#she did kill him so i understand his hesitance but also he hated her from their first meeting

[stackthedeck]

One of my favorite things about Miles Morales' and Gwenpool's limited interactions is that Miles just fucking hates her. Like she's a combination of Gwen Stacy and Deadpool (no she isn't) which both have romantic/flirty histories with Peter Parker and Marvel easily could have done some spideypool bait through the transitive property or like another spider gwen kinda romantic subplot. but they didn't! Gwen is like oh my gosh it's my favorite Spider-Man and Miles is like seek help and never speak to me again. It's fantastic because it really cements that Miles is not Peter and fans are weird for assuming he would be. like they really introduced a character that is a mix of two iconic spider-man ships but made her Miles' age and his response is to try to erase her from the universe, perfect no notes

[wishfulsketching]

I think some people miss the fact that Silco loves as hard as he hates. After the fallout with Vander, he had no real friends left. The betrayal, which was not merely a repriortizing of ideals but an outright murder attempt that left him disfigured, may have actually pushed him to become a bigger zealot than he already was.

The betrayal led to hate, that goes without saying, but I'd argue that all of Silco's love also redirected from people (who cannot be trusted) to his ambitions (which cannot hurt him, at least not directly).

I think it's really telling that once Jinx entered his life, Silco loved her more than his ideals. If he had only loved her insofar as she was useful to him, Silco would not hesitate to give her up. We see this was not the case. And, after finally understanding Vander's perspective and likely ruminating on the irony of his impending death, Silco bore no ill will against Jinx accidentally shooting him in a fit of distress. Instead, he affirmed his love for her and tacitly forgives her.

This makes Silco's forgiving of Vander in the au timeline believable. If he found the letter or Vander apologized and told him that the violence was in a moment of passionate weakness, Silco would forgive him provided not too much time has passed to allow resentment to fester. Jinx in the original timeline proves that an abundance of love and forgiveness are in-character for him. He is in fact a character of tremendous extremes.

Sorry for sitting with this for a while, wanted to have the time to answer.

I think this is a very good analysis of Silco, yes. He was never perfect, most likely could be very intense about their plans for Zaun and maybe did not care about if Enforcers got hurt, but that is almost given. He lived in absolute misery and he had clear enemies.

The thing that really made me get Silco was when he was confronting Vander in s1. The way he says "for RESPECT?!" was so telling of his...well, whole deal, the way he looks to the side like he could not believe that Vander didn't get it. He was still fighting the fight but now with trauma! Yay!

I can see him being able to forgive but like you said, there should not be too much time in between the drowning and the forgiveness. The way Vander tried to drown Silco is so violent, I was so taken back by it when I first watched Arcane. It was so clear that Silco could not do anything when Vander got his hands on him, the power difference was too great. He was terrified

And even when Silco tried to escape, leave the situation, Vander attacked again. It's so...cruel?? And that is why I love it. I love how messy they are. They lived among violence their whole life so yes, what's a bit of murder between them if they just talk about it seriously after. And give time to each other.

It's just so juicy that the man who most likely protected Silco his whole life attacked him the cruelest way possible. AND. It gives some nice flavor for Vander. He might be a house wife but he can kill you

[daisymbin]

Mingyu x fem!reader

Angst - 18. "i thought you were different." with reader saying that.

Also happy ending pleeeeaaase 🥺👉👈

thank you for requesting! 🥰

request your own: full prompt list!

check out my masterlist! // gyu's m.list

angst prompt #18: "I thought you were different."

you sat on the edge of the couch, arms tightly crossed as you tried to process the whirlwind of emotions racing through you. mingyu stood a few steps away, looking like he was caught in a storm, his expression somewhere between panic and heartbreak.

“it wasn’t what it looked like,” he started, his voice trembling. “please, baby. you have to believe me.”

you let out a bitter laugh, the sound cutting through the tense silence. “believe you? mingyu, i saw you with her. do you even know what that feels like for me?” your voice cracked, and you hated how vulnerable you sounded.

"baby, i wasn’t—it wasn’t like that,” he stammered, taking a hesitant step forward. “she’s just a friend. she was crying about her boyfriend, and i was just trying to comfort her.”

you shook your head, the image of him leaning close to another girl still fresh in your mind. “you don’t get it,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “i’ve been here before. i’ve seen this before, mingyu. my ex…” your words faltered as you swallowed the lump in your throat. “my ex used to do the same thing. he’d tell me it was nothing, just a friend. and the whole time, he was—” your breath hitched as the painful memories resurfaced. "I thought you were different," you whispered timidly, mingyu doesn't miss the disappointment and heartbreak in your voice.

mingyu’s face crumpled as he took in your words. “sweetheart…” his voice was barely a whisper, thick with emotion. “you think i’m like him?” his words were soft, but the hurt behind them was unmistakable.

“i don’t know what to think,” you admitted, your hands gripping your arms tighter as if to shield yourself from the pain. “when i saw you with her, it felt like i was right back there again. it felt like—like i wasn’t enough. like i never will be.”

“don’t say that.” mingyu’s voice broke, and suddenly he was kneeling in front of you, his hands reaching for yours but stopping just short, unsure if you’d let him touch you. “baby, you’re everything to me. everything. how could you even think—” his voice cracked, and he dropped his head, his shoulders trembling.

you looked down at him, his vulnerability catching you off guard. he wasn’t angry. he wasn’t defensive. he was hurt—deeply hurt—and it made your chest ache in a way that felt unbearable.

“i know what he did to you,” mingyu continued, his voice barely audible. “i know how much he hurt you. and it kills me that you’d think i could ever… that you’d see me like that.” he lifted his head, his eyes meeting yours, glassy with unshed tears. “do you really think i could do that to you? to us?”

you hesitated, his words slowly sinking in. the mingyu you knew wasn’t like that. he wasn’t manipulative, or mean, or sneaky, or cruel. he was open, loving, and kind, and he wore his heart on his sleeve. you’d let your fears and insecurities cloud the truth, and now you could see how much it had hurt him. because mingyu would never intentionally hurt you.

“mingyu, i—” your voice faltered as you tried to find the words. “i don’t think you’re like him. i just… i got scared. i saw you with her, and it felt so familiar, and i panicked.” tears of vulnerability now stream down your face.

his hands finally found yours, and when you didn’t pull away, he clung to them like a lifeline. “i understand,” he said softly. “i just… i don’t ever want you to doubt how much you mean to me. you’re not just someone to me, my love. you’re it. you’re everything.”

the sincerity in his voice, the raw emotion in his eyes, made the remaining walls around your heart crumble. slowly, you nodded, your grip on his hands tightening. “i’m sorry,” you whispered. “i shouldn’t have assumed the worst. i should’ve talked to you.”

“no, don't apologise," he said, his thumb brushing over the back of your hand. “i should have been more aware, i should have been my careful especially knowing what you’ve been through, and i hate that i made you feel like this. but i promise, i’d never hurt you like that. i just couldn’t.” his hand reach out shakily to wipe your tears away.

"I trust you,"

and that was all mingyu needed, the relief that washed over mingyu’s face was immediate and overwhelming. he let out a breath he didnt know he had been holding, and his hands moved to cup your face, his touch warm and grounding. “thank you,” he murmured, his forehead resting against yours. “thank you for trusting me.”

“can we… can we just go to bed now?” he asked, his voice soft and almost shy. “i really want need to hold you.”

your chest tightened at his words, and you nodded, a faint smile tugging at your lips. “yeah,” you whispered.

he stood up, pulling you gently to your feet and wrapping his arms around you in a way that made you feel safe, cherished. as he led you to the bedroom, you felt the weight of the misunderstanding lift, replaced by the steady warmth of his love.

when you finally settled into bed, mingyu pulled you close, his arms tight around your waist and his face buried in your hair. “i love you,” he murmured, his voice laced with exhaustion but full of certainty. “so much.”

“i love you too,” you whispered back, your fingers tracing soft patterns on his arm.

[slu7formen]

hey bby! I wanted to request cedric x slytherin!reader. she is known as an ice princess, very elegant and intelligent but has no friends. she falls for THE cedric but has no hopes to even be with him. how would their story end? it would bring me so much closure 💕 thank you so much in advance

hi sweetie! thanks for requesting 🥹 and i love this story! hope you enjoy 🫶🏻 also, sorry for the wait.

melting heart | cedric diggory x f.r

cedric diggory x fem!reader

you were known for being an ice princess. being a slytherin, coming from a rich family, one of the smartest in your class; the whole package. but then you accidentally drank verisaterum, and the person you bumped with… had to be Cedric Diggory, the boy you liked for years.

warnings: language, the twins doing something illegal, emotional reader, little use of yn

reminder: english’s not my first language, so I apologize do any spelling mistakes.

slu7formen’s masterlist | cedric diggory’s masterlist

“Morning, (yln)”

“Malfoy”

Of course, he didn’t say anything as you walked out of the Slytherin common room on your way to have breakfast. but you felt his blue eyed intense stare in your back. Unfortunately, you lived in a world where even Draco Malfoy thought that hanging out with you was… not good, but since his parents knew yours, saying hi to you was the least thing he had to do, mainly because it was his parents request.

You decided to go alone this morning. Well, you were always alone, but when you do have company, it’s your cat; Hara. She looked very pleased with her sleeping position, so bothering her was not an option.

You could say she was your only friend, the only one you had ever since your first year at Hogwarts and now, on your sixth year, everything was the same. Did you hate it? Not at all. You got used to being alone, even though you hated it at first.

Your family has a reputation, therefore, you do too. People say you’re an ice princess, they say that if looks could kill, many students would be dead by now and you’d easily be responsible for it. Despite your very low desire of having friends or even sharing your life with wizards and witches, they said many other things about you too that could have easily be something that describes the sweetest girl in the world.

The way you walk, as smooth as if you could float, small but decided and confident steps. Always smelling fresh, like just showered; whoever sat next to you could sense it so strong that some even said that your perfume is made with amortentia.

Besides, you were also your house Prefect.

Truth was, you were an easy center of attention, even when you didn’t want it. A Slytherin girl who’s family is rumored to be richer than the Malfoy’s, her best friend is her black cat, always wearing the most expensive jewelry, spending as much time in the library as possible to study and also someone who’s extremely intelligent that shows its passion for Defense Against the Dark Arts, being at the top of her class? How could you not be someone that people talked about?

You were a whole mystery. But they were too afraid to even try to discover you.

You didn’t know who even started to say that you were not someone good to be with, so you couldn’t understand anything at your first year and cried yourself to sleep every night because no one wanted to be around you. With time, it got better, maybe it’s better to be alone than being sorrunded by bad people, you thought, and it always made you feel better when your stone cold heart was about to melt when you felt too vulnerable.

But no one, definitely no one… makes you feel as vulnerable as Cedric Diggory.

Of course you knew who he was, who didn’t? He was a revolutionary insanely attractive guy that caught every girl’s attention even in his first year. For your first year in Valentine’s day, he received at least twelve letters and a massive box of chocolates gifted by an anonymous girl at your grade, and he didn’t hesitate on sharing it with his friends. On second grade, he gained even more popularity after becoming a part of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and by fifth grade already, many girls were desperate to ask him on a date and fantasize about what being their girlfriend was like.

You couldn’t deny that you were one of those girls… not the girlfriend part, but the one that could easily fall for him if your heart gave the chance.

You liked him in first grade, secretly, but as the months went by, the colder you became, the more you avoided him, and the more you forgot about his existence, just being another person you know that would not be relevant in your life.

At least, not until he bumped into you just when the year started, three months ago.

You were walking with your hands full of books, almost covering your view as you tried to find your way to your dorm again. Hara was next to you, as always, and you secretly wished she was a human the whole time so she could transform back into her original shape and carry some books for you.

That didn’t happen.

What did happen, is that you gasped as your books bumped into someone’s body; for the second time. The first one ran away when she offered to help you and you yelled at her to leave you alone, because you were too angry to even let her help you.

But how could you yell at his face?

“Oh, Merlin” he had said before quickly getting on one knee, and his big hands already started to pick up three books. You just stood there… silent. “I’m so sorry, I was coming around the corner and-…”

Your tired and big sigh interrupted his words. “It’s fine.” your voice said as you got on both of your knees as you fixed a piece of tour hair behind your ear. “It’s the second time today.”

“I’m sorry” he said again, much sadder this time, and you noticed. You thought you maybe were too hard on your words, or your tone, or the way your face was clenched, but why would you care? Weren’t you always like that?

You didn’t answer though, just silently picking up your heavy and boring looking books from the floor.

Cedric had looked up at you twice while picking up the books. He recognized you from the hallways and his classes, but didn’t find the need to introduce himself; he thought you wouldn’t care a bit. Of course, he had to think just the same way as everyone else.

You secretly wished he didn’t, but you also thought that this was going to be the only time that you saw him and actually talked.

“Are you going to your dorm?”

You frowned your eyebrows at him as you lifted your head. His brown were hidden behind some hair that fell on his forehead as his lips were parted, waiting for your answer. You nodded your head, suddenly remembering that you were actually talking to him, not staring at a fucking statue. You slapped yourself internally, feeling stupid.

“Yeah” your answer was short.

“Let me help you then, it’s the least I can do”

God, could he be more perfect?

But your hard ass had to complain.

“No, it’s okay. I know my way”

You heard his laugh when you picked up the last book from the floor.

“I know you do, but I want to help you. They’re too heavy for you”

You sighed loudly again, and with an annoyed expression on your hardly visible face, you said; “Look, I don’t need help, okay? Just-…” you stopped when you looked to your left. Hara was always there, but not this time. “Where’s Hara?” the fear in your voice alerted Cedric’s ears.

“Who’s Hara?”

“My cat!” you almost yelled, letting your books fall again as you quickly got up, already disappearing into the corner in which the brunette guy came from. “Hara?”

He was quick to follow behind you. “It’s a black cat, right?”

“What?” you asked, turning your head as you found him standing next to your body, looking down at you. “No! I’m not letting you help me find my cat”

“Well, too bad” he muttered before walking past you and brushing your shoulder. You scoffed, surprised with wide eyes as you heard how he called your cat’s name and made those same little noises that everyone does when they are trying to find a cat.

He did not fall for your complaining. Why did you like it so much?

“Ugh!” you shouted towards the ceiling while letting your arms rise up and then fall heavily to your sides. “Hara!” you screamed, knowing damn well that that would not make her come to you again, but being the only thing that came out of your mouth.

You could still hear Cedric’s voice as you silently looked for Hara in the cold hallways, books long forgotten, probably getting stepped on by many students.

For what felt like ten minutes, you were already convinced that Cedric was long gone and had stopped looking for your cat. Your thought got you relaxed, but also worried, were you too harsh on him? Too rude? You didn’t want to be rude with him, or with anyone but it was just what came out of you.

Cedric didn’t run away though. No, he stayed, he insisted. He had to be one of the few if not the only person that ever did that to you, at least for the past three years…

“yn!”

And then he called your name.

A single name falling from his rosy and pumped lips, letting it fall like thick and sweet honey that tasted as magnificent as the sweetest chocolate or cherry. You liked how it sounded, coming from him.

You turned your back, and he almost smiled when he noticed what he had in his arms, and the way your eyebrows instantly came back to their original not-worried expression.

Hara seemed a little too comfortable in his arms as she looked around nervously, as if she saw something she shouldn’t, or got scared by something. He stopped in front of you and gave you your pet in your arms, slightly letting his hands brush yours, but quickly letting go. The feeling was too good to be that short.

“Where were you?” you asked staring into her yellow eyes, as if she could answer. “You scared the living hell out of me, sweetie”

“Sweetie?”

Shit, he was still there.

You just gave him a quick look before kissing Hara’s head and placing her down to the ground again, pointing her with your finger to stay there, she meowed.

“Uh… thank you” you said, probably for the first time in months, and quickly feeling your throat go dry. He smiled, proud of himself because of course, he knew you never acted like this, in fact, it was like a totally different person in front of him.

He noticed the way your cheeks went slightly pink when he caught your baby-acting way of talking to Hara, he found it cute.

Cedric didn’t believe many of the things he heard about you over the years, like, you study so much in the library because you secretly read black magic in the forbidden section, or that you were so mean on your third grade that you made three girls cry the first day, when in fact, he knew it was another person. He almost hated the way people decided to treat you one day and never notice your existence again when it came to friendship.

You were popular, but still, one of the most feared persons. Did that make sense?

“Anytime” he replied, and you held your breath when he got closer to you, still looking at you, but quickly getting on his knees again to give your cat some little pats on her head and stomach when she just laid there, asking for more of his —probably— soft and comforting touch.

Traitor. You thought, looking at Hara.

“She’s so cute” you heard him laugh when your cat gave him the purest glassy eyes ever, enjoying his presence while you stood there awkwardly, just wanting to leave. “I think she loves me”

Once again, you didn’t know what to say, so you stayed silent again, playing with the edges of your robe.

He got up again, still standing too close to you. “You’re still letting me carry those books, right?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, it’s the-…”

“Oh, I know” you interrupted, lifting your palm as your lips clenched in disgust, but way too funny to not make him smile for the last time. “It’s the least you can do” you imitated and exaggerated manly voice.

He walked with you the whole way… and you hated the fact that you let him. If your arms weren’t feeling heavy with books, the ones that Cedric made you grab because they were the lightest, you would’ve crossed your arms over your chest all the way, but since you couldn’t do it, you decided to give him a silent treatment.

He kept eyeing you the whole way, that annoying expression on your face that really made him question to himself if he should even try to talk to you again.

It was not towards him though, but to yourself; how you hated yourself for acting so different all of a sudden, so… small. But this wasn’t your fault, was it? I mean, if he didn’t show up, none of this would’ve have happened, so he was the one to blame, wasn’t he?

Right?

You questioned yourself that same thing over and over again for the following week.

It was like he invaded your mind, everytime you looked at him, you heard him talk in class, or walked past him down the hallway. It was like you were always trying to see him too, it was pathetic.

Fucking pathetic. He only helped you find your cat, for God’s sake, why was that so important to you?

Maybe because no one ever helped you before, or the way he walked so tentatively towards you anytime he walked, or how good he looked with your own cat in his arms… so cute, so handsome.

Sometimes he was there when you tried to sleep too, inside your head. What was happening to you? Why were you desperately trying to keep him out of your mind all of a sudden? Why did you feel your heart skip a beat whenever he talked? Why did you happened to be thinking about his face so much? Why wouldn’t he let you sleep?

Was this what your talked about? She mentioned something about liking boys at a certain age, but every boy you ever knew ran away from you, so, was Cedric this boy now?

You certainly didn’t know what was it about him that caught your attention so suddenly, but stopping was not an option. After all, it made you feel good.

The more days that passed, the more confused you felt, and people started to notice. They saw how you were muy quieter now in class, how you barely raised your hand or how you just seemed… lost. Was something wrong with you? Probably, because you didn’t even eat your breakfast this morning. You just sat there, playing with your scrambled eggs and toasts, not even hungry enough to eat what you served.

There was some mumbling that came from behind you, the Gryffindor table, but didn’t even bother to look back at them, as you always do, so they would either lower their volume, or shut up. Instead, you took the cup in which you had some pumpkin juice, and drank it all.

And then, the mumbling stopped.

The whole Gryffindor group went silent, and that’s when you turned around, almost asking them to speak again… they were all staring at you.

Fred and George were mouth opened and all big eyes looking directly at you, as if something really bad just happened. His friends were whispering into each other’s ears, and you finally spoke.

“What?”

Silence.

“What are you staring at?”

“Um-…” one of the twins spoke first, but you found tell which one was it. Then he lifted his finger, and pointed to the golden cup on your left hand. “Was that your juice?”

You frowned your eyebrows, looked at the cup, and then back at them. “Yes” you replied “Why so interested?”

Silence was dominant again, as the twins exchanged a scared look and then looked back at you again. Your ears were starting to get red, nobody was telling you anything so they were either messing with you, or something bad had happened. You chose to believe the first one… but saying what you were actually thinking was not part of the plan.

“Alright, stupid looking faces, what the fuck is going on?”

The expression on their faces changed, surprised about hearing what you just said… you never insulted anyone. In fact, people thought that you were the kind of person to insult in their mind, but trying to be as cold as ever on the outside, that’s why everyone called you ice hearted or ice princess, you never actually said what you thought… you just tried to be as calm and as cold as always.

But you just insulted a group of teenagers, and that never happened before. No matter how mad you were, you always tried not to insult. People did it to you and it felt horrible, so why do it to someone else?

You gasped lowly while covering your mouth. “Fohmygad” you muttered against your palm. “Oh my God, I’m-… I didn’t want to”

“We know” the other twin had said. “You just drank veritaserum”

And your whole face transformed.

“What… did you just say?” Your voice tone was scary, just like a threat.

“It was not for you!” you recognized the girl that just spoke to you, Angelina. You sat with her a few times in class, but she was quick to run away from you as soon as class finished. “I told you you shouldn’t have done that! All the cups look the same” she hit one of the twins on the side of their head. He whined.

“How was it supposed to know she was going to grab Malfoy’s cup?”

You quickly stood up and placed the cup on the table, right next to, in fact, Malfoy’s breakfast. It was not too far away from you, and you had poured yourself the same drink, but Draco left for a second before you drank the wrong juice.

Fred and George kept talking at the same time towards you, fear in their voices and getting smaller and smaller almost hiding under the table. You ignored them as much as you could so nothing else could come out of your mouth, and with half your face covered, you walked away from the Great Hall.

But of course, not before bumping into another person again.

“Woah” Cedric said as he grabbed your shoulders. He laughed when he noticed it was you “We keep bumping into each other, huh?”

“Don’t talk to me” you bit while shaking your body off of his grabbing, and bit your tongue again as the gigantic door kept getting closer and closer, but it didn’t make you feel any better.

You didn’t look back as you walked as fast as you could towards the bathroom on the fifth floor, the Prefect’s bathroom, after all, you were one. It was a safe place, since no one was ever there at that time in the morning and not everyone could come in. You just wished that Myrtle was not there, she could be a bit annoying sometimes.

After letting your way in, you ran to wash your face with the coldest water that your skin could handle. Your skin was on fire, just like the rest of your body and maybe, just maybe, your brain. You have definitely gained a new enemy.

Verisaterum? Really?

Malfoy could be a pain in the ass but, out of all the potions in the wizarding world, the Weasley twins had to choose the hardest one to make, with no taste, no color, but most importantly, illegal to any use outside the Minister?

Merlin’s fucking beard, you needed a break.

“yn?”

You scoffed when a male voice called your name. “It’s occupied, genius” you answered with your back still turned to where the voice was coming.

The footsteps were coming closer and closer, and you were not in the mood to deal with any Weasley shit, you thought.

“Pretrificus Totalus!” you screamed while turning around, your hand already grabbing your wand and throwing it towards whoever it was the Weasley that followed you.

“Hey!” the male voice, not Weasley, screamed as he hid behind a wall, your spell crushing into the cold surface. “What do you think you’re doing?” Cedric showed himself, confusion on his face as he slowly decided to walk again.

“Cedric.” you called, putting your wand away. It was the first time you called his name. “I thought you were one of the twins”

“I can tell… are you okay?”

Yes.

“No”, you replied. You groaned lowly when the truth came out of your lips. In times like this, you really wished these kind of potions didn’t exist, it was hard to hold back their enchantment. “I just drank the most stupid potion that the Weasley twins could think of to piss off Malfoy”

He placed his hands inside the front pockets of his pants as he laughed. “Verisaterum?”

“How’d you know?”

He clicked his tongue, making his way towards you again. “They joke about it too much” he leaned his back against the sink you were gripping tightly with your hands.

You took a deep breath and stayed silent for a moment, analyzing your reflection as you asked, “How long does it last?”

“Depends on how successful it is. It can go away between one hour and six”

“Six hours!?” you yelled to his face, then scoffed while letting an annoyed smile draw on your face. “For the love of….”

“We can always ask Snape for the antidote… but that would mean you tell him about the twins’s action and that was illegal”

You bit your tongue as your feet bobbed up and down, snapping your toes onto the shiny floor again and again as your breathing was a clear sign of how bad you were feeling.

“Forget it. I’ll just wait”

Your knees bended as you sat on the floor, right next to Cedric’s legs, and letting your head fall against the cold pipe under the sink.

“You’ll wait up until six hours before you speak again?” his voice could perfectly fit with another type of quiestion… ‘are you crazy?’ would be the perfect one.

But you just nodded, not even looking at his perfect face. “It’s not like I have someone to talk to, anyways”

Ouch.

Cedric bit the inside of his cheek as he looked down at you, feeling bad for you and how vulnerable were feeling, but being smart enough to keep that thought to himself.

“Or… you can talk to me”

You clicked your tongue and laughed coldly. “Yeah, right”

“Really” he insisted as you saw his figure squat next to yours, finally dropping his whole weight to the floor, imitating your posture. “By this time you should already know I’m not someone who falls for your complains, right?”

“You’re right” you replied as you played with your fingers nervously. “That’s good”

Shit, shut up already.

“Why?”

“‘Cause I like it… oh my god” you covered your face “I was not supposed to say that”

Cedric laughed again.

“You like my company?”

No, no, no, no.

“Yes” you whined “Please stop asking me questions!”

He let out a louder laugh this time. “Why? It’s fun”

“Yeah, you drink verisaterum and we’ll see if it’s funny, smart boy”

“Sorry”

He stayed silent after that, and so did you. Your cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as you kept wishing that this potion was so poorly made that it only lasted one hour, but the effect didn’t seem to go away any sooner.

You could feel it because that’s just how your mind felt too. Suddenly the thought of not saying the truth to any question was not an option in your mind. Did you even know what a lie was? God, you felt so weak that you hated yourself. Why couldn’t you be like those wizards you read about? The ones that can resist it?

Your whole reputation and personality would’ve stayed intact if you could.

But right now, sitting right next to Cedric Diggory, asking you questions, and with red cheeks… that just ruined the whole image that people thought you had.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” he suddenly stammered and it made you jump slightly. He had leaned closer to your ear, as if sitting next to him was not enough to hear him.

“I do” you answered before laughing to yourself “That was the only answer that did not feel forced to come out”

Cedric laughed too, and he took his time before deciding what to ask you, trying to find the correct words to say to not make you mad, or walk away and leave.

“Is it… are you really how people say you are? I mean, I see that you can be as cold as you want but, is that who you are?”

Your eyes made him nervous. After his lips closed, your face just inches away from his, you just stayed there staring at him. You bit your own lip as you kept looking at his grey eyes, trying to find any sign that showed you that he really didn’t care about it, or that the wrinkles on his skin would show up like anytime he laugh, another sign that he was just messing with you, and he really couldn’t care in the slightest about you. But he didn’t move.

So you sighed. “No”

Cedric nodded, more than satisfied with that answer. He was right.

But you had a lot to say, even though he didn’t ask you that much.

“I guess I became what people started to say I was, or what I started to hear about myself. I wasn’t always cold, or I wasn’t always pushing people away from me. Actually, I was the one trying to have lots of friends and be myself with many people but they just… I don’t know, they felt threatened, so… let’s just say I got mad with my own life and decided to not let myself feel vulnerable again, because I don’t deserve it”

Another big gap of silence… and your eyes slowly got filled with tears.

“I’m not who everyone says I am. Ice princess, the hell” you laughed “I mean, sorry I’m not a sweetheart to everyone that gave me nicknames! They expected me to be like this so, here they go”

You sniffed while your nose got red and puffy. Not a single tear was dropped but you still looked so heartbroken that it made the boy next to you almost cry too. You didn’t even complain about the potion this time, because you finally had thrown again that massive rock that just kept hurting your chest over and over again.

“There was only one person that treated me nicely in the last three years”

He frowned his eyebrows. “Who?”

“You”

You had turned your head towards him again, with a small smile on your lips. He knew it was going to be hard for you to thank him, but the shiny look in your eyes was just enough for him to realize. “Really?” he asked.

You nodded, still smiling. “Yes, it’s like a bonus point”

“Bonus point?”

“Because I like you”

Fuck… fuck!

“I-…”

“Wha-…” you both started taking at the same time.

It was like a fucking movie. Both of you frozen in time, staring at each other’s faces as you tried to say the correct words, but nothing came to mind.

Cedric could feel his heart pounding in his ears, while you wanted to crash your head to the nearest wall.

“You…” he started, but didn’t finish, at least not what he initially wanted to say. “Are you for real?”

“No, Diggory, I just fucking lied to your face, can you believe it?… Of course I’m for real, dingus!” you yelled.

Cedric bit his lip as he turned his head to the opposite side, trying to bite back his laugh. “Okay, I get it, it was a dumb question”

But then he laughed. God, his laugh, his perfect little giggle. It made you smile.

“I kinda like you too”

Your neck snapped so hard towards his direction that you thought that maybe, you just died.

Your lips kept opening and closing everytime you tried to say something. For some reason, none of this seemed like a joke to you, almost as if the potion’s effect had affected Cedric too. Something about this felt real, maybe it was because you openly talked about your feeling with him. He knew you weren’t bad, he always knew, he just wanted you to confirm it.

Maybe drinking verisaterum wasn’t as bad as you thought.

Your heart pounded heavily in your chest when he fixed a piece of your hair behind your ear, and the lightest yet burning touch of his fingers against your jawline made your breath hitch once again. He smirked again, as he always does, “You’re really beautiful” he cooed, as his hot breath hit your cheekbone and left behind a sweet feeling that you never wanted to get rid of.

He then got up, as swiftly as a leaf would do, and extended his hand to you.

“What?” you debated.

“Let’s go for a walk. I feel like I have to ask you a few more questions before I decided which place I’m taking you to this weekend”

[goodolddumbbanana]

There is something very funny that Nexus couldn't find anything bad to say about Sun except Sun has been haunted by many mistakes. I mean, if he truly wants, he can twist the knife more. (Sun is a coward, Sun is an idiot...) But no. He still has some hesitation when speaking about Sun, like even he doesn't believe what he said.

He is in denial. Refuses to accept that everyone cares about him and just throw it under the water. And he self projects all of it onto Earth.

The way Nexus asks Earth to join him, I think apart from the fact he deeply inside feels lonely, but also, he is jealous of Earth.

Why do they love her so much but hold so much expectancy on him? Compared to him, Earth is like a golden child. Sun isn't scared of her, Lunar trusts her, Solar gets soft around her, Monty is crazy about her.

Nexus wants to ruin her, he wants to make her just like himself. Because if Earth joins him, which means, he was right. The family is the problem, not him, never him.

Something very interesting about how he interacts with each member in the celestial family.

With Moon, he shows no mercy. He enjoyed torturing Moon, to prove himself is more superior than Moon. That he is the one who is better, that even with all the nasty shit he pulled, Moon is always the big bad guy. Moon's treatment is similar to Ruin, because from Nexus's perspective, they are both bringing a lot of pain for him.

With Solar, he mocks him when Solar decides not to join him. I think he admires Solar to some degree, so when he goes bad, he loves to humiliate Solar. Solar and Earth are both people who are desperately for love and approval, so he thinks he can just easily manipulate them to his side. Remember, right when Solar refuses to do what Nexus wants, Nexus calls him weak and pathetic and all. Because back then, Solar never refused him anything, solar is his yes man.

With Earth, he uses a lot of more manipulation. He self-projects himself on her, and when it didn't work, he called her dumb and said once again he will kill her.

He said Sun or Lunar or Monty they only use her, but actually, the only one who keeps asking her for therapy, the one who never actually hanging out with her anymore if not for the fact they want to ranting things out, it is Nexus, not lunar, not even Sun.

Earth comes to Sun a lot. She rants about things with him, she shares her insecurities with him as much as she shares with Solar. And only one person I didn't see her doing that with. Nexus. Nexus is the person who always needs her help, that she never can put her guard down. She always needs to be understandable and kind towards Nexus and the fact their interactions today are so much alike with how when Creator comes to her, making me feel sad.

The one who put her in such high expectations is Nexus. And both Creator and Nexus think they can just, manipulate Earth because she is always nice and wants to help people. They both think because she is desperate for love, that she will do anything. They both imply and rambling that the family she loves will end up leaving her when she has no use anymore when in fact, they are these people who use her a lot and drop her on high sight when she no longer shows any use.

And with Sun oh boy, it is a whole can of worms. Nexus hates him, he hates him with passion, seeing Sun making he throw up. But if he truly thinks that, why didn't Sun have the same treatment like Moon? Why does Nexus let Sun run around and just shut Sun down like he did with Moon? Why wasting time chasing him? And why didn't Nexus ask him to join Nexus?

Because he knows Sun, painfully. He knows his brother still loves him, still cares about him, but never, Sun would never agree with whatever he did and does.

That's why Nexus doesn't try to manipulate Sun like he manipulated Earth and Solar. Because he knows Sun might plead and beg, but for the family, there is nothing Sun would do. But He is not the family anymore, right?

So he yells at Sun, he chases around like a crying for help. Even in the cell, they are not talking much like how Earth and Nexus have talked. Because both of them are the same, immovable mountain. They both understand they are so stubborn, and nothing can change their opinion.

Do you see how much you hurt me? Do you even care?

Nexus with Sun like a child getting a tantrum and hit their mom, but still their hand keeps holding their mom's shirt. There is so much of everything between them, and there is no more word conflict yet can be approvable than hatred.

Sun is always the home for Nexus, but now when he doesn't want to go back to this hole anymore, where is he?

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

Prince Rhaegar as a character often gets some deserved criticism - and a lot of underserved hate. And one of the things that I think he unfairly gets blamed for is Elia Martell's tragedy. Elia's death is one of the primary objections people have towards Rhaegar and Lyanna being depicted as a romance, with readers believing that if they were just tragic lovers, then that diminishes Elia's own tragedy.

I...disagree. It is understandable (and honestly right) that readers would rally behind Elia. Not only was she horribly brutalized and murdered, but her children suffered absolutely terrible fates as well.

However, in trying to center Rhaegar and Lyanna's doomed dalliance in this, a lot of readers are missing the answer that has been already provided to us within the narrative. Not only that, but this line of thinking also ignores the key context in which Elia's senseless murder is portrayed.

As far as the text goes, Elia’s death is laid squarely at the feet of Tywin Lannister and his men, Ser Gregor Clegane and Ser Amory Lorch. It's House Lannister's burden to bear.

Doran for one, Elia's brother, directly blames Tywin Lannister:

“You mistake patience for forbearance. I have worked at the downfall of Tywin Lannister since the day they told me of Elia and her children.”

The Princess in the Tower, AFFC

Even Oberyn agrees:

“Dwarf,” said the Red Viper, in a tone grown markedly less cordial, “spare me your Lannister lies. Is it sheep you take us for, or fools? My brother is not a bloodthirsty man, but neither has he been asleep for sixteen years. Jon Arryn came to Sunspear the year after Robert took the throne, and you can be sure that he was questioned closely. Him, and a hundred more. I did not come for some mummer’s show of an inquiry. I came for justice for Elia and her children, and I will have it. Starting with this lummox Gregor Clegane … but not, I think, ending there. Before he dies, the Enormity That Rides will tell me whence came his orders, please assure your lord father of that.” He smiled. “An old septon once claimed I was living proof of the goodness of the gods. Do you know why that is, Imp?”

Tyrion IV, ASOS

“Is that the game we are playing?” Tyrion rubbed at his scarred nose. He had nothing to lose by telling Oberyn the truth. “There was a bear at Harrenhal, and it did kill Ser Amory Lorch.” “How sad for him,” said the Red Viper. “And for you. Do all noseless men lie so badly, I wonder?” “I am not lying. Ser Amory dragged Princess Rhaenys out from under her father’s bed and stabbed her to death. He had some men-at-arms with him, but I do not know their names.” He leaned forward. “It was Ser Gregor Clegane who smashed Prince Aegon’s head against a wall and raped your sister Elia with his blood and brains still on his hands.” “What is this, now? Truth, from a Lannister?” Oberyn smiled coldly. “Your father gave the commands, yes?” “No.” He spoke the lie without hesitation, and never stopped to ask himself why he should. The Dornishman raised one thin black eyebrow. “Such a dutiful son. And such a very feeble lie. It was Lord Tywin who presented my sister’s children to King Robert all wrapped up in crimson Lannister cloaks.”

Tyrion IX, ASOS

“Elia Martell, Princess of Dorne,” the Red Viper hissed. “You raped her. You murdered her. You killed her children…“I came to hear you confess.”

Tyrion X, ASOS

Varys and Tyrion both understand that House Martell (but more specifically Doran) hates the Lannisters.

“The Dornishmen thus far have held aloof from these wars. Doran Martell has called his banners, but no more. His hatred for House Lannister is well known, and it is commonly thought he will join Lord Renly. You wish to dissuade him.” “All this is obvious,” said Tyrion. “The only puzzle is what you might have offered for his allegiance. The prince is a sentimental man, and he still mourns his sister Elia and her sweet babe.” “My father once told me that a lord never lets sentiment get in the way of ambition … and it happens we have an empty seat on the small council, now that Lord Janos has taken the black.” “A council seat is not to be despised,” Varys admitted, “yet will it be enough to make a proud man forget his sister’s murder?” “Why forget?” Tyrion smiled. “I’ve promised to deliver his sister’s killers, alive or dead, as he prefers. After the war is done, to be sure.” Varys gave him a shrewd look. “My little birds tell me that Princess Elia cried a … certain name … when they came for her.” “Is a secret still a secret if everyone knows it?” In Casterly Rock, it was common knowledge that Gregor Clegane had killed Elia and her babe. They said he had raped the princess with her son’s blood and brains still on his hands. “This secret is your lord father’s sworn man.” “My father would be the first to tell you that fifty thousand Dornishmen are worth one rabid dog.” Varys stroked a powdered cheek. “And if Prince Doran demands the blood of the lord who gave the command as well as the knight who did the deed …” “Robert Baratheon led the rebellion. All commands came from him, in the end.” “Robert was not at King’s Landing.” “Neither was Doran Martell.”

Tyrion IV, ACOK

Really, all the nobles know where to look at when assigning blame for Elia's murder. Tywin.

“Prince Doran comes at my son’s invitation,” Lord Tywin said calmly, “not only to join in our celebration, but to claim his seat on this council, and the justice Robert denied him for the murder of his sister Elia and her children.” Tyrion watched the faces of the Lords Tyrell, Redwyne, and Rowan, wondering if any of the three would be bold enough to say, “But Lord Tywin, wasn’t it you who presented the bodies to Robert, all wrapped up in Lannister cloaks?” None of them did, but it was there on their faces all the same. Redwyne does not give a fig, he thought, but Rowan looks fit to gag.

Tywin, for the most part, quite shamelessly tries to disassociate himself from his own moral failings; this is nothing new, because he follows this same MO with squarely blaming the Freys for the Red Wedding even though he played an integral part in planning for it.

“Then why did the Mountain kill her?” “Because I did not tell him to spare her. I doubt I mentioned her at all. I had more pressing concerns. Ned Stark’s van was rushing south from the Trident, and I feared it might come to swords between us. And it was in Aerys to murder Jaime, with no more cause than spite. That was the thing I feared most. That, and what Jaime himself might do.” He closed a fist. “Nor did I yet grasp what I had in Gregor Clegane, only that he was huge and terrible in battle. The rape … even you will not accuse me of giving that command, I would hope. Ser Amory was almost as bestial with Rhaenys. I asked him afterward why it had required half a hundred thrusts to kill a girl of … two? Three? He said she’d kicked him and would not stop screaming. If Lorch had half the wits the gods gave a turnip, he would have calmed her with a few sweet words and used a soft silk pillow.” His mouth twisted in distaste. “The blood was in him.”

Tyrion VI, ASOS

“And when Oberyn demands the justice he’s come for?” “I will tell him that Ser Amory Lorch killed Elia and her children,” Lord Tywin said calmly. “So will you, if he asks.” “Ser Amory Lorch is dead,” Tyrion said flatly. “Precisely. Vargo Hoat had Ser Amory torn apart by a bear after the fall of Harrenhal. That ought to be sufficiently grisly to appease even Oberyn Martell.” “You may call that justice …” “It is justice. It was Ser Amory who brought me the girl’s body, if you must know. He found her hiding under her father’s bed, as if she believed Rhaegar could still protect her. Princess Elia and the babe were in the nursery a floor below.”

Tyrion VI, ASOS

Tywin tries to alleviate himself of any responsibility by blaming his men, but the narrative actively calls bullshit on this (through Tywin's own son no less).

So the narrative shows through multiple POVs that Elia's murder is contextualized exclusively as a failing on Tywin Lannister and his men; not only was it a moral failing, but Tyrion also questions if it was politically necessary in the first place. It's also important to note that ASOS is when we really dive into the matter of Elia and her children (mostly through Oberyn), but we also have to remember that this is the same book as the Red Wedding. The Red Wedding, another one of Tywin's senseless massacres that he tries to postulate as politically necessary.

So, we have agreed that the blame and context for Elia's (and her children's) murder is presented through the lens of Tywin as an immoral politician who often makes politically unnecessary moves. But then we ask ourselves, can the responsibility of this tragedy be extended? Well, yes it can. And it has been in the text.

Ser Barristan extends this tragedy beyond Tywin and his men

...to King Robert.

“Prince Rhaegar had two children,” Ser Barristan told him. “Rhaenys was a little girl, Aegon a babe in arms. When Tywin Lannister took King’s Landing, his men killed both of them. He served the bloody bodies up in crimson cloaks, a gift for the new king.” And what did Robert say when he saw them? Did he smile? Barristan Selmy had been badly wounded on the Trident, so he had been spared the sight of Lord Tywin’s gift, but oft he wondered. If I had seen him smile over the red ruins of Rhaegar’s children, no army on this earth could have stopped me from killing him. “I will not suffer the murder of children. Accept that, or I’ll have no part of this.”

The Kingbreaker, ADWD

Ned Stark does as well.

Ned did not feign surprise; Robert’s hatred of the Targaryens was a madness in him. He remembered the angry words they had exchanged when Tywin Lannister had presented Robert with the corpses of Rhaegar’s wife and children as a token of fealty. Ned had named that murder; Robert called it war. When he had protested that the young prince and princess were no more than babes, his new-made king had replied, “I see no babes. Only dragonspawn.” Not even Jon Arryn had been able to calm that storm. Eddard Stark had ridden out that very day in a cold rage, to fight the last battles of the war alone in the south. It had taken another death to reconcile them; Lyanna’s death, and the grief they had shared over her passing.

Eddard II, AGOT

And so does Tywin, who uses Robert's tacit approval as justification for this senseless act.

Lord Tywin stared at him as if he had lost his wits. “You deserve that motley, then. We had come late to Robert’s cause. It was necessary to demonstrate our loyalty. When I laid those bodies before the throne, no man could doubt that we had forsaken House Targaryen forever. And Robert’s relief was palpable. As stupid as he was, even he knew that Rhaegar’s children had to die if his throne was ever to be secure. Yet he saw himself as a hero, and heroes do not kill children.” His father shrugged. “I grant you, it was done too brutally. Elia need not have been harmed at all, that was sheer folly. By herself she was nothing.”

Tyrion VI, ASOS

So if we can't extend the blame to Rhaegar, because the narrative doesn't do so either, what can we hold him responsible for? Let's take a step back and look at Rhaegar's culpability in this whole thing.

Was Rhaegar (and Lyanna) responsible for starting the war that would eventually lead to Elia's murder?

No. GRRM doesn't think so. The war actually started when King Aerys murdered the Lord of Winterfell and his heir, a bunch of other northern nobles, and then called for the heads of Robert Baratheon (Lord of Storm's End) and Ned Stark (the new Lord of Winterfell). Aerys broke the feudal contract, and so Jon Arryn declared war.

I don't think I would have stayed loyal to the Mad King. Do I think they were justified? Yes, and no. [...] There was no doubt that the Mad King was mad. He was paranoid and he was abusing his power. And Westeros has no Magna Carta or anything like that. There was no way to handle this within the rule of law. But was what they do justified? Especially when you consider that it was triggered by a personal grievance. The execution of Ned's father and brother was really a thing that radicalized Ned and put him in opposition to it. Robert was just rolling for a fight and didn't like the fact that he'd lost his girlfriend. So you know, the personal informs the political.

source

Rhaegar and Lyanna's disappearance was merely the spark - it led to a misunderstanding that caused Brandon Stark to ride to Kingslanding. What really caused the war was Aerys' Targaryens subsequent actions as the king. So if we want to blame someone for causing the chain of events that led to Elia's death as well as her children's, the author himself says to blame Aerys; even though I don't think this is right either because we once again stray from the necessary (and sole) context of Elia's murder - Tywin's bloody hands.

Fine. Rhaegar was not responsible for the war. But surely he is responsible for leaving Elia in King's Landing, right in the clutches of Mad King Aerys. Well, this again, is not true. As far as Rhaegar knew, Elia was in Dragonstone with Aegon and Rhaenys where he left them.

As cold winds hammered the city, King Aerys II turned to his pyromancers, charging them to drive the winter off with their magics. Huge green fires burned along the walls of the Red Keep for a moon’s turn. Prince Rhaegar was not in the city to observe them, however. Nor could he be found in Dragonstone with Princess Elia and their young son, Aegon.

“The Year of the False Spring”, The World of Ice and Fire

At some point, Elia was called to King's Landing. And it was Aerys who kept her hostage there as insurance against possible Dornish betrayal (remember, he was paranoid).

Side Note: Aerys kept another important political hostage in King's Landing along with Elia - Jaime Lannister; this is to deter anyone from trying to blame Jaime for doing nothing. He was a teenager and a hostage himself!

“My Sworn Brothers were all away, you see, but Aerys liked to keep me close. I was my father’s son, so he did not trust me. He wanted me where Varys could watch me, day and night. So I heard it all.” He remembered how Rossart’s eyes would shine when he unrolled his maps to show where the substance must be placed. Garigus and Belis were the same. “Rhaegar met Robert on the Trident, and you know what happened there. When the word reached court, Aerys packed the queen off to Dragonstone with Prince Viserys. Princess Elia would have gone as well, but he forbade it. Somehow he had gotten it in his head that Prince Lewyn must have betrayed Rhaegar on the Trident, but he thought he could keep Dorne loyal so long as he kept Elia and Aegon by his side. The traitors want my city, I heard him tell Rossart, but I’ll give them naught but ashes. Let Robert be king over charred bones and cooked meat. The Targaryens never bury their dead, they burn them. Aerys meant to have the greatest funeral pyre of them all. Though if truth be told, I do not believe he truly expected to die. Like Aerion Brightfire before him, Aerys thought the fire would transform him … that he would rise again, reborn as a dragon, and turn all his enemies to ash.

Jaime V, ASOS

Ok, fine. So Rhaegar did not abandon her with Aerys then run off to Lyanna. But he should have done something when he came back, right? Why didn't he leave more Kings Guard with Elia and the children?

Well....this is a war. The knights of the KG are important assets on the battle field. Kings Landing, at the time, was not the most dangerous location. The KG were better off at the Trident, as a victory there would protect those who were left behind in KL.

And it's not that Rhaegar didn't do anything. Beyond going off to lead the battle himself, he tried to make moves that would help those who were back in KL (Elia and the children included).

He floated in heat, in memory. “After dancing griffins lost the Battle of the Bells, Aerys exiled him.” Why am I telling this absurd ugly child? “He had finally realized that Robert was no mere outlaw lord to be crushed at whim, but the greatest threat House Targaryen had faced since Daemon Blackfyre. The king reminded Lewyn Martell gracelessly that he held Elia and sent him to take command of the ten thousand Dornishmen coming up the kingsroad. Jon Darry and Barristan Selmy rode to Stoney Sept to rally what they could of griffins’ men, and Prince Rhaegar returned from the south and persuaded his father to swallow his pride and summon my father. But no raven returned from Casterly Rock, and that made the king even more afraid. He saw traitors everywhere, and Varys was always there to point out any he might have missed. So His Grace commanded his alchemists to place caches of wildfire all over King’s Landing. Beneath Baelor’s Sept and the hovels of Flea Bottom, under stables and storehouses, at all seven gates, even in the cellars of the Red Keep itself.

Jaime V ASOS

And Jaime's POV once again shows us that Rhaegar banked on victory at the Trident, and was fully expecting to come back to KL and amend the fraught political situation.

The day had been windy when he said farewell to Rhaegar, in the yard of the Red Keep. The prince had donned his night-black armor, with the three-headed dragon picked out in rubies on his breastplate. “Your Grace,” Jaime had pleaded, “let Darry stay to guard the king this once, or Ser Barristan. Their cloaks are as white as mine.” Prince Rhaegar shook his head. “My royal sire fears your father more than he does our cousin Robert. He wants you close, so Lord Tywin cannot harm him. I dare not take that crutch away from him at such an hour.” Jaime’s anger had risen up in his throat. “I am not a crutch. I am a knight of the Kingsguard.” “Then guard the king,” Ser Jon Darry snapped at him. “When you donned that cloak, you promised to obey.” Rhaegar had put his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. “When this battle’s done I mean to call a council. Changes will be made. I meant to do it long ago, but … well, it does no good to speak of roads not taken. We shall talk when I return.”

Jaime I, AFFC

So Rhaegar wasn't leaving with no care about what happened back in King's Landing. We don't know what he wanted to do with Aerys, Elia, Lyanna, and the aftermath of the war because he died at the Trident. But we do know that he, at the very least, was planning to do something.

So we can't blame Rhaegar (and Lyanna) for starting the war and we can't blame him either for abandoning Elia in King's Landing with no care about what happens next. So, again, what can we blame him for?

“It's not entirely correct that the Martells stayed out of the war. Rhaegar had Dornish troops with him on the Trident, under the command of Prince Lewyn of the Kingsguard. However, the Dornishmen did not support him as strongly as they might have, in part because of anger at his treatment of Elia, in part because of Prince Doran's innate caution.”

SSM, 09/11/1999

GRRM states that Dorne was angry about Rhaegar's treatment of Elia. What is this treatment, though?

Ned remembered the moment when all the smiles died, when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen urged his horse past his own wife, the Dornish princess Elia Martell, to lay the queen of beauty’s laurel in Lyanna’s lap.

Eddard XV, AGOT

Specifically, Rhaegar riding past Elia to crown Lyanna the Queen of Love and Beauty. Yes, that is a humiliation. And it's undeniable that no one was happy.

The crowning of the Stark girl, who was by all reports a wild and boyish young thing with none of the Princess Elia’s delicate beauty, could only have been meant to win the allegiance of Winterfell to Prince Rhaegar’s cause…Yet if this were true, why did Lady Lyanna’s brothers seem so distraught at the honor the prince had bestowed upon her? Brandon Stark, the heir to Winterfell, had to be restrained from confronting Rhaegar at what he took as a slight upon his sister’s honor…Eddard Stark, Brandon’s younger brother and a close friend to Lord Robert, was calmer but no more pleased.

“The Year of the False Spring”, The World of Ice and Fire

But, humiliating Elia is not the same thing as being responsible for her death. The narrative never equates these two things in any way. Elia's death is about Tywin's immoral and blood thirsty political actions. It's about Dorne's desire for justice (or is it vengeance?) which they know they will not get from the Lannister regime. House Lannister's downfall in King's Landing will be brought about by Prince Aegon's rise - Aegon who is proclaiming to be the long lost son of Prince Rhaegar, and who is being supported by House Martell as of now.

We can criticize Rhaegar for some things, but Elia's death is surely not one of them.

[stevie-petey]

so was billy in love with bug/did he have a crush/did SHE have a crush??????

OK OK LIT ANALYSIS TIME !!!

i feel that we need to remember that bug isnt just a reader insert (in my eyes, at least) but that shes supposed to be the warmth in the show !! the hope !! the kindness that can still persist even when everything else seems hopeless !!

its why shes such a selfless character. not because i wanted the clich "everyone loves the reader" but because she symbolizes the dandelions that creep through cracks on a sidewalk on a rainy day.

bug aside, her relationship with billy is purposely complex and muddy. for the readers, and for bug, its unclear what billy felt for her/how he viewed her. now, as the author i can tell you that billy did find her attractive, but not in a romantic sense. he viewed bug more as prey, as a tool to use against steve. he liked that she spoke back to him and could see through his persona, but bug was really more just billys next meal.

in season two, after billy has been punched by jon and he looks at steve and bug, noticing their tension, he says "oh, youre fucked harrington" because he KNEW !!! billy immediately caught that bug was steves weakness. while he flirts with her before this, knowing that steve had feelings for bug was what ultimately made billy so infatuated. he had heard all these stories about her, how she was the towns sweetheart. in his eyes, why would someone so loved by a town also be tied with steve ?

as for bug, she hates billy in season 2. he hurts max, tries hurting lucas. billy is everything vile that bug despises. it isnt until season 3, when billy has listened to maxs warnings and stayed away from bug and the party, that she starts to see him in a different light. shes still traumatized by him and she still resents how he hurt max, but she appreciates that he listened.

behind the scenes, which i do mention briefly, max tells bug about billys dad. she gets some insight into his homelife, and shes sympathetic. but it doesnt change what he did. when bug finds billy on the side of the road in season 3 after hes been flayed, she immediately wants to help him. its in her nature to, but after the events of season 2 and how he almost killed her, shes hesitant. she cant be near him, she cant touch him, but she still wants to somehow help.

and thats when she tells billy to come find her. to talk to her.

billy, lost in his possession, is struck by this. he almost killed bug. she hates him. but her words dig through the dark matter and he hears her. her kindness is the guiding light he uses for later. when billy is locked in his visions, he tries to find bug. she becomes one of his good memories, only the memories are fake. they never did smile together. bug was more his reference point, a model to go off of. he wanted to be like her. he wanted her to find him.

now for billys death ,,, it wrecks bug because max was there to see it, because billys final act was protecting his sister. she understands that better than anyone. she understands that billy had been a hurt kid. that his dad made him cruel and that violence was all he knew. billy never got the chance to become good. we only see his character grow into someone redeemable when he dies. regardless of how you feel about him (and he DOES suck i hate him), its fucking tragic. he was a kid.

billy was never given space to become good. no one was kind to him growing up. there was no softness. no warmth. billy didnt know how to be these things. but he had the potential to. and this is what breaks bug. because in another life, one where dustin and her mother werent sources of comfort, bug wouldve been consumed by her cruelty the way billy was.

thus, billys infatuation with bug and her kindess, and bugs complex relationship with her father and the anger that we are born with, ties them together.

she was his light. he was her past life.

[hunterbunter3000]

Okay so, since Krueger is obsessed with Sweetheart. Does that make him a Yandere? I mean like after he first met her and is with her like lost puppy. Does one of the men’s notice his behavior?

Oh damn... I guess so? 🫢🫢🤔🤔🤔🤔 he does have yandere tendencies. Wow I guess I made him a Yandere 😭😭 BUT LIKE-- HE WOULDNT KILL JUST BECAUSE?? like "just because you talked to Sweetheart I wouldn't kill you immediately, I would just threaten you and be intimidating so you can back off and not make a move on my future wife." But if you hurt Sweetheart then yeah you're done. DONE.

And he isn’t the type to be “if I can’t have you, no one can” and kill off Sweetheart, or be the type to lock her in the basement or have sadistic punishments. GOD NO

He would throw up if he ever tHOUGHT of hurting Sweetheart like that. (He has gotten on his knees, legit sobbing like he lost a family member, and apologizing to her because he slapped her when she accidentally startled him— it was a reflex and Sweets understood but Kruger did not stop crying. And then he bought her a designer purse 💀) he’s just a really big love drunk guy that treats his future love like a fucking goddess.

He listens to Sweetheart only, (and Graves I guess because thats his boss) so whatever she says goes. She says to leave her alone? Alright I'll give you some space. (Even tho he would be crying) she says to beat up that guy cause he disrespected her capitan? Done and done. She says to stop threatening strangers that come up to her? ...eehhhh that's gonna be hard, but I'll do it.

He does it because he wants to please her. Like a lot.

It’s unhealthy how attached he is to her, but he’s still respectful. He doesn’t want to lose her, but he also doesn’t want to be alone anymore. Does that even make sense lol

But yeah, I guess he is a yandere. BUT LIKE A SOFT YANDERE WHO UNDERSTANDS SOME BOUNDARIES

And good lord, everyone notices every time Krueger is around. Especially König (since they're step-brothers in this) König has always seen Krueger act like this, but not to a person, so it was shocking to see that happen.

He's so restless and snappy when Sweetheart isn't around and always asks where she is and why she isn't here yet. And one time, Ghost is like "Calm down mate. She's just running some errands." And Krueger just tenses, and you can see in his body language that he's getting angry. "By herself? You let her go by herself!? Where? Which store!? Fuck!" And he storms out of the lounging area. That was when they all knew that Krueger had a different kind of love for Sweetheart. And was waaayyyyy different than them. They feel a bit awkward with him because they know he's unhinged and a bit psycho, especially when it comes to Sweetheart. He's a very skilled soldier and will not hesitate to rip and tear everyone that is around her in a heartbeat. And they know Krueger's distain towards them, except with Ghost, Roach and König, Krueger just toys around with him like the annoying big brother he is. With Ghost, he's kind of friends with because he knows that Ghost will sacrifice everything for Sweetheart just like him. And they also have somethings in common- like torturing people and watching football. (soccer) With Roach, Krueger likes him because he's quiet and has sadistic tendencies when it comes to fighting enemies.

(He doesn't like when Roach hangs off of Sweetheart tho)

He gets jealous and irritated easily when he doesn't get his way when Sweetheart is around them. Like with Soap, he HATES Soap so much omfg- that is his enemy. He sees how close they are to each other and sees how Soap touches her and vice versa (he has many violent fantasies when it comes to Soap. König knows about this and purposely makes him avoid the two when they are together) those two butt heads CONSTANTLY

Like one more word from that Scottish dumbass and he will put him under bro 💀

They see how clingy Krueger is when she gets back from a mission, especially a solo mission omg

He would just hug her from behind and sway back and forth, his hood draping over her head as well as his (the hood that she made him is huge) and Soap can hear him whisper praises to her and her giggles. He can also hear Krueger kissing Sweetheart. Where? He doesn't know. Hopefully, not on the lips. WHY ARE THEY SO CUTE TO ME WTFF

And Krueger will not. Let. Her go. AT ALL. Like if he comes over to their side of the base, Krueger takes allllll of the attention from her (I talked about this before) especially if they're taking a nap together, like he's sitting on the couch with Sweetheart cradled in his lap, asleep on his broad shoulder as his arms hold her. Gaz fucking hates when they take naps together, especially when he sees their breathing in sync (Like FUCK OFF) So one time, Gaz was sick of it. He reaches for Sweetheart but Krueger tightens his hold on her, and he growls so fucking low and animalistic like a damn rabid dog protecting its owner-- it legit scared him. (Especially when you can't see his face 💀) And Krueger just says, "mine." In the lowest voice Gaz has ever heard-- he just backs up and leaves (AND WASN'T HE SUPPOSED TO BE ASLEEP??? LIKE IS HE MAGICAL-)

Krueger is something else yall 💀 can't wait to write more of him with Sweetheart 🤭🤭

[yummysake-saucegay]

Jayvik ramblings

There was once a livejournal where you could compile shipping manifestos, and I wrote one about Zoro/Sanji that had 6000+ words lol. Ngl, Jayvik makes me want to do the same these days, but for now I just need to compile a few thoughts, feel free to gush with me or add to that or correct me.

In every timeline & possibility Viktor chose to save Jayce ("only you can show me this"), even when it meant that they would create hextech and doom the world. And only Jayce can ultimately save Viktor from himself. In the timeline Ekko was sent to where hextech doesn't exist Jayce and Viktor are very possibly dead (suicide / disease), since Jayce was already on the verge of killing himself in the base timeline when his dream was shattered, even without a teenager that died in his lab, and Viktor (who wouldn't have sought out Jayce without his speech about creating magic) would later be dying and wouldn't have shimmer/the hexcore.

There are multiple scenes where Viktor gives Jayce the rune, like when he stops him from killing himself he picks up his bracelet, and he also hands him the crystal when they're trying to stabilize hextech for the first time (just found the imagery symbolic). In their final scene, Jayce gives it back to him (and it looks so gentle for once how he can just remove the rune and carefully hand it to him)

Jayce was always adamant about seeing Viktor as an equal partner from the very beginning ("your hextech dream" "OUR hextech dream" Mel: "you're the dean's assistant" "no, he is my new partner")

In the "this isn't my bedroom" scene Viktor looks displeased when Jayce looks taken by Mel (only noticed that recently!)

Viktor either never noticed or ignored Sky's affections and even after he got to know them after her death, he did not reciprocate and still calls her Ms Young in the astral plane. She can even tell it's not true when he says he will miss their talks. I just saw a clip where Christian Linke even claims that that wasn't actually Sky, but the hexcore pretending to be Sky (which is so dark and twisted IMO). Apparently, Amanda Overton also stated that Sky on the astral plane was a stand-in for Jayce to Viktor. Although I haven't seen the clip myself where she says it.

The constant juxtaposition between Viktor and Mel, starting by their design (Viktor getting progressively more sick and pale, Mel always glowing and golden) and just base characters (Viktor the poor, disabled Zaun rat who has nothing to his name, lives for science and hates being in the lamplight; Mel the influential and cunning politician who makes them her investments). Jayce even hallucinating first Mel and then Viktor in the flames. The Jayce Mel sex scene while Viktor is almost dying and Jayce returning to Viktor after. Also, him deciding to give up on his council seat and his whole career to return to the lab with Viktor where he feels he belongs after Viktor almost died in the beginning of S2.

Jayce ousting his former mentor to save Viktor's life

Viktor convinced that Jayce would understand after Singed tells him everyone will hate and despise him (and Jayce did!)

The scene on the bridge when Jayce has to pick Viktor up in S1 (after he went to Singed) and the POV changes! Where the angles are first neutral, representing them being equal, but then the camera looks down on Viktor as soon as Jayce talks badly about the Undercity.

Jayce's pure terror when he thinks Viktor is dying after the explosion, just being by Viktor's side, sleeping in the lab etc and them handing him that blanket that Viktor keeps forever. Also, Jayce not even hesitating or judging for a second when he sees Viktor's augmented leg etc. He even recorded everything when he continued and used his notes lol.

allll their quotes "it was affection that kept us together" "I thought you were done with Hextech. And with me", being partners again yadda yadda

Even in the midst of everything and his all out war with Viktor, Jayce speaks for himself and Viktor when he quarrels with Mel ("because you used me, and Viktor, for hextech!") and his anger at her not saving Viktor and the others

And I don't think I even have to elaborate on their ending haha, the beauty in Viktor's imperfections, the promise, the wanting his partner back and finishing it together...

And they were celestial roommates <3

[greycloudsinwinter]

Hi I wanted to request yandere platonic inner circle from ACOTAR x gender neutral reader who is the sister/brother of the archeron sisters who was also thrown in the cauldron and turned it fea but smiler to Nesta he/she also got powers like having the ability to rewrite reality like Wanda from Marvel and you could also make one of the inner circle a romantic yandere mate to reader maybe Azriel if you want or any other. I hope it’s not to specific loved your cassian headcanons. 🫂😍❤️

YANDERE PLATONIC INNER CIRCLE X GENDER NEUTRAL READER

YANDERE AZRIEL X READER

🌌you were the sibling of the archon sisters and it was tough to be in there shadow. Especially in making friends your power some what scared people .it didn’t help how protective your sisters were especially elain.

🌌everyone treated you with respect and kindness however you were lonely only ever having your sisters who would fight over who got to spend time with you. Even though there mates became jealous how much time they spent around you they didn’t care because you were there sibling there family.

🌌freyer usually showed you all her paintings befor anyone else and most of them had you in them.

🌌nesta preferred to gossip with you about how annoying everyone is .

🌌elain liked it when you helped her with the garden.

🌌they all had a neutral understanding that you were perfect . When they became mates they encouraged there other half’s to get to know you .

🌌rhysand was the first to come around and agree with his mate that you were the perfect little sister. In away you reminded him of his sister so he became increasingly worried about your safety. That’s why the servants spoke only few words to you.

🌌cassian was reluctant in getting to know you . He was a jealous man to say the least he worshipped the ground nesta walked on and all she did was seek your comfort. He understood that you are her younger sibling but he still hates how much time she spent with you. When he got too know you better (which took 6 months) he realised how extraordinary you were and became devoted to your safety.

🌌mor instantly became friends with you once you came to live under the mountain. She enjoyed telling you secrets of others even though she promised those people she wouldn’t tell a soul . That’s how important you are to her.

🌌azriel was heartbroken after elain found out lucien was her mate and not him. He became depressed and felt his self esteem become lesser then it already was .

🌌but then you showed up , you were shaking like a leaf when you arrived. Clearly traumatised but slowly ever so slowly you came out of your shell . Often spending your nights talking with him under the stars.

🌌when the news goes to the inner circle you and azriel are spending more and more time together. They encourage it they know they can’t keep you from falling in love with somebody so azriel is the perfect solution. He would protect you for life . They knew that. Everyone knew that.

🌌so he became obsessed and devoted completely to you .

🌌he does random acts of service . You hungry? Don’t worry azriel will get you food ! You tired ? Azriel has you in his arms flying you to you bed.

🌌if anyone and I mean ANYONE threatens you he won’t hesitate to kill them . And no one can stop him anyway . After all the inner circle came to an agreement that azriel was perfect for you .

🌌if you try to escape your being dragged back and locked in your room for weeks until you are on your knees begging to be let out for a few minutes.

🌌overall try and stay away from them ALL they believe they have the best intentions for you but in reality it’s a toxic smothering that you can’t escape .

🌌azriel is an delusional and emotionally unstable yandere

Thank you so much for this request ❤️❤️

[bitethedevil]

Living with The Devil You Know (Raphael x Tav): Chapter 4

Chapter: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen

Read this fic on AO3 (Link)

Fic Summary: Tav broke their agreement by handing the Crown of Karsus to Mystra instead of Raphael. Not only that, but she also robbed his house and killed his incubus. Raphael is patient and he is determined to get his revenge.

…Tav isn't too bothered. She will figure something out eventually. Until then she just has to find a way to live peacefully with a devil.

Chapter Summary: Raphael has a nightmare after a meeting with his father, causing him to have a little accident with Tav. Tav shares how her own relationship with her father made her hide her past from the world.

(AN: Tav didn't use Speak with the Dead on Haarlep, so she doesn't know who Raph's daddy is. Lots of daddy issues in this one)

TW: Blood, Violence, Mentions of Parental Abuse, Mentions of Child Abuse

When she woke up, Raphael had already left the house. Korrilla was watching her from the chair she usually sat in when she was keeping an eye on her in the early mornings after Raphael had left, or in the evenings when Tav went to bed before him.  

“Good morning, Tav,” Korrilla said with a smile.

Tav rubbed her eyes. Everything hurt after Raphael had his fun with her the whole night.

“Morning,” Tav mumbled and sat up to get out of the bed. She inhaled sharply from the pain in her lower body.

Korrilla wore an amused expression as she watched her stumble out of bed. Tav could barely walk properly. She narrowed her eyes at Korrilla’s knowing smile.

“Not a word, Korrilla…please,” Tav warned and practically limped to the restoration pool.

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Korrilla answered with a chuckle as she followed her.

Tav breathed a sigh of relief as she slid into the pool. The water soothed her aching body immediately. While she was bathing, she noticed that Korrilla was looking at her with an odd expression on her face. It was as if she was thinking hard about something.

“See something you like?” Tav teased from the pool.

“I know better than to dare touch the boss’s new plaything,” she retorted with a smile before returning to her contemplating stare. “I should probably warn you about something…”

“About…?” Tav asked.

Korrilla hesitated for a moment.

“Raphael is meeting with Mephistopheles today. They are…Well, let’s just say that they are not on the best of terms. You’d be wise to avoid him when he gets home. You should not talk to him or get in his way. He can be in quite the mood after those kinds of meetings.”

“Alright…” Tav said.

“But you didn’t hear that from me, understand? Don’t make me regret warning you,” Korrilla said.

“Right, sure,” Tav said and nodded.

Not only did Raphael have a connection to the second most powerful devil in the Hells for some reason, but he also hated him…? Why did he even have to meet with him? He lives in Avernus, not Cania…Tav was starting to think that devil politics were even more complex than what she had read about them during her time as a librarian, and even those texts had made it seem insanely overcomplicated…

‘Quite the mood’ had to have been the understatement of the century when it came to describe Raphael’s mood when he returned.

Tav and Korrilla had been in the large main area of the house when he got home. The servants and debtors scattered immediately upon his arrival. Tav got a quick glimpse of him before Korrilla herded her into another room. There was fire in his eyes.

Korrilla and her sought refuge on one of the many balconies of the house. Tav’s eyes widened as she heard the sounds of whatever poor servant or debtor that had gotten in his way from inside the house. She heard the loud snapping of bones followed by a scream that made her blood run cold.

Korrilla was resting her elbows on the small table between them and gave Tav a weak smile as if this was the most ordinary thing in the world for her.

“He’ll calm down in an hour or two…” Korrilla said in a low voice. “He probably wouldn’t have touched you, as you are still important to his plans, but…you never know…”

Tav nodded.

It was the same nightmare that had haunted him for so many years. He was always younger in that dream, having barely grown into his immortality. He was standing in his father’s freezing halls. Mephistopheles himself was looking down at him from his frozen throne. The words that his father had said to him after he had chosen to leave Cania echoed through the throne room:

‘You can climb that ladder as much as you want, boy. You can play with mortals and try to bargain your way to as many souls as you please but remember that I will always be at the top of that ladder, looking down on you. Climb, little half-breed, and know that the higher you get, the more satisfying it will be for your dear father to see you fall…”

Raphael blinked and he was hanging above the maw of his father. He was fighting to get out of his grasp, but to no avail. He was digging his claws into him and fought with all he had, knowing that nothing would change his fate. The last thing he would ever feel would be his father’s teeth sinking into him and then darkness…

Though something was different this time. He heard someone scream his name before the darkness swallowed him whole…

Tav had been sleeping. Raphael’s arms were around her as usual, but she had heard a sound from him that stirred her from her sleep. He was mumbling something. His body was slightly twitching. Was he…dreaming?

His tail began thrashing, making thumping noises on the mattress. He made a sound that sounded close to a whimper. His grip around her suddenly tightened, making it hard for her to breathe.

“Raphael…” she wheezed and squeezed his arm to wake him up.

His claws dug deep into the skin of her stomach, and she dug her nails into his arms, trying to pry his hands off her.

“Raphael!” she wheezed again and started hitting his arms to get him off.

She screamed when the claws that were dug into her stomach started dragging in opposite directions, ripping up the skin. She heard him make a sharp inhale before everything went black.

She made a whining sound as she woke up. She heard someone sigh in what sounded like relief. She immediately felt that she was submerged in water and started flailing her limbs around.

“Easy, easy, easy,” Raphael said, and his arms tightened around her.

She was confused and breathing hard. Raphael was holding her in his arms in the restoration pool. She looked up at him. He was wearing an expression she had not seen on him before. His brow was furrowed, his eyes intense, and his mouth was turned downward. If she had not known him better, she would have said he looked slightly apologetic.

“You know,” Tav said weakly with a smile, her voice hoarse. “I think I’m starting to see the appeal of sleeping in a cell in the dungeons. Seems safer…”

Raphael’s look of slight worry morphed into his signature sneer at her little joke.

“You are insufferable,” he said.

“Guess you shouldn’t have saved me then,” Tav mumbled. “What the fuck happened, Raphael?”

His face returned into that odd expression again.

“A nightmare. My body must have responded to it in a…shall we say, less than ideal way…” he admitted.

Tav would have laughed if she had the energy to do so. ‘Less than ideal’ was certainly one way to put it, she thought. It was probably the closest she would ever get him to say ‘sorry’.

Raphael carried her out of the pool and laid her down on one of the bed-looking things at the side of the pool. Raphael left her there to go and put on a robe. He left the boudoir for a moment and came back with a servant who was carrying clean sheets.

He sat down at the foot of the bed and leaned up against the frame of it while he watched her. She rested her eyes for a moment.

“Ah-ah,” Raphael said sharply. “Keep your eyes open. You have lost a lot of blood.”

She sighed softly and opened her eyes. She was so tired and cold. The pool had healed her wounds, and her blood would replenish a lot faster than it would have done without it, but depending on how much blood she had lost, it could take a little while.

“How do you feel?” Raphael asked.

“I’ll be fine. It’s not my first time dying,” Tav said. Withers had resurrected her twice before during her adventure. It was never a particularly fun experience. “You can stop fussing.”

“I am not fussing,” Raphael said with a sneer. “Do not mistake this for some merciful act. I am not done with you, and I will not allow you to die just yet.”

She huffed at him. She got quiet for a moment. She was blinking slowly and yawning. She was so tired.

“Stay awake,” Raphael ordered again. “Keep speaking to me so I know that you will not fall asleep.”

“I was just blinking,” she mumbled then tried to think of anything to talk about. “It must have been quite the nightmare you had.”

“Mm,” he affirmed.

“Do you want to elaborate or…?” she asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

“No,” he said.

“You won’t even tell me what it was about? Your plan is to kill me eventually, so who am I going to tell?”

He looked at her for a moment, seemingly considering it.

“It was a nightmare about my father killing me,” he answered coldly. The lack of emotion in his voice and expression could not hide the glimmer of hate she saw in his eyes for a brief moment.

“Oh…”

Tav’s eyes softened slightly. That hit a bit too close to home for her comfort. She herself had been ridden with similar nightmares once. Back before she had to carefully remove every trace of her past…

Tav was unsure what to say. Any pitying or sympathetic remarks would most likely just piss him off. Her mind went completely blank due to her state of blood loss. She somehow settled on the most unhinged comment that could possibly have come out of her mouth:

“I can warmly recommend patricide…”

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Pardon?” Raphael said and tried to suppress his amusement at the odd comment.

“I found it quite therapeutic to kill mine,” she said with a shrug. “It worked on my nightmares like a charm.”

“I suspect that Mephistopheles would be slightly more difficult to kill than your mortal father, mouse,” he said with a smile. “Though I appreciate your sage advice.”

Oh. She put two and two together. Mephistopheles is his father. It suddenly made more sense why that meeting earlier in the day had pissed him off so much.

“I do see how that slightly complicates things…” she said.

“Indeed…” Raphael said. “Would I be wrong in assuming that you killing your father has something to do with the difficulty I had with tracing your past?”

“…No,” Tav said.

“Would you care to elaborate?”

“I’d rather not…” she answered. “I’ve used too much time on hiding the past to dig it up again.”

“Come now,” he said and squeezed her leg. “Your secret is safe with me, and I am oh so curious.”

She held her breath and then sighed. Raphael could probably find a way to use it against her somehow. Then again, the bastard was long dead, so what could it really hurt to talk about it?

“Should I bore you with the backstory as well?” she asked.

“Please,” Raphael said. “With the current pallor of your skin, it looks as if we still have plenty of time before we can retire.”

She sighed and nodded.

“My father was the only thing I’ve ever truly feared. The asshole hated me ever since I was born. For no particular reason, really. I just think he was born an evil bastard. He loved beating my mother almost as much as he loved beating me. It was every single day,” Tav’s voice was filled with contempt as she explained. “My face and parts of my upper body are permanently glamoured to hide some of what he did to me.”

“You are permanently scarred because of him?” Raphael asked with curiosity.

Tav nodded.

“It happened one day where he got furious with me. I don’t remember the reason he gave me for his tantrum on that particular day…” Tav said and took a deep breath before explaining further. “He held my face into the fireplace…I was ten years old. I still remember the smell of my own flesh burning. I was crying about the pain for days. I vividly when the bandages were taken off and he laughed at my now scarred face and commented that ‘now my face matched that pretty red hair I got from him’.”

Tav moved her hand to her face and traced a line down her face from her forehead to the side of her head and then to her chin.

“This whole part of my face is still scarred underneath the glamour because of that man,” she explained. “Anyway, as you already know, I moved to Baldur’s Gate to become an apprentice. My parents had let me go on the condition that I would visit them at least once each month. This one time, my teacher needed me to stay at the Gate for a couple more days, so I got home later than promised. That, of course, earned me a particularly rough beating from my dear father. I was an adult at this point but that did not stop him from trying to beat me into a pulp…Something snapped in me that day…”

A smile grew on Raphael’s face.

“And I suppose your old man got what was coming to him?” Raphael said.

“I used some of the few basic spells I had learned from my teacher.  A combination of a grease spell and a firebolt, and the only man I have ever feared met his end. I’ll never forget the look of betrayal on his face as he started burning,” Tav said with a weak smile. “The whole house burned down with him in it.”

Raphael looked at her for a moment, still smiling.

“Do you ever regret what you did?” he asked.

“I only regret that I didn’t give him a slower death after all he had done,” she said genuinely.

“Mm,” Raphael hummed. “What happened to your mother?”

Tav was quiet for a moment too long. Her smile disappeared and her face hardened slightly.

“She didn’t want to leave his side, so she burned with him,” she said coldly. “It was her own foolish decisions that led her to her death.”

“Is that something you regret?” Raphael asked.

“No,” Tav said.

Raphael narrowed his eyes at her.

“You don’t live for as long as I have without having a keen sense for when someone is lying to you, my dear. Do you want to try again?” Raphael said.

“I am not lying,” Tav said stubbornly. “She didn’t want to leave him no matter how hard I tried to drag her out of the house. When someone is stupid enough to love someone so cruel and so evil, then they deserve to live, and die, with that choice. My mother did.”

Raphael was still studying her face with that smug expression. It was clear that he did not believe her, but he decided not to press the issue further.

“May I ask why you still hide your scars?” Raphael asked. “You won after all. The man who gave them to you is dead, so should you not wear them with pride?”

Tav shrugged.

“They look ugly, and they make people ask too many questions,” she said with a sigh. “And…I don’t want to be defined by what my father has done to me.”

Something indescribable flashed over Raphael’s feature at her last comment. It was gone in a second. Had it been on any other face than his, she would have said it looked like sympathy.

“Would it be awfully ill-mannered of me to ask if I could see those scars of yours?” Raphael asked.

“Why?” she asked.

“I’m simply curious,” he said. “There are no questions for me to ask since you have already told me your story. Your concern for your appearance is another matter, although I can assure you that it takes more than a few burn scars to rattle me.”

“I haven’t shown them to anyone in years,” Tav said.

“So why not now?” Raphael countered. “You know your fate is to stay in this house until I take what is mine. Why not go out as you are and not as who you pretend to be?”

Tav’s eyes narrowed at him.

“And who do I ‘pretend’ to be, Raphael?” she asked.

“Someone who is untouchable,” he said with a smirk. “Someone without scars, in both the literal and metaphorical sense.”

She huffed in annoyance, but then she got an idea.

“Fine…I’ll show you,” she said with a smile. “If you do something for me first.”

“Bargaining now, are we?” Raphael said and chuckled. “Usually, it’s me who makes the offers around here, mouse…What do you want?”

“An apology,” she said. “From the heart or…whatever you devils have. I want it to sound genuine.”

Raphael’s smug smile faltered.

“A what?” he asked.

“You heard me just fine,” Tav said. “I want an apology from you for almost killing me in my sleep.”

He took a deep breath and just looked at her for a moment. Then he growled in slight frustration.

“Fine. I apologize for losing control over my actions while I was asleep,” he said as if it physically hurt him to say so. “I am…sorry.”

“That could have been more genuine but…I’ll take it,” Tav said.

She took a deep breath to muster up the courage to remove the glamour from her face. Why did she even care? It was just Raphael…Still a part of her was afraid of showing that kind of vulnerability. Deep down she was scared that he might laugh or be disgusted with her.

She said the incantation and with a flick of her hand the glamour was gone. Her hand went to her face, and she felt her scars there for the first time in years. She did not look at his face because she was too worried of the reaction she might find there.

Raphael moved from the foot of the bed to her side, getting closer in order to get a better look. His clawed hand gently removed hers that were covering a part of her face. He then held her chin and turned her head slightly so he could see the scars better. Her eyes flicked to his face for a brief moment. He was simply looking and there did not seem to be any judgment in his eyes.

He turned her head, so she was looking at him straight on.

“Hm,” he hummed with a serious expression. “I think you should keep the glamour off. It suits you if I may be so bold to say so.”

“Alright, no need to lie about it,” Tav huffed and brushed his comment away. “I know how it looks.”

“I never lie, mouse,” he said, still holding her chin. “Except, of course, when I am forced to apologize about things I had no control over.”

He smirked and chucked her under the chin before getting up from the bed.

“We should try and get some sleep,” he said and held his hands out to her for her to take them. “Get up slowly.”

She did and her vision darkened slightly as she got to her feet. She swayed a bit, making Raphael hold an arm around her in case she should fall.

He got her into his bed and changed into his human form. Tav heard the snap and ‘poof’ of him transforming and looked at him over her shoulder.

“I am not eager to be woken up by you bleeding all over my expensive sheets again, so we will try this instead,” he said with a sigh and got into bed himself.

Raphael put his arms around her like he always did, but it felt so different. It felt so weirdly normal now that he was not in his devil form. As if they could have been a normal couple sleeping together and not a devil restraining his prisoner. Tav was not sure how to feel about it.

What became clear to her during the night, was that Raphael was not used to sleeping in his human form. He seemed to be sleeping a lot heavier than he usually would and he was also moving around a lot more, sometimes completely forgetting that he was supposed to hold Tav. He even snored, which she found oddly endearing. It did make sense that it would be a lot more freeing to sleep without the horns, wings, and tail always getting in the way.

In the morning, she even woke up before him for once. She found herself looking at him while he was sleeping. His hair was slightly tousled, and his expression looked so peaceful as he softly snored into his pillow.

She realized to her horror that this evil bastard was starting to grow on her…

[fandom-chameleon23]

to expand a bit on my post here: https://www.tumblr.com/fandom-chameleon23/766441823521669120/galadriel-loved-halbrand-and-hates-sauron-and

i’m starting with the premise that sauron fully commits to the parts he plays. in other words, he genuinely believes what he is saying as halbrand and annatar. that’s why he’s so good at deceiving, because he believes it himself. (Charlie V said this in an interview).

i’m also defining love not as unconditional regard and affection for another person, but more as a posture/action toward that person.

so- we know from the beginning of 1x01 that galadriel hates sauron. he killed her brother and she swore revenge. but she loved halbrand. she felt like he understood her, she related to him, ans they had a connection. we see this in her conversation with halbrand in 1x06 when she tells him “i felt it too”. after the reveal, she separates halbrand and sauron in her mind. gil-galad has to correct her when she refers to him as “halbrand” and he reminds her it’s sauron she’s talking about. it’s a way to cope because she can’t comprehend being in love with sauron. she rationalizes by telling herself halbrand was a lie and completely fictional, but we know that’s not true. halbrand did not tell the whole truth but he was not a fictional man pulled out of thin air by sauron. in 2x08 sauron says “not all of it [was a lie]” during his fight with galadriel.

season two for galadriel seems to be her coming to terms with the fact that she was in love with sauron, and figuring out how to move forward in light of the feelings that brings (guilt, anger, etc.) by the end of the season, i don’t see any evidence that she still holds that love for him. she hesitates when she sees halbrand’s face again because of the memories and emotions she has for him, but she ultimately defies sauron with the infamous “heal yourself” line. to me, that line is spoken out of anger, not love. and she’s totally justified in doing so.

celebrimbor. i said he loved annatar- there’s a lot of complex feelings wrapped up here. celebrimbor was intrigued and excited by halbrand, and i read it as attraction as well. then when sauron presents as annatar, celebrimbor initially responds more in worship and adoration. but i think it settles into a quiet, steady love during their work together. celebrimbor sees annatar as an intellectual partner, and there is an emotional connection there as well (one example is when celebrimbor checks on annatar after the doors of durin).

their dynamic is classic emotional abuse/manipulation. annatar is open about whatever emotions will earn a response from celebrimbor. he is successful at drawing celebrimbor into a deep emotional connection. but celebrimbor never gives up his agency, he is willing to stand up to annatar and hold his boundaries. he chooses to love annatar, even when annatar is not easy to love.

but as time progresses and annatar descends into sauron, celebrimbor has to pull back to protect himself. he cannot remain entangled with a being that is so destructive. throughout the end of 2x07 and beginning of 2x08, as sauron is fully revealed, celebrimbor listens, and sees, and understands. he sees sauron, not annatar, and he so clearly still *wants* to love sauron. he feels empathy, and his heart hurts for sauron, but i don’t see anger or hatred. and perhaps the most loving thing he could have done, in those circumstances, was to confront sauron with the truths that he did. but he could not maintain a relationship of love, not when sauron is so self-deluded that he is willing to kill and torture in the name of healing and peace.

sauron, at this point in time, is so fallen that he cannot accept love for the gift that it is. he seems to take love and twist it into something that is self-serving, an opportunity to advance his own goals. i don’t think he’s even doing it intentionally, at least not all of the time.

[cocogum]

Let’s TALK about episodes 9 and 10 people… (part 1)

PART 2 : HERE

(‼️SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4‼️)

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If you thought episodes 7 and 8 had so much to talk about (cuz I sure did), then episodes 9 and 10 destroyed my mind.

….

I am so tired.

We begin with a small recap of what happened last episode and it’s honestly very nice and heartwarming of Ankama to remind us that Yugo will get his ass handed to him in a few minutes.

BRO LOOK AT HOW THEY’RE DRAGGING HIM ON THE DIRTY FLOOR LIKE THAT!!

The level of disrespect these thirsty hoes have for him is immeasurable. Even if Yugo’s not a kid, the fact that the necromes didn’t hesitate to tie him up like that and sacrifice him like a lamb is jaw-dropping. It really makes you understand that they don’t give a shit if you’re an actual kid, they will hang you up like a roast beef for dinner.

Bro’s asking as if he just got here.

Also, how do you think that fall must’ve felt like? Cuz when Toross yeets him, Yugo takes a massive fall only to get his body slammed into the pavement when he gets tied up.

He gets to fall even faster because of the stasis ropes pulling him down too.

You can even hear the loud slam when he hits it. That must’ve hurt like a bitch.

Btw I love how even after all that, Adamaï and Amalia still don’t trust Qilby even when he saved them from the necrome world.

Adamaï thinks he was an idiot for not using the eliatrope Dofus and…he’s right? Cuz my guy…ur scared of ruining things if you use the dofus but what are you gonna ruin in a place WHERE THERE’S NO WAKFU????

Sometimes I can’t tell whether or not that guy’s okay in his head. Like is he blind or something? You can clearly tell that the necrome world is completely deserted and has no actual life, Amalia even CONFIRMS IT for you, Toross is literally using his dofus in his world of nothing, AND it’s also literally known as the gods’ garbage bin.

No wonder you get slapped around so much, you’re stupider than Yugo!!

I never in my life thought that I’d eventually get to see Qilby booping Amalia’s nose.

And I don’t know if I should like it or if I should fear it.

Man literally booped her as if she was a kid. But then again, he IS a millennial years old so it would explain why he’d treat her like a fetus.

In a way, he really CAN see her as a kid who doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about.

But like-

I never imagined this happening???? Not even in a trillion chances 😀😀

BUT WHAT CONFUSES ME EVEN MORE IS THIS :

I get that Amalia annoyed him when she said he STILL couldn’t be trusted but what do you mean by “artificial”??? I’m still confused about that.

MY QUEEN NORA AND HER GAY ASS IS BACK WITH HER SHENANIGANS GURL WE SEE U !!

You can’t tell me this scene ain’t gay 😭😭

The way she grabbed her was so sudden, it made my heart jump!! And Amalia just goes with it like a damsel in distress being protected by her knight 🥰🥰 My noramalia senses detected that shit from a mile away, you ain’t getting away!!!

That torture scene tho should’ve taken longer ngl. But Okoo being the kid that they are decided “hell nah”. It’s still a shame really but at least we got what we needed.

Also, lemme just say something about this torture scene real quick.

Not only does Yugo get sucked the living out of him, but he just got BODY SLAMMED FROM AT LEAST 290 FEET on LITERAL PAVEMENT so now his back is completely obliterated, he keeps CONVULSING, TWITCHING, and GETS HIS BONES BREAKING TO GROW LONGER ONES-

He’s feeling all that WHILE getting sucked to death. My god. I wanted to see more of that.

The only reason why he didn’t turn out ballistic was cuz Oropo was keeping him busy in his head. He literally told him that he’ll make him fight just to not think about it.

And even though Oropo does hate him (but calmed down a bit once he reunited with Yugo), he told him that even he doesn’t deserve all of this. Can you imagine the one who caused so many calamities and was ready to kill the gods because he hates you telling you that even you don’t deserve this?? It just shows how kinky this Toross guy is.

[samgirl98]

Mending a Family 11/?

Prev | Next

Jason and Jazz bond, and Dick has a sort-of revelation.

Jason sat by the table after saying goodbye to Roy, Raven, and Lian and putting Danny to bed. After the revelation of Mar’i, the adults had sobered a little, and it had gotten awkward. Thankfully, the kids kept playing though Danny would side-eye Jason every once in a while. His knowing look reminded Jason that Danny was a sixteen-year-old trapped in the body of a five-year-old.

Jazz sat across from him with two cups of tea. She gave one to Jason and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Jason frowned; how was he feeling? A part of him was disappointed, but he understood.

“Jazz, when I came back, I killed people. I hurt Tim. It makes sense that Dick never told me he had a daughter. I’m doing the same thing now with Danny! Besides, nobody in their right mind would let a murderer around their child.”

“Just because you understand and can rationalize it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

Jason smiled softly at her, “What are you, my psychiatrist, now?”

“I don’t have to be a psychiatrist to know this affected you more than you want to let on.”

Jason sighed, “I understand; really, I do. But what pisses me off is that Roy told me that Dick is obsessively looking for me. All of them are. How can they freeze me out of the family, not at least tell me, ‘Hey Jason, you’re an uncle,’ and then call me family and use that as an excuse to hunt me down like a rabid animal?”

Jazz sipped her tea, “I think they’re probably feeling guilty now because they managed to chase you away. From what I’ve heard, they like to be in control.”

Jason snorted, “Yeah, they’re all control freaks that have no issue invading others’ privacy. Starting with Daddy Bats.”

“Do you miss them,” she asked quietly.

“I do,” he answered in the same volume, “but I burned those bridges long ago.”

They stayed in silence for a while.

“I hope I’m not overstepping, but you have become my family. I see how you act around Danny, and I am grateful that you parent and love him the way a parent loves their child. Our parents weren’t the best, so I’m glad Danny will get a second chance at childhood, and it’s all thanks to you.”

Jason smiled, “Well, at least I’m doing right by Danny.”

“You think—you think you’ll ever talk to them again?”

“Not when there’s a chance they’ll take Danny away from me. They see me as unstable, but I won’t ever hurt Danny. I don’t know if I’m a bad parent, but Danny has helped me more than I’ve helped him, and he’s keeping me sane.”

Jazz shrugged, “I’m not precisely sane myself, and as long as you don’t verbally tell Danny he’s the only reason you feel your mental stability is better, then I see no harm in it. It’s bad when a parent puts that pressure on their child. However, I have a feeling you’re saner than you think you are.”

Jazz finished her tea.

“Besides, you can’t be judged by human standards.”

Jason rolled his eyes; he stopped explaining to Danny and Jazz that he was utterly, one hundred percent human.

“Do you really think I’m a good parent?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.

Jason sighed, “I miss my old family sometimes.”

“You want to talk about them?”

“I can’t talk much about the newer members, but Dick, he’s my oldest brother; he’s huggy, a huge jokester. There’s always a pun or quip coming out of his mouth. He didn’t; well, when I was younger, I thought he hated me. He was always yelling at Bruce, and most of the time, he ignored me, but eventually, he came around.”

“I remember one time he took me train surfing. It was so fun! I was hanging out with my older brother, my predecessor. He also stole Bruce’s car once and took me on a joyride after Bruce had grounded me.”

“There’s also Barbie. She helped me a lot with homework when I was younger. She’s—she’s also the only one that kept contact with me after all the shi—things I did. You remind me of her. She’s kind, same as you. And you both have red hair. She’s crazy smart like you are. The things she can do with computers,” Jason shook his head in disbelief.

“There’s Alfred. He’s like a grandfather to me. He taught me how to cook; he’s the one I miss the most, to be honest. I wouldn’t be surprised if he missed me, too, but he was giving me my space.”

Jason couldn’t bring himself to talk about Bruce. The man had been his father, but he had both disappointed Jason and been disappointed by Jason.

His biggest failure, Jason thought bitterly.

“Mom and dad,” Jazz started, took a deep breath, and continued, “Mom and dad, when they weren’t obsessed with their work, showed how much they cared for us in their way. Mom would make delicious fudge that got devoured quickly. Dad, he would call me his princess.”

“We’d go camping every summer until—until the portal opened. They had always been obsessed with ghosts, but they went into overdrive after the portal. They neglected us; Danny was being hurt. Eventually, it became too much, and Danny started detaching himself from everyone, including his friends, because he didn’t want anyone hurt.”

“I miss them sometimes, but I can never forgive them for what they did. They find out about Danny, and the first thing they do is attack! How could they?!”

Jazz was breathing hard, “How could they? They told us they loved us.”

Jazz started crying. Jason was stunned for a moment, and then he got up. He let Jazz cry on his shoulder.

Two broken people held on to each other. They may have lost an old family, but slowly, they would build a new one.

____

“Daddy!”

Dick opened his arms as his daughter flew into them. Kory floated right beside him and smiled softly at their three-year-old.

“Thanks for letting her stay with me for the week,” Dick said, “I needed this.”

“My pleasure. She wanted to see her daddy, anyway.”

Dick let Mar’i down and watched as she ran to her room.

“How’s the search going,” Kory asked.

Dick’s smile fell. They still hadn’t found any trace of Jason. Alfred was telling them to leave Jason alone and that he’ll contact them when he wants to. Roy stopped talking to Dick altogether, and Bruce was losing his mind.

“It’s not going well. Why, have you found anything?”

“No, sorry, but I haven’t been paying too much attention.”

“That’s okay. Wally and Superman are looking for him. We’ll find him, eventually.”

Mar’i decided to come out at that moment.

“Daddy, daddy, can we go see Grandpa Bruce,” she lisped, “and Uncles Timmy and Damian and aunties Cassie and Steph? Will Uncle Duke be there with the pretty lights?”

Dick felt a ping in his chest. His daughter hadn’t mentioned Jason. She had never met him, and Dick couldn’t help but feel guilty.  Would Jason have stayed if the family had tried to integrate him more? Was it because of them that he left?

That bothered Dick, questions. He wanted, needed to know why Jason left instead of coming to them.

Because you shut the door, his mind supplied.

It was right.

@idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @skulld3mort-1fan @theauthorandtheartist @emergentpanda-blog @jaggedheart11 @fisticuffsatapplebees @booberrylizard @fantasticbluebirdfan @thegatorsgooseoose @cyrwrites @kjoboo91 @crystallicedart @amaramizuki666 @spekulatiusmuffin @meira-3919 @kilasmess @bubblemixer @lexdamo @wonderland-daisy @mj-arts-n-stuff @amyheart19 @dolfay @the-church-grimm @undead-essence @aph-mable @lizisipancardo @purrloin77 @writer-extraodinaire @charlietheepic7 @sinfulloccultist @nootherusernameworked @coruscateselene @chaoticchange @itsberrydreemurstuff @gmkelz11 @feral-bunny31 @paroovian @thatonegaybitch68 @d4ydr34min9 @overtherose @fandomwandererer @vipower001 @thordottir45 @blackrabbitt3t @rosecinnamonbun @bianca-hooks123 @epilepticnerd @dat1angel @consouling @flamingenchiladadragon

[cloudysky-930]

So, I replied to this in a brief comment already

"Bullshit. The reason people shit on Sakura 24/7 is because of some shit she said when she was 12. People will hate on Sakura for being weak and then like rock Lee even when she trained just like he did to become better. Naruto tried to "reason with him" but would've done the same thing. And don't forget, sasuke tried to kill Sakura several times. If she didn't really love him, I don't fucking blame her. All he did was treat her like shit, with a handful of soft moments that she probably doesn't even remember. And then he left his family for nine years in boruto and tried to kill his own daughter 💀 father of the fucking year"

But I thought it would be important to actually post some evidence in order to support my claims so I'll start from the beginning

________________________

"Bullshit. The reason people shit on Sakura 24/7 is because of some shit she said when she was 12."

Incorrect! I can give you some reasons why I dislike her in shippuden.

Says shes going to save her teammates finally, but when the time comes just hides in the forest and does nothing.

Sai is the one that stops Sasuke from harming Naruto, not Sakura, for some reason. Isn't Sakura the one thats whole goal is to finally be useful? What happened to that?

She could've stopped EVERYTHING, but no! She hesitated and made the war SO MUCH WORSE. She couldn't even do this simple task!

She's stupid af for running at 4 tailed Naruto. Like what was she thinking? What would she even be able to DO.

Ran at madara with absolutely no plan, which was a stupid idea. She did this so she could impress "her precious sasuke-kun!"

The constant pining after sasuke for no reason other than his looks

She doesn't even try to understand his actions throughout shippuden

See! He doesn't even care when she gets hurt! And why would he? Not to mention, she didn't even acknowledge Naruto helping her at that moment.

I'll just copy and paste what I said in a pervious post

"Friends who care about their friends don't lie and tell them that they love them. What if it actually worked? If Sakuras plan worked and Naruto believed her, what did she plan on doing after that? Did she still plan to go after Sasuke, and let's say she actually managed to kill him somehow. Wouldn't that just break Narutos' heart even more? For being so smart as some people claim, she's really stupid."

Leaving her teammates who were trying to help her with her stupid plan unconscious and in the open where people can easily harm them.

Last but not least, We are only told that Sakura surpassed the tsunade, not shown it. For example, as shown in the manga and anime during the 4th Shinobi war, Sakura couldn't heal shikamaru, but Tsunade did it with one tap. If Sakura surpassed tsunade, wouldn't she heal Shikamaru faster than a tap?

Also in this frame above, she's dissing her TEACHER who made her go from a complete ZERO to above average in strength. Like Tsunade was doing CHARITY WORK by helping SAKURA, and she dares to put her teacher down???

There are more examples , but because of the image limit per post on Tumblr, this is it for this section.

______________________

"People will hate on Sakura for being weak and then like rock Lee even when she trained just like he did to become better."

Well, for one, Sakura was born naturally gifted with chakra control while Lee was born with no talent at all.

And two, Sakura has A LOT more screen time compared to Lee but does less in that screen time compared to him. Like, 4/5 times, Sakura is going to be useless when we see her, but for the small instances, we see Lee. He's actually being helpful.

______________________

"Naruto tried to "reason with him" but would've done the same thing."

Newsflash! Killing someone is very different than offering to die WITH them. So no, he wouldn't have done the same thing.

______________________

"And don't forget, sasuke tried to kill Sakura several times."

Every time sasuke tried to kill Sakura was after she tried to harm him or had plans to harm him first! So, Sasuke was more of a victim in these scenarios than Sakura.

______________________

"If she didn't really love him, I don't fucking blame her. All he did was treat her like shit, with a handful of soft moments that she probably doesn't even remember. And then he left his family for nine years in boruto and tried to kill his own daughter 💀 father of the fucking year"

Wrong again. All he did was treat her like shit? Are we watching or reading the same show/manga? Because he has been nothing but kind to her, and she didn't even deserve it. She's done nothing but hit on him for no real reason and tried to bring him back for her selfish reasons. Those "handful of soft moments" you claim that he gave to her weren't even deserved, considering she never cared for him as a person but about his looks.

Yes, he left for over 9 years, but why's that a mistreatment of Sakura on his part? Considering she was dying to get with him in the first place.

"Father of the fucking year" why should he want to be near a women he never truly loved and near a child he obviously only needed to have for plots sake.

Why don't you mention how shitty of a mother Sakura is? She uses physical intimidation to make sarada stop asking questions, which is a form of abuse! And those questions weren't even offensive. Her relationship with sasuke IS weird, and she should've answered her daughters questions accordingly.

She even chased after Sasuke for this life so no! She's NOT a victim this is EXACTLY what she wanted!

___________________

I would tag you, but considering how much you've been commenting on my posts, I'm sure you're going to come across this anyway.

Now we obviously share different opinions, and that's okay. But commenting on my posts isn't going to change my opinion because why would it? I have the evidence right here, and measly comments aren't going to make it go away.

[thescarletkiller]

The aftermath of the Mikaelys Family

[Since I made a blog for this AU now, I might as well post my headcanons here instead of sending them out to a different blog]

This takes place after Francis’s execution/after Anastacha murdered him (one of the few bad endings). Just to clarify that while Francis does have a few good endings with his family, this post focuses on the bad ones.

Even after he’s arrested in the Asylum ending, Francis will haunt Nacha and Anastacha literally and metaphorically

I don’t think Nacha and Anastacha will recover from all this

It’s like the premise of the novel Rebecca, where the mother and daughter are haunted by the traumatic memories of Francis. And a bit like Wuthering Heights where Francis’s ghost will come to visit them from time to time to haunt them outside their window. (Can you tell I’m interested in gothic fiction?)

After their ordeal, Nacha and Ana would develop PTSD. It’ll be hard for them to trust people again. They’re more anxious of their surroundings and remembering the thought of Francis will send them on an anxiety attack and constant night terrors.

They can’t see milkmen or dairy products the same way ever again.

It’s a long path of mental recovery for both mother and daughter. They’re the closest they have for support. They stuck together during the difficult times they experienced together.

If they’re encouraged to seek therapy or if they can afford it, they’ll do it together. Or in the Asylum route, they can finally get the courage the confront Francis and cut him off (which leads to his schizophrenia ending). It would be a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. Sure, they’ll heal as long as they need to but that doesn’t erase the horrible trauma Francis inflicted upon them.

What it means for Anastacha:

Whether or not we’re going by the route Anastacha killed her father, the love and respect she felt for her father turned to immense fear, betrayal, hate and sadness

I hc she was just 10 or 12 when it all happened. It was a lot for her to take in that her father turned out to be a monster.

She was just a kid. She couldn’t understand why her previously loving father turned crazy and restricted her and her mother’s freedom. How could her father who loved them so much became so controlling and possessive over them? If her father loves her mother so much, why would he kidnap them, tie them up and try to chop off her legs?

Anastacha tried asking herself these questions for the longest time. She thought that if she could understand the reason behind her father’s actions, if she could see the logic behind him, she can make sense of her father and her own trauma. That doesn’t mean she can forgive for everything he’s done. She knows her father loves her and Nacha in his own twisted way but no matter how much love he had in his heart for them, she believes what he had done is wrong. Nothing justifies keeping his own family hostage.

Once she learned her father is a serial killer the whole time, this newfound knowledge would worsen Anastacha’s fear and shock for her own father. She knew he was a bad person for what he’s done but she didn’t think he’d be an absolute monster.

After learning this shocking revelation, Anastacha became afraid of becoming exactly like her father one day. And if she were the one to kill him, the guilt would weigh heavier on her. She didn’t want to kill again and become a murderer like Francis.

And so Anastacha avoided getting close to anyone for a long time to avoid getting hurt or avoid hurting anyone herself, including her new classmates in her new school. When someone asks about her father, she pauses, hesitates at first before saying “my dad’s dead. Whatever.” (Can be true in the literal or figurative sense). And if anyone pries further such as “how did your dad die?” Ana would withdraw from the conversation and refuse to elaborate further. She would also drop out of a conversation when the topic is about fathers.

Since Anastacha takes after Francis a lot (like his eyes, tired demeanour and the “mmm” verbal tick), she feels disgusted and scared of the fact that she’s gonna look like him when she’s older (like how Francis couldn’t look at himself in the mirror because he looks too similar to his father). She tries not to say “mmm” though it’ll slip out accidentally out of habit, which causes her to bite her tongue out of frustration. When she’s older, she’d use makeup to hide the bags under her eyes so it won’t look like her father’s.

Whenever her mom is having panic attack or night terrors, Ana would wake up in the middle of the night just to comfort her. The same happens for Ana as well. At this point, both mother and daughter have became each other’s support system.

Every time she dreams, it was always about her father keeping her and her mother hostage or her father spiraling them down to hell with him. She has countless nights of endless nightmare. She couldn’t get a wink of good sleep after everything.

Sometimes she could feel her father’s presence looming over her, even if he isn’t actually there to begin with. If she did end up killing Francis, her guilty conscious will manifest into a ghost of him, whispering unwanted thoughts into her head about how he killed her or giving her urges to kill, which leads to her screaming that she’s never going to be like him or throwing/breaking stuff.

She and Nacha become each other’s support system now. They’ll cry onto each other for comfort after a ptsd flashback or confide in each other now that they barely trust anyone but themselves now.

If Anastacha got the help that she needs, she’ll slowly regain her trust in people again. She can begin to open up a little and start making friends. She’ll be cold, distant and touch averse when she grew up but she learned how to be empathetic and understanding towards other people no matter their circumstances.

For romantic relationships, I’ll just say that Anastacha isn’t interested in finding love. It’s not just because I headcanon her as a romance-repulsed aroace, it’s also because she doesn’t want to hurt any potential partner she may have. She believes she needs a long time to heal if she can settle down (which she probably never will).

She’s not used to showing affection to anyone else besides her mother because remembering the suffocating way her father smothered them with affection makes her sick to her stomach. She also doesn’t like being touched by strangers and would tell them off, even coming off as rude if she does so.

When it comes to her close friends however, she would allow them to hold hands and occasionally accept hugs from them but that’s just about it.

Since her past had affected her so much, Anastacha questioned why people behave the way they do. What drives them to do bad things? What causes people to become the way they are? That’s why in the future, she studied to became a psychiatrist. Needless to say, her mother is extremely proud of her.

She chose this career path because she wanted help anyone going through trauma, mental health issues or difficult circumstances. She wants to give people a chance at recovering so they won’t have to go through what she experienced in the past with her father.

It was rewarding for her helping people on the path to recovery, especially if they’ve been in toxic relationships, domestic violence situations and/or suffering from mental illnesses. After rationalising what she’s been through in the past and understanding her father’s psyche, she can use it to help her patients.

I also like to imagine that Anastacha uses music to cope with her negative feelings and trauma. She grew to have a preference for heavy music like rock/metal/punk so I can see her picking up guitar or drum lessons during her teens to vent her anger out. And maybe in her 20s to 30s, she’ll form her own death metal band as a side gig and release an album about the shit she went through as a kid. Nacha would prefer that her daughter should do more ladylike hobbies but whatever helps her cope.

Also, Anastacha would likely visit her father at the asylum once she became a trained psychologist (assuming he didn’t die or escape and track them down).

Francis: Anastacha? Is that you? *gasps* IT IS YOU! Haha…I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! ANA! IT’S YOU! MY LITTLE GIRL! I thought I’ll never see you again! And you’ve grown! You’ve grown up so fast!

Anastacha: *unfazed* hello Francis. It’s been a long time. And don’t call me your little girl or whatever.

Rather than a friendly father-daughter meet up, Anastacha would visit her father to get answers out of him, not just closure from herself but she wanted to understand her father better.

Francis: sweetie, why can’t you understand. I love you and your mother so much. All I wanted was to protect you both from this rotten world. But you both ran away from me? Do you even know how hurt I was? You both left without a word!

Anastacha: then tell me. If you love us so much, why would you keep us away from everyone like we’re prisoners? What good is protecting us when you wanted to cut off mom’s legs? How is that part of our ‘protection’ or whatever?

Eventually it got to a point where Francis tell his daughter about his past. Or when Ana tries not to break down and lash out in front of her father for all the terror he caused. She eventually came to understand why her father became the way that he did. Due to the abuse he experienced as a child, he developed extreme loneliness, abandonment issues and an anxious attachment disorder. Due to losing a lot in his life, he has a strong fear of losing the ones he loves. So by keeping them with him, he won’t have to worry about them leaving.

And yes, Anastacha does acknowledge that her dad loves his family in his own twisted fucked up way. He never cheats on Nacha, he provides for them both and he has shown his affection to them (in the most suffocating way possible). But does that mean she forgives him? Of course not! There’s nothing he can do to erase all the harm he caused, especially after he tracked them down and tried to chop off Nacha’s legs as a last resort to keep them as his ‘family’.

There’s still a part of her that feels sympathy for her father. Not for the man he is now, but the boy he used to be. She just wished he could’ve gotten the help he so clearly needed before he became a monster. Then he could’ve been a father that she could love again. This only drives Anastacha further to help anyone in abusive situations, so they don’t end up like her dad.

Even if Anastacha did try to reason with Francis and break through his delusions, he’s beyond fixing at this point now that he’s murdered so many innocents. It’s simply too late.

Francis: mmm, so you won’t forgive your father?

Anastacha: hmm, I would. If you didn’t become worse than your own father.

If Anastacha went to visit her father after she and Nacha confronted him years ago, this would be a different story. Once she learns that her father has been now reduced to a catatonic, empty husk of a person he once was, she would be horrified yet pitied the state that she’s in, even though cutting him off was the right choice. He’s too far gone now.

No matter how deep Francis is in his deluded state, she’ll try to get him to come to his senses.

Francis: …Ana?

Anastacha: Francis?

Francis: mmm…Ana? Is that you? My little girl?

Anastacha: yes Francis. It’s me.

In this route, Anastacha didn’t get the answers she needed but she’s left to fill in the blanks herself. She told Nacha all about it.

Nacha: what? What happened to him?

Anastacha: Francis is gone. He’s schizophrenic. No matter how much I talked to him, he barely recognised me. *sighs* Whatever. It’s too late. There’s nothing I can do.

Anastacha’s fear of her father is diminished though the hatred is still there. In the end though, she doesn’t completely hate her dad. She can never forget what he’s done but a bit of that hatred has turned into understanding for his part. She’ll visit Francis until the day of his execution and she’ll cry along with her mother once he dies. Now, that the source of all their trauma is gone, they’ll be relieved yet it doesn’t feel like a victory. All that leaves her and her mother is a deep hollow feeling. It’s still gonna take a long time for Anastacha and Nacha to recover from this.

This, this starts a new chapter in Anastacha’s life now that Francis is dead. She’ll heal on her own one step at a time. Eventually, she can find peace for herself and her mother.

What it means for Nacha?

Nacha won’t be doing so well either.

After her husband has been arrested/killed, she’s been haunted by the memory of him. All of the happy memories she had with him had been poisoned after he kidnapped her and attempted to chop off her legs. She couldn’t believe that the man she married turned out to be a monster. Finding out that her ex husband is a serial killer made her fear of him much worse.

She became really anxious as a result such as reacting violently to sudden noises or being too wary of her surroundings. Her imagination is running wild because she’s afraid Francis might pop up and take her hostage again.

Like Anastacha, she would get countless nightmares about Francis holding her and her daughter hostage. Or dreams about Francis as a demon locking her in a gilded where he plans to do all sort of stuff with her. (@hellosweetart iykyk)

All his lovesick words, his possessive touches, his presence, everything about Francis just gives her goosebumps but in a frightening way. He’s became a ghost of her past and he’ll haunt her for the rest of her life.

Nacha doesn’t trust herself to get close to anyone now, let alone get married to someone new. Not after what she’s been through with her ex-husband.

Thankfully, she has her daughter in her life for emotional support. She got separation anxiety if she’s left in a room alone so Anastacha had to check on her often. Thankfully with therapy, she’ll gradually be able to handle being alone in a room by herself. Though for her mother’s sake, Anastacha promised to live with her mom when she’s studying in college or when she’s finally working to support her emotionally and financially. If she has to move far away for her job, she’ll bring her mom along with her.

After getting into therapy, her emotional and mental state has improved. She still haunted by the memory of Francis and still dreams of him but she tries not to think of him much now.

Nacha prefers calm, quiet peaceful sceneries like the one in the countryside to clear her mind. It makes her feel at peace with herself and the world.

She cooks and bakes more as an outlet. Cooking has always been her passion now she holds onto it more than ever. She doesn’t make beef stew and strawberry cheesecake as much anymore, because those are Francis’s favourite dishes he makes.

And once Anastacha becomes a psychologist, she’ll help with her mother’s therapy as much as she can. Nacha’s proud that her daughter has got a good job that helps people, including herself. She does feel guilty about having her daughter be her personal therapist now but Anastacha assures her she’s cool with it and she doesn’t want her to suffer again.

Years after years of reflection, Nacha’s feelings for Francis become complicated. She loved the man who loves and cherishes her as a person and a wife. Not a lot of the men she used to date did that. But the moment her husband’s love turns extremely obsessive and she found out that he’s a monster in human skin, she began to fear what Francis will do to her and Ana. Yet her love for him still remains. Even though his methods of caring for them are suffocating, Francis works hard to provide for his family and he loves them unconditionally. Her immense fear of her husband clashes with the love she has for him. It’s just that her fear has overtaken her and she chose to run away, understandably so.

And after Francis traumatised her, her immense fear and trauma overwhelmed any love she had for him. Nacha just wants him gone from her life after all he’s done. She just wants to forget about him forever. Any mention of Francis or any reminder of him is enough to break her down.

Anastacha gives her updates on how Francis is doing in the asylum. She told Nacha everything, how Francis was an abuse victim growing up, how his mental state is, how he’s sorry and misses her and wants to see his family again.

Now Nacha is conflicted. She’s obviously terrorised by him and resents Francis for traumatising them. She can never forgive that. But a part of her still does care for him. She knows it’s a wrong feeling and she tries to deny it but after hearing about what Francis can go through, she does feel sympathetic for him. If things hadn’t gone down that badly, she wishes she could understand him better and questioned why he became that way. She still misses the happy family life they could’ve had together and the pleasant loving moments they used to have. But it was too late.

If this is the schizophrenia ending, Nacha would be horrified to learn of the current state her ex-husband.

“What?! Oh dear god! What happened to him?”

Even due to her trauma, she would still feel sympathetic to hear that Francis has been reduced from a homicidal maniac to a broken shell of a man. This is why watching his execution wasn’t easy for her either. She had to watch her formerly dangerous husband who was never saved put to rest for good. Nacha knew Francis had to be put down for good. It’s for the best. She’ll finally be free from him yet at the same time, she isn’t either. Like her daughter, Nacha couldn’t totally hate Francis in the end. She knows she still shouldn’t have feelings for him but it’s a complicated case for her. She couldn’t tell why. (Ana makes sure she doesn’t tell Francis this. She doesn’t want her father to win. He doesn’t deserve that).

That’s why after Francis’s death, there is no victory for them. On one hand, they’re relieved but mostly, it has left the mother daughter duo this empty feeling that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.

But even after Francis still haunts her long after his death, she’ll still be on the long road to recovery with her daughter. She won’t be alone in this. One day, she gets to find peace for herself.

“Goodbye Francis.”

Francis’s Ghost

Now we get to the part where Francis haunts his family literally. This can happen after his execution or if Anastacha kills him. He died but he didn’t leave.

Francis’s ghost doesn’t get to rest in the afterlife, not after he murdered so many innocents. His soul will dwell in the astral realm but he’ll come back up the earthly realm to wreak terror amongst the living.

He’s a vengeful ghost that scares people in their nightmares and he’ll keep killing more people by controlling inanimate objects (specifically any sharp weapon) and murder them through his usual methods: mutilating their body until they die in a pool of their own blood.

There’ll be news reports around town about several suicide/homicide cases that seemed too similar to the Scarlet Killer’s modus operandi. The police and investigators are baffled as to what caused this? Could it be a doppelgänger or a new killer that mimics the Scarlet Killer’s methods. A popular conspiracy theory says that the Scarlet Killer manages to escape death and is still alive and at large.

Unfortunately, Francis doesn’t stop there. He haunts Nacha and Ana too, just to see how they’re doing and to watch after them after his death.

He’s the protector and the tormentor at once.

He’ll look over his wife and daughter’s very presence, making them feel fear for their every waking moment. In reality, Francis just wants to be with them, even though they would prefer to be left alone.

Francis also does his job of protecting them by fending off doppelgängers, creeps, thugs, anyone that dares to hurt them. Now they wonder what kind of invisible force is helping them.

When he haunts Anastacha, he just looms over her very presence, watching her go about her daily life. If she’s the one who killed him, Francis honestly doesn’t bear any grudge against his daughter for killing him. He acts like some sort of intrusive thoughts echoing in her head.

If Anastacha can sense her father’s ghost, she will break out in cold sweat and beg him to leave her alone. She’ll constantly apologise to him for killing him, over and over again until she begins throwing stuff at him.

Ana: stop it! STOP IT! I’M SO SORRY FOR KILLING YOU DAD! I DIDN’T WANT TO DO IT! PLEASE DON’T HURT ME AND MOM!!

Of course, Francis could never bring himself to hurt his own daughter. He just doesn’t like how she screams at him when she’s around. Whenever Anastacha begins crying, he’ll be the one who comforts her, even though he’s delusional to the fact that he’s the one causing her problems and Ana tried many times to shoo him away.

If anyone’s bullying Ana, Francis would not hesitate to kill them. Now, Ana questions why her bullies don’t show up the next day.

Francis also haunts his wife’s very presence too. Whenever she’s alone and in her dreams. He’ll always whisper to her that he’ll always love her and that he’ll be with her even after she dies.

Nacha is obviously not ok with this. “PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE FRANCIS! I DON’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!!!”

But no matter how much she protests, Francis can never leave her alone. They technically never divorced nor did Nacha initiate a breakup with him. But even if she did, that doesn’t matter to Francis. He’ll always be her loving husband even after death.

Soon it got so bad to the point Nacha and Ana had to consult spirit mediums and exorcists for help. They were able to ward off Francis’s ghost for a while with dreamcatchers, holy water and crosses. But it won’t be useful for much long. Francis is a persistent man.

Every night, whenever Nacha and Anastacha look outside at the cornfields or moors, they could see Francis’s ghost waving at them from afar.

Or whenever they sleep at night, Francis’s ghosts will be tapping at their window, begging for Nacha or Ana to let him in. Just like in Wuthering Heights where Catherine’s ghost can be seen outside the window.

“Nacha…Sweetie…it’s me…Francis…i’m at your home…I’m so cold…let me in your window…please…I’m so cold, dear…”

Now the both of them barred the windows shut, draw the blinds and lock their doors whenever they sleep. And no matter how loud Francis knocks at their window, they’ll keep ignoring it until they can finally sleep.

And they don’t dare to go out in the middle of the night, knowing Francis is out there.

I know I said Nacha won’t find another man after Francis but on the off chance she did, Francis WILL NOT be happy about it. How dare that vermin steal his wife away from him?! He’ll find a way to get Nacha back.

Much to Francis’s surprise, it turns out he’s more powerful than he can imagine. Not only is he able to control inanimate objects, he can possess people too.

“HAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god… I never knew I could do *that*! I know exactly how I can use this!”

Now let’s say Nacha is on a date with a new man. And after they pulled away from the kiss, the voice of Nacha’s new partner gets layered over Francis’s voice and their eyes morphed into Francis’s tired ones. Horrified, Nacha began screaming at the top of her lungs because she realised her ex husband is back and has possessed her new partner.

“What’s the matter, dear? It’s me! Francis! Hahaha! Don’t tell me you forgot about your husband and replaced me with this fucking maggot?! Hahahaha! How hilarious! Don’t you see darling? I’ll never let you go as long as I’m here! And I won’t let some pesky vermin get in the way of our love!”

Worst case scenario is that Francis chases Nacha and Anastacha in the moors using Nacha’s partner’s body. Or! Francis being the vengeful spirit as he is makes Nacha watch as he mutilates her partner’s body himself while he’s still possessing them and die in a pool of their own blood as a lesson to never pursue another partner ever again.

But that’s just a hypothetical scenario.

Pretty soon, they can’t take it anymore. After Francis has haunted them so many times, it becomes maddening! That’s when Nacha and Ana took matters into their own hands.

The detectives still interrogate the Mikaelys family regarding the Scarlet Killer case. They mentioned that the few surviving victims recalled seeing a ghost with dark hair with black hollow eyes and mouth before blacking out.

With that new information, Nacha tells the detectives that they keep seeing Francis’s ghosts every night. At first, it may sound incredulous to believe but considering the victims’ first hand accounts, the detectives are now inclined to believe them.

The detectives concluded that the Scarlet Killer’s ghost is after his own family, so they instructed the mother and daughter to go the abandoned mansion in the middle of the woods because that’s the best place to exorcise ghosts, which the two of them believed.

So Nacha and Ana have a new plan. They brought everything they need to the mansion and waited until night time for Francis to strike.

Once Francis’s ghost arrives, they opened the window. Now, Nacha and Ana did everything in their power to fight him. But Francis’s ghost is getting more difficult to exorcise. Soon, they ran out of luck. And a blinding white light consumes them.

When the two of them woke up, they realised they’re in a dark, empty zone. Soon, they both discovered that they’re in limbo, which is a border to the astral realm.

Nacha: oh no! NO NO NO NO NO! This can’t be happening!

Anastacha: we’re not dead or whatever? Are we mom?

It turns out the detectives were in cahoots with the DDD all along. And since they needed to stop the Scarlet Killer’s ghost from wreaking anymore havoc, they hatched a plan on how to get rid of him for good since the Mikaelys family are his targets. (Afton is also in on the idea).

So they tricked Nacha and Ana by pretending to help them all the while they planted bombs outside the mansion Nacha and Ana were in. And once they failed, they detonated the entire house, instantly killing those two.

Now that the Mikaelys family are both dead, the Scarlet Killer’s ghost won’t bother the living anymore and pursue after his family.

Speaking of, you can imagine how ecstatic Francis was when he found out Nacha and Ana are in limbo.

“SWEETIE! ANA! YOU’RE HERE!”

Much to their terror, Nacha and Ana tried to escape from him again but there’s nowhere to run when they’re in limbo. They’re stuck together for eternity.

All they can do now is accept their fate. At least they have company.

“Finally…we can be together again.”

Note: originally, I was gonna have Nacha and Ana confront Francis at their own house and they talk it out. But that was anti climatic so I had help from @hellosweetart to help me write that last part. Thanks so much.