#she'd let herself be hurt by him and not really be able to hate him even if she is mad

[acaciapines]

writing rain world fic so fun i love coming up w all the background iterator dynamics <3 we arent gonna see any of them but i WILL keep leaving hints about their relationships <3

[shinxeysartgallery]

J is kind of an asshole and I think we all realize that especially after what she did in Episode 8. Still think she's being hated on a bit too hard though.

She knowingly sided with Cyn, despite knowing what she was responsible for, and that's obviously not a good thing. However, do keep in mind that all of the affected Elliot Manor drones are just traumatized children at the end of the day. Cyn put all of them through immeasurable horrors. Even without Cyn's influence, the drones were treated horribly by the humans (other than Tessa). And based off the scratched-off armbands that we saw N, V, and J have that also match Cyn's armband, there's strong implications that all three of them are also "zombie drones" much like Cyn is herself. We don't know what they were subjected to before being tossed into the dump and later being found by Tessa.

As J and V are fighting, J makes an interesting comment that sheds some light on her motivations. "...It tricked me, too." Obviously, that was never elaborated on, but it strongly implies that she had made some sort of a deal with Cyn for an unknown reason. We got confirmation that V also had made a deal with Cyn, which was basically that she'd do whatever Cyn wanted as long as she wouldn't hurt N (and then would leave them both alone). Don't know if N also made a deal, but he's likely there as a part of V's deal.

So it makes me wonder, what exactly did Cyn promise J? Did she tell her that she could bring back Tessa? Promise to not let her die again? Something else entirely? Based on her comment to V, SOMETHING was definitely promised that ended up being a lie. Everyone reacts to trauma differently. Saw a post a while back (will hyperlink it later if I can find it again) by another user doing a very good breakdown of how they perceived the drones' personalities changed as a result of their trauma. N became a doormat because he kept getting hurt or hurting others every time he stood up for himself or someone else. (They also add that V's coldness towards him contributed to it and made him lose a lot of self-confidence.) V became rather cold because she was basically forced to turn off her emotions to cope with what she was doing. And she was purposefully mean to N to chase him away as an attempt to protect him from Cyn. J became a corporate bootlicker because she was terrified of being discarded again, so now she feels like she has to prove that she's useful.

And I think those theories all definitely hold some water here and help to explain why J still chose to side with Cyn, even after realizing that whatever their deal was was a lie. It's likely that she realized that if she decided to side against Cyn, Cyn would've just killed her straight-up. And that's really not out of the question, considering what she did to N and V once she realized that those two had asked too many questions and realized that she was the bad guy they wanted nothing to do with. If J had also gone against her, she'd just be replaced with either a clone that had its memories wiped (as evident by Cyn's comment to N in Episode 7: "your clones will forgive me") or a personality shift, or just flat-out a completely different drone altogether. There's also her comment towards V during their fight. "I promise it's better on the winning team.", which implies that J had full belief that Uzi wouldn't have been able to stop Cyn and Cyn was going to get her way no matter what. That paired up with the personality shift might imply that she felt trapped. Cyn preyed on her vulnerability and fears of being discarded and weaponized them against her. She believed that Cyn was going to win no matter what, and if she went against Cyn, she was going to be discarded again. Despite knowing she was tricked, she probably stays loyal to Cyn because she's terrified of that outcome. She doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to be thrown away again. But the only person she feels she can get that security from is the same one that basically caused all of her problems. That same person is practically the equivalent of a god in the universe and seemingly NOTHING can stop it. What choice does she have in that perspective?

I still feel like she's an incredibly tragic character. Horribly mistreated by humans, forced to watch (or participate in) her best friend's death at the hands of the one she despises the most, sees the same bestie be horribly mutilated and disfigured, be forced to commit horrible atrocities herself, and be manipulated and lied to. She deserves a redemption arc.

You're obviously allowed to still hate/dislike her, but that's just my thoughts on it!

[angstflayer-council]

July Drabble #4- Girl Talk

“I like Nancy.” 

Her voice cracked and she curled in on herself, afraid of the response that would eventually come. She didn’t know what she would do if Steve hated her for something she had tried to ignore for so long. Robin knew it was wrong to have a crush on her best friend’s ex and she knew there was a chance that Steve could react negatively, but she couldn’t keep it to herself any longer.  

She told Steve everything. She needed to tell him this.  

His silence scared her. They hadn’t turned the lights on when they climbed into the bed so she couldn’t see his face; couldn’t see his reaction.  

Robin reached out with a shaky hand and breathed a sigh of relief when Steve entwined their fingers together, their socked feet were already touching as they lay facing each other in Robin’s bed. “Are you mad at me?” The question broke the silence in the room and caused Steve to squeeze her hand in reassurance.  

“I’m not mad, Robs.” He sighed softly and held her hand against his heart. “I’m worried you’ll get hurt. I don’t know if Nancy is... ya’know.” He trailed off and if the light was on, Robin would be able to see the sad smile that no doubt pulled at his lips. 

“And for that exact reason I tried not to like her, Steve, I really did. She’s just so - “ Beautiful, smart, caring, brave.  

“Perfect.” Steve said with a soft laugh.  

Robin sighed and rolled onto her back; Steve kept her hand held tight in his own. “Perfect.” The word was both right and wrong. Robin felt she needed a whole new alphabet to find the right words to describe Nancy. 

“Are you going to tell her?”  

“Tell her that I like her? God, no. That’s between us and whatever god is listening.” Robin's not stupid. She knew she was never going to be anything more than Nancy’s friend, she’s cried and journaled about it already. It’s completely fine with her. Sort of. Not really.  

Steve moved closer, his big head now squished onto the same pillow as her. He waited a beat before saying softly, “No, are you going to tell her you’re a lesbian?” 

Steve’s words settled on top of Robin like a weighted blanket that’s just slightly too heavy. She knew that in order to confess to Nancy she'd have to come out to her but the thought made Robin’s stomach flip and flop like a fish out of water.  

“Do I have to?” She was scared, terrified actually. 

“No, but maybe telling her could help. Maybe Nancy broke up with me because she's secretly a lesbian.” Robin could hear the smile in his voice. He had a point but it was still so nerve wracking.  

What if it went badly? What if the one person Robin really wanted to know the truth didn’t accept her?  

Robin let out a sad noise, somewhere between a groan and a sob, and Steve, sensing her distress, pulled the covers over their heads so that they were shielded from the world. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Robs. There’s no rush. You’ll get there one day and when that day comes, I’ll be by your side.”  

“Oh my god, that was so cheesy.” 

“You love my cheese.”  

Robin snorted and shoved him lightly. “No, I don’t. I’m lactose intolerant.” 

[eleni-cherie]

a thief's origin✨ || bts • kth - epilogue

"you're afraid I won't wait."

"I'm afraid you will."

a criminal and a doctor should be as different as the sun and the moon - but unexpected things happened every day. like him finding his safe haven in her.

© 2024 | eleni_cherie

»»»

masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to friends to lovers s2f2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

»»»

age 30 // attending physician

6th June

Havana, Cuba

The day Taehyung walked away, Cassandra didn't only lose the only man she'd ever loved but also her best friend.

A lifetime without him seemed empty and pointless and she was still mad at him for putting her through this misery.

However, she couldn't hate him, even if she wanted to. He hadn't done anything wrong after all, neither one of them had. What he'd done, he'd done out of love, to keep her far away from the danger lurking around every corner he took.

No. She'd never be able hating him because in the end, he'd never broken her heart. He had just stolen and run away with it.

And it still hurt.

The first first days, weeks, months after the break-up were characterised by denial. She was used to extended periods between seeing him again after all. Even the fact texts and calls had stopped, couldn't change that. Only when postcards had stopped coming as well, it'd finally downed to her.

Of course, in reality she'd already known it long before that, from the very first moment he'd left. She could see it in his eyes. He'd meant it back then, every single word. He wouldn't come back.

And yet, denial kept her from accepting it earlier. Kept her from even admitting or acknowledging it. Denial had her bargaining, believing that, even if he'd meant it, he'd surely change his mind eventually. That he'd certainly regret it. Denial gave her false hope.

When months passed without any new postcard, however, that was when she'd finally let herself admit defeat. When the denial couldn't hold up anymore. When the bargaining ended up in vain.

And instead, a phase of upsetness and depression, in constant pendulation, entered. A permanent restlessness accompanying her from that day on, knowing she'd never be able finding what they'd shared with someone else.

Until she'd finally accepted it and got accustomed to never seeing him again.

The tiny hope she'd once held, long stored back in a box and buried by then. Only the necklaces remained as a remnant of the past, not ready to give them away. One day maybe, but not yet.

However, just because she had managed accepting it, it didn't mean everything was back to normal for her.

Passing by their old places, she couldn't help but always see the ghost of them together there, everything turning dull. Unable to pass by Casa Batlló anymore without aching at the memory of their sunsets, the beach without remembering New Year's Eve, without seeing the 'magic fountain' and remembering his birthday present or the art museum above it where he'd clumsily confessed to her later.

Not even being able staying too long in her own apartment, constantly getting reminded of their first kiss or the countless nights they had spent there laughing, crying, fooling around and loving each other.

Her once dream city had turned blue and gray.

She simply couldn't bear staying in Barcelona anymore after completing her medical training last year, deciding to realise her once silly idea of revisiting the place of her childhood memories for her specialisation training instead.

A place with no attachment to him. Far away from everything and everyone.

She was essentially running away - or at least tried to. Although she knew she'd never be able to fully run away from it all, carrying him with her anywhere she went.

Perhaps there was also an underlying irony in the fact she'd chosen emergency medicine as her specialisation out of all medical fields. Perhaps it was evidence for the residual hold the artful marksman with the cheeky grin and the warm eyes still had on her and probably always would.

Over a year had already passed by now ever since Taehyung had left and interpol showing up hours later, questioning her about the boatyard. Over a year and she still caught herself falling into her memories every once in a while. Still couldn't stop becoming sorrowful whenever she did and plunging into work or her films for distraction.

She felt like a fool, considering a year should've been enough time to get over someone, something she'd used to do in a day or two.

At least she had stopped looking for him in other men a long time ago. Unintentionally comparing anyone she'd crossed paths with him at first, a fatuous and unhealthy habit which thankfully had subdued by now. Not that she even wanted or tried to find anyone to replace him. It'd be impossible, but also the mere thought of any men made her shudder.

No, she didn't even feel like glancing at anyone, much less date anyone. Her busy work schedules and introverted personality were a true blessing after all, making avoiding them easier.

So there she was now in Havana, the capital of Cuba and place of one of her earliest childhood memories.

It was the beginning of summer, although high temperatures had been constant for weeks. But it was nothing she couldn't handle and otherwise she enjoyed her life there so far. She wouldn't have the right to complain anyway, Havana being her chosen getaway after all.

Cassandra opened the door to her apartment in the first floor, the coolness inside a much needed contrast to the warm afternoon outside. Her aparatment was a bit bigger than her old one, but still decorated in a similar fashion. She couldn't get rid of her beloved posters, plants or plushies after all.

Her backpack sliding from her arms to the floor with a thud as soon as she pressed the door shut behind her.

A five-hour-long seminar sounded more painful than it really was, but perhaps she'd simply got used to this, who knew. Numbness to certain things was one of the requirements for this kind of profession, which she had almost mastered by now - finally.

With a dragged sigh, she slipped out of her disgustingly warm sneakers, although she was accustomed to such temperatures, they still took a tall on her. First she poured herself a much needed glass of water. Gulping it down in one go before changing into more comfortable clothes and preparing something to eat.

When the food was ready, she settled in front of her tv to continue watching a crime comedy she'd started awhile ago.

Old habits died hard after all.

The second half of the episode was reached when Cassandra noticed her eyes growing heavy, the tiredness of the day and the food making her drowsy. Eventually fluttering shut, causing her to almost miss the anxious knocking on her front door.

First she dismissed it as a neighbour's hammering, but when she paused the episode to figure out which one it was, she realised the noise was coming from her door. And she tensed up, staring at it with wide eyes.

Wonder mixed with an odd feeling of déjà-vu crept up on her as she slowly went to answer it. Assuming it was just irritation causing her trembling hands as she grabbed the door handle, her knuckles turning white when pressing it down and opening the door.

It felt like a sick joke of the universe first. Then she feared her mind was only playing tricks on her, projecting a memory of him. But it couldn't be a memory. He looked different.

Not because of the beaten up posture and the torn clothes - she had seen him way worse. It wasn't even the shorter mop of waves, tousled and sticking out at some ends, or his broader frame.

No. It was the distress written all over his gentle features, a mild sunburn tainting them in a pinkish shade, that told her something had to be severely wrong for him to stand again in front of her door, more than one year later.

And her initial excitement sunk.

"Cas -" Taehyung tried catching his breath and propped a toned arm against the doorframe. It was evident that he had been running. "I know I have no right, but Jimin - he - he needs you."

At the mention of his friend's name and the way he choked it out, she sensed her initial fear being correct. Something was terribly wrong.

Any lingering feelings and unsolved regrets got swept aside in that moment. Her ego and tiredness long forgotten, instead instincts from years of medical training kicked in. And she immediatelly rushed to the bathroom.

Perplexed at her sudden move, he wanted to call after her when she returned seconds later with a familiar object in her hands. The blue medical kit. She held it firmly in one hand while slipping back into her sneakers with the help of the other.

"Take me to him."

Taehyung smiled softly, not even surprised by the determination in her voice. She hadn't changed at all, she was still the same.

He nodded then, wordlessly grasping her free hand in his and Cassandra let him pull her downstairs to his waiting car.

THE END

»»»

hope you enjoyed this prequel! it got longer than expected haha

if you wanna know how Tae x Cas's story continues, make sure to read the main story "among thieves" and the sequel "a thief's end" ;)

💜check out the whole "thieves collection" series or my main bts masterlist for other members' stories in this universe or in general💜

Don't forget to like, comment & leave feedback!♡ It motivates me to keep writing :)

taglist: @lilanyxta @naoolammao345 @memna234 @tetehion @myblacklilame

[talkfantasytome]

Glasses

A teeny, tiny drabble so that I could participate and do something for @nestaarcheronweek despite my crazy, hectic life. I've always imagined that Nesta wears glasses for work or reading or something, and that it drives Cassian absolutely nuts. I wish I had more time to make this more, maybe some day, but for now, I give you Cassian appreciating Nesta in glasses. 💕

Am I still good to swing by to bring your key back?

Yep! Working from home and have no more meetings today. Come by whenever you want, no need to knock.

Cassian smiled at the words flashing across his screen as he reached the windowed door that revealed the doors to the two apartments in Nesta's converted townhouse. Nesta had already told him twice that he could come by any time after noon today, but he let his nerves get the better of him and he had to check just one last time. Even if he was already on her street.

"How are you already here?" the silky sharp voice of his girlfriend asked, carrying easily down the stairs as he opened the door to her apartment.

Cassian chuckled, closing the door and locking it behind him. "Couldn't get to you fast enough, sweetheart," he called up as he began to climb. It was a steep staircase. And dark. He hated it. Nesta could really hurt herself on it, and that was something he wouldn't be able to handle. Cassian dreaded the day he got a call telling him she'd fallen down these damn stairs.

Reaching the main floor, he set the keys down on the tall table in front of him just as a large, cream furball let out a loud hiss.

"Even after feeding you for a week, you still hate me?" he muttered, bending down to see if Ataraxia would sniff at his fingers. The furry little beast lifted his nose up and sauntered away from Cassian like a little prince. "Your cat is a spoiled brat," he said, walking down the small hall toward where he knew Nesta would be working in her large living room.

"As he should be," she replied.

Cassian walked into the room and suddenly the world felt lighter as he laid his eyes on his girlfriend for the first time in a week. Staring intently at the computer screens in front of her, all he could really see was her delicate frame and the golden brown hair tied back in her typical coronet style.

He took a step toward her, going to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, and then paused in his tracks as Nesta turned in her chair to look at him.

There, resting on top of her perfect nose, was a pair of rounded-square glasses in a dark frame. They weren't exactly hipster glasses - too small for that - but they were a similar shape that sat perfectly in Nesta's face.

Nesta was always the most beautiful woman in the room, always sharp and stunning and obviously intelligent. So Casssian wasn't sure exactly what it was about these glasses, but they took his breath away. Perhaps he was more attracted to librarians than he realized. Or maybe it was just Nesta, looking absolutely stunning in everything, and adding new fantasies about glasses Cassian never thought he'd desire.

"Wh…what are those?" he asked like an idiot, pointing to her face.

Nesta let out a small laugh. "My glasses? I wear them for work. They're just blue-light lenses, they keep me from getting a headache when staring at a screen for a long time."

"They're-"

"A necessary nuisance."

"-phenomenal." Nesta blushed at Cassian's last word, turning back to the computer screen.

Cassian wanted to riot, just as he always did when Nesta looked away from him. It should be illegal, for him not to be able to look upon her face. But especially now. Who knew wen he'd get to see her in glasses again? He needed to find a way to save himself from this withdrawal, and he knew just the thing. "Don't you get a lunch hour?" he asked softly, stepping closer to Nesta and leaning his chin on her shoulder.

"Yes…" she answered slowly, turning her face to look at him.

He grinned. "Great. So why don't you log off but keep those glasses on and join me in the bedroom?"

Before Nesta could answer, Cassian left a kiss on her neck and sauntered to the back of the apartment, smirking as her heard soft footsteps following him.

If you'd like to be added to my taglist, let me know!

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[bingeeaterblog]

// small warning big re touken hate it's a post on why I hate it and how I think it could've been done better BUT I encourage you to keep reading if you do like them and to give me your thoughts whether to tell me why you like them or why you think im wrong in some regards i love a good debate its why i joined Tumblr

I'm gonna start this off by talking about why I loved the original mangas touken.

They start off as strangers, them only having a REAL meeting when she saves his ass from nishio. Initially she was cold and rude, for every reason he was very disrespectful(also for good reason he was scared and all he knew about ghouls is that they are monsters who hurt people, one literally just had him in a choke hold) but I digress. Kaneki starts working at anteiku and he's shadowing touka much to her dismay she feels he can't do anything right and is just a know it all human.

Right off the bat they have a very interesting dynamic, touka learning to care for kaneki him starting to see her(and ghouls as a whole) as a person and not something he should be afraid of.

As time goes on, touka falls for him, it's what makes everything so hard when he abandons her. She feels betrayed he left just like ayato and her dad did no one ever stays for her? How could they? She makes herself so hard to love shutting everyone out. She blames herself partly, not being able to protect him from whatever happened at the aoigiri base.

When she does see him again she's angry! How dare he come back after all this! Why can't he just make up his mind! So she lashes out, she misses him so dearly but she can't tell him that? Let him know she cares? She hits him and tells him to never come back to anteiku (to her).

You can see why it's so appealing!! The angst!! The drama!!! They have it all! Toukas longing and kanekis isolation are what makes them so GOOD.

To explain why I don't like re touken we have to talk about why I don't like re touka.

Touka before was a very well rounded character, she was brash and a little impulsive, she loves the people around her even if its hard for her to show it in a healthy way. She'll do whatever it takes even if it means risking her own life.

Re touka, doesn't really have that. She's very... Water downed. I like to call it house house wife-ification. She's lost any semblance of her old personality. While I do like the idea of touka calming down and becoming more docile it's not done right, we meet her again and she's just... Like that? There's no character development of her changing it just happens! She's shaved down so she can be the perfect love interest for kaneki, it's even shown in her design! Her eyes are softer and she doesn't hold any of the same energy as old touka(this happens with a lot of female characters ishida just ended up giving them all the same face besides eto).

Kaneki is? Fine? I loved haise as a character and him and touka were sorta cute if u kinda ignore that fact touka isn't touka. Kaneki was fine and re and that's it, he's just okay. His Savior complex is removed and it's just "I wanna save people!!" The whole reason his savior complex is important is BECAUSE it ends up hurting more people he should've been developed to learn how to manage that and be the hero he could be.

Now for their actual relationship.

It's very.... Rushed? There's no tension no build up just "are you a virgin?" Which in my opinion is something touka would never say she'd stumble around it. they made her bold at the wrong times she's an awkward lil freak. And then boom! Sex yeah! And it's? Okay? It's not my favorite I felt like a sex scene between them should've been more desperate!! That's when the marriage bite should've happened! It should've bites and messy kisses and promises to never leave again! There was no passion! There was the "why are you crying" but that didn't really do anything for me!!

I do like the end scene where she was petting his hair that was very soft which is what he needs.

Then toukas pregnant!(Which is something I'll get into good another time) And it kinda feels like they only rush into the marriage because she is... Like I feel like they should've atleast had a dating stage y'know!! Everything just felt so fast with them and nothing like the original:(

The end credits scene feels nothing like touka, she looks dead that's not the character I used to know :( kaneki too only the scene with hide felt real

And yeah! I like ichika! But how cool would it have been if touka got pregnant AFTER re and in the end credit thing she was revealed! Another natural born one eyed ghoul!! Idk...

This is very messy sorry I had to get this out. if you like them? That's fine!! That's super duper cool its just not my favorite. Tell me why you think I'm wrong! Id love to hear your opinions

[balanceoflightanddark]

The fire nation's defeat was technically Azula's fault.

Zuko and Iroh were branded traitors and failures. Azula was given specific instructions to capture them, dead or alive. Azula had them both red-handed in Ba Sing Se. Instead of doing what she was told, she asks for Zuko's help and she clears his name in return.

Now, it could be argued that without Zuko's help, she would've been pummeled into submission by Aang and Azula. Well, then after his usefulness was used up, she had a chance to pull yet another fast one and apprehend him without having to lie to Ozai.

Zuko acted suspiciously. He made Azula doubt that Aang really died and she began to think that Zuko may have had something to do with his survival. Instead of searching for proof of Aang's survival and informing her suspicions to Ozai, she puts unnecessary risk on herself and sets up a gambit that was ultimately pointless in more ways than one.

If Azula did what she was supposed to do, Zuko and Iroh would be dead or put in prison which leads to Zuko never finding out about the plans with the comet, Aang never finds a firebending sifu, the FN gains victory unopposed, and Azula can reign as Fire Lord.

In short, by choosing to lend Zuko a hand more than once, she indirectly did Team Avatar a huge favor.

Boom: Butterfly Effect.

The FN's MVP was also Team Avatar's MVP. I do enjoy the irony.

I wonder though, what would the Gaang's, Azula's Zuko's, Iroh's, Ozai's, and all of FN's reactions when realizing this epiphany?

It would break Azula.

...no seriously. It would break her.

While I think it would be a bit of a stretch to say that the defeat of the Fire Nation was her fault (cause there's no way in hell she could've seen bringing Zuko home would end up with his betrayal of Ozai), I do think she was hurting already with Zuko betraying her. If she was torn up about Mai and Ty Lee turning on her, I have no doubt she'd feel the same about Zuko regardless of what her relationship with him is right now. Add on to the fact that this is a girl that is hoisted with way too much responsibility than she is able to handle (being driven to become perfect at any cost), a revelation like this would destroy her.

And the fallout wouldn't be pretty. At all. It would probably rival her breakdown at Sozin's Comet, if not be worse. Hell, I think Zuko and Iroh would be a bit concerned for her. Zuko did seem somewhat regretful at her state after the Last Agni Kai and Iroh (while not Azula's biggest fan) probably wouldn't be that callous to brush her off.

Ozai would hate her though. Hate hate HATE her though. He puts on so much pressure for her to be perfect. What do you think the abusive piece of shit is going to do when he puts two and two together. Might even disown her on the spot, which will cause her to spiral even more. And she'd probably lose a lot of support in the Fire Nation for indirectly letting an unpopular successor on the throne, which would cause her to spiral even further.

...kind of why I don't really want to put the blame on the Fire Nation's defeat on her since the poor kid doesn't need that on top of her failures already. Besides, I think the defeat of the Fire Nation can better be laid on Ozai's feet. I mean, he was the one who banished Zuko and mistreated both him and Azula. If we want to go indirect, he set up a domino effect. And directly, he wasn't able to consolidate the Fire Nation's gains at the end of the war which led to a huge rebellion movement. And he certainly didn't seem to want to get involved with fighting Aang during the Day of the Black Sun which could've stacked the odds further against him when the firebending was turned back on. Mind you, this was before Zuko showed up. Like he was sipping tea while Azula was holding the Gaang off.

That being said, I could see him pass the buck off on Azula for the Fire Nation's defeat. Which would lead into the scenario I just outlined above.

[queenimmadolla]

could we have a baby blurb from the pennyverse?

i know youre writing for it in your big updates so thats fine if not!!

penny hurting herself and eddie either freaking out or trying to comfort reader?

pregnant reader?

Uhhhhhhh, YES YOU CAN! Except it is so not a baby blurb because I got carried away, lol. I can’t help it, i love them so much. Hope you like it!

warnings: a little bit of angst bc penny hurts herself :( but reader and Eddie come to the rescue, pregnancy :), no use of ‘y/n’.

(Dad!eddie munson x mom!reader, and also pregnant!reader)

more pennyverse here :)

“Penny, I’m serious. Get down from there.”

His toddler pouted, plump lower lip stuck out as her eyebrows furrowed to convey her sadness at being scolded.

“But Daddy—.”

“No ‘buts’,” Eddie added, raising an eyebrow down at her, oh? You’re really not gonna listen?

Penny slumped under the look and let out a long whine.

Reluctantly, the flats of Penny’s feet met the ground as she carefully lowered her foot from the shelf of the bottom cabinets in the kitchen. With her lack of patience and growing curiosity, she’d recently begun to test whether or not she’d be able to use the drawers to climb her way up the counter and get whatever it is she wanted instead of waiting for either Eddie or you to get it for her. She was testing Eddie, too.

He hated having to scold her, she was such a reactive baby, she’d usually immediately get upset on her own once she’d realized she’d done something wrong, eyes always welling up with guilty tears. Lately, she’d taken to breaking the rules more often and while he could still tell she felt guilty, it was clear she’d continue until she'd get hurt.

Or worse.

You weren’t exactly in the state to discipline—usually, you were quite on top of making sure she couldn’t be a brat, time outs so Penny would be able to cool off without her feeling like you were smothering her and cuddles to talk out the reason why she did what she did and why she can’t do it again—but since you were in the nesting phase of your pregnancy, all Penny would get is a ‘Penny, we don’t do that’, which did absolutely nothing since Penny clearly liked to ‘do that’.

As soon as she began to sniffle intensely, fat tears already rolling down her round cheeks while she stared up at her dad with her hands clutched together, Eddie softened and sighed, crouching down to be closer to eye level with her so he could cup the side of her face in his hand, thumb stroking over the soft skin to wipe the wet trails away.

“Hey, hey. Don’t be sad, little bitty pretty one. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Yet. He’d caught her just before she could. “Daddy just doesn’t want you to get hurt. The counter isn’t safe for you to climb on and what do we say about climbing on things that aren’t safe?”

“I-I-I coo’ fall.” She stuttered out, sniffles continuing, less intense due to Eddie’s coddling.

“Mhm,” Eddie didn’t even like to think about her injuring herself.

He was all soft smiles and even softer brown eyes as he stared into her own, absolutely positive the love he had for the tiny little girl, who looked like the perfect combination of you and him, was unconditional and the source behind his strength. From the moment he first held her, Eddie knew he would do anything and everything to protect her, “I love you so much, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, sweet pea. Can I have a hug?”

Penny nodded frantically, reaching a closed fist up to rub at her other eye before she let out another whine and held her arms out wide, wrapping them around his shoulders as she buried her face in one of them.

“Luh you,” she cried, fisting the material of his hoodie. Eddie stood up after he’d gathered her in his arms, rubbing soothing circles on her back as he kissed her curly little head.

“It’s okay, sweet pea. I love you, too. Always.”

It took a few minutes but once Penny had calmed down, she sniffled and rubbed her snotty little nose off against his hoodie.

“What did you want, anyways?” His eyes scanned the small counter space for whatever it was that could have caught her attention.

“I want the ‘nana.” She pointed lazily in the direction of the bananas, displayed in a bowl. Taunting her.

Eddie used his free arm to rip one from the bunch, biting into the stem at the top of it to keep it still while he unpeeled it for her.

Her lack of patience was once more apparent when she couldn’t wait for him to unpeel the entire thing, reaching out and squishing the part of the fruit that was exposed, ripping it messily away from the rest of it so she could cram it into her mouth.

Eddie chuckled as he carried her out into the living room, plopping down onto the couch with her. Penny quickly devoured the fruit, fingers no doubt messy and sticky until she’d used his legs to climb down from the couch, wiping her stubby little hands on the material of his sweats as she went.

“Am I nothing but a human napkin to you?” He asked with a chuckle, Penny ignored him in favor of digging through her toy box.

“I’d say human furnace, too.” You answered as you returned from the bathroom, fully aware he hadn’t been speaking to you, you just couldn’t resist teasing him.

“Explains why you assault me with those icicles you call feet at night.” He offered you the other half of the banana Penny hadn’t eaten and you took it, only sparing the fucked up top of it a glance before shrugging and taking a bite.

“I can’t help my poor blood circulation, Edward. I can’t prove it right now, but I’m pretty sure it’s your fault.”

He laughed as you settled into the farthest cushion, tapping his thighs as a sign for you to settle your legs over them. You loved him so much.

“My fault? Do explain, babe, I gotta hear it.”

“Probably a side effect of this,” you placed a hand over your swollen belly. No current movement inside, your baby was probably sleeping in there, “Just like my high blood pressure.”

You were still bitter about that one, you’d had quite a few red flags with this pregnancy, had more doctor’s appointments scheduled than when you’d been pregnant with Penny.

“You had ice cubes for toes long before I put a baby in you.” He smirked, a hand reaching out to cover yours.

“You know what?”

He raised an eyebrow to challenge you, much like he did with Penny, what?

“You,” you pointed a finger in his direction, grinning, “be quiet.”

Eddie threw his head back and laughed, it was your version of telling each other to shut the fuck up in the presence of your child. He was still chuckling as he scanned the room for his little girl, immediately tensing when he didn’t spot her.

“Penny?” He called out in alarm, triggering your own concern as you stood up in search of your daughter.

You heard the sound of a gasp followed by something breaking and your daughter’s loud cries. You both bolted over, greeted by the sight of your toddler lying on the ground next to the bananas and surrounded by shards of the ceramic bowl which had housed them.

You were pretty sure your heart stopped and Eddie went pale.

As Penny shrieked, face red, Eddie carefully lifted her from the ground and you immediately noticed the odd angle of her little hand as you assessed her for injuries.

“Eddie,” you inhaled a sharp breath and he clocked the same thing you did, “I’ll get the keys.”

You ran to the bedroom to retrieve a blanket for Penny and met Eddie at the door.

The car ride to the hospital was horrible. You held Penny in the backseat as she cried and cried, feeling absolutely useless and like a terrible mother for being unable to heal her on your own.

Penny had been seen right away, thanks to her young age and injury. Eddie had been a nervous wreck, pacing the waiting area for a good fifteen minutes before he stopped, stood still and then went to wrap his arms around you when he noticed how upset you were, beating yourself up for not having a closer eye on her.

“I’ve told her to not climb the counter, she knows it’s a rule!”

Eddie kissed your forehead, arms secure around you as you tried to bury yourself in his chest to hide from your failure. “I caught her doing it a couple of minutes before she fell, she’s a baby with a lack of impulse control, honey. That’s all. Better believe I won’t be letting her out of my sight after this.”

You’d wiped each other’s tears away and held each other until the doctor came back to take you to the room Penny was in, confirming what you had thought. She’d broken her wrist, most likely having tried to stop her fall with her hands. The doctor said it was the most common type of broken bone injury amongst toddlers she’d seen.

Much to your relief, Penny wasn’t hooked up to anything. She had a little hospital nightgown over her top half but her little overall bottoms were still visible and there was a little pink cast decorating the arm she’d injured. Penny looked miserable until the moment she saw you.

“MAMA!” She shrieked, and you were at her side in an instant, fingers stroking over her curls while Eddie spoke to the doctor.

“Are you okay, baby?” Of course she wasn’t okay, your baby was sporting a cast!

“I hurt my han’, mommy.” She sounded so sad when she said it, you just wanted to scoop her up and hold her forever.

“It’ll get better, I promise.” You swore, happy she still seemed to be preening under your attention. “Baby, why were you on the counter?”

She looked guilty and even more sad, you made sure to plant a couple of kisses on her face to keep her from crying again.

“For anotha ‘nana.”

“Why didn’t you ask me or daddy to get it for you?”

“‘’Cuz—uhm, cuz-cuz-cuz you gotta finish.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion, “Finish what?”

“Making your nes’ for my baby brudder.”

You were full on squinting, mom brain trying to decipher what the heck she was talking about and eventually it clicked.

Nesting.

Penny must have heard you talking about it, which didn’t surprise you since you weren’t as careful as you should be with what you said around her. It was still hard for you to come to terms with Penny having a bit more of a conscience now. While you knew she heard what you’d say (and repeat it like a parrot if it was a curse word) she didn’t understand what she was saying. Or, she hadn’t. Now, she was beginning to think about things and apparently worry.

She’d heard you, all in a tizzy about preparing the trailer for your new addition and she’d gotten worried about distracting you.

“Baby, you’re more important than my nest.” You assured her, though the worry still on her face didn’t go anywhere.

“But brudder─”

“But Penny,” you interrupted with a goofy voice, gently pinching and wiggling her nose to get her to break her serious demeanor. It worked, she giggled, little nose crinkling up, “Penny is just as important as brother. He’s not even here yet and you are still in my nest.”

You reached out to take her smaller hand in yours, thumb stroking over her tiny fingers. She was so little and breakable, it scared you to think about.

“You could have gotten really, really hurt climbing on the counter, baby. Then, mommy would have an empty nest and that would make me and daddy very sad, Penny.” You were positive neither of you would recover.

“Yeah.” Penny agreed, solemnly.

“So, whenever you need something, you have to come to me and daddy, okay?”

“Okay, mommy!” She nodded her head dramatically, “Luh you, mommy. Can I has a hug?”

“I love you, too, and you never have to ask,” She sat up on the bed, very mindful of her pink cast and wrapped her little uninjured arm around your shoulders as you pulled her to your chest. You let out an amused snort when your hand went to cradle the back of her head and found the curls there smashed flat from laying down.

“Oh, baby, that is some bad bedhead.”

“Yeah,” she said again, solemnly, but this time the seriousness of her voice and the topic made you laugh.

Eddie laughed, too, and the sound almost surprised you. You were so focused on your injured baby, you had forgotten he was watching you.

When you turned to look at him, he took that as his cue for his turn. Only, he’d already lectured her about the counters and figured she’d learned her lesson. He’d also, obviously, heard you talk to her about it so he went straight to drowning her with affection, pulling her right into his arms.

“My poor baby!” He cooed, pressing a kiss to her temple and nuzzling his face into her short curls.

“Yeah,” Penny agreed with a sigh that had you and Eddie exchanging glances as you bit your lips to keep from smiling.

Oh, she was gonna milk this broken wrist for all it was worth and you were both more than happy to indulge her and nurse her back to health.

[viharistenno]

So. Thoughts.

Nicky created the ballad of the Road, Billy created the Road itself. For Agatha, the Road is inherently connected to her son and walking it…

At the beginning of the 8th episode, Agatha already knows Lilia is dead and she is in a really difficult state of mind. She did not want her dead and after realising what Lilia was able to do for Billy, it must be hard to face Rio.

While mourning her friend (or kindred spirit), her mind is in overdrive on how to save THIS kid who is NOT HERS but still reminds her so much of him. And they even have a past, they have affection for each other and Agatha can't help but merge the two boys in her heart.

And Rio does not like what Billy is, that she can't take him but she - unlike Agatha - can't lie (what is it with me and autism coded characters) so she taunts her with truths.

"This WALK with Another Woman's son?"

Coming from Rio it reeeaaally feels like jealousy. There is the implication that Billy is Wanda's, yes, but Agatha is still a mother figure for Billy whatever else happens. And Rio is not part of that, this is not 'their' son, so she feels cheated in more ways then one.

I'm not sure what happened between Salem and the birth of Nicky, but at first, I really don't think Agatha wanted to kill that much. She was surprised she took the powers of the Salem Seven and went on her merry way alone, with Rio. And then she gave birth to a son who got Time from Death but not a Life. Agatha needed to kill for him to live so she slowly gave up parts of her soul, and her only dedication was for Nicky and when the Time came, Rio took the last piece of her soul and Agatha was left with nothing. Special treatment, huh? So she went on a killing spree, took a lot of power, aquired the Darkhold, hid form Rio and learnt everything there is about chaos and creation. If there is no soul left to corrupt, it doesn't matter anymore, does it? Maybe this is why she wasn't truly corrupted because Agatha was a feeling human person still.

And then she met Wanda and in some ways they were more alike than she'd want to admit. She felt for Wanda, her grief touched her and she hated her for that. She wanted the power - maybe to bring back Nicky, maybe something else - but NOT the feelings. And after Wanda's death, only the feelings remain, without the power.

Now, back to the 8th episode, after all this, Rio WANTS to take The Kid, and Agatha sighs, yeah, that's what you do, you take, go, do that. But then she realises, that Rio CAN'T and that's when the con starts. And the inner battle. Agatha is SO PISSED at the audacity that Rio wants her help to take the kid she has (conflicted) feelings for, so she lashes out, she hurts Rio. She wants her soul back! The kid can belong to her without belonging to Rio! And she does not want to be reminded of what and why she has done, and Rio as herself is the embodiment for that.

In the end she realises she also needs to let go. And so she listens to her coven and she listens to the one person who sees the good in her, and surrenders. And so she gets a bit of her soul back, even if she ends up not exactly corporeal for the time being. (Oh she's gonna come back I'm sure of that and Rio will let her this time.)

[emuthefandomcollector]

So there are usually 2 different "hiding da body" culprits in Omari AUs, Aubrey & Hero.

I understand why people would use Hero (I've noticed that it isn't as common anymore), but it usually has to be written well for me to really.. get it? If you understand.

Like, I KNOW it's because he cares a lot about Mari (it's the whole reason he stayed inside for a whole year when she died), but.. it feels like.. super ooc for Hero.

I understand that it's a stressful situation and that he could be not thinking straight, but Hero seems like the kind of guy, no matter the situation, if he sees somebody hurt, to try to help them.. like calling an ambulance in extreme cases like this. He doesn't seem like he would go, "lol let's cover up his death"

Plus, Hero is like.. older than the younger kids, he's said to be 15 in a dialog line in Last Resort, iirc, so he would be more mature, as the younger kids would be 12-13, and there is a BIG mental difference between that.

Plus, Hero would have more common sense? I mean, he just doesn't seem like he would do it.

HOWEVER, I think Aubrey could be more plausible.

Even though Aubrey cares about Sunny, she also cares a lot about Mari. She literally transformed herself completely BECAUSE of Mari's death, and she was willing to basically say, "We aren't friends anymore, Sunny."

People tend to overlook Aubrey when it comes to AUs (especially Omari AUs)/in general. She went through so much, and they only really tend to look at Aubrey to ship her, but Aubrey has problems. She was literally growing up in an abusive household for gods sake, so I doubt she really has a completely sound mind, and due to growing up in a household, she hates. she views Sunny and Maris household as her second home and views Mari basically like a sister. -so yeah. She cares, a lot.

People forget sometimes that Basil did it because he cared for Sunny so much that he got tunnel vision and was only worried for him. He didn't want him to get in trouble (simplified), BUT he still cared for Mari, so it's not a problem of "but she cares for Sunny!!" It's a thing of Aubrey caring so much about Mari, basically her non-biological sister, that when she sees her in distress, ESPECIALLY while she herself is stressed, she wouldn't be thinking correctly. She would act irrationally just like Basil because she wouldn't know, she is too young and she hasn't grown up and might be too scared to pick up a phone and ask for help.

It's scary and traumatic for Basil in the OG game because he cared for Mari and that Sunny basically abandoned him for YEARS, and it could EASILY happen to Aubrey under the worst kinds of points, she COULD act irrationally when she is stressed and sees Mari basically having a mental breakdown. She COULD see SUNNY in pain, but in her brain, she thinks he's long gone. She COULD be too scared to pick up a phone, maybe due to stress or maybe because she doesn't want Mari to get in trouble (i.e., like Basil did).

For Aubrey, she was basically the closeest to Mari (and maybe also Sunny as well, but we only really see the past mostly through Sunnys eyes, so its unsure, and Sunny is very unreliable at times in Headspace), people sometimes forget this fact that Aubrey is close to Mari, so she could make more sense as a "hide a body simulator" culprit. Also, it's really fun exploring Aubrey in this way, lol :]

Basically:

Hero is unlikely because;

He is more mature (still young, yes, but 15 is way different than 12-13).

He would probably call for help and then help Mari calm down.

He seems like the kind of guy to have hope that he's alive instead of instantly thinking to hide a body

Why I think Aubrey would maybe make more sense;

Once again, very young and likely wouldn't know what to do as she isn't very developed mentally, and she wouldn't be used to able to handle this kind of stress.

Likely would jump to the conclusion that Sunny is dead and that she needs to help Mari be fine (she'd likely get a sort of tunnel vision like Basil)

She would act VERY irrationally. We have seen her do that even when she is about 16 or so years old.

She would try in any way she could to help Mari and could possibly think, "If she gets in trouble, she'll get more sad/it would be extremely bad."

She just wouldn't want anything worse to happen to the group, thus why she would hide the body so Mari wouldn't get in trouble and make things worse aswell

She could have a very hard time thinking about picking up a phone in these kinds of situations, note: because of age and/or mentality.

Overall, Hero can work if written well, and the characters can still bounce off each other properly, but usually Aubrey makes more sense.

(if this makes no sense I made this without taking my meds right after school and waiting 1 hour for a bus.)

[thewanderersminuet]

Dear lover this is the last time

Rating: T

Relationship:Toxigriffe/Marigriffe

Tags: Paris Special, reverse crush, light angst, rated T for cursing

Summary:

Try as she might, Marinette hasn't been able to get Griffe Noire out of her head. That's why it's such a shock when he turns up on her balcony.

I wrote the first work in this series in a daze of inspiration and had originally planned to just leave it at that. A lot of people wanted more, and when I saw that day 1 of @marinettemarch was Shadybug I realized I had to write this as a follow up. (Even if she's not Toxinelle through most of this.) This is a sequel, while I would reccomend reading the first work in this series, if you haven't the main takeaway is that Toxigriffe got their own umbrella moment and now Marinette is down bad.

Thank you so much to @ladyofthenoodle for looking this over for me. The title is from the same song as the first work.

[Previous work]

[Read on AO3]

The noise of spray paint filled Toxinelle's ears. Another boring day of looking for leads to the hole Hesperia crawled into. Another boring day of coming up empty handed. Toxinelle found it hard to complain however; she was too busy being transfixed on Griffe's goofy grin as he spray painted a cat on the wall. 

She was only a split second too late to look away when he turned back to her. 

“Admiring the view?” He waggled his eyebrows at her and struck an exaggerated pose. 

Her heart beat hard in her chest. This time it wasn't her embarrassingly huge crush, but fear. She had to remind herself that the feeling of bugs crawling up and down her arms was just in her head.

Deny, deny deny. 

“I was just thinking about how stupid you looked with paint on your face.” Somehow her voice managed to come out even despite her panic. 

His face twisted comically into shock. He pulled out his baton to use as a mirror to see his face. The paint was on the cheek that had been faced away from her, she didn't see it until he turned to her. She hoped he didn't notice. 

He grinned as he placed his hand at his chin and examined himself. It was so goofy and Toxinelle wanted to scream when she realized she found it cute. 

“I don't know,” He said, putting his baton away and shooting her a shit-eating grin. “I think I look awfully char-meow-ing myself. Maybe you're just projecting, Cockroach.” 

“Whatever.” She wrapped her arms protectively around herself and turned away from him. 

It was fine. She'd been called worse. Besides, she'd been the one to start the insults. 

Still, she couldn't help but wish he wouldn't take to their back and forth with such glee. 

She let out a frustrated sigh and pulled her yo-yo out. 

“Leaving so soon?” He said. 

She couldn't decide if she wanted to punch that grin off his face or kiss it. 

“Sorry, watching you paint cats that look like they need to be put down is not exactly my idea of fun.” She turned her burning face away from him before he could accuse her of being the liar that she was.

“Suit yourself.” He said. 

The sound of spray paint filled her ears once more. Somehow, that hurt more than any of his insults. 

*******************************************************

Marinette dropped from her skylight and onto her bed. As soon as she dropped her transformation she buried her face in her pillow. She couldn't bear to see the pity she knew would be in Tikki's eyes. The supreme had told her that the kwami was nothing more than a means to an end. An object to allow her to transform. Despite this, sometimes Marinette swore she could see Tikki looking at her with genuine care.

She hated it .

It made her feel too raw, too vulnerable. It was too close to everything she really wanted. The fact that Tikki, by all rights, should hate her only made it worse.

Marinette rolled over onto her side and wrapped her arms around herself protectively. Her thoughts drifted to Griffe Noire and that day they’d eaten snacks under his umbrella.

The Supreme had made it clear, although they were to work together, only one of them would be spared once the missing Miraculous were retrieved. Griffe had no reason to show her the kindness he did that day.

...but that stupid cat did, and now she couldn't get him out of her head.

It drove her crazy. It was stupid that she was secretly excited to drop everything to fight one of Hesperia's champions just because it meant she would get to see him. It was annoying that she could hear his stupid jokes playing in her head when he wasn't around. She hated the hours she wasted fantasizing about another life, with hamsters, cats, and a boy who's name she didn't know.

Marinette clutched a pillow to her chest. It hurt. It hurt that she would never know what he was like outside of the mask. What his normal life was like. That her fantasy would only ever be a fantasy. Even without their Miraculous slowly killing them, she knew Griffe would never see her that way.

There were some days that she caught glimpses of the Griffe she saw in that alley. On patrols where everything would melt away and they could just laugh and enjoy each others company. She would eat up every crumb as if it was the only thing keeping her from starving.

...but most days weren't like that. Most days they argued and bickered. Most days she couldn't help but pick at her stitches.

Griffe was an easy target. Especially when he gave it right back.

A small weight settled on her arm. Marinette turned to find Tikki, her blue eyes wide and filled with exactly what she didn't want to see. Her eyes burned.

She was not going to cry.

Marinette sat up, pointedly avoiding Tikki's gaze.

Air. Air would be good.

Climbing onto her balcony, Marinette felt nothing but relief when she felt the cool night air hit her face. She leaned against the railing and let out a sigh.

Only to be interrupted by the sound of a flower pot falling over and shattering.

“Fuck.”

Marinette recognized that voice long before she whipped around to see who her intruder was. Griffe was frozen next to her murdered pothos.

“Please don't freak out.” Griffe lifted his hands placatingly.

Marinette didn't say anything. She had no idea how to react in this situation. Maybe she should have acted scared to protect her identity, but she was stuck between being pissed at him for breaking her plants, and being giddy at the sight of him on /her/ balcony.

Instead, she crossed her arms and stared back at him.

“Wow.” Griffe said breathlessly. “Most people freak out when they see us.”

“I'm not most people.” Marinette said flatly.

“You're not are you?” Griffe had a look on his face that Marinette had never seen before.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” Marinette desperately tried to keep her voice even despite her nerves.

Griffe perked up and instantly started looking around for something at his feet. Upon finding what he was looking for, he bent to grab it before presenting it to her.

A single red rose.

...That was slightly crushed. The stem was slightly bent and a petal fell off as they both stared at it.

“Uh... sorry about that-” He scratched the back of his neck.

“What's this?” Marinette could barely hear her own words over the way her heart threatened to beat out of her chest.

“It's for you!” A goofy grin spread across his face until he seemed to catch himself. He coughed and straightened up before holding the rose out to her again.

Briefly, Marinette wondered if she was dreaming. It made no sense for Griffe to be bringing Marinette a flower. He didn't even know her. She hesitantly reached out to take it. As if everything might dissolve away the second she made contact.

To her surprise, the world stayed intact as she brought the rose up to her face to sniff it. With nothing else to do with it, she tucked the stem behind her ear. Looking back at Griffe, she was surprised to see a soft smile splitting across his features.

“You don't even know me.” She whispered.

“Well..” Griffe rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you're too cool to be afraid of The Griffe Noire. I think that's enough to merit a flower, don't you?”

“I wouldn't know.” Marinette wrapped her arms around herself and avoided his gaze. Silence fell between them. It seemed even Griffe was left with nothing to say for once. 

“Hey, uh…” Griffe spoke up. “How do you feel about ice cream?” 

“Ice cream?” Marinette swung her head back towards him. 

“Yeah, we could go get some. My treat.” Griffe grinned and held a hand out for her. “I bet you've never traveled by stick before.” 

Marinette eyed the baton on his back warily. He was right, and she wondered how strange it would feel to travel his way for once. 

She turned her attention to his outstretched hand. Part of her screamed to run back inside. Pretend this never happened. He had no reason to be inviting her out, what if it was a trap? Or some elaborate prank? 

Her eyes drifted back up to meet his own. As soon as they did he averted his gaze and Marinette swore she could see a tinge of pink stain his cheeks. 

It was too hard to say no.

A smile spread across her face as she took his hand. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies as she watched his face mirror her own. He pulled her closer and wrapped one arm around her waist. Every point where their bodies made contact felt like it was on fire, and Marinette never wanted it to stop.

“Hold on tight.” He whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

She was right. It was a completely different feeling to travel over the city in Griffe's arms then via yo-yo. For a moment, she wondered if things had been different if this would be more common. Griffe helping her when there was nothing for her yo-yo to grab onto. Her swooping in to grab Griffe and pull him out of danger at the last moment. 

Griffe sat her on his lap and extended his baton high above the city. From here she could see the city lights stretching for what seemed like forever. She took a moment to drink it all in. Despite having seen such sights as Toxinelle before, she was certain she'd never get used to it. 

Marinette turned back to Griffe, but whatever she had planned to say died in her throat when she noticed him looking at her. His eyes widened comically. Her own cheeks burned and she quickly looked back down to the streets below them. 

“Ice cream?” She squeaked out. 

“O-of course. Uh…” She more felt then saw his head swiveling around, looking for his destination.  “There!” 

He tightened his grip on her and took off fast enough to make her head spin. When they eventually landed, Griffe gently let her down. Marinette quickly realized where they were when she saw the ice cream cart. 

“Andre?” Marinette turned to look at Griffe in surprise. This wasn't just any ice cream. 

Griffe jumped and averted his gaze. He rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Shall we?” He gave her a nervous smile and once again, Marinette was struck by seeing this side of him. 

She took his hand and lead the way. He squeezed her hand as she pulled them to the end of the line. For a moment, everything was strangely normal. Just another couple in line for sweethearts ice cream. 

Until the couple in front of them looked back. 

They screamed. Soon everyone else in line was screaming and running. Griffe and Marinette looked at each other and shrugged. 

“Looks like they're letting us go first.” Griffe flashed her a grin.

“How kind of them.” Marinette couldn't help but return his grin. 

Andre was rushing to try to pack up his own cart. Marinette found it absurd that he could be that scared of Griffe and still take his time to try and save his cart. 

“Hey! Where are you going?” Griffe put a hand on the cart to keep him from fleeing. “All we want is some ice cream.” 

“B-b-b-b-b-b-but- My ice cream is for-” Andre glanced at Marinette and she found herself wondering what he thought was going on. “-for lovers!” 

“And? What's the problem?” Griffe asked. 

Andre didn't answer. He just looked between them as if that'd tell him what to do. 

Marinette caught a familiar grin spreading across Griffe's face. She crossed her arms and took a step back. 

Griffe called on his cataclysm and hovered it over the cart. 

“One ice cream cone and nothing has to be broken tonight.” 

A few minutes later and they were walking down the bank of the Seine, looking for a private place to stop and eat. Griffe carried their cone in one hand. It was raspberry and mint. Marinette was pretty sure the raspberry had to be for her, but the mint confused her. Sure, Griffe had green hair, but it was a lot darker then the color of mint. She wondered if he was just as confused about where the red came from. 

“Have you ever had this ice cream before?” He asked. 

“No.” 

“I'm surprised.” He said. “You seem like the kind of girl to have everyone clamoring to buy her ice cream.” 

Marinette scoffed. What kind of impression did he have of her? “Not really, no.” 

Another uncomfortable silence fell between them. Marinette pretended the billboards were suddenly very interesting. 

At least a Gabriel ad caught her eye. 

She let out a groan. Of course it had Adrien Agreste on it. Did they even have any other models? 

Griffe stopped and followed her line of sight. Once he caught sight of what she was groaning at he froze. 

“Wh-what's the problem?” 

“It’s-” Marinette hesitated, unsure if she wanted to get into it. “It’s the model in that ad.” 

“Not a fan?” Griffe's tail lashed behind him. 

“It's a long story.” 

“I have time.” 

Marinette looked at him, but he refused to meet her gaze, instead focusing on the ice cream. She sighed. 

“Chloé Bourgeois was in the bakery the other day. She had a friend with her.” She gestured over her shoulder to the billboard. “She was bragging about being friends with super famous, super handsome model Adrien Agreste. They were being rude to our other customers so I had to kick them out.” 

Griffe quickly turned to look at her. “Both of them?” 

Marinette blinked, unsure where he was going with this. 

“I mean, they were together.” 

“But—” Griffe tapped his foot. “What makes you so sure he was acting like that too?”

“I—” She was thoroughly confused now. It's not like Griffe had been there. Why did he care anyway? “Yeah, sure. I guess technically Chloe was the only one causing problems but… he's her friend. I have no reason to believe he's any different.”

Griffe went silent again. He wouldn't even look at her. Marinette started to wonder if she did something wrong, but she couldn't figure out what. 

Maybe coming out was a mistake. 

“I— I should go.” She started to step away, only for him to reach out and grab her wrist. 

“Wait. don't go— uh…” He frowned and suddenly it hit her. 

“You don't know my name do you?” She asked. 

“I-” He let go of her and used that hand to rub the back of his neck. “You never gave it to me.” 

“How many times have you had sweethearts’ ice cream before?” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away. 

Maybe she wasn't being very fair. But it hurt. It hurt to know that he would bring a stranger out to get ice cream with him, but never Toxinelle. 

“N-never!” He said quickly. “Maybe we should start over!” He struck a goofy pose. “My name is Griffe Noire! What's yours?” 

She considered telling him. Telling him and pretending this conversation never happened. Pretend he actually cared about her. 

Instead, she shook her head. 

“Goodbye, Kitty.” 

She shoved her hands in her pockets and took off. Leaving him alone with their untouched ice cream. 

[derekgoffard]

Colin's older sister is a very small part of his background, however Ive had some characterization down for a while now so I thought I'd make a little post about her 🤲.

Her name is Claire Midland! She has virtually no relationship with Colin and probably does not ever wish to see him again yayyay 👐. She also has those mother issues that make you a bit mean and desperate for comfort all the time but that's okay 👍.

Some extra trivia under the cut 🕊️

( THESE ARE ALL WRITTEN VERY MESSY + INCOHERENT. IM SORRY IF U ATCUALLY TRY READING THIS 😭😭😭😭😭 )

- she went into nursing because she wanted to give others the kind of care and attention she herself craved - however she eventually realized that was not at all the reality of nursing. She kind of hates her job 👹.

- her life revolves around this funny little cycle of her feeling this constant sense that she is unloved, which leads her to constantly be seeking comfort ( physical and emotional ). However she never feels comforted for long, hence the cycle continuessss la la la🤸.

- her favorite thing ever is being coddled, she's a hard worker but she wishes she wasn't.

- She loves flowersss, but she can never keep them alive. Despite this she continues to buy them, only to have them die in days. Her favorite flowers are sun flowers 😊.

- her necklace has her and her mother's birthstones ( emerald and topaz ).

- she's never held a steady relationship for over a year but she has alot of positive one night stands. Not necessarily sex either - usually she just wants to be cuddled and coddled over for a night, y'know how it is ☹️..... Let me tell you what tho her aftercare game is unbeatable LOLLLLLLLL.

- she was a very clingy and emotionally demanding child. ( example; Claire would absolutely NOT enter school without her mother, and so her mom had to sit next to her desk in school for most of her early education ). This was okay for a little while, but when Colin was born, their parents got a divorce, and their already mentally ill mother could not really cope with two children.

- Since Claire was the oldest ( still very very little, like 7 years old )- it fell on her to help her mother, while Colin would bounce between their father and mother. Claire has never had a relationship with Colin, but she secretly blames and resents him for their parents divorce, and their mothers declining mental health. While ofc Colin resents her for basically gatekeeping his own mom LOL.

- Her relationship with her mother is surface level and distant. No matter how hard she may want to- she just can't connect to her mother. Claire is too emotionally taxing and her mother is pretty much unwilling to deal with it at this point. Claire reminds her of the lowest times in her life, and she sees Claire's attachment to her as a failure in how she raised her. She thinks Claire needs to grow out of it by herself. I think her mother does feel guilty about how Claire's childhood turned out- and so she really does think trying to let Claire find her own way is what's best for her.

- oh and also Claire is pretty much the reason Colin received so little attention from her as a child LOL- she would get HIDEOUSLY jealous of baby Colin taking attention from her mother and throw really intense fits about it 👤 I'm thinking she even went as far as trying to hurt Colin in some way. Sorry Colin, no healthy relationship with mom for you. your sister is too emotionally demanding.

- I think she's doing okay now. She's a little unhinged but I'm thinking she has a steady job and nice girlfriend now. I kinda want her to be happy y'know. 🕊️

- unrelated but Claire has not seen Colin since they were young teenagers so she has no idea about his dyed hair or fashion sense. I don't think she'd be able to recognize him to be honest LOL.

[all-pacas]

how much do you think cameron regrets/doesn't regret her last conversation with house?

So much

So, caveat, first of all: I don't think she was wrong. I don't think she was being insincere. But Cameron was also speaking emotionally, speaking out of grief and heartbreak: Chase just picked House over her, the life she had and wanted and fought for is over. Cameron is never going to get married lightly, never going to take commitment lightly. We spend literally years watching her push herself and try and want this life, even if she messes up or backslides now and then, and just like that it's gone. And she blames House.

And she's not entirely right. But she's not entirely wrong. House didn't kill Dibala — Cameron assigns him the blame, tries very hard to take Chase's agency away in order to be able to forgive and be with him — but she's right that House… set up a series of conditions. Set them up to take risks, to act with impunity, to treat consequences as an afterthought. This is the same exact theme that carries Nobody's Fault/Chase, btw: is it House's fault Chase got stabbed, because House shaped and molded Chase into the type of person who takes these risks? (And, important footnote: while Chase disagrees with Cameron in Teamwork, he comes down to the exact same conclusion as her in S8: yeah, it kind of was because of House.) It's not literally House's fault. But Chase is who he is because of House, and maybe that's not the person he (or Cameron) want him to be.

But in any case: in Teamwork, Cameron is also emotional. She is quite literally heartbroken. She did love House — not romantically, not anymore, but he's her mentor, the person who taught her to be a doctor, as she says in S4. She's never been good at letting things go, letting people go. She retains her stubborn optimism, she wants to believe people can be good and change and fixed, be better, and that means she can't let go, because letting go proves her own thesis wrong, you know? It's hard for her. She's angry. She's upset. She's lashing out — something else Cameron is prone to, she's more hot-headed than she's given credit for, she's easily frustrated and provoked. She wants House to be better than this, she wants Chase to be better than this, and she can't have it, and she's hurt, and she's angry. We don't really see her and Chase's last conversation — really frustrating to me — but in Lockdown he basically says she said he was poison and left. She hugged him. She didn't yell at him; she's still trying to protect Chase, I think. Protect her image of him. It's House's fault, not his. And speaking of Lockdown: if that doesn't scream Cameron is terrible at this, I don't know what does. Not even six months ago she left him because he's a murderer, now she can barely manage to maintain anger at him for ten minutes. Cameron is not good at hating people.

So once she calmed down? Had time to miss House? After Lockdown, when she and Chase have closure and are on surprisingly-good terms? I think she regrets how she left it with House. Not enough to do anything or change her mind, but… you know. She's always going to wish things were different. She's always going to love him a little.

And when he 'dies'? "Somewhere in there… he knew how to love," she eulogizes. I mean, Cameron isn't going to air dirty laundry at a funeral, lol. But she's clearly… she doesn't like to let go of things. And now she can never get closure, never see House change. She's back to remembering him fondly, I think. She's probably always going to wish she'd gone back and fixed him and made him better, even when she hated him the most.

[englishstrawbie]

Station 19 7x07

If you've known me for a while, you'll know how much I've wanted the show to pick up the Maya/Mason relationship again. Especially since season 3 and Maya's acknowledgement of their father's abuse. I never expected it to go like this, to see Mason so full of hate and prejudice. It hurts my heart, but jeez those scenes were so good. Danielle's acting choices - her movements, her jumpiness, her voice intonation. All of it was so good.

It's interesting how Maya thinks she knows Mason, yet he didn't know about her bisexuality. I feel like there's always been a belief (or wish?) that Mason and Maya were close, that he knew things about her that she kept secret from her parents.

All that trauma we've seen Maya process, all that fear that she is or will turn into her father - and it's happened to Mason. Ugh. 💔 The writers did such a great job with their dialogue.

"I can agree to disagree about everything except my humanity, Mason. I am just trying to exist and your brothers hate me for it." ... how much have we all felt that at times? 😭

"Because you are poisoning this country and you shouldn't be allowed to do that, you shouldn't be allowed to have kids." ... f*ck you, Mason. 🤬

That moment when Maya allows herself to see him for who he is and realise that she can't save him broke my heart, but I'm also glad that she finally is able to let go of the burden that she's been carrying for all these years.

"You're not allowed to touch the beautiful life that I've created, because you'll ruin it. I have love that we never knew existed as kids and I wanted you to have that too, but you don't want it. And I won't risk losing it." ... That last goodbye, it felt like it could be forever, and you could feel all of Maya's sadness as she walked away.

It seems that Maya didn't tell Carina about her plan to see Mason before, but she'd obviously spoken to Carina afterwards, since she already knew about it when Maya got home. I wish we'd had more of a conversation between them. The conversation with Beckett was much needed for her - not with Beckett, but her need to process and hear someone to tell her that she did the right thing. It's not new that we see Maya and Carina processing life stuff with other people, and not each other. But the fact that it was with Beckett, of all people? That he's the one who saw her sadness and vulnerability? When there's never been any accountability for what happened last season? Don't get me started. 🤦🏼‍♀️

The 10pm time slot is really working out for the wlw couple, huh? I actually thought the scene was lovely, but I totally understand the frustration about why it was so vanilla compared to the straight couples. Was this the scene they called "spicy"? The less people pay attention to that David guy, the better IMO.

I'm glad they picked up on Carina's lawsuit. I love how we saw Carina empathetic and realistic about what happened, but also compassionate towards the mom who is so clearly struggling. It goes to the heart of who she is to still want to help her and the child, despite everything. I wish there was the time (and desire) for the writers to continue this storyline, to see the outcome - I'm doubtful, but who knows.

Also, I loved the double dose of seeing Carina on Grey's too! She was kick ass in that surgery scene and I love to see it. 😍

On another note, what's with all the Amazon Prime advertisements this season?

[wheretheharekissesthefox]

Why do you make me feel this way? - Chapter 1: Campfire

Astarion frowned in irritation as he shot daggers at the bunch of weirdos sitting around the campfire. Gale had cooked up a root vegetable stew that smell incredible and the others shovelled it into their mouths as if they were starving. Halsin blathered on about "nature's gifts that keep giving" and Lae'zel expressed her disgust regarding the beets' earthy flavour while Karlach exclaimed to finally be able to "go for a good meal".

Astarion's gaze fell on Tav again. Good-natured, big-hearted Tav. The vampire spawn wasn't able to figure her out. Everything about her seemed contrary; her strong frame even though she was a bard, her honesty even though she could spin the most believable lies when she wanted to, her down-to-earthness despite being an artist, and her gentleness even though she fought with a ferocity that was impressive even to him.

Who are you really? What are your true intentions? Astarion mused. How long until you'll show your true colours?

He stared at their androgynous not-really-but-still-kinda leader.

He had accidentally caught her bathing in the river and had stared at her broad shoulders, muscular arms and thick thighs. He was sure she could pick him up with ease despite being shorter than him. He'd looked at the freckles on her shoulders and back, looked at that awful, short, shaggy hair style that she'd accomplished all by herself with a pair of scissors and a razor. He'd listened to her sweet voice that was so soothing as she hummed to herself.

There was something unnerving about her kind eyes when she looked at him – as if she could see right through his flirtatious facade and into his battered heart. Astarion hated it as much as he craved it. Deep down, he wanted to trust her, to be his true self again after all these years of terror caused by Cazador.

Why do you make me feel this way? Astarion asked silently, and, with a heavy heart, he watched as Tav laughed at one of Gale's lame jokes. The vampire spawn closed his eyes for a moment. The worst part was that he trusted Tav. He didn't know why, he just did. Astarion felt safe around her and he was terrified of been hurt.

Scratch and the owlbear cup seemed to sense his emotional turmoil since they scuttled over and pressed themselves against the vampire spawn's legs.

"Hey, Astarion! Come join us!" Tav shouted smiling, waving her spoon above her head.

The addressed forced a nonchalant smile onto his face and sauntered towards the fire. He sat down next to Tav and let himself be patted on the knee. Sighing silently, Astarion threw another glance at the fascinating human next to him.

Please, don't judge me for what I'd been forced to do. Please, accept me just the way I am. Love me, please.

[aetherialpiplup108]

How the Alchemy of Souls Season 1 Ending Perfectly Demonstrates Yeong's Guilt, Uk's Persistence, and the Beauty of their Bond

I should hate the ending of Alchemy of Souls season 1. Jin Mu's random contrived bells showing up and being used as a pivotal series-defining plot-point in the same episode drives me just as insane as it did Mu-deok. And it kills me to watch two characters who are defined by their ability to challenge the world and resist fate succumb to its pressures (note: I don't think this is a flaw in the series since it's simply a fraction of the overarching theme the story is trying to convey but boy did it hurt). I should have been so massively disappointed and yet the climax itself runs rent-free in my head a full year after I saw it for the first time.

First of all, we finally get sword-fighting Yeong again and in the absolute worst way possible. It creates this wonderful cognitive dissonance in your head where you're simultaneously crying in angst while cheering on Jung So-min as she puts on the performance we've been longing for the entire show.

Next, there's the behemoth stabbing scene itself. When Mu-deok regains consciousness in Uk's arms, there's a brief look of confusion in her eyes likely due to the gaps in her memory, the heaving of his voice, the desperate way his arms are wrapped around her, or maybe even the blood seeping between them. But the first thing she says even before processing everything is: "Jang Uk? ...Did I do this?"

Despite embracing the ruthless assassin lifestyle (a hard path she undertook due to the love she felt for her family and the immense grief felt in their loss), Yeong does care about other people. We know this through the way she slyly sneaks in affection towards Uk, helps Yul heal and let go of the guilt he's held onto since running into her as children, and offers Go-won an esoteric companionship they both come to value greatly. In season 2, through amnesiac!Yeong, we're given an even clearer glimpse at her intrinsic compassion through the unhidden empathy she shows to practically everyone she meets.

But the real Cho-Yeong spent years of isolation in Danhyanggok's cruel winters training, breathing, and living for revenge. Knowing only how to kill and draw blood, of course Yeong believed she'd end up hurting anyone stupid enough to come too close. It's why her first instinct is to shear off every potential bond she could make: to protect herself from any more loss and to protect others from her. When it became impossible to deny the love she and Uk shared, Yeong chose to wield it callously to avoid getting attached, to remind him and her that she wasn't round-faced Mu-deok who was free to earn and give affection. She was Naksu. Undeserving, dangerous, poisonous Naksu. We see this thought process and self-denial make a reoccurrence in season 2 when Yeong immediately distances herself from Uk the second she gets her memories back, even if it agonizes her, because she can't bear to hurt him again.

Rather than assigning blame to Jin Mu, she takes her sword through Uk's chest as mere confirmation of what she always believed: how could the ruthless shadow assassin that lives off revenge be allowed to love and be loved?

Yeong's guilt is especially ironic when paired with Jang Uk having no doubt in his mind that she's innocent. He gets stabbed and just pulls her close before he's even able to process what's going on because they'd been there before at Jeojingak when he had her hold a sword to his neck.

Jang Uk is the first and only person, really, to hold complete confidence not in Yeong's prowess as a mage but in her character and ability to care. And it means more because as her pupil, he's the person (aside from herself) that Yeong's been the harshest with. She continually put his life in danger whether through poison or overtraining or by inciting death matches, and hurts him again and again with words and actions (gambling the jade egg) meant to prod right at his insecurities. Yeong had thought this would be enough to keep him at bay, to force him into a transactional relationship where she wasn't afraid he'd run away too soon and yet wouldn't let herself build up hope that he'd actually stay when the terms of their initial agreement were met.

Except.

Uk had already seen glimpses of that lonely girl Yeong buried inside and actually tried to understand her, failing at times but doing his best to make sense of the way she thinks without judgement. In the process, he realized just how much Yeong values the people she loves, how much she wants to protect those who've shown her even the ounce of kindness she doesn't think she deserves. That's how he knows, instinctively, that she couldn't have stabbed him. It's how he knows she wouldn't even fight Dang-gu (although, I'm not sure if he was aware that she killed Cho-yeon's father before arriving in the forest). Because how could someone who's so grateful for the love they deem themselves undeserving of cast it aside so easily?

And finally, because somewhere along the way this post devolved from a loosely structured rant over one scene to a frantic gush over these two ridiculously endearing characters, the beauty of the climax is shown in the way Uk just watches helplessly as Yeong struggles and breaks down in a way so uncharacteristic of the stoic, emotion-swallowing woman who could only say "I like you" under copious amounts of alcohol. It's so unbelievably soft (idk, maybe I'm just a lunatic) when he slowly searches for her hand, using the last pieces of his strength and then some to lace their wounded fingers together, somehow managing to use his entire blood-soaked body in the last 2 minutes to show her that she has his entire heart, whether she deserved it or not, and there wasn't anything she could do that would make him leave.

of course, these are just my interpretations of the characters. Maybe I'm completely off or reading way too much into it.

tl;dr: I have a lot of criticism for certain aspects of Alchemy of Souls, but the relationship Jang Uk and Cho Yeong share is so powerful. Though tragic and shockingly reliant on plot-convenience, the finale of season 1 depicts their relationship beautifully by illustrating the depth of their trust and reliance on the other. Also, UkYeong has rooted itself thoroughly in my head. I've never been so invested in a ship, someone send help!!!!!