#spoiler alert: they approved childe

[nicksolemnlyswears]

STAY WITH US

this oneshot can be read as a standalone.

COMFORT ME, STAY WITH ME

COMFORT ME, STAY WITH ME (PT. 2 HELAENA'S TURN)

pairing: aegon targaryen x targaryen! reader x helaena targaryen

word count: ~2.7k

warnings: spoilers for s2e2 of HoTD, mentions of death of a child, mentions of blood, light cursing

a/n: so i lied, so sorry, my apologies, remember how i said i wanted this part to be smut? well it didn't happen. in the end it didn't seem right because these oneshots originated form a place of care and comfort [not horniness like usual]

that being said i am open to doing a series of small oneshots based on their relationship that are more spicy because regardless it lives rent free on my brain and i'd love to share the pervertedness they'd get up to. also i've never written a threesome and that seems like a good writing exercise.

hope you like this oneshot. it's really sweet and when i was thinking of what else to do with them it simply clicked. my only wish is for it to have the same comfort provoking feeling as the other two. while this little series was written as a way for me to feel better about these characters it makes me happy to know it served the same purpose for a lot of you guys. also this was my first time writing for HoTD and you're all so nice ;) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE.

enjoy!

Without Jaehaerys by her side, his twin sister Jaehaera must adjust to being alone. Her lifelong playmate is gone, and now she ought to find her place as an only child.

The silver-haired girl restlessly jumps through different activities, searching for the one that will entertain her long enough without company. It is difficult because each time she successfully gets distracted, she turns to catch her brother's attention, only to find he's no longer there.

Queen Helaena watches her as she stitches together a new embroidery piece for a dress. The Queen spent her days with both her children, but now that one of them is gone, she spends nearly every waking moment with her daughter. Observing. Protecting. Alert.

"The three-headed dragon shall rise once more," Helaena mumbles under her breath. The maids ignore her mumblings. The Queen's words don't make sense half the time.

A squeal of delight from her daughter prompts the needle to pierce Helaena's finger and a bead of blood forms at the pad of it. Looking up, she finds you picking up Jaehaera and kissing her chubby cheeks. The girl is enamored by her cousin and the attention you provide.

"Good morrow, 'Laena," you brightly greet her, setting down Jaehaera and sitting by her on the floor. "Have you broken fast yet?"

Helaena places a hand in yours as a greeting and nods kindly, assuring you she's been eating all her meals. At times, her appetite turns into nausea as glimpses of her dead son invade her senses, but she tries fighting through it.

She closes her eyes and thinks of anything else—primarily you. You who distract her and treat her with such care without judgment of her eccentricities. It's odd how she's caught herself multiple times seeking your approval.

As Helaena returns to her stitching, Jaehaera bounces over and falls into your arms. "I wish for my hair to be like yours."

"Allow me, Princess," Jaehaera's nursemaid intervenes. She does not wish to be seen as lazy and incapable of her job to care for the children.

The small Princess holds tightly onto you, hiding her face on your chest as she settles on your lap. "No, I want my cousin to do it. She's a Princess, and I want Princess's hair."

You giggle at her words and gesture to the nursemaid that it's alright. "Come on, sweet girl, sit," you coo, positioning her in front of you.

One of the maids hands you a hairbrush, and you begin your work. As a Princess, your hair is mostly styled by your maids, but every lady should know how to style it appropriately.

"You're such a pretty girl, Jaehaera. Did you know that?" You talk to distract her from squirming too much. She's an impatient little thing, like her father.

Jaehaera giggles sound throughout the room. She hasn't laughed like that since her brother died. It brings a sad smile to Helaena's lips.

"You're prettier," Jaehaera whispers bashfully, her cheeks a healthy hue of pink.

"Oh, I don't know about that. You're much more beautiful. Do you know why?"

Jaehaera shakes her head, causing you to hold tightly onto the intricate plaits you're weaving in her hair. You inadvertently smile at her benightedness.

"Because you look just like your mummy, and she's very beautiful, and she's a Queen," you gasp lightly, creating a tone of excitement in your voice.

Although she's kept her nose down while stitching, Helaena's cheeks burn just as brightly as her daughters. Your words continue to flatter her. You have a way with words that can make even the most ordinary of townsfolk feel special.

With a small, excited gasp, Jaehaera asks, "Will I be Queen one day?"

"There's always a possibility," you hum, pining the remaining plait into her hair. It is hard to explain the complexities of succession and legacy to a child when there is a current war debating that same subject. "All done, go over to the mirror."

"She adores you," Helaena sighs as she watches her daughter fawn over her new hairstyle.

"And I, her. She's the sweetest girl ever."

Helaena turns to look at you and sees the soft smile gracing your lips. Your eyes then catch hers, and your smile broadens. It makes her wonder what her life would be like if you were not around. How would she have dealt with her emotions?

"I must go, but can you come to my bedchambers tonight? There is a matter I must discuss with you," Helaena says timidly, casting aside her embroidery.

"As you wish, my Queen." You can't fault her for preferring to speak in the depth of the night when the castle sleeps, and there are no wandering eyes to pass judgment.

It gives Helaena whiplash when you effortlessly switch from calling her name to calling her 'my Queen.' She rather enjoys both terms, especially when you call her yours.

Helaena bids you farewell with a kiss on the cheek, blissfully unaware of its effect on you. Such displays of affection are not rare in court, but lately, their significance has changed for you, as Helaena has never been one to indulge in court etiquette when it involves physical touch.

When the sun has disappeared over the horizon, and the castle has quieted down, you make your way to the Queen's bed chambers.

You have always been inclined to stay in the shadows, where it's safe. You are a sheep amongst a den of wolves, and if you draw too much attention to yourself, danger will follow.

You have failed so far, considering you enjoy the company of the King and Queen. Grief unexpectedly brought you together and made your bond steadfast, but wherever Aegon and Helaena go, watchful gazes follow, thus making you part of the spectacle as well.

Otto and Alicent Hightower are taking the reins of this unnecessary war, but you feel safe under Aegon's and Helaena's careful watch. You believe they will protect you from any danger coming from within the castle walls, at the very least.

You're doing your mother a great disservice as you strengthen the bond of the King and Queen. The ache of losing a child will forever remain in their hearts, and waves of pain continue to crash, but that thick fog of grief that was cast upon them has slowly started to lift, thanks to you.

Pushing open the door to Helaena's bedchambers, you step into the room. It's well into the night, and the candlelight illuminates the room. You stumble over your steps when you notice Aegon and Helaena standing close together as if they were about to kiss.

"My apologies, your graces. I believed the Queen to be alone," you bow your head, red painting your cheeks. It's a gesture that originates from embarrassment rather than submissiveness.

"Do not apologize. We wished to speak to you," Aegon speaks, beckoning you deeper into the room.

He offers you a goblet of wine, which you accept gracefully to alleviate the dizzying wave of nerves you're feeling. You've never been alone with Aegon and Helaena. People have always been around, and up to a fortnight ago, they barely spoke to one another.

The ruling couple sought your counsel regarding their marriage, recognizing you as an intermediary. You offered your advice to the best of your abilities, considering you have yet to marry.

With time and encouragement, they reached out to each other for comfort. Piece by piece, they were able to speak and share the emotions that troubled them. Nonetheless, they kept you closer than ever.

You're the calm amidst the storm.

You take a drink of the sweet wine to busy yourself. Helaena and Aegon stand side by side, his hand on the small of her back as Helaena plays with her fingers. They're backlit by the fire burning by the fireplace. It casts a warm glow over their figures, making the situation seem much more intimate. You're certainly intruding.

"We wish to thank you for everything you've done for us recently," Helaena breaks the creeping silence. She's just as nervous as you are, if not more.

"Helaena and I have been thinking about how to repay you for your generosity," Aegon continues, staring intently back at you to gauge your reaction to his words. He's afraid of reading you wrong and fucking things up—like he usually does.

You instantly shake your head, "As I said before, there is no need-"

Helaena's following words cause silence to befall as you stare back at them in surprise. A sort of surprise they cannot read. "We wish to wed you," Helaena blurts nervously, her fingers twisting together.

This is not a moment to speak in riddles. Helaena is fully aware of the situation before her and wishes nothing more than for you to stay by their side, no matter the cost.

For once in her life, she hasn't felt lonely in the castle. She has an ally she can trust and confide in.

You've been the subject of Aegon and Helaena's conversations for numerous nights. At first, it was difficult to understand that they both held deep affection towards you while caring for each other. They debated for a long time about what to do about it and they agreed on one thing wholeheartedly—you only deserved the best.

Then, it came to Aegon.

He's named after Aegon' The Conqueror' Targaryen. The King took over the seven kingdoms with his sister wives by his side.

A simple Valyrian tradition would solve their dilemma while strengthening his claim to the throne. It's poetic, a part of history being re-enacted.

"Pardon?" Your voice is barely above a whisper. You stare back at them with wide eyes as they jump from Aegon to Helaena and back to Aegon.

The goblet in your hand lightly shakes along with your hand. You place it on a nearby table, afraid of spilling it. Surely, you misheard.

"Our affection grows greater day by day. More than we ever thought possible," Helaena confesses, desperately reaching for your hand.

Your gaze falls on Aegon to seek his opinion, and he nods in agreement. There is not much to say. You have proved yourself valuable to them in a way that is much too important. You serve to keep them sane and emotionally stable. A feat no one has cared to accomplish before.

You do not use Aegon as a puppet or manipulate him to achieve sinister goals on behalf of his name, much like the rest of the court does. Those people only care for power, even if they break Aegon piece by piece. They destroy him while you take the time to pick up the pieces and put him back together.

"Such drastic actions must not be taken. I merely offered you comfort when you needed it because I care for you both," you stutter, pressing a hand to your forehead. All of a sudden, the room is warm, and a layer of perspiration forms on the back of your neck.

Aegon grunts and approaches you, cupping your face in his palms, "That is precisely why we wish to do this. You have cared for us like no one has before, including ourselves. You planted yourself in our souls, and now we cannot let you go lest we go insane. If you do not feel the same, say it, but do not lie to us."

His tone is firm, yet he cannot disguise the pleading behind it. He's never wanted something as much as he wants you.

"I-" Your palms ghost over the top of his.

It is all too much. The prospect of being wed looms over your head like a threat. Otto Hightower will have no qualms about using your lack of a husband as a war strategy. It should not be his decision in the first place, but it is out of your hands as you're considered a prisoner to him.

You would be a liar if you said you did not reciprocate their feelings. They've been present for a while now, it is why comforting them comes so easily to you. Seeing them hurt only pains you.

With this new opportunity, you will no longer be used. You will not be sold to some old lord in the countryside for the gain of a few hundred men. You would be protected.

Most importantly, you will marry a man and a woman who love you. Yes, they are broken, but with you by their side, they will thrive and rise to the occasion.

Aegon's lilac eyes beg you to accept their proposal. "I feel emotions I thought impossible. They are confusing and overwhelming, but they are real," you admit.

Relief floods over Aegon, and he can't help but release a sigh of relief. He presses his forehead against yours, whispering a silent thank you to the old gods and the new.

"Will you become our wife? Our lifelong companion?" Helaena asks, coming up behind you. You feel her breath on your neck as she leans her head on your shoulder.

One word is enough to respond. One simple word will change your life. For good or bad is to be determined.

"Yes," you breathe, reaching for her hand. The smile on Aegon's lips and Helaena's giggles in your ear make it all worth it.

Aegon needed to do things right so no one could argue against your union. He contacted the Septon himself, and only a day later, after his proposal, the Valyrian ceremony took place.

He clearly instructed his guard and the Septon that they must not tell anyone, or there would be consequences.

The ceremony is quick and private amongst the gardens of the Red Keep. You wear the traditional red and gold robes and headpieces that match Aegon's.

A red dragon decorates the front of your garb, matching Helaena's golden one on her dress. She stands to the side with a faint smile, Jaehaera clinging to her dress.

Aegon carefully cuts your lip with the dragon glass. As blood surges to the surface, he presses his thumb to the cut and later spreads it across your skin. You repeat the same on his lips, staring apologetically back at him, yet the burning pain does not compare to the pain he's felt before. It's almost pleasurable as he takes in the symbolism of the gesture.

Cutting your palms, you let the blood that will bind you together for eternity fall onto the goblet. You lock eyes with Aegon as you take a drink from it, passing it to him a moment later.

He was not raised surrounded by Targaryen customs, but he has a new deep appreciation for them. The ceremony is deeply intimate as they share the blood that will mark them as one.

With a couple of final words, the Septon concludes the ceremony and with the knowledge that you are entirely theirs, Aegon crashes his lips against yours.

Aegon stayed firm in his words. He did not wish to sully your name, so he waited until the moment was right. The reward is much too sweet.

It is the first time you've shared a kiss with Aegon, and it is unlike anything you've felt before. In the past, you've snuck kisses in dark corners of the Red Keep, but none have ever kissed you with the intensity Aegon has to offer.

Helaena approaches your tangled embrace, and as you resurface for a breath, she presses her much more delicate lips on yours. The kiss is so different yet the same simultaneously. The intent behind it is identical while the pace is slower and sultrier.

Yours and Aegon’s blood coats her lips and it’s as if she also partook on the ceremony. Your heart beats intensely inside your chest but you’re happy.

Finally, you three are bonded, destined to stay together for eternity.

Jaehaerys will forever be missed. His life has become a mystery; Aegon and Helaena will never see it fulfilled. But in this tragedy, the gods were kind to Aegon and Helaena and provided a new person to love, cherish, and join their family.

were you expecting a good old throuple situation? eh, eh (pretend i'm wiggling my eyebrows and nudging your side with my elbow). im just saying she's perfect for their little dysfunctional family and the drama it will create with the Hightowers and Targaryens? immaculate.

if you enjoyed this oneshot please don’t forget to like or comment (i accept keyboard smashes, emojis, words of encouragement, praise, virtual hugs and gushing about hel and aegon) and if you want more of it feel free to let me know!

[bunicate]

YES!!! u n me r on da same wavelength…. n e ways i have my thoughts ready now :3 it’s been so very long since i’ve written anyting but i hope it’s good…!

when word got out that you, the youngest child of the ragnvindr family, planned to move away from the dawn winery and into the city of mondstadt, most people expected diluc to shut that down completely. and yet, he gives it his approval. “it would be good for you to broaden your experiences,” he tells you.

(he doesn’t tell you that every day, it becomes more tempting to throw away his morals and breed his lil sister like how he wants to…!)

so you move out of your home, and into a cute little apartment. you decorate it all pretty, tying ribbons wherever you can and covering your furniture in frills and lace. it’s lotsa fun living by yourself, even if it means you gotta do everything for yourself too… but you’re a big girl, so you can kind of probably maybe handle it!

meanwhile, diluc tells himself that he’ll leave you be… but he can’t help but to watch over you while he’s out doing his darknight hero duties! you don’t even realize how dangerous the world is, just traipsing around as if there aren’t a million people who’d happily try to rob the baby of the ragnvindr clan… it’s your big brother’s job to make sure you’re safe!!

you do eventually meet the darknight hero, and diluc does his very best to treat you like any other citizen, but he can’t be stoic n distant around his little sister :( he was just trying to make you smile by showing you what mondstadt was like from the rooftops, he really didn’t mean to end up on the roof of the kof headquarters with his head buried between your thighs…! it just kinda happened, you know?

at first, the darknight hero says that it’s a one-time thing. diluc isn’t ready to taint his sweet little sister and damn himself… but he comes back the next night, grinding you against his thigh until you cum all over his pants. then he’s telling you that it won’t go any further than him making you feel good - but that doesn’t last long, and he has you on your knees a few nights later with his cock in your mouth. that’s as far as he’ll go, the darknight hero says, before he slips up once more and finds himself fucking your thighs n cumming all over your cute tits.

diluc tells himself that he needs to stop, that it’s sick of him to essentially trick his little sister into sleeping with her big bro.. but then again, it’s okay as long as he doesn’t go any further, right? as long as he doesn’t actually take your virginity, then it’s fine… he can keep on seeing you as the darknight hero, you’ll be safe and happy, and diluc won’t completely lose his mind longing for you.

(spoiler alert: he goes further :3)

um um yeah! it’s a lil messy but i had so many thoughts n i didn’t wanna leave any of them out bc what if they get lonely :( in other news!!!! i got a manicure n a super DUPER kyute set of nails and i finally bought mi first binder!!

- sweet prince

[alientitty]

Persona 5 (Royal) Guys Punchability Rating

Should you, playing as Joker, take a swing at your confidants? Find out here!

I-The Magician: Morgana

Hey, he's just a little kitty cat! It might be annoying how he doesn't let you go out at night and keeps talking when you're trying to read or meditate, but when he's not around it's clear you can barely function without a feline handler. He does keep saying weird shit to Ann though. 3/10

IV-The Emperor: Yusuke Kitagawa

Is it even fair? The guy's a toothpick. He's gonna blow away with the next breeze. His stamina in the Metaverse comes entirely from sitting around thinking about the darkness of the human soul re:art all day. Isn't he a starving orphan? But he does keeping saying out-of-pocket shit and you don't care how gay he is, that's no excuse for being a misogynist. Violence isn't the answer, but he'll feel the passion behind your slap, even if he doesn't entirely approve of the method. 5/10

V-The Hierophant: Sojiro Sakura

Aww, isn't he such a lovable tough guy? Basically your new dad, generational enmity and all. Hey wait why is he checking out your teenage friends. Hitting on all these younger women. Isn't he like 50? 60? If he's in his 60s you worry his brittle bones will shatter on impact, but if it's 50s then he's fair game. Maybe he'll finally trust you after some male bonding through friendly roughhousing and all. Depending on how early it is in the game there's a chance you'll be out on the street, though. 6/10

VI-The Chariot: Ryuji Sakamoto

He's your homeboy, your bro, your best buddy! And sometimes friends deck friends when they get outta line. You do feel kinda bad since he's been trying to channel all those big water sign emotions into becoming a gym rat instead of getting goaded into fights and all, but you'll keep it clean. You love him, but he can be so embarrassing in front of your other friends! Maybe he'd stop chasing skirts like a doofus if he just got some friendly skin-on-skin contact with other guys now and then. Wait, what? Well, anyways, it's totally a fair fight. As you throw the first punch you remember, wait, isn't he a domestic violence survivor? Shit. 9/10

XI-Justice: Goro Akechi

You can't tell if he's actually cool or just pretentious, but you've been waiting for a chance to wipe that shit-eating grin off his pretty face. You bet he has a 15-step skincare routine to get that perfect glow when he delivers a backhanded compliment that subtly conveys how much he thinks he's better than you. Staring each other down across the billiard tables while you play a verbal game of cat-and-mouse isn't enough. This cold war's gotta heat up. And, spoiler alert, he will challenge you to a duel...and then some. This ends with one of you on his knees. 10/10

XII-The Hanged Man: Munehisa Iwai

What beef do you even have with this guy? He's the hot gun guy who gives you custom builds in exchange for glimpses into the life of a Goodfellas side character. Besides, with his history, you don't wanna risk it. He's way too experienced and strong and grizzled and smoldering and...ahem. Maybe you would learn something. 4/10

XVI-The Tower: Shinya Oda

That's a kid. You do wanna punch the people making this poor child's life so hard, though. 0/10

XVIII-The Moon: Yuuki Mishima

He looks up to you so much it just wouldn't be fair. You've seen him beat up so much already that, even if he asked you to fight him, it'd be like kicking a puppy. He can be annoying and a creep and maybe even a little scary sometimes, but a punch is not what he needs. 2/10

XIX-The Sun: Toranosuke Yoshida

Dad?! For real, though, he's just about the only adult in this game besides Lala-chan who seems actually cognizant of the fact that you're a teenager. If you tried to take a swing at him he'd be incredibly disappointed that his lessons didn't stick, and you'd never forgive yourself for letting him down. 1/10

(Igor isn't here because he's nothing. As in, literally immaterial. You can't punch your dreamscape spirit guide with your real life human hands. He's, just, not there.)

1-The Councillor: Takuto Maruki

The most punchable guy in the entire game. Everyone thinks that self-effacing, oblivious beta male act is so charming, but you're not buying it. He's only there for Shujin to cover its ass until it cycles out of the news and is either willingly complicit or too incompetent to notice. He thinks his disarming, approachable shtick is a therapeutic icebreaker, but it's more like a lack of boundaries bordering on malpractice. He's one of those self-described "empaths" who projects his own personal issues onto everybody else and plays the victim when you call him out on it. The last thing you or any other troubled teens need is this bumbling, paternalistic stooge messing around in your heads. Plus, every time he makes that stupid pouty face you wanna slap the license outta him. Hey, does he even have one? 11/10

Bonus: Protagonist/ Joker / Your Name Here

Well, you play as him, so he's kind of you? The dialog options let you be a little mean or creepy sometimes, so I guess it's up to the player to decide if he's a jerk or not. Or you can take all those options as reflective of his personality (add in the fake glasses and Uniqlo mannequin getups, and he's kind of an asshole). Just keep in mind that, for a guy who eats a single loaf of bread at lunch every day, he's surprisingly built and pretty strong. You'll be in for quite a fight you can't back out of if you take a swing at him. At yourself?

??/10

[kavehnanginto]

i was entirely wrong about you…. part 1

synopsis: you realize your feelings after you brutally rejected and insulted him. regret soon followed you and you realized that it was too late, the feelings of love sprouted but you just had to ruin it. you never really thought of the fact that he was still so in-love with you, doing everything, for you to feel the same

pairings: alhaitham, cyno x gn!reader

references to pride and prejudice, bit of fluff jk, angst, its a happy ending spoiler alert unless you don’t want me to, i did not get sleep, proof read is for the weak just fix the grammar and spelling in ur mind, alhaitham is a bitch, cyno is a bitch, reader is a bitch

part two

ALHAITHAM

You have lots of opinion about the acting grand sage.

First of all, he did nothing but insult and ignore you when you were partnered up with him in his Akademiya days and secondly he was your ex-crush. Sure, blessed with good-looks and intelligence he was a catch but his pride was a big issue. The way he disregarded your opinions, made sure he got his way and belittled you. All these were from the past.

But was it really your fault, when never once did he apologize?

Now, its just silent stares and awkward conversations. You bet he didn’t even know who you were but still you find him staring at you in meetings. Maybe it was because he found you outfit horrendous. He spoke little in your presence, preferring to be on his own. Book and chair. Unlike before, he dare not speak negatively about you, often times forcing a compliment here and there. But you never forgot his words, and when you mentioned it he told you don’t fret over the past.

Your self esteem shattered because of your past with him. You cried because the guy you liked would rather die than team up with you. Liked. You were not to be harassed by fate again over a man who eats his own reflection.

“I love you.”

Your night never really ended with Alhaitham confessing his feelings for you. In fact, even when you did have a crush for him you never really and truly expected that he… Alhaitham was now at your door saying this.

It was raining. You didn’t know why you knew he hated it. But it added to your emotions all the same. He was panting, you didn’t need to come close to feel his beating heart. But even with this display of vulnerability that you so desperately wanted a while back.

Your pride got hurt, and its your dream to hurt his too.

“A while back, I would have been ecstatic to hear this from you,” you started. “But know I have realized your character acting grand sage. And I’m sorry if I hurt you, believe me I did not mean it. I also apologize the disdain in my voice when I first spoke to you at our eventful reunion. Believe me I meant no harm.”

You see a furrow on this eyebrows. He was for sure thinking it was a yes. He knew how much you clinged to him back then. Then.

“Are you rejecting me?” It was confusion rather than regret. You expected him to be regret what he did now that it was the reason why you stopped all feelings for this man.

“I believe that we can change Alhaitham. I was a funny child when I first met you, always on your side for approval and validation. I have changed, and I know you hardly didn’t.” you gave a small smile. “I’m sorry for you coming all this way, in this terrible weather and all—“

“So are you?” There was more force in his tone. Maybe he wanted this to get over with, huh?

“Yes!” you snapped. “You thought of me so little you think that the guy that insulted my intelligence, my presence and my dreams was the man I want to be with? I'm so sorry that I reject you, but how can I accept and like someone who never cared about anyone except for himself, someone like you ?”

Thunderstorms soon followed. You stared into his eyes with hatred, with what you wanted to say all this time. You looked down on him, as there was no way you’ll let him climb the stairs to your home. What you did not expect was the furrow on his brow was replaced with a wide gaze.

“So that’s what you think of me.” He looked down, he was wet and you were too. The rain felt like a comfort to him at this point. “I’m sorry for what crime I have committed, and for also be so daring to be in your presence.”

And there you last saw him again. The rain which at first was so loud, now unheard.

You wept. It was grains of tears, falling after another. You wanted this, right? This was your revenge. But though your ego satisfied, the tight feeling in your heart told a different tale. You did the right thing? Or did you just delude yourself by knowing that deep inside. He was right.

The tales of that day plagued your mind, it was like a ghost who dare not let go of you.

It was the end of work and he gave a letter. You just hoped things will get better and you will once again see the right path.

“Dear y/n,

When I first met you I hated you. It was because of your liberal and sunshine views about the world. Your optimistic mindset of everything yet still being pessimistic about yourself. That about you made everything you do annoying to me. How you faked a smile. How you were always there. I hated it. So when you left I never really knew why I hated it even more.

You didn’t have child like fantasies in the world, I was wrong. I grew to love this world, behind the books I read and novels on imaginary land. There was this world, so complex and unknown, and when I see every flower and every breathtaking view I immediately thought of you. And when I met you again when I became Scribe I fell. It was not even weeks, but I was already so besotted with your presence I can’t even remember how or why.

There is no excuse for your disdainful hatred towards me. I admit I deserve it fully. But let me thank you for everything. For showing me the beauty of everything, and for giving me the biggest prize to be with your presence even if it was for a short while. It was a pleasure nonetheless and I hope one day you grew to forgive me, even if you never love me back.

Wishing for your health and happiness.

With love,

Alhaitham.”

CYNO

The general Mahamatra was once your best friend. It was childhood, it never was permanent. In your early teens both of you drifted apart. It was always meant to be. He was just too good for you and you know that, even now. What you didn’t know was that he didn’t even acknowledge you existed. Long gone the cute boy who tied your shoelaces and played pirates with. It was replaced by the popular kid who banished your existence in his mind. It continued like that for the next 6 years and then gave up.

About time, he might have said.

Your happiness and piece of mind was more important than your friendship. So when you were paired up with Cyno, you were colder than he is. He was more friendly than before, he spoke with genuine intentions and he always valued your opinion. You were starting to like him not until you asked him of the past and he mentioned how nobody was there for him. It was vulnerable for him…

…. but you were never that angry at anyone your entire life

You spent hours in your room just to know he ignored you back then. How you tried everything to get his attention. You could’ve been there and he just didn’t care. Maybe he wanted that of superior presence and not you? Was that it. At that moment, you decided he was still the same. The bare minimum of talking to you and acknowledging you did not impress you anymore.

In fact, you hated it.

“I’ve grown to like you these past few weeks. Can I talk you on a date perhaps.”

It was late at night and you guys are creating a plan to enter the ruin. Almost done, you pack your things and ready for a new day not until he said that.

“How so?” Your reply was one of judgement., he recognizes it fully.

“Well for starters I’ve known you for a while. Your laugh that you showed, although not very often it was a pleasure to see, how your lips curved as you bite your bottom lip. How your eyes glisten when you see dood that you like and how eyes gaze in the room when you hear a nostalgic sound.” He’s serious. Dead serious.

You stared to his soul, just as he did to you.

“Instead of staring, please just answer—”

“…”

“No.”

He was silent than ever before. “Humor me, why?”

The room was now that of crickets and the faint sound of footsteps. You were about to exit the place if not for this confession you never wanted nor dreamed, nor even thought of happening.

“What do you mean why?” You stepped closer to him. His then serious look was replaced of an observing look, curious of what you have to say. “Do you remember me?”

“I do, we were childhood friends—”

“After that! After silly princesses and pirates did you know what happen?”

He knew about this.

“We drifted apart—”

Another step. But he didn’t back away. He wanted you closer.

“YOU drifted apart!” you pointed at him. “And you have the audacity to tell me that nobody was your side. I WAS there! And I could’ve been there if you just noticed my presence and let me be in your life like I once was—”

“Then you should’ve told me!” he argued.

“Then maybe you should’ve cared!” A pause. It felt good to say that after all this time. But at the same time you wonder what this means.

And then you grew distant at him and went to the door to open.

“And now you delude yourself to take me on dates and be with me. Maybe you should have thought about that years ago when I did everything to be with your side. Maybe you have thought to apologize for what you did instead of coming back when you want.” You closed the door and let yourself feel the night wind. You didn’t know why you cared so much for a guy like that. But you wonder if he changed or you did. Maybe he had a perspective you were so blind in seeing.

That morning was eventful. You were late to the meeting with Cyno and you need to get over everything about last night. You were greeted by an empty room and in your desk a letter was to be seen. In it was beautiful handwriting, one that your familiar with

“Y/n,

You were right I ignored you back then. It was intentional, it was true. You were all the talk by males and females alike. You made me sound like a popular kid. But I didn’t even know how to pop corn. Did that make you laugh?”

No it did not, but it made the atmosphere more bright than it should’ve been.

“I liked you since childhood. And you were just so unreachable in highschool, I didn’t even know why you wanted to befriend me. A boy who nobody liked. Who was too aloof and distant for his own good. That’s the reason. It is so unbelievably useless and worthless to you. I know. But I never meant for this letter to change your opinion of me, rather I wanted to mend what you thought it was in your mind. As for what I said, it was a great offense to you. I meant that nobody was there and I liked it that way. I would rather carry my burdens alone and when I said it to you I wanted you to know of my state in that past. Maybe a way of you understanding me more. I guess it had an opposite effect.

I know how disgusting I am to you so I’m pulling myself in our investigation. But collected a good sum of data now placed in your desk. I hope it will prove use. When you’re in the ruins please let someone accompany you. Ask that of Tighnari and I am sure he will. I hope I explained my side to you and even if it means not to talk to you. I’m glad I confessed to you last night.

Apologies and a thank you,

Cyno.”

Proof reading is for the weak anyways that is all. I am not a lore player so idk if this is right but yeah thank you for reading

[lovefrombegonia]

A Jinx of my mind and an Ekko of my soul

This is going to be a long post about how one Jinx and one Ekko from the Netflix's Arcane made me feel, and basically gave me an existential crisis for a couple of days. This isn't an in-depth analysis, let me warn you. This is much more personal, this is deep in emotions...this is projection of another level. This is my excercise of self-discovery through fiction. It's an introspective excercise I love doing...and sometimes, when the writing is omega-level great...it shows me my darkest fears, and my greatest dreams.

THESE ARE ALL PERSONAL OPINIONS. Fair warning. Also, Spoiler Alerts.

Those who are familiar with my blog, knows that, typically, I would have deeply, deeply fallen in love with a character like Jinx. That's what happens with me and my problematic blorbos. Mad and psychotic killers with great character design is almost always a win-win for me. This is what I thought too, initially, as I started Arcane's first episode. She was a little girl who was physically not strong but was a mad genius who could make deadly bombs out of scraps. An engineer of chaos! And someone with family issues...boi oh boi, I was ready, willing and able to fall for her... But then gradually something unexpected started to happen. I started...disliking her. And you know, that should have started after she killed a bunch of people indiscriminately, right? But no...I think it started much earlier. I think it started with a break down that hit too close to home. It started when Powder was crying and screaming out of desperation and pain when she thought of herself as useless. Someone who couldn't even help save her sister and her friends. Her adoptive father. During that scene, I didn't hate Power. No...let me not be a coward with my feelings here. This is me, raw, vile, and naked. I did hate Powder during that scene. I hated her because that scene hit too close to home. I hated her because how many times, it was me who would cry hysterical, alone in my room, cursing myself, my incompetence, my weakness, I can't even count. It really speaks to the brilliance of Arcane's cast and crew that it just sparked those memories of my despair so cleanly. Then she tries to help her sister and gang with monkey bomb, and it turns out to just make things from bad to worse. The rational side of me sees this and understands that she could not have any idea that things would turn out like this. She was just a child and even an adult could have made those same mistakes. But the emotional side of me watched in horror and hopelessness as her decisions made with intentions to help her family, in the end hurt them so badly and irreversibly. This, too, hit too close to home. Reminding me of when my own decisions had hurt my family in the long run. The guilt and trauma of my failure never went away. Even if my family doesn't blame me, I blame myself. And then...things just went downhill with the rest of the episodes. Visually, Jinx is one of the coolest characters on the show. Her fighting style, her gadgetry, even her mania is shown with so much style and brilliance, it just scratches the aesthetic itch of mine perfectly. Technically, the character writing is fucking superb imo. None of her moments are wasted. Every drop of her tears and every smile, every gesture counts. None of it is wasted. Emotionally, I felt like I was watching a nightmare version of me on-screen. Everything that happened to her is what I fear happening to me. The psychosis. The break-downs. Choosing to follow the wrong person. Choosing validation over people who love me. It's why all her triumphs and victories felt so hollow. Even her most brilliant moment, when she unleashed the missile over the council...felt incredibly painful to me. In my eyes, this was the moment of Jinx's destruction. When Silco called her "perfect", it should have felt like finally getting the validation she needed but instead it felt like getting a stamp of approval to be self-destructive.

Let me be clear: I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS WHAT THE SHOW IS TRYING TO SAY. THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT HOW I FELT THROUGH JINX AS A CHARACTER. I don't want her stans to think that I am slandering her moments of victory and character arc. When I was watching Arcane, Jinx's journey didn't feel like her growing from Powder to Jinx FOR ME, even though I know that's what the writing is about. It felt like Jinx was showing how I could devolve because of my own manic thoughts, insecurities, painful memories and just my fucking depressing af mind that feels like it's trying to eat me away. I cannot express how similar it looked when I saw Jinx losing her mind in isolation. Cooking up scenarios that didn't happen. Or degrading all the memories of the past while catastrophizing. Her shooting the girl who looked like Vi. Her, being petrified by Vi abandoning her. Her, being as a birder by Silco or being abandoned/betrayed by him. Even though, I am an adult now, and I get why people that I love might walk away from me, the fear of it all still eats me from inside. I am afraid. I am despairing. It feels like I can't move on. What scares me even more is one day, meeting a Silco who might or might not genuinely love me but also validates my wish to just destroy everything and everyone around me. To watch the world burn. Because, yes, the thought of letting it all go, and fuck things up feel "cool" and "liberating" and "awesome" but the truth is...the ugly, painful truth is...even then. EVEN FUCKING THEN. INSIDE. I would still me the same miserable lonely fuck... Except this time, I would because the scared miserable lonely fuck who hurts others. It's a nightmare cycle. Jinx is that nightmare cycle. Jinx...Powder...this charming, exhilarating, dynamic character. She is truly an enigma of her own, isn't she. I love her because I can empathize with her suffering and choices. I hate her because I fear that I might end up like her. Jinx is my mirror that I want to look away from but I can't.

This experience of mine with a character is not unique to Jinx. What differs, is the INTENSITY of it all. She stays in my mind. I watch video analysis of her character but I couldn't bring myself to write much about her. It feels too close. Too... familiar. I have talked about the mirror but what about the echo of my conscience? Somehow still keeping me from turning downright mean and unkind?

A very special episode happened in the second half of Arcane. An episode called "Boy Savior". It started with one of the coolest music video intros I have ever seen. I think most of us, who aren't familiar with LoL lore, could still guess this was the return of the little boy, Ekko. He was bound to return, and he was going to be involved with the Fireflies. It wasn't the focus of the episodes but it was clear from a few scenes that, like Jinx, Ekko was also great with gadgetry. His little periscope and audio system he made? So smart and cute, might I add. What I wasn't expecting, is to strangely...be envious of this character. It's natural to admire someone like him. Who, even being in the worst situations, rose as a hero and inspiration for his people. To help the ones left behind in the grand scheme of main characters. But I was already become very attached to him. Not in a blorbos kind of way. Another third secret thing LOL OK, but seriously, I was starting to feel even protective of this character. And no, it isn't just because Ekko has the cool character design, and cool hover board thingie, or even the coolest animation style in the series...those helped! But weren't the key reason. It started with the final fight between Ekko and Jinx. It was highly stylized and paired with great bgm. The animation was popping off!! Damn! Did they deliver with this part of episode. Amidst of all that, my mind all of a sudden went: 'I will never forgive Jinx if she kills Ekko.' After I finished the episode, and was done with the rest of my daily routine, I wondered why I felt so strongly for him. Mind you, I didn't feel the same way when she came close to killing any of the other main characters. Not even Vi, even though, being an eldest sibling myself, I should have felt more kinship with her. But no...it was Ekko. But why? Why him? Why even feel envious of this character who got so much burden on his young shoulders, and he is not even a main character?! It all CLICKED right into place after I watched this video analysis of his character. I understood my envy and my protectiveness for him. It's because Ekko is the kind of character I want to be. This person who can help my family and loved ones in the present. Someone who uses whatever resources they have and the courage, skills and endurance they have to push forward, to bring to the ones they care about. This person who acknowledges their painful past but won't let that stop from becoming someone kind and brave. Someone who works through their loss and shortcomings to bring a brighter light home. He is not a perfect person. He isn't physically strong like Vi or has agency like Jayce or has the strongest morality like Caitlyn but he is still ENOUGH. He still helps in a way that truly matters, his existence matters. He is the strong, sturdy, life-giving tree in the midst of undercity's thick, suffocating atmosphere. He is...Ekko is just...simply beautiful. Just BEAUTIFUL and immaculate in a way no other character in Arcane season 1 is. He is a side character with much lesser screen time but he leaves me with such a deep impression. To me, Ekko is the character that reminds me of the echo of my own conscience soul, pushing me to be a better person than I was yesterday. He is the dream version of myself. And this is why it was hurting me to think of Jinx killing Ekko. Because my emotional side was interpreting it as my nightmare version killing the dream version of myself. My sub-conscious made the connection between Powder/Jinx and Ekko before I even realised.

I cannot praise the writers of Arcane enough to bring out such strong emotions in me. To invoke something so raw and visceral in me. To make me look into myself, to realise my fears and hopes. Almost all the characters in Arcane season 1 are amazing, nuanced, thought-provoking, and simply brilliant. And even among all these diamonds, Jinx and Ekko are so bright to stand out so uniquely... Ah...such beauty in fiction is rare. Be it hate or love. Fear or envy. I cherish them both very dearly.

[pianostrings]

Rebel Moon: The Scargiver Novelization!!

Contains spoilers for Rebel Moon Part II: The Scargiver under the cut:

Opens with Noble being revived. Cassius is informed of a list of approved "bio-enhancements" that will change his "biology on a molecular level". Cassius ponders whether he has chosen the right person to throw his lot behind (spoiler alert: he has not).

Kora and Gunnar's sex scene is expanded on 😌

(This is also super nit-picky but the tense in the sex scene changes from past to present and it really bothers me haha)

Flashbacks to Kora's time at court. Word of Balisarius's butchery as a general reaches the king and the king chews him out with Kora present. Rather than punishing him, the King makes him a senator instead.

Balisarius invites Kora to his villa, which is apparently filled with only pictures of himself in various suits of armor in battle (this is so on brand, I’m crying). He calls her Kora, which I thought was odd, since she was re-named Arthelais? Not sure whether this is a typo or not.

Kora watches Balisarius perform his first speech as a senator. It's a passionate anti-immigration speech ❤️ goes over really well with everyone except the King and Queen. Kora is initially concerned about his use of wording: "darkness" from "the outer worlds" but then she thinks, hey it's cool! I'm not from one of those ugly places anymore.

In the palace gardens, Balisarius reveals he will be Regent Militarium one day and Kora will replace the princess. She is much concerned. She and Issa have a cute smiling moment, which is sweet, because I’m sure nothing bad will happen to her.

Something bad happens to her. Kora has no clue the assassination is taking place until everyone is being stabbed. Princess Issa gets a moment to sass Balisarius but Kora does, unfortunately, still shoot her.

THE KALI ARE EXPLAINED. At the core of every dreadnought, an ancient female humanoid is kept in a half-conscious state, bodies hardwired to the ship to drain them of their energy. They are fed the organic matter of conquered worlds, which is what is shovelled into the furnaces (not magical space coal).

Cassius recalls how Noble's first campaign out of the Academy was disastrous and that he would never have come back from it if he wasn’t from a military family from Moa.

LIVE REACTION FROM DEN as Kora and Gunnar take the walk of shame together. He is CRESTALLEN, friends. Tarak and Titus giggle like schoolboys at Kora and Gunnar's appearance (why was this not left in the film? Incredible team building stuff).

Tarak has the audacity to claim bundling grain is "women's work". Oh you precious royal boy. He has a love interest, Hervor, and she is a MILF. Good for them both.

Eljun is Nemesis's biggest fanboy as the kids argue over which of the rebels is the strongest. Eljun is confident in Nemesis. This is so sweet. I’m sure nothing bad will happen to her either!

Kora likes Gunnar more than any of the lovers she'd taken on other campaigns because he makes her laugh. Oh. 🥹

Aris speaks to Cassius via transmission. Aris quotes a concerning motivational line he attributes to Cassius: "every child screaming... every mother crying..." ⁉️ Cassius tells him that line originates from Balisarius, actually (of course it fucking does.)

In the background, Noble has clued on that Aris has betrayed them and wishes he killed him along with his sisters. They wait for information from the Hawkshaws.

At dinner, Milius and Hagen have a sweet moment where they talk about their own past, in a similar village.

ARIS KISSES SAM 💋

The team have their backstories moment. There’s a tad more detail in Titus and Milius’s backstories

Noble has a flashback after his failed campaign, which is upseting because 1) Cassius wasn't with him and 2) his father, Dominic, is pissed. He is sent to the Vori, a gangster planet, where he remains as a guest, shadowing the warlord, Gregor. He passes a test where he kills a Motherworld noble and is given the tattoo near his eye. He also meets the twins for the first time. Deep lore here. Deep deep lore.

Tarak hooks up with Hervor the MILF. This r-rated cut is just going to be everyone going at eachother.

Jimmy kills the Hawkshaws, just as they're about to tell Cassius about Kora's dropship.

We get some backstory about the Hawkshaws. They are the Anuran species and their home planet is Anura. When the Imperium attacked their world, they put up a good fight and the Admiral in charge of the invasion offered an alliance, by offering their skills to the Imperium.

Kora gets to sass Noble a bit before the battle

R.I.P. Den. Gone too soon. Noble’s bio-enhancements come in handy during this fight.

There's so much swearing during the battle—Milius tells a soldier to 'fuck right off, motherfucker—it’s poetry and I really hope this is all in the R version.

The Kali speaks to Kora!!! It forgives her, like Issa, because it knows one day she will "wake [her] sisters and their wrath will be [the Kali's] vengeance. Yesss queens 👏🏼 it’s giving inter-galactic feminism

Kora kills the gunnery crew and redirects the turrets to the conning tower where Noble and Cassius are. Noble legs it for the elevator and abandons the crew. Cassius is right behind him but Noble 😮 shoots him in the face.

Nemesis gifts her daughter's pendant to Eljun as she dies. Her death is a "final act of love and comfort." 😢

Aris joins in the battle and kills a guard, avenging his family.

Kora blows up the engines and beheads Noble. No further resurrections for Ed Skrein, it appears.

Gunnar and Kora 🥹

"[Kora] looked back up to the burning fields of Veldt and the rising smoke. The cost of rebellion is always loss. The legacy is freedom and dignity."

The team assemble! Devra apologies to Kora for arriving late and says that her “brother was right” (assuming this is a throwback to Darrian wanting to take the rebellion more public)

A young Veldtian girl sings a ballad at the funeral pyre

The last scene is of Balisarius being dressed. We finally get the "I do love this part" line from the trailer. He is told of the destruction of The King's Gaze and surmises it was Kora's doing. Hundreds of thousands of Imperium soldiers chant his name as he prepares to hunt her down.

Additional Notes:

Ok more thoughts now I’ve had time to reflect on the text:

- I can see why this novelization release was pushed back. I don’t know what the deadline was like for the author but it felt very rushed and the writing is… not great… at times. The romance was, in particular, pretty cringe.

- Aris and Devra Bloodaxe felt very sidelined here. I thought Aris would at least have an unpacking his past moment with someone? Devra just turns up and we don’t learn anything about where she’s been or the Base One she returns to at the end of part 1? I also thought we might get more Darrian (or how the Bloodaxes operate) through Milius’s flashbacks.

- I don’t love the characterisation of any of the villains. Balisarius comes across cartoonishly evil and it’s hard to pinpoint any kind of affection Kora has for him in her flashbacks, other than maybe loyalty through self-preservation. Noble veers a little too close into bumbling idiot territory. Cassius’s POVis baffling and he spends way too much time worrying about Noble trying to challenge Balisarius, which doesn’t seem remotely believable

- I kind of thought Milius and Tarak were going to end up together? Or that they at least had some kind of friendship, but they seem to barely interact. In fact, it feels like we see the least of Milius out of the rebels

- Hagen and Kora should have had more moments TBH. Feel like she needed that positive comparative father figure

- The ending makes it sound like Kora is completely done with Veldt and she’s ready to move on now that there’s nothing there for her. I guess this works if the team are now off on a quest across the galaxy to save the princess but it also seems a bit… blunt

[cybersp4c3]

Hhhhhhh Kitsune scara bc i saw that chiscara post

Fox scara x Shogun reader

Scara is Reader’s consort/wife

in a way

(also its just Eimiko is a different font)

Anyways kitsune scara who is the head shrine maiden and teases reader nearly everyday just to get dicked down by reader and his big fat cock and makes excuses to visit the tenshukaku to see his little crush (is it really little if you fantasise getting dicked down by the shogun while doing your shrine maiden paperwork 💀) And whenever the guards question him he just answers “Oh , I’m here to ask the shogun for his approval” (as if he literally isnt the second person in power after the shogun) and some days where he is extra cranky like when he is heat he just glares at the guards and goes “Who are you to question me?! The head shrine maiden of the narukami shrine!!!” They ofc let him in lmfao who could say no to such a pretty face like scara’s 🤭🤭🤭 once scara reaches reader’s room he tries to fix his hair and make his ears and tails extra fluffy but reader is just like “This whore again…” while doing his duties lmao but who he to deny his pretty little fox some love? Cue aggressive table gripping sex with reader mating pressing scara on his table while reading official documents and asking scara for his opinion even though he is too cock drunk to even speak lol “Dear what do you think of this blueprint?” Or “Hm… a new shop has opened up should we head there sometime?” But scara just fucking loses his mind on reader’s cock like “HnNH~! S-sure that sounds good <3” (i dont have the android heart 😔) and when scara doesn’t answer properly reader licks or blows on his ears or even pulls on his tail 🫣 once scara is stuffed with cum and reader forces him to walk out the tenshukaku without his panties and just dripping cum down his pussy in shame while the guards question the white trail that the fox leaves behind him

Sometimes scara publishes the super fucking rough lovemaking he and reader has as super smutty novels which the reader reads and knows about so whenever he wants to convince scara to try something new in the bedroom he’ll just be like “It’ll be good inspo for the novel trust me” it ends up with scara being fucked dumb (still enough brain to write the book lmao) idk how to end this off so uh Omake with scara bringing the reader bentos he made personally with a secret ingredient <3 (spoiler alert its his pussy juice)

- 🍰 IM BACKKKKKKKKKK

Is it the discord mod childe and kitsune scara one by inukitsu? Because I love that one

Kitsune scara that loves to tease you all day at tenshukaku by flirting with soldiers

Scara always insists that he should drop all his duties at the shrine and be with you all day! But we all know it’s just so he can get dicked down by massive archon cock

Even better (or worse) when he’s in heat because now he really needs your cock! Scara let’s you do anything! You thrust into his pussy over and over again at a harsh pace and he keeps begging you for more

His poor pussy gets absolutely obliterated too! You like using your electro powers to zap his pussy every now and then. Sometimes you even electrify your entire cock you whenever you plunge into his wet boypussy it causes an elemental reaction

[albatmobile]

The Art of Rehabilitating Snowbirds Chapter 22

𓅪 After not hearing from Roy or Jason for five years, you suddenly find yourself taking in extra income as a babysitter for their child.

𓅪 Rated: M | TW: underage drinking | 6k includes: college party w steph

fem!Reader x Jason Todd x Roy Harper [masterlist]

Chapter 22: Dance for Love | ao3 - wattpad

THEN

Before you headed off to the library, you bumped into your parents, who were finally home for once. You didn’t bother to acknowledge them as you moved past them in the living room to get to the front door.

They were going over a necklace they’d probably just stolen and were meticulously removing its gems one by one. The necklace alone should be enough to get your family through the next few months, that is, if they used it right. Keyword: if. 

They completely ignored you as you moved around the room, but it was fine. It was how you liked it, anyway. The only time they ever acknowledged you was when they needed money and needed you to get it. It wasn’t honest work; it was surviving.

At the last minute, Damian called you. Instead of your plans to walk four miles to the library, Damian had Alfred pull up right in front of your apartment to take you there. He insisted that he would, at the very least, accompany you until Babs and Steph showed up, though you still hadn’t exactly had the chance to tell him that you were going to a party.

As soon as you stepped into the car, Damian’s face noticeably shifted. 

“What?” You self-consciously tugged the hem of your red dress lower as you situated yourself next to him in the back. “Hi, Alfred. How are you?” you greeted the older gentleman kindly.

“Lovely, Miss,” he said your name with his usual deadpan face, though his eyes always held a welcoming wisdom you’d come to know and love. “Are we still headed to the Gotham Library?”

You buckled your seatbelt and nodded. “Yes, please.” 

You chatted amicably with Alfred for the rest of the short ride before you came to a stop in front of your destination. Steph was already there, smirking wildly as Damian moved around the side of the car to open the car door for you.

“Well, hello there,” she snickered at your hand, which still rested in Damian’s palm from when he'd helped you out of the car. “What do we have here?” She looked over Damian’s usual ‘casual’ wear, which consisted of a cashmere sweater and slacks, similar to what you always saw Bruce wearing around the manor. “Dami’s coming with?”

Ah, that. 

You kind of just wanted it to be a girl’s night, but you also didn’t want your friend to feel left out. So, you turned to Damian, releasing your hand in the process.

“Would you want to come to the party with us?” you asked. Damian had still yet to speak. You found yourself growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. “Dude, what’s your damage?”

He crinkled his nose like your outfit was revolting before finally having the audacity to speak, “So, that’s where you’re going, looking like that?” 

“Oh, shut it, Dami. You know you like it,” Steph teased him as she nodded in approval of your outfit. “Makes me wish I swung the other way.” 

You blushed and wondered if it was genetic or something in the water that made the whole Wayne family this charming.  

“Brown. Thought you’d be banned from Gotham by now.” 

“Spoiler alert,” she flicked at Damian’s tanned button nose, “you can’t get rid of me that easily.” 

“You really should come,” you said as you turned back to Damian, but he was already shaking his head 'no.'

“I have other obligations this Friday night,” he said, looking at the blonde judgmentally before turning to you with a much gentler look. “Next time, then,” he squeezed your hand gently, rolling his eyes at Stephanie’s cooing all the while. “Be safe. Call me if you need anything.” 

You squeezed back. “Of course,” you promised. 

He nodded and hesitated so briefly that you almost missed it before dropping your hand and disappearing back into the car. By the time they’d driven off, you were already buckled in and jamming out to Barbara’s playlist.

•

This wasn’t your first part, but it was your first college party and damn, did you feel out of your depth. 

The purple lace bra she wore underneath her sheer button-up did somehow bring the look together, though you still doubted anyone other than her could pull it. As soon as you walked through the doors, Stephanie was off, mingling with what seemed like every single person in the dingy, loud room. 

You remained alone as you took in the entirety of the insane scene that lay ahead of you.

College kids were littered across every place imaginable: making out on the couches, throwing up over the second-floor banister, skateboarding through the kitchen and, holy shit, keg stands were actually a thing?

Regardless of being in the police academy, Dick still knew how to throw a rager. 

You knew Dick was on campus, earning his degree alongside police academy. Meanwhile, Barbara was blowing through her law degree at a pace even GSU couldn’t keep up with. Together, the two of them were renting a house a few blocks off campus and in the heart of frat life. 

Ironically, it was a redhead that locked onto you as soon as you walked in.

“Wally,” Steph rolled her eyes, seeming to reappear out of nowhere to introduce you pointedly, “this is Bart’s friend.”

At the mention of Bart’s name, the charming smirk on the kid’s freckled face instantly fell. 

She told him your name, but he was already backing off, waving his hands defensively all the while.

“The fuck are you guys doing here then?” Wally looked around, seemingly for Dick, but Stephanie pulled him down close to her face.

“We were invited here, Pippi Longstocking. So, buzz off, or catch a sentence.” That was all it took for Wally to flee in the opposite direction.

Your familiar redhead replaced him.

“You know, it’s kinda cheating that you’re associating with another redhead in public.” Roy sidled up to your side with two cups, handing one to you easily. “You’re practically killin’ me over here, princess,” he teased.

“Fuck are you doing here?” you joked easily.

“I could ask you the same question, beautiful.” Roy’s light green eyes traveled up and down your body. “Never seen you wear that before.”

You regarded him eyeing you up with a faux scowl, “Are you normally this pervy and I ignore it, or are you just especially drunk tonight?”

He snorted, handing you a beer to match the one in his hand, “’S probably a bit of both. You know I always pregame.”

“Where’s Jay?”

Roy snorted at the nickname. “Patrol with your little boyfriend. It’s the second Friday of the month,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but you were left wildly confused.

“Patrol?” 

Little boyfriend? 

Roy seemed to sober up quickly enough. He nonchalantly moved from the wall he was leaning up against to stand fully. “Project. I meant he’s working on a project,” he corrected quickly.

“Oh.” Your brows furrowed together, not quite believing him but being too tipsy to know how to push for further information. “Well, maybe we should’ve helped him then,” you trailed off with a slight pout, not wanting Jason to think you and Roy ditched him like at the botanical gardens.

Roy was back to slouching against the wall as he chugged the rest of his beer before chucking it behind himself. 

“Roy!” Dick’s voice sounded from somewhere in the room. You didn’t have time to guess where his voice had come from before he was high-tailing it across the party to chuck a can directly at the back of Roy’s head. The contact produced a loud clang that had you dying of laughter as Roy moaned in pain. “I told you to stop with that high school shit, you dope ass lightweight,” Dick said, then seemed to realize that you were right there and quickly shifted back into the usual innocent puppy-dog routine you were used to. “Oh, hey! I didn’t see you there,” he said your name while ruffling your hair until you smacked it off of you. “You enjoying yourself?”

You nodded before you busied yourself with fixing your hair that he’d just frizzed up. When you were finished getting it back somewhat into place, you shot him a half-hearted glare. 

It was a good party. Hell, even better than the one Jason and Roy had thrown at the manor, but after he’d just fucked up your hair, you weren’t going to butter him up anymore. What kind of a dick messes up a girl’s hair?

Oh, wait…

Sure, last time Dick Grayson had used his police academy gear to shut down the manor party, but here, at his own place, Dick showed no signs of putting an end to this out-of-control party. 

“Is that the dress you and Steph picked out?” Barbara came up from behind you, startling you slightly when her fingers trailed over the fabric of your outfit appreciatively. “I didn’t really get to see it in the car. You look really cute!” You tried to thank her over the deafening beat, but she just winked. “Did you get a drink yet?” 

You raised the cup you’d had lowered to your side and sipped at it with a smile. “Roy got one for me,” you supplied.

Apparently, even though you couldn’t hear shit, Barbara could hear everything clear as fucking day. 

Barbara’s attention easily shifted to Roy. “We don’t play that shit here, Harper,” she warned.

You thought she was going to take your drink, but apparently, that hadn’t been what the warning was about. Roy, however, seemed to understand even in his drunken stupor. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered something haughtily under his breath about you that you missed, but both Dick and Babs seemed to hear clearly. 

Babs looked like she was about ready to kick Roy out, but Dick just threw his head back and laughed.

“My man’s totally chill, Babs,” Dick's slur became more evident, no matter how hard he tried to hide it with his playboy grin. He threw one of his burly arms across Roy’s shoulder and the other around you as if to cement the point. “’S just got a little too much fireball in him, which is totally my fault. He’s not like that, anyway and you know it,” saying this, Dick seemed to sober up, turning to you to put both hands on your shoulders seriously. “Be careful around these older kids, though. Not all of them are so noble.” 

You nodded under the stern warning hidden in the depths of his cobalt blue eyes. He broke the eye contact and, just like that, the spell was broken. Dick’s serious face dropped into his usual beguiling smile. He patted your right shoulder before going back to chat amicably with Roy and Babs like he hadn’t just done a complete 180.

“Speaking of the unnoble, do you finally have enough alcohol in your system to suck on Prince Harry’s Prince Albert?” Roy sipped pointedly while looking across the room.

Dick smacked him without hesitation, sloshing a good portion of Roy’s drink onto his freckled face in the process.

“Don’t talk about him like that,” he hissed, looking around to make sure no one had heard. 

You watched as his eyes stuck on the redhead from earlier- Wally. One look at the gleam behind Dick’s eyes and it became apparent that you weren’t the only one with a thing for redheads.

“So, Babs’ still your beard? That’s weak, dude.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Dick snickered. “How’s that closet, Harper?”

“Grayson, you dumbass,” Roy narrowed his eyes, “you’re right there in it with me.” 

You’d only drank half your cup but were easily lost in their conversation. Babs, however, followed their back and forth with sinister glee.

“Wayne Manor does have big closets,” you spouted suddenly. You absentmindedly nodded mostly to yourself, but everyone heard and started cracking up anyway. 

Even though you’d made them laugh, you had no idea as to why. The closets at Wayne Manor were practically all walk-ins, complete with dressers in the middle of them. Honestly, if you added a lock onto any of them, they’d definitely be able to double as safe rooms.

“You’re telling me,” Dick snickered at your questioning face, patting you on the back. “So, anyway, what were u guys talking about before I so rudely interrupted?” 

“Jason’s project,” you supplied, glad for the shift in topic. Dick shot Roy a pointed brow that the redhead easily dismissed. Now that you’d brought it up, your earlier worries rushed back into your brain. “Are you sure Jason won’t be upset?” 

You thought back to Damian’s hurt face and figured Jason would react much the same. Roy seemed to understand your train of thought and fought to derail it before you could lose too much of your steadily building buzz. 

“Nah, don’t worry about it. He would want us to have fun,” he said while gently leading you back to the dance floor. Dick cheered you guys on while Babs looked unamused, though she was quickly pulled away by a group of guys who were attempting to piss from off of the banister.

“You sure?” you asked.

“Don’t tell me one dance with me and you’re done,” Roy managed around a smirk.

The weight of his hand in yours pulled at your heart, feeling your pulse quicken with each passing second that his effervescent eyes lingered. His half-lidded verdant eyes, covered partially by his strawberry lashes, bore into your deer-in-headlights ones. No matter how hard you tried to play it cool, Roy was one of those people who’d always be able to crumble your resolve with just a look. 

His steady hand on your waist drew you close to his sweaty body while the other bodies around you bumped and mashed around to the beat. 

“Roy,” his name was a breathless whisper, somehow discernible above the ruckus of the party. You don’t know where you’d been going with your sentence, only that Roy had your whole, undivided attention. 

Normally, you’d try to push down these butterflies or maybe pretend like they didn’t exist, but more and more, you were starting to acknowledge that they were there- that you did feel something. 

The blurred lines kept getting blurrier and you were only getting hornier. Like, fuck.

“Yeah, baby?” he purred into your heated, blushing ear.

All the while, his other hand wandered up your side, following your natural curves as he did so. You couldn’t help but moan into his ear as his fingers trailed your mid-thigh all the way until they, too, rested on your waist, enticing you to join the sensual rhythm he’d set. 

The music was far too fast-paced to dirty dance like last time, but it was the perfect tempo to let loose against his firm chest. Your hands were up in the air before you could stop them as your hips swayed in time to the fast beat, feeling the warmth of Roy’s encouraging hands on you all the while.

With Roy, you could always let loose and not care what others thought. He was a free spirit that flared your own inner desire for the same: to exist in the moment and exist for yourself. Freedom in its own effortless yet arduous sense.

You brought your hands down to caress the sides of his face as you mouthed along to the lyrics that were only semi-coherent in your mind. Your full attention was on Roy and his every minute reaction to you. You wanted him to want you.

If the devilish glint in his eyes, you were pretty sure Roy might actually give in tonight. 

From beside you, Stephanie nudged the two of you, “Damn, mami.”

The roaring bass polluted your ears and you strained to understand her over the noise.

“What she said,” Roy teased with a waggle of his brows.

You asked her to repeat herself, still not having heard her, but she was too busy giggling to respond. 

“Tell me,” you said, playfully pushing Roy. When he still didn’t divulge you, you spun around and ground directly against his dick.

The alcohol burned at your throat. You felt its heat crawl up into your skull and slosh around your brain like a ship caught in a monsoon. 

With your head turned to the side, you watched him gulp. 

"No," his dopey eyes took you in as he bit at the corner of his lip, “I don’t think I will, beautiful.” 

Your arms came up again, trailing against his chest as you slithered down the expanse of his front. You looked up at his darkening eyes from your crouched position. You’d really been thinking that, yes, Roy was definitely into you when it happened.

A sharp laugh from right above before you were knocked onto your ass. Your face cringed in disgust as you fell to the sticky, carpeted floor below. Why they continued to put carpets in frat houses? You’d never know.

A college woman, probably an underclassman by the looks of it, had bumped into you and sent you sprawling, nearly spilling her drink on your new dress in the process. The worst part? She didn’t even bother to look down at you. 

No, the bitch was more concerned with twirling her hair for Roy.

You sprang up from the ground to check over your outfit, making sure that nothing had actually spilled before glaring at her. If you were this mad, you figured Roy would be worse and looked at Roy to calm him down, but… He was too busy eyeing up the college girl to be upset on your behalf.

She noticed she now had his undivided attention and increased her efforts tenfold. “When you want to hang around a woman,” her eyes flicked your way distastefully, “come find me.” 

Whatever trance Roy had created between the two of you dissipated as soon as his eyes left yours.

Roy held up his finger as he downed the rest of the amber liquid in his cup before handing its empty remains to you. He winked and saluted you before ditching you. 

You stood there in the middle of the packed dance floor tipsy and completely and utterly devastated.

Stephanie replaced him easily, yelling over the booming bass, “Men are jerks.” 

She took the empty cup from your hand and chucked it in the direction Roy had sauntered off to. Before you could blink, she’d replaced your previous drink with two full shots in each of your hands. You didn’t question how she’d poured them so fast, electing instead to take them in quick succession before you could pussy out. 

You were surprised but grateful to be handed a chaser. You chugged a majority of the indiscernible sweet liquid down before letting out a ‘hoo!’ as the burning liquid finally caught up to your tastebuds.

The music blared at full blast, vibrating the thin walls that seemed to swell and retract like lungs with each rattle of the bass. The overwhelming number of drunk students that occupied the house left your head spinning until you found yourself squashed up against Stephanie in the aimless sea of bodies surrounding you.

“It doesn’t matter,” you tried to hide your disappointment, but it was in vain. She saw right through you. 

“He’s too old for you, anyway,” she said as she started to swing her hips in time to the music, urging yours to do the same. You reluctantly gave in, truly just wanting to go back home.

The shots had warmed your throat on the way down and were now pooling comfortably in your stomach. The party lost a bit of its edge. The music seemed less overwhelmingly loud and more invigorating, while the mass of bodies seemed less claustrophobic and more exhilarating. 

You felt loose. You felt good.

“Just over two years!” you argued, fully giving in to the music.

She smacked your hip and your confused hands landed on Stephanie’s shorts as she ground back into you. “Have fun, bitch! Wait,” she said. Without warning, she spun around and grabbed your cheeks in her hands. “He’s watching. Come here.”

Before you could question who ‘he’ was, Stephanie’s lips slit loosely and wetly against your own. 

Your half-lidded eyes met hers lazily. The tips of your tongues flicked against each other before your lips clashed back together. You could hardly contain the tipsy whimper that escaped from you in the process. Her kiss was doing nothing to quell the cottony feeling that steadily encompassed your brain.

“Steph,” you moaned as your eyes slid shut again. 

She snickered, “Oh, yeah. It’s definitely working. He’s like, glaring over here, dude.” You nodded, distracted by her beauty. You tugged her back in with a whine that was indiscernible above the obnoxious decibel level in the room. You did, however, hear her small noise of surprise when you sucked her bottom lip into your mouth and bit down playfully, “Oh, shit.”

Her words tickled at your sensitive skin and with all the blue balls you’d been getting from Jason and Roy recently, it was finally nice to get some actual fucking action.

You’re about to slide down to the floor with her to get a better angle when a rough hand is placed on her shoulder. Your eyes blearily blinked open to see- Jason? 

You blinked again, shaking your head. 

No. 

The man had the same dark hair and light eyes, but you didn’t know this fucker.

“Connor?” Stephanie mumbled against your tongue, which was still drunkenly shoved down her throat.

“Mind if I cut in?” he asked kindly. His deep voice left you officially lost for words as the two of you finally broke apart. A trail of saliva connected you to Stephanie until the dude from Roy’s grade, Conner, batted it away with a light smile.

You mumbled something along the lines of ‘no,’ but your needy touch still lingered. Your fingers drunkenly untangled themselves from her light hair before you finally stumbled drunkenly back to the outskirts of the party. 

With nothing else to do, you texted Jason to see how his project was coming along. Reading back your words, they hardly made any sense, though you honestly didn’t think you were feeling it that much, but apparently so. 

You were left with a pleasant warmth as you watched Stephanie and Conner dance from the sidelines. You’d completely forgotten why your phone was even in your hands in the first place when you heard it.

A wolf whistle had you twisting around to see- Roy?

This time, it was actually who you thought it was. His obnoxious strawberry-red hair was hard to mistake and even harder to ignore. And, the biggest shocker? He had the audacity to come crawling back to you.

Maybe you’d gotten a little too tipsy and a little too confident. He obviously just viewed you as a friend, so this situation shouldn’t be bothering you. Especially after your argument with Jason about blurred lines. 

Besides, like Stephanie said, he was too old for you.

“You already done?” you asked bitterly, shooting an unimpressed eyebrow pointed in the direction of the perky-titted blonde he’d ditched you for. 

You glanced back down at your phone, wishing Stephanie would want to leave sooner rather than later so you could avoid the rest of this awkward conversation with Roy.

He squished himself beside your position along the perimeter of the room. “You dissing my skills?” You pointedly looked at your phone until he smacked it out of your hand, catching it easily before it got too far out of your grip. “Whatever, doesn’t usually happen like this unless I drink,” he muttered in embarrassment. 

“Whiskey dick?” you supplied monotonously, feeling somewhat better about the whole situation. 

“Something like that.” He shrugged as if uninterested in the entire conversation. 

Somehow, his answer made all the difference and you instantly felt better. You threw your head back and laughed, feeling all previous inhibitions leave with it. 

Deep down, a part of you hoped that you were the reason he didn’t go through with it, though you knew it was a delusional thought. One to be added to all your other ones concerning the two upperclassmen.

“You wanna bounce?” you yelled the question over the drunk kids screaming the lyrics to some 2000’s pop song.

He regarded you for a brief moment. “You’re not mad?” he asked, seeming completely shocked.

Yes. 

“No,” you assured him before throwing back the rest of your drink to soften the lie. 

“Cool,” he tried to emulate your inside joke with Jason, but you merely rolled your eyes in response.

“Whatever,” you said, effectively ruining the usual joke and leaving him to wince. In an attempt to rectify your sour tone, played up the buddy card way too hard. “So, are you trying to leave or not, bro?”

He snorted, content to follow the shift in conversation, “Sure, bro.”

“Awesome, bro,” you jested back as you nudged him toward the front door. 

You pocketed your phone, looking around for Stephanie’s signature blonde, only to see the other blonde from earlier. 

Ugh.

She glared your way, flipping you off before flipping her hair while sidling up to Wally. 

You didn’t miss the way Roy’s eyes winced at her vulgar behavior but couldn’t help but be annoyed at how he’d completely ignored it earlier. To be honest, this was the best possible ending and you couldn’t help but think the blonde’s power move was kind of iconic. 

Poetic justice, in a way, yes. 

Revenge, in a way, also yes. For Roy, that is, of course.

“Seems like Wally’s pretty good at picking up your scraps, don’t you?” You wiggled your brows. You expected him to laugh, push you, or something, but all he does is stare at you with those stupid fucking unreadable eyes. 

“Dunno,” he mumbled. “Neither of you are my scraps.”

Gee, that was comforting.

He was only focused on you now, though you remembered how that went earlier. Part of you wondered if in the last few moments you spent at the party, he’d somehow find a way to ditch you again. Surprisingly, he didn’t.

You went to finish your drink before remembering you’d already downed it and sighed, “Be right back.” 

After letting Stephanie in on your plans (and after she slid you a magnum condom from who the fuck knows where), you and Roy bounced, choosing to walk to his place that was just a few blocks away.

You weren’t drunk anymore, but you were definitely tipsy. You tried hard not to let it show, but your tiny stumbles and unfocused gaze were enough to let anyone in on the fact. Roy, on the other hand, was quite obviously fucking wasted.

Your arm looped in his to keep him from smashing into another drunk passerby. The walk definitely felt extended in your inebriated state. When you finally managed to wrangle him through the front door, two people were there waiting for you.

“Well, well, well,” the mustached man drawled. “What do we have here?”

“Delivery?” you tried, sighing in relief when the two blonds, who you assumed to be Roy’s parents, came to alleviate the majority of Roy’s drunken weight off of you. Once he was off, you extended your arm to the rugged blond and then to the blonde bombshell to introduce yourself. 

“Oliver, Roy’s guardian,” he said with a wink. “You can call me Ollie, though.”

While they looked nothing alike, you could definitely see where Roy’d gotten his flirtatious edge from. You couldn’t help but wonder about Roy’s family situation. It definitely seemed like, at the very least, you weren’t the only one with an unconventional family life, though the Waynes were definitely still the paragon for it.

“I’m Dinah.” You reached out, shaking her soft hand with a tipsy smile. Even though it was firm, you could tell that it was just because she was buff as fuck and not anything to do with intimidation. “Roy’s been telling us a lot about you.” 

You coughed uncomfortably, which Ollie only added to by butting in with a stage whisper, “More like wouldn’t shut up about you.” He sidled up to you, wrapping his muscular arm around your tiny shoulders. “Tells us all your jokes, how you help with his homework,” he nudged you playfully, “and about what an attractive young lady you are.” He glanced up, seeing if he’d get a reaction out of Roy, but he was already practically snoring on the couch Dinah and Ollie had moved him to.

It was Dinah who stepped in, nearly sending Ollie sprawling to the floor with one swift movement that left your mouth hanging open. “We wouldn’t want to make our young guest feel uncomfortable, now would we, Ollie?”

Ollie backed off easily. “Definitely not my intention, pretty bird,” she tilted her head your way and his downcast eyes moved accordingly. “Sorry, love,” he apologized to you.

“Trust me,” you motioned over to Roy’s slumped form, “I’m used to it.

Dinah tsk’ed and Ollie seemed to know better than to stick around the woman when her feathers had been ruffled. Without another word, he disappeared off into the next room for a few moments while Dinah got to know you a bit more, making sure you had everything you needed for the night.

When Ollie returned with a cup of bog-looking sludge, you asked the question that had been on your mind. You weren’t used to parents waiting up for you and wondered if this was a normal thing in their family.

“You normally stay up waiting for him?” you questioned. Your parents had obviously never done so, but you couldn’t get a read on Roy’s home life enough to know if this was a repeat situation for them of not.

Completely oblivious to your question, Roy sat up straighter to accept the gross drink from Ollie’s grasp.

Dinah and Ollie looked at each other, then at you as if pondering how much to disclose. “Certain months, we’re more careful to look out for him than others,” Dinah finally divulges.

Whatever the fuck that meant.

“That’s sweet of you guys."

You watched as Roy downed the concoction Ollie had whipped up and began to hack as coughs wracked over his body.

“We’re just trying to be the best support system for him that we can,” Dinah said. Her kind eyes flitted back to Roy briefly. “It’s not like we can sleep without knowing he’s at least safe either, so there’s that, too.”

You laughed lightly, helping Roy with the excess green goop that had spilled onto his chin. You instantly regretted it when the sludge just kept coming.

“Holy shit!” he sputtered and pounded at his chest as the overwhelming flavor settled. “Where the fuck was this shit when I was trying to grow chest hair?” Roy seemed entirely coherent after whatever drink Ollie had offered.

“There ya go, kid,” Ollie, who was still standing behind the loveseat you and Roy were on, patted him aggressively on the back as he howled in amusement. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

“Shit,” Roy hissed, then did a double take your way. “Wait, you’re not that blonde chick,” he looked around the room in a daze, “annnd this isn’t a party. What the fuck happened?”

With Alfred and the Wayne’s, cursing was a no-no. Here? Neither Dinah nor Ollie batted an eye. Families were fucking weird.

“I’m like 90% sure that Dick had to physically snatch the fireball out of your hands at some point,” you grimaced, thinking back to the cursed liquid you’d seen Roy toting around the second half of the night. 

“Not fucking soon enough,” he winced as he rubbed at his head. “Did we fuck?” He seemed to realize Ollie and Dinah were still very much present and winced even harder. 

It was also at this very convenient moment that the magnum condom slipped from your hand and onto the floor. “Uh,” you drawled, knowing how everything looked.

Fuck.

“Shit,” Roy winced, rubbing between his brows with dismay.

Your wide eyes flicked over to his parents, who anxiously awaited your answer that, no, you hadn’t fucked.

“And we should keep it that way with alcohol involved, right Roy?” Dinah prompted, looking to Ollie for support. He cleared his throat and nodded once her glare caught him smirking at Roy.

You then, in your alcohol-induced state, thought it best to assure her that he wasn’t getting any. “Besides, he already missed his chance,” you said smugly, referring back to Whiskey Dick Gate, then backtracked when you’re met with three scandalized faces. You rushed to correct yourself hastily, “I mean- not with me, that is. I know I’m too young.” You finished by tucking your hair behind your ear lamely, wishing you could just go to sleep before you fucked up even further. 

“But old enough for a magnum?” Ollie snickered, leaving you to blush in mortification. 

Roy choked. “I think we should just all go to bed. It’s late,” he yawned obnoxiously, shooting Dinah and Ollie a look that had them backing off in an instant.

They moved to go upstairs, but not before Dinah could give him a thinly veiled warning, “Be respectful to our guest, Roy.”

“Yeah, yeah,” his cheeks pooled red, “how about if you worry about her respecting me? She’s the one with the vicious mouth.” Ollie waggled his brows, leaving Roy and Dinah to groan in dismay. “Bed, let’s all go to bed,” Roy groaned as he stumbled up from the couch like a newborn deer.

You allowed him to lead you to the room you’d be staying in for the night with a bit of help from you. This was definitely not how you pictured this night going at all, but you weren’t necessarily complaining.

Roy handed you some of his clothes to sleep in but remained in the doorway just long enough for you to notice. You couldn’t ignore his lingering, though why he did, you weren’t sure.

“Good night, Roy,” you said lightly. You attempted to close the door on him, but he wedged his foot in between the door and the frame before it could fully close.

Your shocked eyes shot up to meet his own. 

He obviously hadn’t meant to actually stop the door from closing, but by the time you’d blinked, he’d already managed to school his face. His whole persona switched as if to cover up his mistake because god forbid these boys be vulnerable around you.

His usual teasing nature was amplified as he tilted his head like a kicked puppy. “Damn, so no ass then?” he asked jokingly.

You choked on your spit, thinking about how he probably very well could’ve if he hadn’t pulled that dumb stunt early. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, or whatever delusional people called it. You knew it was probably more telling of his rambunctious character than anything. 

“Shut the fuck up, loser,” you quipped easily. You attempted beat down your raging blush, hoping instead that your abrasive words would throw him off your trail.

They didn’t.

“You’re killing me here, princess,” he, honest to god, pouted and, if you didn’t already have the ick before with that shit at the party, you definitely did now. “‘Sides, you’ve already got the condom,” he added somewhat bitterly.

It came out before you could stop it, “You’re ugly when you pout.” 

You went to babble something of an apology, but his boisterous laughter cut you off. The way his eyes crinkled when he laughed melted away any words you might’ve had on your tongue in a heartbeat. 

He definitely didn’t look ugly laughing, that was for fucking sure. Your ick vanished alongside his melodic cadence. 

“If I’m a loser, then you’re a straight asshole, baby.” 

You couldn’t help but gulp at the new nickname. 

His flirtation somehow carried more weight than usual. Maybe it was the heat behind his eyes or how they constantly mapped out your body in your skin-tight dress, but Roy really wasn’t holding back.

You foolishly went wherever your slightly tipsy emotions took you. Your stomach dropped and your heart sputtered against your ribcage. Its naive flutter only spurred you on further as you leaned into his musky, sweat-ridden scent.

Anxiety pooled in your stomach, but your body moved on autopilot to give you exactly what you’ve wanted for so many months. Tremors spiraled down your entire being while lips pressed chastely and insecurely against his own.

A cool rush of adrenaline hit you like a shock wave as you pulled away from his scratchy lips. You left the door ajar as you moved away from his stunned form.

“Night, Roy,” you whispered. 

He hesitated.

Whether he was thinking back to the argument about these exact blurred lines or whether to continue this further- you didn’t know. Regardless, you anxiously waited for his move.

His voice was gruff, with obvious restraint, “Night.” 

The slight tent forming in his pants was all too telling. It made everything way too real. You can’t deny that this was enitrely farther than you ever thought you’d get, but, hell, you’d also thought that during the incident in the library and, you know, the one in Jason’s room. 

Right now, though, it’s just you and Roy and a whole minefield of untouchable lust.

He lingered in the doorway, having an obvious mental debate with himself before finally turning away and walking down the hall to his room. The door shut with a click and you found yourself quickly coming down from the high he’d left you riding with.

A breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding in released itself into the still of the night.

Staring up at the dark ceiling of the guest room, you wondered if being a teenager got any easier. Surely it did, right? Roy would graduate this year with Jason following him the year after. From there, the three of you could continue on like you’d been for the past few months, albeit with fewer bumps in the road and a hell of a lot less hormones, right?

It all had to get clearer.

Right? 

A/N: next chapter is what you've all been waiting on!! check out my pinned post to see my other works + under navigation -> #my fic updates to stay up to date!

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[ihavewritersblockbutinreallife]

Y'all so I just finished watching Maleficent Mistress of Evil, I know I'm super late lol, it came out a long while ago

But I loved it, it was great

And I started noticing some similarities...

In no particular order-

*possess some sort of magic

*very protective of child/children

*will kill for them (and have)

*loses wings at some point (yeah I know Maleficent's was in the first one but it still counts)

*ends up killing the person who took their wings, or at least having something to do with their death

*is or takes the form of dragon at some point

*almost dies a lot for their child/children

*does not approve of love interest for child/one of her children (Prince Phillip and April 2012)

*ends up reconciling with said love interest, yay now they get along

*SPOILER ALERT FOR MY SERIES*

*both get their wings back by magic

*multiple confrontations with evil woman in position of power because they threatened their home/children (the Queen and Big Mama

I'm sure there's more but this is what I saw so far lol

Gotta love our powerful winged ladies who love their kids

[blueskyandpudding]

Exploring Toxic Family Dynamics through Aziraphale and Crowley's Relationship with Heaven

⚠️ Spoiler Alert: Mostly doesn't contain spoilers but I'll put a sign when there is

Good Omens portrays Heaven as a vast corporation with hierarchical levels, various projects, and tasks, all managed by "employees" - the angels, who are always ready to meet their KPI. If this corporation were to post a job ad on LinkedIn, it would probably boast a slogan like "We treat each other as family."

Referring to them as a family is fitting because, in essence, God created all beings, including angels, in a manner similar to parents giving birth to their children. Hence, using the context of a corporate environment or a family-like company, we can still see the presence of chaos in Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship with this "Heavenly family."

When someone grows up in a toxic family, the parental figures or authority figures in that family tend to view the child as a miniature version of themselves or an extension of their own identity, treating them almost like a doll. In their subconscious, the child exists solely to fulfill the parents' desires; they expect the child to conform to their likes and cater to their needs.

Children raised in such an environment with their family are not allowed to have personal needs, express their own opinions, have their own preferences, or even have different viewpoints from their parental figures.

This mirrors the operational style of Heaven.

Anything deviating from the norm is seen as a threat to the established order, all justified in the name of "God's will."

In such an environment, a child (an angel) has two paths to follow: either become the child who can comply or rebel against the system. Both paths ultimately lead to tragedy.

Aziraphale and Crowley, from the beginning, were angels assigned to important tasks for God, devoted to honoring and worshiping Her. Aziraphale takes his beliefs more seriously and never dares to disobey his superiors. In contrast, Crowley is akin to a curious child, always enthusiastic about creating and questioning.

Aziraphale stays in Heaven not because he resembles the other angels, but because he excels at concealing his "differences." Aziraphale is the child who can comply.

In order to gain approval and agreement from his superiors, to be seen as worthy, this "child" must sacrifice its true self. Aziraphale has experienced many instances of disagreement with Heaven's methods, yet he covertly rebels and consistently resists the divine plan. Deep within him, there is an urging, something that sets him apart and makes him unique. However, for the past 6000 years, he has suppressed that feeling, acting as if it doesn't exist. He cannot live and act according to his rightful will, as it would require him to challenge his relationship with Heaven and, most importantly, his core belief - that Heaven is utterly perfect.

The pain of the one who chose the path of hiding their true self is a subconscious notion filled with shame and humiliation as their beliefs contradict those of the admired figures in their life - their "Heavenly family." They knows who they are and understands that being true to themselves would disappoint their "family" and possibly lead to punishment. Consequently, they feels ashamed of themselves.

This one will grow up to be the kind of person who pushes others away. Though they yearn for intimacy with others, they have learned from their family that love and closeness come at the cost of losing their own identity.

Aziraphale genuinely loves Crowley. And Crowley loves Aziraphale wholeheartedly. But somewhere deep down, Crowley's beliefs represent the aspects that Aziraphale cannot accept within himself. Hence, being with Crowley also means betraying everything Aziraphale learned while growing up. He still feels shame for his true essence and is not ready to confront it.

The path chosen by Crowley represents the direction of the child who refuses to abandon their true self.

This child is rejected by their parent because their emotions, thoughts, and desires are too overwhelming and uncontrollable. In turn, the parent feels ashamed and deflects this shame by blaming the child, making them the source of all problems.

"For one prince of Heaven to be cast into the outer darkness makes a good story. For it to happens twice, makes it looks like there is some kind of institutional problem."

Exiled from Heaven and unable to find a place in Hell, Crowley embarks on a journey to explore the world, wandering through streets and alleyways, traveling across continents in search of a place where he feels a sense of belonging, warmth, understanding, and love. Because he couldn't find that with his own “families".

Crowley only considers Aziraphale the most important person in his life because their love for humanity is genuine and their ideas are aligned at the core. However, this relationship also reflects the tragedy of a child rejected by their family, growing up and finding love, as the person they love is often emotionally unavailable. They are afraid of opening their heart, as when they do so, they face rejection, which ultimately is a repeating pattern of their own family dynamic.

⚠️ Spoiler Alert for Good Omens season 2 below

Crowley confesses his love to Aziraphale, even after Aziraphale made it clear he wanted to return to Heaven and could help Crowley become an angel again. The way Neil Gaiman portrays the characters' psychology is incredibly well done.

If you've been hurt and haven't healed, it's likely to lead to various relationship issues. Like when Nina said she couldn't be with Maggie after leaving a toxic relationship because she would simply be using someone new as a rebound.

Anyway, after both of them became Heaven and Hell’s outcasts in season 1, Aziraphale no longer clings to his place. When Metatron invited him back, he immediately replied, "I don't want to go back to Heaven." However, Aziraphale, with his inherently good nature and core belief that Heaven is absolutely good, only troubled by the authority figures. If the coffee theory isn't true (I hope it isn't because haha), Aziraphale probably thought, "Now I can do things as I want, meaning I can make Heaven a place worthy of Crowley."

Meanwhile, all Crowley hears is, "You're not worthy enough as you are right now; you can only be worthy by returning to Heaven as an angel."

It must have hurt Crowley so much because rejection for being himself is the core of his pain.

Crowley and Aziraphale understand each other to the extent that one knows each of the other's tones, and the other always asking for the other's opinions, even remaining at ease in any situation while waiting for the other to save them because it makes the other happy. But they have never touched the pain in each other's hearts and don't understand each other's perspectives. Thus, they haven't found a common language or a middle ground.

With that being said, all relationships can hurt us if we fail to understand or confront our own pain.

Watching the show felt deeply satisfying to me, as it addresses family dynamics and communication issues, even within a story involving angels, demons, and magic. I felt so seen for this haha.

Anyway, thank you for reading this far, and I wish you all healthy and happy relationships. See you in another post.  . . . . (This meta is original written in Vietnamese. READ HERE.)

[technotalksnimien]

Don’t be fooled by its name, it’s a great movie: The 3 Idiots reflection

Hi everyone! I’m back again for another blog. I sincerely apologize for not updating my blog lately. I got really busy at school. I got a free time now though.  Well anyways, so much for that. I hope you’ll enjoy reading my blog as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Have a great day!

Have you ever wondered why is it called “3 Idiots”? If you haven’t watched the movie yet, you would probably wonder why. Why 3 Idiots though? Spoiler alert! Rancho, Raju and Farhan are the “3 idiots” despite belonging to a prestigious university. The reason why they are called three idiots is because of doing silly stuffs and they are way different from other students. The almost 3-hour long movie is considered to be among the greatest Indian films ever made. The film had huge social impact on education systems, not just in India, but across the globe. So if you haven’t watched it yet, you’re missing out! So much for that, let’s get over with the introductions and let me explain why 3 idiots is a “must watch”. Here are some of my reflections after watching the movie.

1.“Life is a race, if you don’t run fast, you’ll get trampled” – Virus.

A famous quote from the movie, 3 idiots. Life itself is NOT a race. It is us, who make it feel like a competition. People around us tells us that we have to always come first. First in class, first in anything that we do. Which usually stems from childhood, where we often hear them say, “you have to be like this”. Which gives the child a mindset that he or she has to excel in order to feel acceptance or belongingness which eventually leads to constantly seeking for validation and approval, making it the only way to reinforce the child’s sense of value and worthiness.

The education system has gradually become only about “who performed the best” and not about “who were able to perform”. Making it look like we are in a constant state of comparison with our peers. Life isn’t a race, nor a competition. Each of us have our own pace. If you get trampled, it’s okay. Stand up, and continue doing things that gives you meaning. Success isn’t measured on how fast you finished or how fast you got on top. There’s always a right time for everything. You don’t wait for it, but you make it happen.

2. Make your passion your profession

This is also one of the most crucial thing I learned from the movie, maybe because I can somehow relate. Programming isn’t really my passion. Although I took BSIT program, my love for science will never vanish. In my case, I had to be practical. Yes, it is not my passion but I believe someday, this field that I have chosen will bring me success. Farhan wants to become a wildlife photographer but he studied engineering to fulfill his father’s wish. He was never happy about it, but his parents were. Rancho advised Farhan to go after his dreams. I saw how passionate Farhan was. But at the same time, he set aside his dreams just to make his parents happy, which makes him a really good son. His father thinks that there’s not that much money in photography, but he said it will make him happy. This is so true even in real life. Some people have all the riches in the world but they never find contentment. Some are not that rich, but they are happy and contented. Life isn’t just about making money, it’s also about being happy. Those two come together. Even if you don’t earn that much when you start doing your passion, eventually, success will come to you because you love what you’re doing, and you are good at doing it.

3. Aal izz well (All is well)

Most mentioned phrase in the movie, the song is also captivating. What do “All is well” mean? We are so focused in achieving our goals for the future, that sometimes, we forget to enjoy things we have at the present. The phrases, “All is well” teaches us that everything is going to be alright. When life goes out of control, just say, all is well. It may not directly solve the problem, but it may increase one’s courage to face it. Positivity has a great impact when dealing with problems we think we can’t solve.

4. The power of friendship

Your friend circle influences your actions. At first, I kind of hated rancho for being such a jerk and a rebel. I felt like he’s influencing Raju and Farhan to be like him. But as the movie goes on, I finally understood what Rancho is trying to say all along. He sees Raju and Farhan as his friends that he doesn’t want them to be eaten up by the poor education system and encourages them to stand up for themselves. I recalled that when Virus told Raju to write a letter to expel him to the school, he can’t do it because he thinks of this parents, his paralyzed father. He said he can’t do it but then Virus told him to put Rancho’s name instead. I felt really bad that I expected him to betray Rancho. I kind of doubted Raju that time but I was shocked to see that he chose to commit suicide instead. He really is a true friend and I’m glad he was safe and recovered eventually. Their friendship is one of a kind, I even think it’s more of like a family. The people we choose to hang out with ultimately influences our actions and our future. Choose your friends wisely.

5. Learning doesn’t end even after you graduate

Education doesn’t stop. People are constantly learning. Education does not only exist inside academic institutions, but also outside of that. Education is not about memorizing, it’s about learning. For me, Silencer or Chatur was really a great student. He was successful at the end right? But he was not that happy. He’s still consumed by the anger he has for Rancho years ago; he thinks that Rancho is not as successful as him. Sad reality, there are successful people that looks down on others. They think that they are on top, they think they are relevant. They have degree and all, but they don’t have the manners. Looking back, Chatur was mostly relying on memorizing stuffs rather than studying about it. I liked how Rancho and his friends taught him a lesson when he gave a speech wherein they changed some of the words to humiliate Chatur. I actually agreed on what they did even though I sometimes think it’s already too much but it was also Chatur’s fault for not giving any effort to research on his speech. You can still learn even you are already working. You learn different things from different people every day. Understand, apply and make a change.

6. Education is a right, not a privilege

Last but not the least, and also one of my favorite lesson. Education is not a privilege; it is a human right. I firmly believe that every person has their right to quality education without discrimination. Let’s recall when we found out the plot twist in 3 idiots. The Rancho we know is not the real Rancho. His real name was Phunsukh Wangdoo. He was a servant boy who loved learning. He agreed to take real Rancho’s name, give him the degree in exchange for attaining the education and the learning he wants. It amazes me how wangdoo (Rancho) doesn’t care about the degree, to him, it is just a title. He cares more about what he learned. He impersonated the real Rancho just to send himself to school. Then it revealed that wangdoo (Rancho) is a school teacher at Ladakh. Wherein children are motivated by love of knowledge, like how schools should be. In addition to being very funny and interesting movie, “3 Idiots” also prompts crucial issues on shortcomings of the educational system and the quest for pleasure and fulfillment,

That’s all! I hope you learned something and enjoyed my blog. It took me hours to finish it because I really want a detailed reflection. Thank you! Xoxo.

[crossdressingdeath]

See, now I'm thinking about desire demons again, and like... aside from the fact that yeah the desire demon design just in general isn't all that sexy (please... more creative fanservice than just shoving naked boobs at the camera...), there's no actual reason for them to look like that? And it actually weakens their overall effect as creatures that manipulate humans using their desires. I'm bored so I'm actually going to go down the list of notable desire demons as listed on the wiki to see what they actually offer, and spoiler alert: most of them... aren't actually offering sex, or if they are it's as one part or one option of what they're offering, not the whole thing. So, starting from the top (and leaving out Yevena and Vereveel from Broken Circle, Xebenkeck from Forbidden Knowledge, Hanker from Kind of Want and the unnamed desire demon from Malcolm's Will since none of those offer anything in particular other than a fight):

The desire demon in Arl of Redcliffe offered Connor the power to save his father, and if the Warden negotiates with her she offers the secrets of blood magic, the love of those around them (mechanically is a +20 approval boost for one companion, which seems like a waste given how easy it is to gain approval in DAO but whatever), something to increase their talents (mechanically a tome that gives an additional talent/spell), or sex. So sex isn't off the table, but since it's the only option on the list with no actual benefit to the player I imagine most people don't go for that one, except maybe for roleplay reasons (I'm sure some people's Wardens—and I say this with zero judgement, if someone wants to play a total asshole then I just hope they have fun with it—are the sort that would absolutely choose to bang a desire demon in exchange for a small child's freedom). ...Actually I might make a poll about that, I'm kind of curious what options people go for now.

The desire demon in Broken Circle who ensorcelled that Templar offered him a family life and happiness, although it's unclear if she asked him or just did it for her own reasons. It's a little hard to judge the exact details of the arrangement since he's completely under her control, but it seems like a safe bet that if sex is involved in the deal it's as a part of the "happy family life" illusion, not as the main draw.

It's a little unclear what Kitty offered Amalia, but it seems to have been friendship of some sort? Although it's also possible that there was no actual bargain involved and Kitty was just being nice so that Amalia would come back often enough to give Kitty the chance to get free and then possess her, which is her ultimate goal. When dealing with the Warden Kitty offers a nice staff in exchange for letting her take Amalia (side note, did not know you can get a staff out of Kitty (hehehehehehehe- sorry, I'm very mature I promise) by trading Amalia for it). So overall no offers of sex in this one.

Moving on to DA2, Allure from the Exiled Prince DLC offered Lady Harimann power in exchange for feeding on her husband, son and daughter and offers the same to Hawke and co if they let her go, and while there is some element of sex in the feeding (Lord Harimann, anyone?), Flora just gets drunk in the cellar and yells at thin air and Brett starts trying to turn people into statues by covering them in molten gold, so again it's not an automatically sexual thing.

Caress in Night Terrors does offer Aveline an illusion of Wesley, but that's more about her failed desire to save and protect him than any physical desire for him and (based on the wiki, I've never brought Aveline on this quest myself) Caress's aim in using him seems to be more getting Aveline to turn on Hawke by blaming them and their family for his death. Meanwhile she offers Isabela a ship and crew, feeding off her desire to be a proper captain again, which is a decidedly non-sexual deal to offer a character who the game sexualizes as constantly as it does Isabela. So again, no sexual offers in sight here.

And of course Imshael, the only male desire demon we see (other than Herren if we count him) and for what I'm sure are totally unrelated reasons the only one wearing actual clothes. Very slick, Bioware. Not. In TME he offers to let Michel influence the dreams of men in exchange for him sacrificing someone as a host for Imshael, and in DAI he offers the Inquisitor riches, power or virgins in exchange for his life and freedom, but if you ask for virgins he... doesn't have any (or if Cole is in the party he could find one but admits you probably wouldn't like the result) and gives you a rune instead. So much like in Arl of Redcliffe sex is presented as an option he's willing to make a deal for (and I'm sure the fact that he's offering to find people for you to have sex with instead of offering to have sex with you himself has nothing to do with him being the only male desire demon, see previous point re Bioware's slickness or lack thereof), but it's not the only choice on the list.

So out of the eleven major desire demons we've had run-ins with, five don't offer any deals that we know of (Xebenkeck at least probably did based on her age and power but we have no real details on what they were so she doesn't count), three offer deals with no sexual component, one offers a deal that ends with a sexual component for the demon's sake that does not involve the deal-maker (since Lord Harimann doesn't seem to have made any deal with Allure, she's just feeding on him, whatever that entails), and two offer sex in exchange for getting their way but also offer other options in case the protagonist would prefer something a little more useful than getting laid. So that's 3/11—27.27%—that offer deals involving sex in some way, or a little over a quarter. So if most of the deals we see desire demons make don't involve sex, why is their design so obviously supposed to be seen as sexy? It would actually make more sense for them to try to look like normal people, because the name of the game for a desire demon is manipulation. If you see a purple topless demon lady with nipple piercings, you are immediately going to be on your guard! That's suspicious! Why are you going to willingly make a deal with this thing! Bioware got so fixated on the idea of sexy demon ladies that they missed the bit where their desire demons don't work in a way where that design makes sense for them! Not only are the desire demons blatantly designed the way they are because Bioware wanted to shake some boobs at the camera, it actually weakens them as enemies because creatures that work largely through manipulation would not want to immediately look suspicious.

[watchmakermori]

thoughts on the live action avatar

spoiler alert: I thought it was bad. if you liked the show and you don't like reading negativity, just skip out on this one.

the overall quality of the show was about what I anticipated, but some specific aspects were better/worse than I first expected. from the trailers alone, I knew the effects looked bad (I don't know why they get so much praise). I wasn't expecting amazing acting from a bunch of child actors either, though I was pleasantly suprised by sokka's performance.

the biggest and worst disappointment is the writing. it's really bad. the og cartoon does have some ropy dialogue, especially towards the beginning of book 1, so I'm not going to pretend its perfect. but the live action is relentlessly clunky and expository. I don't need aang to tell me, the viewer, how he's just a normal kid and all he wants to do is play with his pals. I don't need yue to tell me that the ocean spirit is full of vengeance and rage when it's literally destroying a city. show me. and trust me to understand the story beats without having them explained.

a lot has been said about katara's actress, and I agree that her performance is weak, but I think she wasn't helped by a) bad dialogue and b) bad direction. The direction as a whole seems so uninspired and most of the actors give middling performances. I would rather these kids overacted than underacted. The Harry Potter kids were not good actors, especially not at the beginning of the movie series, but they still managed to give charismatic performances because they went all in on it.

I really just hate how the scenes are sort of...placed? It's hard to even put my finger on what it is, but it feels like the characters just suddenly appear in scenes as if they spawned there, with no thought as to how they arrived. There's one scene in the final episode where Azula is standing atop a rock outside Omashu and removes her mask to address all of the Fire Nation forces, and I couldn't stop thinking about all of the troops shuttling into place outside of the destroyed city, while Azula taps her foot on the rock and waits awkwardly to address them all. tl;dr scenes often feel staged and inorganic.

speaking of azula, I fucking hate that she was shoehorned into the story this early. she had no good reason to be here, and the portrayal of her character just does not work. I vehmently dislike that we see her struggling to win Ozai's approval, because that is not the point of her character at all. when she is first included in book 2, she is the golden child. she is a firebending prodigy who was 'born lucky', who succeeds in every way that zuko fails. she is a complete perfectionist, but she also has the incredible entitlement of a person who has never failed in her life, which makes her the perfect foil to her disgraced, exiled brother.

azula seeming perfect is integral to her character and her relationship with zuko. it explains why zuko is so desperate for ozai's approval, and why azula completely cracks and breaks down in book 3 when things stop going her way. she is not used to failing, she is not used to being tested, she is not used to anyone telling her no. making ozai belittle her and play her off against zuko completely changes the dynamics of the family, and it makes her a weaker foil to zuko. I potentially hate this more than any other change in the live action, even though it's a minor one overall

out of all the characters, I think the only one they really successfully captured was sokka. they toned down his comic elements, which I think was a sensible choice, but he still has the jokey sarcasm that gives him the spirit of the character. I do have to give credit where it's due for this, because I honestly thought sokka would be one of the hardest ones to get right.

I do think it was a bad move to remove all of his sexism, though. I could accept them making it less overblown, but taking it away entirely gives him less growth as a character.

they did an okay job on zuko and iroh, though I don't think iroh has the right balance of humour and sage wisdom that makes him such a beloved character. zuko is okay, if maybe a bit too emotionally mature at times. I didn't really like that he and aang had a full conversation after the blue spirit kidnapping. in the cartoon, zuko immediately fucking blasts him, and that feels truer to how short-sighted and reckless he is at that stage in the story. but overall, zuko isn't too bad.

katara sucks. she really sucks. she's not bossy, she's not snarky, she's not got a temper. she doesn't have that overly responsible, maternal side to her personality either. her entire character is distilled down to her...wanting to waterbend. and help aang, I guess. we don't get to see her make proper mistakes or rob pirates or scream at sokka for being an ass. she's literally unrecognisable compared to her cartoon counterpart, and live action katara doesn't have any other personality traits that make up for the ones she's lost.

aang is almost as bad, though people seem to be talking about him less. he's so goddamn passive, and it's a complete joke that he doesn't do a single bit of waterbending in the whole series. I get that his arc across the season is about facing up to the responsibility of being the avatar, but I think they could've still had that and also included his motivation to learn waterbending. in the original cartoon, he's still very flighty and avoidant of his problems, but he always takes action to help others when he can.

I think it was a bad choice to not have aang run away from the air temple at the beginning of the story. having him just go flying and accidentally get caught in a storm removes a very core point of motivation and guilt for his character, and it has a big impact on the rest of the story.

I do like yue better in the live action than the cartoon, though. she's a pretty meh character in the original and the voice actor is very wooden. she isn't the best character in the live action either, but more of her personality shines through and she feels less like a plot device. her wig is fucking terrible, though.

the action scenes almost all suck shit. they feel turn based and the dynamic martial arts basis to bending doesn't come through in the same way. the final episode did a better job on the fight choreography, but I still wouldn't call it good.

the cgi landscapes and bad lighting make me all too aware that most of this series was probably shot in a warehouse against a greenscreen

yes it is better than the 2010 movie. no this is not saying very much

It did at least make me want to rewatch the original series again tho so I'm gonna go do that

[meimi-haneoka]

For those who will scroll :Spoiler alert!

Do you think yuna kaito will be able to be brough back from the magical clock he trapped himself in

Hmmm I don't like how this is phrased, so let me explain why first:

Kaito isn't trapped in the pocket watch, if this is what you're thinking. The pocket watch was literally the magical artifact he used to make an exchange (by using the Exchange Card ) with the magical book that was engraved in Akiho's body (another kind of magic artifact). Rather, what we see spreading under Kaito's feet in the moment the Seal of D. is activated in chapter 70 is that same "book" that used to spread under Akiho when she went "berserk", when the "artifact" that took control of her was still inside of her. So it's more legit to think that he's been trapped inside that artifact (we do in fact see the pages seemingly folding up on him).

Also, another statement that kinda bugs me: Kaito didn't "trap himself".

Let's tell the story how it is: Kaito was literally cursed. The Magic Association placed the Seal of D. on him, acting as some kind of trap that would activate in case he dared doing anything to Akiho and the artifact engraved in her. "Doing anything" as in, using the artifact or try to mess with it in a way that they didn't approve of. Not that they cared any bit about Akiho herself. Kaito already knew, young as he was, that he wanted indeed to mess with that artifact, wanting to remove it from Akiho. He knew that one day, by accepting that seal on himself, he was going to trigger it.

And yet, that was the price he had to pay to leave that goddamned place with Akiho. They got his back against the wall: either you accept this curse, or you won't be allowed to travel with her. And he really needed to bring her out of there (and probably, he wanted to leave that place himself). So what else could he do, already disillusioned and not seeing any worth in his life? He accepted.

But he was cornered into it. He was a child himself (he doesn't look much older than Sakura and Syaoran themselves in this flashback), suffered from child abuse himself and the abusers decided to put this last curse on him, de facto condemning him to eternal imprisonement at the first wrong move. When you are cornered into a decision, you can't really say it genuinely came from you. Therefore, Kaito didn't "trap himself", he was imprisoned by others as the result of messing with the artifact. Then, I certainly think that the decision he made to take Akiho out of there and the fact he still accepted the Seal on himself was also an act of rebellion against a congregation of criminals that did nothing but use him at their convenience. This was the first, the very first, thing he ever did on his own accord. Still, if he had any choice, he wouldn't have probably chosen this.

Sorry for the long preamble but this is something that I particularly care about, I want to make sure Kaito's actions are read in a way that is coherent with what's shown in the story (and not always as a "whim" of a wicked character, as he often passes for).

Now, to reply to your question! I truly believe that Sakura, Syaoran and most importantly, Akiho will be able to bring Kaito back. Sakura and Syaoran will take care of the magical aspect (I know they said the Seal of D. cannot be dispelled even by a magician of class D, but Sakura is superior to that sh*t), while Akiho will take care of the emotional one. Because yes, everyone wants him to come back, but does he want to? No one can force him to come back if that isn't his wish. However, I'm absolutely sure that deep down he wants to keep living with Akiho too. He just wanted to save her and make her happy so badly that he had to go through with his plan, but the bond he created with her along the years was something he didn't expect nor accounted for, and it's what gave him conflicting feelings towards the end, before the play started. His painful faces when he talked about the play, the "hand" that outstretched towards her on its own, they were all symptoms of that conflict. Of his true wish. Now, he just needs to realize and understand it. And Akiho will be able to make him see that. But in order to reach that point, Sakura and Syaoran will need to free him from the Seal that is active on him first, and somehow take care of the shortened lifespan too (cause there's that too, unfortunately).

It's not gonna be easy, but I believe that after so much suffering, both for the readers (in Japan the darker development wasn't welcomed with the same enthusiasm everywhere in the fandom) and for the in-story characters themselves, the only thing CLAMP can do is to give relief through a complete happy ending. I don't want to imagine CCS in the future as the "CLAMP work that left scars on the fans" like other CLAMP stories, there are other series they can do that with but CCS is and has always been here to bring another message. A message of hope and kindness. CLAMP know that fully well so I'm confident they will give the right closure to this. The right closure means not only giving a happy ending to Sakura and Syaoran, already privileged (and I used this term in the most positive way possible) in their wholesome lives full of love, but to the abused and struggling characters too, whose intentions have never been malicious and just did their best to make their most important person happy.

[luvdrcp]

── SEO DANBI

₊˙ ◌ ⁎˚ 〇﹒﹙lee jueun. cisfemale. she/her﹚guess who was almost late for their shift at gwangtaeg gym?? that’s right, it was seo danbi! it’s a wonder their job as a yoga instructor isn’t in jeopardy. the 26 year old has been working at sunset galleria for one year and eight months, and is well known for their kind nature. on bad days, they can be rather withdrawn, though. when the mall is dead at night, they can usually be found browsing hair dyes for her next color, but don’t tell their boss!

this is basically gyuri just with some changes so that i have a clear direction i want to head with her. so what's different about gyuri besides the new face? the biggest one is the name change. well, it's just a slight difference. i really didn't need to make the change but i felt like it. but! her personality is generally the same, she just has a bigger fall off from what she wanted to be vs what she's currently doing... more mommy and daddy issues, and maybe more of an "escapist" mindset regarding her personal life.

you may have heard about the fairy residing in gwangtaeg gym through the grapevines. yes, the fairy is seo danbi and no, she does not know exactly how she got that title amongst local gymgoers.

about. (it's basically the same as gyuri so i'll do a recap)

born march 17, 1997. as the last addition to a family of five. she is the baby and her brother and sister makes sure she never forgets that. the line between being babied and just straight up being spoiled is very thin with them, but it’s surprisingly still there. one might think they'd stop as she got older. (spoiler alert: they didn't)

a “loving” father and mother who had very high expectations that all of their kids would follow in their father’s footsteps in the medical field. although she should probably cut off contact with them, she just cant bring herself to do so. they are her parents and she does love them, even if they don't share that sentiment always sought their approval. studied hard, performed well in school, taking care of her chores without being told. all she wanted was to make them happy. i mean, that was her duty as their child, right? 

no matter how hard she tried to build a bridge between her and her parents, there was always something that got in the way. maybe they just didn't love her the way she loved them? either way, life went on. she got into a lot of one sided arguments with her parents, got "unofficially disowned" by them over her choice in university major. she may make jokes and laugh about it but deep down she's deeply hurt by it.

attended university away from home with a double major in psychology and health science. supported herself throughout college, working jobs while being a full time student. one of the most difficult times in her life, and really doesn't talk about it to people who didn't know her then. however, she managed to survive the hard nights and the countless moments she wanted to give up and drop out.

had a lot of different hobbies and skills she picked up during college. some of it were from her random side gigs she picked up for extra money. this is also where she got into yoga, because how else would she deal with the troubles her life brings in a healthy manner?

got her degree and is effectively not using it in the way she intended. all of that full from her parents about wanting to be a psychiatrist and she didn't even continue down that path. cue her really getting into yoga post-graduation. took a lot of classes and even got her certification.

started working as an yoga teaching assistant to have an excuse not to move back home, which later led to her working at gwangtaeg gym as an official yoga instructor.

impeccable customer service, her clients leave satisfied and typically returns. even if she's not in the middle of a class or private session, she's seen around the gym, potentially working out in her own time or helping clean equipment. happy to help any gymgoer! or at least that's how convincing she is at pretending she loves interacting with so many people.

either way, she's got a reputation for being kind! and she upholds that for the most part but some days she's just not in the mood to talk to people. tends to isolate herself, and might not be as responsive as usual, which is why some times she can be perceived as withdrawn

fun facts

one bad bleaching session way from being bald. constantly dying her hair to feel like she has control over something in her life. likely got the fairy title from locals due to her preference for unnatural vibrant colors. her scalp is probably crying for help anytime she's within 20 feet from bleach, but that's not stopping her! currently sporting what is supposed to be pink, but may look more purple to some. yes she previously did go through a red phase before the pink and no she was not okay

bad spending habits, really goes in a store and ends up buying something she probably would never use, even though she makes the silly assumption she'll get her money's worth when adding it to her cart. becomes even more of a victim when it comes to thing she finds cute, like certain decorations. i assume this would mean her room has a corner dedicated to the random stuff she bought but hasn't really found a permanent place in her home.

self aware queen! her emotional intelligence very high since those psych classes taught her a lot, esp about herself. however, she still has trouble being vulnerable with others about her emotions. she's dealing with all of that herself and it gets draining quick. on nights it gets too heavy for her, she might be spotted getting a drink or a few in hopes of forgetting whatever was plaguing her mind.

love people watching and making up random backstories for people she doesn't know. it's kind of relaxing for her, the think about the reasons behind why some people are coming to the mall and buying stuff. realizing how big the world is and how small she is in comparison to that. you might just find her on a bench or against a wall just observing.

still living with anxiety, just this time around she's been professionally diagnosed. that amongst a few other things, but it's really something she doesn't speak about. she treats it like a government secret and does her best to keep it from others because she doesn't like others worrying about her.

quick little plot ideas

she is still a shopping fanatic. potential shopping buddies still available. likely to use them as an excuse to buy things after she had set a budget for herself. or somebody that coerces danbi into buying something whenever she visits their store... not like it takes much to convince her anyway

her go-to person. she has opened up to this person more than she'd like to admit, and trusts them more than she thought she would. considers them to be like another sibling, but most of that was never shared.

casual friends. most of your conversations have no substance, but you're a familiar face and she enjoys the lighthearted exchanges you two have... she likely doesn’t even remember exactly how you two met, but all she knows she enjoys your company.

someone who stepped into gwangtaeg gym and instantly became a victim of the danbi experience™. it doesn’t matter if you are a regular or it was a one time occasion, your fate was sealed the moment you step one foot inside the gym. danbi makes small talk with any gymgoer, and you were no exception. ( this could potentially result in workout buddies or budding friendships or on the other side, could result in the other being quite annoyed with her trying to start a conversation every time they visit if they wanted peace and quiet)

failed talking stages/situationships. could be due to gyuri’s unwillingness to be vulnerable, potentially leaving the other feeling more neglected? idk she a lot of issues that could be the reason why it failed tbh.

these were just some quick ideas i thought up to compensate for still not having a plots page, but we can brainstorm ideas that suit our muses as well !!

[childlikegoblinqueen]

Writing Notes

I have ONE more chapter planned before I go on vacation but I am sooooooo spent from the last one I wrote. I have a bit of the next chapter mapped out and know where I want it to end, but I feel like I need to unload a bit about the last one, how I wrote it and why I head canon Bard Hunter.

Don't read anymore unless you have read Chapter 26 of Sweet Child O' Mine, and if you haven't read it yet, check it out :D It nearly killed me.

Spoilers below!

First, Why Bard Hunter? I will write another post later on regarding writing the actual fight scene and how music choices played into it.

So, while Hunter was in the Human Realm we pretty much see that he is creative. The sewing has been often noted as a way for Hunter to stay "close to Darius" since his "father figure" is far away and/or possibly dead, but he goes beyond learning how to "neatly sew".

After Camila shows Hunter how to use the sewing machine, he creates! His shirts and curtains etc. are chaotic! Patches every where! Very grunge/punk! We know that in the castle he had expressed curiosity which was constantly stamped out because he had a purpose and a path that he was not supposed to stray from or else ....

So being a music person myself I imagined that all the children would need MUSIC in order to heal fro their trauma, and there are likely a slew of popular bands/artists from the BI, but I would imagine that Hunter had not been permitted anything but whatever was Belos approved, which coming from a Puritan, was likely not great. Maybe some somber hymns to the Titan or to the emperor himself? Especially since Belos seemed to want to mold the grimwalkers into his ideal version of Caleb ("better version of an old frend". What an ass thing to say about a literal child!)

It has also been noted by some that when Raine seems to look back at Hunter during the scene in the castle where Hunter is ignored by the other Coven Heads, Raine seems low key concerned that this kid needs to get out of that place.

I do hope that Raine survives WAD. Part of my inspiration for Raine teaching Hunter how to mold Bard music is that not only are they both creative, but they are also the only two that have been possessed by Belos. In writing this scene and building their relationship, I thought about a simple way two people with shared trauma could communicate and heel without actually talking about the trauma. Music is perfect for that.

Eventually we will see how Hunter uses music to communicate in other ways, but we've already seen how he and Willow play a game where they try to guess the band and song based on a small portion of lyrics. They communicate non-verbally, but Willow realizes that Hunter is deeply depressed living with Darius, while living through the trials and dealing with the press. Likely Hunter doesn't realize this himself. Willow notes that Hunter is only playing while using Nirvana lyrics and having lived with him for months in the human realm, she’s aware that he listens to Nirvana when he’s depressed. Really, he's going through the motions and trying to appease someone he looks up to.

A lot of this story is about Hunter's own anxieties about becoming a parent, as well as the figures in his life who have parented him for better or for worse -- as well as parental figures like Odalia who are toxic, and Alador who knows that he messed up.

That was a flashback to the past. In the current timeline we know that Hunter and Willow have developed a healthy romantic relationship. He has strong bonds to his adoptive family of Camila, Luz, and Vee (his guitar belonged to Manny). He enjoys a good relationship with others in the Owl House universe. He has accomplished a lot, but prefers to stay out of the spotlight due to many things that took place both during his tenure in the castle and how he was treated by the public in the aftermath.

The thread about Perry's supposed protege, who alerted Hunter to other students trying to exploit a relationship with him during his first weeks at Hexside will be picked up again. I really try to leave bread crumbs without revealing too much upfront.

We also know that Dell has mentored him in palisman carving, and that he has somehow developed a healthy working relationship with Lilith who still works at the Supernatural History Museum.

I would hope that post Belos, the idea of "the savage ages" and "wild magic is evil" is a thing of the past as would be tracks at Hexside. So having Raine -- again being the only other one who hopefully survived possession -- teach Hunter to use the guitar he was gifted from his chosen family (Camila, Luz, and Vee) to generate magic was something I wanted to explore!

Which leads me to writing that dang scene.