messing up leads to concentrating on the spell even more, perhaps accidentally making it more powerful...

The spell was only supposed to send you one minute in the future, and yet...

When the light cleared...

Nothing was there anymore.

You and Floyd were met with a wasteland.

Crumbly old rocks were all around... perhaps the ruins of what was once NRC.

"...where the hell are we-?"

You remember Floyd was confused. You were too, obviously, you were only meant to find yourself one minute in the future, not... whenever you are now.

You were both panicked and confused, of course... everything (and presumably everyone) you ever knew was just... gone.

...

Floyd helped you through it.

Oh, Floyd... he either didn't care at all, or was simply very good at hiding his emotions.

On the incredibly rare occasion that he did open up to you... you were there for him, like he was for you. Or at least, you'd like to think you were.

It's a strange thing, knowing you'll be the last person to ever do something.

It's like when you throw a rock into the ocean. You don't think about it for the most part... but then, every now and again, you'll look at that rock you're about to throw... and you'll realize you're probably the last human who will ever see that rock. But then, you throw it anyways... because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter that you're the last person to walk on this world.

You made footsteps in the sand with him as you two walked through the endless wasteland, through a strange field of gigantic stone spikes...

As you walked through this field... through this wasteland... it was hard to stay alive.

There wasn't any food around, and there wasn't any water...

Floyd would one day revert and suffocate, and you would one day starve.

There wasn't anything the two of you could do about it... but that was okay. You were at peace with it.

...

Was he?

Was Floyd at peace with it?

You never actually asked him.

Would anything have changed... if you were there for him, just as he was there for you?

Could something have changed?

...probably not.

On that final day, as you succumbed to your starvation, that was the only thing you could properly think about.

Your regrets.

Nothing else, just regrets.

Then, you woke up.

You woke up in a hospital bed.

And that was when you realized you weren't hungry, it didn't hurt to breathe, you weren't subjected to the relentless heat and cold.

None of that ever happened.

None of that ever existed.

...

Floyd never existed.

But if that's true, why do you still feel such regret for not being there for him as he was for you?

[oldbookist]

how to make readers think you're an expert on 19th century france

or quick and dirty tricks for writing canon era, because sometimes you just need a convincing historical backdrop for your angsty one shot.

Be specific about your time period! It may seem counterintuitive, but picking a specific year for your fic to take place in actually makes the research part easier. Even if the year isn't relevant at all to the plot and won't be mentioned. Let's say I need to add a political debate to my fic for plot purposes, but I've got no clue what to make them argue about. I'll pick 1828 as my year. I can just pull up the Wikipedia page for "1828 in France" and under "Events" it tells me that there was a new prime minister that year. Wikipedia says he was a more moderate royalist that replaced an ultra-royalist...a perfect topic for debate!

In fact, want to sound really knowledgeable? Sure, you could always have your characters complain about the king, but consider having them talk about the prime minister instead. (eg. Down with Polignac!) The ministers and their governments were powerful but not usually long-lasting or especially popular during this time period. Presumably, Enjolras hated all of them.

...and if you do mention the king, be specific! Louis XVIII, Charles X, or Louis-Philippe? Again, this is easily done by simply knowing what year it is.

Just talking about "The Cause" or "Revolution" (generic) makes it sound like you don't quite know exactly what you're talking about. Luckily, even if that's true, there's an easy fix. Use "the Republic" instead. (That's what "The Cause" is, and what the "Revolution" is for.) Also, unless they're actively revolutioning, it's generally better to refer to Les Amis as "republicans" instead of "revolutionaries," as republicanism is their actual political ideology.

The July Revolution of 1830 is a thing that happened. This is a useful event to reference. Use it to your advantage.

Just namedrop! Look up some operas or books that came out that year. Find some French Romantic authors Prouvaire could be reading. I'll admit it, I'm easily impressed when a fic references Lamartine or Hernani or whatever.

Don't use the word "homosexual." Didn't exist yet. Also, sodomy was decriminalized during the French Revolution...it's a whole complicated thing, but it is not illegal in our time period.

Make them do activities other than writing pamphlets? Writing pamphlets is a time-honored staple of canon era fic. Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t occasionally branch out. Some suggestions: recruitment, mutual aid, posting bail, gathering arms and ammunition, also Les Amis are outwardly a society for “the education of children”!

This is obviously not an exhaustive guide to writing canon era. You might notice that much of this advice boils down to “be more specific,” which is really the trick to seeming knowledgeable. The more specific you can be, the better it’s going to sound. If you do want to do more in-depth research, check out my resource collection!

[genericpuff]

(disclaimer, this is coming from a heartstopper fan! i love heartstopper this is not hate!!)

i think at least part of the annoyance with heartstopper isn't just that isn't a light fluffy ya series, it's also that its another example of how the queer media that gets the most mainstream attention tends to be this kind of light fluffy ya stuff that focuses on two conventially attractive queer boys or men and it also tends to be written by people who aren't queer men on top of that, so not only can it feel very samey but it can feel like other queer people are relegated to side characters in the stories of cis gay men. and as someone who loves heartstopper i get that on some level.

btw by "written by people who aren't queer men" NOT saying that isn't not written by queer people. alice oseman is genderfluid and aroace, becky albertalli is bisexual, etc. and while i think the point is still valid there is a misogyny element in that a lot of the focus is put on things that are written by women or people they perceive as women while tumblr darlings like good omens and ofmd (written by presumably straight men) don't get the same treatment.

nah y'know what, that's fair, I can get how frustrating it can be for a lot of popular queer stories to feel samey, I've definitely gotten BL-fatigue in the past on platforms like WT and Tapas because many of them ARE the same and feel like they're just piggybacking off trends for the sake of clout (and this is a problem in the heterocis romance stories too, don't get me fucking started on how dark romance has turned into torture porn where vulnerable women are constantly being victimized by rich powerful men and we're just supposed to root for that ??), but it's one of those things where like, what might be seen as just more corny shit could very well be the revelation another person needs that they're gay / trans / etc. that the story helped them realize. there's just a point where i see these arguments against cheesy popular queer stories that teeter dangerously close to being queerphobic and, as you said, misogynist, simply because "it was written by someone who i perceive as a woman so that makes it BAD!"

and I didn't mention it in the original post because I didn't want to @ OP in any way but in the comment section they literally said "i dont think heartstopper itself is all that bad but it has pretty much aimed the direction of all mainstream gay comics towards wholesomeness instead of anything more interesting so i want to destroy heartstopper to destroy heartstopper clones" and that gives me massive ick because it implies their sole reasoning for including it was "chill and happy queer stories bad, if a character doesn't suffer enough then they're not interesting"?? why can't LGBTQ+ audiences have more 'vanilla' stories that aren't all sad and angsty all the time? are we not entitled to the same corny romcom vanilla shit that the heterocis are entitled to? why do LGBTQ+ characters - and by extension, people - have to suffer to qualify as being 'interesting'? You're already interesting, you're you! like i'm sorry, are we trying to scare people straight??? 😭 shit, that's even a plot point that's touched on in Heartstopper itself where Nick is questioning his sexuality and he starts googling shit and it's just ALL the terrifying news stories of queer kids being ostracized / bullied / murdered / etc. and as much as it's important to be aware of the ongoing issues so we can keep fighting for our rights, we ALSO need to find balance and remember to celebrate the stories that AREN'T that because we need something to be hopeful for, something we can find peace in. I don't think Heartstopper is some deeply profound piece of work, but it also doesn't seem like it's trying to be? It's a low stakes celebration of the LGBTQ+ experience that's very warm and comforting, especially for those who are the same ages as the main characters who are often being persuaded by the grown-ups around them that it's a death sentence to be gay / trans / etc.

and it's not like we HAVEN'T had popular pieces of queer representative media that explored things outside of cheesy BL, like are we forgetting about Nimona which explored both the gay and genderfluid experience in a very accessible and fun way while still being mature and not pandering to its audience over how society has made monsters out of queer people?

(and even then I'm sure there are folks who would argue "actually, here are the issues with Nimona" , and that's fine tbh, we can like media and appreciate what it brings to the table while also discussing what it lacks in, such as what we're doing now with Heartstopper! progress is a never-ending journey!!)

and also okay, not me trying to be argumentative in the slightest BUT I don't really get the argument that 'other queer people' are being sidelined for the main characters? unless there's something I'm missing here lol (I will apologize for that because it's admittedly been a while since I've re-read Heartstopper so I should probably go do that to refresh myself on it). like i say that in the sense that Heartstopper is clearly meant to be about two gay male teenagers. just like how Nimona is about a shapeshifter who is not a girl or a boy (they're Nimona!) and a gay man who are both trying to change the system that's other'd them for years for the better. that is the story Heartstopper is trying to tell and it achieves that. it also has a trans character plotline that I could see people arguing feels sidelined but I think there's a massive difference between 'sidelining' and just having a B plot ? my honest take with that is not every piece of representative media is going to be able to cover every single topic, it's just not doable for one piece of media to be a monolith for everything, the same as how one person can't be a monolith for an entire community of people. BUT that doesn't mean works like Heartstopper and Nimona can't inspire others to also lend their voices into the medium and create that representation that's needed. That's why we need ✨variety✨ and Heartstopper is part of that variety by offering a more vanilla cutesy story full of good vibes for people who want that sort of thing.

IDK, I think there's just a lot of nuance that's being missed in that poll, and in the difference between Heartstopper inspiring more people to write happy cozy BL stories vs. implying that it's had an actual negative influence on modern art and media in the same way that series like Homestuck and LO have to the point that people think it needs to be destroyed, like wtf LOL Like they're not even comparable IMO and a lot of the arguments I see people making about why it is just feel a little backwards, and those arguments obfuscate the real issue which is just "popular thing is popular and people like to piggyback off popular shit". That's a fact for basically any niche and genre, these trends come and go. Even if the whole cutesy BL trend passes one day (which it will) it'll be replaced by something else that people will also inevitably find samey and boring after a while. This is not a concept that's unique to LGBTQ+ media, it's universal.

Balance is important and I think finding that balance is as much a responsibility on the shoulders of the consumer as it is on the creator. And I don't think Heartstopper deserves to be put into the same camp as stories like LO which literally straightwashes its canonically queer characters and gives those queer identities to nothingburger characters who are easy to shoo out of the plot to make way for the heterocis ones (while still parading itself around like it's actually 'queer rep' which... it really isn't.) Like all three of the comics in that poll are vastly different, serving different audiences, with different goals and intentions. It's comparing apples to oranges to pineapples.

The worst Heartstopper has to offer is just a low stakes plot that might not appeal to everyone or feel 'samey' which yeah, valid, but in the grander sense of whether or not it's had a negative effect on queer media just for being... cheesy? And inspiring other people to write stories like it? I don't get the argument, it feels like it's severely missing the point of what we're fighting for here - to live happy little unbothered lives - but that's just me ╮(￣ω￣;)╭ I'm definitely not trying to be a dick about it in any way and I don't want anyone to think I'm not open to the opposing points here, I do agree with you on the oversaturation of samey BL stories, but it just rose some massive red flags to see Heartstopper next to frigging Homestuck and Lore Olympus LOL

[dorylinae-supremacy]

Tags: Dark SBI, dark Phil, dark Techno, royalty au, memory loss, implied character death, he doesnt die though, skrunkly Techno, Wilbur is in here just a heads up, just the character though, fuck the real guy, this is full of brainrot, you get the vibes as you read, its like 1K minimum I think

AU where Techno is a prince who gets kidnapped by political rivals.

Obviously, they know theyre gonna get caught. All they can do is cause as much damage as possible to the family before theyre caught and inevitably killed.

So they wipe the princes memory and toss him out on the streets. The blood prince, famous for his violence and cruelty, reduced to a confused wreck with no idea of who or where he is.

Anyway so they're caught and die with the knowledge of wherever they dumped Techno so the entire nation is just on a massive search party.

Tech is presumed dead because there is literally 0 universe where he wouldnt immediately make himself known to his family and that just makes Phil even darker when it comes to keeping his last remaining kid safe.

(I'm thinking Tommy so there can be some dark clingy Tommy action later on)

I think Wil eventually bumps into Tech and is confused on why theres just some random guy on his own in his bakery with like no clue how to do anything.

So he takes him in.

Not really intentionally at first but he gives him a place to stay because he's lonely and he'd feel bad if anything happened to Techno but they get along really well and become attached.

Obviously that means stuff has to go wrong but before that I'm thinking there are a few moments where Techno vaguely remembers stuff from who he was and just doesn't know what to do with it.

Maybe Wilbur braids his hair a certain way and it feels so familiar and somewhere in his mind he just knows that someone did this for him before.

Meanwhile Phils in the castle all sad because he misses braiding Technos hair every morning.

But maybe he also sees some kids playing and being mischevious and he feels so fond but has no clue why. The kids push each other around and mimic sword fights and he thinks he can remember knowing a kid who did the exact same but never being able to really grasp it.

He just misses people who he doesn't know and cant describe and he gets very skrunkly about it because clearly no ones been looking for him so obviously they didn't care about him as much as he did them.

But he gets very close with Wilbur and maybe Wil leaves to go off and get something so Techno mans the bakery while he's gone.

Thats when Niki comes in. Maybe Ranboo dragged her in or something because they've heard nothing but good review but either way they walk into some random bakery and just see the fucking crown prince working as the casheir.

The same crown prince that has been presumed dead for months and has had an entire funeral thrown for him already.

Techno is obviously very confused when they start asking him where he's been and what he's doing there but doesnt exactly get a say in anything as he's dragged out the shop and put on the first carriage back to the palace.

There's obviously a reunion that only makes Phil even darker because his baby doesn't fucking recognise him and barely lets him touch him so he's torn between playing nice and letting Tech come to him and just crushing his son in his arms and never letting him go.

He finds an odd in between where he tries so hard to be patient like a spider in a web but he misses his sonboy and occasionally slips up real bad which freaks Techno out.

He also tries to give all the things Techno used to love. People to kill, gold, weapons etc, but none of it really works. All Techno wants is the only comfort he's had since he woke up confused and lost.

Wilbur.

Meanwhile Wilburs being angsty because he got supper attached to Tech and thinks he just wandered too far but no ones seen him so he's just really sulky and sad.

Techno really was just kinda his emotional support buddy / pseudo brother so now he's dealing with just so many abandonment issues and he's worried sick that Techno could be sick or hurt somewhere and just as confused as when he found him.

That is until the fucking emperor himself turns up at his door and demands to know what Wilbur did to his son.

Wil is terrified and genuinely has no clue what is going on but rambles like everything he knows anyway. Phils pretty unconvinced but gestures for the guards to bring in Tech and Tech practically crushes Wil in the strength of a hug.

They both just immediately break down because they were so worried and scared for each other (brothers <3) and Phil really gets to see exactly how much Technos changed.

His memory is gone, there's no real way to recover it so in a way his son did die but Phil is bitter and possessive and he won't lose him twice so he keeps him anyway.

Maybe he decides that Tech is still Tech and clearly some of his personality has stayed so there's totally a way he can just rebuild him into who he used to be, or at least as close as he can get.

He tries to drag Techno away because he's very bitter about his son (who's been basically terrified of him) hugging some stranger meanwhile he literally mourned him for months.

Techno obviously doesn't take well to almost getting dragged away and says that if he really is Phils son and he's as indulgent as he says he is then he'll let him keep Wilbur.

Everyone is shocked by this and Wil is not happy with it but Techno still has that dark streak in him despite now also being skrunkly so he cuts off any argument and basically calls Phils bluff.

Phil tries talk Tech out of things but Technos obviously super adamant about keeping his new bestie so Phil just sighs and glares at Wil like the entire way back to the castle.

Maybe he also hoards Techno away too and says that since he's indulged him once today, Tech has to pay with nest time (something he's been avoiding a tonne) and its very dark and fluffy later.

I'm not sure where the AU goes after this but its probably a lot of family bonding where Wil is slowly assimilated against his will and Techno regains some part of him that was removed when he got his mind wiped.

There's probably some very sweet moments where Phil and Techno maybe share a piano and Tech slowly remembers the tune that they first did and obviously theres lots of bonding with Tommy where he asks Techno to 'put on a show' and swordfight for him and Tech slowly regains some muscle memory on that front.

[fanaticsnail]

snsjsjw I'm literally in love with you 💕. The law comment makes me wanna add lore to this universe lol. Like I made some background comments about how Sanji and Zoro were exes in this universe but it would be so fun to add more.

Feel like if we were to add a 3rd in this relationship, it would be Ace, but under specific circumstances. Because like I said about the "vibes", these two are absolutely the hot couple in the corner of the bar eyeing up every other hot person they see.

Finally a business proposal:

https://imgflip.com/i/8t92nf

I'm normal about this plot (lying). (This is a joke btw, absolutely no pressure)

-♡♡ lots of love

Ace as the third with a Sanji Poly (after hunting at Zoro with the training kendo stick), I'm on my knees. Ace has that flirty rizz, it'd be almost impossible for Sanji to keep up without a hand to hold through it all 💀.

Law is so unhinged, and I adore him. But his daddy...

Oh my gosh, your business proposal is perfectly acceptable. However, I have a counter offer:

I am not normal about the au. I have written so many starts for it, but I don't know truly how angsty to lean into it.

Whether it starts:

In the snow, alone and Rosinante heavily bleeding out while you're being dragged by your hair by Doflamingo away from the man you love (I have written this, and it hurts). Imprisoned for 10 years, remaining blissfully ignorant that the snow slowed Rosi's heart and aids picked him up. You are also a marine. (Established relationship)

Lying beside him and actively attempting to stop the bleeding while Doflamingo continues to unload his clip into you as punishment for betraying him. You didn't know Rosinante was a marine, you're feeling just as betrayed as Doflamingo is, but you care for Rosinante regardless. Doflamingo finds your love as weakness, and chooses to cull that from his crew. (No established relationship)

Have it be a hasty snap awake from presumably death, waking and seeing your "son" as a grown man. You were not a marine, but you were made aware when you caught Rosinante once. He traded you compassion and friendship for your silence. (Established friendship and raising the teenage Law together. Mutual pining)

The themes I want to include:

It's gonna hurt, you know. It's not gonna be happy the whole time. What way are you leaning? Either way, it's gonna rip my heart out in the first bit before we get to the "idiots in love" and "the heart pirates ship these two idiots in love".

Gif source: Pocahontas 1995, Sinbad 2003.

[azaliyas]

summary : being a vampire wasn't easy, and it was even harder to hide your true nature from your lover. but secrets aren't mean to be hidden forever.

word count : [ to be added later ]

genre : angsty, suggestive in some points, curses.

cw / tw : vampire!reader, depictions of blood and dead animals, mentions of presumed infidelity (there is none dw).

characters : cyno, diluc, heizou.

01:57 am, moonlight night.

it had been a while since your last meal. a true one, the only that could really satiate your stomach, because despite the delicious foods and tasty drinks your lover would usually feed you, they did nothing to fulfill your true needs. luckily you didn't need to go hunt that often, once a week could do just fine, but right now you were on your eighth day, practically starving.

you couldn't take it anymore and decided to finally slip out, away from the gentle embrace of your warm lover, leaving him alone in the large bed of your shared home. he never noticed you go out at night, and you were more than sure that he wouldn't that night too.

you never thought so wrong.

after changing in a much more proper attire than your pyjamas, opting for an all-black outfit to let the shadows of the night hide you, you jumped out of the window and went into the forest.

you have always disliked the thought of hurting animals, but you were absolutely against the possibility of feeding off of humans; unwilling ones at least. your clan had strict rules about this, but you didn't have the heart to lure and play with poor innocents just because you needed to drink. plus, animals were the base of almost all meals for a reason.

a bunch of wild animals were sitting around the roots of a large tree, some snoozing and others ruminating the green grass. you ignored the smaller ones, too little blood, but locked your gaze on the two biggest. they would have been more than enough, perhaps giving you the chance to go on even for two weeks before your next hunt.

you hid behind a tree not too far away from the little beasts, eyes targeting the biggest two. you felt your fangs poking your bottom lip, which you licked in anticipation. your breath hitched in your throat, fingers clawed, ready to jump on your preys.

a bolt was all it took to you to ground the targets, the others running away deeper in the forest as you snapped the two animals' necks, ending their suffering as quick as it started. there was no point in letting those poor beasts endure more pain than necessary.

you didn't waste any more time and sank your fangs in the first animal's body, sucking its blood quickly to satiate your thirst. the thick liquid felt ecstatic sliding down your throat, a satisfied hum leaving your lips as the limp body fell from your grip, all of its blood gone.

a trail of fresh blood dribbled from your lips down to your chin, red staining your fangs and painting your lips in a nice shade that made the best lipsticks in commerce pale. you were ready to sank your teeth in the second prey when, suddenly, footsteps reached your ears. panicked, your head snapped behind your back, only to see the last person you wanted to witness that state of yours: your lover.

cyno

cyno had suspected you were hiding something from him for a while. of course, being the general mahamatra meant nothing could go past his prying eyes. everything and nothing had his gaze on it, making it difficult for something to escape him knowing about it. however, you did manage to escape, and he was surprised. he thought that, being you his lover, meant he was the person that knew you better, except for your closed family that you held in high regard.

but cyno couldn't stand the thought of you hiding something from him. however, he decided to take his time with it, patiently collecting evidence after evidence after understanding that you wouldn't have told him anything had he asked you. you were incredibly stubborn and that was something that he both despised and admired about you. it was part of the charm that bewitched him and lured him into your arms.

he started noticing you regularly left your shared bed, at night, once a week or so, usually leaving one hour or two after midnight, always coming back in a couple of hours. you would dress in dark clothes but would bring nothing with you, not even a weapon. you would come back with the scents of the forest lingering on you, lightly, but his keen senses could smell it nonetheless. and then he would smell the blood, that would have him slightly widen his eyes. however, during your moments of intimacy, he couldn't see any wound on your body. so, where did the smell of blood come from?

he went to tighnari in search of answers to his questions, but not even the forest watcher could help him, except for a very simple advice: to follow you. only by following you wherever you would go into the forest he would have gotten the so much needed answers he wanted to know. but he needed to be careful, he knew you weren't a fool, a single mistake and you would have driven him away from whatever you were hiding from him.

before leaving tighnari back to his duties, cyno asked a question the forest watcher deemed to be the strangest his long-time friend ever asked him: how much blood could a human lose without dying?

✧

tonight was the ideal one to follow you and finally uncover your secret. cyno waited for ten minutes before getting up and quickly change, jumping out of the window like you did and easily tracking you down. it was his job, a piece of cake for the fearsome mahamatra.

you were fast, but he was faster, and so quiet you didn't notice him. or perhaps you were so focused on whatever task you had in mind that you didn't check twice your surroundings? who knew, but it worked for him, so that was fine.

cyno hid behind a tree not too far away from you, but close enough to keep a clear eye on you. he didn't understand why you were targeting boars when you had no weapons on you, how were you thinking of taking them down? yet he stayed still, curious about your next move... he didn't expect it to be jumping straight onto the poor animals, that's for sure.

his scarlet eyes widened in bewilderment seeing you sinking your face, your teeth, in the poor animal. he couldn't believe his theory about you being a vampire was correct. he only thought of it as a joke, but archons, he was right! however, his shock soon died down as the thought of letting you know about his presence came to his mind.

he stepped out of his hiding spot, calling your name in the soft tone that was reserved to you only. seeing you snap your head back and widen your eyes in pure shock had him realise how much right he was, with the blood dripping down your chin and onto the ground.

he noticed you going pale at his sight, figure frozen on the ground, mouth agape in panic. he took a few steps closer before you reacted, and just as he was about to kneel to meet your gaze, you kicked back, both exposing yourself in the state you were and putting some distance between you two.

«you're a predator, yet you're afraid of me?» he asked you, crossing his arms, scoffing at your reaction.

you, on the other hand, were in the middle of two emotions: shock and disbelief. shock because your boyfriend just uncovered your secret, disbelief because he seemed untouched by it. for abyss' sake, you were a vampire! he witnessed you hunting! drinking blood! and wasn't batting an eye!

«how- h-how... why the hell are you so calm?!» you managed to stutter out, sitting on the cold ground, still unable to believe your eyes. you knew cyno had a cool temper, but bloody hell, everyone else would be losing their nuts about such a discovery! but no, not him, the almighty general mahamatra didn't seem he could care less about his partner being a vampire.

«mhh, that's a question i'm not sure about how to answer, because i don't know it either. maybe because, despite witnessing your true nature, all i can see is my loving partner.» these words flew out of his mouth with such kindness they almost had you cry. almost. however, all you did was drop your jaw on the ground.

seriously, did this idiot had any sense of danger, or did his job dull it? you couldn't think about it much, because the smell of your dead meal reached your nostrils, and your appetite made itself clear to you again. you cleared your throat and looked away from your boyfriend, eyes again on your prey.

«we can talk about it later, i need to finish my meal first.» you told him coldly, already moving towards the boar, when his arm stopped you. your eyes locked onto his tanned limb, the smell of his sweet blood reaching your nostrils. you had human blood rare times, but they had been enough to let you know it was far more superior than animal's.

somehow, cyno noticed your gaze, and read it all too well for your tastes, because his arms soon found themselves around your waist, pulling him closer to his figure that was now towering over you. his gaze met yours, red in red as his lips parted to let him speak.

«feed off me. human blood surely is better than animal one, right?» he told you, and you could only nod. he was right, human blood was the best, and only archons knew how much you craved it.

«it hurts.» you whispered on his skin, face in the crook of his neck, lips brushing against his skin in light kisses, trying to find his pulse.

«doesn't matter.» he murmured, soft sighs leaving his lips at your kisses. he then felt two pointy things on his skin, and he knew it was coming. he didn't talk, just pushed your head closer as permission.

just as you said, it hurt. it hurt when your fangs sank in his skin, in his vein. it hurt feeling his blood leaving his body to course down your throat, yet he couldn't help but enjoy the moment so much a soft moan left his lips. you, on the other hand, moaned as soon as the first drop fell on your tongue. archons, did you miss such wonderful taste- but it was even better now, drinking from your lover. your hand reached for his head, pulling on his hair to bend his head backwards, so you could have more space. he let you do, his own hands busy in gripping on your hips.

since human blood could satiate better than animal one, you needed only a few sips before you pulled away, thrist finally quenched. cyno witnessed you licking your fangs and lips with satisfaction, cleaning them of any residual blood of his. he felt his head light and a bit dizzy, but overall he was fine.

«think you can stop hunting down wild boars?» he questioned, arms still secured around you.

let's say that, after that night, the wild boars population went increasing — and so did your relationship and your intimate life with the general mahamatra.

diluc ragnvindr

being in a relationship with diluc meant having the eyes of all the citizens of mondstadt on you. he was the uncrowned king of the nation: make it because of his lineage, because of his business, or just for his good looks. and for how much you loved him, you hated the attention because it made it hard to go hunting without risking to get caught, your secret getting exposed. and then who knew what those aristocratic bastards would have said about you, taking inspirations from all the bullshit myths about vampires and their hypnotic powers.

despite that, you always managed to get away with your late night hunting sessions, the entirety of mondstadt unaware. well, except for diluc, who had his fair share of questions about what you went doing every week after leaving the manor. even if his duties as the darknight hero had him away most of the nights, the few ones he would spend sleeping by your side had him noticing your weekly absences. but protecting the city had him busy, so he tasked adelinde to witness your leaving and returning, informing him the following day.

that night you thought that, with diluc busy in mondstadt for a night patrol, you could sneak away unnoticed, because you never knew adelinde had her eye on you. nor you knew diluc was awaiting for you lurking in the shadows, eager to follow you and witness whatever you were hiding from him.

the wine tycoon didn't have to wait much because, as punctual as usual, there you were, jumping out of the window of the first floor, totally unfazed. and to say you didn't look as trained as you clearly were. your lover underestimated you, it seemed. nonenthless, that didn't matter much. he waited for you to put some distance between you two before he started following you, always stepping behind trees while you ran through them, jumping with such agility. how much were you exactly hiding? he thought you were clumsy and stiff, but again, he was wrong.

you went all the way down to brightcrown canyon, one of your favourite hunting spots. many wild boars would gather there, giving you plenty of choice regarding the size of your prey. diluc noticed that as well, but he couldn't understand why you were targeting boars; adelinde told him you never brought a weapon with you, so what were you thinking?

he didn't have much time to search for an answer because you jumped on the boars, knocking them down and snapping their necks with your bare hands. the pyro vision holder froze on the spot, eyes locked on your face plastered with the blood of the animal. he couldn't believe it, that the legends were true- and that his lover was part of such a mythological race.

he gulped down, trying to think rationally about his next move. should he let you know about his presence? and if yes, now or once you were done? he loved you but he didn't want your — archons it was so weird to think it — teeth down his throat because your hunger (thirst?) was having the best of you. all kind of thoughts were running through his mind about what to do, and in the middle of it he didn't notice he stepped on a dry branch, snapping it, revealing his presence to you. only when your red widened eyes fell on his figure he did notice his mistake.

you stepped back, forgetting about the second boar you were ready to devour, panicked because your lover was there with you, witnessing the only thing you never wanted him to know about. you were done, so done now. what would he think now? that you were a monster? a threat to the safety of mondstadt? you were always ready for a fight, but could you stand it if you opponent was the man you loved? what-

«y/n.» he called, not an ounce of disgust nor anger in his voice. just the usual softness that was for you only.

«i-i... i can explain diluc... please, please le-» you tried to stutter, but he interrupted you.

«you're a vampire. it's self explanatory, i think.» he told you, still that sweet tone in his voice.

for how much you loved how sweet and thoughtful he has always been with you you couldn't stand it a second longer.

«why the hell are you so unfazed?! for abyss' sake diluc, you just discovered i'm a vampire! you should be running away afraid i might assault you!» you snapped in the middle of an emotional storm made of panic, disbelief and anger. yes, anger. you were so angry by his unfazed behaviour, and it only worsened when you heard him snicker, cold blood now boiling in your veins.

«i never run away from danger, you should know that.» he told you, arms crossed before his chest.

you jumped back up on your feet, your thirst long forgotten as you were about to give your boyfriend the earful of his life. but before you could even start scolding him diluc gently took your hands in his, lifting them up to kiss your knuckles. his eyes burned holes in yours as he spoke.

«i understand your concern, but you're my lover, y/n. haven't i promised you i'd always be by your side, no matter what?» he whispered, his lips still lingering on your hands. you nodded remembering the golden lock necklace he gifted you, hid under your shirt because you never wanted it to leave your skin. it always lingered warm, reminding you of diluc's pyro vision.

«even if i'm a predator and a potential threat to mondstadt and its citizens?» you asked, and he snorted. it irritated you all over again — you weren't a damn clown for his entertainment!

«considering that half the townsfolk are intoxicated with wine and the other half is made of people you despise, not much.» was his answer, and you couldn't help but giggle. he was right, the blood of drunkards was awful and surely you would have preferred to starve than drinking from someone you disliked.

diluc noticed the dead boar you didn't feed on, now feeling bad for interrupting your meal. however, as an apology, he thought about offering himself as a substitute, his neck ready for you. having already some scars there no one would have noticed the one you would have given him.

«it hurts.» you pointed out, something sounding like uncertainty in your voice, but your hands going up to move away his soft burning locks told him another story. he didn't mind though. his arms found themselves around your middle, pulling you closer as your face found solace in the crook of his battered neck. your lips caressed his skin in search of his pulse, his own quivering in anticipation.

a hand of his got entagled in your hair, keeping your head down as a sort of permission. he trusted you enough to put his life in your hands, and you knew that as well. you weren't going to make him endure it too long, human blood could satiate in smaller amounts and for longer than animal one.

diluc didn't felt much pain once you sank your fangs in his skin, in fact it was quite pleasant... so much a low moan left his lips, his face sinking in your hair. you pulled his locks, earning another moan from him as you kept drinking his warm, viscous blood. his hands squeezed your hips, your body now glued to his thanks to his tight grip on you.

before it could escalate any further you finished and stepped back, both of you with flushed cheeks and clouded minds. he cleared his throat and you looked down, ignoring the rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins.

«i think... we just found out a new way to satisfy your needs in terms of sustenance.» he murmured, but your keen senses had you hear him loud and clear.

«and i don't think it will be about meals only.» you retorted, unable to hide both the smirk on your lips and the knowing meaning of your words.

you laughed upon seeing your boyfriend's face painted in the same shade of his fiery fluffy hair.

heizou

your boyfriend was known as the best detective of inazuma for a reason, yet you still thought that escaping at night without making a single sound and returning just a couple of hours later would have been enough for him to not notice.

it was safe to say you were a bit of an idiot.

heizou had noticed your weekly night escapades quite soon, only a few weeks after you decided to move in together so you could increase the amount of time you two could spend with each other. so, of course he noticed the absence of your chilly body from the bed, your pyjamas thrown on the mattress signaling you had changed your clothes before going out. but his service weapons were still in the room, so it meant you went out without a meaning of defense. just what were you up to?

heizou started collecting evidences for every possible scenario, putting them off whenever that route came out inconsistent. you weren't (luckily for his heart) cheating nor were you involved in criminal business. no one would talk about strange things happening in the city the nights you disappeared, so it meant you weren't there in the beginning. he then would inspect your clothes, mud and blood on your boots. upon further inspection, he found out the mud was from chinju forest and the blood belonged to an animal, probably a kitsune. it wasn't a crime per se, but it was well known in inazuma that any bad move on a kitsune would irate the shogun and her faithful servant, the lady guuji of the grand narukami shrine. didn't you know that?

after a few weeks of investigation, in which he kept track of your escapades, the doushin finally decided to close this case. whatever you were up to, he told himself, he would have stopped you, even if it meant putting you in jail. it hurt him, but before of being your boyfriend he was a detective for the tenryou commission, and it was his job to keep inazuma safe.

as usual, you dressed up to go out that night, your dry throat yelling at you to move up and get down to business. you looked over your shoulder down to heizou, lying in bed, sleeping soundly — apparently, at least. he was wide awake, but archons was he a good actor. he could feel your gaze on him, and he felt your lips lingering on his forehead for a light kiss before you jumped out of the window. how cute of you, he thought, were you unintentionally trying to bribe him? that wouldn't have worked at all, he was loyal to his principles.

after a single minute heizou kicked the covers off his body, already dressed in his usual attire and ready to follow his beloved wherever they were going to. imitating your movements he jumped out of the window, noticing you sprinting in the distance toward chinju forest. since that was your destination, he could take his time to make sure you wouldn't notice his presence lurking behind your back.

and in fact, you didn't. you were unaware of heizou's presence hiding in the shadows, his emerald eyes on your figure as you were preparing yourself for whatever you were about to do. he noticed the bunch of kitsune, lazily sitting around. he knew you were about to move onto them, he did, but he couldn't help the shock that took over him when he saw you sinking your teeth in one of their throats, another one laying lifeless beside you as the others ran away.

dear almighty shogun, why? just... why?

a vampire. you were a vampire. a creature feeding off blood, but he thought that legends and myths talked about human blood, not animal. don't take him wrong, he was glad you weren't feeding (he couldn't believe he had to use such word) on the people of inazuma, but he was curious as to why. ethical choice? did you feed on humans only when they were willing? and how did that happen? but then, did you ever feed on human blood? and what about your family? were they like you or were they unaware of your true nature?

so many questions, yet no answer. well, you had them, so why not ask you? he already found you out, he just had to let his presence known and have you satisfy his curiosity.

normally, one would stop and think about it twice before interrupting a vampire in the middle of their meal (as if that had already happened to him, the genius), but it's shikanoin heizou we're talking about, the doushin as sly as a fox and twice mischievous. he was both a menace and a vision holder, he could go on without worrying about it too much.

«love, would you mind answering some questions?» he asked while stepping out to let you be aware of his presence. the way your head snapped back to look at him looked painful, he thought, but maybe your nature had you think it was nothing.

you didn't even have the time to step back or run away or whatever that your boyfriend was already by your side, your face in his hands as he was inspecting you. the bloodless kitsune fell from your hands as his thumbs brushed on your red-tainted lips, forcing them apart. you felt his fingertips brushing against your fangs, the smell of fresh blood invading his nostrils.

«truly fascinating.» he murmured to himself, his signature smirk curving his perfect lips.

you blinked once, then twice, then thrice before actually escaping heizou's grip, taking his wrists in your hands to stop him from pulling such a move on you again.

«i knew you weren't exactly in your right mind since i first met you, but that's too much even for you, heizou!» you snarled at him, fangs on display as you tried to scare him back. your attempt was cute, but not enough, earning a crystalline laugh from the maroon-haired detective.

«on the contrary, my dear darling, i think i'm quite a genius. after all, i solved your case in just a few weeks. truly one of my best works.» he chirped, your eyes widening in shock.

you didn't know if you wanted to punch him in the face or slap away that irritating smirk of his that, in other occasions, would have you drool waiting for a kiss. and damn him he knew that as well.

«you just found out your lover is a fucking vampire and yet you act like you found out i'm just taking casual night strolls!» you screeched at him, in total and utter disbelief. didn't this idiot you would normally call your boyfriend have any sense of self-preservation?! did he even understand who, no what was in front of him? a goddamn predator, that's what!

«well the evidences suggested that, but yes, it was quite the surprise to see that my theory was true. yet again, it's not like i've ever did a mistake.» he told you, his sly smirk shining like the moon above you two in the forest.

«why didn't i make you a meal yet, you would at least shut up.» you grumbled under your breath, unable to believe what your lover just told you. however, the detective heard you and started undoing his shirt just as much as to expose his neck for you.

«ha, i was hoping for this request of yours.» he murmured as you blushed, looking away from the exposed skin of his neck. however his hands found your face once again, turning your head in his direction and pulling it in the crook of his neck. «c'mon cutie, bite. surely you weren't done when i stepped out, were you?»

for how much you hated to admit it, he was right. your thirst was still there and having your nose pressed against his skin while in such state, something you always made sure wouldn't happen as to not trigger your instincts, wasn't helping at all. before you could even think about it your lips were already kissing his smooth skin, searching for his pulse.

«it will hurt.» you told him once you found it, your hands on his shoulders, his on your waist. he nodded and bent his head to the side more, a silent permission for you to go on.

a moan escaped your lover's lips as soon as your fangs sank, head getting dizzy and vision blurring as you sucked his blood out of his system. a few gulps and you were done, but stayed still on his neck, licking his wound clean to help it heal up, since your saliva had healing properties.

such move only earned you another moan from your boyfriend, that was on top of you as you laid on the ground, both your eyes clouded in a familiar haze of desire.

«willing humans make a better option than poor kitsune, don't you think? it also spares you the wrath of the shogun and of lady guuji.» he whispered, his hands in yours, fingers intertwined.

you knew what he meant and you nodded before your lips met in a kiss. it didn't matter it tasted of blood, he would have gotten used to it.

after all, you needed to feed, and what better way than in your boyfriend's arms, in your shared bedroom lit by the moonlight?

© azaliyas 2023 do not copy repost translate or feed to ai

[icycoldninja]

Can I request lots of angst.....Dante (between anime and DMC2) falls in love with a sweet and kind reader quickly, his demon side wanting to make her his mate, they are soul mate kind. But memories of Nelo Angelo were too strong, he hasn't forgiven himself, rather tries the route of alcoholism or over indulgence with flings or ONS making the reader so heartbroken, yet she knows Dante's story and still tries to help him through. Once Dante even snapped hard on her to make her snap away, she did cry and ran away from the shop feeling heartbroken. But she still won't give up our flower here is stubborn. I will leave it to you on how Dante will come to realize that this girl ain't budging and he can't live without her, now that he knows his mate (not yet but that's what his demon side says) exists.

Hope I made it angsty enough. Enjoy. 💜

Fated (DMC2!Dante x Fem!Reader angst)

The red thread of fate had intertwined both yours and Dante's fates since the day you were born. Ever since he was a child, he dreamt of you; all he could see were blurry figures and occasional glimpses of your figure, nothing more.

As he grew older, the images of you became more clear. He started to see you as more of a person and less of a mass of blurry shapes. He soon began to see and memorize every feature on your face; longing to know who you were and if you were even real.

After the various traumatic events that transpired, his dreams abruptly stopped. He no longer saw the beauty that normally visited him every night in his dreams, and as a result, soon forgot about you.

That was, until he randomly ran into you on his way home from a job. The minute he laid his eyes on you, he knew who you were. Every detail about your appearance suddenly came rushing back to him, his mind overflowing with thoughts about you. His heart suddenly started racing--and not because of adrenaline. He honestly didn't know what he was feeling, and he didn't like it.

"Hi? My name is...umm...Y/N. What's yours?"

Dante's eyes widened; something inside him clicked. Finally. After all those years of wondering and fantasizing, he finally got to hear your voice--your name. The devil hunter was beside himself with excitement and joy, and at the same time, fear and panic.

You were his soul mate, destined to be with him for all eternity. Why should he be anything but ecstatic?

Because of loss.

Because of grief.

Because Dante hadn't fully let go of everything thata happened.

Because Dante wasn't ready to let go.

Memories of that whole Nelo Angelo incident and everything that came before and after it still lurked in the depths of his mind, manifesting in the form of crushing, terrifying tentacles that wrapped around his heart, squeezing it; constraining it.

The man was trapped in his own emotions, unable to break free from his trauma.

It took all his strength to overpower his fear and introduce himself, though he did so bluntly.

"My name's Dante. Nice to meetcha." And with that, he was off, briskly striding away, presumably never to be seen again.

But he was seen again, many times too. The red thread of fate controlled your destinies; it was not to be deterred by the delusions and desires of the human--or half human--heart. It created more opportunities for you two to meet, be it a chance encounter at the supermarket, or a random rendezvous in the middle of the street.

As time passed, and the two of you got to know each other further, Dante found himself growing more and more attached to you, unable to figure out why. At night, his dreams were filled of you, and during the day, he thought about nothing except you. A small, barely noticeable part of him--his demon part--knew why, but Dante's human half refused to accept it.

"You love her," The quiet voice whispered, in that buzzing, nagging tone it always did. "You love her--you want to make her yours. Make her your mate for life. So why don't you? What's holding you back?"

Dante groaned, fed up with these questions. Why? He didn't know why, dammit! He didn't want to know! He hated pondering these confusing topics to such a degree, he turned to the age-old practice of alcohol in an attempt to forget his troubles.

Every night, he'd squander his hard-earned money on cheap liquor in a seedy pub, gulping down bottle after bottle of the nasty stuff. Very soon, it became apparent that alcohol wasn't enough to make him forget his conflicted feelings. This, and the influence of the substances he was consuming, drove him to start sleeping around; hooking up with one girl after another; the brief moments of ecstasy barely enough to overshadow his arguing inner conscience.

He had no idea how you felt; oblivious to your hidden heartbreak.

Ever since you met Dante, you knew he was familiar. Just like him, you'd been having dreams, and just like him, events in your life had caused you to forget about him until very recently. Once you met him in person, your memories and dreams resurfaced, followed by a sudden and inexplicable crush.

You soon found yourself longing for him--pining, even. You wanted so desperately to tell him how you felt, to make him yours, to love and cherish him truly. It took you weeks, but you worked up the courage to go and talk to him. When you knocked on the door of Devil May Cry, he was nowhere to be found. You inquired around and sought him out, looking in all the places you knew him to frequent. It didn't take you long to find him--you caught a glimpse of him making out in the back of a bar with a girl you'd never seen before, overturned shot glasses on the table beside them.

This was no surprise; during the many times you and Dante crossed paths, you'd gotten to know each other's backstories. You understood Dante's inner turmoil and understood he had problems, so excessive drinking and adultery was to be expected. You were not to be deterred by this, oh no. You were going to help him through whatever he was going through, no matter what he did or what he said.

Dante continued to ruin himself through his various acts of debauchery. Every night, he'd go out to a club or a bar, then get wasted and get lucky. You searched all over the city for him, but most of the time, he was long gone when you reached whatever shady place he'd been goofing around in. One night, you had the fortune of finding him at Devil May Cry, guzzling down a bottle of beer at his desk. You marched in, the sudden sound of the door opening causing him to jolt upright and peer at you wearily.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, voice hoarse and eyes red. He honestly looked terrible; there were dark circles under his eyes from staying up too late, and his eyes were red rimmed and puffy--possibly from spending a long time crying. "Hi, Dante...I...I heard you were going through some stuff...and...well, I just wanted to know if I could help."

Dante scoffed, languidly lifting the bottle of alcohol to his lips and taking a long sip. "Help? Me? You want to help me?" He suddenly burst out laughing, then immediately stopped. "You can't help me," He grumbled, voice cold. "No one can." He continued drinking; the liquor drowning out his spiraling thoughts, temporarily silencing that little voice in the back of his head that said, "You love her."

Nervously, you edged forwards, afraid to get too close to him. "I can help you," You ventured, wringing your hands. "I know I can, if you just let me in--" Dante suddenly stood up, slamming his hands on the table angrily. That tiny voice in his head suddenly rose from a whisper to a loud yell. "You love her!" It screamed, the words driving Dante over the edge. "Just tell her!"

"You can't help me! I won't let you in! Just get out, Y/N, there's no saving me!"

You clenched your fists in anger, meeting his outburst with a defiant one of your own.

"You don't know that, you're just being stubborn!"

"So what if I am?! It's my problem and I'll deal with it!"

"No, you won't! You'll just waste your money and your life being a womanizer and drinking till you drop! This behavior isn't good for you, you need to stop before it gets out of control!"

"Shut up, my life is none of your business, so stay out of it!"

That shocked you. You and Dante never considered each other close friends, but what he said hurt you. "I see," You mumbled, clearing your throat and turning around. You heart heavy, you stormed away, hurrying to get home before the tears you were holding back broke free.

After you left, Dante sank into his seat, exhausted. Even though his mind was hazy because of the alcohol, he knew that you would be back; you were far too obstinate to be deterred by a simple outburst. His mind may have been filled with confusion and doubt, but one thing was for sure: He loved you, and perhaps someday in the distant future, with enough time and hard work, he would find it in him to tell you.

[please-help-this-little-lesbian]

So I want to talk about The Bane/Pearlpelt, because his story is not going the direction I expected at all, and I have a lot of thoughts on it.

So when Gregor didn't kill Pearlpelt in book 2 I was like great good for him. I figured The Bane would grow up and we would see that Gregor and Nerissa were right, and The Bane would grow up to be a normal rat and everyone was freaking out for nothing. But this was not the case at all. But Suzanne Collins has taken this plotline in an entirely different direction. Instead, The Bane has grown up to be a violent, power-hungry, naive menace to society. I honestly didn't expect this at all given the anti-war themes of the books, but I do think it's interesting. Now, I'm only on chapter 4 of The Marks of Secret, so I don't know how this story ends yet. But I would like to share my thoughts on why I feel the Bane turned out like this. I think Ripred deliberately neglected The Bane, and now he's suffering the consequences for it.

When we first meet Pearlpelt, he's a sullen, angsty teenager. Gregor describes him as "an oversized, bullied child” (Collins, 24). This is pretty typical of any teenager. Pearlpelt also holds a particular hatred for Ripred, who has, despite his failings, been his primary caretaker. Also normal for your average caretaker. However, The Bane says of Ripred that he “‘hates me!’” (24). He says he humiliates him and treats him like a prisoner. Ripred argues that he has not abused the Bane, and reveals to Gregor that Pearlpelt has gotten in dangerous fights with other rats, (accidentally) killed his friend, and then proceeded to cannibalize his body to destroy the evidence (25). Pearlpelt has also fallen under the influence of other rats, who are trying to groom him into becoming king of the rats, and presumably overthrowing the humans (21-25). Ripred claims that he "got him too late” (28), and that the only option is to kill him so he doesn't become an even bigger threat. But I disagree. Ripred was not too late for Pearlpelt, he simply didn't bother to take proper care of him, and now he's trying to cover up his mistake.

One of the first things Gregor notes of Ripred's attitude toward The Bane is that he is being particularly cruel to him. He even asks Ripred to “lay off him” (24). Ripred does indeed humiliate him, making fun of his name (20), insult him (22), goad him (23), dismiss his feelings (24), and I would argue even emasculates him saying “‘King indeed! Do you really think anyone will take orders from someone who sucks on his tail?’” (26). He treats Pearlpelt like crap, and that’s when he’s around him. The Bane also reveals that he was mainly raised by a rat named Razor, which Ripred dismisses saying he spared his life, kept him fed, and protected him from the plague (24). This is a very common tactic of abusers, attempting to guilt their victims by bringing up all the positive things they’ve done for them.

Look, I love Ripred. He’s my morally gray dilf king, and I understand that being an asshole is just part of his personality. But he is genuinely abusing Pearlpelt right now, and it’s not okay. And, more importantly, his behavior is directly responsible for The Bane’s behavior. And that’s not even counting all the shit that happened before Ripred.

Ripred tells Gregor that Pearlpelt’s father killed his siblings so he wouldn’t have to compete for food, abused him and his mother, AND Pearlpelt witnessed his parents kill each other (28-29). That would fuck anybody up. We know Ripred has a soft side and he's capable of showing it. We also know he knows when it is and isn't okay to push people. Yet he doesn't apply this to The Bane. I understand that he got dropped on him out of nowhere, but he could have at least tried.

Again, I'm only on chapter 4. For all I know Suzzane may have Ripred take responsibility (nobody tell me). But right now, this is my assessment of the situation, and I'm really disappointed in Ripred.

[newobsessioneveryweek]

Your headcanons are so cute!!!! 🥺🥺 (also about their friends thinking they're unhealthy, if Annabeth can judo-flip Percy and no one bats an eye, I think Sherman and Connor could probably get away with jokingly trash-talking eachother XD)

Sherman's love language being acts of service is so real btw. He'd probably try to do pushups with Connor on his back if Connor didn't completely refuse, because atleast one of them is smart enough to know that'd break Sherman's back 😭

(also.. you mentioned backstories?!?! my ears are open!! 👀👀)

Prev

I agree! How come Annabeth gets to break her boyfriend's spine on a whim but Sherman can't call Connor a loser?

Btw, the nature of their pet names are totally along that line. Sherman calls Connor loser and Connor calls him asshole. They've barely even dipped a toe into sweetie and honey cakes or the other sweet ones unless they're being ironic.

Sherman called Connor "dear" for the first time and Connor called him an idiot and told him to stop.

Connor: What's this 'dear' bullshit? It's fine when other people do it, but it just sounds weird coming from you. *shudders*

Sherman: then what the fuck do you want me to call you, dumbass?!

Connor: 'dumbass' is fine, just stick to the fucking formula!

Now they just do it to make their friends uncomfortable :]

Now...

You asked about their backstories...

You don't know what you've just unleashed. I know I'm the one who instigated this but I am also insane and should never be trusted with your mental wellbeing.

I made it very angsty for both of them

Here we go! Strap in!

Sherman’s backstory

⚠️⚠️Trigger Warning For Physical And Verbal Abuse And Violence⚠️⚠️ I've highlighted the triggering parts in red

So Sherman’s mother wasn't anything like the woman you'd expect the god of war to fall in love with. She was gentle and nurturing, and just all-around a non-confrontational person. But she still had a warrior’s spirit and fought for Sherman in other ways.

When Sherman was three his mother married a very well-off man who later abused her. Sherman didn’t know. His mother (her name is Bella) sometimes had bruises on her arms or face but she always said she fell or had some other accident.

When Sherman was seven and came home from school he heard his step-father shouting and peaked in through a window to find him yelling and hitting his mom. He got scared and hid behind the house until his father left in a huff (presumably to a bar). He came inside and saw his mother crying. When she saw him she wiped her tears and pretended nothing happened. Sherman didn’t say anything.

His step-father was never the most affectionate man but he wasn’t aggressive towards Sherman when he was growing up. But one evening a few years later Sherman woke up and heard crashing sounds and breaking glass downstairs. There was yelling too. He went downstairs to investigate and found his stepfather attacking his mother. His mother was bleeding from her head. His stepfather was swinging a bottle at her.

Sherman ran into the room to try and stop him. He yanked at his arm and started punching him but his father just turned and started hitting him instead, telling him that he’s useless and stupid and he’ll never amount to anything. At this point he’s kicking him in the stomach while he’s lying on the floor. When his mother recovers enough to stand she attacks him. She tells him to never touch her child again and starts beating at his back. He knocks her to the ground again and starts kicking her. Sherman panics and picks up a shard of a broken vase. He stabs his step-father in the leg.

When he falls down Sherman stabs him in the back of his neck and his shoulders. He dies. His mother is shocked. They hear sirens approaching. Apparently the neighbours had called the police. His mother tells Sherman to run, that she’ll tell the police that it was her that killed him. Sherman refuses but his mother’s insistence forces him to leave. She tells him how much she loves him and that they’ll see each other again soon. He spends a month on the streets before a satyr finds him and takes him to camp.

(He tells Connor that his mother was the bravest person he’s ever known.)

Connor’s backstory

⚠️⚠️ Trigger Warning For Parental Neglect, Self-Harm, Abuse, And Addiction⚠️⚠️

Connor’s mother, Ruelle, used to be an international interpreter/polyglot. She met Hermes at a business conference and they hit it off. When Travis was born she loved him like any mother would love their child. They moved to Virginia when she was pregnant with Connor and made friends with Julia and Marcus who were restaurant owners in town. They would always come around to make sure Ruelle was settled in properly and was taking care of herself and the baby. They would pick up Travis for play dates to give her space and alone time. When Connor was born everything was great for the first two weeks but then Julia started to get worried about Ruelle.

She would come over and Connor would be lying on the floor crying while Ruelle just smoked a cigarette in the kitchen. Julia checked on Connor and angrily asked Ruelle if she was even paying attention to Connor’s needs. Ruelle didn’t answer. Julia asked where Travis was. Ruelle said he was playing upstairs.

Julia insisted Ruelle go see a therapist. She refused and told Julia to mind her own business and worry about her own nephews. Julia said she couldn’t let these children suffer. Ruelle told her to just take them then. Julia did.

Travis and Connor stayed with Julia and Marcus for about two weeks before Ruelle called the police on her and told her that she kidnapped her children. Julia told the police that Ruelle was just confused and said she would return them to her care. She did so reluctantly. Julia and Marcus were worried. They taught Travis how to make baby formula and feed it to Connor just in case Ruelle wasn’t feeding them. They didn’t want to call child services because they wanted to give Ruelle a chance. She never went to therapy though and her mental state kept deteriorating.

Eventually after two months, upon Julia’s tearful insistence, Ruelle, also tearful, agreed to try therapy and started taking better care of Connor. However, on Connor’s first birthday both her parents died in a plane crash to visit her and she spiralled into a depression. She had the presence of mind to use the inheritance she received to pay off her mortgage but started neglecting the children. When Travis started going to kindergarten he had an excuse to leave the house and Julia could teach him to take care of Connor because Ruelle wouldn’t allow her near her house and would invite Travis over to her house to eat before going back home.

When Connor was two she married a man named John and together they spent their lives getting high and avoiding their responsibilities. John frequently beat Ruelle and went out to clubs and bars and partied and got drunk and cheated on her and all that jazz and because her life was so utterly shit she took out all her frustrations on her children. She would beat them, lock them in their room without food, force them to eat expired food and accuse them of trying to make her look bad if they didn't, and lock them out of the house at night.

Sometimes they would spend the night at Julia and Marcus but when they came back in the morning and Ruelle found out where they were she would go off at them and beat them up. John would just watch and not care because they were nothing to him. Once, when Connor was five, she broke his arm and didn’t take him to the hospital. She locked them in their room instead. When they woke up Connor’s arm was healed. At the time they didn’t know Hermes healed it while they were asleep.

⚠️⚠️Extra Trigger Warning For Self Harm⚠️⚠️

Their mother’s depression was still in full swing and she used to cut herself often. Connor and Travis would both walk in on her doing it and she would just look at them and say that they did this to her.

When Connor was turning six they ran away from home. They lived on the street for three years and were constantly chased by monsters and met shady people all the time. When Connor was turning 9, a satyr found them in New York and took them to camp.

(Connor hates his birthday because every year his mother would blame him and his brother for her life being so shitty because her parents died on their way to visit them and see their grandchildren for the first time.)

And that's that! Lemme know if you ever want me to reveal more stuff from my mind fic! Because I would love to :3🩷

[davidwarnercorner]

Hostile Takeover (1988), starring David Warner, Kate Vernon, Michael Ironside, Jayne Eastwood, and Will Lyman (Youtube Link).

This is the first obscure David Warner movie I'm reviewing! Not the first one I've watched, but the one that made the biggest impression on me so far. I genuinely liked it and would recommend it (the only downside is that the only versions I can find online are VHS rips with not the highest video quality).

The premise: Eugene Brackin (David Warner), a disaffected, repressed office worker at a local power plant, takes three of his coworkers—Larry Gaylord (Michael Ironside), Sally Laird (Kate Vernon), and Joan Talmudge (Jayne Eastwood)—hostage, but makes no specific demands. Outside, local police chief Smolen (Will Lyman) tries to diffuse the situation without resorting to violence.

The sets are limited: most of the action takes place either in the office or just outside of it (it would probably make for a good stage adaption). Hostile Takeover is a character driven story about what it takes for someone to crack and what happens when they do. It engages with ideas about modernity, alienation, and longing; interwoven throughout are references to the T.S. Eliot poems "The Hollow Men" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" (and maybe others that I didn't pick up on). Whatever you make of it, this movie was trying to say something about modern life.

(More under the cut because this gets long. Spoilers below.)

Reviews

Reviews for Hostile Takeover are mixed, but I'm going to defend it a bit. Is it a perfect movie? No. But I think the experience suffers if you come into it with the idea that this is a true horror film, when really it's a psychological thriller. There are two brief scenes where there's a lot of dramatic blood, but those make up maybe half a minute of the total 90. There are tense, suspenseful moments, but I'm quite a coward when it comes to horror and this didn't bother me.

A lot of other online reviews call it a "Thanksgiving horror movie," and I'm not sure how this category got attached to it. It came out in December 1988, so it can't be based on release date, and Thanksgiving is never mentioned, we only see that it's autumn. Maybe it's because the movie was released in some countries under the title Office Party and the fact that it starts on a day when people would normally be out of office, like for a holiday (admittedly, I thought it was just a weekend).

Characters

All the central characters in this are interesting in their own ways and get their own moments of backstory, but the ones I want to talk about most are Eugene, Sally, and Smolen.

Eugene - a man who is frustrated enough to take his coworkers hostage but also polite enough to demand that the police bring dinner for them and repeatedly says he doesn't want to actually hurt anyone. David excels at playing characters that are a bit angsty and not quite satisfied with themselves, and Eugene fits that mold.

We're never explicitly told why he did what he did, but it's not that hard to infer. Eugene is a shy middle-aged man who lives alone in a tiny apartment, has nothing better to do than come in to his meager-paying job on an off day, and is maybe a little infatuated with his younger female coworker but is too restrained (and too self-conscious?) to pursue her even when she shows interest. He seemingly followed the "right" path for the 20th-century man and yet still feels his life is hollow. He insists that he's not a crazy, "psycho-type," he only wants to be perceived that way so he'll be sent to a hospital in the end, presumably because he wants to escape it all.

I wouldn't pick up a gun about it, but I can understand his despair. The loneliness and alienation he feels (and, on the other hand, the obsession some of his other coworkers have with money and power) are predictable side effects of the capitalist hellscape we live in.

...Moving away from that, let's talk about how hot David is in this. Some of that may be down to my personal preferences: I'm a sucker for stressed-out businessmen and the role that made me notice him for the first time was Sark/Ed Dillinger in TRON. But here...the suspenders with the gun holster. Him walking around with his tie loose. Being 1988, he'd started going grey and late 80s-early 90s David is peak dilf for me, the silver streaks in his bangs and at the temples make me feral. It's no wonder the next character, Sally, wanted him.

Sally - some Letterboxd reviews were very negative to Sally, saying that she's actually the most unsympathetic character and that she manipulates and seduces Eugene. I disagree, though I may be biased because if I were in her situation, I'd probably (want to) act the same. Textually, though, I think there is some support for my interpretation.

In her introductory scene, we see her walk into the office and immediately flirt with him. It didn't seem like she was doing it to mock him—she's also the only one (I think?) to call him "Gene" instead of his full name, which implies some fondness. We later learn that Sally is attracted to power, and she comments about how powerful Eugene is in his newfound position as hostage-taker, but let's remember that she was interested in him from her first scene, before there was any hint of anything being different that day. We also see that she previously attempted to "sleep her way to the top," but that it didn't work for her and she's bitter about the whole thing.

People also seem to think her affection towards him was just in service of self-preservation, but by the end she doesn't even seem to care about that anymore. She says to him, "you can still get away if you use me as a shield...you're loving and honest and kind, you don't have to die for this, Gene!". You could argue it's some kind of Stockholm Syndrome situation, but imo she seems to be basing this on experience beyond just the last two days spent in the office.

Also, like, is it really so hard to believe that she might genuinely be into him? Some people are just into dilfs and that's okay! It's normal! Us dilf-fuckers deserve the representation and Sally is great! She hates her asshole boss and wants the old man dick, she's just like me fr.

Unfortunately (spoilers), she doesn't get her tropical beach vacation ending with Gene and instead has to watch him die. And she'll have to live with that memory. It's all the more tragic because there are hints that their relationship could have worked if they had been able to open up to each other under different circumstances. As Smolen says, "what a fuckin' waste."

Smolen - there's more to this guy than initially meets the eye. He looks like the total opposite of Eugene, a stereotypical jock, but as the story progresses, parallels are drawn between the two. Someone even accuses him of holding the rest of the police force hostage because he won't let them go in guns blazing. He also takes the time to try to understand Eugene; he's the one who figures out the poetry connection. Eventually (spoilers), he ends up being the one to kill him and, though this is probably an artifact of the bad VHS quality, it looked like there was a trickle of blood running down his own forehead. In the end, both of them were forced into violence they didn't want.

Connections

Random connections I made while watching the movie, kind of like a trivia/fun facts section I guess?

Eugene reminded me a lot of D.B. Cooper. All these years later, we still don't know who he really was or why he hijacked that 727 on Nov. 24, 1971 (now that'd be a Thanksgiving movie!). What we do know was that he was middle-aged, polite to the crew, and had an unspecified "grudge."

One of the T.S. Eliot poems the movie references is "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," a stanza of which goes like this:

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous; Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous— Almost, at times, the Fool.

This part is not quoted in the movie, but it hit me kind of hard considering this context: David played Hamlet on stage in 1965, but it'd been almost 25 years since then when Hostile Takeover was made, and he was in the middle of being in a bunch of random B-movies. It also makes me think of when he was asked, around the time TRON came out, about playing so many villain roles and what he'd like to be in next, and he said something like "I'd like a romantic comedy." And then he...didn't get that? Ever? At least not as a lead. I...yeah. He does at least get the girl in this one! Briefly!

Conclusion

Should you watch this movie if you're a David Warner liker? Definitely. Should you watch this movie otherwise? At least give it a try. I didn't know where else to mention it but the soundtrack also stood out to me, it's very 80s but still good. The way they incorporated the popping and clanging sounds the heaters inside the building make into the music...banger.

I'll be posting some gifs from the movie soon. If you do watch this, or have watched it, please let me know what you thought....am I getting it all wrong? Are you team Sally?

Youtube Link Here. This is to a different or upscaled version than the one I watched. I only found it after I took all the screenshots and did all the gifs. My loss is your gain...?

[ivy-loves-chocolate]

https://at.tumblr.com/moonlight-sonata-1/704449169832771584/pcgnmqd2758k

THIS IS AMZING AND I LOVE YOU!! if it isn't to much h trouble could you write something similar but instead of his s/o talking to him about everything, they wish him good luck, and when he leaves they dip on him and leave a heart felt goodbye note explaining why they left?? would he be sad they left :(

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉

I LOVE YOU TOO!! It's never too much trouble when it comes to my sweet maniac ♥️ I hope you like it anon! Also, here's the link to the og post.

I gotta say, this is filled with angst. Like, it's an alternative ending and I made sure I wrote it as sad as possible lol. I'm in an angsty mood lately.

If you wish to support/commission me please visit my ko-fi page, thank you!

✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉ 　✼　 ҉

"What?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Nothing. I just wanted to say good luck." she tried to say in a forcedly joyful tone.

"Oh, thank you, dear," he said as he walked out the door, not being aware of the fact that something was bothering her terribly.

She’s been like this for a few weeks now, and it was because of how their relationship evolved. He was a presumably dead man, which was theoretically safe for now, but once the world will find out he is alive it will be harder to live near him. She loved him, she really did, but she wasn’t sure Wesker shared the same feeling for her, so the question that remains is: is it worth the trouble? He only sees her as a roommate. He barely notices her around. He isn’t as affectionate as he used to be, and they aren’t very active in bed either.

Once Wesker shut down the door she could feel her heart drop.

“I don’t know what I expected.” She thought as she headed to the bedroom. “She didn’t notice me in the past months, why would he notice something was wrong now.” She added with a nervous chuckle as she pulled out the suitcase out of the closet, which contained most of her stuff.

“It was obvious I’ll end up here.” Her voice was trembling at this point. “I don’t know why I followed him after the mansion incident.” She nervously tossed more clothes and some money inside. “Stupid, stupid, stupid….” Some warm tears ran down her cheeks as she kept packing her stuff, but she tried to keep it together so she can finish in time.

More things followed, such as reports, documents, guns and ammo. Her hands were trembling the whole time but she didn't stop. She couldn’t stop, because if she did, she might've stopped for good and remain with Wesker. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted by her thoughts, as they were working against her. All the happy memories they lived together crossed her mind many many times, making it difficult to maintain focus. These happy thoughts lead to doubt, and is she wouldnt be careful, they would lead to surrender. She needed restraint.

"I should've walked away..." she said as she closed her suitcase. Seeing that made her realize that it was actually over, so overwhelmed by all of this she covered her face and let go of all of the tears she tried to held. She sobbed quietly in the empty room.

Wesker returned a few days later, expecting to find her, but instead he found an empty apartment. The realization hit him quickly, which made him run like a madman around the house, hoping it was just in his head. To his despair, it wasn't, and he knew for sure that she left when he found most of her stuff gone.

Exhausted and depressed, he collapsed on the sofa with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He tried to call her many times, but every time he would get the voicemail.

"Why'd she leave? Didn't I provide enough? A shelter, money, a way to start it all over?"

Anger began to consume him as he kept trying to find a reason. He thought he did everything right for her, especially since he somehow turned her life upside down. He was aware of the risk she took by joining him, thus making him feel a little guilty. Ever since the mansion incident, he worked hard to provide for them both. There were moments when he'd be gone for days, and moments when he'd barely acknowledge her existence. However, he didn't consider those to be reasons for leaving.

He stood up and began to walk around the kitchen. In his fatigue and distress, he overlooked the note she left on the table. He sat down and began to examine the paper. First, he noticed the writing was a bit off, as she probably wrote it in a hurry. The paper also had some bumps on it, as it had recently dried. Some tears must have been shed while writing it.

On the note, she explained very specifically why she left and how hard it was for her to make the decision.

"I will love you always. May our paths cross again if we're destined to be together."

He closed his eyes and let out a deep exhale as he tossed the note aside. His fingers began to massage his eyes as he hunched over the table. It was too much to take in: first, he had one helluva fight with Alexia and Chris, and now he finds out that his sweetheart left him.

He doesn’t know how to react. He doesn't know how to manage the intense feelings of sorrow and anger. It's too much.

Just as the note, he overlooked her feelings and trauma, and now all that remains is an empty room.

Taglist: @shadow-wolf510 @cassie-todd @ravenrune

[elkian]

What I'm getting from the "let Marcille be conservative" and Netflix erasing Sokka's misogyny discussions is actually a piece of pretty helpful character building device.

I have a hard time letting characters mess up - let alone make mistakes that impact the story as a whole - and I think I'm starting to grok why.

A lot of my characters' flaws fall into Anime Badass Flaws range, and that's not in itself a bad thing, *but*: what I've also done is planed smooth some smaller flaws to satisfy an audience I don't even actually have yet. Kill the cop in your brain etc.

My characters don't just need Angsty Brooding On The Rooftop flaws, they need Regular People Flaws. I'm talking shit that makes people go 😬 and suck air between their teeth, like Marcille's old-fashioned views and Sokka's sexism.

I'm actually gonna veer and talk about ATLA's character writing and how crucial it is to the story because I totally missed it until I started thinking about this very specific thing.

Sokka being sexist is crucial to the story. It's how he pisses off Katara until she accidentally frees Aang, bringing him back to the timestream and kickstarting the entire show! Speaking of kickstarting the entire show, Aang's avoidance tendencies are what put him on ice in the first place. The story would be wildly different if he hadn't run away, and he might not have run away if the elders he'd once depended upon had made their concerns more accessible to him, instead of trying to control his life and take away his most important guardian.

Sokka absorbing feminism and changing his ways is his first, and possibly biggest character arc in the show. Sokka being sexist impacts his actions at Kyoshi Island. I have to wonder - the Kyoshi Warriors seemed to enjoy a certain level of popularity on their isolated home island. Sokka crashing in and disrespecting them might have lead them to realize that the outside world didn't have the same veneration and views as they held. This might have lead to Suki and her gang heading out into the Earth Kingdom, which has impact in several later episodes, to say the least. Suki's presence is the reason Sokka and Toph survive the finale.

Every character in the show has little human flaws like that - not just Epic Anime Flaws, but stuff that makes them a little bit unlikeable, just like real people have. (And being unlikeable makes them more likeable because they feel more complex and real in turn.) Everyone's flaws affect the story in some way - Zuko's flaws motivate an enormous chunk of the plot and have substantial impact on the Gaang well before he joins up.

Iroh is so likeable that it's easy to forget that he spent months sieging a city and presumably letting hundreds of soldiers to die, only to pull out when his son died. He's wise and friendly to Zuko and the Gaang, but he has done some pretty selfish stuff that has affected the course of history (and that's not even getting into his casual sexism). He could have been written as totally flippant, or Angstlord Extrordinaire, but instead he's a complex and hurting old man who still has the time and energy to try and help the people in his life.

What I'm realizing is that to really drive a plot, and make characters feel alive, is they gotta be a little Problematic. I shaved off Ray's chivalry bc it was problematic, not thinking about how that means that trait causes Problems, or in other words, generates conflict that drives a story. If I want my characters to feel complex and alive, I think they need to suck a little bit! I think sometimes you gotta let your character be a True Believer in Astrology, or is rude to the waitstaff, or will walk 2 miles rather than pay for a cab, or what have you! They gotta be a little dumb and messed up! Sure, this character has no self-esteem, but how does that affect others? How does it make them uncomfortable and change their actions, and not just in a platonically perfect way to 'fix' him?

It's pretty interesting to chew over implications like that - I've read and absorbed "let your characters have flaws" over and over, but only recently come to realize that means they need to suck a little bit. They need to be kind of uncool. They need to have traits that would make you wrinkle your nose at if they were real people. Etc.

[ikamigami]

If that thing was an actual virus the Creator put in Sun's head, because of the red eyes, who do we think its going to attack first?:

Could it attack Earth or Moon?

Might it try/succeed in killing Sven when he checks on Sun's systems?

Will it make Sun attack Dazzle and Jack hurts/potentially kills Sun defending her?

Will it make Sun attack Molten to capture him? Or Lunar? Or FC?

Or might Nexus and Ruin capture Sun to use him like the Creator did and it triggers then and attacks them?

Might Monty get broken again?

Or something else? No matter what it's going to be awful for Sun

Yeah if it's some virus than something like that may happen..

I imagine that Sun's line "I'll break something one of these days" (iirc) was referring to this..

This thing will take over Sun and break something.. or rather someone I presume..

I think that doesn't matter if it's virus or only a mental thing.. it'll definitely cause Sun to spiral..

I wonder if we'll get one of the things I was talking about in my blog:

Sun will try to take out this thing from his head by force which would mean his death but two things can happen - this is how he kills himself or someone stops him before he does too much damage to himself

Sun will try to kill himself during tortures caused by either Creator or Nexus - personally I think it'll be when Nexus will kidnap him cause we have more hints for this happening - cause he tried to free himself from nightmare by killing himself.. though it was a good idea but it was a bit weird that he immediately jumped to that idea without any hesitation or second thoughts.

I know that many people said that they won't show something like that but tbh.. the hints and foreshadowing to Sun trying to kill himself are strong and there's too much of that shit to ignore it..

But like I said I think that Sun won't die die.. but he'll end up in a coma or something like that..

Cause that would be awful if Sun succeeded and tbh I doubt that they'd make Sun succeed..

And imagine that I was always talking about it like that.. though I have to admit that when I had an episode I was more on edge and me talking about Sun being suicidal was more like a doom posting shshshskshkshskshksh

And for some reason people have to have a problem with that even though they didn't have a problem with others talking about Eclipse being suicidal or that Moon or Nexus are having xyz issues..

And I always tried to point out this hypocrisy which made these folks even more mad at me lol

I know that sometimes I was unnecessary mean in my posts because of the agitated state I was in back then.. but tbh I more often than not was saying that people on Discord tsbs server are stupid and they don't care about Sun..

And it made them so pissed at me lmao now it seems funny to me.. but back then when I had an episode I treated it seriously..

The truth is that I should block these people long time ago cause they never wanted to have a normal discussion about anything.. it was always we don't agree with you and/or we don't like your theories so begone..

And ofc they had to make themselves to be seen as the more righteous ones solely because it's so "wrong and disturbing" of me to say that Sun is suicidal.. even though they themselves have many angsty ideas with Eclipse..

It was okay for them to say that Eclipse actually cares way before it was confirmed but it was only hinted.. but apparently it wasn't okay for me to say that Sun has mental issues that make him suicidal when things weren't confirmed yet but only hinted..

You see the hypocrisy, right?

I think that they didn't like that I was openly critisizing them for their hypocrisy.. and that's why they were attacking me..

Sorry for the rant but I wanted to make it clear that there was never anything wrong with me saying that Sun is suicidal and that he may try to kill himself..

It was wrong of them to assume that I wished Sun to be suicidal when it was never the case but it's like that when people either can't read or they try to smear some shit about you because they don't like you.. ofc the second one is worse because it'd mean that they were doing it on purpose..

But regardless of their intentions they still hurt me a lot and they never felt the need to apologize for that.. even though I apologized for going way overboard with my words when I had an episode..

Once again sorry for the rant and I hope that you don't mind it, dear anon 🙇‍♀️