#shes one of my favorites shes so interesting

[icyculturekingdompanda9989]

The death threats ("you should solve your "still alive" situation as soon as possible", "#but that's my favorite character/series!" die in a fire motherfucker", "#HP consumers need to fucking die torturously slow immediately now", "Actually I belive that as a community we should run over all Harry Potter fans. This is a serious political belief of mine. We must kill ALL Harry Potter fans. With busses") aren't helping, either.

Also, sed1ment, why you leave these in the tags?

#going in the woods to read harry potter like a witch practicing black magic #I think jkr gets enough publicity from her own actions #I don't think Deborah who works as a second grade teacher buying her books from a flea market really impacts anything #like I swear to y'all we have bigger fish to fry than arguing over the morality of reading harry potter #like yes jkr is bad and you shouldn't support her but like shes also rich and is not going to go brokebecause you aren't reading her books #like if you boycott her stuff because you don't support her actions and don't want to feel like you areaiding her very good for you #however yelling at people online for not doing the same ultimately achieves nothing but making you angry and tired #fuck jkr tho #just to make that clear #I don't really give a shit about Deborah tho

And you, jenndoesnotcare same question?

#one of the most interesting things about Harry Potter #is that it is so ubiquitous and so many people know the stories #and have fond childhood memories of them #that sometimes I have a real moment of having to decide #(as a person who deeply loved the texts andengaged with them in both study and enjoyment for years) #how much do I ruin their childhood? #so I really like parking all my assumptions at the doorand asking: #what did you love about these books #the answer is invariably related to how those storiesmade people FEEL #sometimes it's rooted in nostalgia #and sometimes it's about how being a kid is such a powerless and terrible time and you have so little autonomy #that we all want to believe we're important and cancontribute #so many people who aren't terminally online just...genuinely do not know that jk rowling is a terrible transphobe #they read the books as kids and then grew up and had kids and wanted to share that #or they're much older and remember that it was a Big Deal #and so get it for grandkids or niblings or whatever #there is so little MALICE in it #so I tend to believe people don't know the full extentof jk's terrible personal politics and her awful reach #and I do my best to gently redirect parents and grands toward Diana Wynne Jones or Susan Cooper #(other amazing British writers who write magical questing middle grade fiction) #and I don't immediately judge people who have that tender and distant fog of nostalgia #because probably? they don't know. #I do know #but that doesn't mean I get to go around thinking people who aren't terminally online are just terrible people #like. people in the world literally do not know! theydon't know!!! how awful she is!!! #oh! some of my favorite answers from the question of what did you love about it: #it made me feel safe and cosy' #they got to have adventures' #'my mom and I read it together' #tl;dr: people are mostly good and probably more ignorant than malicious

Well, as long as you're not forcing those other books/authors...

Oh yeah, to reiterate a point fortunes-haven made and why I reblogged from them specifically:

I don't like being preached to about morality, even regarding a cause I agree with and an action I'll be taking anyway (I haven't had interest in anything Harry Potter in well over a decade). So if this thread gets that response from me, I don't think it's going to be effective with anyone else either except similarly devout members of the consumerism-as-activism choir. And it will likely turn off people who might otherwise have been convinced.

to summarize: you have the moral backbone of a flatworm if your response every time harry potter comes up is to make it about your inability to give up a book

[mephisto-with-a-knife]

Lads Boys x reader x MC

@cairoblair @aelynaneedsalottathing

So one of my ideas is that reader works at Destiny Cafe

-MC stumbles upon Destiny Cafe when roaming Linkon City while she’s in her first year at the Hunters Academy (I’m pretty sure it’s like the equivalent to college so I’m assuming she’s there for 4 years)

-MC becomes a regular at Destiny Cafe and so she often sees reader and they make small talk

-MC sees reader on their day off and whatever it is that reader is doing sparks interest in MC

-MC becomes determined to befriend reader and often comes to the cafe just to talk with reader

-MC and reader become friends and exchange phone numbers and begin to text and also hang out outside of reader’s work hours

-MC and reader form a deep bond

-MC purposely doesn’t tell Caleb about reader

-MC doesn’t realize it fully at first but she’s somewhat possessive over reader because like reader is her best friend/favorite person

-MC graduates from the Hunters Academy and begins working at the Hunters Association

-The main story has begun so she meets Xavier and reunites with Zayne and also meets Rafayel

-She doesn’t take them to Destiny Cafe since that’s her special place where reader is

-Xavier “just so happens” to stumble upon Destiny Cafe and sees MC there (totally didn’t secretly follow MC because she would randomly be busy and disappear from where Xavier knew she usually went)

-Zayne actually finds Destiny Cafe normally. He had been looking for a cafe with good desserts and has been going to Destiny Cafe occasionally but just hadn’t bumped into MC there before

-Rafayel like Xavier pretends it’s just a total coincidence that he bumped into MC at Destiny Cafe

-Xavier and Rafayel are definitely jealous when MC pays more attention to reader than them

-Zayne is a bit disappointed but is happy to see that MC has a close friend

-MC gets pouty when reader pays attention to the boys instead of her (reader is literally just doing their job

-Insert stuff about developing relationships between everyone

-Drama about Caleb’s death

-Also insert Sylus showing up at the cafe once him and MC are friends

-Drama about Caleb being alive

[mediumgayitalian]

"Take my seat."

"Your seat sucks."

"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine this morning."

Nico scowls at him. It, unfortunately, does nothing, because Will was born with zero fear instinct and is looking forward to the day Nico kills him.

"It's six in the fucking morning, Solace. The sun is not even a ray of sunshine this morning. Because it is too fucking early."

"Children," drawls Will, lazily. He gestures to the children in question, who watch Nico, giggling. Nico flushes.

"Move."

"I'm movin', I'm movin'."

He scooches down the bench, pushing his little siblings as he goes. They offer zero help, letting him manhandle them around on the little wooden bench and boasting about how big they're getting. Will rolls his eyes playfully at them and tells them to eat their vegetables to keep that up.

Nico perches tentatively onto the open spot, holding his breath.

"Sorry," he mutters, gaze locked onto the table. "For -- cussing."

The oldest of Will's sisters -- Kayla, if Nico remembers correctly -- barks a laugh.

"Oh, don't you worry, Nico, you shoulda heard Will last night when he walked right into the --"

"Aaaaaannd that's two weeks of laundry for you."

"What?! No! That's abuse of power!"

"That's what you get for being a loudmouth.

Will's eyes flash something amused and dangerous -- daring her to continue. Kayla scowls, pushing her plate away and sticking out her tongue.

"Ugh." She mutters something, under her breath. It might be stupidhead.

Nico suddenly works very hard to tamp a smile down.

"You'll get used to it," Will offers, nudging their shoulders together. "Kayla is biding her time, see, so when I finally keel over --"

"Don't tempt me."

"-- she'll be ready to take over as Dictator of Cabin Seven."

Nico pokes at the omelette Will put on his plate. There is something green in there. Gross.

"Dictator?"

"'Democracy is by the people, for the people, unfortunately you brats are little demons sent to test my patience and so this is what you get,'" quotes the toddler on Will's left. Probably not a toddler. But he's approximately the size of a peanut M&M, so Nico takes a guess. "Will says when he stops waking up to new gray hairs we can discuss shifting into an electoral system."

"Mhm."

Next to Kayla, Austin -- the musician, Nico remembers -- pipes up. "Although we've been interesting in staging a coup. Would you be interested, Nico? I've heard you have an army or two you can --"

"No," Will says loudly, looking pointedly at his brother. "We talked about this, Austin. No magic from doofus over here until he's healed. You can wait a couple weeks to see a zombie again."

Austin pouts. It takes Nico a few seconds to realize he is the doofus in question. He misses Austin's mumbling about video games and real-life boss battles in favor of sputtering, loudly, and waving his hands with enough force to knock four utensils off the table.

"Ex -- excuse me!" he stutters, glaring at a laughing Will. "I know you are not referring to the King of Darkness as -- as doofus!"

Will has dimples when he smiles, on the dead centers of his round cheeks; they blink in and out of existence as he tries, halfheartedly, to school his face.

"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty," he says, not sounding very sorry. "I shall never refer to you as such again."

Nico scowls. "Good!"

"It would be Prince Doofus, to you. I cannot believe I so misspoke."

The rest of the table -- even Kayla, who is still determined to launch as many pieces of bell pepper into Will's hair as she can -- bursts into giggles. Only Austin bothers to muffle them in his hands.

He, Nico decides, is his favorite. The rest of them are -- are insubordinate, unbelievable, plebian yokels.

(Cute yokels, the little ones.)

(But yokels.)

"I'm leaving," Nico growls, pushing himself up from the table. "I don't know why I even --"

"Hey." Will smiles when he looks, small and apologetic and genuine. "I'm sorry, Nico, I'm only teasing. I'll stop. Stay."

"Yeah," pipes up Kayla. "I'll hit him every time he teases you."

"Me too!" adds Austin. "I'll throw homefries!"

Three other little voices cheer their agreement.

Will nods sagely. "See? They'll hit me."

Nico hesitates.

Will sticks out his bottom lip, fluttering his eyelashes.

Nico melts.

A little.

"Fine," he mutters, dropping back on the bench. "I'll -- whatever."

Will grins, slinging an arm over Nico's shoulders. "Stay as long as you like."

[waggtoon]

Why Maud Pie is Autistic

In honor of Autism Acceptance Month, I wanted to write a piece about one of my favorite autistic characters, Maud Pie.

For those of you who don't know, Maud Pie is Pinkie Pie's older sister from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Now while there hasn't been any official confirmation that this character is autistic, there's actually a lot of hints that she is throughout her time on the show. Heck, in her first episode there's a ton of hints this is the case.

First off is that Maud tends to take a lot of things literally, not getting certain phrases and metaphors. Which is a trait common amongst autistic people (trust me, I know).

Maud is also shown having certain behaviors or reactions to things that others perceive as a joke, much to her confusion (again, something I'm familiar with).

There are also a few scenes in the show where Maud is seen fidgeting with her pet rock Boulder (or other rocks she finds). Often Autistic people fidget as a way to deal with strong emotions like stress, anxiety, or just boredom.

Probably the biggest hint towards Maud being autistic is that she has a special interest. Autistic people have special interests that they will hyper focus on. In Maud Pie's case, it's obviously rocks. She knows nearly every single fact about rocks, she writes poetry about rocks (they're all about rocks), and would go on to college to study geology, where she would, in the show's terms; "get a rocktorate in rock science."

There's also the fact that Maud is stated by Pinkie and shown to be very honest, like many autistic people she tells the truth even when saying said truth can be seen as rude.

I should note that while the rest of the mane six had a bit of trouble clicking with Maud the first time they met her they eventually got a better understanding of her and Maud herself would become more sociable as the series continued forming friendships with various other characters.

Personally I think one of the biggest hints that Maud is autistic comes from Issue 29 of My Little Pony: Friends Forever comic series from IDW. Now I know some people will probably interject "Hey! The comics aren't canon!" and to that I'm gonna reply to that with what official MLP artist Andy Price once stated "[the comics] are considered continuity until the show contradicts them." I don't recall anything from the show stating that this story didn't happen, so it's still part of the canon!

Anyways, in this story Rarity meets up with Maud at a "Geological and Gemological" convention where they find out that a large cave system with gems has recently been discovered under the Crystal Mountain Range and that the first pony to explore the caves will receive full credit for the discovery. Rarity brings up the idea of Maud going to the caverns, though it doesn't appear that Maud is that excited.

It is at this point another pony named Buried Treasure who is Maud's rival enters the picture, claiming she will get to the cave first to claim the credit for the discovery.

As Rarity and Maud go on their journey to get to the caverns, Rarity tries to get Maud to be more emotive and passionate, but it doesn't appear to be working.

Later on just as they're about to get close to the caves, Buried Treasure ends up burning a bridge they need to cross (torch and all) which appears to put a stop to their adventure. Rarity states how this doesn't seem to be a big loss as Maud doesn't appear to be upset, and is about to write in her diary, only to accidentally open Maud's diary instead. Maud insists that Rarity should read it, which leads us to the big reveal.

It turns out that Maud does have feelings, she gets emotional about a ton of stuff, she just isn't able to show it physically, but she's able to via writing. This is something I relate to big time. I don't have as much trouble expressing my emotions as Maud does, but at the same time, I often have difficulty expressing my full thoughts and more complex feelings via talking, though in my own head or when I write them out, I suddenly feel a whole lot more comfortable and I'm more easily able to get them out (it's one reason why this essay is a blog post and not a video).

(By the way, in case you're wondering, they do end up getting to the gem caverns first. Maud does this by breaking a hole in the wall. She's very strong.)

Going onto another subject, in 2023 Lauren Faust (the creator of Friendship is Magic) confirmed on Twitter that she created Pinkie Pie with the idea that she would be neurodivergent (more specifically ADHD).

Now while ADHD isn't the same as Autism, the two are often linked, as many people who are diagnosed with one will often be diagnosed with the other. So it's very likely that Pinkie Pie has autism as well. She does have several autistic traits, like misunderstanding more complex things, having a special interest in parties to where she can memorize everyone's birthday amongst several other party related facts, heck, even her occasional bouncing and wiggling around could be seen as a kind of stimming (possible essay for later: "Is Pinkie Sense a form of stimming that can predict the future").

Now there may be a few of you that may say, "But WaggToon, Maud and Pinkie can't both have autism, they're completely different. It doesn't make sense!" To which I say, "Yes it does" because there's more than just one kind of autism. Autism can effect people differently, some people might have difficulty with loud noises, others don't, some people like to follow a specific routine, others like to be more unpredictable, some people are more introverted and quiet, other's are a lot more extroverted and love to be loud and crazy (do those last two sound familiar?).

Maud and Pinkie might not be the only autistic representation here, over the years I've seen several arguments from fans stating that certain characters could be part of the spectrum. Twilight Sparkle because she likes to follow the rules, Starlight Glimmer because she has a special interest in kites, Rainbow Dash because she has trouble paying attention, amongst several others! I could be here all day going over why multiple characters could be considered to be autistic. That's one reason why My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has such a huge autistic following, because we see ourselves in these characters.

I'm probably closer to a Pinkie Pie than I am a Maud Pie, but I still remember when I first saw Maud in her debut episode, there was just something about her that made me go "Ah yes, this is me. I feel seen."

Happy Autism Acceptance Month everybody. Remember to be like Maud and rock on.

[ktownshizzle]

Love & Lullabies | Part 6 (Teaser)

Chapter Warnings: Is Yoongi bout to fumble MC?!, Sung Kyung in her villain era

Word count: 447

Series Masterlist | TAGLIST is open

You’ve only got one hand free—your other is balancing a box of those orange pastries Yoongi won’t shut up about—so you reach for the keypad to his apartment, thumb tapping the code you now know by heart.

But the second you swing the door open, you freeze.

Standing in the entryway, pulling a sleek beige coat over her shoulders, is none other than Lee Sung Kyung.

“Oh,” she says. Blinking, brows lifting ever so slightly. “Hi.”

You take in the scene—her boots by the door, a cup half-full on the counter. It’s not scandalous, not exactly. But it sure as hell isn’t nothing, either.

You tilt your head, offering a polite smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes. “Hi.”

“I know you. You’re the temp nanny, no? My son isn’t here, though.” 

Oh wow. So that’s how she’s playing this.

You take a second, studying her face. Her expression is neutral, but her lips are just a little too tight. You have a feeling she knows exactly who you are. This isn’t ignorance—it’s a power play. A test.

Calculating your next move, you poke your tongue against the inside of your cheek—a habit you unknowingly picked up from Yoongi.

Speak of the devil. Behind her, Yoongi appears from the hallway, brows raised in alarm like he’s already running a thousand calculations on how catastrophic this looks. “You’re early,” he says to you, and then, to Sung Kyung, “I thought you were already gone.”

“I was just leaving,” she says lightly, turning to glance over her shoulder. “But I couldn’t stop myself from tidying up our son’s room. His toys are all over the place.”

It isn’t. And you know it.

“Didn’t realize you were expecting company,” she jabs.

“Didn’t think I needed an appointment,” you counter, lifting the box slightly. “Brought your favorite,” you say to Yoongi, keeping your voice steady. 

“Oh, but his actual favorites are the lemon tarts from Tartine?”

Ah. So she really wants to do this.

“Well,” you smile sugary, tilting your head, “you’ve been gone a while, haven’t you? He has a new favorite now.”

Sung Kyung mirrors your smile—tight, polished, and laced with something sharp.

You know Yoongi knows a cat fight is in his midst, and it would be in everyone's best interest that he does something, anything. He runs a hand over his hair, gripping his scalp tight, clearly dying inside. “Okay,” he mutters, eyes flicking between you and her. “Time to wrap this up.”

“But you haven’t even properly introduced us.” Sung Kyung grins and it’s fake as fuck. She turns to you again, not waiting on Yoongi to make the intro. “I'm Sung Kyung, Haneul’s mom, but you already know that.” 

“Y/N, Haneul’s teacher.” You let the silence stretch just a beat too long before adding:

“And Yoongi’s girlfriend.”

A/N: what a FLEX. 😏✨️ Dropping the entire chapter hopefully this month. I'm just adjusting with a lot of irl changes, but it should be better soon, hopefully.

Thanks for waiting on this, my lovelies. Are y'all even still here? Drop me a note, or a reblog if you can, I'd appreciate it!! 🧡

Permanent Taglist: (the rest to follow in a reblog)

@wonh0oe @woozuzu @glossdebut @kiki-zb @kookiewithluv

@agustblog @maryhopemei @perfectiondazesworld @kimsaerom @kam9404

@00-sleepdontweep-00 @tea4sykes @mggv97 @marnz1990

@whydoeyecare @pastelmin @tarahardcore @minjenna @chimmchimmm

@aaclariww @mar-lo-pap @tinytan-gerine @vesperbells @butterymin

@eve1633455 @baechugff @lilkittenjenjen @wobblewobble822 @coffeedepressionsoup

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@chimmisbae @sexytholland @idkjustlovingbts @kpophosblog @tinyelfperson

@yoongicatagenda @codeinebelle @parapiop7 @diame93 @janeelizabeth1216

@withmuchluv-tannie @abadiimm @angellekookie

[maybejj]

what are your headcanons for theo as he gets older? what is he like as a teenager or young adult? or even a young kid (like 6-10)?

i love this question!! this lowkey healed my writers blocked i’m ngl. this also turned out longer than i expected so enjoy! 🫶🏻

theo throughout the years.ᐟ

ᯓ★ theo as a toddler is very shy and quiet. if he’s uncomfortable, he will hid behind his mom or dad’s legs. however, he is wild as a buck around the pogues (jj instigates this behavior) since he’s known them his whole life. pope is lowkey his favorite for sure but theo would never say because he doesn’t want to hurt jj’s feelings although sarah is a close second. he observes everything. he’s always watching every interaction. he’s a very curious baby and has so many questions. he gets scared real easy and is a total mamas boy down to his core. he’s tiny but he’s mighty so don’t mess with his mama. he’s obsessed with superman and legos! loves to build anything and everything his little mind comes up with. for valentine’s day, pope helped him build one of the flower lego sets to give to reader. she proudly displays it as the centerpiece on the kitchen table.

ᯓ★ theo as a young kid is still quite shy. it doesn’t take him as long to open up to people anymore but he’s definitely still cautious. he loves being outside and riding around on his bicycle rafe bought him. he’s starting to enjoy the ocean more and more at this age (wasn’t a big fan of water for awhile) so jj really hops on the opportunity to teach him how to surf. theo ends up loving it! he kinda has a temper in this stage of his life. he gets frustrated easily, has tantrums out of nowhere. he gets overwhelmed easier and will hit the side of his head when his environment becomes too much. rafe and reader work with him on this but it takes time. he loves going to his dads office and looking out the window-it’s very high up so he pretends he’s flying above the city like superman.

ᯓ★ theo as a teenager is very outgoing. once he hits puberty, he becomes very confident in himself. he’s basically rafe’s mini me in the best way possible. his sharp blue eyes are his biggest weapon. uses them to get whatever he wants and it works everytime. he becomes interested in baseball and golfing and rafe gets so excited about this. constantly taking him to the country club on the weekends. buying him all the expensive baseball bats, gloves, etc. he will only have the best of the best. he still lowkey loves superman but he doesn’t want his friends to think he’s lame so he saves his geek out sessions until pope comes over. his love for building things has only increased as he gets older so he takes a woodworking shop class at school and makes his mom all kinds of things. every holiday/birthday/special occasion, he builds her something she can use. at this point, 95% of their house is scattered with stuff he’s built his mom. his still has a slight temper but nowhere near as bad as when he was younger. still very protective of his mother, even more so now that he’s older and is more aware of everything. no one is messing with his mom.

ᯓ★ theo as a young adult is very successful. he goes to UNC and studies architecture. he just loves to build things so he decides to make a living off of it. he wants to start his own business eventually so he shadows rafe for a few months to get the basics down. he’s had a few girlfriends by now but nothing serious, he’s more focused on his career at this point. he’s a great public speaker and always leads all the group projects in college. he doesn’t play any sports in college but volunteers as a baseball coach in his free time for his hometowns little league. he also golfs on the weekends with rafe when he has time. also loves coming into town and having dinner with his parents. he loves sitting down with them and telling them what he’s learned in college and what he’s currently working on. rafe always asks if he’s seeing anyone and reader just rolls her eyes at the typical boy talk. theo always laughs when they start bickering. he’s learned how to control his anger completely by this age and thinks things through before making any decisions. eventually starts his own business after he’s got a couple of years of experience and rafe really helps him out when theo starts to doubt himself. his business doesn’t do as good as he thought in the first year so rafe dedicates a lot of his time and effort into helping his son build it back up and where he wants it to be. definitely still builds things for his mom. it just becomes second nature and he loves being able to give her things that no one else has.

[muscleloverz69]

New Friends Part 1

Scott was my best friend. It's every girl's dream to have a gay best friend like Scott. He was funny and kind. Guys were never threatened by him either because he was just a 5’5 beanpole. Scott was hanging out with me in my bedroom with my boyfriend Robby. The three of us were enjoying a movie. Scott was on the floor while I was cuddled up with Robby on the bed. 

Robby was a perfect boyfriend, a 6 '5 slab of beautifully sculpted muscle. His arms were larger than Scotts entire leg and his pecs made perfect pillows. He was a quiet guy but had a massive dick to make up for it. He was also very sweet, giving me thoughtful presents constantly. My favorite was a heart locket with strands of his hair in it so we’re always together.  I’ve seen Scott steal a peak at my boyfriend quite a few times but Robby was 100% straight.

Scott looked up at us on the bed “you guys are so lucky to have each other.” 

I smiled back at him. Scott was very single, no gay guy was ever interested in him. I was trying to figure out what to say to him when my bedroom door flung open. It was my brother, Vince. If there was anyone objectively hotter than my boyfriend it was my brother. That might sound fucked up but it was true he had everything Robby had but add in a brooding attitude and manliness Robby can’t compete with. The only problem was he was an asshole who hated me.

“Hey Melissa I see your loser friend is over.”

I rolled my eyes, Scott just sat there quietly, obviously overwhelmed by Vince’s presence before finally opening his mouth “Oh um yeah, hi Vince how are you.”

“You are such a gay freak.” Vince chuckled. “Anyway Melissa I’m here because I decided I’m sick of you always bringing your boyfriend over especially when I need a new best friend.”

I was confused until I saw Vince reveal a book from behind his back. Our family comes from a powerful line of witches and that book is the family spellbook. I realized too late however as with just a few magic words a spell hit Robby right in the face.

“Robby, what did he just do to you!”

 I watched as Robby sat up, his face contorted into a sneer. “It’s Rob bitch, now leave me alone so I can hang with my bro Vince.”

My heart dropped as ‘Rob’ stood up and walked away with Vince. Just like that I had lost my boyfriend.

Over the next few days everything changed for me. Rob was over almost everyday but he was a different person. He now had that same brooding energy as my brother and they did everything together. I would watch them as they came back from the gym, threw a ball around, or harassed Scott. Robby never would have mistreated Scott but Rob seemed to love it just like Vince. The two of them would bring girls home too which really stung. When Rob saw me instead of love in his eyes it was annoyance. I was now just his best friend’s dumb sister instead of his girlfriend. My heart was shattered and all I could think of was revenge.

Rob’s Perspective

“Bro I can’t believe I was ever with your bitch sister. This body was meant to be shared.” Rob flexed one of his massive biceps. 

Vince chuckled, popping his massive pecs in response “Yeah and no more of those pussy sweaters and shit she had you in. Only compression shirts and sweats to show off to the ladies.” 

They were on their way to a club planning a wild night, Robby used to never drink, but Rob pounded beers like it was water.

That wasn’t the only way Rob changed though. His once brown hair had turned blonde just like Vince, his voice dropped an octave to resemble his new friends as well as his muscles swelled to match his bro.

It didn’t take long for Rob and Vince to find Bimbos to hook up with at the club, they took them both to the bathroom excited to drop a load. Both of them entered the handicap stall. Rob took his massive dick out and started to stroke it up and down, hips gyrating as he did. He lowered his pants more just below his ass causing his bubble but to shake a little. He bent his bimbo over and without any foreplay shoved his dick into her. His shaft quickly thrusting as a deep moan rumbled in his throat. Vince had done the same to his girl, grabbing her hair with one hand as he put his muscled torso to good use.

The two bros were so focused on their chicks they didn’t even notice as Melissa entered the bathroom. She had found the family spellbook from where Vince had hidden it and now it was time for her revenge. A spell once cast could not be undone but it can be altered by a new spell.

Rob was close to finishing his ass starting to clench in anticipation. He hardly noticed as the space around him changed. The men in the bathroom were now mostly shirtless, all of them extremely well muscled and attractive. In fact even Rob and Vince’s shirts had vanished. There was also now a suspicious number of men kissing other men. Rob felt his dick get closer and closer as the twink underneath him let out a moan before his load filled up the guy's ass. He pulled out, the boy's ass still leaking. Vince finished too, and they both pulled back on their thongs and went back to the club. 

Rob felt like something was off but couldn’t put his finger on it as he rubbed up against a jock's ass. He looked towards his bro Vince as he watched him get spanked by a very sexy leather daddy. He realized he did find his friend very attractive. Rob possessively walked up to Vince placing a hand on his muscular arm. “Hey, what if we took this back to your place.” 

Vince’s eyes went wide with anticipated pleasure as they left. In the car Rob felt a strange fog in his head before shaking it off, he loved his boyfriend and best bro and was so excited to get home.

The second they entered the house Vince picked up Rob by the ass and pinned him against the wall. Rob wrapped his well defined legs around Vince’s waist as they kissed. Tongues darting back and forth as deep moans were exchanged. Vince lowered Rob down before bending just slightly to Rob’s chest, Vince glanced up predatorily before beginning to lick Rob’s meaty pec settling on his nipple, biting it gently. Rob whimpered, running his hand across Vince’s chiseled face before reaching upward and grabbing his soft blonde hair. Rob with a fistful of Vince’s hair in hand forced Vince onto his knees. Vince lowered Rob’s jock and a thick cock bounced out slapping him in the face. Vince’s tongue ran once down the shaft while his hand gripped the base. His mouth gently began cradling one of Rob’s balls in his mouth causing Rob to exude an uncharacteristically high moan. Vince carefully released him before greedily taking him into his mouth gagging as he did. Rob gripped Vince’s hair tighter as he began to fuck his face. Vince ran his free hand down Rob’s abs as the thrusting increased in pace faster and faster until he pulled back just in time for Rob to splatter Vince’s face.

Both panting hot and sweaty. Neither noticed Melissa watching from the stairs. “Now it's time to get a boyfriend back.”

[cylci]

ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅ ꜱᴛᴏʀᴇ ! ▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||| 2:22

ᴛᴇᴇɴᴀɢᴇ!ꜱᴇᴠɪᴋᴀ x ᴛᴇᴇɴᴀɢᴇ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

⋆𝄞Reader and Sevika meeting for the first time at their local vintage record store. Fluff

{Use of she/her/they}

men + mdni

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Reader is quite the awkward person, they have a hard time approaching new people. Especially if it’s people she finds interesting, feeling like she’ll make a fool of herself is she does.

Now she wants to rid of that old self and work on her social skills whenever she can, she sees this girl in the record store, tall, short hair, she has a piercings in her lip and another on her nose.

She looks around her age, what catches her eye the most is the vinyl she’s holding.

It’s an underground band you absolutely love. Each time you try to talk to someone about them I always turn to an echo, as if ur speaking to yourself .

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So when you noticed her picking it up, she seemed hesitant.

“Just go, just go, just go, just go” your mind said forcing yourself to walk up to her.

You reached to tap her on the shoulder, but she had already noticed you and turned around.

“Oh hi” you said, she raised her eyebrow at you and removed one of her headphones. She looked at you silently waiting to speak up.

“That vinyl you’re holding is pretty good, especially their latest release…” you fidgeted with the end of your shirt for a second, until you saw the release you just mentioned to her.

Reaching out to grab it, having to stretch your arm to grab it in front of her. She stepped back a bit giving you some space.

“This one is their latest! Honestly if you haven’t listened to any of their albums, you should try this one if you like post punk. Absolute treasure.”

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As you rambled about the album, she quietly listened to your request.

For Sevika, this was one of the times she could engross herself into the things she loves, music being one of the things she loves the most.

She would spend most of her time by herself in school, or at home. As her father would always be working and the little friends she had at school had their own bigger groups.

She didn’t mind being by herself, more or so she loved it.

For her height and stature growing up, she’s always been hard to approach. Well thats what people always tell her, also the fact that she looks “intimidating”…she see it, but what can she do yk? She’s just living.

Now in present moment, some random person is talking to her. “They look so cool..” she thinks as you’re telling her about your favorite bands.

“So what type of music do you listen to? Is it the first time coming here?” you ask her, it seemed to have broken her out of a trance.

“No, I live around here-“ you cut her off surprised and excited “ Really??! What school do you go to! We could hang out!” You exclaimed. There aren’t many teenagers around your area if they aren’t some preppy jerks or hippies.

You once tried to join the hippies, but one time you came home smelling weird and your mother almost killed you. So you learned to keep your distance.

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You noticed she looked unsure of what to answer to you, feeling like you overstepped “Sorry you don’t have to answer that.”

Sevika noticed and immediately tried to reassure you “It’s alright.. um I go to Lows City Zaun public school.”

“Huh” you thought, she goes to your school?? How could you have never seen her.

“I moved to this area four months ago, I used to live around the lowest side of the city. But my dad found a place around the central parts..so yeah.”

“I live around time stop street, it’s near this shop.”you say, not sure if to keep the conversation going or your excitement made it awkward.

As you both shuffled and fidgeted, Sevika broke silence by handing you a piece of paper.

“Here, this is my pager. If you’re still interested in hanging out.” She says giving you a small smile.

For being one of the tallest girls you’ve ever met, she’s quite shy. Her short hair covering her eyes the headphones sitting on her neck.

“Yeah, I am. My names y/n, yours?” You ask her tenderly. As you gave her a warm smile.

“My names Sevika, I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah ! See you around.”

She grabbed the vinyl you were talking about, and bought it.

Waving her hand out the door as she left the store.

You felt like you’ve won the lottery, your social life is finally taking a turn. Yay !!

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Hope you enjoyed !! Thank you for reading ⊹♡

[angeliteeyes]

Danganronpa Girlies x Reader - What if you were their favorite gacha game character? Feat. Sayaka, Kyoko, Chiaki, Mikan, and Tsumugi

A modern au in which the dr girlies are just as chronically online and cringe as we are

cw: ...... gestures at tsumugi. be warned, she's acting like herself (immoral, inconsiderate of human life, and should be in jail)

Dedicated to @wandiethewanderer and @cmiru for both being angels and sweethearts on my last post with this au T~T

-Sayaka-

Sayaka's situation with you is unique, to say the least. If you don't know about the Love Live franchise and how each of the fictional idols has their seiyuu (voice actor) actually perform as them and be super involved and all that, well now you do. This au is essentially exactly like that with Sayaka as a seiyuu, but with two possibilities depending on your gender.

If you're the same gender as her, she knew from the moment your seiyuu auditions were posted that she HAD to voice you. You were just... perfect for her, y'know? It's strange to say, but when she saw you, it suddenly clicked in her mind what having a soulmate feels like.

The problem is, she wasn't given the role. Those bastards for some stupid reason decided to cast her as some other chick??? Instantly, she becomes her own character's number one hater. They're nowhere near as cute as you are! And if there's ever any drama between her character and you in the story, oh boy. Prepare to find her on an anonymous post ranting about how you deserved better, how that bitch was so, so mean to you. Just trashing her to no end.

But no matter how much she hates her character, it's nothing compared to the burning rage and loathing she feels towards your seiyuu. How dare they steal you away from her? God, she'd totally get rid of her by trashing her social image if she could. When you're an idol, all it takes is one unflattering image to get leaked, one photo of you on a date with a mystery man... It would be so stupidly easy. But then you would get haters too, and she'd never hurt you. And so, poor Sayaka has to just grit her teeth and silently seethe while acting like nothing's wrong.

If you're not the same gender, on the other hand, she actually ends up quite happy in whatever role they give her. To be honest, she doesn't exactly care for it all that much, but the boost it gives to her career? Priceless.

But then the producers come up with this idea to release a new idol group that's... not girls? In this economy? Needless to say, she's adamantly against it. After all, the fanbase likes them for being female idols. If they diverge from that, the franchise's popularity will tank (and hers, of course, but she doesn't say that out loud). Still, they carry on with the idea, which is where you come in.

She wants to hate you so so bad. It's your fault that her followers went down 10% overnight and her dms are flooded with pissed-off fans lashing out. It's only fair, right? So why is her hand hovering over the 10 pull button? Why is your adorable face lighting up her screen after she spent a disgusting amount of money on you?

Sayaka still resents the other characters in your group, but you... Well, she can handle being a little less popular if it's for your sake.

-Kyoko-

When people at her school think of Kyoko, they imagine her cool, collected exterior. They think of her high grades and the way she calmly handles any situation thrown at her.

What they don't imagine is her staying up till midnight, staring at her computer screen and meticulously spinning around a 3d model of you—and definitely not the various, uh, angles she stops at. The thing is, it's not even sexual or anything on her part. She just genuinely is so interested in knowing every little detail about you that she fails to recognize how easily misinterpreted her actions could be.

There isn't a single piece of dialogue of yours that she doesn't have both written down and analyzed thoroughly. In this au, she actually gives up entirely on the whole detective shtick in pursuit of programming, all so she can get that juicy insider info. Not that anybody but her is privy to this information. To outsiders, she just looks like the same old genius Kirigiri.

Another thing about her is her insane dedication to rituals surrounding you. She will NEVER miss her dailies, new cards/skins for you, your birthday, etc. Girlie could be in a hospital and still manages to log in. The very definition of loyalty.

-Chiaki-

Ah, Chiaki. Even in a modern au, she's still a total nerd.

When news came out about a new game release, naturally, she pre-registered immediately. No matter what genre your game is, it captured her interest all the same. She's just a pro gamer like that.

To be honest, the game you're in isn't exactly... the best. It's awful, to be frank. Every screen takes way too long to load, it crashes at least once per gaming session, and the actual gameplay mechanics just suck. Yet, somehow, she keeps playing, all because of your voice cheering her on over and over. She kinda Stockholms herself into loving the game. Sure, it's lagging... but that just means she has more time to stare at you and admire your art. So what if resources are too scarce and you have to grind for eternity? That's more time with you, gosh dang it!!!

Chiaki, being her sleepy self, is part of the body-pillow squad—or at least, she would be if your game was good enough to warrant such merchandise being sold. There are people that take commissions for those sorts of things, but for some reason ordering one of you never works out for her? Whether it's shipping issues or some other random thing, it's like fate is working against her. Poor girl has to just tape a photo of you onto a pillow and call it a day.

-Mikan-

You know how a lot of people turn to fiction as a way of coping with real-life trauma? Yeah, that description fits Mikan perfectly. The public school system and its inhabitants aren't exactly kind to her, and neither is her home life. For so long, she simply accepted being treated like garbage because, well, nobody taught her not to. Until you came along.

You are something so terribly precious to her, being the only person who speaks to her kindly, as well as the only part of her life she actually has control over. She needs you. Mikan likes to think you need her too. After all, your game has quite a lot of parasocial mechanics. You tell her good morning every day, confide in her about your troubles, and even have an affection meter (which is always maxed out on her account). Don't you get sad and lonely if she doesn't log in? Don't you look forward to talking to her, just like she does for you? Please say you rely on her. Give her a reason to keep going.

Mikan's one of the heavy daydreamer types. She kind of has to, with how horrific her real life is. It's the only way she can survive. Out of all of her fantasies, though—of which there are several—her absolute favorites are ones where you're sick. Admittedly, they can get a little... much, with how poor your health is in them. The more ill you are, the more you'll depend on her. The more valuable she is. Don't worry, though. In all of her fantasies, one thing remains the same; you're fully taken care of and cherished so incredibly deeply.

-Tsumugi-

I'm gonna be real. If you know Tsumugi, then whatever you're imagining this version of her is like, you're probably exactly right. Yes, she's absolutely insane about her obsession with you. Yes, she's handmade countless cosplays of you, one for every single outfit you've worn. And yes, she makes incredibly obscure references to you/your game every two seconds. But that's the surface-level stuff. So let's dig a little deeper into this one and explore the less-obvious.

It's easy to imagine her treating you the way she canonically does her standard favorite fictional characters throughout V3, but... if she's this in love with you, her passion is far from even her definition of normal. This is a passion that matches how her canon counterpart feels towards Danganronpa. And just like the canon, it's going to take her to a dark, dark place.

She latches onto you like a damn leech, making her entire personality revolve around being your number one fan. It's like her entire life before you got wiped out of existence. Nothing in the world matters more than you do. And yet it keeps turning. Her parents' expectations keep weighing Tsumugi down, demanding time and energy she isn't willing to give to anyone else but you. They're always nagging her about doing the chores, doing her homework, going to school every day. Always something she's supposed to do and something she's doing wrong.

So, she fixes the problem. One night, she packs up her belongings with the prepared excuse of a mandatory school trip. When the police call her phone on the way there and mention a house fire, Tsumugi does a damn good job at playing the sweet, innocent girl who's learning for the first time that her family suffered an unfortunate "accident". She has to, cause if they ever found out the truth, how could she keep up with your game's updates?

I wish I could say she feels even the tiniest bit of remorse for her actions, but she doesn't. She just doesn't. If anything, she feels relieved that her parents are finally out of the picture. Everyone treats her so gently now, so carefully, no longer daring to judge her or tell her what to do. Even her teachers back off and don't point out when she's on her phone mid-class, doing her dailies for you.

Eventually, this dream life she's living will inevitably shatter and fall apart. Maybe the police investigation reveals the truth behind that cursed fire, or maybe her facade simply breaks on its own. But for now, here you two are, now very truly alone in each other's company.

[ladyloveandjustice]

So running this poll caused me to reawaken my headcanons on which Sailor Moon character would be the Batfamily's favorite. I think I did this before but I'm being more thoughtful right now.

Bruce Wayne: In the tags I was musing about this, and basically, Tuxedo Mask is very like him (Sad orphan, wealthy, introverted, kind of uptight, has less powers than the others, like high places) but that would actually annoy him because he doesn't like himself. I settled on Sailor Jupiter as his favorite, he relates to her having a similar background (orphan, martial arts skills) but the way she's able to be so openly sweet and nurturing, when he struggles to show those sides of himself, makes him admire her, annnd that also really reminds him of Dick. He also really likes Sailor Pluto, vibes with her loneliness and mystery. He is,to the surprise of many, a Chibiusa fan, because she's essentially Usagi's Robin and she gives him parenting feels. Hotaru as well, for the goth aesthetic and general introversion and reminding him of Cass.

Dick Grayson: Sailor Moon. He thinks she's very funny and sweet and loves her stupid speeches. I think he'd also be a Chibi-Usa fan and passionate defender. He does find it very funny how much like Bruce Tuxedo Mask is (and he appreciates his ridiculous speeches) so he's a fave too.

Barbara Gordon: She likes Mercury a lot, but her true favorites are Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter, they remind her of Dick and Dinah, and she just thinks they're fun. Hotaru also gives her a lot of feelings for reminding her of Cass.

Jason Todd: I think he'd like Sailor Mars and Sailor Uranus about equally (and he also likes Sailor Neptune). He really relates to how Haruka believes in doing what's necessary, even killing, and even vibes with how she's conflicted sometimes. Michiru is hard for him to pin down but he does really like her.

Tim Drake: Immediately Sailor Mercury came to mind. Considering his taste in friends and love interests he might like Sailor Venus (though the fact she reminds him of Kon would just annoy him half the time) but yeah, I think he'd vibe with Mercury the most, not just the "she's smart one" thing but he'd find her sweet and root for her to come out of her shell. He'd also be fond of Tuxedo Mask.

Stephanie Brown: Sailor Moon, but Mars and Venus are close seconds. She loves silly girls and she loves angry girls. She's fond of Hotaru too because she reminds her of Cass.

Cassandra Cain: Sailor Saturn, she really relates to her, but she also likes Sailor Moon a lot, mostly because she reminds her of Steph a bit and Usagi triggers her protective instincts.

Kate Kane: Like many a lesbian (myself included), Uranus and Neptune meant a lot to her when she was young and even if it weren't for that I think she really vibes with their personalities. Uranus might have the edge considering her taste, but I'm going to give her Neptune as a fave, she finds her intriguing.

Damian Wayne: Sailor Mars, self explanatory imo. Also he pretends he doesn't actually like the show and calls it stupid. He likes Luna and Artemis and Diana a lot.

Selina Kyle: Luna and Artemis and Diana lmao. But as far as humans go, Sailor Neptune. Her elegance and general loyalty and moral conflict appeal. She also likes Sailor Mars, and does feel protective of Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask reminding her of Bruce alternately makes her frustrated with him and have affection for him just like real life.

Alfred: Tuxedo Mask, he likes his taste in clothing and yep, reminds him of Bruce. He also likes Sailor Moon.

I have not read enough comics with Duke to pin him down, I'm sorry, (Maybe he'd like Sailor Moon? From what little I've read?) Same with Harper.

[zepskies]

Yessss, diving back into one of my new favorite series!! 😍💛💛

Ooooh we're really heading into the lion's den on this one for real. 🤔

I still really love your description of pulling up to the mansion and the building itself:

The wrought-iron gates then swung open on creaking hinges, framed by soaring stone pillars at the entrance, and opened to a long, imposing driveway. The mansion itself was a monument to another era with its stately presence, every inch of the house whispering of wealth and distinction. The façade was a patchwork of sandstone and intricate brickwork, crowned with arched, ornate windows. Much like its inhabitants, the mansion stood like a silent sentinel – stoic, intimidating, and cold against the winter’s breath.

silent sentinel - so poetic and such an imposing image. I could do a whole page of literary analysis on just this opening. 😍 Such a rich visual, it almost feels like the beginning of a Gothic novel (loved the Frankenstein reference later on! lol). Though I also snorted at the mention of the Count of Monte Christo. That was actually the first classic lit. novel that I ever enjoyed reading in high school! 💜

Your worn sneakers were contrastingly planted on the sparkling marble floors as your eyes darted around the entrance, a grand staircase sweeping up to the second floor. You heard the soft crackle of fire on the hearth, the scents of wood polish and winter flowers in vases wafting through the air. The scene was one of old money, long-established class.

AGAINNN another rich visual - the contrast of her "worn sneakers" and the "sparking marble"?

And when Ben was leading her through the house? I was getting major Beauty & the Beast vibes. 😂 Her trepidation is so raw and real, and the way she's subtly trying to get a read on him, to play him, to guard herself, it is like so many chess pieces falling tentatively into place.

I also get that added layer of still getting whiplash from this young Ben's more human behavior vs. the crotchety sexual harassing asshole she knows. 😭

“I just need a minute to... adjust.”

*snorts* I'll say. Heavy on the subtext there! 🤣

Yes, a fucking simple, straightforward plan without any complications in sight. Time travel is so fucking easy…

Poor thing. 😅😅 She's gotta be like:

And what's so deliciously interesting is how much Ben is trying to figure her out, even as he's being so generous. It makes you wonder what his angle is in all of this (even though we can guess lol). Pardon the cliches, but if she's walking into the proverbial lion's den, then he's about to hook in a fish that's way more than he bargained for! 😆

“You don’t have to get it right for him,” you said without thinking, the talk with Butcher from that night trickling back into your mind. Ben’s eyes flickered with something close to surprise, but the smile never left his face. He swirled his glass absently, looking out the window as the wind howled outside. “Maybe not. But I keep trying anyway...”

Ughhh if that ain't a manifesto for Ben's entire conflict with his shitty dad. 😭😭 I love it when moments of dialogue like this symbolize the bigger picture!

That rewrite of the S3 scene between Ben and Butcher with the reader added in was so entertaining lol. Ben being amused at: “Why didn’t you just tell him to go fuck himself?” 😂😂 Probably remembering all the times she dropped some sailor language in front of him lolll! But also, I'd imagine he might've been remembering all the times she real talked to him about his relationship with his father (or lack thereof), then subsequently getting frustrated at the fact that she doesn't remember him/"know him" yet. 🥲

“Nah, you’d remember me,” you’d said, returning his little smirk.

“I think I did before you, sweetheart.” He’d smiled in amusement. “It’s not a competition,” you’d retorted playfully. “Anyways, just look at it this way, okay? You donated a... pinky finger to Frankenstein’s monster, but just because Dr. Frankenstein yelled, ‘It’s alive! It’s alive!’ doesn’t mean it should be. You wanna be a hero, right?” “I am a fucking hero,” he’d huffed, a bit offended. “Then slay the fucking dragon and save the panicked villagers,” you’d said with an astute grin.

Oooh I see some hints of his young!Ben flirting here. 😏 and lmfaooo again, the Frankenstein argument is totally accurate. 😂

And of course he thinks he's a hero. Villains are usually a hero in their own mind. 🙄 Although, an argument could be made that he’s more of an antagonist, rather than an outright villain. 🤔😅

“Leave her here, though,” Soldier Boy had said, which had surprised both you and Butcher. His voice had been casual, almost cold. He had then thrown you a dismissive look. “Her powers aren’t working. She’s useless, anyways. She’ll just be in the fucking way.”

Ahhh I see through you, Ben! You want to protect her, make sure she doesn't get hurt. 😏💚 (Even though he covers that up with his usual assholery. 🙄)

Now, getting back to young debonair Benjamin in the present/past. 🤣

In their conversation, you know I loved the Grace/Countess comparison, the Vought script vs. his father's legacy script. It's all so very well paralleled as well.

And then by the end of this chapter, she's already challenging his ideas of what a man should be, who he is, and how he doesn't have to try and achieve the impossible dream of making his father proud. What'll be interesting to see is how much of their interactions from the 1940s stick with present day Ben/SB, who I can imagine really wants her to remember him already. 😅

(And excited! 😜)

Time After Time – Chapter 3

Summary: Unable to control your abilities, you’re stuck in the present with Billy Butcher, his team, and America’s first asshole. At this point, you’ve become Soldier Boy’s personal punching bag. But when an accident leaves you stranded in 1942, you run into a familiar face and suddenly rely on your future tormentor’s help as your only hope.

Pairing: Soldier Boy x supe!Reader

Warnings: 18+ for language, angst, humor, reader is a supe with chronokinesis (time manipulation), 1942 says hi, fluffier, SB being a nice and kind human, rewrite of a S3 scene, drinking, lots of daddy issues to unpack here 😂

Word Count: 7.3k

Posted on Patreon March 14, 2025

A/N: This is where the word count slowly began to crawl upwards from this point on. I never had the patience for descriptions, but I tried challenging myself more with it recently. Hopefully, you'll get the feeling and vibe of the mansion I was going for. Might I have overdone it a little? Maybe. But I hope you still enjoy the picture I was trying to paint here ☺️

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist || Tag List

Chapter 3: I'm Going To Be a Lady If It Kills Me

The thick, plush leather seats of the Cadillac provided you with warmth, the heater working on overdrive to fend off the chill outside. As you passed through the rolling countryside of fancy suburbs, your gaze drifted out the window, snow swirling around the vehicle. Streetlights with icicles cast a warm, yellow glow on the road, the snow piling up in drifts around the edges.

The car glided past grand stone homes with icy window panes and leafless trees stretching heavenward before the sight of the biggest mansion on the street came into view. You had a feeling this was the place and swallowed thickly.

Jesus fuck, were you going to the mansion of the fucking Count of Monte Christo?

The wrought-iron gates then swung open on creaking hinges, framed by soaring stone pillars at the entrance, and opened to a long, imposing driveway. The mansion itself was a monument to another era with its stately presence, every inch of the house whispering of wealth and distinction. The façade was a patchwork of sandstone and intricate brickwork, crowned with arched, ornate windows. Much like its inhabitants, the mansion stood like a silent sentinel – stoic, intimidating, and cold against the winter’s breath.

Ben had remained quiet the whole drive, letting you enjoy the view in peace. But as the Cadillac came to a stop, he rounded the front of the car and hopped to your side, the soft crunch of his boots mingling with the low hum of the wind as he opened the door for you.

The soft glow of antique lanterns by the mansion’s entrance flickered in the breeze and beckoned you to step closer as you followed him to the stunningly carved, mahogany front door with slightly tarnished brass handles.

Patiently, he held the door open for you, gauging your reaction as you stood frozen on the snowy ground of the stone porch and blinked inside the dark and looming foyer. A smile flashed on his lips at your hesitance. “You coming in or what?”

“Uh-huh, I think so…”

With that, you stepped inside, and as the solid front door closed behind you, you could feel the panic rise in your chest again. Oh God, what had you done? This felt like a big fucking mistake – like saying yes to a dinner invitation at Hannibal Lecter’s place.

I always thought if I were to kill you, I would have to do it in some dramatic fashion, but then I thought, no, I’ll simply tear your head off and bury it under the house.

Shit, you hoped you got to keep your head as an eerie shiver ran down your spine.

Your worn sneakers were contrastingly planted on the sparkling marble floors as your eyes darted around the entrance, a grand staircase sweeping up to the second floor. You heard the soft crackle of fire on the hearth, the scents of wood polish and winter flowers in vases wafting through the air.

The scene was one of old money, long-established class. There was nothing hasty or modern about it. Everything spoke of a life built not just on wealth, but on tradition – on the quiet, assured certainty that the past would never be forgotten, and the future, no matter how uncertain, would always be shaped by the grandness of what had come before.

And granted, it explained a few things about the grumpy fossil you’d come to know. Mostly why he felt so out of place all the time – because he fucking was.

You still stood rooted to the spot, your breath coming in shallow bursts as your mind raced. Ben – your future captor, the one you’d been trying to escape for what felt like forever – was now playing the gracious host in his historical mansion like nothing was wrong. The fire crackled behind you like a ticking bomb, its warmth a stark contrast to the icy tension running through your veins. You forced yourself to exhale, but the air felt thick, as though the house itself was holding its breath – watching you.

Ben’s footsteps echoed in the grand foyer as he moved to the fireplace, pushing logs into place. His broad back turned toward you as he crouched, adjusting the fire, the warmth from the flames briefly dispelling some of the chill that had settled in your bones. But you couldn’t shake the unease twisting in your gut.

He hadn’t spoken yet, but you knew he was watching you through the corner of his eye, waiting for something – waiting for you to either make a run for it, or for the mask to slip and show that you weren’t as calm as you seemed.

But you had to keep your secret. You couldn’t risk him knowing the truth. You were just a stranger to him, and as far as Ben knew, you’d stumbled out of thin air – no past, no future, no real identity.

“Well,” he said finally, breaking the quiet with that low, measured tone of his, “I’m assuming you’re here for more than just the weather. You’ve got a lot on your mind, sweetheart?”

His words, though polite, were edged with something you couldn’t quite place. Curiosity, maybe? You couldn’t tell, but you weren’t about to let him pry too much.

“I’m fine,” you said quickly, your voice almost too sharp, betraying your nerves. “I just need a minute to... adjust.”

Ben gave you a long, considering look, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he could see past the walls you were building. It felt like he was evaluating you, weighing every tiny shift in your expression. You weren’t sure how much you were giving away, but you didn’t like it.

“Well, uhm, whatever you’re running from, you’re safe here,” he said softly, his gaze lingering on you for a moment longer than was comfortable.

“Like I said, I’m not gonna stay long. I’ll leave by tomorrow morning. I don’t wanna be a burden,” you replied cordially. Admittedly, you could care less if you burdened him with your visit, but there were other, more important, variables in play you had to consider.

By now, you knew he’d remember you for sure. There was no way around it, but until you had figured out how to leave again, you were stuck with him. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The timeline was fragile – too fragile – and the longer you stayed, the more at risk it was.

However, you knew you could fix it somehow. Not only would you have to get your powers magically working again, but you’d also have to travel back to the starting point a few hours ago when you arrived in this era and stop yourself from running into Ben in the first place. The current version of you would cease to exist, but your other past version could easily return to her own time.

Yes, a fucking simple, straightforward plan without any complications in sight. Time travel is so fucking easy…

Ben’s lips then quirked upward in that faint, knowing smile again. “A burden? You’re hardly a burden, sweetheart. I know this might all seem a bit... overwhelming. That’s part of the charm, I suppose. You can’t come from something like this and not carry a little weight with you… But you’re welcome here. Make yourself comfortable, alright?”

You still didn’t trust the kindness in his voice. It sounded too practiced, like a well-rehearsed speech. It was hard to tell if he was being sincere or just trying to play the role of the gracious host.

“I-, uh, I appreciate that. Thank you,” you managed, still on edge, but unable to ignore the pull of the fire’s warmth – and his.

Ben’s eyes softened, just a little, but there was still that sharpness to them, like he could see straight through your act. He then waved toward the stairs with a calm gesture of his hand. “If you’d like, I’ll show you to your room. We can talk more once you’ve had a chance to settle. And maybe we can–” He paused, considering his next words carefully. Then, as if dismissing it, he finished, “Maybe we can talk about what brought you here.”

You knew what he meant. He was fucking fishing. Trying to draw you out. Trying to find out just who you were. But it was too dangerous. You couldn’t slip up – not when you still had no idea what kind of game he was playing.

You swallowed hard, trying to keep your composure. “Yeah,” you said finally, your voice low as you forced a smile. Be like Grace, Betty and Sheila. “I think I’d like that.”

You hoped it didn’t sound too much like a lie because it was. And if you weren’t careful, it might just be your downfall.

Ben didn’t seem to notice the tension in your tone. With another smile, he turned and led you up the steps and down a long hallway, his footsteps steady and confident as they echoed in the hollow quiet, but there was an undercurrent to his pace – like he wanted to fill the silence but didn’t quite know how.

You followed reluctantly, already planning your next move in your head. You weren’t sure what this was yet. But you knew you had to stay one step ahead, or risk losing everything.

The sprawling mansion stretched out before you like a labyrinth, every hallway and every door telling a story of old wealth and expectations you had no interest in. The walls were lined with portraits, some regal, some faintly haunting, of men and women whose lives seemed to stretch back centuries, all looking down upon you with a silent, judgmental gaze.

The floor beneath your feet was cool as you moved deeper into the heart of the house. The atmosphere of the home – the heavy silence, the grand, dark walls – it was all too much. Too much for someone like you.

Someone who wasn’t supposed to belong here.

When you reached a door at the end of the corridor, Ben stopped and spun toward you, his face softening ever so slightly. “This is your room,” he said, his tone quieter now, more distant.

As he pushed open the door, the soft light from the hallway revealed a large, opulent space – dark wood furniture, a large bed covered in thick velvet curtains, a plush rug beneath your feet, and a tall bookshelf that looked like it hadn't been touched in years. It was a room designed for someone to feel both grand and small at once.

You nodded, stepping inside, and the weight of history seemed to settle on your shoulders the moment you crossed the threshold.

Ben kept his distance, not entering with you, but he waited in the doorway, watching you. “If you want to take a bath, there’s one through there,” he said, gesturing toward a door on the far wall.

You swallowed the lump that had formed in your throat. “Yeah, thanks. I’ll-... I’ll be fine.”

Ben’s gaze stayed on you a moment longer before he turned, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Take your time,” he said, his voice soft, almost tender. Then, without another word, he stepped back, leaving you alone in the vast silence of the room.

You watched him leave, the door falling into its lock behind him. The room felt suffocating now that you were finally alone. You walked over to the bed, running your hand over the fabric. This wasn’t your life. You didn’t belong here. And yet, for the first time in a while, you couldn’t ignore the tug of something real, the world you’d come from slowly starting to fade away.

It had happened before. The longer you had stayed in a time that wasn’t yours, the more twisted it had become, as if your brain was being reprogrammed by the universe itself.

Make yourself comfortable. 

You tried to shake it off. You weren’t supposed to get attached. Not now. Not ever.

You let out a slow breath, the tension of the day settling heavily on your shoulders. The bath sounded like a welcome escape, something to clear your mind.

It wasn’t just the layers of grime from the world you’d left behind that you wanted to wash off. No, it was the overwhelming weight of the timeline – of Ben – pressing down on you. You had to focus, think, plan. Your mission hadn’t changed, but the idea of him being so close, of having to act like this wasn’t a carefully calculated, life-or-death game of chess – it made your skin crawl.

After a few minutes, you made your way to the bathroom at last. The tub was a luxurious affair, deep and wide, its marble sides shimmering in the soft light of the room. You sank into it, the hot water enveloping you like a warm embrace. For a moment, you just allowed yourself to breathe, to let the noise in your mind quiet.

Home…

Still nothing. Your powers were refusing to entertain you. Sometimes, you thought they had a mind of their own – like the Time Lords themselves had possessed you and only used you as their tool whenever they pleased.

Your thoughts then drifted back to Ben – the guy you hated in your future, but who seemed like something altogether different now. Here, he wasn’t the monster you’d come to despise. He was kind, helpful, almost… charming. It unsettled you. How could someone be so different in two time periods?

When you finally rose from the bath, the water only lukewarm at this point, the weight of your decisions felt heavier than before. The towel around you, though soft, didn’t help. It only served to remind you that you had no real clothes here. Nothing was yours. You stared at yourself in the mirror, the reflection of a stranger in a foreign time. You didn’t want to put your old clothes back on after your refreshing and clean bath. They were wet, cold, and dirtied with mud.

Shit…

Reluctantly, you stepped into the hallway, unsure of how to ask, but the need to find something – anything – took over. It wasn’t like you could just wander around in a towel, although you were sure your host would probably appreciate the sight.

“Uhm, Ben?” you called softly, your tone a little shakier than you'd intended.

A few moments passed before his voice answered from down the hall, a bit too loud, as though he’d been waiting for this. “Yeah?”

“I-, uh, I don’t have... anything to wear,” you said quietly and swallowed, your gaze drifting to your bare feet on the floorboards.

There was a long pause before he appeared in the doorway, his face flushed. “Right. Well, I-... I can get you something,” he said. His eyes flicked to the floor for a moment before meeting yours again, the awkwardness hanging between you like a palpable thing that you could reach out and touch with your fingers. “I–” His voice dropped lower as he turned away for a second, his hand on the doorframe. He then gave a brief chuckle, almost self-conscious. “I don’t usually keep spare clothes for, uh, guests. But I’m sure I can find something that fits you. One second.”

You felt tethered to the ground as he disappeared down the hall, unsure whether to laugh or fucking scream. He came back a few moments later with a shirt and pants, an outfit clearly meant for a man, and you were pretty sure they were his own. The fit would be loose, but better than nothing.

“Here,” he said, offering it to you. His gaze lingered on you a second longer than was probably polite before he turned away again, his cheeks tinged pink.

Yeah, you had to get rid of the towel. You didn’t want to give him any ideas – or more, for that matter. He’d already seen you naked various times in the future. You knew privacy was an alien concept to that man.

“I’ll be in my father’s study downstairs if you need anything. If you want, you-, uh, you can meet me there.”

“Sure.” You nodded hesitantly and took the clothes, retreating into the guest room to change and debating whether or not to take him up on his invitation.

Did you really want to spend more time with this man?

But this particular timeline was already ruined. You’d have to fix it anyway, so why not take this opportunity to get to know the man behind the beast? You would finally know what made the monster tick like a bomb.

When you emerged, clad in Ben’s clothes – his white button-down shirt hanging loosely over your frame, the sleeves rolling up your arms as if you were drowning in it – you tried to ignore the strange flutter in your stomach. You couldn’t think about how the fabric smelled faintly of him – a new, alluring scent that didn’t reek of reefer and junk food.

The study was tucked into a quieter part of the house, one where the oppressive silence of the halls seemed to thin out a little. It was a warmly lit, intimate room filled with bookshelves that reached the ceiling, leather-bound volumes with forgotten stories. A fire burned quietly in the hearth, the crackling of the flames mixing with the soft ticking of a grandfather clock. Framed portraits lined the walls, and the weight of decades of family history hung like dust in the air.

Naturally, Ben was already behind the bar when you entered, mixing a drink with careful precision – a trait he shared with his older version.

Manhattan, you realized and remembered the story he had told Butcher once.

“Used to sneak my dad's Manhattans when I was a kid.” 

Ben didn’t look up when you entered. “I wasn’t sure you’d take me up on my offer,” he said, the deep baritone voice low and almost reflective, not quite like his earlier confidence. “I thought you might prefer to be alone.”

You shifted on your feet, unsure of how to approach him, but the pull of curiosity had led you here. The air smelled of whiskey, mahogany, and something more elusive – faded dreams, maybe?

The moment his piercingly green eyes met yours, his expression shifted – like something had clicked, but not in the way you expected. His gaze lingered on you again, wandering down your frame, his mouth slightly open, as if caught off guard. You’d seen a version of that look before many times, but this was… different.

“You-, uh, you look...” He cleared his throat, suddenly very aware of how close you were. “Different. But... good. It suits you.”

“Thanks,” you said, feeling exposed as you tugged nervously on your too-long sleeves. Had you just entered the fucking lion’s den?

Strangely, though, you began to feel more at ease, the longer you were around him.

“Maybe I should wear your clothes more often,” you quipped teasingly. If aggressive rudeness hadn’t worked to deter him, maybe forwardness would. A guy like him probably enjoyed the chase more than the prey.

Ben offered a tentative smile, his cheeks haunted by a blush. “Right, uhm... You want a drink? I can make you one, you know... to relax.”

And the eerie feeling is back…

You hid the goosebumps in the nape of your neck behind a polite smile. Relaxing wasn’t something you would ever do around this guy.

“I’m good.” You shook your head and cautiously strolled through the study, taking note of every framed picture and trinket in the room.

Ben shrugged, taking a sip from his tumbler before setting it down, the amber liquid catching in the light. “You sure? It’s not the best, but it’ll do. It’s a Manhattan. My father’s favorite. Thought I’d try to get it right for once.”

“You don’t have to get it right for him,” you said without thinking, the talk with Butcher from that night trickling back into your mind.

Ben’s eyes flickered with something close to surprise, but the smile never left his face. He swirled his glass absently, looking out the window as the wind howled outside. “Maybe not. But I keep trying anyway...”

“It's all bullshit,” Soldier Boy had scoffed after telling Butcher the plot line of the autobiographical movie Vought had produced for him – The Soldier Boy Story.

“Blimey, you don’t say?” Butcher hadn’t seemed the least bit interested in the ancient supe’s nostalgic trivia facts. You had been aware the Brit had only been entertaining him till he’d gotten what he wanted – Homelander served crispy on a stick.

You hadn’t cared much about the men’s chit-chatting either, just listening quietly in the corner as you’d sulked on Annie’s desk, wishing you could be with the others. But technically, you’d been Butcher’s personal pet, and he had threatened you rather quickly once you’d taken Hughie’s side. You’d been stuck with those two idiots since then, thinking how Homelander would probably kill you later that night because of them.

“Actually, my father owned half the steel mills in the state,” Soldier Boy had continued then, settling down on the worn, leather armrest of the couch. “I went to boarding school. Got kicked out of boarding school. Because I was a fuck-up. But he made sure I knew it.”

“Use the belt, did he?” Butcher had asked, certainty swinging in his voice. You knew he had a pretty fucked-up childhood, too. In fact, everyone on the team had one, including you.

“Never laid a hand on me,” Soldier Boy had replied, the ignorance seemingly tormenting him more. Emotional scars, you had guessed. “He couldn't be bothered. Said I was a disappointment. Not good enough to carry his name.”

“Why didn’t you just tell him to go fuck himself?”

It had slipped out of your mouth before you had realized what you’d said. Butcher had only smirked at you, probably agreeing, but Soldier Boy’s head had turned to you, blinking in surprise. His green eyes then had slightly narrowed at you in curiosity, a smile of amusement slowly rising on his lips

“Ha, I imagine that would’ve probably gone over well…” He had snorted into his drink. “I went to his golf buddies in the War Department instead, and they got me into Dr. Vought's Compound V trials. I became a superhero. Strongest man alive. Fucking ticker tape parades when I came home.”

“And what did the old man say then?” Butcher had asked, but you both had known where the story was headed.

“Ah.” The supe had chuckled lowly and raised his tumbler, but there had been resentment and pain brimming in his dark green eyes. “He said I took a shortcut. That a real man wouldn't have cheated.”

“Did you kill him?”

Again, Soldier Boy had seemed greatly amused by your question, a flicker of intrigue in his eyes. “No.” He shook his head, smacking his lips. “Would you kill your parents? You told me they were assholes.”

Before you could reply, Butcher had answered for you: “Our little Y/N here doesn’t kill people. She did, however, drop off her lovely parents in England of 1349.”

Soldier Boy had arched his brow at you. “What’s in England in 1349?”

You had shrugged coolly and snatched the drink from his hands, taking a sip. Your nose had scrunched in disgust as the liquor had burned down your throat, hearing Soldier Boy’s laugh at your reaction before you’d handed the drink back to him.

“The Bubonic Plague,” you had replied with a Machiavellian smile. “Sure, not as fun as Butcher’s ass cancer, but it’s been close to 700 years now. I’m guessing they’re dead.”

“You two have a funny way of dealing with family,” Soldier Boy had noted and taken another sip of his drink.

“Says the guy who’s been on a vengeful murder spree of everyone who’s ever wronged him for the past weeks,” you’d countered.

“Hmm, I suppose you do have a point there, sweetheart,” he’d said and sent you a sly smile. “Too bad your powers are gone. Could’ve dropped off my old man there, too.”

“Tell you what – if I ever get them back, I’ll put him on the list,” you’d said, smirking.

“Oy, look at you two becoming bloody friends,” Butcher had huffed in annoyance.

But Soldier Boy had only smiled, his green eyes never leaving you. “You’ve done a lot of these little adventures?”

“Yeah, kinda. Mostly, just the fun stuff, you know? 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s…” you’d shared.

“I do know.” He’d chuckled cheekily into his glass as he drank. You’d figured as much from his various stories. “Although, I missed the 90s and most of the 80s… Anything before the 60s? You ever met me, sweetheart?”

“Uh, no, never. Kinda stayed where the fun was,” you’d sassed and wiggled your eyebrows. “‘Sides, wouldn’t you remember me if I’d met you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve slept with a lot of fucking women over the decades, sweetheart. They kind of all blend together,” he had quipped, smirking.

“Nah, you’d remember me,” you’d said, returning his little smirk.

That had probably been the only time you’d ever flirted with him – and it had been solely out of fun, not that you’d actually been serious. You’d just figured he was about to have a showdown with his own offspring – better send him in with a winning mindset.

“Care to prove that cute little theory?” His smirk had then turned lopsided and teasing – hungry.

“I don’t,” you’d said and folded your arms, but the coquettish smile never disappeared from your lips. Then, something had popped into your mind. “Wait… You know, I think I did see you once, though.”

“Huh, really?”

“Yeah, caught half of the speech you gave at Woodstock. People really hated it.” You’d grinned. “Then I saw you fuck Grace Slick behind a tent. Was kinda jealous.”

A smug smirk had widened on his lips then. “Jealous, hm?”

You’d snorted a laugh, expecting he’d react that way. “Yeah, but of you, not of Grace Slick. Fucking someone from Jefferson Airplane? Pretty fucking cool, dude.”

“Meh, she was alright.” He’d shrugged and downed the last of his drink.

“Oy, are you lot about done now?” Butcher had sighed exhaustively, having made himself comfortable at his desk.

“What about you, asshole?” Soldier Boy had thrown the Brit a raised look at the interruption. “You got kids?”

“It's complicated,” Butcher had muttered into his whiskey glass.

“I always assumed I had a few out there,” Soldier Boy had then melancholically drifted off. “Somewhere. I always wanted ‘em. ‘Cause I thought I could do it better than my father did.”

“Homelander ain't yours. Not really.” Butcher had then proceeded to list all the ways Vought had essentially bred a fucking lab rat.

But when the Brit was finished, Soldier Boy’s eyes had found you instead. “What d’you think, sweetheart? You fucking agree?”

Granted, even if you had disagreed, one pointed look from Butcher had told you: You didn’t have much of a choice.

“Yeah, kinda…” you’d replied carefully, your brow knitting in thought. “I mean, I disagree with killing him–,” Butcher’s look was morphing to a glare, “–but I think you should… disable him, you know? Just turn him into a pathetically suffering human. For a guy like that, his own mind is probably worse than death.”

“Admittedly, that does sound funnier,” Soldier Boy had (somewhat) agreed with you, but you’d considered psychological torture over death a win.

“Well, you do what you want there, guv. But I’m killing this cunt as soon as he’s bloody capeless,” Butcher had announced with a dark chuckle.

Sighing, you’d glanced back at Soldier Boy. “You like movies, right? You’ve seen Frankenstein?”

“I think I did before you, sweetheart.” He’d smiled in amusement.

“It’s not a competition,” you’d retorted playfully. “Anyways, just look at it this way, okay? You donated a... pinky finger to Frankenstein’s monster, but just because Dr. Frankenstein yelled, ‘It’s alive! It’s alive!’ doesn’t mean it should be. You wanna be a hero, right?”

“I am a fucking hero,” he’d huffed, a bit offended.

“Then slay the fucking dragon and save the panicked villagers,” you’d said with an astute grin.

Thoughtfully, the supe had pursed his lips, then nodded. Butcher had seemed pleased, too, judging by the devilish smirk he threw your way.

“‘Sides, I still look young. Guess I can always have more kids.” Soldier’s Boy’s eyes had then slowly raked over your body, his teeth tugging at the plush pad of his lower lip, hiding a suggestive smirk underneath.

“Barking up the wrong tree here, Romeo,” you had gently declined his silent proposal. “But yeah, generally speaking, I guess that’s the spirit…”

And God, you had hoped the guy would never procreate in the future.

“I’ll do it,” Soldier Boy had then told Butcher, getting up from his seat.

“Alright, let’s pack up, lads.” Butcher had keenly rubbed his palms together. He’d been antsy all day, waiting for this.

“Leave her here, though,” Soldier Boy had said, which had surprised both you and Butcher. His voice had been casual, almost cold. He had then thrown you a dismissive look. “Her powers aren’t working. She’s useless, anyways. She’ll just be in the fucking way.”

Butcher had seemed suspicious by this, lifting a brow at the supe. “And since when do you care about collateral, mate?”

A quick beat of hesitance had passed before Soldier Boy’s signature smirk reappeared. “Well, maybe I’d still like to fuck her after I win.”

Butcher had only rolled his eyes at that and given a nod before eagerly thundering ahead, leaving you alone with the supe. As Soldier Boy’s shoulder had brushed yours, he’d used the opportunity to lean closer.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he’d whispered devilishly into your ear, his hot breath tickling your skin, a ripple of chill sweeping over you. “You can show me how much you wanna thank me when I get back.”

He’d winked at you and then disappeared after Butcher. 

As your mind drifted back from the past to the… well, past, you watched Ben by the window and wondered again what had happened to him. Soldier Boy had shown you traces of the kindness you’d witnessed in the younger version in front of you – at least in the beginning.

But maybe that was just the fucking Stockholm syndrome talking…

After all, as time went by, Soldier Boy had become crueler, rougher, and more vile toward you. It even seemed like the more he got to know you, the more he started to hate you.

Would that happen with his younger counterpart as well?

“So, uh, you said you enlisted today? Are you going to fight on the frontlines?” you asked and masked your curiosity with slight worry for his wellbeing as you finally broke the silence.

Ben’s head turned to you with raised brows as though you had just ripped him from deep thought. “Uh, we’ll see. I went to my father’s golf buddies in the War Department. They said they’d find something for me. Maybe an officer position.”

“Huh.” Your brow creased slightly, tongue poking your cheek. “Well, uh, good luck.”

“Yeah, uhm, thanks. Hope it makes the old man finally proud, you know?” he said, his voice low and raspy, as if testing the waters of what he could share with you.

“Why do you wanna make your father proud so badly you’re willing to risk your life?” you asked as you settled into the leather armchair by the bookshelves.

“Well, that’s what a man does, right?” he replied with a hint of amusement.

“Being stupid?”

Ben tilted his head at you, a smile playing across his lips. He scoffed a chuckle. “You’re different, you know? Not like the girls I meet… not like anyone I’ve met, really.” His tone shifted, curiosity mingling with something more personal. The playboy mask was slipping slightly. He seemed interested, not just in you, but in the enigma you were presenting.

By that, you figured that wasn’t what Grace, Betty, and Sheila would’ve said. Being a lady was fucking hard.

“Well, maybe it’s just me," he continued, his voice carrying a subtle edge now. "Guess I’m used to people being… a little easier to figure out. But you–,” he paused, frowning slightly, “–you’re not like that. It’s almost like... you don’t care what I think.”

You leaned back in the chair, legs crossed, trying to read the change in his tone, the way his posture had shifted subtly. “Maybe that’s because I don’t,” you said with a puckish twinkle in your eyes. “Or maybe it’s because you’re so predictable, I already know what you think.”

You didn’t, though. You knew what Soldier Boy thought, but his younger version was harder to read, your own bias of the man you knew well from the future fighting against your present judgment.

His brows shot up at that, the surprise flickering in his eyes again, but he quickly masked it with a short, dry laugh. “Predictable? Oh, I’m full of surprises, sweetheart.”

“Are you?” you challenged, your gaze steady. “Then why the same old routine? The drink, the smile, the way you try to act like you don’t care but it’s clear you do.”

There was a long moment of silence between you two, broken only by the wind that howled louder outside, as if urging him to respond, but Ben seemed to hesitate, looking at you like you’d just shown him a piece of himself he didn’t quite know how to handle.

You shifted in your seat, the leather creaking under you as you scanned the room again. The portraits on the walls, the old books, the reminders of everything he was supposed to live up to – it all felt a little suffocating. For a brief second, you almost felt a pang of empathy.

Finally, he let out a low breath, leaning his hip against the bar with a sigh as he picked up his tumbler and swirled it in his hand again. “Maybe I just wanted to get you to loosen up,” he said and took a sip from his drink, deflecting, masking. “Doesn’t seem to be working, though.”

“You really think making your dad proud will fix something?” you asked instead of taking his bait, keeping your tone casual, even though you weren’t sure why you were poking at that particular wound. Maybe you were just trying to see if he’d crack.

Ben’s green eyes darkened, a flicker of something almost painful crossing his face before he quickly concealed it with a shrug. “It’s all I know how to do. People like me... we don’t get to decide how things go. We just follow the script.”

Ah. No wonder he’d been Vought’s perfect superhero puppet for so long. He’d been used to the theatrics from the start.

“And if the script’s broken?” You raised an eyebrow, studying him. The honesty of the conversation strangely kept you going. “You’re just gonna keep following it blindly?”

He leaned forward slightly, his voice low, almost conspiratorial. “What else am I supposed to do?” he asked, the words coming out rougher than he'd intended. “I don’t get to choose what’s in my blood, what I’m born into. I don’t have the luxury of throwing it all away. My father wants me to be this… perfect son. The dutiful heir.”

“And you’re not?” Arching an eyebrow, you rose from your seat and sauntered to the bar. You snatched the half-empty tumbler in front of him and drank from it. The moment the glass touched your lips, you could taste the sharp burn of alcohol, but there was a sweetness to it too. You didn’t drink often, but tonight seemed like a necessary exception.

Besides, you’d already seen him drink from it, so you were sure the Bill Cosby fanboy wasn’t trying to drug you.

Slightly amused, he lifted an eyebrow at you. “You know, if you want a drink, my offer still stands. I can make you one.”

You shrugged with a mischievous smile. “I’m good with yours. Thank you.”

A subtle smile crossed his lips at your response, his cheeks warming in the glow of the fire. “You know, my father thinks I’m a disappointment – the black sheep. He thinks I’m not good enough for his legacy. He-, uh, he wants me to marry someone from a prestigious family. Thinks it’s good for business.”

“Grace,” you realized quietly. “So, this is like an arranged thing?”

“Yeah,” he said and poured himself another drink since you had stolen his. “You’d be surprised how well you can tolerate a person when it’s part of the plan.”

You thought about Crimson Countess and the highly publicized relationship they’d led. You knew he’d cheated on her multiple times, too. You recognized a pattern. His father, Vought… Had he ever known a different life?

“Why do you keep going along with it?” you asked, leaning forward slightly, the warmth of the drink making you bolder. “I mean, you already cheated on her, right? Doesn’t seem like you care that much what your father wants, after all.”

He chuckled lightly, scratching his throat. “Well, I don’t remember actually proposing, so I don’t see the issue. I mean, hell, I barely can stand her,” he replied, his lips quirking into a dry smile. “Guess I’m not really the marrying type.” His gaze then lifted from his glass on the bar to you. “What about you, sweetheart? You got a husband? Fiancé? Someone you’re running away from?”

“Uh, no, nothing like that. I’m kinda on my own. Lone wolf, you know?” you replied and hoped it was enough.

Ben let out a soft laugh at that, shaking his head as if the idea of a woman all on her own was utterly ridiculous. You knew you were a mystery to him, one he seemed too eager to unravel. You didn’t like it, but you couldn’t deny how it tempted you.

“Alright, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to,” he relented, smiling assuringly. His tongue swiped over his plump upper lip. “Just tell me something. One true, personal thing about you.”

You paused for a while, considering your options. Your lips briefly flashed with a smile, then you met his eyes. “Today’s my birthday.”

Technically, it was in June in your own time, but to you, it was still true. Loophole.

“Huh.” He seemed pleased with the information, giving you a soft smile. “Well, happy birthday, sweetheart.”

Ben left it at that. He didn’t ask more questions. Didn’t ask who you were exactly, where you came from, what you were doing here, or why you were running around lost on your birthday.

“So, uhm, if you don’t want any of this, why not walk away?” You couldn’t help but press a little, steering him away from his own curiosity about you. The tension between you two was thick enough that it almost felt like a game now – tit for tat. “Why are you doing all of this for a guy who never saw you as more than a name on a list?”

Ben’s forest green eyes darkened again, his jaw clenching. “I’m not like you,” he snapped, more harshly than you expected. “I don’t get to make choices like that.”

The sudden defensiveness was raw, and you could feel it in the air, in the way the light from the fire cast long shadows across his freckled face. For a moment, the version of Ben you saw felt less like the charming man you’d met and more like the soldier he was becoming – the one you knew. Someone trapped in a cycle they couldn’t escape, no matter how hard they tried.

Or in Soldier Boy’s case, not trying at all.

There was an uncomfortable pause after that, the kind of silence that felt like a bridge too far to cross. Ben glanced out the window again, the wind howling louder, rattling the glass. You could feel the distance he was trying to keep – he was trying to be strong, to act like he wasn’t letting the high expectations weigh him down. But it was there, in everything he said – and everything he didn’t say.

When he turned back to you, an apologetic smile tugged at his lips. He cleared his throat, slipping back into his designated role. “I-, uh, I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

Swallowing, you shook your head and met his gaze. “No, I-, uh, I crossed a line. I’m sorry,” you said. “You’re right. It’s not my place.”

Contemplatively, he bit his lips, the study falling back into the night’s silence. “You know, I guess I do it because I’m supposed to,” he suddenly answered your question, his green eyes avoiding yours like they were the midday sun. “It’s easier to pretend that I don’t care, you know? I mean, what else can I do?”

You found his eyes, your own heart strangely heavy with understanding. “Maybe you don’t have to be what he wants. Maybe you just have to be yourself,” you said, keeping your voice soft.

Perhaps, you weren’t in a position to offer advice – or give him any, for that matter, the protection of the timeline still in the back of your mind. But you couldn’t control it, your own curiosity getting in the way. You had begun to play the dangerous game every woman on this earth, no matter what time, liked to play: What if he could change? What if you could fix him?

“Maybe you could try something else. Something that’s just... yours.”

Ben looked at you for a long moment, the weight of your words hanging between you like a challenge he wasn’t sure he could accept. He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he seemed to consider it, before he let out a breath through his nose, a small, almost bitter smile on his lips.

“Yeah, maybe…” For a fleeting moment, his brick façade cracked, and you saw something softer, more vulnerable. He looked at you, an unreadable expression in his piercing green eyes – something between exhaustion and the remnants of defiance. “I’m not sure who that even is anymore,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “I’m too far gone for that.”

You didn’t know what to say, but you could see he was fighting to be someone he wasn’t, and it made you want to reach across the distance.

Your hand tentatively clasped his forearm that rested upon the mahogany bar top. You could feel him tense under your unexpected touch, his lips parting, confused green eyes flickering to the spot where your fingers brushed his skin before they landed back on your face.

“I don’t think you are,” you said, your voice only a soft whisper that was almost drowned out by the crackling fire and the ticking of the grandfather clock.

The moment was fragile, suspended in the air between you. Your heart hammered against your ribs. But it was gone in an instant, as Ben pulled his hand away like he’d been burnt and downed the last of his drink, clearing his throat.

“You should get some rest, sweetheart,” he said, his voice suddenly distant again – guarded. “Tomorrow’s another day.”

You nodded, not sure what to say as you held your breath. You didn’t want to leave, but the tension in the room was too much to ignore. There was a line you couldn’t and wouldn’t cross.

As you reached the door, he gave you a half-smile, almost apologetically. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Goodnight, Ben,” you said, and for a heartbeat, it felt like you were saying goodbye to something you didn’t quite understand yet. 

▶️ Chapter 4: After All, Tomorrow's Another Day – APRIL 18

Something tells me there's something else burning and not just the fires on the infinite hearths 👀🔥 (And yes, there's a fireplace in almost every room lmao)

Coming Up:

The door to his father’s study stood ajar, Ben sitting at the large oak desk as you carefully peeked your head inside and halted in the doorway. He was hunched over documents in concentration, scribbling something on paper with murmuring lips and a tensely knitted brow.

You took a deep breath and stepped inside, and the moment his eyes lifted and found you, he froze, the pen in his hand faltering midair. His gaze swept over you, not just disbelief but hunger creeping into the lush, green moss of his eyes.

Well, this was even worse than the Zeppelin shirt, the towel, or his clothes. You hadn’t expected the dress to be so noticeable. Maybe you should’ve gone with the pastel green one that made you look like a minted cupcake?

Ben’s mouth parted, but no words came out at first. He blinked, slowly, as if trying to make sense of what he was seeing. “You look, uhm…” he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

Uh-oh…

“Weird, right?” you offered in an attempt to deflect.

Ben snorted a chuckle then, breaking out a bit of his stupor. “Uh, that wouldn’t have been the exact adjective I would’ve used.” The laughing crinkles around his eyes then softened to something warmer, the heat of his lingering stare rushing straight into your veins. “You look… I guess ‘breathtaking’ is the right word for it.”

Yup, that melted your heart right down to your core.

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[goomyloid]

why is it that you like noelle so much? i'm a noelle fan myself but i can't figure out why i like her so much. like if someone asked me to explain what makes noelle a complex or well-written character i would not be able to explain it to them. and i'm hoping hearing someone else's thoughts on her might give me some perspective to figure out why i gravitate towards her

Hello.

um i could make a whole video essay complete with background visuals on why i like noelle so much. but i dont have that kinda time so ill give the condensed version

she simultaneously fulfills several of my favorite tropes for [female] characters. she's the nice normal girl that probably has something deeply wrong with her on the inside, but she's become incredibly good at pretending everything's okay. she's also the childhood friend, someone who knows the protagonist on an intimate level that no one can quite replicate. she Also can very much fulfill another trope i like, which is Girl who looks like she's about to freak out and kill herself any second now. i cant wait to watch her become 100x more unstable in the coming chapters

all of those are just tropes/traits that i tend to like the most, so her personality/character alone is enough to make me like her

there's various details that make her really interesting in terms of the game itself. stuff like her being ever so slightly tied to gaster and the Weird disappearance of her sister, how her affinity for game glitches might mean something for the story, her entire extra pages of characterization from the spamton sweepstakes and what THOSE entries might mean for the story... i still think she will only be a character of secondary-importance in the main route but man i do think shes important to the story as a whole in ways that other characters arent.

shes lowkey kinda me. lol. i think a lot of people see themselves in noelle for various reasons. the general kind of Nice Normal i-need-to-get-along-with-everyone passiveness, on top of being the type of girl to present normally and then have a secret "weird side." that bit especially resonated a lot with me and surely with many other highly-masking autistic people i think -- feeling the need to 'convince' everyone you're normal, and then only being able to properly relax around people who really 'know' you. also, her whole thing about being scared by scary video games and movies and stuff only to immerse herself in them enough to eventually be comforted by them is like. So weirdly specific and also literally exactly how i was as a kid which is really funny. its stuff like that that makes her feel Real and relatable

the weird route. ill be so real i dont think id be half as interested in deltarune as a whole as i am now if it werent for the weird route LMAOOOOO. which i think is fair honestly. ofc im horribly interested to see where the main story goes, and i will definitely be invested in it. but the weird route carved a weird route shaped hole into my weird route shaped brain. its too peak. the alternate take on empowering noelle is so interesting, and dont even get me started on the strain it puts on kris's and noelle's relationship, their unique relationship they dont have with anyone else. i just think its exceptionally interesting how we've gotten to see noelle from so many different angles so far, and she's only been important for one chapter.

her design lowkey rocks? like call her little white dress boring or whatever but man does it open the door for so many cute and wonderful design interpretations. and also her palette shift into cooler colors but in Opposite Directions (brown fur becomes more reddish + yellow hair becomes more greenish) looks freaking awesome. i think ive seen an incredibly wide range of noelle designs more than literally any other character in the game

i dont want to spend too wildly long on this bc ive already taken multiple days to type this out so ill stop here lol. if i think of anything else i just HAVE to include ill reblog with it or something, but these are really the main points that come to mind first

[jods-duplicitous-sluts]

I have owned the gideon the ninth for years but I have never read it, I'm a huge Vi arcane simp, will I enjoy the book?

So, the book is one of my favorite properties of all time. It's gay, so so gay. But not in a spicy smut way. In a 'every character in this book is basically queer' way. Even though it's a queer normative world and its not the most interesting part about them.

That said. It's dense. It is written in a way where modern language, memes, and irreverent humor coincide with biblical references, Greek allusions, and some of the most beautiful Gothic style prose. You will be consulting a dictionary.

The books will feel confusing, disorienting and maybe disjointed on first reading, but are a completely different and wonderful experience the second time. It's unreliable narrator, the series.

About the books. Gideon is a big, lovable butch who is kind of a bitch and kind of a sweetheart. Her necromancer Harrow seems awful on first read, but she is my favorite character. These books are filled with terrible people doing terrible things. But they are also about love, loss , grief and how easy it is to become a monster.

They are a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, horror[and body horror]. They are mysteries at heart. And the fandom is awesome.

I definitely recommend them. But I understand why they are not for some people.

[morverenmaybewrites]

listen i know I'm very late to the party since you posted 'next to last' in 2020, but i've found It today and its definitely my favorite fic of yours about Jason. I just wanted to ask if there were background facts you could share about It?(How did reader find Jason, what exactly is she, how her powers work, her dynamic with Jason during his imprisoment, what did the joker do to her) id be Happy with Just some crumbs of info.

No problemo, anon. You're very welcome to read old fics of mine, this ain't TikTok. I'm glad you've taken an interest in Next to Last! It was a giveaway gift to one of my followers back in my old account.

To answer your questions:

Content Warning: Major Character Death, Descriptions of Violence (non-graphic)

How did the reader find Jason?

Entirely by accident. I had it in my head that she was either a journalist who entered Arkham Asylum for a good scoop or an urban explorer who was exploring Arkham Asylum for the hell of it. Either way, she accidentally stumbled across the basement where the Joker kept Jason in.

Joker found her trying to free Jason and shot her in the head not long after.

What exactly is she? How do her powers work?

She's a meta who didn't know she was a meta until she was "killed". Basically, her powers mean that she heals damage over time, even extensive damage that "kills" her. Considering that her first death consisted of her getting shot through the back of the skull, it's no wonder that she's pretty scrambled.

And of course, there were the traumatic brain injuries she received from the Joker in her succeeding deaths.

This is also why she gets more lucid the longer she stays alive, her body gets more time to heal the damage done to it.

What was her dynamic with Jason during his imprisonment?

She...doesn't have one, lol. Basically, the Joker killed her almost as soon as they met. After her resurrection, she basically remembers that there's someone in Arkham Asylum who needs help, so she keeps coming back to find him and subsequently gets killed by the Joker whenever she's found.

Sometimes she sticks around long enough to comfort Jason, and a few times, they even managed to escape. But they were always caught and the whole cycle repeats itself.

Jason's got a bit of hero worship thing going on because she's the only one (in his eyes) who ever even tried to save him. But he also thinks that she's off-putting and creepy, especially right after her resurrections (I mean, who wouldn't?).

What did the Joker do to her?

Basically he just keeps killing her. He thinks it's hilarious that she keeps coming back only to get killed again. He's made a bit of a game of it and has been murdering her in increasingly creative ways.

[doberbutts]

"yeah but why's it always gotta be a black woman" because it should always be a black woman. Because black women are people. And because I personally think black women are better than you, I know it sucks to hear the truth but it was going to happen one way or the other.

Sorry a western isekai is significantly more interesting with a black woman from NYC thrown into a fantasy world than yet another white high schooler or college student. I am so dramatically much more interested in the overall dynamics of social exchange that will happen here than whatever will happen when Becky figures out she's in her favorite historical period except with dragons this time.

Sorry as a lover of folk stories and fairy tales you are never not going to get me to love a game based on southern black folk stories - my dad bought as many black folk story collection books as he could when I was a kid and I have never thanked him enough for it tbqh

Sorry a historical fantasy series featuring a real black figure who began as a slave and was noted to have been given rank and status well documented in history is going to be significantly more interesting to me than yet another fictionalized white savior

Sorry a story about coping with death and grief with such raw, gasping emotion and beautiful artwork to go along with it is improved by having the main character being a black girl and no I will not take critique in this opinion

Black people and especially black women make these stories better and I'm not sorry to say if you don't like it then that just means black people are better than you. The truth hurts but that doesn't make it less true

[dreamytfw]

I cannot contain my excitement, so let's talk about the new trailer!! Some of this is going to be analysis and some of this is just going to be me screaming (for some reason my screen caps always come out kind of fuzzy and I have 0 idea how to fix that, so y'all are gonna have to bear with me)

Destiny's palace looks SO good and I'm super excited! I've read up through The Kindly Ones and iirc we never actually got to see his palace - just the gardens - so this is a really nice treat.

This has to be from The Kindly Ones. My first thought was "oh cool, we're going to get to see Dream rebuild the palace," but then I actually took the time to look at this shot. The three points of attack on the palace? The fact that the bridge is intact? The hell-like, apocalyptic sky/scenery? This is 100% the Three attacking the Dreaming, not Dream rebuilding the palace.

We love a man who ponders his orb lol. I'm very interested to find out if this is Baghdad or if they're repurposing the orb for a piece of the main plot.

HE'S SO MID-2000s EMO 15 YEAR OLD ME IS THRIVING RIGHT NOW

It's extremely interesting that Destiny keeps Delight's picture in his gallery. I know he's canonically blind so he wouldn't be able to see the difference, but he still knows she's Delirium now, so you would think the painting would reflect that. Setting aside how this is an incredibly effective and efficient way of story-telling, it's a nice piece of characterization for Destiny. My thoughts on that characterization aren't fully formed right now, but I do think it's interesting.

And I didn't get a cap because I don't think a single frame does it justice and I don't really know how to make gifs, but Delirium's entrance is really god damn cool and just screams fan service /pos. Very "guys look! Your favorite character is finally here!"

Extremely interested for the reason behind why the floor of Destiny's palace is made of sand.

As much as I loved the Napoleonic outfit in the comics, I'm SO glad they went with more of a vampire aesthetic in the show. Someone please edit fangs onto this man when the season airs. I need it.

Lucifer's Palace!! When we got the wide-shot of it in s1, you could see that it had a metric shitton of pointed spires. But here, it looks like the palace has seen better days. I'll be interested to see if the palace is crumbling on its own, or if Lucifer themselves ordered/is dismantling the palace themselves. It could go either way imo

Nada approaching the throne!!!! I hope she doesn't just smack him, but shoves him down the stairs too. ✿＼(｡-_-｡) Kick his ass, queen. I got your flower.

I was really hoping they'd cut the kiss because seriously. The dude imprisoned her in Hell for over 10,000 years. I don't care if she still somehow loves him, he doesn't deserve it after the way he treated her! But alas.

ETA: Had it pointed out to me this could be part of the flashback for Nada's story and GOD I hope so. Her kissing him after getting out of Hell was one of the worst parts of SoM. Like I literally stopped while I was reading it and was like "Yeah, you can tell this was written by a man."

I'm, like, 90% sure that's a subway car that's got all that pretty greenery sprouting from it, which makes me think this is possibly from A Game of You.

I have no idea what this is but it looks rad as hell. There's a shot of the Three immediately following it, but given how cave-like it looks, there's a chance it could be the place where Loki's chained up.

ETA: @cutespiderlucas pointed out that this could be the Underworld/Hades. While that's extremely likely, I don't want to think about that because it makes me sad :')

Fuck yeah, Gwendoline Christie is back on my screen! I can't wait to see those wings get fucking chopped. It's gonna be so good.

I have no idea who this is and I can't wait to find out. It's not Dream; the hair is too tame. I'm inclined to say maybe The Corinthian, but it's hard for me to see the eyes, and that outfit makes me have some serious doubts.

ETA: @sweet-like-cinnamon-5 informed me of Azazel's human casting, which I hadn't known about when I first made this post. That's exactly who that is, and I suspect this shot is of Dream returning him back to his true form as a void with eyes and teeth.

And again, I didn't get a cap of this because it would look better in gif form, but the next shot we get is of Azazel eating Dream and it looks so fucking cool. Azazel living my dream of swallowing that man whole.

JEMMY AND HER BALLOON I AM GOING TO LOSE MY MIND WHEN SHE GIVES IT TO DREAM!!! Also Thor about to beat the fuck out of what looks like Choronzon.

I was going to include that shot of the gatekeepers for no other reason than I thought it looked cool, but apparently the max number of pictures you can put in a tumblr post is 15 :c

But yeah, I'm HELLA excited! I can't wait for July!!!