#she literally destroyed. so many of our possessions.

[miodiodavinci]

more importantly i've reached the part of my archive immediately after everything horrible came to pass and the leech basically had full run of the house because no one had any authority to stop her and i'm just 👁 👁

it really is wild to read my personal, in-the-moment recounts of her committing and saying the most heinous, vile shit and then also see myself saying "what if i'm being irrational ; ; ; what if this is actually all my fault actually ; ; ;

i've been going through my twitter and working on cleaning out old irrelevant rants (like all the times i complained about my art or went on and on about how sick i was of ace discourse) and personal life details that no one really needs to know (dealing with the leech and fighting with siblings) and just

it really is so so clear that i have adhd and have difficulty regulating my emotions skdfhgls

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

I know plenty of people have already made a version of the "Jinx is alive" theory post but I've also seen so many of you mourn her death that I decided to gather all the evidence and make another post, turning this theory into a fact.

Because Jinx is alive. It's not a speculation. It's literally there.

The first thing I'm going to mention are the context clues Jinx gives herself. First, the last thing the ghost of Silco tells her. I think the cycle only ends when you find the will to walk away. Then, the realization she comes to when Vi hugs her in the cell. You're never gonna give up on me, are you? What she tells Vi after she leaves her in that cell. You don't need to worry about me anymore. [...] And yes, her initial plan is to kill herself, because she thinks the only way for Vi to move on is for her to be gone. And Ekko gets there just in time to stop her but it looks like he doesn't convince her to abandon her plan, just change it.

And later, when she joins Vi in the final fight. What does she tell her? Still don't get it, huh, sis? I'm always with you. Even when we're worlds apart.

Everything that happens after is constructed specifically to let us and Vi believe that Jinx died. Until we get to this scene:

Caitlyn is studying the Hexgates designs.

She's looking through the pages depicting the place where the final fight happened, specifically focusing on the air vent shafts, while toying with a monkey bomb head - the same monkey bomb that Jinx used in her supposed last monents.

She looks down at the monkey...

Watch the eyes. The realization hits her...

And she smirks, knowing. Jinx used one of the air vents to escape before the explosion.

I've studied the explosion frame by frame. First, a small yellow explosion goes off - Jinx sets off the monkey bomb.

As it becomes bigger, she shoots out of there

this is still the beginning of the blast when we can still see her, and the big boom that destroys everything starts 10 frames later

Last context clue is a reference to the very first episode, which is clearly depicted in this gifset here, so instead of explaining, I'll just send you there to check for yourselves.

One thing that is speculation here is, how exactly did Caitlyn come into possession of the monkey bomb head? I doubt she found it there because it would have been turned to dust. And I'm thinking, Jinx took it with her and left it for Cait to find as a clue. She didn't want Vi to know but maybe she wanted Cait to figure it out. I imagine her sneaking into her house and maybe leaving it somewhere for Cait to find, like her desk or something. It gives Cait an idea, a gut feeling she needs to check, and that allows her to figure it out. Just like we are supposed to figure it out on our own.

Bottom line, Jinx is alive. She escaped the explosion through the air vents, then boarded the airship and left the city, convinced that the only way to give her sister a happy ending is to take herself out of the equation. The glitching closing shot saying The End in Jinx's colorful handwriting is a sign that she is telling us that this is where this story ends, like she's saying "don't look for me. It's over." That's also probably why we aren't shown what Caitlyn does with the information she now possesses.

I hope this helps take away from the grief 💙

[starsinmylatte]

Be Our Girl?

If you saw Tumblr immediately flag this, no, you didn't.

This is the first request I received as part of my JJK Fic Readers Supporting Noury event. There are still slots open, so please click the link for more info!

Thank you to @enchantedsylveon for their support and the wonderful request 💜. I went way over the word count because I got possessed by the spirit of horny. Forgive me 😅

Pairing: Geto x Gojo x afab!reader (aka SatoSugu x afab!reader) Rating: Explicit (18+ minors DNI) Word Count: 6.8k Request: Morally grey, obsessive pleasure doms Gojo and Geto take care of their girl while she's on her period.

Click here to join my taglist!

Warnings are found below the cut!

A/N: This is my first time writing a threesome AND my first time writing for both of these characters....... So, Leeeeeroy Jenkins!

Warnings (besides what it says on the request): Use of pet names (princess, baby, etc), references to mental health issues, multiple sex positions, dacryphilia, cursing, multiple orgasms, slight overstimulation, cum eating, banter during sex, breeding kink, cervix fucking, deepthroating, praise and light degradation, y'all get the gist this is some filth (affectionate)

It was early one morning, far too early for any sane person to be awake as you sat on a couch, trapped between your two long-time friends. On one end of the couch, Satoru Gojo pouted and stared out the nearby window, nursing a can of soda like it was hard liquor. Geto Suguru occupied the other end, glaring at the wall like he wanted to burn a hole through it. He was doing his damnedest to avoid paying his best friend any attention as you sat between the two men, grumbling under your breath. You were unlucky enough to be quite literally in the middle of their dispute. 

The two young men had been fighting so much recently, and it had honestly hurt your heart to see. Their bickering had affected their efforts in school, nearly destroyed both of their mental health, and strained their relationship to a breaking point. Shoko had advised you to leave it alone, saying the boys needed to figure it out on their own or just fuck already, but as their other best friend, you just couldn’t take much more of it. Especially when Satoru made a habit of coming over at three A.M. to complain about Suguru. 

Funnily enough, that was precisely what had led to the current situation. Satoru had shown up, knocked so hard that he nearly broke your door down in the process, and shoved his way inside your apartment despite your many protests. 

Now, there were multiple reasons why his visit was horribly timed. The first would’ve been immediately evident if the strongest sorcerer wasn’t so preoccupied. You were wincing in pain when you answered the door, clutching a hot water bottle to your lower stomach, and Gojo had been too oblivious to notice. He simply brushed past you, already ranting as he headed directly for your plush couch. 

“‘Toru, wait-“ 

“That emo bastard can’t get it through his thick skull that we’re supposed to be friends. He-” Satoru paused mid-rant as the emo bastard in question sat up on your couch, groaning. Suguru had been fast asleep until now, and the raven-haired man looked pissed that he had been woken up. 

The deep circles under Suguru’s eyes had only grown more exaggerated in the past few days, and his long, beautiful raven hair was a tangled mess. You could see the weariness he carried creep under his skin more and more, and it honestly terrified you. Suguru had confided in you that he could barely sleep anymore, and like the good friend you were, you offered for him to sleep on your couch, hoping the proximity to a close friend would help ease his mind. 

“You’d better be talking about someone else,” Suguru hissed at Gojo, dark eyes flashing with anger as you slammed the heel of your hand against your head.

“I can already feel another migraine coming,” you muttered under your breath. “‘Satoru, as I was trying to say, you may want to come back later because I. already. have. company.”

You punctuated your words with brief pauses, not even bothering to try and hide the annoyance in your tone.  Gojo pursed his lips dramatically, rolling his eyes. He immediately turned on his heel to leave, but you beat him to the door. “Oh, no. You didn’t listen to me, so you get to stay. I am not in the mood for this to be a revolving door today.”  

He opened his mouth to argue, but one look from you silenced him. You motioned for Geto to scoot over on the couch, and the sleep-deprived man shot you an incredulous look as Gojo pilfered a soda from your fridge. 

Nearly thirty minutes of awkward silence had passed between the three of you on the couch before you’d finally had enough. You had been trying to be a good, patient friend, but this morning was the absolute last straw.  For half of the previous night, you’d been curled up in a ball with the most abysmal cramps, completely unable to sleep. Finally, after what had felt like an eternity, you had drifted off… only to be woken up by Gojo thirty minutes later. Your cramps were still coming in awful waves, and no medication was helping. You simply wanted to melt into the floor, but you were being forced to babysit two of the strongest jujutsu sorcerers who had ever lived while they behaved like petulant children. 

A particularly harsh cramp had you gritting your teeth, barely able to speak as you forced two words past your lips. “That’s enough.” 

Both of your companions’ heads whipped around, and you felt the weight of two completely different gazes. One was ice-cold, and the second felt like scorched earth; they were polar opposites, but each held the same intense gravity. 

“The two of you are going to talk this out. This all passed ridiculous a long time ago.” You continued, gesturing around dramatically with one hand, holding up the other to silence the noises of protest that left both men. Your throat felt dry and raw with anger. All of the frustration and pain in your body had coalesced into a single, white-hot ball of emotion, which was currently clawing its way out of your throat with a vengeance. 

“I’m not finished. Geto Suguru, I want you to feel better, but you have to open up to us. If you keep all your emotions bottled up, you’re going to go insane one day and start a cult or something.” 

Geto looked down at his folded hands, clearly a bit stunned by your outburst. Normally, something like this would’ve never happened. You were always such a caring, sweet girl, and you had never lost your temper in front of either man. Both Gojo and Geto instantly knew that they’d fucked up for you to be this viscerally angry and use their full names at the same time. You had never called them anything other than their first names for the many years you’d been friends.

“And you, Gojo Satoru, need to calm down and try to understand your best friend more. The two of you need to actually talk. You’ve just expected Suguru to come to you for help all this time, but you could also reach out first.” Gojo had the decency to blush in embarrassment, setting his soda can down on a coaster while you scolded him.

You stood rather abruptly, intending to leave the two men to sulk while you crawled back into your warm bed, but you forgot about one very important thing in your addled state. The hot water bottle was still on your lap, and it hit the floor with a loud clang the second you stood. Water splashed everywhere, finally catching the attention of both men. Gojo’s icy gaze met Geto’s earthen one as the full situation finally clicked in their heads, and they shared a look that clearly read “oh shit.” 

The loss of the water bottle’s comforting warmth was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Fat, hot tears started to roll down your cheeks as you felt your uterus violently contract again. You doubled over, and both men stood, rushing to your side as you cried out in pain, fully sobbing.

“You’re making all of us worry, especially me. I just can’t keep listening to my two best friends complain about each other instead of talking through their problems, and I feel horrible right now, and I just-” 

Geto ran a comforting hand down your back. “Shit. Shhh… We’re sorry for making you worry. Right, Satoru?” 

Gojo sighed as the raven-haired man stared at him pointedly. “He’s right, we’re very sorry. C’mere, let’s get you back into bed.” 

He held his arms out as you sniffled, wiping at your eyes. With one swift motion, Gojo scooped you up in his arms as Suguru quickly towled up the water on the floor. Somewhere deep in your mind, you realized that you could feel Satoru’s warm skin against yours; he had turned off Infinity for you. He cradled you for a few precious minutes, purring soft reassurances against your ear that had you relaxing into his arms. 

“S’ alright. I’ve got you.” 

Suguru rolled his eyes and finished cleaning in almost record time. He pushed his friend toward your room, entering first to scoop your sheets aside and plug in your big heating pad. Gojo laid you down on the soft mattress, and you immediately snuggled up underneath the sheets. Another sharp stab of pain made you wince, and the two men shared another pointed look and a collective sigh, finding enough truce in their argument to climb into the bed on either side of you. 

Geto passed the heating pad to Gojo, who gently placed it against your lower stomach before pulling you against his chest. You clung to him happily, nuzzling into his warmth. However, this new position also made you oblivious to the way Geto’s eyes flashed in frustration at the sight. 

The raven-haired man pulled your back against his chest in retaliation, splaying a possessive hand over your hip as Gojo smirked at him. You murmured in appreciation, unconsciously shifting to lay against them equally as you drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.  Geto and Gojo locked eyes and finally relaxed, seemingly arriving at some unspoken agreement. They joined you in a deep, comfortable sleep, and it was by far the best sleep any of you had gotten in months. 

The three of you only grew closer after that night. It had only taken a week for Gojo and Geto to patch up their relationship, and they emerged with a stronger bond than before. When Shoko asked about the change, the boys cheerfully credited your period-induced breakdown as the catalyst that led them to reconcile. Gojo would grin cheekily, the action only mirrored by his raven-haired counterpart’s self-satisfied smirk as the two repeated the very same answer to everyone else who asked. They also pointedly ignored how you blushed and stammered at them, “Please, stop telling everyone about that.” 

“No can do, sweetheart.” Satoru winked at you over the rim of his dark glasses before sighing dramatically, poking at your soft, pouting cheeks, “Besides, where would we be without you? You put us in our place, so you deserve all the credit.”

Geto chuckled, a darkly amused glint in his eyes as he placed his large hand on your shoulder, squeezing gently. “You’re right. We both need our girl to keep us straight.”

–

Time flew by as the three of you graduated and rejoined Tokyo Jujutsu High as young teachers. Life was… interesting; some things had changed for you, but many things still stayed the same. For one thing, you, Satoru, and Suguru were still incredibly close. Even though there were always missions to complete, students to educate, and monsters to kill, the three of you made time to spend together. 

Quite often, your “quality time” with the two men was spent in the form of a massive movie night at your apartment. There had been many discussions about moving it to Gojo’s ritzy new place, but the routine was already too ingrained in the three of you. So, every other weekend, you all piled on top of your plush sofa to watch cheesy movies, cycling through picks from every genre imaginable until everyone fell asleep. 

However, as much as you enjoyed the tradition, you had almost canceled tonight’s marathon. The worst part of your period was supposed to be over by now, but the heavy cramping hadn’t let up at all.

“Those two better be glad I love them so much,” you muttered, blushing slightly as you caught your accidental choice of words. 

Love? No, I don’t love those two. We’re just friends. Really good friends. 

Thoughts continued to whirl around your head as you hurriedly tidied up your living room and small kitchen, preparing everything for the night. No, you most definitely weren’t in love with both of your best friends at the same time. You were so good at ignoring how the two men had only grown more handsome and attentive to you since their big argument, and you definitely never imagined them taking you to bed….

By the time you had nearly convinced yourself that denial was just a river in Egypt, there was a cheerful knock at the door. The knock lasted for all of two seconds before Satoru pushed it open, grinning widely. The white-haired man still wore his blindfold but had traded his usual all-black uniform for a pair of suspiciously designer-looking grey sweatpants and a soft, black t-shirt.

“I brought treats!” He chimed, setting his armful of baked goods and sweets on the counter.

You couldn’t help but laugh. “‘Toru, did you rob a small bakery? You know you’re the only one who will eat most of it.” 

He noticed how you greedily eyed a bar of dark chocolate, snatching it up and waving it at you teasingly, “Oh, so you want me to take it back, then?” 

You pouted, trying to reach for the bar as Satoru weaponized his height against you. He held the chocolate just out of reach, and you jumped, almost brushing the very edge of the wrapper. You landed awkwardly, stumbling backward into something- no, someone- very solid. A rich, amused chuckle tickled your ear as Suguru caught you, reaching up to pluck the bar from Gojo’s hand as his hand cupped your hip. 

“Having fun without me, already?” 

“‘Toru’s being mean,” you complained as Suguru passed the sweet to you with a snide grin directed at the other man. 

“Fine,” he sighed dramatically, removing his blindfold to wink at you. “I’ve wounded our princess so she can have the first movie pick tonight. 

Your heart twisted and fluttered in your chest at the use of that pet name and the sight of his gorgeous cerulean eyes, but you shoved that feeling aside as quickly as it appeared. 

“I can forgive you… this time.” 

“And you can make the first batch of popcorn,” Suguru added, his signature sly smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“I’ll make sure to burn yours,” Gojo grumbled in response, heading for the kitchen as Suguru herded you toward the couch. 

You plopped down onto the middle of the couch, and Geto settled to your left, promptly handing you the chunky knit blanket you favored. Funnily enough, the arrangement the three of you sat in was as much of a tradition as the movie night itself; you were always in the middle of the two men. The three of you were always sandwiched together, but that didn’t make you flustered. Jujutsu sorcery took such a high mental toll that you had long figured any cuddling was strictly platonic. 

Geto looped his arm around your waist, pulling you close, and you almost sighed in happiness as you caught the comforting scent of sandalwood soap and incense that always surrounded him. You tipped your head against his shoulder, smiling contentedly and nibbling into the chocolate bar as the two of you flipped through movies, looking for the perfect one. Gojo cursed loudly in the other room, and you giggled at the loud banging coming from the stove. 

A few hours later, you finally got to Geto’s pick: a cheesy B-grade horror movie. Bags of candy and popcorn lay strewn over the coffee table as the three of you watched the final girl run from yet another masked killer. You had excused yourself to the bathroom half an hour ago to take some medicine and change into a fresh pad, but your cramps stubbornly refused to give up. The last thing you wanted to do was ruin the night, so you suffered in silence, silently wincing in pain every few minutes. 

Geto and Gojo shared a look as they felt your body tense for the umpteenth time, and the raven-haired man clicked pause on the remote while his counterpart rubbed tiny circles over the small of your back. 

“What is it?” Suguru asked, his voice and expression both filled with concern. 

“Nothing, really. I’m fine.” You tried to reassure both men, but they gazed at you, unimpressed and clearly not buying your story. 

“We know you well enough to know that’s not true.” Gojo gazed at you, suddenly more serious than he’d been all night. Geto squeezed your shoulder gently, and both men scooted even closer to you, clearly unwilling to let it go. 

“Fine,” you grumbled. “I’m on my period, and my cramps are really bad right now. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want tonight to end yet, even though I don’t feel well.” 

Geto’s gaze softened, and Gojo laughed quietly, “You know we couldn’t leave our girl when she’s in pain.” 

Your cheeks flushed hotly at Satoru’s words. 

“You know I’ll never get a boyfriend if you keep calling me that.”

The words left your lips before you could even think about what you were saying; the temperature in the room instantly felt ten degrees colder. Suguru’s deep, coffee-colored gaze narrowed instantly, and Gojo tipped his head down to look you in the eyes, his pale irises shining almost eerily in the dim light. 

“Do you not… want to be our girl?” Suguru leaned down to whisper against the shell of your ear, his voice a velvet purr that made you shudder. You felt both men hold you tighter, their grip infinitely more possessive; Geto nipped at the shell of your ear lightly, drawing a small moan out of you. 

“Sugu…. I….. mmmmph..” 

Gojo traced a finger underneath your chin, tilting your eyes to meet his calm gaze. The new angle of your neck gave Geto the perfect angle to kiss up and down the column of your neck, which he promptly took advantage of, ghosting his lips across the sensitive skin. You shuddered, whimpering slightly as Satoru held your face still in one of his large, calloused hands. 

“He asked you a question, baby,” Satoru crooned, a smirk tugging at the corner of his unfairly perfect lips. 

Embarrassment mixed with growing lust dusted your cheeks, and your eyelashes fluttered in sync with every sinful drag of Geto’s lips against your skin. Your head was growing fuzzy, yet your body felt light as a feather as you relaxed between the two large men. Any thought of your previous pain had faded away in a sea of bliss and disbelief until another vicious cramp tore through your abdomen. You jolted upright, worry flashing in your eyes. The two men paused immediately, backing off to let you speak. 

“Even if I do want this…. We can’t right now. I’m….” You trailed off in embarrassment, staring down at the hem of your shirt. 

“Do you think so little of us, sweetheart? You think we’re frightened by a little blood? Geto crooned, and Gojo grinned in response, gasping in mock indignation.  

You shook your head slightly, stammering in protest. “I-I don’t think you’re afraid of it, just that ‘s gross.” 

Gojo caressed your cheek with his thumb, and Geto nuzzled his nose against the crook of your neck in reassurance. “Nothing about you could ever be gross; what you’re going through is the most natural thing in the world.” The raven-haired man murmured. 

“And b-both of you want me?” You responded in a daze. 

“Yeah. It’s been that way for years,” Satoru smiled, unashamedly staring at the swell of your slightly parted lips as you gasped in response. 

“It’s been the three of us for our entire lives, and you kept it that way. I don’t see why it should ever change,” Geto added with a low note of amusement. He caressed your waist, and another shudder ran down your spine. “You’ve been ours for years… we’ve just been waiting for you to realize it. Let us take care of you, baby. You’ve done so much for us.” 

Every nerve ending of your body crackled like a live wire as the two men waited with bated breath for your response. Your mind whirled as you tried to string together an actual sentence. Finally, you were able to moan a single word. “Please…”

The effect it had on the two men was instantaneous. Suguru groaned, reattaching his lips to your neck and pulling you back into his lap. Your back hit his broad, muscular chest, and you melted against him instantly. 

“Fuck, you have no idea how long we’ve waited for this…. How many men we’ve chased off because they didn’t deserve you.” Satoru mumbled, surging forward to claim your lips with his own, pinning you against the other man. The kiss started out soft but quickly grew more insistent as you moaned and whimpered every time Suguru grazed your decolletage with his teeth. He started to pull the neck of your shirt aside for better access to more skin, and you writhed in his arms as he left bruises in the wake of his lips. 

At any other time, you would’ve questioned Satoru’s confession, but right now, you felt hot, almost delirious with budding desire, as he reached down to trail his fingers over your clothed pussy. He rubbed directly over your little clit, but the pleasure you craved was muted by the thick added layer of your pad, and you whined in protest. “‘Toru, need you s’badly.”

“You hear that? Our princess needs you, Satoru.” Geto purred as the other man continued tracing the outline of your pussy. 

You rocked your hips against his fingers, desperate to feel more, but you only succeeded in teasing Suguru as you accidentally rocked your ass directly against his rapidly growing erection.

He hissed loudly, trailing one of his hands under your shirt to cup your bare waist. Gojo chuckled at the sight of his best friend’s suffering, sucking on your bottom lip before pulling away with an audible pop. “Careful now, or you’re gonna make it hard for him to last.” 

“Oh, fuck off.” Suguru groaned in response, trailing his hand up to paw at your breast. You whined as he lightly pinched and rolled a nipple between his clever fingers, and the raven-haired man chuckled roughly, “Look at how dirty our girl is, not even wearing a bra. She’s so damn sensitive.” 

Your pussy throbbed at his words as Gojo leaned back, kneeling on the couch to watch the show you and Geto were putting on in front of him. Your gaze was half-lidded and hazy with lust, but you could still clearly see the way the muscles of his arm flexed as he reached down to palm his own erection. It stood proud, visibly tenting the dark grey sweatpants he wore, and your mouth watered at the mere outline of his dick. It looked so long and thick, and you could only imagine the bliss of it stuffing you and dragging against your deepest, most sensitive parts. 

He brushed a strand of white hair off his face, looking at you with another cocky smirk as he addressed the other man. “Oi, help me out here, Suguru. I seem to remember something about cramps… I think they’re improved by medicine, a heating pad, or something else. Now, what could that be?” 

Gojo paused for a clear, dramatic effect, his wolfish grin only growing wider as your breath caught in your throat. You were so distracted that you didn’t even realize Geto’s lips had trailed back up to your ear as he responded in a dulcet whisper, “I think the answer might be ‘they’re improved by orgasms.’ What do you think, pretty?”

“Yes, god yes,” you begged, rubbing your thighs together. The dull ache of your period had faded away into the haze of lust, but your pussy throbbed, begging to be filled.

Satoru winked at you, leaving the couch and walking into your bedroom for a moment. You whimpered as he left, and Geto chuckled again at your reaction, giving your nipple another rough pinch. “There’s no god here, baby, just us. But we’re gonna do you so good… Gonna ruin you for anyone else.”

You lay against his chest as Suguru pushed your shirt all the way up, tucking the hem between your teeth to give himself full, unimpeded access to your chest. He maneuvered the two of you around slightly, leaving you in his lap but allowing both of your legs to dangle off the edge of the couch. “Let’s give Satoru something to look at when he comes back, hmm? Bet he’d love to see these perfect tits.” 

He took each of your breasts into his warm hands, alternating between kneading the soft, supple flesh and pinching your aching nipples. You could only moan softly through the fabric of the shirt stuffed in your mouth as Geto took you higher and higher into bliss with every movement. 

Gojo walked back in not a minute later, holding a few fluffy, black towels. His beautiful eyes widened at the perfectly pornographic scene spread out in front of him, and he cursed under his breath, rushing back to the couch as Geto smirked at his best friend’s needy expression. 

“Careful, or he’s not gonna last long,” he teased, tugging off your shirt as he parodied Gojo’s earlier sentiment. 

The white-haired man huffed and shook his head sarcastically, but you certainly didn’t miss the way he threw his own shirt off and knelt between your legs as quickly as he could. His eyes were shining with ravenous desire, and your pussy throbbed as you realized that Geto’s teasing had an edge of truth. 

Gojo smiled up at you, tucking a towel between your hips and Geto’s lap before hooking his hands into the waistband of your pants, gently tugging them down and tossing them away. 

“Gonna let me taste you, baby?” He keened, pressing open-mouthed kisses against the inside of your thighs as his long fingers toyed with the hem of your panties. 

You bit your lip as a million worries flooded your mind, but Suguru caressed your face, whispering conspiratorially, “Think about how pretty he’s gonna look between your legs. He can finally put that smartass mouth of his to good use, right?” 

Satoru nibbled his way up your skin, sucking a dark hickey at the apex of your thigh as Geto continued to lavish your breasts with affection. You whined and moaned, keening with every touch. It felt like your entire body was on fire, and you’d go up in flames without the touch of both men. Any embarrassment you could’ve felt had long since evaporated; all you could do was beg for more as both men left their mark on your body. 

“‘Toru, please… Wanna cum so bad.” You whined, begging for relief, and Gojo glanced up at you with an expression that would’ve terrified anyone else. He may have been in a traditionally submissive position, but there was nothing submissive about his body language; he looked like a fallen angel with the way his pale hair framed his face.  

He slipped your panties off, breathing becoming heavier and heavier as all of your perfect body was finally revealed to his ravenous gaze. Satoru threw your legs around his shoulders, leaning back just enough to inspect your cunt. His pale eyelashes fluttered as he used one of his long fingers to part your puffy, swollen folds, completely mesmerized as you moaned his name and your cunt clenched in sheer anticipation of his touch. You were obscenely wet from the mixture of blood and arousal that trailed down your legs, and Gojo couldn’t wait any longer. 

“Our girl’s got a perfect fucking pussy, Suguru,” He mumbled, diving in to lick a fat stripe all the way up to your clit. You moaned wantonly, your head lolling back against Geto’s strong chest as the man behind you held your body upright, still enamored with the way your breasts fit in his hands. 

Period sex was very new to you, but you could already tell that it felt different- not different, better. You felt more sensitive than ever before, and not just between your legs. Your breasts felt heavy and full; you had a sneaking suspicion that you could’ve cum from Geto toying with them alone. 

Gojo’s eyes fluttered shut in bliss as he ate you out like a man starved. He lapped up every bit of arousal and blood from your weeping pussy, fucking you with his tongue before trailing delicious circles on your swollen clit with his tongue until you screamed his name. Your thighs wrapped around Satoru’s head, and the white-haired man moaned desperately, taking the opportunity to slip two fingers deep into your cunt. You keened at the delicious stretch, and Suguru groaned at the sight. 

“T-Toru… Ah-! Sugu….” Tears of pure bliss started to gather in the corners of your eyes as Satoru’s fingers rubbed mercilessly against your G-spot. You felt a familiar band of pleasure start to stretch in your lower stomach, and you whined in desperation. Suguru grabbed one of your arms, pressing desperate kisses against the delicate skin of your inner wrist as his other hand toyed with a nipple in time with Satoru’s thrusts.

“S’close.. Nnnnngh, gonna cum… pleasepleaseplea-” The band of pleasure snapped suddenly before you could even finish your sentence, launching you over the edge of the most intense orgasm of your life. Tears fell as you shattered in between the two men, crying and rocking your hips against Satoru’s face while your core fluttered around his fingers. 

“You’re fucking perfect,” Suguru growled as he scooped you up. He cradled you in his arms and leaned down to kiss you as Satoru stood, licking the blood and cum off his fingers. 

The taller man grinned as the two of you kissed passionately, leaning over to wipe a tear off your cheek. 

“Baby, you cryin'?” Satoru simpered before leaning in to lick off another tear. When Suguru pulled away to tell him off, Satoru pulled him into a searing kiss, slotting his tongue into the other man’s mouth. Geto’s eyes flared in shock before he leaned into the embrace, moaning as he tasted your arousal on his best friend’s tongue. 

“I thought you deserved a taste, too. Isn’t she sweet?” Gojo asked innocently as he pulled away to kiss you as well. You whined and ran your hand over his bare chest as the white-haired man nipped at your already kiss-swollen bottom lip. 

“Bedroom. Now.” Geto stood abruptly, his voice hoarse as he broke the embrace between you and Gojo. He carried you in his arms, shoving another large towel on top of your sheets before gently laying you on top of it. Your head lolled to the side, and you reached down to play with your puffy little clit, moaning softly as the men finished undressing in front of you. 

You watched shamelessly, taking in the sight of their beautiful bodies. Both men were tall and muscular, but Satoru was taller with more of a lean build, almost like an acrobat or a swimmer. Suguru was truly the Yin to Gojo’s Yang; he was stockier and deliciously broad. It was an undeniable fact that both men were gorgeous.

“Sugu… Toru…. Please. Wanna feel you both in me,” You begged, rocking your hips against the movement of your fingers, not even caring about how needy you sounded. 

The bed dipped with their weight as both men joined you on the bed without further hesitation. Geto knelt in front of you, motioning for you to get on all fours and face him. You hummed in delight, rolling over and pushing yourself up to face him. Suddenly, Gojo pinched your plush ass with a snicker. You gasped in shock, and Suguru took the opportunity to slap his thick cockhead onto your tongue. 

“We’re gonna fuck you raw from both ends first, baby. Gonna really make you ours. How’s that sound?” He questioned with a smirk, rubbing his fat tip over your tongue. 

Your gasp quickly turned into a purr of delight as you worked his tip into your mouth, greedily licking at the prominent vein that ran underneath his shaft. Geto’s raven-dark hair fell around his shoulders like a curtain as he moaned loudly. You could taste the salt and musk of his pre-cum as you worked his shaft deeper and deeper into your throat. 

Gojo cursed lowly as he lined up his swollen cockhead with your opening. You wiggled your hips back at him, wordlessly begging to feel the stretch and delicious length of him deep inside you. He pushed in at an agonizingly slow pace, trying to give you time to adjust. 

You moaned in ecstasy, and Geto gasped, bucking his hips slightly as he felt the vibrations of your throat around his shaft. “Fucking hell, baby. You’re sucking my dick like you were made for it.”

Gojo pushed in further, finally bottoming out with his fat cockhead nestled snugly against your cervix. You whined at the dull ache, but the feeling was addictive. You rocked your hips, desperate for more, and the white-haired man moaned. “And she’s sucking me in like she wants to get pregnant tonight.”

Your eyes flew open, and you gasped around Geto’s dick, drawing another ragged moan from the man. It wasn’t what you had intended at all, but you couldn’t hide your reaction to Satoru’s lascivious words, especially since he could feel your core fluttering in agreement with his statement. 

You could feel the wickedly delighted grin spread across his face as Gojo grew deadly silent for a moment. “Oh, Suguru~ you should’ve felt the way she just clenched around me when I said that. Our girl is even dirtier than we thought.” 

“I told you she’s perfect.” Geto slid into your mouth even further, sighing in bliss and his own ecstasy as he pushed into your throat, entwining his hands in your hair. You gagged for a brief moment; his dick had more girth than Gojo’s, and it was the biggest you’d ever taken like this. The raven-haired sorcerer moaned and crooned down at you, stroking the column of your throat where his cock was nestled so deeply.

More tears fell as your eyes watered in the bliss of being so completely used by the two men. You felt so full, so complete, and you couldn’t help but moan again as your nose rubbed against the dark trail of hair on Geto’s lower abdomen. 

“Shit, gotta move. You ready, baby?” Gojo groaned, shallowly thrusting his hips. You tried to moan in assent, but the sound was strangled by the dick in your throat. 

Geto tipped his head back in ecstasy, laughing hoarsely. “She wants it s’badly, ‘Toru.”

The two men started to move, alternating their thrusts in perfect rhythm like they’d planned this moment for years. Every deep thrust from Gojo would send you falling forward onto Geto’s cock; you could only wordlessly cry in bliss from the position the two men fucked you mercilessly.

Satoru pinched and kneaded the tender flesh of your ass with every thrust. He swiped one of his fingers between your legs, collecting the creamy mixture of his pre-cum and your arousal, offering it out to his best friend with a smirk. Geto sucked it off with an audible pop, groaning at the taste as Satoru returned to collect more. You choked again as you felt one of his long, clever fingers tease your tightest hole, circling the rim with predatory intent. 

“Relax, baby. Gotta get you ready f’me.” He slipped his finger in, beginning to work you open as you relaxed into the intense but euphoric sensation. 

“Our slutty princess wants all her holes filled, huh?” Geto groaned, looking down at your fucked-out expression. “Gotta cum again for us. Gonna make you cum so hard that you can’t think straight.” 

Satoru slipped a second finger into your ass, working you open even further as the two men fell slightly out of sync with their thrusts. They were both breathing hard, grunting and begging desperately for you to cum with them. As if on command, you fell apart for the second time with an obscene moan. White sparks flashed through your vision as your orgasm shot through you, even more forceful than the first. Your cunt spasmed around Gojo so violently that he came on the spot, painting your blood-swollen womb with his pearlescent seed. 

Geto cursed at the sound of Gojo’s strangled cry, pulling completely out of your mouth. You panted and moaned below him, your body shaking with every thrust as Gojo fucked you through your orgasm. Suguru groaned as your tongue lolled out, begging to be coated with his cum. His balls felt almost uncomfortably full as he stroked his shaft rapidly, intent on giving you what you begged for so prettily. 

It only took a few seconds for Geto’s own orgasm to crash through him. The smooth movements of his hips and hands stuttered as he groaned lowly, painting your pretty face with his seed. However, most of it landed in your mouth, and you happily caught it with your pink tongue, holding it out for him to inspect. 

“You’re going to… be the death of me one day,” the raven-haired man moaned as he felt blood immediately rush back to his cock. Instead of swallowing, your eyes shone mischievously, and you turned around to pull Satoru into a searing kiss. You mimicked his earlier actions, but this time you were pushing Suguru’s cum into his mouth.  

Gojo moaned wantonly at the sharp taste, swallowing his share as his own cock twitched back to life. Geto pulled you away from the other man, maneuvering you to face him as he brought your hips down, filling you with his cock in a single thrust. You screamed hoarsely, cunt spasming from overstimulation as Gojo laughed roughly, wiping the remainder of his friend’s cum off his lips before positioning himself behind you. 

The white-haired man watched greedily as you bounced on Geto’s cock, taking a minute to lean back and stroke his dick until he was fully erect. Gojo pulled your hips back, stilling Geto’s thrusts, and he growled in response.

“Gotta let me in too,” Gojo chided, swiping a finger over his fat tip to coat it with pre-cum as he positioned it against your other hole. Your eyes widened, and you gasped as he started to push into you, stretching you slowly but mercilessly. Geto pulled you in for a ravenous kiss, devouring your litany of moans as he struggled to keep from thrusting into you. After a small eternity, both men were seated fully inside you, and you whined their names over and over like a prayer, begging them to start moving. 

“Toru, Sugu… nnnnhgh, ‘m so full,” you cried, leaning your head against Geto’s shoulder as the two men cradled you in their arms. Their hands roamed over your body, caressing and groping every inch of you as they began to move, stretching your body past the very limits of pleasure. Your eyes glazed over; you couldn’t tell who was kissing your neck versus who was rubbing achingly soft circles on your clit, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care as the two men brought you to climax again and again.

Soft rays of dawn were peeking through your bedroom window by the time the three of you fell onto your bed, breathing hard but finally sated. You looked around at the sheets and at your lovers, blushing hotly at the dried red marks that covered almost every surface in the room. The towels had not lasted long.

Geto chuckled, rubbing your back soothingly, “We’ll clean up. Don’t worry.” 

“And we’ll prepare better for next time,” Gojo added with a grin, poking your cheek. 

Your whole body felt like jelly, but the two men were determined to care for you properly. Suguru walked into the bathroom, and you could hear the sound of water filling your bathtub as Satoru fetched a glass of water for you, helping you sit up to drink properly. He scooped you up, pressing a gentle kiss to your temple as he walked you into the bathroom, depositing you in the warm water. The three of you washed each other in blissful silence, with both men being extra attentive to your sore body. Afterward, they changed your sheets and put you in clean pajamas, slipping their own sweatpants on to climb into bed next to you. 

“Thank you…” You murmured, already drifting off to sleep between your two lovers. 

Geto kissed your temple silently as Gojo laughed softly, “Of course. We have to take good care of our girl, after all.”

Tagging some friends: @saradika @thefact0rygirl @babygirl-leon-kennedy @hereforthesunrise @ashotofspotchka @ironandglass @amyroswell @cassandrablacker @lady-valtieri @justanothersadperson93 @orangecremepuff @belle-smith07 @outspokenbrat @enchantedsylveon @khaleesihavilliard @spam-love @silverliningsandstorms @msniks @panteramarron @cindyneko-strider @unoriginalidea @eldritchbeauty @markleeisdabestdrug @gabbyburgers @its-chickenwing-450 @luneariaa @akiiireix @tojispookiebear @dangoank0 @ifuckinghateschool @barryatsumu @voids-universe @mahgyu @themoonmonologues @byul9158 @pseudowho

[hamliet]

Jentry Chau Vs Netflix

So, I watched Jentry Chau Vs. The Underworld.

If you like beautiful (and unique) animation, complex storytelling, themes of coming of age and grief, and references to my favorite band (shout out NCT127), this is a story you should definitely check out. I would recommend it highly, even though I'm going to critique later on in this review.

Complex People and Complex Love

Gugu was a very complex character whom you could both hate as someone who was clearly manipulating Jentry in an almost unforgivable way after doing the unforgivable to her family. And yet, the series opening literally had Gugu sacrificing her life for Jentry, so no matter what was revealed, you always had to handle the uncomfortable reality that Gugu really loved Jentry.

And therein the series explored complexities in love and life, an understanding that comes with growing up and brings on its own grief. The people who raise us, our heroes, turn out to have their own lives and worlds too, their own motivations, that are often not exactly altruistic. We are not at the center of their world as much as we, as children, thought we were.

Jentry's wrestling with her relationship with Gugu was complex and interesting. The handling of Gugu's character was consistently the best in the series, and I loved it even if I'm still not sure I like Gugu. That's a good character--someone you're left pondering the legacy of.

Grief

Jentry working through her grief was a major theme of the series--grief for her parents, and grief for Gugu, not just in terms of her actually dying (which does happen), but in terms of her understanding of who Gugu was and who her parents were.

Jentry's grief journey contrasts with Gugu's grief for Iris and of course Cheng's for Xiao Lan. Which is why Jentry reaching out and healing her inner child through saving Xiao Lan was ultimately a beautiful way of handling her arc. She saw a child who was scared and didn't know what was going on, and destructive in that pain, and saved her.

If you look at the series, Gugu was scared and didn't fully understand the consequences of her actions and destroyed Jentry's family as a result. Kit was scared and didn't understand how to be human and was destructive in that pain.J entry too grieves Kit and projects that fear onto the possibility of losing Michael, which leads to a rift in their relationship. And some of that fear is not understanding who they wanted to be. To quote C.S. Lewis after the death of his wife:

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. 

Grief and fear intertwine in many ways in Jentry Chau, including through Moonie allowing herself to be possessed by the Mogui to get her husband back. This also then leads to Gugu's second death.

Gugu's farewell at the end had me full-on sobbing. In a sense, Jentry's entire arc throughout the story is a symbolic way of working through her grief for Gugu, settling with her accepting via choosing to focus on Gugu's love for her, and carrying her memory on in a literal form (the necklace). After accepting Gugu loved her, Jentry loses her fear of the underworld and her powers, and her fear of losing the people closest to her as well.

A Soul Is What You Choose

Jentry's ultimate power isn't burning, but it's being able to see people for whom they want to be. Kit and being human. Ed and being scary. Michael and joining the band.

In a world where everyone, demon or human, is trying to be what they think they need to be, trying to please others, Jentry asks them to be who they want to be, to live how they want to live.

The Best Character and the Worst Writing: Kit

Kit is by far the most compelling character. He's continually sympathetic (while Gugu is somewhat not), conflicted, and torn between how desperately he wants to be human and the inhuman acts he believes he has to commit to be one. Plus, he doesn't understand what it means to be human, nor the complexities of human relationships.

The scene where he helps Jentry create a skinsuit is really a metaphorical sex scene--like fairly obviously. It isn't subtle.

It starts in a bedroom (and yes, animators know what they're doing when they choose setting and objects).

Then we have talking about looking under layers.

Then we have some yonic symbols and this.

Like. And he uses a knife (a traditionally phallic symbol), and the next thing we see is cloth falling... with literal the next frame being clothes (ie, clothes coming off).

Sticking a brush (another traditional phallic symbol) in a vat of wet paint (yonic).

Kit: I've never done this before. It's strange. Jentry: I stand by what I said in class. You do have a soul, and you're more human than you know.

Also note the hand clasped position.

It ends with them literally "becoming one" in Kit embodying a Jentry skin to help Jentry uncover the truth--in other words, they help each other be human.

Which is why what happens next really doesn't make storytelling sense, and is actually kinda offensive.

Love Triangle: What Not To Write

The love triangle pretty clearly was supposed to represent Jentry's links to the supernatural (via Kit) and her links to the human world (via Michael). Great potential for a love triangle, a trope I generally hate because it's almost never well done.

This was not well done. What makes it even more frustrating is that it had a ton of potential to be well done via the thematic and symbolic potential.

Having Kit suddenly go aggressive ex who can't take "no" for an answer was lazy writing, nonsensical within the characters they'd set up, and offensive. Offensive, primarily, because you absolutely should never introduce a triggering element like, oh, harassment and controlling men if you don't plan on dealing with it in the story. And they didn't. At all.

The only reason that element was there was to resolve the love triangle in a clear way--oh, Jentry should be with Michael because Kit acted threatening, even though he never had before. That's just bad writing, because if there's a clear choice in a love triangle, you gotta actually write it. Make Michael the more compelling love interest. (More on how they didn't do this later.)

The entire sequence with Kit makes no sense. Jentry tells him he's actually "hundreds of years old," parroting Tumblr-esque anti arguments about Twilight and every other paranormal love story ever. Except, the story had always explicitly framed Kit as a child being abused by Cheng and "parented" by puppets. His journey to understand who he was, that he mattered, that he could be a human too, was clearly a coming-of-age story.

You don't tend to end coming-of-age stories with death, but they did, pretty much because after the threatening scene there was no coming back.

Plus, Jentry's treatment of Kit actually was pretty bad. Now, there's never an excuse for a threatening ex, but--Kit was right about her hypocrisy in terms of how she treated demons like Ed and himself, something that Jentry isn't really asked to reckon with.

If they wanted Jentry to end up with Michael, that's fair, but her decision was taken away from her because they just decided to stamp Kit with a lazy and offensive development and then kill him off in a redemptive death that emphasizes everything that can go wrong with that trope.

Michael Deserved Better

I feel like they didn't know entirely what to do with Michael. He started off with a cool arc, torn between his desire to be a band geek and his talent for football. His indecision leading to conflict with Stella and Jentry was also a great flaw, especially given that he also has visions of the future. An indecisive teenager with precognition has a ton of potential.

But, Michael's arc vanishes after the festival. Instead he's just... kinda there. Jentry chooses him because she wants to be a normal, human girl. But this isn't a good reason, because she's not (and arguably, he's not either!). Yet this isn't unpacked--the idea that everyone in this triangle is both human and supernatural, to varying degrees.

One interesting idea I spotted during the scene where Kit (as Jentry) gets asked out by Michael is that--well, it's a romantic-coded scene with two men, even if Kit turns him down for Jentry.

But it also coming on the heels of the metaphorical sex scene kinda seemed to almost hint at a throuple. Plus the scene after Kit's death where Jentry views them as merging, and where Michael expresses that Jentry views them the same. This would have actually been a very interesting turn for the story to take in future seasons, if they get those (especially since Stella x Tokki is apparently a thing?).

Because ultimately:

Netflix: The True Enemy

Honestly, almost all of the writing flaws I've talked about come down to the writers just not having enough time. If they had a guarantee of further seasons, they wouldn't have needed to rush to finish the love triangle. They wouldn't have needed to kill Kit. They wouldn't have needed to abort Michael's arc and conflict with Stella.

And really, Netflix continues to disappoint me in emphasizing just how much they focus on profits and money over art. They prefer fast food over an actual nutritious meal. They give shows like one season to get record ratings and if they don't, they get axed. Of course writers are going to rush to cram their story into a single season, because there's no guarantee of another season. Series aren't given any leeway to explore their interesting elements, or to find their footing. It's bad for art. However, Warner Bros exists so Netflix can't fully win the crown for worst example of capitalistic corporations killing art just yet.

I continue to be disappointed that series with no actual story that the writers want to tell (merely a concept of a plan) get renewed for seven seasons based on the writer's reputations (that they then tank with their terrible non-writing) while interesting stories with beautiful art and animation, complex ideas on grief and growing up, have to scramble to beg for another season.

[jazzywrldastro]

♡ Venus in the Signs ♡

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ☀︎︎ for all my posts

here is my notes from my TikTok-

venus ꨄ - planet of love, beauty and harmony

Venus is all about pleasure, especially pleasure shared with someone else. This planet concerns itself with love, romance and harmony in our emotional attachments, marriages, friendships and other unions (like business partnerships). Venus is content to spread happiness and tenderness, all the while teaching us how to love and appreciate others and the things that we possess.

aries venus

desire fireworks and a whirlwind of passion in a relationship. They can be like trap-hunters, rather than warrior-style direct. They'll set the trap for their target and pounce with feral efficiency. With, this dynamic, the native can possess a voracious sex drive. Super assertive and are confident.

taurus venus

:)

Venus is in her domicile here and the energy is lovely. This placement gives rich girl/ princess vibes. Lush green gardens, pearlescent royal baths, and water adorned with rose petals.

Venusian vibes! This native often has a natural aesthetic, being inherently prideful of their own beauty. I notice that they aim to perfect the "barely there" makeup. Women probably ask you for advice all the time and this placement has the tips!

gemini venus

you guys value communication to the fullest.

It helps you get deeper in your relationships.

You might be a sapiosexual being. You can get people to love and care about you in the art of communication. This can be online, in person, over the phone, by letter... either way you're diverse!

cancer venus

venus in cancer has the ability to create safe spaces for their lovers to feel freely. This is perfect because this lover desires, on a soul level, to be needed. They want someone a bit needy and even dependent upon them for emotional security. Cry babies are welcomed.

They do not mind the mama's boy, even. im a cancer venus- i can relate to this myself. I fall in love with my lovers soul and emotions and don't let go.

Soul bonds are formed with this placement. and people can become attached to your healing or nurturing abilities.

leo venus

DIVA.*.

"who's that diva!" ^ They are your goddess and their body and themselves is what you worship. They demand attention, compliments, and genuine appreciation. They do not want a shy or reserved partner in matters of romantic expression. No insecurity is allowed! You must be ready to shine with the Venus in Leo native, not hold them back.

virgo venus

she represents wifey material / girl boss!!!

She knows how to take care of her wellbeing and very nurturing. She brings beauty to daily routines and acts of service and values these activities. These are the hardworking hotties that manage to make it all look so aesthetically pleasing. Fresh-fruit infused water. High-quality skin care. Matching workout fits. Strict exercise regimen. These natives can quite literally spend their lives working to be the ideal Venus. The ultimate maiden.

libra venus

other ruled sign here, making for a harmonious placement. Venus in Libra attracts people like flies to honey & takes on the role of socialite here.

(Think of the movie " Breakfast at Tiffany's" type of vibes. Blessed with charm, the native impresses others in one on one conversation and contact.

This opens many doors and begets many opportunities! They are the must-have on the guest list.

scorpio venus

Takes love seriously, aiming to make their significant other happy even if it’s not romantic

they can subsconciously and energetically seductively, attract both desired and unwanted energy Displays creativity, viewing destruction as a form of creation, especially in music or activities involving breaking and destroying things.

Attracted to intriguing, mysterious, closed-off, powerful, and emotionally intense people.

[yazthebookish]

Chapter 23, 24 and 25

(Aka the "holy shit" and "lore galore" chapters)

A sarcophagus made of clear quartz lay in the center of the space. And inside it, preserved in eternal youth and beauty, lay a dark-haired female.

What in the Snow White...

That here, literally right under them, slumbering in that forgotten coffin … Here lay the evil beneath.

Oh shit.

“What have you done?” Azriel rasped, and Bryce twisted to find him on his feet, wings tucked in, Nesta leaning against him as if wounded, Ataraxia dangling from her grip. The male now held the Starsword at the ready, Truth-Teller gripped in his other hand.

He must have had some sort of Starborn blood in him, then—a distant ancestor, maybe. Or maybe his possession of the knife somehow allowed him to also bear the Starsword.

Hnnnnnnnnghhhhhh!!!!!!! Theories swirling right now!!!!!

“I am your god. I am your master. Do you not know me?”

The female’s nails gouged deep lines into the crystal, but the lid held. She searched beyond Bryce, her gaze falling upon Azriel. Her lips curled. “A foot soldier. Excellent. Kill this insolent female and free me.” She pointed to Bryce.

Azriel didn’t move. The caged female hissed, “Kneel, soldier. Make the Tithe so I may regain my strength and leave this cage.”

Oh?

“The female in the sarcophagus was an Asteri.”

Screeching.

The Asteri’s blue eyes lowered to the dagger. “You dare draw a weapon before me? Against those who crafted you, soldier, from night and pain?”

“You are no creator of mine,” Azriel said coldly. The Starsword gleamed in his other hand. If they bothered him, if they called to him, he didn’t let on. Neither hand so much as twitched.

Az is about to find out the Illyrians were the Daglan's creation!!!

The Asteri’s eyes flared with recognition at the long blade. “Did Fionn send you, then? To slay me in my sleep? Or was it that traitor Enalius? I see that you bear his dagger—as his emissary? Or his assassin?”

The words must have meant something to Azriel. The warrior let out a small noise of shock.

TRUTH-TELLER IS ENALIUS'S KNIFE!!! FIONN'S FRIEND!!! Oh this is delightful. What a lore feast!!! Az owns the knife of the first Illyrian!! Let's fucking go!!!

“You may call me Vesperus.” The creature’s eyes glowed with irritation.

She threw a tantrum about the other Asteri being called the Evening Star when she was one Lol.

“We pooled our power, and imbued those gifts into the Cauldron so that it would work our will. We Made the Trove from it. And then bound the very essence of the Cauldron to the soul of this world.”

Solas. “So destroy the Cauldron …”

“And you destroy this world. One cannot exist without the other.”

Behind them, Nesta sucked in a sharp breath. But Bryce said, “You gave this world a kill switch.”

“We gave many worlds … kill switches. To protect our interests.” She said it with such calm, such surety.

So basically the Cauldron is a nuclear button. The Daglan made sure Prythian's existence hinges on the Cauldron. I mean we knew as much in ACOWAR but it's always interesting when we get more history on why. The Cauldron is an entity but the higher divine being is the Mother/Urd.

Vesperus took another step, steadier now, and smiled past Bryce. At Azriel, at Truth-Teller. “You don’t know how to use it, do you?”

Azriel pointed the dagger toward the advancing Asteri. “Pretty sure this end’s the one that’ll go through your gut.”

Vesperus chuckled, her dark hair swaying with each inching step closer. “Typical of your kind. You want to play with our weapons, but have no concept of their true abilities. Your mind couldn’t hold all the possibilities at once.”

Azriel snarled softly, wings flaring, “Try me.”

Vesperus took one more step, now barely a foot from Bryce. “I can smell it—how much of what we created here went unused. Ignorant fools.”

What more can Truth-teller do...?

Vesperus backed up a half step, hissing at the gleaming weapon. “We hid pockets of our power throughout the lands, in case the vermin should cause … problems. It seems our wisdom did not fail us.”

“There are no such places,” Azriel countered coldly.

“Are there not?” Vesperus grinned broadly, showing all of her too-white teeth. “Have you looked beneath every sacred mountain? At their very roots? The magic draws all sorts of creatures. I can sense them even now, slithering about, gnawing on the magic. My magic. They’re as much vermin as the rest of you.”

YO RAMIEL IS THE ONLY UNEXPLORED ONE!! I'm kicking my feet right now!!!

“There are certain places, girl, that are better suited to hold power than others. Places where the veil between worlds is thin, and magic naturally abounds. Our light thrives in such environments, sustained by the regenerative magic of the land.” She gestured around them. “This island is a thin place—the mists around it declare it so.”

A veil between worlds. Oh, this crossover is going to have some implications on ACOTAR5.

The sacred mountains have a core of firstlight under them...

Nesta had plunged Ataraxia right through Vesperus’s chest.

NESTA 👏🏼 FUCKING 👏🏼 ARCHERON 👏🏼

[ludinusdaleth]

a travesty ive barely posted meta for artagan here when anyone who knows me knows ive written universes about him. so, a bit to ponder on:

something interesting about artagan - and by extension many fae in cr in general - is how thoroughly he's defined by selfishness as the core value of a fae, when we are shown time & again even before artagan gets his redemption arc that that isnt true.

now, arti is selfish. hes the definition of lust, & sloth, & sheer debauchery. he'd rather sit back than help even his favorite little tiefling (at first - more on that later). he would rather abandon his followers to an island that would destroy their memory than attempt to lead them.

but.

he planned for his followers to land on rumblecusp because to him, a fae, losing memories was completely Insignificant - and he literally did some of their paperwork to help them along, and did the work to ensure travelercon left them with each other. he was benevolent enough to vm their first meeting, showing incredible patience despite their disregard for him. he saved vex from drowning. he chose to befriend jester after seeing her be hurt by lord sharpe's son. he comforted jester when he could, when he never needed to. this is all before The Travelercon Kick, before he agreed to help the m9 into the feywild & shift time for them for no price, before he helped jester battle trent/omentis and made sure his spells did not hurt innocent bystanders.

this isnt some garuntee that he, pre-jester, was any saint. but what sticks out to me is how much the trait of selfishness is vastly applied to him. not only does sehanine's angel refer to him as a selfish creature twice, but he refers to himself that way the episode before. it is as if he has endless history with being called that, as if he is the most vile creature by virtue of being an archfey, and he made peace with that, leaned into that until jester walked into his life.

which always leads, in my head, to thinking about the fae of this show in general. they are so vastly blanketed as dangerous. and some are. but the more you analyze it the more you see how it's less integral to their being, and more what they accept they are. if youre seen as a monster, and whimsy is inherent to you, you will play the role to see what happens (i see this in characters like ira immensely). we see the younger generation of fae raised away from these generalizations - fearne & morrighan - break the stereotype near entirely. sure, fearne picks pockets and loves her friends lowkey possessively - but weve seen time & again how thats playful, and gives way to so much selflessness she's falling apart at the seams, only just now telling the party her fears. and morrighan shows no possessiveness at all, being shy & near subservient as a waitress. they are living proof that a fae's worst traits are a matter of nurture.

watching artagan is watching some of his peak fae-court upbringing begin to break down by exposure to a different world. i always recall how both he & ira hiss at the feywild for its contradictions, its rules when it's a land built for free wills - which implies the fae are not let to be themselves, but have their culture shaped by courts so strict they wont even let fae leave to exandria. the worst ideas about them begin to shatter the more cr tells us how fae society has fallen into something like an oil slick into an ocean - literal imagery used by athion & yu. the fae's free existence has been polluted.

artagan was our first example of all of that. and how it's possible to become better.

[sherezades]

THF Season 1 Dumb Predictions

Ok, we have a lot of time to kill until the rest of the season is ready to go, so this seems like the perfect opportunity for some speculation! Here are my dumb predictions for each episode of season 1:

EP2 TRAIN FIEND

Our heroes arrive in a small town from which they can take a train to London. Maddie is forced into an action-packed chase through the train trying to stop Jonathan from throwing the head ahead of the train to see if getting run over is enough to destroy it. This is Jonathan’s Plan B. (Plan A included the train’s sadly non-existent firebox)

EP3 CONVALESCENCE

All the days of rough camping in the countryside, crappy food, and stress finally catch up to them and Maddie comes down with a cold. (Jeremy’s rage burns any virus or bacteria that dares enter his body, do you think he has time to be sick? He has work to get done, for fuck’s sake)

Jeremy: I guess I have no choice but to take care of you.

Maddie: It's rotten work.

Jeremy: Of course it is! You think I'm having a grand time playing nurse to you, when we should be on our way to the foundation and figuring out how to get rid of the ghosts of Mina and Jonathan fucking Harker? You think I want to spend any more time than strictly necessary with that creepy talking skull? You think I enjoy waking up after not realizing I'd lost consciousness and finding my hand on your hair?

EP4 FREEZER FOOD

Oh no, the head is gaining power. To appease it our protagonist have to jump through a ridiculous number of bureaucratic hoops (some they avoid with a little help from Jonathan's old pal, Judge Moneybag, some require some shady IOUs) until they manage to acquire one (1) blood bag. They hang it from a stick and dangle it in front of the head.

EP5 WILDLIFE

Everyone’s come together as a team and are hard at work to find a way to destroy Dracula, who decides to be a little more proactive. He already knows from experience that the zoos’ wolves are useless, so instead he calls to himself as many street dogs as his powers can reach. This slows the investigation down considerably because getting in and out of the building is incredibly difficult due to the astounding number of dogs gathered at the entrance begging for treats and pats on the head. Several animal welfare teams have to get involved. The foundation is accused of being a cover-up for a werewolf conspiracy.

EP6 DATA BASE

The Foundation’s team manages to remove Mina’s ghost from Maddie! Unfortunately, someone unintentionally disrupts the procedure and Mina ends up possessing a computer instead. Jonathan is very worried, but Mina is having the time of her life. With her new unlimited and super fast access to all of the Foundation’s data she works out What They Need To Do™.

EP7 TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

The season ends in Whitby, in a nightmarish remix of a beach episode. The computer Mina possessed was a desktop one, so she’s only there in spirit, Jonathan has no choice but to tag along (he wasn't allowed to pack the computer in a suitcase). There's a rehash of the run to the cemetery (by Jeremy, to save Tom), and a (literal) cliffhanger.

Reblog with your Season 1 (serious or silly) predictions!!!! I want to know what everyone else is thinking or hoping for 👀👀

[gw-arena]

WEBCOMIC WAR OF WOE 1: BLOODBATH AND DAY 1

It's time for the big thing to begin!

We begin with everyone gathering supplies or running away, and unfortunately, we've already got a "Bury Your Gays" moment, as Mecha Maid shoots a rocket at Misty. That's still better Spinnerette's inevitable trans rep.

WHAT THE FUCK SPINNY, YOUR GIRLFRIEND JUST KILLED THE PERSON WHO WAS HIDING, YOU HYPOCRITE.

Meanwhile Chel grabs a sickle like a badass while Kevin grabs a shovel. I bet he makes some MATARI 2800 BT jokes as he does.

"Wow, this canteen of water is SO SOFT and ROUND. It is nothing like MUGS or PLASTIC BOTTLES I have seen at home! IT SLOSHES LIKE A FULL PAIR OF DELICIOUS MILKY BREASTS. Am I...am I gaining a water canteen fetish???"

Fucking kill me.

AND WE ALREADY HAVE THE FIRST GOOD DEATH OF THE GAME. B.B. probably sliced Riley in half just like she did to Django. I admit I was hoping Riley would get a gory death but I did not expect it to happen immediately. Ah well, there's still a bunch of hateable cunts in the game left to be sliced and diced.

And that's bloodbath done, rest of the fighters just gathered supplies and ran away and didn't have too many interactions. If you've seen one of these you've seen them all.

Day 1 begins with the head dying, as expected. Honestly I usually hate these solo deaths which is why I got rid of most of them, but this one is funny. Wait, does this mean rest of her body is still alive?

Matt builds himself a house, Gene is a dumbass and trips on a rock, some psychopath sends bear a hatchet and I guess Arfur Sr sent Tina some dead people in mail.

I guess for the sake of balance Gene isn't allowed to use the Family of Intelligent Life's second skin

Meanwhile, Mary the murderous 13 year old stalks the Console Girl, Spinny is looking for her wife after hiding like a bitch and Gregory is right to flee from Flora. I bet he would be scared by something like this.

Catwhis gets sent some herbs by the Old Bunny Couple, and Lab hears Kriti and Alej talking, are they about to make an alliance? For what??? So Alejandra can become a witch??

Eddie sends....Sethephoni a hatchet, our favourite bodysnatching God steals Eric's stupid porn drawings so he can destroy them, Duran probably turned into a werewolf to hunt some fishes, Digit is stalking someone who isn't exactly age-appropriate enough for her, and Chel thinking about home is probably the most in-character thing anyone has done in this battle so far.

Two porno psychos get injured, rightfully so. And then PETER KILLS TSUKI. Thank fuck, even this literal child this idiot of a tengu is too dangerous to keep around. What is the fun of this game if all the assholes die early?

Speaking of assholes, Blackbird stole Duran's idea and also turned into a werewolf to get some fish, no time to mourn for Misty huh?

Meanwhile Austin commits fucking TERRORISM and somehow his bomb is enough to kill THREE WEBCOMIC PROTAGONISTS. Warmage's armor of Rama didn't protect him so I guess it was a soulvoring bomb.

Scooter going hunting is also oddly in-character. Zack builds a house for himself as well and no I am not doing another Zack monologue parody. And Emulie receives a bomb from...Merry Bogard, I guess it's a Bomberman Online reference!!!111

Dominic Deegan thinks he is Argh so freaking useless. Nurse Rapist may be a rapist but she isn't an objectivist so she fucking murders Dr. Universe in cold blood. Daisy stalks Mora in hopes of learning new ways to be a horrible person and it seems Darktraceplier has possessed Trace as he FUCKING MURDERS SETH, I mean PERTH.

How did Trace even see him? Is he able to see Guardians? Did Seth turn on his visibility for the game? Or was it all an accident? Trace was training his sword fight and then accidentally killed Seth? I can see that happening.

Well, Peter no longer has a guardian, which probably explains why he got away with murder.

So far, 8 people have died. Misty (aww), Riley (YAY!), Dullahead, Tsuki (YAY!), Kit and Kay, Mecha Maid, Llew, Dr. Universe and Seth. Will their loved ones get their revenge? TOO BAD FIND OUT TOMORROW.

[mittensmorgul]

Okay, I have a lot of thoughts i’ve been rotating for a while now, and even if I don’t have a coherent overarching meta composed in my head yet, I feel I need to at least record some of these thoughts for future reference. Buckle up. It’s a lot.

I’ll start with a few overarching themes and points that cover the entire series, and then move into the specifics of the most recent episode, the PENULTIMATE episode lol, 1.12. gonna just bullet point these for ease of reference purposes:

-a ridiculous percentage of the series has dealt with monsters/entities with their own little pocket dimensions. yes, this was a thing the original series touched on occasionally-- djinn dream universes created entirely inside someone’s mind, gabriel’s eternal tuesday time loop, gabriel’s weirdo tv land, the soul eater nest in 11.16, and even chuck’s bar at the end of the universe from 11.20. Or like... the entire concept of alternate universes introduced in 6.15 The French Mistake that may or may not have been a construct by Balthazar... up to interpretation... and the final seasons wrangling of several specific alternate universes

so far in The Winchesters we have, by episode:

(under a cut because this got long lol)

*eta: since it’s been pointed out to me that not everyone’s managed to memorize all the spn prime episodes by number, here’s the Mittens Decoder Page on the superwiki by episode number: http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/Category:Episodes

1.01 the Loup Garou and the Monster Trap Box (which can only be recharged by things that are “not of this earth”, specifically they will learn it’s a transporter device that sends creatures trapped by it back to whatever world’s item has “charged” the box) they were searching for, hidden in a secret chamber for years.

1.02 La Tunda, who lures victims into her little pocket dimension trap via roots pulling them underground. she can only be killed by being stabbed with a piece of her own wood/body

1.03 the Bori Baba who lures victims into a pocket dimension trap via a burlap sack. he can only be destroyed (and his captives freed) by them willingly relinquishing/destroying the beloved thing he lured them with.

1.04 Mars Neto who lures victims into a pocket dimension trap and makes them relive trauma and fight him. Could only be defeated/rendered mortal when the amphora containing his power was shattered.

1.05 djinn... but these are slightly different than any of the djinn we know from original canon. they can form a link directly into someone else’s mind and control them out in the real world, not just in a pocket universe trap... it turns victims’ own minds into the trap

1.06 a vengeful spirit of a POSSESSED VAMPIRE of an entirely new variety, who broke free of a trap where he’d been locked for decades, because his friends felt helpless against his growing darkness/involvement with dark magic that was twisting who he was. Lata had to force him to confront that and confess, and the possessing spirit chooses to leave John in an act of doing the right thing.

1.07 straight-up Akrida-- the monsters apparently from an alternate universe trying to invade our world to devour it all (reminiscent of the tentacle monsters Sam and Dean found trapped in a different MoL capitulum clubhouse and accidentally released in 12.17, but bugs instead of tentacles...). They are our overarching Big Bad, who bridge the gap between pocket dimension and possession/mind control that surrounds so many of the themes of the series. but this episode explores them in more depth (right down to the underground lair where the queen was trapped). I feel the need to mention it somewhere, but the akrida used radio waves as a lure for all the bizarre monsters our core four have been dealing with all season, connecting the akrida directly to every other specific monster we’ve seen them confront. Episode literally called “Reflections” which leads me into:

1.08 Loki/Gabriel? Who I already mentioned above as a creator of pocket dimensions and messing with minds in original canon. And for some reason at the end of the episode, he’s trapped inside a mirror, a bit of lore we’ve never seen connected to Loki or Gabriel leaving me to wonder how trapped he actually is... A reflection, as it were.

1.09 vampires... but more the sort we already know from spn prime canon. except the whole mission around them involves a PROPHECY unwittingly stamped onto John’s hand. We’re reminded that prophecy can’t be avoided, BUT you can control some of the circumstances AROUND the prophecy. Context matters, and tiny glimpses of things aren’t representative of the whole truth. (4.18 anyone...)

1.10 A very Magnus-coded (who if you remember created his own little pocket universe to live in with his monster zoo and collection of supernatural relics) disgraced MoL who lies about his identity, his past, and his motives for returning to the clubhouse now. Literally wants to transfer his and his wife’s consciousnesses into John and Mary’s bodies to get back the life the Akrida had stolen from them and he felt they were owed... with no self-awareness that this actually made HIM the monster in this case. 

1.11 the Shadow Spirits generated by Maggie’s magical bracelet that both showed the wearer the truth about hidden motivations AND could also become a trap. Carlos and Lata are pulled into a shadowy trap (not just in their minds! they are no longer physically in the house! they were pulled bodily into some sort of pocket universe BY A SHADOW (you know, the proper term for the Empty Entity in spn prime canon?). Where their only hope for escape was Lata confessing her deep, dark hidden secret to Carlos. She was terrified that he would reject her if he knew the truth about her, that Carlos would be ashamed of her, but he reconfirmed that he loves her unconditionally, and nothing will ever change that.

She’d felt guilt and responsibility for the actions of others for so long, but Carlos helped her see the whole picture again, that it was not her fault, that she’d been helpless to circumstance and wasn’t at fault for her father’s bad actions-- even to the point where they led to the death of an innocent woman.

But the other function of this bracelet, used on Betty to show her the TRUTH of the akrida-possessed people finally gave US a look at how akrida possession works. It’s not just the little spikes in the neck doing the controlling through chemicals or whatever, they seem to function like some sort of weird antenna that connects them via mysterious green tentacles of light up into the sky. Where do they go? I thought the akrida queen was buried underground, not in the sky? Who or what is pulling those poisonous green strings?

aside to mention lata found the bracelet hidden in A CAN OF RAT POISON, along with a tasty treat that carlos devoured. the rat poison packaging was just a decoy to keep anyone else from accidentally finding Maggie’s bracelet (and her stash of tasty treats lol)

1.12 LIMBO’S HOUSE OF HAPPY. a fucking CARNIVAL TENT of a pocket universe, run by a literal clown who made a deal with a witch to create a perfect place where he would never feel sad again. (somebody PLEASE tell me this feels like 15.20... from the rando pie festival where Dean STILL doesn’t get to eat pie and has it smashed in his face instead, and then gets hung on a rusty nail after fighting off some vampire clowns/mimes and sent to a weirdo version of Heaven where he can apparently never worry about anything again? freaking dystopian, ffs... but also... very much a thematic summary of the entire metanarrative plot of the Winchesters as a whole...)

I’m gonna spend the rest of this post absolutely yelling about this last one. While watching, my brain just kept lighting up with references to past canon.

A CLOWN named LIMBO.

Of course, when we think about clowns in Supernatural, we always think of Sam’s lifelong fear of them. Apparently connected to the fact that Dean used to leave him at Plucky Pennywhistle’s as a kid, but also... almost every reference to clowns in canon prime are connected either to Azazel or to Lucifer himself.

My very first thought about LIMBO the CLOWN was 11.10 The Devil in the Details. Rowena being the one to magically assemble the “stage cage” where they’d summoned Lucifer to question him about Sam’s visions and dealing with the Darkness, and Rowena appearing in this episode (even if in an entirely different plot arc, she’s still ~there~) feels very relevant.

But we’d known that Sam’s visions in s11 were foreshadowing a return of Lucifer and possibly a trip to the cage. But... Clowns Specifically were used to foreshadow this. In 11.07 Plush, Sam was trapped IN AN ELEVATOR with a murderous clown, and the overhead shot as Sam frees the man in the clown suit from possession... looks like cage bars (screencaps from HotN):

Remember, this was TWO EPISODES before Crowley leads Sam and Rowena INTO LIMBO in 11.09. LIMBO. Where Sam’s worst nightmare becomes reality and he’s literally trapped IN A FAKE CAGE, IN LIMBO, WITH THE ULTIMATE CLOWN:

(screenshot from the superwiki page for 11.09)

LIMBO is where Cas says yes to possession by Lucifer, and right after this kills Rowena for her trouble, after she confesses that she’s the only one who knows the spell to force him back into the actual cage.

From 11.09:

Crowley: We are in the furthest reaches of Hell, Limbo, where I send unruly souls for timeout. Sam: This is where I meet with Lucifer? Crowley: What it lacks in ambience it makes up for in security. They come to an empty cage. Rowena paints sigils on the cage, while the thunderstorm continues to rage. Crowley: Makes your flesh crawl, doesn’t it Moose? I get it. I’m the King of this place. It’s still not my cup of tea. Sam: I don’t know, Crowley. I’d say it suits you. Dark. Empty. Crowley: Fascinating; the utter contempt, when I’m in the midst of saving the Winchester’s bacon, again. Sam: The point of this is to save everyone’s bacon, including yours. Let’s just hope she knows what she’s doing. This cell won't hold crap if the warding is not right. Rowena: Don’t you worry about me, Samuel. I’m a professional. Crowley: Are you certain you can do this without actually opening the Cage? Rowena: We are about to find out, aren’t we.

Rowena BELIEVED Lucifer would become her protector, bring her peace, security, power. But it was all a lie. And in this episode, she seeks out Ada under the pretense of talking to the specific demon Ada had trapped in a bonsai tree, looking for information about her son...

Let’s detour through some other clown references from spn, just for funsies. The cold open victim in this episode was the only one who could see the magical tent, and his friend saw and heard nothing of it (he didn’t have the magic ticket). It called back to the children in 2.02 Everybody Loves a Clown. They were the only ones who could see the Rakshasa clown, who used those children to gain entry to their homes to devour their parents.

There’s also the ghost of John Wayne Gacy in 14.13, an episode where Dean’s wish to reunite his family is fulfilled, even for a brief moment. (the ghost will return in 14.20 when Chuck cracks Hell open). But specifically this clown is tied directly to John and Mary reuniting before John chooses to go back to his own time to save everyone else and restore the timeline. John will only vaguely remember the events as some sort of pleasant dream. It comes with a side of Dean accepting his life, not WANTING to change it because everything he’s endured has combined to make him the person he’s become. GROWTH DOT GIF.

(and in 15.01 the clown ghost nearly gets sam, again...)

Which brings me back to the Akrida. Our mind-controlling, possessing archvillain of this entire narrative. Whose goal seems to revolve around being freed from a sort of cage to run riot across creation. They have apparently shifted reality, all because Dean knocked over some first mysterious domino and unleashing the chain of events he’s been recounting through the entire series.

Was that inciting incident going back in time to deliver the note to John? Was it giving John the key to the MoL clubhouse that sparked not only what appears to be a massive change in the timeline from what we’d known from spn prime, but possibly also GENERATED the akrida as a monster specifically that creates these sorts of pocket dimensions to devour?

Also, brief aside to mention DEANNA. Like, the entire early part of the season revolved around Mary concerned about Samuel being “missing.” And yet, we also learned that Deanna had disappeared to points unknown. She hadn’t been seen by anyone in MONTHS, was last assumed to be hunting with some group in Michigan (? I think? top of my head reference), and yet NOBODY has showed the same concern for her whereabouts as they collectively did for Samuel. It’s almost like they all have some sort of weird amnesia about her at this point. They just... aren’t concerned about her at all, and haven’t even mentioned her in weeks. Which makes me think she’s at the center of all of this. I would be 100% unsurprised if she’s the one possessed by the Akrida queen at this point. because otherwise, WHERE TF IS SHE. But also, WHY TF IS NOBODY ELSE SEEMINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT HER AT ALL?! It’s WEIRD.

I am generally losing my mind over all of this, and don’t know what Big Secret will be revealed in the finale, but hooBOY I am prepared to scream about it for weeks. This is all just stashed here for my own future reference purposes, and I’m sure I’ll come back and add more things as I think of them, but heck this will have to suffice for now :’D

[adamsuniverse1144]

I’m a theorist, I have so so so many headcanons it’s ridiculous. This could also be called ‘I explain questionable theories and you get upset because I managed to keep it in universe’.

One of my headcanons I’m exploring right now is kink/*wink wink* with my book Darkest Desires 🩷💙 (Genuinely writing it has been so hard and I’m losing resolve but it’s coming along!)

Now, when you think of our cinnamon roll couple you probably don’t go to the same place I do mentally so lemme break it down:

⭐️ As a person who is throughly traumatized and hangs out around a generation almost exclusively traumatized, I can say without a doubt most of us have multiple kinks (and shady ones at that).

Resulting headcanon: Bruh come on. These two are so traumatized, especially Steven. Sure he grew up pretty innocent, but trust me, innocence is sadly (and thankfully) not forever. Of course Steven still cries at everything and loves to sing and gets excited over nothing and he’s ADORABLE but well… once he is introduced there’s no telling what the hell is going to happen but it’s bound to be interesting.

⭐️ Connie is a sci-fy nerd. It’s in her blood, she loves to read, she’s savvy and smart. They literally acted out The Familiar Unfamiliar. Connie is nothing short of a dork and we love her for that.

Resulting headcanon: Connie totally writes and/or reads fanfiction. In Dark Desires, that’s the segue into kink because on one of Connie’s tabs is a bunch of saved kinky stories.

⭐️ Steven is a giant puppy boy. He’s playful and tries to be cheerful and his puppy dog eyes are a direct attack on you specifically. He’s so so cute 🥺 Someone who possess all that strength and is yet so gentle is just super powerful to me. Like he could destroy a whole lot before anyone got close to taking him down, and yet he chooses kindness almost all of the time.

Resulting headcanon: Steven is a power switch. He’s kind of a selfish lover, and I totally 98% believe Connie accidentally becomes a pillow princess most of the time. He likes to do the work to make her feel nice, it rarely ever crosses his mind to help himself along. Her pleasure is his, so it would make sense to me that regardless of the position, Stevens the gusto. The ones you’d expect to be gentle lovers are the ones with the most bang to their buck often, and Steven is a very passionate and expressive man. That would totally translate into “snuggle time” with Connie. *exhales* Wow keeping that PG-Debatable was hard.

⭐️ Connie is finally in control of her life after picking up that sword and swearing allegiance to the Crystal Gems. She doesn’t need to wield one anymore (not really) but she’s one of the bravest and fiercest knights in Gem Culture (and how can she not be with not dying in her weak human skin suit). Stevens hyperaffectionate, sweet and genuinely starving for her at all times. She’s independent so sometimes it can be too much, but she most often humors him with those cheeks still soft with baby fat and his cute face.

⭐️ Resulting headcanon: Submissive leaning switch. Period. COME ON, the people who fight the hardest in their everyday life could never be a full submissive, just like Steven probably isn’t a full dominant. Puzzle pieces. Of course she likes teasing and bossing him around (with consent) and of course Steven would do anything she asked him to do if he can find a way to do it. But sometimes your giant half alien boyfriend/fiance/husband is stressed and needs to release some stress in a healthy way that ends with cuddles and nap time.

I guess this is where my headcanon maybe diverges from things based on factual personality traits but I think Steven grows up to be a little jaded. It often happens when a lot of people your age just don’t relate to the things you’ve been through. You chameleon (mask) to match people’s energies if you can find the tolerance for it, but you never really truly feel like you fit in unless you’re with other traumatized people. Plus, hanging out with humans is gonna round him out a little, and he’ll pick up on human things especially geared towards men (though I personally think our Stevens closer to Gender-Fluid just leaning on masculine pronouns as preference).

⭐️ Resulting headcanon: Stevens a terminal flirt once he hits his middle to late 20’s. He likes when Connie blushes, he thinks it’s adorable so I’m sure Steven would spend a lot of his time flirting with her (now whether or not it’s working is the question) using his Universe Charm~ 😂 I’m positive Connie would find it hilarious with him shooting finger guns and being a goofball with curly hair and baby cheeks.

Anyways, no one asked for this and I’m screaming into the void but I had to get this out or I would die.

[swoomoo]

I usually am not one to get anxious about TTRPG games because I feel they are an outlet for me but have been feeling so with us coming back to our VTM game. It isn't the game itself that is causing it but the circumstances that others find themselves in. We have Vesper and Niccolo on the chopping block. Usually this would just be business as usual since the world is basically ending in our game but Amare is in a position that feels like her actions will be directly impact if either of them make it out.

Obviously she will do everything in her power to help Vesper, who is in a much, much trickier situation than Niccolo. She is, at this point, Cammie through and through, but helping Vesper is causing her to work increasingly with the Anarchs and basically break the rules of her working with a Scourge (in hopes to become one). This is a lot of fun though because she gets to hang out with characters and make connections she normally wouldn't. She is even starting to, dare I say like the girl who likely has a thing for Vesper (she is hot and I'm punching the air that I made Amare probably straight). On the other side of things is Niccolo. I know the Giovanni are very popular on here and I am sure they are usually lovely, but I've come to hate everything they touch in our game. We ended our first season with Amare and Niccolo, once again, getting into an argument. They have done this several times but this one was different. Usually Niccolo has issues with Amare questioning his judgement but this time they got into an argument about his family. Niccolo's (embrace) sister is his enemy. He has refused to accept this until very recently. Niccolo and Amare were together when he had a premonition uncovering a plot where she is teaming up with a Tzimisce to create possessed szlachta that have a fun gimmick of rapid regeneration. In the vision this "army" was marching through the streets, while seemingly obfuscated attacking those that needed to be dealt with. They marched into the court and no matter how many times these things were destroyed, they kept coming back.

The Camarilla was basically going to crumble and the Giovanni's would replace them. Niccolo told Amare of his vision and she questioned if the family would support his sister going rogue. He said they would only if she succeeded and would cut her out if she failed as to save their own ass. Amare then asks Niccolo two questions, "Would you do the same thing as her for the family?" and "Are we (your coterie) expendable to you". His answers were "Only if I knew I would succeed" and "No, those who are close to me deserve not to suffer" (said with a bit less spark). Remember, Amare has a daughter in the city and shutters to imagine a large-scale attack of any type happening in the city. She said the Hecata were no better than the Sabbat and were practically the same but with an Italian mobster flair and were equally if not worse when dealing with humanity. She said she fled from the Sabbat for that reason yet he stays and talks about how "Peace is profitable" when it goes against everything the clan of death stands for.

At his point he had to leave to pick up a Lamia to judge if he is guilty or not. Upon leaving Amare was just screaming at the door. Now go to last session. Niccolo has already contradicted himself multiple times and was caught lying to the Gorgon. He is definitely going to be executed unless he is helped. Vesper is sadly getting mind fucked by the biggest creep in London and Owen literally so new, the Camarilla doesn't even truly know who or what they are.

Imagine this now, when Niccolo was giving a tour to the Gorgon of his museum she stepped away to view some artwork. Niccolo grabs Amare's hand and starts shaking and looks to her with fear in his eyes knowing what is happening to him. He doesn't want to outright ask for help, but has shown that he wants it. He expects his coterie to run behind the Gorgon's back and fix all of his necromancy issues when, none of us are necromancers.

This being said, Amare is going to speak to him next session when Vesper talks to the Lamia privately. Amare is going to cut him a deal, his entire, extensive knowledge on necromancy for her help in dealing with his family issue. It is a big ask, I know and would get a lot of people pissed but frankly Amare doesn't care. He may say no but if he does she is going to wipe her hands from his mess and not lift a finger to help him from the pit he willingly jumped into it.

I have made a plan on how to deal with his business already but that might go in trash after next session. We shall see.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for leaving my wife and taking the kids?

How do you do, fellow wizards? I'm afraid the title is a bit literal, but the context will be a lot.

I, (??M), am in a bit of a predicament. My now ex-wife was very loyal to me back in the day. A bit possessively even. And by that I mean she attempted to turn all of humanity against our gods and undue the natural order because I died of natural causes, thus making our gods wipe humanity off the face of the planet, curse us both with two different types of immortality, and abandoned the planet.

I was reborn as I am prone to do and reconnected with my wife. For a while, I believed the two of us could exist peacefully as immortal husband and wife! We started a kingdom, we became the new gods of this world, and we even had four beautiful daughters. But my wife wasn't happy. Her curse is to never die, I suspect she's in constant pain because of it. Her desire to conquer death finally continued to grow, but every time I would try to talk about it with her, she would either ignore me, pretend to listen, or deny any symptoms.

So, and here's where I may be the asshole, I gave up. I packed our things, grabbed our daughters, and tried to escape.

My wife found out before we were even out the door and destroyed our castle. The explosion ended the lives of our children and caused me to enter my cycle of reincarnation. The two of us are now mortal (immortal) enemies bent on destroying the other, but my new traveling companions - students of mine - are making me think I was an asshole for not trying to stop my wife sooner, for not telling them she's my ex, and for getting so many children involved

So, wizards of other universes, am I the asshole?

[oc-aita]

AITA for destroying someone's physical form and accidentally creating a time loop?

My family says I'm not, but I still feel guilty, so I thought I would ask for an unbiased opinion.

For some background, I (20s?, xe/xim) don't have any memories prior to being woken up in a nearly empty city on fire by a girl named B (7, she/her). She lived there but didn't know what was going on either and as I had no other leads, I decided to try starting my life over on the other side of the country. The only relevant information about that time is I met R (22, she/they) and H (24, he/him), R ended up fostering B, and I started dating R and H in a triad. Everything was quiet and going well until C (???, no pronouns) appeared.

I was the only one who could see C, and it turns out this is because C has no physical body and needed to possess someone to use C's powers. That person ended up being me, and those powers ended up wiping out the entire world by making a comet crashing into us. I know I'm not the asshole for that since I couldn't control my body but I think it's relevant. Afterwards, I woke up back in the abandoned, burning city, B standing over me with no idea of who I was, and C yelling at me, saying that this was my fault and I had trapped us in a time loop.

I didn't believe C about it being my fault since C refused to explain anything whenever I asked and had tried killing everyone, but I began trying out new actions to ensure I, R, H, and B could end up back together as a family like the first time without C getting in the way. Unfortunately, C kept interfering and finding new ways to sabotage my efforts. While I discovered a few loops ago that I have the ability to create new objects, I can barely do anything with it except make some spare change when we're out in the register. I don't even know how many times everything's been reset now. The events blur together, and R, H, and B's personalities and actions started changing in ways that indicate they've started remembering the loops.

I kept telling C to stop resetting everything because my family is becoming aware of the time loop and I couldn't hide it forever, but C kept repeating that I had created the time loop. I half heartedly asked what the fuck C meant, not expecting an actual answer since C never answered, but C finally admitted that C had destroyed the world before I lost my memories, and that I had recreated it afterwards with those powers of creation I mentioned earlier. The way I did it was kind of weird though and inadvertently made it so the world would return to its original state if anything didn't match up with how I wanted it to go. It seems the cost of doing all that was erasing my memories, extremely weakening my powers, and destroying C's body.

I don't personally remember these events and I don't want to trust C, but there’s a few factors that make me think C is telling the truth:

NOBODY knows about my creation powers as I make sure I'm alone when I use them

I already had a feeling that I had something to do with that destroyed city (C said that wasn't my doing, but I had been there when C personally destroyed it before the loop was created)

Based on how I've felt about R, H, and B during these loops, I think I would literally recreate the world for them if it had all been destroyed

The way C talked about us was different than the way C usually interacts with me (as I could directly compare; afterwards C immediately killed me and the world reset again)

Like I said, I explained all of this to R, H, and B and they said I wasn't the asshole, but I still feel horrible for subjecting them to live through all of this over and over even if I don't remember making it happen. Not to mention destroying C's body and further souring our relationship we apparently had... Am I the asshole?

[artificervaldi]

FNAF Movie 2 Plot Theory

OR why we should look at TSE trilogy to guess what's coming next.

The first movie, believe it or not, has a lot of similar elements to The Silver Eyes and even pulls from the latter two novels somewhat. I believe we can look at the trilogy to figure out what we're gonna see next.

First let's go over what about the movie connects to TSE trilogy in how things are similar.

Hiding from Foxy behind an arcade machine is LITERALLY pulled from the first book like it's the cold open.

Hello Ella, introduced as important to Charlie Emily from the first book why are you a Springlock suit? The opposite of what you were, in many ways, in the books -- being the "heart" of Charlie?

Wow, a plot linked to past deaths at Freddy's and being drawn in due to a dead family member? That's crazy, man.

A blonde police officer getting stabbed by the yellow rabbit, who can also manhandle people like it's nothing... Hmmm, how odd.

Abusive William willing to hurt his own daughter? Where have I seen that before...?

Wait he even uses his daughter as a tool to further his various evil plans and deeds like he uses Circus Baby/Charlizabeth!

The power of art is first teased in TSE with Jason finding a picture that changes and shows him the past, with it coming back in TFC to... defeat William by showing them William was the one to hurt them, rather than being their friend.

The scene of the animatronics dragging William, now springlocked, away is also notable. That also happens in the books, it's something that stands out.

Looking for a sibling lost to you is also a theme between our protagonists...

William going under another name to keep an eye on Freddy's is also an interesting detail. Dave Miller and Steve Raglan

The kids wanting Abby to be "one of them" vs them trying to "protect" Jason from the teens is an interesting dichotomy that shows two sides to one whole w how the children in the suits likely act.

William having the kids under his thumb is also just another thing straight from the novels, rather than the games.

The protagonists are both linked to their Aunt Js.

Golden Freddy kid is not a girl named Cassidy in either the novels or movie -- setting them apart from the games.

One parent dead (likely by suicide) and the other gone. Wonder which protagonist this applies to -- oh wait, it's both.

There's likely more I just don't remember. But this shows you how similar these things are, right? So, onto my actual prediction/theory for the plot of FNAF2, based on the Twisted Ones somewhat.

The second movie will involve Mike and Abby, now being hunted by the Toy Animatronics. Fully automated beings hunting them for William's sake for some unknown reason. Where Vanessa will fit into this, be it a fnaf4 esque subplot as she's in a coma or waking up, and if Jeremy/Jeremiah will play a role I don't know...

But I do believe the Toys will be non-possessed and play a largely antagonistic role and meant to parallel and foil the original 4, who are in fact possessed by kids. This means, however, mean I think they'll be destroyed by the end of the movie like the Twisteds in the book.

...If we're lucky, though, they'll fight to the death with the OGs and it'll be deliciously cheesy.

Afton will likely also appear, on a power trip of glee from his immortal body. Or he might be more toned down like he is in TFC while still stuck in the Springlock suit. Either way he's likely going to be theatre kid as fuck about it and mocking Mike and co.

What'll also happen is an 11th-hour twist, likely related to Mike (we'll get into it) followed up by a cliffhanger that'll lead into the third movie where the last loose ends are tied up.

...

But what will that 11th-hour twist be? I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't know. But I know what it WON'T be. Namely Vanessa is NOT a robot gang!!!!

These movies are pulling from the books and Charlie, the human robot? Notably has fake blood. It's mentioned directly in The Twisted Ones when Clay and Charlie discuss the scene Afton and his body -- we're not told directly but given the reveal of the third book it's pretty obvious.

When they reached the campus, Clay let her out where he’d found her. She’d only taken a few steps from the car, however, when he called to her from the car window. “I feel like I need to tell you one more thing,” he said. “We found blood at the scene, in the main dining room where Dave …” He looked around cautiously. There was something unseemly, talking about gruesome things on the sheltered grounds of the campus. “It wasn’t real blood, Charlie.” “What are you talking about?” Charlie took a step back toward the car. “It was, like, costume blood, or movie blood. It was pretty convincing, though. We didn’t realize it was fake until the crime lab looked at it under a microscope.”

To which you might say "BUT THEY HAD TO LOOK UNDER THE MICROSCOPE TO REALIZE!" but. If you think they wouldn't check for, say, blood type on Vanessa after she was stabbed you're insane. Not to mention they would likely see metal bits sticking out of her?

But if that's not enough... How about the fact TFC states William can't make a living being like Henry did?

Henry made the fake Charlie from love and grief, the one thing William cannot do is love. William cannot have made himself a robot daughter -- Mikebot or Garrettbot would be more likely if you believe they're the Emily equivalents.

“I wanted so desperately to have been the one on that stage, but it was always her. All of his love went into her.” “You’re talking about Afton.” Jessica stopped, and Charlie nodded confirmation. “William Afton never made anything with love,” Jessica snarled. “I should rip you in half.” Charlie’s appearance flashed, the animatronic’s face and body seeming to break, then reassemble in an instant. For a moment her expression wavered, a vulnerability showing on her face, but she quickly collected herself. “She was his obsession.”

aaaand

“We both know he won’t be able to re-create you, either.” Elizabeth was near. “And the real question would be, would we really want him to? Besides …” Elizabeth approached Charlie from behind, moving faster. “I think I hate you more than I love him.”

What I would suggest is looking at the movie and going "what feels like hints of something bigger? What feels like a throw away line or action or detail that could grow into something more?" because that's what happened with Charliebot.

It was small in TSE, the amount of closets and the fact she couldn't open the ones holding the other bodies, the mark of a tripod in the dust and dirt where she remembered sitting and watching her father, Afton's obsession with her and keeping her with his "family" at the end before she springlocks him. Things like that. Something that can be built up to more (see: fake blood), be partially revealed ("I didn't take him. I took you.") and then fully expanded on and dealt with in movie three (Charliebot).

What that is? I dunno, we'll just have to see :)

[cowsandcomics]

On The Dissatisfying Characterisation Of Wanda Maximoff in DSMoM and a Brief Aside on the Misogyny Of Superhero Films

This is very long winded, unedited and has sat in my google docs since the day after DSMoM's release. I love it dearly.

Word Count: 3203

Warnings: Obvious spoilers for DSMoM, discussions of motherhood, discussions of the Red Room and violation of female autonomy, Fleur's thinly veiled desires to replace Joss Whedon and Michael Waldron for their poor writing, many rambles to many other essays that I will eventually write.

Please let me preface this by acknowledging that outside of this movie, there are definitely things done poorly with Wanda's characterisation, storyline, and the MCU in general. I will always be first and foremost a comic fan and champion, but the thoughts I had on this topic refused to leave until I wrote them. If anyone wants to discuss anything further, I'm more than open so long as conversation is civil. That being said, please enjoy my lengthy, unceasingly detailed thoughts on fictional, non-existent characters.

Let's begin!

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while fantastical and a great delivery on a genre bending superhero film, is not without its faults. In particular, I’ll highlight the lack of carry over on Wanda Maximoff’s character growth from the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, inclusive of her show WandaVision. 

While she made for a compelling villain, it would’ve been much more satisfying for her characterisation to see the Darkhold’s corruption - also known as the main point of the film - to slowly seep into her as she grapples with knowing her children and husband are so close yet so far away, and that she has the power to find them on hand. To have it hidden from the other characters that she was in possession of the very thing they fought to destroy, and using it, would’ve made the film infinitely more meaningful as it would’ve portrayed just how broken am individual she had become, and empathy would have flown out from the audience - after all, who doesn’t know the experience of being at your wits end, so close to the happiness you want in life yet so, so far away? 

Yes, we could empathise with her from the first scene, we’re quite literally led into the depths of her grief. We see the life she could’ve had in some reality that wasn’t as cruel, the love and support that used to come from the very people she lost.  We’re brought to a bright colour palette with sweeping shots, showing the joy and chaotic nature of motherhood, with hints of a Wanda we’ve only briefly seen in the illusion of Wandavision. The choices made in the mise en scene of the moment tell as all we need to know - from Wanda’s brown hair reminiscing her days of Sokovian childhood, where she would watch sitcoms with her family and run rampant with her twin brother, to the athleisure wear of her outfit symbolising her comfort in this reality and the brightness of everything in this scene portraying the brightness within Wanda when she is with those she loves. After being comforted by this scene, the filmmakers tear the illusion apart and cruelly reveal Wanda’s withered state, a broken woman climbing out of bed, facing the nightmare of her true life. The colour palette dims, reflecting the life flowing out of Wanda, the score is ripped from our ears. We are left with the stark, soundless reality of grief, a tear teased out of our eyes akin to those so freely falling from Wanda’s.

I’m also led to note the absence of Vision, her husband, in this dream scene. Even within an idyllic reality, she subconsciously believes she must sacrifice something - after all, it has been compounded throughout her life. This notable absence is seen throughout the movie but is not without commonality in the MCU - they like to replace one loss in Wanda’s life with the newest. Throughout Age Of Ultron the closeness of the twins - Pietro and Wanda - is conveyed. From checking on each other in battle, speaking without words, tender platonic forehead kisses and their shared turmoil over their orphaning, their sibling relationship seems central to their characterisation. All moments lead up to Pietro’s sacrifice of life to save a young boy and the guttural, cutting scream Wanda releases while feeling the life seep out of her brother, the only longstanding family she ever had. You truly believe you can convince me that a woman, so close to her brother who she shares these sacrificial  ideals with, would be so easily corrupted by a Big Bad Evil Book that she’d kidnap and murder a child just to find happiness? There’s no true believability in that, especially when you factor in her longstanding temperament to sacrifice her livelihood for the good of others. Regardless of measures of believability, Marvel once again forefronts the most recent loss in Wanda’s life, her children, without properly concluding her connection to other losses. Sure, it can be argued that some closure was found during WandaVision over her brother’s death, but death stays with us forever. If grief, like Vision told Wanda, is love persevering, why would the love of her brother not factor into her search through the multiversal cosmos? During her speech at Kamar-Taj, where she highlights all the loss and sacrifice experienced in her life, it feels disjointed that she wouldn’t bring in the intimate loss of her brother, and furthermore it feels like a disservice to her character, who is so interpersonal and motivated purely by the desire for family and connection, that she only searches for a partially fulfilling reality where she just has her kids and not her husband and brother. It feels like another notice in a long list of missed opportunities by Marvel.

Further exploration of her memories - or even mentions of her passed brother - would’ve better fed into her role as the tortured hero. Through brief mentions of how she “blew a hole into the head of the man [she] loved,” we see the most recent of her losses, but what about those that initiated her grief? Those that set off a chain reaction in a long, complex process of sacrifice? Every fragment of her story in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films sees her sacrifice, lose something or suffer for great powers that seem to control her rather than the other way around. They exact a toll without the influence of the Darkhold, a concept that has been extremely compelling to audiences thus far, so why was her archetype as the tortured hero not explored in more depth? I again fall to the subject of subtle corruption, seeing a continued grapple with a hero who has lost so much in her life being tempted to maybe, just maybe, take something for herself. 

Even with the corrupting influence of the Dark Hold, I believe that Wanda wouldn’t accept without hesitation. To do so would negate the entirety of her growth in WandaVision, where she made the excruciating and gut wrenching choice to set the citizens of  Westview free, even at the cost of her personal happiness and the only thing she ever wanted - a family. In fact, it was this aching longing for family that led to Westview’s entrapment in the first place: the continual compounding of trauma in her life, accompanied by the fresh memory of having seen her husband’s corpse and being denied the right of a funeral for him - and, in extension, the right to grieve - sees her reactive magic cast out in a cascade of emotion, building her some modicum of comfort, even though she didn’t consciously decide to cast that hex. The conclusion of the series sees Wanda once again isolated in her grief, hoping for a moment to say hello again to the family that gave her life purpose. Even with these desires, she chooses to accept responsibility for her actions and leave Westview, retiring to a cottage in the woods. She can be said to be at a crossroads - in possession of the Darkhold and the knowledge that she is the Scarlet Witch but also still a hero at heart, continuing her life of sacrifice for the good of others. 

Wanda’s character would’ve better been developed in her own solo film, where her peril at being held captive by the Darkhold would be in the limelight, where a grapple with morality and who she believes herself to be falters under the sway of all she ever desired. Even prolonged exploration into other options to find her family, to bring her boys - her boys specifically, not multiversal iterations ripped away from their mother - back to life, would’ve better grown her. Even a throwaway line mounted by the enormity of her desperation, of how there was no other choice but to use the Darkhold, would’ve defined her in more sturdy strokes than the entirety of her so-called character arc in the film. To see a complex, multilayered descent into villainy that was something beyond the typical superhero trope of a powerful woman declining into madness when emotionally unstable would’ve truly grabbed my attention and held it hostage. Instead, we are greeted with an unrefined and underdeveloped character driven to the edge by a lack of motherhood, as if there weren’t a myriad of other intricate losses that guided her to the tyranny she now exacts.

The dichotomy between motherhood and monsterhood are seen as extremes for Wanda to oscillate between by the film’s writer, rather than a labyrinthine space for her to embody. The tenderness she holds for her children is conveyed as she dreamwalks, weeping twin tears of joy and grief as she is able to hold her children again, the American accent she adopted dropped for the Sokovian one she had hidden away, her true self bared in the emotional enormity of the scene. A masterful moment by itself, it is soon discredited by an uncharacteristic flip back to the search to steal America Chavez’s powers, which would subsequently kill the child. The believability is swept from beneath our feet, the Darkhold may make Wanda ruthless enough to go through with it, but should she not stumble? Should she not consider the horror her boys would feel upon discovering that is how she reached them? Again, Wanda’s nuanced character is cheapened to pigeonhole her as a deranged villain instead of the tortured person she is. Wanda’s lack of desire to renounce her quest to find family and understanding makes her out to be a monster. Yes, she is unjustifiably murderous and in the wrong during this film. Yet she is also more, and the film had the opportunity to showcase a multifaceted character who is neither hero, antihero or villain but failed. My disappointment lies within the threads of greatness weaved between the disorganisation, the possibility so easily seen that a woman may be characterised by more than just her relationship to motherhood. The sloppiness of it all cheapens the authority of Olsen’s acting, which brings more depth to the film than the writing ever could. (And I’m not even going to discuss the choice of Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff instead of a Romani-Jewish actress, that’s discourse for another essay.)

Monsterhood vs motherhood has already been utilised by Marvel Studios to simplify female characters in the past, such as their painting of Natasha Romanoff as a monster for being unable to have children during Age Of Ultron. A child assassin, one raised in the most harrowing of environments where she constantly knew she was replaceable, that ruthlessness was the only currency she may trade in, where death must be a constant companion tucked close to her heart, reduced to one dimensionality over the fact that she has no uterus. Natasha Romanoff, who is arguably one of the most excruciatingly painful depictions of female agony, a woman who has been denied agency and self expression by the men in her life, is supposed to think herself an abomination for what someone else did to her? The plausibility of the situation is minimal. Though Natasha is known for her intensive self loathing and driven to help others to wipe the red out of her ledger, she understands the people who operate out of monstrosity: men like the handlers in the Red Room who tormented her. The Red Room is known to be a place that snatches young girls from their beds, removes their autonomy and gruellingly subjugates them into unrecognisable killing machines devoid of purpose beyond that which their trigger is aimed at, and a wombless woman is depicted as the true horror. Those people manipulated young girls into believing they only have the propensity for murder and bloodshed, yet the emphasis of monstrosity is enforced upon a woman who was unwillingly sterilised? How despicable modern media is, that its veiled misogyny positions women to believe themselves to be empty vessels that are only filled by the pursuit of motherhood.  A woman without the capacity for motherhood is deemed as a monster by a male writer, just as a mother without her children is worthless and incomplete. It’s as if the complexity of female superhero stories often goes undiscovered purely to simplify them into something easily categorizable, rather than something as murky, blurred and complicated as their male counterparts. 

Moreover, the femininity of characters is often used to credit them as easily disposable. Despite Wanda’s blatant villainy, she was still being possessed and corrupted by the Darkhold, an item that fed off of her trauma and twisted her innermost longings into hellish, insatiable desires. Any other character would receive attempts for help, to save them from this fate, and yet Doctor Strange dismisses the convolution of her situation with a simple “Wanda’s gone now,” treating her as an assailant, rather than a fellow soldier with whom he marched into battle with. Now, you may consider me crass or radical for this interpretation, and I would too, had we not recently received Spiderman: No Way Home from Marvel Studios. One of the prominent thematic issues of the film is that all are redeemable, and a considerable portion of the plot sees the protagonist attempt to remedy and help the afflictions of the antagonists. What is it that others Wanda from this fate, what separates her from these established and continual villains of the MCU? Why, she’s an emotionally unstable woman, and despite being corrupted by external influences that may be overcome by factors seen in the movie (say, the antithesis of the Darkhold, the Book Of Vishanti), Hollywood views her as utterly disposable. It is far simpler to discredit and toss away a powerful woman than it is to explore her in full complexity, to file her away in a long list of emotionally unstables than to exhibit the complicatedness that is her sum total, allowing her the space to grow beyond the limiting archetypes of hero and villain into something much, much more enticing. So many missed opportunities, so much thinly hidden misogyny.

During the final scenes of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, we are once again shown a broken, grief stricken Wanda. While I think a slow corruption would’ve better serviced the continuity of her characterisation, I understand and acquiesce to the choices made here. Wanda, in her corrupted, ruthless state, is brought to the reality she’s been aching for. Her children are terrified as this is no longer the kind, gentle mother they know. They fear her. They scream at her. They beg her not to hurt them. This torrid rejection from the people she quite literally corrupted her soul for shatters her. As the only people she believes meaningful, it makes sense that they can pull the wool from her eyes (though I must wonder why Billy and Tommy did not fight back against this demented version of their mother with their powers, instead only throwing toys and cowering. It’s almost as if the writer likes to forget to incorporate details from a certain series called WandaVision - oh wait.) Wanda did not believe she was a monster, only a mother reaching out for the unconditional love of her children, and now she sees the extremity of her actions. It is laid out in front of her, the immense harm caused by placing her happiness over the safety of others. It truly feels as if the essence of this film was an undoing and redoing of Wanda’s growth in WandaVision, a keen cinematic cycle where self awareness ends in self abhorrence. It’s a film that we’ve seen played before, only now with amplified stakes and a lack of emotional depth that WandaVision brought. We see the same growth produced by WandaVision’s conclusion replayed in Multiverse Of Madness seemingly for no reason other than to have an intense, ruthless villain for Doctor Strange to project his moral quandaries onto. While extraordinarily enjoyable, the nuance of Wanda’s character was renounced to make her into a simple plot device. At the film’s conclusion she is no more and no less developed than she was in WandaVision, the only thing that may have doubled was her self loathing.

The ending of Multiverse of Madness is the only thing I can say was in step with any previous characterisation Marvel Studios has given Wanda. It parallels the position Wanda was in during WandaVision, when she becomes aware that her grief and trauma is spilling over onto and affecting the Westview citizens. It’s as if she’s brought to consciousness, and when she is, she is horrified. This self awareness ushers her to take accountability and do whatever is in her power to make things right by destroying the hex. While it is unseen by the Westview citizens, who have only felt her pain in vague extension and not comprehended the expansive trauma that brought Wanda to this moment, the audience understands Wanda’s true heart to help others, even at a cost to herself. Multiverse Of Madness’ ending somewhat depicts this sentiment too; it may be but a faint echo of the emotionally intune WandaVision, but I’ll take it. Other characters in the story don’t comprehend the full brunt of her motivations and suffering, even some of the audience do not. And despite Wanda doing everything wrong, we inexplicably cannot help ourselves but empathise and connect ourselves to her. We have all experienced the agony of being so close yet so far to that which fulfils us, desperate for what we believe will complete us. We all ache for true happiness and supportive love, to know that who we are is valid and that we are loved despite our flaws. Wanda is a character who craves love, the epitome of the human condition, and has no one and nowhere to receive it from. The only comfort she can receive at the end of the film, where she is left with the carnage of her actions, is to know that her boys will be loved. Only Wanda herself, though a multiverse variant, can understand the anguish of 616 Wanda. (Afterall, if our Wanda could dream of her children, 838 Wanda must be harassed with a nightly deluge of trauma where her boys disintegrate, her brother’s body fills with bullets and her husband has his forehead ripped apart.) And as she makes the choice to collapse the Wungadore Temple around herself, Wanda takes true responsibility for her harrowing villainy.

While not a satisfying conclusion to her journey, this end feels fitting. Wanda continues her sacrificial streak, this time forfeiting her life in order to close the Darkhold across the multiverse and ensure no others will be tempted by its corrupting force. I feel vast sadness for Wanda, a character whose main flaw is being ruled by her emotions and the longing for connection, one that so strongly resonates within myself. I feel deeply saddened by the trajectory of her journey, that no matter what path she takes, self sacrifice or self servitude, she cannot find happiness or that which makes her life meaningful. While not a beautiful or redeeming end to one of my favourite characters, it eventually manages to reinforce the primary tenets of her character and hold a mirror to the tortured soul within us all.

You've reached the end! Congratulations, you deserve a cookie for your efforts. Thanks for taking the time to read, it means the world to me :)