#the story's not about doubt between them; that isn't what we're here for

[marlynnofmany]

While the getting-together stage is exciting, the having-adventures-together stage is awesome. I'd love to see more stories about couples taking on the universe together, with their relationship a reliable facet of the background instead of a source of drama.

Why you should write healthy marriages:

1. They aren’t done enough.

2. They help other people understand what a healthy relationship looks like.

3. Fights can last for weeks and still be part of a healthy marriage.

4. Stereotypes. Break all the marriage stereotypes.

5. Soft cute couple moments DON’T stop after marriage.

6. Marriage is completely independent of character arcs. Those two individuals with trauma will still be two individuals with trauma but with gold rings.

7. A healthy marriage is one where people understand that their partners have baggage/trauma/flaws, but love them even in rough patches. 

8. It isn’t that healthy marriages aren’t compelling, it’s that people don’t know how to write marriages correctly. 

9. Marriages being an end goal often perpetuates that women are trophies to be won.

10. Marriages being an end goal often perpetuates that someone’s “freedom” ends there. Bury this trope, please, I beg of you.

[aceyalonso]

that's the thing about illicit affairs - OSCAR PIASTRI

pairing : ex!oscar piastri x fem!reader ↳ slight lando x fem!reader at the end

summary : a maid of honor and a groom that she knows all too well, only one of them gets their happy ending.

warnings : swearing, drinking, fighting, relationship issues, mentions of settling down, marriage, majority of story takes place in 2027

word count : 6.5k

song : illicit affairs - taylor swift

a/n : happy 400 followers with a not so happy post! and a special ty to @iamred-iamyellow for convincing me to write this <3

September 10th, 2024

Y/n lifted her head from Oscar's chest, shifting her position to look at him directly. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking. "Have you ever thought about getting engaged or married someday?"

Oscar's expression turned slightly cautious as Y/n asked the question. He paused for a moment, thinking about it. Finally, he responded, "Well... I haven't really given it much though, to be honest. I've been focused on our relationship and enjoying our time together."

He shifted a bit on the couch, now sitting up straight. His gaze remained fixed on Y/n as he continued. "Why do you ask? Is it something you've been thinking about?"

Y/n nodded, a mild sense of disappointment showing on her face at the realization that Oscar hadn't seriously thought about it yet. "I was just wondering. It's something that's been on my mind for a while."

The conversation turned into a more serious tone as the topic escalated to an argument. The initial lighthearted mood was replaced with tension and disagreement between Y/n and Oscar.

Y/n's frustration began to show on her face, her voice getting slightly louder. "I don't understand why you haven't thought about it yet. We've been together for 3- Almost 4 years, Oscar."

Oscar's initial surprise at the escalation of the argument slowly turned to frustration as well. He responded, his voice rising slightly as well. "It's not that I don't want to marry you, it's just... I don't know if I'm ready for it yet. The thought of getting engaged or married is a huge commitment.

Y/n scoffed a bit, her agitation growing. "I know it's big commitment. But that's exactly why it's important to discuss it and be on the same page about our future. I need to know what we agree and don't agree on!"

Oscar sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't want you to feel like I'm avoiding the topic, but it feels like you're putting pressure on me to make this decision. I just need more time to think about it, alright?"

Y/n crossed her arms, clearly dissatisfied with Oscar's response. She lets out a huff before responding. "More time? We've been together for years, and still need more time to think about it? How much more time do you need?"

Oscar's irritation grew at Y/n's response. He raised his voice slightly, matching her heightened tone. "I understand that we've been together for a long time, but that doesn't mean I have to be ready to get engaged or married right now. And constantly pressuring me about it isn't going to make ready any faster.

Y/n shot back with a bit more heat in her words. "I'm not trying to pressure, I just want some clarity about our future. It's not unreasonable to expect some form of commitment after being together for this long. You make it sound like you're not even sure if you want to marry me at all!"

Oscar's expression hardened at Y/n's accusation. "That's not fair. You know I love you, and I don't doubt our relationship. But marriage is a big step, and I want to be absolutely certain that we're both ready and willing to commit to it for the rest of our lives."

Y/n let out an exasperated sigh, feeling increasingly frustrated. "I understand that, but I feel like you're keeping me in limbo. You can't ask for more time without giving me some assurances that you do see a future with me. I need some sort of confirmation that we're on the same page here."

Oscar let out a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Okay, look, I do see a future with you. I do want to be with you for the rest of my life, alright? I just need more time to mentally prepare for the idea of getting engaged or married. It's a lot to process all at once."

Y/n relaxed slightly at Oscar’s reassurance, but their concerns still lingered on their face. “That’s good to hear, but it’s still not enough for me. I need more than just words. I need some kind of proof that you’re serious about our future together.”

Oscar, now clearly irritated, threw his hands up in desperation. “What more assurance do you need? I just told you that I see a future with you and that I love you. What else could you possibly want from me? A written guarantee? A legal contract?”

Y/n, equally frustrated, shot back with an aggressive tone. “No, I don’t need a written contract. I just need some sort of action, some steps towards making our future together a reality. You keep telling me you’re sure about us, but then you hesitate when it comes to actually making a commitment.”

The argument continued to escalate, both Y/n and Oscar becoming more frustrated and emotional. Y/n’s voice continued to raise, their words now filled with frustration and hurt. “I can’t believe you’re still making excuses. I’m tired of feeling like I’m the only one who wants to take our relationship to the next level. You keep stalling, and it makes me question if you really want to marry me at all!”

Oscar, in his frustration and anger, snapped back with a hurtful remark. “You know what, if you keep acting like this, maybe I won’t marry you at all! At least I'll be free from you and your stupid neediness!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. The pain and shock on Y/N’s face were evident, and he knew he had crossed a line.

Y/n stood up from the sofa, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. "Fine, if that's really what you want, then it won't happen. If you don't see a future with me, if you don't want to marry me, then there's nothing more to discuss."

Y/n, moving with purpose, made her way to the bedroom. There, she hastily grabbed a suitcase from the closet and began stuffing it with clothes and essentials. A sense of anger and determination filled her actions, her emotions still heightened from the argument.

Meanwhile, Oscar followed behind, trying to stop Y/n form leaving. He entered the bedroom and pleaded with her, his voice filled with regret and desperation. "Where are you going? You can't just leave like this!"

Y/n snapped back at him, her voice still angry and strained. "I can and I will. You just made it clear that you don't see a future with me. What am I supposed to do? Stay and keep hoping that someday you'll change your damn mind?!"

Oscar, his emotions conflicting, tried to find the words to convince Y/n to stay. "I didn't mean it. I was just so frustrated and angry, I didn't what I was saying. Please, don't go. We need to talk this through."

Y/n, who was still packing her suitcase, paused for a moment to look at Oscar. "There's nothing more to talk about. You said what you said, and I heard it loud and clear. You don't see a future with me, so what's the fucking point?"

Pausing once more in the midst of packing, looked directly at Oscar. "When we first started dating, I made it clear that I wanted to settle down one day. I was upfront about my expectations, and you knew what I wanted. Yet, here we are, years later, and you're still not ready for that commitment.

Oscar, feeling a mix of guilt and frustration, responded defensively. "I know I haven't been ready yet, but I told you I need more time. That doesn't mean I never want to marry you. It just means I'm not ready right now."

Y/n, now fully packing their suitcase, shot back with a hint of sarcasm. "Right, because waiting endlessly for you to make up your mind is so fun. You've had years, Oscar. How much more time do you need? A decade? A lifetime?"

Oscar, starting to get frustrated again, tried to defend himself. "You're acting like I'm doing this on purpose! I'm not stalling or avoiding the issue. I just need more time to figure things out. I have to be sure about such a big commitment!"

Y/n zipped up her suitcase, expression hard and uncompromising. "Spare me the excuses, Oscar. You've had ample time to reflect and consider. And here I am, still waiting for you to make a move. Your inability to make a decision speaks volumes, and I refuse to continue wasting my time, hoping for something you're not even ready to give."

Y/n, now walking out of the bedroom with suitcase in tow, was stopped in her tracks by Oscar's gentle yet firm on her free wrist. As she turned to look at him, he called out to her with a pleading tone. "Baby, wait. Don't go. Let's talk about this. Please."

Y/n looked him in the eye with a mixture of hurt and anger. "Don't call me 'baby'. You don't get to use endearments on me now. You lost that privilege when you made it clear that you don't see me as someone worth committing to."

Oscar, realizing his mistake in using the endearment, looked at Y/n with a remorse and desperation. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you that. I'm just trying to get you to stay and talk to me about this."

Y/n shook her head, her expression still firm and determined. "No, I'm done talking. I'm done waiting. You had your chance to discuss this, and you dismissed it. I don't want to hear any more excuses or apologies right now. I need space."

Oscar, growing increasingly worried, pleaded with Y/n once more. "Please, don't go. This is the same old argument we've had before, but we've always worked through it. Let's take a break, cool off, and come back to this later."

"Exactly!" Y/n's voice is laced with frustration and exhaustion. "We keep pushing this issue aside, hoping it'll resolve itself. But it never does!" she says, tears starting to fall in between sobs. "Instead, it just becomes a bigger problem each time we avoid it. We can't avoid this conversation forever, and it's tearing me apart."

Y/n, determined to leave despite Oscar’s efforts to hold her back, breaks free from his grip and walks towards the door.

Oscar, watching her walk away, calls out to her pleadingly. "Please, don’t go. We can work this out, can’t we? You can’t just leave without resolving this."

Y/n, standing at the door with suitcase in hand, responds with a mix of determination and pain. "You’re right. There won’t be anything to resolve if there’s nothing left between us. And right now, it feels like there’s nothing left to salvage."

Oscar, panicked and desperate, tries one last effort to make her stay. "No, don’t say that! We have years together, a life built together. You can’t throw it all away just like that."

Y/n, her voice tinged with hurt and bitterness, answers with a sharp response. "When you said you don’t feel free around me, it felt like a slap in the face. As if being with me is some kind of prison sentence to you. So maybe it’s better if you are free, without me in the picture."

Y/n opens the door, her steps resolute and determined. Without looking back, she walks out and slams the door shut behind her. Oscar, left alone in the apartment, stands frozen in place, the sound of the door slamming echoing in his ears.

February 12, 2027

Three years have passed since Y/n left, and she has found herself in a different place, both geographically and emotionally. She has moved from Monaco to France, and is now living in a cozy apartment with her roommate, Alexandra.

Y/n and Alexandra are folding laundry and chatting away in the living room, enjoying each other's company. Suddenly, Y/n's phone buzzes, signaling an incoming call. She glances at the screen to see that it's her cousin calling.

Y/n, spotting the caller ID "lily 💗", excuses herself from the conversation with Alexandra. She picks up the phone, her voice tinged with curiosity. "Hey, what's up?"

Lily, sounding excited on the other end of the line, wastes no time in telling her the news. "Hey, guess what? I'm getting married! And I'd really love it if you could come to the wedding. It wouldn't be the same without you here!"

A smile spreads across Y/n's face as she listens to her cousin's cheerful announcement. She feels a mix of joy and surprise. "Oh my goodness, that's wonderful news! I'm so happy for you. Of course, I'd love to be there for your wedding. It's going to be a beautiful occasion. Have you set a date yet?"

Her cousin, still beaming with happiness, replies warmly. "Yes, we have! We're getting married in two months, at a beautiful venue here in Monte Carlo. It's going to be a wonderful celebration. I can't wait for you to be there with me."

Y/n's cousin, continuing the conversation, extends a special invitation. "Oh, and by the way, I wanted to ask you something else. Would you do me the honor of being my maid of honor? It would mean the world to me if you were by my side on my special day."

She feels a wave of warmth and appreciation at her cousin's request. She quickly responds with enthusiasm. "Oh my goodness, of course I'll be your maid of honor! It would be my absolute honor to stand by your side on your wedding day. I'm so touched that you asked me."

Her cousin lets out a happy sigh, feeling relieved and delighted at Y/n's acceptance. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you said yes. I can already imagine us having so much fun during the preparations and on the big day. You're going to be the best maid of honor ever!"

She rejoins Alexandra in the living room, her expression a mix of joy and excitement. "Sorry, that was my cousin. She's getting married apparently? She asked me to be her maid of honor too!"

Alexandra, hearing the exciting news, lights up with delight. "Oh, that's fantastic! Congratulations to the both of you!" she says, clapping lightly. "Being a maid of honor is such a special role. When's the big day?"

Y/n's voice brims with anticipation as she responds. "In two months, it'll be in Monte Carlo."

Alexandra, curious to know more about Y/n's cousin and her fiancé, poses a question with a tone of intrigue. "That sounds wonderful! So who's the lucky groom?"

Y/n opens her mouth before slowly closing it. "You know, I just realized, I don't actually know..." she replies sheepishly.

The two girls sit in awkward silence for a few moments before bursting out laughing. Y/n can finally say that she feels happy. At least, way happier than she was with Oscar.

April 26, 2027 | Chapel

The long awaited wedding day, and the setting couldn't more picturesque. The venue is adorned with elegant decorations, and Y/n stands by chapel doors, ready to walk down the aisle alongside the best man and to see the groom for the very first time.

Y/n, in her satin green dress, is arm in arm with Lando, the best man (who she met a week ago). They make their way up to the altar, and as her eyes scan the surroundings, something catches her eye. She turns her gaze towards the altar, and there she sees the groom awaiting his bride.

As the groom turns around to face the aisle, Y/n's heart skips a beat. There, standing at the altar, is Oscar, her ex-boyfriend. Y/n feels a mix of shock and disbelief. Lily is getting married to Oscar.

Oscar, caught off guard by the sight of Y/n, manages to keep his composure despite the surprise. His eyes go wide with realization, but he quickly masks his emotions and turns his attention back to the altar.

Lando, feeling Y/n's grip on his arm tighten ever so slightly, turns his attention to her with concern. He senses something is amiss and leans in slightly to inquire in a low whisper. "Hey, is everything alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Y/n, struggling to find her words, manages to compose herself enough to respond to Lando's question. "I'm... I'm fine." she mutters, forcing a smile. "Don't worry about it. Let's just focus on the ceremony right now. I'll explain everything later if we have time."

Lando, sensing Y/n's unease, nods in understanding but keeps a watchful eye on her throughout the ceremony. He feels there's more to it than meets the eye, but he decides to respect her request to wait until later to explain.

The processional draws to a close as Lily walks down the aisle, looking stunning in her snowy white dress. Y/n, unable to help herself, steals a glance at Oscar, who stands at the altar, his eyes filled with awe as he gazes at the bride- his bride, in all her splendor. There's a mix of shock and a tinge of melancholy in Y/n's expression as she observes him.

Her thoughts race through her mind as she stands alongside the other bridesmaids. She watches Oscar at the altar, his eyes fixated on Lily, and a sudden pang of bittersweetness washes over her. In that moment, she can't help but wonder if this is what it would've been if she and Oscar had gotten married, if they would've worked it out. A mixture of nostalgia and melancholy fills her heart as she contemplates what could have been.

Her inner turmoil intensifies as she struggles to reconcile her current circumstances with the memory of the dreams and aspirations she once had with Oscar. The weight of the unspoken emotions between them hangs heavily in the air, and split second, Y/n finds herself caught in a whirlwind of "what if?" scenarios before she snaps back to reality, reminding herself of the reasons that led them down separate paths. The same reasons that led them to this day.

Lily reaches the altar, and Oscar assists her with her beautiful gown, his hands gently arranging the fabric. In the process, their eyes meet for a fraction of a second, and the intensity of that brief glance nearly brings tears to her eyes. The connection, though fleeting, stirs a mix of emotions within her, bringing back memories and longing she thought she had buried in the past.

Unable to bear the weight of Oscar's gaze any longer, Y/n averts her eyes, feigning the need to fuss with her own gown. She busies herself with adjusting her attire, using the action as a guise to avoid looking at Oscar, who stands just a few steps from her. She tries to mask the turmoil within her, hoping no one notices the storm of emotions brewing beneath the surface.

Oscar tears his gaze away from Y/n and redirects his focus to his bride. A genuine, radiant smile illuminates his face, and in that moment, Y/n realizes that she has never seen him smile quite like that before. The smile is wide, full of joy and contentment. Y/n can't help but feel a sharp pang in her heart.

The sight of Oscar's unabashed happiness with his bride strikes a chord deep within Y/n. It awakened a mix of sorrow, regret, and a hint of resignation. She understands that his smile, while beautiful, is no longer hers to witness. The reality of their broken relationship, and the different paths they've taken, is now undeniable, and the weight of that realization settles heavily on her heart.

The mixture of emotions in the air is palpable as Y/n stans beside the other bridesmaids, her eyes till fixated on Oscar and the bride. She can't help but feel a jumble of sadness, envy, and acceptance, witnessing the unfolding scene in front of her. The moment seems to stretch on, each second reminding her of what could have been.

The ceremony continues, and as the moment arrives for Oscar to kiss his bride, the air catches in Y/n's throat. Y/n, along with all the guests gathered, watches as the newly weds lock lips, sealing their union in a heartfelt kiss. Y/n's heart clenches as she longs to be the one standing with Oscar, to be the one he's kissing.

Their kiss seems to last an eternity, each second a poignant reminder of the love that Oscar now shares with someone else. Y/n's eyes are fixed on the couple, her heart wallowing in sorrow and acceptance. The realization that she is no longer a part of Oscar's future washes over her, and she finds herself in the same bittersweet feeling that she found all those years ago.

Y/n, although her heart is heavy, knows she has no choice but to join in the applause. She raises her hands and claps along with the guests. Her hands come together in a rhythmic applause, the sound blending with the collective joy and celebration around her. Inside, her heart is aching, but on the outside, she manages to maintain a semblance of composure, hiding the storm of emotions within her.

April 27, 2027 | Reception

Time swiftly moves forward to the reception. Lando, as the best man, steps up to the podium, ready to deliver his speech. The room falls silent, and all eyes turn to him, waiting to hear his words. Lando takes a deep breath before starting, his voice filled with a mix of humor, warmth, and genuine affection for the couple.

Lando begins his best man speech with a warm smile, his eyes flickering across the guests. "Good evening, everyone. I feel incredibly honored to be standing here as the best man for this beautiful couple. Today we gather to celebrate love, commitment, and the beginning of a new journey for our newlyweds, Lily and Oscar. I've known Oscar for a long time, and I can confidently say that I've never seen him as happy as he is today, all thanks to the incredible woman sitting beside him."

As Lando continues with his speech, Y/n sits in her chair, listening intently. The mention of Oscar being the happiest he's ever been makes her chest tighten, as though an invisible weight is pressing down on her heart. The reality that Oscar has found true happiness with someone else, the very thing Y/n had once hoped to provide for him, is a bitter pill to swallow.

Y/n, lost in her thoughts, zones out during the last part of Lando's speech. The words around her turn into a blur, and she becomes unaware of the speech's conclusion. Her mind is preoccupied with the barrage of emotions swirling inside her, and she finds herself in a state of partial detachment from the ongoing celebration.

Lando, sensing that Y/n was lost in thought, gently places his hand on her shoulder. This gesture snaps her back to reality, and she becomes aware of the room around her again. Seeing her jolt slightly, he gazes at her with a compassionate glance. "Hey, it's your turn to give a speech."

Her heart rate quickens as she realizes it's her turn to give the speech, and she takes a deep breath to steady herself. She glances around the room, the weight of the moment settling heavily on her shoulders.

Y/n slowly walks up to the podium, her steps deliberate and measured. As she stands in front of the microphone, she can feel the eyes of gathered guests fixed on her, waiting for her words.

She stands behind the podium, taking a moment to collect herself before speaking. With a mixture of joy, love, and disbelief, she begins her speech.

She starts, "Good evening, everyone. For those who may not know me, I’m Y/n, the bride’s cousin, but truly, we’ve always been like sisters. Standing here today, I feel a flood of emotions - joy, love, and perhaps just a hint of disbelief that this day has finally come."

Y/n continues, "You see, when we were children, Lily and I would often engage in 'wedding' games. We'd don makeshift wedding veils made from pillowcases and fiercely argue over who would get to be the bride. It was a serious matter for us back then, and more often than not, we’d ultimately settle on her being the bride. According to her, she just 'looked more like one.' Well, Lily, I have to admit, you were absolutely right—because here you are today, looking stunning, more beautiful and radiant than I could have ever imagined."

Her voice is a mixture of warmth and sentimentality as she continues her speech. "It’s fascinating how childhood dreams have a way of becoming reality, and yet, it’s even more astonishing to witness how you’ve grown into the remarkable woman standing before us now. Over the years, I’ve watched you navigate the ups and downs of life with such grace, and today, as you marry Oscar, my heart swells with happiness for you both."

In the midst of her speech, Y/n’s eyes inadvertently meet Oscar’s, and a wave of emotions courses through her. The weight of the moment, combined with her feelings for Oscar, causes tears to well up in her eyes, making it increasingly difficult to continue speaking.

She pauses, attempting to blink back the tears that threaten to spill. Clearing her throat lightly, she tries to push through the momentary emotional wave that has struck her. The pain in her heart is evident, but she forces a smile, determined to complete her speech with a semblance of composure.

Taking a deep breath, Y/n collects herself and presses on with her speech, "While I’m brimming with joy for you both, I must admit I feel a tinge of bittersweetness, for today marks the beginning of a new chapter in your life — a chapter where you start your own family. But if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that no matter how life changes, no matter where you go, we’ll always be as close as we’ve been."

Y/n steals another quick glance in Oscar's direction before continuing. Her emotions are still close to the surface, but she plows on, speaking with a mixture of bittersweet happiness and nostalgia.

"You’re not just my cousin; you’re my sister, and this connection we share is something that will forever remain unchanged. So here’s to the both of you. May your love be as strong and lasting as our bond has been all these years. And Lily, if this day proves anything, it’s that you were always destined to be the bride." she says, wiping away her tears with a small handkerchief Lando handed her.

As Y/n completes her speech, her eyes inadvertently find their way back to Oscar. The gaze she gives him mirrors the one she had when they parted ways three years ago. The pain, the longing, and the unresolved emotions are all still there, making her next words more strained.

With her gaze still fixed on Oscar, Y/n struggles to keep her emotions in check as she continues her speech, her voice trembling slightly. Despite the ache in her heart, she forces a smile, her words now directed towards Oscar.

"And to Oscar, I hope you enjoy growing old with her as much as I enjoyed growing up with her." Each word feels like a dagger to her heart, but she finishes her speech, the pain in her eyes reflecting the depth of her unspoken feelings.

Y/n, fighting to maintain her composure, finally comes to the end of her speech. Her voice wavers slightly as she utters her final words. "A toast! To Lily and Oscar!"

Her words hang in the air, a bittersweet sentiment that lingers in the room. The guests raise their glasses in agreement, blissfully unaware of the turmoil within Y/n.

Lily, moved by Y/n's heartfelt speech, stands up and embraces her cousin in a tight hug. But while Lily basks in the moment, blissfully unaware of the pain her happiness is causing Y/n, the latter can only focus on Oscar, her eyes filling with tears as she gazes at him. The raw emotions bubbling beneath the surface seem to intensify, and it takes all her strength to hold back the floodgates.

April 27, 2027 | After the Reception

The reception has come to an end, and the hotel lobby is relatively quiet at this late hour. Lando, getting ready to head out, spots Y/n standing in the corner, holding her crumpled gown in one hand and her phone in the other. He approaches her with a concerned expression.

"Hey," Lando says softly, standing beside Y/n. His voice is gentle, tinged with concern as he looks at her. "Are you alright? You seem a bit... off?"

Y/n glances up at Lando, her expression weary. The emotional toll of the evening is evident on her face. She forces a small smile, trying to appear okay. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she replies, her voice slightly strained. "Just a bit tired, you know."

Lando can sense that Y/n isn't being completely honest, but he doesn't press the issue. Instead, he offers her two options. "You sure you're okay? You can always crash at my place if you want," he suggests. "Or, if you're up for it, we could go for a drive. Whatever you prefer."

Y/n ponders for a moment, weighing her options. Finally, she decides to take Lando up on his offer for a drive.

"A drive sounds good," she says, her voice slightly weary but also filled with a hint of relief. "Lead the way."

With a nod, Lando leads the way towards his car, parked outside the hotel. He unlocks the door, takes her gown, and gestures for her to get in. Once they're both settled in the car, Lando starts the engine and begins driving.

The silent drive envelops them, its quietness only interrupted by the soft hum of the engine and the occasional sound of passing cars. Both Lando and Y/n seem weary, the evening's events taking their toll on them.

Lando glances over at Y/n periodically, noting the fatigue etched on her face.

He drives them to an empty beach, where only the signs of life are a few stray cats and dogs sleeping beneath a nearby bridge. The beach is mostly deserted, and the soft sound of waves crashing against the shore adds a soothing atmosphere to the surroundings.

He parks the car and shuts off the engine, the sudden silence feeling both peaceful and surreal at the same time.

Lando gets out of the car and opens the trunk. He rummages through it, pulling out two bottles of beer. He closes the trunk and walks over to where Y/n is standing, holding the bottles in one hand.

"Wanna share a cold one?" he asks, offering her one of the bottles.

As Lando hands Y/n a bottle, she glances at him with a puzzled expression on her face, her confusion evident. "You just happen to have cold beer in your trunk?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

Lando laughs at her questions and explains, shrugging his shoulders. "Nah, I don't keep beers in my car!" he says, chuckling. "It was supposed to be for the wedding, in case we ran out. You know how weddings can be."

Y/n nods in agreement and requests a bottle opener. Lando pats his pockets, searching for one. After a moment, he pulls out a small, multi-purpose tool from his pocket that serves as a bottle opener.

"Can I?" he says, gesturing for her to hand him the beer.

Y/n thanks him and hands her bottle to him, waiting for to him to open his bottle. As he uses it to pop the lids off both bottles with a satisfying fizzing sound, she takes her bottle and watches the foam settle on the top of the liquid.

Lando closes the trunk and follows Y/n down to the sand. They walk down in silence, the soft sound of their footsteps blending with the gentle rhythmic crashing of the waves.

The cool night air wraps around them, offering a refreshing reprieve from the day’s festivities. The soft light of the stars and the moon casts a gentle glow over the beach, making the surrounding area appear almost magical.

As they reach a spot on the beach and sit down, Lando takes a sip of his beer and sets the bottle down in the sand. He glances over at Y/n, his expression curious. “Hey, can I ask you something?” he says.

Y/n looks up at Lando, her expression open. “Sure, what is it?” she responds, her curiosity piqued by his inquiry.

Lando takes another sip of his drink before continuing. “When we were standing there, right before you were supposed to give the speech, you started acting kinda strange. I’m just wondering… did something happen?”

He pauses for a moment, the memory of their walk down the aisle surfacing in his mind. His tone becomes concerned and inquisitive. “And when we were walking down the aisle, you seemed… I don’t know, kinda on edge too. Did something happen back there or…”

Y/n sighs heavily, knowing she can’t avoid the question any longer. She gazes out at the ocean, the weight of her emotions visible in her expression. “I guess you noticed that something was up after all,” she says, her voice tinged with a hint of regret. “It’s a long story, Lan.”

Lando looks at Y/n, giving her a reassuring smile. “You know what? We’ve got all the time in the world right now, it’s just you and me.” he says, his voice gentle and inviting. “And I’m all ears if you need to talk about whatever is bothering you.”

Y/n feels a mix of emotions, knowing that Lando is willing to listen to her and that she can finally open up about what’s been bothering her. She takes a deep breath, her voice slightly shaky as she begins to tell her story.

“Okay… So I guess I should start by telling you that Oscar is my ex-boyfriend.” She sighs, feeling the weight of her words settle over her.

As Y/n drops the revelation about Oscar being her ex, Lando’s response is somewhat unexpected— his beer goes up his nose, causing him to cough and splutter lightly. Y/n stifles a laugh, finding a brief moment of humor amidst the intensity of their conversation.

“Hey,” she giggles playfully, “you okay there?” Lando clears his throat, wiping away the remnants of his beer mishap.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he laughs, his eyes still watering slightly. “I just… did not expect that detail?”

They both laugh softly, and the moment of levity helps to alleviate some of the tension hanging in the air.

Y/n takes a deep breath, regaining her composure, and going on with her story. “Long story short, things didn’t end well between us… I guess seeing him again as the groom, all dressed up and looking ready to start a new chapter in his life, well, it just hit me pretty hard,” she confesses, the sadness and lingering pain evident in her voice.

Y/n takes a moment to gather her thoughts, summoning the courage to share the painful truth. “The main reason we ended things was because he wasn’t ready to settle down. He didn’t want what I want— commitment, a future together, you know? It hurt, but I had to respect his decision.” Her voice trails off, memories of their breakup flooding her mind, stinging her again.

The mention of Oscar’s reluctance to commit triggers a painful memory for Y/n, causing her eyes to cloud with a mix of sadness and longing. “And now, seeing stand there, so ready to marry someone else, with the biggest smile on his face… It’s like my hope of us being together has been shattered all over again.”

Her laughter is tinged with bitterness, the irony of the situation not lost on her. “To make matters worse, it just had to be my cousin, right? Like some sort of fucking soap opera. I mean, what are the odds of that?” Y/n muses, shaking her head slightly.

Seeing the sadness etched on Y/n’s face, Lando can’t help but feel empathy for her situation. He reaches out, gently placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, his touch conveying a silent understanding.

As Lando reaches out and touches her shoulder with a comforting gesture, Y/n feels a wave of gratitude towards him. She looks at him and forces a small smile, appreciating his support.

“Thank you, Lan,” she mutters, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s just… hard to see him so happy with someone else when I still have feelings for him- well, I thought I didn’t love him anymore, I thought I had moved on, but seeing him today… it just brought everything back.”

Hearing Y/n’s words, Lando clears his throat, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Y’know, Y/n, it’s completely understandable that you feel this way. Seeing an ex move on can be incredibly difficult, especially when you’re still clinging to those lingering feelings and hopes of what could have been.

He pauses, considering his words carefully. “Maybe it’s time for you to actually let go and move forward. Leave the past behind.”

In the midst of their conversation, a small tabby kitten suddenly appears and jumps into Y/n’s lap, surprising the both of them. The sudden appearance of the kitten seems to momentarily distract them from their heavy discussion.

“Whoa, where did you come from, little one?” Y/n exclaims with a surprised laugh, as she gently pets the kittens fur.

Lando chuckles and remarks, “Y’know, they say cats are surprisingly good at sensing emotions. It must have sensed your sadness, Y/n. They can absorb negative vibes like little fluffy energy absorbers.”

Y/n couldn’t help but smile at Lando’s explanation, the idea of the cat absorbing her sadness somehow comforting. “That makes sense, I guess. It’s kind of sweet, in a way,” she muses, continuing to pet the kitten which responds with a soft purr. “Maybe this kitty will absorb all of these painful emotions and turn them to into something positive.”

As if sensing the conversation, the kitten nuzzles against Y/n’s hand, it’s purring growing louder, sending gentle vibrations throughout her fingers. The warmth and innocence of the moment provide a brief respite from her emotional turmoil.

Y/n chuckles, but her laughter is tinged with bitterness. She looks down at the kitten in her lap. "I realized something earlier. I'm always be the bridesmaid, and never the bride. It’s like my destiny is to always be the supporting character in someone else’s love story, not the one who gets their own happy ending."

She sighs softly, a mixture of resignation and disappointment in her voice. “I never thought that I’d be that cliché— the forever bridesmaid, never finding true love. Yet here I am, witnessing it all unfold in front of me.”

Lando locks eyes with Y/n, his gaze sincere and filled with a hint of something more than just friendly concern. “Love has a mysterious way of hiding in the most unexpected places. Maybe… the person you’re looking for is right in front of you, and you just need to open your eyes to see it.”

His words hang in the air, leaving them both pondering the possibility of love closer than they think.

masterlist

taglist:

@nepobbylver @wobblymug @xoscar03 @irishmanwhore

[hey-august]

This is completely self-indulgent. Through and through, all the way to it's ooey-gooey core. Borne from those fantasies that play before bed, where canon barely exists and things don't have to make sense. We're cringe and free tonight, baby. @rorywritesjunk it's finally time for Buggy to be isekaid to this world!

WC: ~1k Warnings: sfw, buggy x gn!reader, isekai, buggy is so very ooc, one bed trope hehe

Of everything you expected to do at the start of your weekend, finding a half-dressed clown in your bedroom was not one of them.

In fact, if you didn't see how he showed up there, you would have had some doubts. Only a few, since it would have been hard to rationalize the glowing numbers that seemed to be gouged into your closet door.

It started with a bright light coming from somewhere in your closet and seeping out the cracks around the door. Then some noises. Thuds and muffled voices, which you thought could belong to the neighbors. But that light certainly didn't belong to them…

Then, there he was. A complete mess. And rushing, based on how he nearly tripped into the room. Or maybe that was because of his half-buckled boots.

He was confused. You were confused.

And the door closed. That's where the numbers came in. No matter how many times either of you opened and slammed that damn door, all you found on the otherside were clothes. Far too many for someone to have been hiding in them. There wasn't another room. No "ship," which is where the guy claimed to have come from.

It took a while to get the story from Buggy. Something about fruity pirates. The poor guy seemed confused, really. And genuine. You wanted to believe him - to believe that there was another world out there, one so big that it could house all the tall-tales he was telling you.

And, honestly, you kinda did believe him. It was hard not to, after whatever the hell brought him here. Oh, and the numbers. They seemed to be counting down to something.

Now Buggy, was more reluctant to believe in the current reality. To him, it was more likely that he was kidnapped. And when you reminded this grown man with hair on his face and chest that he wasn't a kid, he wailed about being abducted.

It took some convincing, a few heated words that turned into shoving until someone fell over, a kick to the shin, a brief standoff with two weirdos wielding steak knives in the kitchen, and a promise of food to finally convince Buggy that you can show him proof.

And during this entire ordeal, you both learned something new about this predicament - that you two were stuck together. Almost literally. If there was too much space between you two, an invisible force would pull you back together. It seemed to work more on Buggy, than you. When he tried to run away, he was slingshotted back to you, sending you both too the floor. If you tried to leave him behind, he was dragged along whatever path you walked.

Anyways, back to the proof. You might have conveniently left out a few details. Like how it involved a bit of travel. And some walking. Eventually you two reached a view full of land as far as the eye could see. Mountains and hills peered back, but no ocean. No sign of a great sea anywhere in the distance.

Finally, Buggy heard a grain of truth in what you had been telling him. This world was different. Pirates were different. This isn't where he belonged.

Maybe the countdown on the door would bring a way back, but that wasn't guarantee. It was a tough truth to accept, which resulted in a somber walk back.

Until.

You remembered a local swimming hole nearby. Maybe that would bring him some comfort.

That detour turned into both of you jumping into the freshwater. Swimming, splashing, turning over rocks to find river critters, trying to skip smooth stones over the water's surface, and laughing. You tried to push Buggy in at one point, but missed and fell in. Buggy tried to throw you in, but he underestimed how much your grip would tighten, causing both of you to crash into the lake.

It was a good time. A little awkward at times, but fun.

The drive back was less fun. It was cold, uncomfortable, and your seats would need time to dry out.

Dinner would be a frozen pizza, but warming up in the shower came first.

First one, then the other. And because you couldn't be far apart, one had to sit outside the bathroom and wait. And think. And listen. And think.

Think about how there was a naked person on the other side of the door.

Or think about how they were nude and someone was waiting for them.

Or maybe think about dinner. Definitely not about the guy with a weird nose, blue hair, a loud laugh, and big hands. Or about whether the carpaet matched the dr-

Dinner time! Trashy frozen pizza and movies on the couch, late into the night.

The morning found you both still on the couch, sprawled out, covered in crumbs, and asleep. And maybe you woke up for a moment, decided this was comfy, and went back to sleep. And maybe Buggy pretended to sleep in a little longer.

(Confession - I didn't actually have much of a plan for the second day. Some ideas I kicked around were bringing Buggy to an aquarium so he can see oceanic fish. And in this world, he could wear a face mask to hide his nose in public. Another idea was to run errands together, including grocery shopping. Someone would flit with you at the store, you'd brush off their advances, Buggy would call them out, you'd brush it off again since that's not who's catching your eye right now.....)

The day was long and you two were ready for rest better than what you'd find on the couch. But you only had one bed - oh no!

Time to build a pillow barrier and come to an agreement that no one crosses the plush wall. Buggy agreed as long as you didn't snore. You agreed to the same conditions.

You both snored.

No one breeched the pillows.

Well.

Except.

Maybe.

Well, there was a thunderstorm. The rumbling was so loud that they rattled the windows and they rattled you. It was jarring to be pulled from a deep sleep so abruptly. Scary, until…

Buggy reached over the barrier and pulled, squishing you against the pillows in an awkward but welcome hug.

He told you stories about his world until you fell asleep and dreamt of his voice.

Oh, remember the countdown on the closet door? Well it was due to reach zero the next morning. And when it did, the light came back. Faint sounds came through. You swore you could even smell the ocean.

Buggy felt it, he knew what was on the other side. And he wanted to know if you'd like to see it for yourself.

And lucky for you, the captain would be more than happy to show off.

[alexanderwales]

The Hour of Truth

The spell made people tell the truth.

It was expensive, but not so expensive it didn't find its use. The intelligence services spent enormous amounts of money on it, it was part of every serious interview, and the legal system relied on it.

This isn't a story about one of those. It's a story about Michael and Sarah, in their dining room with a ReadySpell, engaged to be married but without a date set. It was a gift they were giving to themselves, something that would reassure them, a chance to explore each other. Michael was cheery about the whole thing, but Sarah was decidedly less so.

She unrolled the parchment onto the table they'd assembled from a kit three months prior. She read the instructions on the card, which were dead simple, then placed her fingers on two corners of the parchment, with Michael doing the same. The complex lines in the center glowed, a circle burst into flames for half a second, and then it went still and dull.

"That's it then?" Michael asked. He withdrew his fingers. "That's the whole thing? I somehow thought it would be ... more."

"We're supposed to test it," she said, withdrawing her own fingers and picking up the card. "Say something false. There are test phrases."

"Two plus two is ... hrm. Four." He frowned. "I could feel a resistance. What an odd feeling."

"My head ... no, can't do it," Sarah said, reading the first part from the card. "It says, 'my head exploded today'. I can't finish the sentence."

"Well then," Michael said. He spread his hands, palms up. "Here we are."

"One hour," Sarah said with a nod. She placed the instruction card down and flipped the small hourglass that had come with the kit.

"Do you love me?" Michael asked.

"I do," Sarah replied. She said it solemnly. "Do you love me?"

"Of course," Michael replied. "Well, it would have been extremely embarrassing if we hadn't answered those correctly." He tapped his fingers on the table for a moment. "How many children do you want?"

"Two, or maybe three," said Sarah.

"I want two, but could go for a third," said Michael.

They had talked about it before. You didn't get engaged after four years of dating without having had those conversations at some point.

"It's interesting, isn't it?" asked Michael. "We know each other, but I suppose there's always at least a little doubt until you're under the spell. A difference between knowing and knowing."

"We only have an hour," said Sarah. "Rapid fire?"

"Sure," said Michael with a nod.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?" asked Sarah.

"Yes," said Michael. "You?"

"Yes. Will you stay faithful to me?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yes. Do you have unresolved feelings for anyone?"

"No. You?"

"No." Sarah paused. "How often do you need to have sex?"

"Need?" asked Michael. "I'm not sure I even agree with that question. But I can answer want, which is what I've told you before, maybe two or three times a week."

"How often does it end up being that we have sex?" asked Sarah.

"Less than that," said Michael. He frowned at her. "Can you do that, ask questions you know the answer to? I suppose so."

"It's two point one times a week," said Sarah.

"How can you be that precise?" asked Michael.

"I've been tracking it," said Sarah. She folded her hands in front of her. "You know I like data. And I'll need to track it when we're trying for children."

"Is that the only reason you've been tracking it?" asked Michael. He had leaned back in his chair slightly.

"I was worried that it might come up," said Sarah with a slight sigh. "I was worried that we might get in an argument and you would say that we weren't having sex enough, and I wanted pre-emptive ammunition."

The spell did not actually compel her to say all that, but he could have poked and prodded and gotten around vague answers, so it was best to just tell him. She wasn't proud of it.

"How many times a week would be the right number for you?" asked Michael.

"Once a week," Sarah replied, which was what she'd told him before. "In an ideal world, I suppose."

"And you're saying that it's two?" asked Michael.

"Two point one," said Sarah.

"Is this ... a problem?" asked Michael. "I mean, it should be a compromise between us."

"It is a compromise," said Sarah. "And it's one that I'm fine with." She was coming off as defensive, she knew, but it was the truth, the spell still had plenty of time left.

It seemed to take him a moment to recognize that.

"You don't resent me?" asked Michael.

"No," said Sarah. She let a beat pass, to give him a chance to ask another question, then reached down to her purse and pulled out her notebook.

"Is that a notebook?" asked Michael.

"I had a few things prepared," said Sarah.

"Ah," said Michael. "Well, I'm an open book." He smiled at her.

Sarah looked down at the notebook. "Where were you last Thursday?"

"I ... need to think about that," said Michael. "I was working late, preparing for the pitch. I sent you a message, didn't I?"

"You did," said Sarah. "What happened after the pitch?"

"I came home," said Michael.

"Did you do anything else between finishing work and coming home?" she asked.

"No," he said.

She looked down at her notebook again. "Last June you went on a work trip, what did you do together?"

Michael looked at her for a moment. "We went out to dinner," he said, and anticipating the follow-up questions, he continued, "Afterward, on the second night we were there, the guys wanted to go to a strip club, and they did, but instead of doing that, I went back to my hotel room and sat there alone, because I knew you wouldn't understand that it's just ... a thing men do. But I didn't go to the strip club, I didn't see naked women, I just sat there watching a movie."

"Are you annoyed with me?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," Michael replied. "You don't trust me, and it's important, if we're getting married, for you to trust me."

"You cheated on me," Sarah said.

Michael pursed his lips. "Does it do us any good to have this conversation again with the spell active?"

"Probably, yes," Sarah said. "It would let me know you were honest."

Michael nodded. "It was one time. I had been drinking. There was something electric in the air, I don't know, this raw attraction that I had never felt, and I thought about you, and the thought seemed to just slide right off my brain. And then afterward, I felt so much guilt, like I had destroyed my entire life, and we'd only been dating for six months, so it felt like it was a sign, like I had revealed, too late, what you meant to me."

"When you went to bed with her, you thought that it was casual," Sarah said. "You thought that you would get away with it."

"Now hold on," Michael said, leaning forward slightly. "I was the one who told you. No one outed me, no one found anything out, it was my own conscience."

"A month late," said Sarah.

Michael nodded. "A month late. I wish that it had never happened. If it did have to happen, then I wish that I had told you right away. I was an asshole. But I've been faithful to you since then, I haven't done anything else, I ... I love you."

"Do you still think about her?" asked Sarah.

"Every now and then," said Michael. "Every month or two, she comes to mind. Mostly in a negative way."

"Mostly?" asked Sarah.

"Please," said Michael. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't think it's good that you keep dwelling on this, that you won't let this go." He looked down at the scroll, which had curled up slightly. "Is this why you wanted to do this?"

"Yes," said Sarah. "You said 'mostly', what does that mean? Mostly a negative way, which means that sometimes it's a positive way. Explain how."

Michael grit his teeth. "I am telling you, from the bottom of my heart, with a truth spell active, that it's not going to be good for either of us if we go down this path."

"I'm not marrying you unless you answer," Sarah said.

"That's the truth?" asked Michael. "I mean, you could have told me that before, you could have said that without the spell."

"You would have thought I was being manipulative," she replied.

"I think you're being manipulative now," Michael said. "You love me? You forgive me? You want to marry me?"

"Yes, yes, yes," said Sarah. "We're pulling out a rotten tooth, as I see it. I would have pulled it out on my own, if I could have, but I need you, and I need truth."

Michael took a breath. "I love you so much. You mean the world to me. I am so thankful to be marrying you, if that still happens." He took another breath. "The only thing I think, the only positive thought I have about her, is that she was more enthusiastic in bed. But I love you, Sarah, you are the only one I want to be with, it's not something that weighs on me, it's a consideration but it pales in comparison to everything else, you're smart, you're funny, you make me want to be a better man, these past four years I've become a better man."

"There have been times when you think to yourself that she was better in bed than I am?" asked Sarah. She had gone very still. She was swallowing the idea, in the same way that someone might swallow a caltrop.

"No," said Michael. "She wasn't 'better', she just ... wanted it in a way that you didn't. Don't. She was hungry for me in a way that you never are."

Sarah began to cry.

"I'm so sorry," said Michael. "But it doesn't mean anything to me, I told you that, it's an idle thought, it's got nothing to do with marriage, with partnership."

"I think I might be gay," said Sarah.

Michael stared at her. "What?" he asked. "What ... what does that mean?" He looked at the timer, which was still running down. "You said that once a week was what you'd prefer, did you mean with women?"

"No, I ..." she was sniffling, and went to her purse for a tissue, which she used to blot away her tears and wipe liquified snot from where it had gathered on her upper lip. "I enjoy having sex with you, I like the feeling of it. I do. That's true." She said it as though it was almost a revelation to hear it said under the truth spell, as though she wasn't certain that it would pass muster.

"Then what do you mean?" asked Michael. "Do you mean you might be ... bisexual?"

"I felt that heat for a woman," Sarah said. "For several women." She let out a breath. "I never did anything with them, I never even knew if it's what they would have wanted, but ... I don't know. It's confusing."

"But you still want to marry me," said Michael. "Even with that."

"I do," said Sarah. "I love you."

"I love you too," said Michael. He watched her face, as though he could read something there. He looked down at the timer. "Do you think this marriage is a good idea?"

"Yes," she replied. "Yes enough that I didn't have to add qualifications, I guess." She gave a nervous laugh. "Do you?"

"Yes," said Michael.

But as soon as he said it, he wasn't sure that it was true. Did the spell work like that? Could you say something that was untrue after you said it? There was a rising panic inside him, a feeling of being trapped with her that he'd never felt before, not before the affair or after.

"Let's set this aside," she said. "Let's be done with it. Okay?"

Michael nodded. He had wanted to say 'okay', but it wasn't.

[epickiya722]

Folks, you're not going to like what I have to say. I just know it and I'm warning you of that. I said it once before, but leaks really do make some folks act out in ways that I can't understand. We ain't even got a full translation and already people are saying this ship is canon and that ship is canon... and whatever else. Jumping to conclusions when you don't even have all the facts.

Look, I'm not saying Hori is the best writer. I'm not saying Izuku and Ochako is a bad ship (it's not, there's worse... a lot worse).

But I do think some people are jumping ten steps ahead and I doubt that they are canon romantically. This isn't me being in denial because I could care less about the ship. It's not a ship that makes me sit up at night and cry and want to punch a wall and harass people. No ship for me does.

So far, from what I can gather from the very little information Izuku wants to see Ochako more because... THEY LITERALLY HAVEN'T SEEN EACH OTHER A LOT. In the last chapter, Izuku states that the class haven't been able to catch up and whatnot because over the years they got busy with their careers. The last time they probably had a proper conversation was in high school.

Izuku and Ochako wanting to meet up more doesn't automatically mean they're going to date. Let's not forget, Ochako is one of the first people to become a close friend of Izuku's in their first year. They clicked because they were so similar. They mirror each other even!

They're best friends if anything and wouldn't you want to see your best friend after not seeing them for a long time?

So far, it just feels that this epilogue is them accepting their own feelings about everything that has happened, like a self-reflection and self-acceptance type of deal.

Sometimes, you realize something about yourself when encountering someone who is like you. That's how Izuku and Ochako are to me.

It takes them identifying with the other to come to terms about themselves.

"But the blushing! The handholding!"

So blushing automatically means "I have romantic feelings for you", is what some of you are saying?

Just gonna forget all the times they and others have blushed out of embarrassment or happiness? That even some characters have the blush stickers to show their sweet innocent nature, like Ochako for most of the story?

Izuku blushed at Katsuki in the final chapter out of happiness, so it can't apply here, too? Why does blushing got to only be used in a romantic sense?

Seeing Izuku blushing looking at Ochako is funny when considering he's holding an (possibly) alcoholic beverage in that same shot. My guy is probably drunk. 😆 Jokes aside, jokes aside.

This is Ochako and Izuku, we're talking about here. They're the Queen and King of MHA characters who blush a lot, no matter what is going on.

And the handholding? In MHA? It happens a lot between characters! It's not like anything new or Izuku and Ochako are going to get cooties.

Look, I might make some people laugh or hate me for this one but when I saw this... I was reminded of this.

For those that don't know, that is from the Predator (1987). Yes, that Predator.

Two characters that have been friends for a long time and just happy to see each other.

We seen this kind of handshake like this before between characters of different and same genders. Either as a greet or as an agreement.

Izuku and Ochako are just agreeing to see each other more and that they should allow themselves to live happy lives. That doesn't mean they're going to start dating and having babies the following week.

"Bakugou is being treated like his wingman!"

Ah, stop right there. Katsuki encouraging Izuku to talk to Ochako isn't like that strange because between Izuku and Katsuki, Katsuki is the one to most likely reveal his emotions. He is more in touch with his emotions than Izuku who while emotional tends to keep everything in.

Katsuki isn't playing wingman. He's playing advisor and someone who has experience with emotions.

Seeing Izuku stumbling over his words and being all nervous trying to talk to Ochako is so in character for him. He has never been too good expressing his emotions.

I doubt Katsuki would be like "go tell her you want to marry her". He is more like "go talk to her, you're friends, remember? Been forever since you had a proper conversation."

It's the same case with Himiko pushing Ochako towards Izuku. She is encouraging her to be happy and not be stuck in the past. Not "go get married".

Happiness doesn't mean you must be in a romance.

Just me, again, but I feel like some people are really just jumping the gun here. If you really are thinking Izuku and Ochako being canon is bad for your ship, that's... I'm sorry, this will be mean of me to say, but that's ridiculous.

A ship being canon shouldn't stop you from enjoying the ships you do like. What ever happen to "ignore canon"? Oh, I guess that becomes irrelevant when you want to cause panic and bash and panic and bash and panic and bash.

Like a handhold like that shouldn't make you feel threatened by that ship.

Just continue shipping your ships! Take it from someone whose favorite ship is of two characters who haven't been seen interacting before.

Even still, with just leaks alone, it doesn't mean they are canon. I have my ships and there's moments in whatever the story makes me ship them but I also don't think every little behavior is meant to be romantic.

The thing I know I'm going to hate about this epilogue isn't even the chapter itself. It's the reactions.

I know some people are going to say this chapter is queerbait and use to it to even go as far as to bash Ochako given she is the woman and it's routine to hate on the woman. It ain't queerbait if Katsuki and Izuku wasn't going to be explicitly a couple themselves. Let's not forget it's Shonen Jump and even though the queer coding can be there, we can't have everything.

Also, I also know that some fans of IzuOcha are going to use this chapter to justify their "authority" of "best ships" and harass people like "my ship is better than yours" and be only concerned about Ochako being a housewife.

I don't think Horikoshi is the greatest human and MHA is a flawless story but some of you are no better to these characters and the story.

[shiroganeryo]

DGM 252: New perspectives and confirmations it has given us

⚠️First of all, I'll be tagging this under DGM spoilers so if you have somehow stumbled upon this even if you're avoiding spoilers for Chapter 252 (or the most recent DGM talks as a whole), this is your warning to turn back now!

And secondly, I'm under the effect of allergy meds so please pardon me if I'm talking gibberish 😂 But the latest chapter has given us some food for thought and I've been mulling it over.

There are two points I want to cover in this post; the first one being much extensive while the other is rather short.

1. Bookman Jr.

The reveal that the guy we had thought to be Past!A all along was actually the former Bookman Jr. in one of the best twists Hoshino has given us in a while - she sounded very proud of how we were all misled by her narrative and honestly I tip my hat at her for such genius - has also fueled questions about his identity.

I'll start by saying I do not believe he and Cross are the same person. That's not what I'll be talking about so I'm playing this card right off the bat. This theory, although popular, has always had way too many gaps for my liking and after the latest chapter, the chances are practically null that it's true.

If you want a discussion as to why, this post has put it into words better than I could and I agree 100% with OP's point, hence why I don't see the need to say anything on the matter.

But there's one thing that I'm yet to see people discussing and it's about the talk Lucia had with Joe back in The 222nd Night: Searching for A.W. - Hypokrisis.

(I'm showing what I believe to be the official translated English version by Viz and there's a reason why)

For a long time, people have debated about this small exchange between Lucia and Joe. There's no doubt the one they're talking about is old man Bookman, so we can confidently affirm he's the one waiting at the Campbell Mansion.

And what about Lavi? This is where the next dialogue from Lucia comes into play:

Since this is probably the version a lot of people have read, I must make it clear that the like "Junior, his successor, isn't here" was a mistranslation. Here's the original:

Lucia: Koukeisha to naru Jr. wa mou imasen. (The one who'd become his successor, Jr, is no more.)

I've double-checked with the Brazilian Portuguese translation because it tends to be as close to the original as possible, and surely enough, it's translated correctly:

(image courtesy of the volume I own by my so-so phone camera 😋)

"Junior, who was his heir, is no more."

The literal translation for what Lucia is saying is "isn't among us anymore", but that's an expression in Portuguese that means that someone has died/doesn't walk on Earth anymore.

While the mistranslated English version and the original Japanese/Brazilian version have similar meanings, the way it's worded gives the sentence a completely different meaning: in one we're led to believe Jr. isn't physically there at the Mansion, while the other two make it clear that Jr. has died.

And that's exactly why that, after Chapter 252 dropped, this scene is given a new perspective - because Lucia was referring to the former Bookman Jr, and not the current one.

We don't know the whereabouts of current Lavi - cue in the chair jokes, I unfortunately love them all - and while I might be wrong, I have my reasons to believe he's alive.

It just doesn't feel like Hoshino to kill an important character off-screen, plus she has said we'll see him again eventually and that the mystery of what's behind his eyepatch is still to be revealed (and will only happen once Bookman passes away, something that will possibly happen before the story reaches its end).

I have the feeling Lavi still has much to contribute to the story and he's actually one of the characters that, to me, seem to have the highest odds of making it alive until the end. It also isn't mere coincidence that Bookman picked the same alias for both Juniors, since Lavi has mentioned in a discussion room that the aliases refer to their record logs and the Holy War is being recorded under 'Lavi'. There's unfinished business to be taken care of.

Using the mistranslated version to illustrate was important because I've seen people wondering where Lavi is if not in the Mansion, while others were afraid he has died. He's very likely in a predicament, but dead? I don't think so.

So that only leaves us with one viable subject for that dialogue, that being the former Bookman Jr. (now affectionately dubbed Lavi Sr. by the fandom).

"But how come they didn't know Bookman already had a new apprentice back in Chapter 222 if the Zoogles mentioned it in Chapter 251?"

Yes, it's a little odd. What I can infer from this is that they either 1. Didn't know Bookman already had a new Jr. because he had been unconscious and only after they stabilized his situation they could talk, or 2. Did know about the current Lavi but believe him not to be ready to take on the mantle yet while Lavi Sr. was (but unfortunately deserted the clan).

Since only the Bookman and his appointed apprentice, who was born with the seal, can exchange information and records via their blood, it might be not that off the chart that the Zoogles weren't up-to-date on his affairs since they're not Bookmen themselves but rather a bloodline of people scattered across the globe who are supporters of Bookman's mission like Lucia has explained. Yet, even if they aren't all-knowing, it seems odd for them not to know something as vital as that about the person they're supporting.

And of course, there's also the possibility of option 3, something else that I completely failed to consider right now. Time will tell which one.

Note: By the way, the Lucia in 222 and the Lucia in 251/252 are indeed the same person; Hoshino seemed to hint there's a reason behind her sudden aging that we don't know yet. It's important to make this clear since what I've said is related to dialogues delivered by her.

2. Past!A = current Allen

(image courtesy of Kougeki Scans' Chapter 251's translation)

There were theories around and people still considering the possibility of our current Allen being a clone and all sorts of theories because of the unexplainable age gap between him and Past!A, but it seems the deaging theory has been fully confirmed by Chapter 252, as we saw it taking place before our very eyes.

There are still some mysteries surrounding it, but seeing how Apocryphos mentioned the "Helix", we can't help but be taken back to the explanation we've previously seen about the Helix of Life (The 221st Night - The Clown's Joke).

Since that's a topic that feels like there's more to it as of now, I won't be discussing the how and why Allen deaged, especially with the unseen variable in the mix that is Innocence; who knows if that might make the Helix energy behave differently.

I was on the "deaging theory" train because Nea was able to recognize Past!A all right when he looks in the mirror (The 214th Night: Searching for A.W. - Awakening) and also questioned the presence of Innocence on his body as well as how he hadn't aged but instead had gotten younger (The 215th Night: Searching for A.W. - By Your Side).

There are many mistranslations in the official English version of these two chapters (214 and 215) that have fueled countless misconceptions within the fandom but I won't be pointing those out in this post since I'm not here this time specifically to talk about it.

Note: Mangadex seems to have nicely translated versions of these chapters if you want to check them out for a recalling - I can't confirm fully but what I read of them looked consistent and faithful to the original.

Anyways, back on track; now that we've seen what took place 35 years ago in Chapter 252, Nea's bewilderment at the current situation of Allen back in Chapter 214/215 makes a lot more sense.

And even more interesting is that as soon as he noticed the Innocence lodged into Allen's left hand, we see the image of Apocryphos, as if Nea could feel its presence. Turned out that meant more than just Apocryphos being able to resonate with all Innocence, but rather, that the very reason why that Innocence had found home in Allen's body was by its intervention.

Just what the hell, dude. That was, once again, extremely well-played on Hoshino's part. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter!

[simplydnp]

Hii as a passive fan looking in from sidelines, I read something along the lines that Dan and Phil did come out like few weeks apart but they haven’t confirmed or denied that they are in a relationship? I am confused as what is the official narrative from their side, can you clear this for me please.

I have no doubt of them being together just confused about official timeline, xx

dan and phil are embracing the ambiguity that is brought to them under the 'we know you know' mindset

you're correct in that they came out a few weeks apart (though, phil kind of did in his tweet supporting dan on the day dan came out)

it's funny you ask this, as we do have a recent answer to a reporter about their relationship:

this is the first time they've really been asked this since coming out, but it's important to note the context here: they're talking to a new zealand reporter, about their tour. to me, it reads as an aggressive fuck off signal to the media. ie, this topic is off-limits. so 'officially' their stance is that their lives are private.

unofficially? there's a year's worth of dapg videos that carry heavy implications. it's a lot of reading between the lines, it's a lot of interpreting jokes, it's a lot of paying attention to things both Said and not said. from explicit sex jokes to earnest moments to even specific games they've played, it's easy for an audience to pick up the clues because we're looking for them--cause dan and phil tend to put them there for us. it is important to note that there has been a significant change in tone of the gaming videos from the past vs the gaming videos now. while the language and the types of jokes have changed, so has the dynamic--in the best way possible. they're much more free and relaxed on camera now, both an intentional choice and the result of being out for 5 years.

they've got a mortgage together, alright?

in terms of them not directly commenting on it--at least at this point, it just makes things easier. they aren't usually on tour so reporters aren't usually asking them these questions, but even beyond that, they're incredibly internet famous. even they themselves were surprised about quote "how many people were horny for dan and phil in 2024". and sure, it isn't the same numbers as pre-hiatus, but there's definitely still a lot of people here. so while we champion for a hard-launch (since they keep moving closer) we also know that it's bigger than just saying it. it would be everywhere. everyone would have something to say. and then it's not about the content anymore, it's the relationship (though, one would argue their chemistry makes the content, but i would say their connection adds to it, but isn't the commodity they specifically sell)

in terms of the timeline in particular, we're days away from 15 years of dan and phil, in that they filmed and posted pinof 1 in 2009 at the end of this week. they've never intentionally specified any other anniversary, so we don't know (though we have suspicions), but it's unlikely it took That long to get there. coming out was the next Biggest step, one could argue, and you're right about the timeline of weeks between videos. what i reckon that's important to note is that dan 'appeared' in a phil video surprisingly soon after june, despite not having made any other videos since christmas of the year before. even though it was just his voice, it was enough. there were 4 ish years of limited joint content between them, but it did happen (mostly stories and podcast style things), up until the return of dapg last october. since then, there's been regular dapg uploads (crazy phrase) and dan's either been directly in or mentioned in every single amazingphil video since the return. it depends how much you think implications and indirect phrasing are evidence/signifiers, but there's been a Lot that's come out of gaming videos in particular that Mean Things to the fans, but aren't something able to be captured by the media and ran with (though, one article did see the 'dan and phil are getting divorced' title and reported on it as if it were true, despite it just being an 'it takes two' video)

[fanfictiongirlie]

Marvel: Let Us Teach You - Chapter Six

Click Here For Story Masterlist

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader x Steve Rogers

Description:

"Okay daddy, I trust you" I say. "What will you show me?"

"We'll start with something small, is that okay doll?" I nod to him, wanting him to know I said yes. Steve smiles at me, taking a deep breath, he swallows hard before speaking again.

"Lie back on the bed doll"

(Bucky and Steve have a daughter, and they teach her about sex)

Rating: Explicit

Words: 1,942

P.s... This fic is not for everyone, it has incest. That is not a thing everyone likes reading, so if you don't like reading stuff like that, this isn't the fic for you. I'm no condoning any of this, this isn't real life, this is fanfiction :)

Time flew, school was done, and it was finally the weekend of Uncle Tony's party, I loved dressing fancy, Auntie Nat had helped me pick out a wonderful dress, since both my dads were useless when he came to fashion. It was a long dress that showed my back completely, it was a dark green and I loved it so much. I felt like a princess. I put on a pair of simple black heels feeling as if the dress didn't need super fancy shoes with it. I left my room to find my dads waiting by the door dressed in their suits. 

"What do you think?" I ask, spinning for them. 

"Doll... you... you look... beautiful... so beautiful..." Bucky spoke. 

"You think so?" I beamed, stepping closer to hug him. 

"Yeah doll... you... you look so beautiful... we're going to have a hard time keeping our eyes off you..." Steve spoke, joining our hug. They both chuckled and pressed a kiss to my lips. 

"Promise me, you'll both dance with at least once?" I asked, mostly looking at Bucky, Steve would dance with me, without a doubt, Bucky however hated dancing. 

They agreed to dance with me and we left the house, Tony had arranged a car to take us to the party, the three of us scooted into the car, it definitely was not a car big enough for two super soldiers so I was squished between the both of them, not that I minded. 

"I'm so excited" I admitted. "Do you think I'd be allowed one alcoholic drink when we get there?"

I thought they would say no, but to my surprise they said I could, but only one, with their supervision, which was understandable. Finally the car reached the Avengers compound, we walked in together, and Steve made a beeline to Tony, and started chatting away with him, Bucky made a few comments, but this was more Steve's scene. 

"Who wants to dance first?" I ask as a slower song started playing, I waited for both Bucky and Steve to look at one another and then to me, Steve, unsurprisingly took my hand first and led me to the dance floor, there were loads of others dancing, I barely recognise any of them. Wanda and Vision were dancing though, I smiled, I loved them. The song was slow and smooth and when I wrapped my arms around Steve's neck, his instinctively wrapped around my waist, holding me close to him, but not pressing against my body. I rested my head on his chest letting him lead me through the music. 

"You look so beautiful doll" He whispers in my ear. 

"Thank you daddy" I whisper back. 

Once the song had ended we stopped dancing and headed towards Bucky, who was sitting by the bar, along with Sam. "Do you think I could try my first alcoholic drink please?" I asked Steve. He nodded yes. 

"Hi Sam!" I grinned, he greeted me with a light hug. "What drink should I get, I don't know anything about what I like"

"Dad, what do you drink?" I ask Bucky seeing he had a glass of light brown liquid. 

"I drink whiskey darling, I don't think you'll like that" He chuckles. 

"Oh okay"

"I think you should try a Vodka Cranberry, it's sweet and you don't really taste the alcohol, it's the perfect first drink" He explains, ordering me the drink, once made I took it from him and gave it a sip. Both my dads and Sam watched me take a ip, watching to see if I liked it or not. 

"I really like it" I giggle happily. 

I sipped happily as my dads spoke to various people at the party, Finally another slow song came on, so I downed the rest of my drink and took Bucky's hand. "Your turn"

He looked a little stressed, but that was because he didn't think he could dance, he did a good job, I thought. He wrapped his arms around my similarly to how Steve did, and danced with me. 

"The only girl I'd dance with" He whispers, chuckling. 

"I wish I could kiss you right no" I whisper, wanting nothing more than a cute dance that ended with a kiss, Bucky looked at me with a sad smile. 

"I know doll, I wish I could kiss you too" He said as he spun me around, I giggled feeling as if the alcohol had made me a little tipsy. "You look so beautiful in that dress darling"

"Are you going to touch me in my dress later daddy?" I ask incredibly quiet, Bucky's movements stopped for a second and he choked a little on air, I giggled. 

"Doll, you really shouldn't be talking like that, not here" He spoke, his voice a little stern. 

"I'm sorry, I just like it so much" My stomach fluttering as I think of the feeling. 

"No need to be sorry doll... just don't say things like that out loud when there are people around..."

"I'm sorry, I'll behave" I frown a little as the song ended, Bucky and I walked back over to Steve and I finally spotted Peter standing alone elsewhere. I waved to him and told my dads where I was going as I walked away, I reached Peter and we hugged, and started talking about how cool it was to be at a party like this. 

"Your dress is lovely little one" I turned around to see Loki smiling at me, I thanked him and carried on chatting to Peter, Loki stayed and chatted with us, it was nice, he never really spoke to anyone, and I knew my dads didn't like him, but I liked him, he was nice. I looked back to my dads and saw that they looked pissed, worried, I said goodbye to Peter and Loki and walked over to them. 

"Loki said my dress is lovely!" I beamed. 

"Is that so doll?" Steve asked, not matching my smile. 

"Yeah!" I grinned "He's very nice"

"Really?" Bucky asked, his face looked angier than Steve's. "You think he's nice?"

"Yeah I think so" I say quietly. 

They let it go when a few more people came to chat with them, I stayed with them talking with some people, soon the party died down and my dads decided they wanted to go home, it took forever to go home, because they had to say goodbye to so many people, and by that I mean Steve did. Bucky said goodbye to Sam and that was it. 

"Are you ready to go doll?" Steve asked saying his last goodbye and turning to Bucky and myself. We left, leaving in the same car as before and when we got home Bucky carried me into the house.

"Tonight was the best" I smiled as Bucky sat me down on the bed. 

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself doll" He grinned, he started taking his suit off, I left my dress on, not wanting to be without it just yet, I felt so pretty. 

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course doll, you can ask me anything" He grinned, he breathed out a happy sigh when he was finally down to his boxers, obviously not liking suits. 

"What else do you and daddy have to teach me?" I ask, smiling brightly up at him. Steve entered the room already in boxers as I spoke, he smirked at me and crawled into bed, sitting behind me. 

"You really wanna learn more?" He asked, and I nodded, looking at them both hopeful. They were both smiling at me as I stood up and undid my dress, I let it pool at my feet, leaving my in just my panties. The dress would of been ruined if I wore a bra, so I went without one. I usually did anyways. 

"God you're so beautiful" Bucky groaned. "Come here" I followed his order and crawled up the bed laying next to him, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, my stomach twisted with excitement and desire, as I kissed him I felt his metal hand move up to my chest, he rubbed my nipples gently, pinching them every so often, each time he did I moaned a little into his mouth. When I moaned Bucky slowly moved his tongue to lick my lips and my tongue, tasting me. Steve's hands were finally on my body, running up and down my thighs, his lips kissing and nipping my hips. 

His hands moved to my hips and under my bum, he lifted me slightly, I was confused to what he was doing, but then his lips came down to my panties and he started kissing me through them, I moaned again, sounding filthy. 

Bucky kept kissing me, but he broke away for a moment to let me moan again, as I gasped for air Bucky smiled and spoke in a soft, slightly breathless tone

"How does that feel doll?..."

"Feels really good daddy" I whispered against Bucky's lips.

"That's a good girl, keep letting us know how you feel" He mumbled back before pressing his lips to mine again, he kissed my roughly, his fingers swapping from each nipple, pinching and rubbing them. Steve's hands moved to the top of my underwear and he slowly peeled them off me, my underwear matched my dress perfectly, they were silky and green. 

Bucky kissed me, his tongue now tracing my lips, exploring my mouth, taking in my taste, his hands were cupping my breasts, holding them tight. It hurt a little but it felt good. Steve kissed everywhere, my thighs, my hips, and then finally he kissed me down there, first at the top, he then used his hands to spread my legs further apart. He kissed lower, near my hole, he then moved up and licked a long stripe along me, my hips jolted up bumping into his face and I whined loudly against Bucky's lips. Steve's hands came to hold down on my hips, keeping me in place. 

Bucky's lips left mine, I opened my eyes to see he had moved to watch Steve lick me, I couldn't see his tongue, his face was covered by me... His eyes were shut and he was moaning as he moved his mouth again me. I was a moaning mess, I didn't care, I was being so loud, Bucky's hand was still on my chest his eyes on Steve. They both looked like they were loving every every second of this, watching me, feeling me come undone. Steve sucked at top, his hand moving down to insert two fingers into me, I sounded wet. 

I moaned loudly, feeling that feeling in my tummy again.

"Daddy gonna..." I start to say as the feeling takes over my body completely, letting me finish over Steve's tongue, my breathing was so heavy, I held onto Bucky feeling as I might fall, obviously I wouldn't, but the feeling that washed over me was so strong, my vision went fuzzy for a second. Steve  slowly stopped licking me, he kissed from my hole up, kissing all the way until he met my lips, kissing me quickly. 

"How was that princess?"

"Amazing daddy, I think it might be my new favourite thing" I whispered panting heavily. 

"I'm glad you liked it doll, we're gonna teach you more things like that.."Steve smiled brightly at me, he moved to laid on my other side, both him and Bucky close to me. 

"I can't wait" I mumbled, sleep taking over my body, I feel both of them press a soft kiss to my head.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Worried About Traction/Why Write?

Anonymous asked: Okay answer me this, so I've read how trad publishing is going to shit, but self-publishing I doubt I could gain any traction with. Then why fucking write, ya know? People say, "write for yourself," which sounds like a lot of goody bullshit. I want people to love my writing, I need some type of validation. So, how the hell do I get anyone to care about my stories?

Just a quick note that this ask came in off Anon, and I wasn't sure if it was meant to, so I put I'm posting it Anon to be on the safe side.

So, I don't want to get too much into the "is traditional publishing dying" debacle, because it's a conversation that's complex and nuanced and outside of my energy reserves at the moment. What I will say is that the traditional publishers--the Big Five in particular--still dominate the market, especially where print books are concerned. And although self-publishing can respond more quickly to trends and shifting tastes, traditional publishing continues to evolve.

Having said that, even if traditional publishing was stronger than ever before, that wouldn't guarantee you a book deal. Even in the best of times, the odds of being traditionally published are between 1 and 2%. Even if you get a book deal, that doesn't guarantee your book will be a best-seller. Hundreds of thousands of books are traditionally published every year, and far fewer than 1% of those books will become best sellers. Being traditionally published doesn't even guarantee your book will be sold in brick and mortar bookstores. I can point you toward traditionally published books that have been out almost a year and still have fewer than 10 reviews on Amazon. I can point you toward many more with fewer than 30.

And, while we're on the subject, I can show you self-published books with thousands of reviews (positive ones, btw...)

The point is, it doesn't really matter how you publish. What you write, how you write, and how you market is far, far more important. But the reality is, most of us aren't writing the kinds of books that are going to be best-sellers, BookTok sensations, Oprah's Book Club selections, or get optioned for film rights before the ink on the book deal is even dry. So, when you say you need validation, what does that look like for you? Does it mean seeing your name at the top of the NYT best seller list for five weeks straight? Seeing your book on eye-level shelves at an international airport? Hundreds of fans showing up to your book signing? A-hundred thousand followers on Twitter eagerly awaiting news of your next release? Or, does it look like someone... anyone... enjoying your book enough to leave a 5-star review... someone calling you their favorite writer, several fans re-posting your cover reveal because they're so excited for your upcoming book, or someone writing to say your book got them through a difficult time in their lives? Because, while I would never tell you not to dare to dream of achieving the former list of expectations, I will absolutely tell you the latter list of expectations is well within your grasp. So, if that's validation enough for you, write for those people. If it isn't, and it's not enough to write for yourself, then I think all you can do is try. Write the best stories you can write. Get them out there. Promote the hell out of them and see what happens. Maybe you will be one of those lucky few who see their book at the top of the NYT best seller list for five weeks in a row. Or, maybe you won't, but you get a two-page e-mail from a fan who says your story changed their life. And maybe, after all, that's enough. Here are some posts that can help you start building a following ahead of publishing, whatever route you end up choosing. Building a buzz on social media ahead of publishing and consistent promotion afterward can make a big difference. Even if you publish traditionally. Guide: Getting Your Writing Noticed on Tumblr Guide: Author Platforms-What, Why, and How? Guide: How to Promote Yourself as a Writer/Author via Social Media 12 Sites for Sharing Original Fiction

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[mintedwitcher]

since I can't stop thinking about it, here are my predictions for the rest of the cast now without Bobby:

Athena: she'll finish the house and move in, and I think her kids will move in with her, at least temporarily. she'll need their support, just like they'll need hers, even if none of them will actually admit it out loud. Athena will take stock of her life now, and decide what she really needs. I'm still hoping for her to get another rookie, and maybe she takes less of an active 'on the streets' role moving forward. I don't think she'll retire yet, but maybe next season we'll see her really consider whether she wants to keep going. I don't think she wants to die on the job, but this could offer a point of contention between her and her family going forward.

Hen: obviously I would love to see her become the new captain of the 118. her leadership has been showcased before, and she has all the qualities of a competent captain. she's the most qualified, without a doubt, and she has seniority over everyone except Chim, but since he seems pretty happy to stay where he is, I don't think she'd have any pushback or competition from him. however, her becoming captain could add tension to her personal life; she already forgot about the kids' photo day at school because she pretty much leaves the family calendar to Karen, and if her work hours are about to increase even further with a major promotion, that could be a problem moving forward. I'm not entirely thrilled about that possibility, but the show seems to give henren the same two problems on a loop anyway (career and children), so I think it's a fair prediction.

Maddie: I don't have predictions for Maddie, but personally I would like for her to lose her job over the whole "talking a 911 caller into suicide" thing, but that's clearly not going to happen. I do think it should at least be investigated, because whoever monitors the 911 service probably isn't clued in to the whole story. I'm hoping like hell that they don't give her a repeat of the PPD arc, but since it's genetic and the likelihood of experiencing it goes up with each pregnancy, I think that's probably what we're going to see. hopefully this time it'll be managed better.

Chim: in the event of Hen promoting to Captain, I'd like to see Chim take on an Eli role. I want to see him train a new paramedic. It would bring his story full-circle. I think he's probably going to be taking paternity leave once the new baby comes so that he can be more present for Maddie, too. I would like for there to be some talk about whether or not he should leave the 118 for an easier job so that he can be there for his family, since that would be a genuine concern for him given last time, but I don't think it'll actually happen. it could be an interesting call-back to Eddie's dispatch days, but given the nature of the show and the fact that the 118 has already lost two members of its A-shift team, I don't think it's likely. still, it could be an interesting conflict.

Buck: I think he's going to flounder for a while. he's just lost his mentor, essentially, and he's going to feel a little lost in his career now. I think ultimately it'll be Gerrard who puts the idea of a promotion in his head. I think he might try to apply for the captaincy, just because he thinks he should. he's living by Bobby's final words right now, so maybe he'll think he should be Captain because Bobby said they'd need him. I think that, ultimately, will fall through, though. I'm hoping, if they go that route, that it'll give us a Hen/Buck conversation, since they'll both be vying for the same seat, and I think Hen might be the one to be able to get through to him that he doesn't need to be the Captain in order to live up to Bobby's final words. it was Hen and Buck, after all, who saw Bobby at his very lowest point in s1, and I think that bond is going to be important now. I think of anyone at the 118, Hen is going to be the most suited to understand where Buck is coming from, wanting to live up to Bobby's legacy. and maybe Buck decides that he doesn't want to be the Captain, but that he does want something new. maybe he tries for a promotion anyway, but not to captain, just to whatever's above his current rank. (I really wish the show would be more specific with the teams' ranks and where they all sit on the hierarchy but that's just a personal grievance.)

Eddie: I think he's going to stay in Texas. maybe he considers moving back, maybe he even goes as far as to try and make plans for it. but I think, ultimately, he'll choose to stay where he is. Chris has a whole life in Texas now, he's got friends and a social life and he's happy. and maybe Eddie realises that his habit of making the big choices without consulting anyone else IS actually a problem, which would finally round out his arc from season 2. Eddie needs to realise that the decisions he makes don't just affect him, and that - shocker - he doesn't actually know what's best for everyone. he's just gotten his son back, he's just making progress on the fatherhood front. I don't think it would be smart to have him immediately uproot his kid and whisk him away to LA again. Eddie learned this season that he needs to put his son first, so he needs to be held to that choice now. I think the best option for him will be to stay in Texas, and when the hiring freeze stops, let him join the fire department in El Paso. he's still connected to the 118 through Buck, but he doesn't need to be there for that connection to hold up.

I don't have any predictions for our recurring/guest cast (Ravi, Karen, Tommy, May, or Harry) yet. obviously I have storylines I would like to see for most of them but nothing really concrete yet. I'll probably think of something for each of them later though, this whole arc will not leave my mind. there's so much more potential now.

RIP to Bobby Nash but like, thanks for opening the doors to new storylines and possibilities.

[thefirstknife]

Okay, this is it for Act I and now we have to stew for 20 days, I'm okay and not feeling abnormal at all (lie). But there's SO MUCH that I want to mention.

The mission starts normally, we're just collecting samples for Failsafe, but then Osiris calls us to come help him with Saint. And then shit hits the fan. Saint has apparently walked off alone into Nessus and isn't answering his comms. Normal and cool!

I'll go into the whole thing, under read more for length (long ass post, I'm having normal thoughts and feelings about this whole thing):

Right away, no more lake where we were fishing (only in the mission though):

Strange! The Vex appear to have let Saint pass through here without a fight. Once again, there's a mix of Vex in this area; some are normal Vex units with collars and some are Precursors without (the boss, the cyclops and the hobgoblins are Precursors):

The Precursors aren't collared, but they still participate in this and are also changed ("uplifted choral cyclops" = part of the chorus even without a yoke). This is incredibly strange. And then more strange information:

Okay!!! What is going on! We've seen in the last week's lore page that the Vex are behaving incredibly strangely. In short, they seem to be behaving more like individuals, rather than what we're used to seeing from them. This adds to that. They are developing tactics and changes that they previously weren't engaged with because, essentially, they didn't have to be.

Anyway, we get to finally hear Saint and he's... Talking to himself. About how he's not real. We find him collared and he appears to be hearing a voice talking to him; the voice is only identified as a "Conductor." At this point, I don't think there's any doubt about this being Maya. The same term was used by her in her experiments with the Veil: she needed someone to be a "conductor" to the "chorus" of minds when she was trying to merge fabricate consciousness (which she succeeded in with Lakshmi). Maya died in the "conductor's chair." What we don't know is ... Well. Anything else. What is she doing and why and what state is she in. The assumption right now is that she's using the Vex as a chorus, but why are they allowing this and why are some of them participating even without the collars? No clue.

What's interesting is that she seems to have analysed Saint and knew about him, either from her own analysis of him after observing him during our expeditions or from the Vex themselves. Or both. I suspect a combination of both because he's been involved with what we've been doing so she would've been interested to see why, and then she would've also gotten additional information from the Vex who recognise him. I would assume the Vex also had information about the rest of us, including Osiris and YW, but Saint was easiest to control.

With what she was telling him, it also means that Maya now knows how we saved him. His entire story is directly linked to the Vex and Vex technology so naturally all of this would be recorded with them and would allow Maya to find out about it. She knows that in some timelines he dies and he is saved in this one. She filled his head with the idea that he doesn't belong here, that he shouldn't have been saved. That he's an error that's "corrupting the true timeline."

As a sidenote, when you come into this room, Curse of Osiris music starts playing, again, as it has been playing for a lot of stuff this episode (specifically the Panoptes fight track). I'm super glad to hear that OST again. I'm also insane about them dropping Mercury music and Precursors at me.

Saint has more concerning lines:

And then we reach him:

Totally okay scene to see. Saint in his bubble, with a yoke, Vex arranged around him in their worshipping pose and the mysterious figures hovering above him. Saint continues:

Okay! *cries* He snaps out of it when Ikora reminds him of Osiris. Old man yaoi wins again!!

Then there's the conversation between Osiris, Saint, Ikora and Failsafe where Osiris is desperately trying to convince Saint that he's real and fine and that there's nothing wrong with him. I crode.... Man, they really said "you WILL watch these old men lovingly put hands on each other." But also, Saint confirms that he just heard a voice speaking to him on Nessus and that he couldn't do anything except obey its commands. It wasn't a Vex; Saint describes it as something that "connected to his mind" and called itself the "Conductor."

Failsafe pointed out that the Vex and Exo share radiolaria as a "base material" and that the Vex were perhaps trying to interface with Saint for information about what we're doing. But Saint said that they did not care about that at all. Instead, they "measured" Saint's "humanity" and "legitimacy."

Osiris does his best to convince him otherwise:

Bro. I am crying in the club what the fuck. Osiris had access to other Saints, but he didn't want to mess with them. He wanted to save the Saint he knew. It was the whole deal with the Sundial being so specific to find "the right moment" and "the right Saint" to save him and why it didn't work for Osiris, because of the paradox with the Young Wolf.

Ikora points out that this is all just a tactic against us and Saint does seem to understand that, and Osiris' reassurances, but it's still difficult to deal with. Saint has previously already dealt with the feelings of not being sure if anything he's experiencing is real. He's spent decades in the Infinite Forest surrounded by simulations. It's a hard thing to adjust to, especially with all he's been through since.

He'll need time to process this. He needs to be alone.

Failsafe is normal about it:

You and me too bestie!

But wait! There's more! We still have the radio message which is between Osiris and Ikora talking about the changes to Nessus and the Vex. It's naturally Osiris' way to distract himself from the issues with Saint, but also we really do need to keep researching what's going on so he's got a good idea. Nessus is "changing rapidly" according to Osiris, "moreso than when the Vex first assimilated it, if Red War records can be trusted." Osiris also notes that this isn't just limited to Nessus, but to everything, including our data and the radiolaria that we collected. They're "mutating."

This bit in particular is important and concerning because that's just not how the Vex do things. As Osiris said, when they change, they change because they have time shenanigans so they essentially gather data in the future and transmit it back, then alter themselves from the past, to appear as if they were always that way. But now? They're adapting "in real time." They learn linearly and adapt on the go.

This is bizarre with the utilisation of Precursors because they are the past Vex. However, they do not have the collars so they're not directly "compelled" and yet, they still participate and change alongside all of the other collared Vex. They also send their minds, again, not collared, to control the collared Vex and lead them. This is baffling.

Ikora is linking this to the impact of the anomaly, the echo. While Saint was down there, Geppetto mapped some of it, including the radiolaria around the site; apparently, the Vex are "swirling around the impact site for miles below the surface." It's also "causing disturbances in the planet's EM field." Ikora concludes that the Vex must be doing "something big."

Osiris also mentions the importance of Saint saying that it was a singular voice directing him, not a collective one, like a Vex would be. He reminds us that this isn't how Vex do things usually and this thing with Saint was just a test. He speculates, and Ikora agrees, that the Vex behaviour is like this because they found "a new leader." Obviously, the Conductor.

That concludes Act I. The seasonal activity, Breach Executable, has new lines as well. I've only played one, got some more sad Saint lines and then had to pause to stop crying. Act II starts in 20 days.

But wait. There's MORE! Of course we can't forget the seasonal lore page. And this is also where they went straight for the jugular. The lore page is about Mithrax visiting Saint and finding him not feeling well. Saint is distressed and Mithrax is trying to help him feel better, especially about his feelings of not belonging. Mithrax understands those feelings and he's trying his best to help Saint not feel that way. A little bit of joy in the gloom:

Saint groaned and waved the question away. "Do not say something smart to me now. Osiris does this, and I have had enough of it."

I LOVE when Saint compares Osiris and Mithrax, it's so good and also funny. But anyway, let's get back to the pain. As Saint realises where Mithrax is going with his questions, he relents and accepts that yes, sometimes we feel like we don't belong, but that is clearly not true.

And then Mithrax experiences something strange:

Suddenly, his vision narrowed and darkened. His headache shrieked, filling his mind with blinding pain. He doubled over as a terrifying urge—RULE, KELL—roared through his chest. The pigeons burst away in harried flight, leaving the seed untouched on the ground. Saint was still watching the pigeons wheel through the sky and down into the City. Mithrax wrapped his arms around himself until the shaking subsided and took a deep draw of Ether. "You are good friend," Saint said quietly, his gaze fixed on the City. Mithrax walked over slowly and sat down next to him again. "I try," he said softly.

Hello? Okay. So on top of Saint having massive issues, we're still seeding the future plot of something getting absolutely the fuck worse with Mithrax. Cool. Cool. I'm jumping off a bridge.

And Mithrax doesn't tell Saint about this, obviously. Saint is preoccupied with his own problems now and this is the way of Titan; care for others first, then yourself. Mithax should NOT be copying this from Saint, but alas. Enjoy brewing in this little piece of terrifying information until we get more on it next episode, I presume.

But wait. There's EVEN MORE! For finishing Act I, we got another lore page, from another lore book called Dynasty. We had no clue what this would be until now.

And well. It's a completely separate story from ancient past, about the Qugu civilisation. This is an incredibly packed lore page, one of the longest I've seen to be honest and it features a lot of bizarre alien stuff from an ancient civilisation, but the gist of it, for now until I can truly dive into it; it follows a member of the Qugu species as he's rising in the ranks to become a military leader. The Qugu are ancient civilisation we first learned about in the Books of Sorrow, as they were wiped out by the Hive. We got an update on them in Inspiral, telling us they were Darkness users, utilising the psychic abilities to connect each other's consciousnesses and talk to their ancestors.

In this page, we see some stuff about their culture, their connection to the creatures they're in symbiosis with, the way their civilisation worked in regards to how they ruled and how many planets they occupied. It's a fascinating read, but fairly hard to get through. The page ends with the Qugu discovering the Hive and the Black Fleet that attacked one of their systems and they try to get back to warn the others. I assume the rest of the book will be about the Qugu as well, to further flesh out this plot.

Why this now? I am unsure. Possible setup for something going forward down the line? One other idea I've had is that this will somehow relate to the "ally" of Maya we speculated about when I talked about the lore pages from the seasonal exotic gear. It makes sense that this "ally" is an alien because of Maya mentioning his fascinating origin, culture and biology. This would also explain why we got this lore book for finishing Act I, as it would make it relevant to what's going on. But this is, for now, a really big speculation. We'll need more pages, which I assume we'll get for finishing other Acts, so good look not exploding in curiosity until then (I've already exploded). I'll most certainly analyse this lore page more in-depth because there is NOTHING in this world I am more interested than digging into ancient space civilisations.

[tu-sugar-mami]

So it was all a lie...? #3

It took me almost two years but here it is, the last chapter of this thing :3

You can read previous chapter here

_____________________________________

Alcina's steps hit hard against the floor in hurried strides, the clacking sound of her heels against the marble echoes throughout several corridors around, and the thunder is enough to have the few unfortunate maids scurrying away from the danger that is the Lady of the House, especially now that her wide eyes look almost manic, darting to anything that moves even the slightest in her path.

In her hands is the proof that your stupidity and/or naivety has led you yet again to another unsavoury situation, and unlike other times, she wasn't there to get you out of the trouble.

It's a simmering sense of dread that is viciously consuming her from the inside, and it's an even greater guilt that gnaws at her heart and urges her to alleviate the feeling by reaching you, by making sure that you okay and safe at her side again. She should have known better than to leave you alone! But then again, Mother Miranda's visit had not been expected.

The ruined jacket that Bela brought her earlier is trapped in the grip of her fist with such strength that the leather of the Lady's glove creaks against itself. That old jacket is your most loved possession, the only remaining memory of your life before the castle and even the Lady herself had seemed unable to make you part from it. Alcina hopes with all her might that the destroyed garment isn't an omen of your own fate.

What in nine hells were you doing in the cellar by yourself?! Of all the times, why now? Had you waited one day, only one more day... You are the most important part of the plan! The ceremony will hold place tomorrow, and here you are being reckless! But Alcina isn't more mad as you as she is worried sick.

You're the only reason she's willingly working with that fool Heisenberg, if anything we're to happen to you...

Reaching the entrance to the dungeons, Alcina and her daughters don't waste a second venturing deeper, and it's Bela who leads the Lady through the paths where her sisters haven't already scouted. Between all four women's efforts it doesn't take long before they find the splatters of fresh blood emanating a very familiar scent in the far corner of the maze-like cellar, and for the first moment in decades Alcina feels the claws of fear clutching at her heart. How ironic it was that just a moment ago she was thinking of the day ahead, the big day where all of this would be over and she would be free of the task mother Miranda had placed upon her, the day where Alcina wouldn't have to pretend with you anymore, and now she is only hoping that you're at least alive. At least something can be done if you are in one still in one piece, right? Alcina certainly hopes so.

A few halls further in, the Lady hears wailing, cries and groans but none of them are familar and her already reeling mind makes story after story about a mauled body awaiting for her under a swarm of hungry failed experiments.

Her knees tremble against her will, but she fights the shaking with all her might. If Miranda finds out... everything she has worked so hard for will go right down the drain.

A part of her doesn't want to continue on, afraid of the scene that she might encounter, but the image in her head, of you still searching for her in your near-death delirium, reaching weakly to where you think she might be, powers her through the doubt and her legs find their strength again. If she hurries up, she might not be too late yet.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, one of her daughters calls to her in urgency, and Alcina races towards where Cassandra is pointing, and yes! There she sees the hunching shape of her lover! A struggling human, wounded and tired, fighting back a group of feral moroaica. For a moment, Alcina feels the relief like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, but as she approaches she notices your state.

Fighting with less and less enthusiasm as the seconds fly by, the grip on the slippery kitchen knife in your bloodied hand becomes weak. In an attempt to parry the swipe of one of the moroaica crowding you, the weapon slips from your hand and falls near the dumbfounded women.

It's shocking, like a cold gust of wind catching Alcina unsuspecting, to seek for the undying fire and resilience within you and finding none in the defeated stance of the person in front of her, almost as if you're ready to give up any second now, it's a clashing difference from the woman she knows, and for a second, her brain struggles to recognize you. So far, you havent noticed her, and Alcina can observe how little by little the fight whitin you is diminishing.

Alcina of course isn't thrilled seeing your situation, not at all, and in her mind several thoughts are swirling like enclosed wasps. You're alive and the relief she feels is immense, but you're injured, bleeding profusely from many open wounds that ought to become infected if not treated soon.

Your eyes, dull and lifeless follow the trail of the fallen knife, and strike a spark of recognition as soon as they land on the approaching lady, but they're lacking and of the comforting warmth that always had Alcina melting. Instead, there's an iciness in them that rivals the unmerciful weather outside of the castle walls, and for a moment the matriarch of house Dimitrescu stumbles. Hesitates.

There's a lot she wants to say, but she barely has time as you harshly shove back the remaining moroaica currently trying to claw your face off and lunge for the blade on the floor with a pained groan.

The widening eyes of your former beloved make your stagger for a second, before the memory of the true monster hiding behind that mask of concern hits you, and with new determination fueled by betrayal and anger, as reach for the knife you decide that things will end here and now.

The daughters quickly start getting rid of the remaining moroaica, and Alcina takes a step forward, with the intention of stopping whatever madness you intend to achieve, but your voice stops her before she can reach too close.

"Don't you dare..." A huff escapes from you, and your vision is blurred for a moment. The matriarch stops, to your surprise, and on her face is a hurt expression. You don't care. Or at least that is what you repeat to yourself again and again in hopes that it sticks. 'She lied, she lied. It was all a lie!'

Alcina hears you, of course, and despite your tone being harsh she doesn't find herself bothered by it, no. It's your eyes that make her stop where she now stands.

The anger in your voice, that she can take... But the way you look at her, in a way you hadn't done in so long, it... stings. You let out a sharp huff, your gaze mirroring the same hatred and defiance from when you first arrived at the castle against your will, daring her to take another step closer and granting her the honour to see you lashing out with all the might your injuries will allow you.

"I guess it's a shame I won't be attending Miranda's party."

And it's then that the reason for your strange acting it dawns on Alcina.

You had heard them! That conversation where she, Alcina Dimitrescu herself admitted to horrible things. Many things that Alcina tries to not remember right now, but the effort doesn't matter, for every single word comes crashing down onto her mind. And you, you had heard how she laughed so cruelly at your innocence and used your feelings to toy with you. You heard every thing that Alcina said while her tongue burned with gall at her own words.

Of course you don't know the truth yet, and Alcina regrets not letting you know sooner.

Bela's voice calling out for her younger sisters catches you by surprise, before a swarm of flies knocks you from behind with enough force to push you forward and make you stumble, but you manage to stop the fall with your hand, although the impact makes a sharp pain course through your wrist joint. Still, you refuse to let go of the knife. Fighting against Cassandra's strength the weapon trembles between both of your pulling forces, and despite the adrenaline in your body, you're no more than a human. Ultimately you feel yourself slowly losing the battle.

You hear Daniela gasp before you feel the stinging pain in your abdomen. In a blink, the already bloodied knife slips from Cassandra's grip, and next thing you know, you're laying in an puddle of red liquid that can easily be mistaken by the many other splatters on the stone floor were it not for the singular scent.

In Alcina's mind several trains of thought are absolutely reeling. What has just happened? How did it happen in the first place? A chill runs down her spine at the inevitable image of you, the person that in the last two years of understanding and patience has become quite close to her, laying lifeless in the cold stone cellar floor...

In the corridor, the maids can hear noises and shouts approaching, but none of them is brave (or perhaps stupid) enough to check on what the ruckus is about. Some of them don't have a choice though, being caught in the storm and promptly sent away with orders. Quick! The Lady needs bandages, hot water, towels! is heard echoing through the halls, and like the daughters, the maids swarm around in haste.

Some maids swear on their lives that they see the Lady carrying that one maid in her arms, hurriedly making a beeline for the grand chamber. The smaller woman is in rough shape, but none of the maids ask questions, merely bring the things needed to the Lady's bedroom.

First things first, the blood loss has done a number on you, and your rapidly paling skin alerts Alcina about your poorly condition. A need to nibble on her fingernails that she hadn't have in a very long time overcomes her as Bela attends to your injuries with difficulty. The blonde girl's eyes are red, clouded with tears, but her duty as the eldest is to be the strong one, and the dew on her lashes is brushed away. For the sake of her younger sisters she won't cry, not yet at least. Not in front of her mother either. Bela knows the woman won't admit it out loud but she can sense the dread consuming her.

The matriarch sends her daughters away, urging them to reach the Beneviento estate in a 'casual' run. If it's not Salvatore, then perhaps Donna can help you.

Alcina has to be very careful with her next move. She can't have Miranda know about your state, lest she pulls some wicked move from under her robe and snatches you from her.

Your wounds has been stabilised for now thanks to Bela's work, but it won't be enough in the long run and the assistance you need can only be provided by Moreau. Calling him would be risky though, suddenly summoning the least addressed Lord when their personal connection is -to Miranda's knowledge - practically nonexistent would raise some suspicion from the crow goddess. What to do then?

Once alone, the bed dips under the weight of the lady. One of her gloves is peeled away before her hand finds its way to your forehead, but right before touching you, she stops. Alcina hesitates, once again the guilt blossoms within her. Her heart breaks for you. She sighs, full of bottled emotions, and this time her palm does rest against you, it covers most of your head and her thumb is used to gently rub away the hair that has stuck to the sweaty skin. Alcina's own skin is cold, and she hopes it at least helps a little soothing your rapidly increasing fever.

Alcina wishes to take her usual place on the bed, resting next to you and snuggling your body as she had done many other nights, but it isn't her place right now. She doesn't deserve that relief, that warmth that always went well with her coldness, she thinks. Oh but how she yearns to hold you once again, the feeling she has swirling within her when she sees you, that fiery passion hasn't changed in the least these past years. The moment you stole her heart Alcina knew there would be no other ever again. And damn how it hurts seeing you like this, trembling and vulnerable to the fever, hurt and betrayed. She wishes you'd wake up, she wishes you'd listen, only so that she could explain herself, just to have you look at her with those eyes full of love once again, but priving you from rest is selfish. She'll have to wait until Donna arrives to offer a treatment that works, and Alcina will be there until that happens.

It's dark around when, with a groan, you wake up groggily. Your sight blurry at first before focusing on the very much familiar bed frame ceiling. It takes a moment for recognition to settle, but as soon as it does your eyes widen with incredulity and fear.

She caught you... You're back in her claws and this time it isn't going to be easy to escape. Not when she knows you already tried to get away once. You feel your heart hammering against your ribcage, and in your fear you feel like it's loud enough for the vampires to hear, but after a moment passes and no one comes barreling through the door, you calm down a little.

Stealth might not be your forte, but you like to think you aren't half bad at it. If you're careful perhaps you can try and sneak out through another path...? The idea seems okay enough, but after some pondering, you know it's hopeless. Your skills at hiding and sneaking around barely matter when you're surrounded by people– monsters, with heightened senses and murderous instincts. It hurts to think of them that way, especially when you had shared with them precious years enough to getting to recognise them as- as family for goodness' sake! But knowing that to all of them your friendship, everything else you shared (no matter how much it had meant to you), was nothing but a carefully crafted game of charades, and that makes the sting of their new title bearable.

It's difficult not to think of them as yours as much as they are Alcina's daughters. The time you spent with Daniela in every new hobby she decided to try for the day was held close to your heart. You'll never forget Cassandra's shy little smile as she showed you her cooped up sanctuary, her safe space in the armoury for the first time. That grateful and genuine-looking smile Bela gave you when you helped her with the wine inventories was something you would cherish even if now you know none of the vulnerability and earnest they showed was real. Gods, your heart hurts... Your girls were never yours.

It's difficult to sit up, and it's even more of a struggle to dangle your legs over the bed. All of your body hurts, but you manage to not make a sound. The room is fairly dark, with only the fireplace on the other side of it providing any light. Your bare feet recoil as the coldness of the floor that seeps even through the fluffy pastel green carpet that contrasts awfully with the room aesthetic (a whim of yours that had you begging Alcina for weeks until she let you have it) but you push the feeling away and take a hesitant step forward- only for your legs to give out...

Had you been conscious before, you would have noticed Alcina barely left your side. In the hall outside the chamber, she is just returning from the kitchen (in one of those rare times where she parted briefly from you) bringing something for you to eat in case you needed it. Hearing a harsh noise from the bedroom, the tray the Lady carries is left forgotten on a nearby decorative drawer in favour of haste in her stride.

In the room she sees your trembling body on its knees, bleeding through one of the bandages that Donna had wrapped in your arm. When she takes a step forward it isn't surprising but definitely unexpected when you flinch away from her. There, kneeling in the ground you seem so fragile, like you can break by a simple gust of wind at any moment. You look defeated and small, smaller even that what it's usual given the height difference. The shivering of your body doesn't go unnoticed by the watchful eye of the Lady, but she's hesitant to take another step in fear of frightening you more.

In the wee hours of the morning, the chill air entering through a slightly ajar window feels soothing against your burning skin, and though it's a relief, your body can't simply give more. The little strength you had falters as you try to stand up and your knees buckle only to give out again. Feeling helpless, you don't know what else to do. You're at Alcina's mercy, and you know as well as any other maid that the Lady's wrath is unforgettable and unmatched. She doesn't need to pretend anymore now that the truth is out, now that she knows that you'll try to escape no matter what. The woman you once loved (and despite the hurt, you still love) is going to make sure you remember your position in the palm of her hand, at her beck and call, ready to fulfill any order she wishes, just as you are meant to.

Your eyes are stuck in the open window, on the curtains that flutters with the breeze. You can't bear to face Alcina, and so your head is kept down staring at the ground. Who knows what she plans to do for your insubordination? You can only wonder what her next move will be. For a moment you think of running towards the window to attempt a last desperate escape by doing what you thought about while you were on the castle roof, but your legs refuse to obey at all, much too weak to carry you and help you jump.

Alcina Dimitrescu is a cruel woman, so cold and so damn good at acting. The soft sniffing coming from her, as if she's trying to quiet the sobbing is convincing as much as is unexpected. You'd think she would just quit the drama and admit to what you already heard. What does she gain by pretend being madly in love with you and acting as if she cares anyway? Is she trying to regain your favour and trust once again? She could have just tossed you in one of the dungeons you became so acquainted to in the last hours... Or days? Doesn't matter. Why is she insisting on tricking you? You want to ask her, but her mere shadow engulfing yours is enough to have you shaking for different reasons other than your fever. The desperation that has stricken you since you realised you failed your goal in the dungeons presses against your guts, you're terrified of what's coming next.

Ironic, you think, that just the day before it was your love for her that filled every fiber of your being. It was love for her that fueled you and made your only goal to see that beautiful smile on her lips. Despite everything, Alcina is gorgeous, a goddess incarnated you had thought. Even now, towering over you, her beauty is immaculate, a mirage covering the devil underneath. An evil predator that only acts for her own benefit, dangerously enticing, like a blood-red thorned rose. Like a lick of poisoned honey.

Hot tears flow free and roll down your cheeks before landing on the floor beneath you, but you remain silent. Love, betrayal and anger fight against eachother within you, and the pull of each emotion makes you unable to decide how to act next. You beg to whoever deity can listen that she finishes you quickly and close your eyes letting the last fat tears out. You're certain she'll kill you bearing that satisfied smirk that used to make you feel butterflies fluttering about in your stomach.

"My love...?" Her voice is soft, gentle and cautious, but still thunderously loud in the deadly silent bedroom.

You try not to flinch away again as the Lady kneels across you, careful not to approach you too much. Her expression is one of hurt, and her glossy eyes land on your fist clenching a tuft of the fluffy carpet in a white knuckle grip. A part of her face is gorgeously lit with the warm light from the fireplace, it casts highlights that compliment her round edges, and your heart aches because how can someone so beautiful be so evil, so wretched and yet ethereal? Her tears tug at your heart for a moment before you remind yourself that the love is one sided. Before all this, you would have hurried to comfort her, you would have done anything to rid the sadness away from those lovely honeyed eyes, and exchange her suffering for any joy your presence could offer, a part of you still begs you to do it, but now the urge is reigned back by the memory of the mocking laugh she shared with Miranda.

It angers you that she keeps playing dumb. The cat's out of the bag already, why is she still doing this? Hurt and fear still tug at you from different sides, you're torn between the love you still feel for Alcina and the fear of her revealing the trickery is finally over. Your body is trembling with absolute terror, but a slight annoyance at the little act she plays weighs heavier in the scale and you decide you might as well voice your mind.

"Don't call me that."

The Lady's breath hitches at the coldness in your detached voice. How can she fix this? Where can she begin to let you know, to make you understand?

"I know you're mad, but..." Alcina says in a pleading whimper, but her voice dies down, unsure of where to begin.

In the room, the tension is thick in the air, and if you weren't such a mix of emotions you'd find a way to dissipate it with your humour, as broken as it is. Unfortunately, humour is the last thing in your mind with the betrayal still fresh.

Your reply sounds merely above a pained whisper, hoarse and raw. "I trusted you, Alcina, i... i loved you. I would have put my hands in a fire for you..." There is no lie in the statement; in a way, you did that by willingly enduring Alcina's tests.

Alcina hopes that sincerity convinces you. You are no more than a meter apart from her but at this moment you feel unreachable. "I know you heard our conversation. But I need you to know why I said what I said." Determination replaces hurt out of need. Alcina stops for a second, trying to gather her thoughts and perhaps also courage. This feels like a last chance to reach you, and the dread of failing creeps into her. And so, she begins her story...

There, both of you sitting in the cold stone floor in Alcina's chamber, she tells you how, when you first arrived, she saw you as a challenge. She had wanted to see how long it would take her to turn that little attitude of yours into dust. Another one of the bunch, she mentions with guilt. Then, she explains how Miranda thought, after many other failures, that if a vessel for Eva her long dead daughter, wouldn't show itself, then it was the moment to build one, and when Alcina mistakenly mentioned your resilience Miranda didn't hesitate to try your luck.

Alcina continues her story with renewed tears, unable to meet your wide open eyes. She says how at first, it was all pretending, a silly act to keep you under control. She admits to her sins against you, all the time it took her to earn your trust and the twisted things she did to achieve that, but then... her eyes are brave enough to lock with yours, and she pours her heart out. Alcina, your beloved tells you how it was too late for her when she realized she actually meant it when she called you the sun that warmed her days. She recalls the exact day in which she realized she was in too deep, though she didn't know when it happened until that moment, but from then on, she knew she would not let go of you. And that was how, thanks to the love she felt for you, she found the courage to join her siblings against Miranda.

It comes as a suprise to learn that the rest of the Lords don't agree with the goddess' methods anymore, but not an unwelcome one. Deep in thought, a frown forms in your forehead. Are any of Alcina's words holding any truth? How can you be sure she is being honest?

Little by little though, and as Alcina explains herself, you find the thorns in your heart slowly dissipating, fear slowly diminishing, anger crumbling away, although the wariness stays, clutching at your heart by your own hand. Youre afraid to believe her, your scared of hoping only to have it stomped under Alcina's pretenses... but earnest in Alcina's eyes, the pleading in them softens your heart enough to listen, to dare once again to open your heart to her, if only a bit.

You're startled when Alcina moves and gestures gently, asking silently for permission to carry you back to the bed, and though wary, you agree with a nod. So far she hasn't killed you, so you might as well let her. Her arms are gentle with you, and she doesn't need to stand up to place you onto the bed again, rather kneeling next to it and for the first time ever, allowing you to be taller than her if only by a few inches. It is a sight to behold, to have the Lady on her knees for you (yes, definitely a first), and your stupid heart begins to race despite your efforts to recall the hurt. She is so close to you that you feel your body tingling with a familiar sensation, and an annoying need to whiff her scent itches at you. Here, the two of you alone in the fire-lit bedroom brings a ambience of intimacy that makes you feel more at ease, and if you try hard enough, it almost feels like none of the mess ever happened, it feels like you could lean over and close the gap between yours and Alcina's lips like you've done many times before.

Alcina brings your attention back to her eyes, letting you know she hasn't finished her story. She explains once again, that despite her great mutation, she still holds fear for the crow woman, not for herself, but rather what she could do to you. She tells you about the plan with her siblings, that they were all pretending before Miranda, making her believe nothing was out of the ordinary until there was a window to attack, and that opportunity being the ceremony the next day where Miranda would be more vulnerable. That's why every time Miranda visited, Alcina would pretend to be toying with you still, even though she hated herself for expressing such horrible things about you. Even when the guilt would consume her, even when the fear of the crow woman finding out made her shiver.

You have to admit it is a well crafted plan, at least a very thought up one, but before you can ask about the need to lie to you, Alcina beats you to it. Her head comes to rest on your lap, and some of her normally immaculate hair falls onto her face. Without thinking, your hand reaches to it and tucks it back where it belongs behind her ear. She gasps, and you freeze. Your hand quickly finds its way back to your side, and after a few anxious heartbeats Alcina continues, trying her best to not bring your caress to the table.

"An apology is not enough, is it? It was not my intention to lie. Not at all, my love. We thought it would be better if you were unaware of this mess..." Alcina sighs and closes her eyes, her face snuggling to your belly and rejoicing in your warmth that felt so far away a moment ago. "I see now that not telling you was a mistake. Would you find it in your heart to forgive us? To forgive me?"

Almost afraid to voice your concern, you ask, "And your daughters...?".

"They know." Alcina confirms. "But they too were only trying to protect you."

Protect you... protect you? Really? Is that what they thought not telling you was doing? Good lord, they did! You couldn't blame them silly geese for that, but damn, didn't you wish you had some warning before all this. Oh fuck this could have gone very badly if you had succeeded in your own plan earlier... damn, that's- that is hell of a lot to assimilate.

Realization of everything that was and tragic could have beens hits you all at once and your brain stuggles a bit to process, only managing to let a humourless, perhaps a bit manic laugh.

Damn you Miranda, you sneaky chicken.

Before Alcina's concern for you is voiced, you hold her closer, pressing her face harder against you, and her embracing your middle in return.

"Im sorry too, so damn sorry..." You say, your mind still lagging a bit. "I was so hurt and numb and- I'm sorry i gave you a hard time, Alcina." Your fingers bury themselves in the Lady's hair, gently caressing her absentmindedly.

"Alcina? Am i not 'my love, my adoration' anymore?" Alcina says in light jest, relieved beyond imagination. A grateful smile blossoms from her lips and another round (though lighter this time) of tears make her eyes shine with happiness.

Your arms let go of Alcina, instead bringing her face close to yours, taking the time to cradle her soft cheeks between your hands. Her eyes search for yours expectantly, and your loving gaze back in them is the bandaid her heart needs.

"My love, my adoration, my life, that and more you are. And always will..." Finally, after what had felt like the longest night, Alcina's soft lips on yours feel like a soothing balm on your heart, her scent has never felt more like home, your heart has never felt more content and Miranda had never been more cursed in your mind than this moment...

In the morning, you await in the room still recovering from your unfortunate injuries on the soft and plush bed, as Alcina talks with her daughters in the hall filling them up about the situation. It's merely a moment later than three familiar swarms of flies come buzzing at you (followed by an apologetic Lady), only stopping themselves barely from tackling you. It's a nice surprise to have the daughters greet you, and as you listen to them ramble apologies and worried cries, you think that yes, this is your family. These are indeed your girls and after Miranda is done for, Alcina will be your wife.

You've had the ring for a while anyway.

[alchemistc]

For the micro story: nr. 15: trembling hands or nr. 20: alone, finally?

I did 15 here!

20. alone, finally

"Sorry, we're leaving, I promise, I'm sorry about my drunk friends, it's just -- you guys are so cute together!"

Tommy watches a baby Queen march her drunk friends away from the LAFD tent, herding them like cats. It's almost dark out, and most booths are at least in the process of packing up. That is firmly not part of his agreement to man the booth for four hours, so he stands before Sal can comment on being mistaken for a couple again.

"Have fun packing up!" He calls out, already pushing up the back end of the tent, reaching for his phone in his back pocket, hoping desperately that Hen and Karen haven't gotten his baby bi too drunk to stand. He'd looked a little wobbly earlier that afternoon, but he'd accepted the ice cold water Tommy'd handed him with the kind of smile that usually meant he was thinking about sucking Tommy off.

He doesn't have a single text from any of them, and the concern starts to ratchet up before a fairly sober voice calls out "Hey handsome."

He's -- Christ, he's just drunk enough to know what he fucking looks like, leaning against the palm that had given them a modicum of shade all afternoon, long long legs in tiny tiny shorts, a tee shirt just barely long enough that, when paired with his comically out of proportion torso, isn't quite a crop top. Blue and purple and pink a little smeared on his cheekbone, dick necklace still around his neck.

("Where did you even find this," Tommy asked, his boyfriend two sheets to the wind and giving Sal a narrow eyed smile, like he suspected Sal might be up to something, volunteering to run the LAFD Pride booth with Tommy for the later part of the day.

"Karen ordered them online!"

Sal, two hours in to listening to Tommy bitch that he wasn't out there enjoying himself with his silly, beautiful, dressed-like-a-goddamn-whore of a man, had flicked his finger out at a particularly fat pink dick and introduced himself without any of the normal vitriol he reserved specifically for the men Tommy dated.)

"Hey." And they're alone, he realizes, the whole row of booths on either side broken down for the evening, street closed off for the rest of the weekend, Sal grumbling in the tent behind them.

"I brought you a change of clothes," he tells Tommy, unfolding a pair of shorts Tommy has doubts will fit over his ass. He's gonna be showing more thigh than he's been comfortable with since he was newly out. The shirt is -- doable, and definitely preferable to his department issue tee he's certain has permanent pit stains.

Tommy crowds Evan against the tree, enjoying the way he fits between the sprawl of Evan's legs, the way he's still a little sloppy as he kisses back, nose crushed against Tommy's cheek, tongue a little uncoordinated. "We don't have to go to the bar," Tommy wheedles, and Evan wheels his head back enough that the only reason he doesn't smack it against the trunk is the pressure from Tommy's hand preventing it.

"It's my first Pride. Are you gonna deny me the right to show off my hot firefighter pilot?"

God, it never takes much to convince him, when Evan pulls out those puppy eyes. He makes a grab for the clothes tucked under Evan's arm. "If Sal sees my ass when I'm changing, you don't get to fight him this time."

Evan tugs him in for another kiss instead of arguing the point.

[transformers-nerd-13]

And here it is; the final part in my analysis of the first three episodes of season one of G1! The analyses of the first two episodes can be found on my page so go check those out if you're so��inclined (I'm still learning tumblr so I don't know how to link posts yet lol). This post will be a bit long, so be warned of that. With that out of the way, let's get into it!

We start with a recap of what happened in the last two episodes to remind the viewer of the events that have taken place.

We're right where we left off with Optimus dramatically rolling down the cliff in awkward slow motion. Once he finally stops rolling, the other Autobots help him up onto his wheels. Optimus isn't worried about himself however; he's more worried about Roller who, incidentally, shows no sign of having been involved in an explosion. Prime struggles to transform back into his bot mode for a few seconds but eventually gets there with some encouragement from his fellow bots. After he transforms, he seems entirely fine, so we're not gonna talk about the blast he took seconds prior. Ratchet comments that "That was some blast you took", reminding Optimus that Bee and Sparkplug are still in the remains of the mines.

After a bit of digging, Jazz finds the two and gets them out with the help of Prowl.

(can we talk about how cute the above screenshots are??) Optimus congratulates Bee and Sparkplug on burying the Decepticons for good. Oh hey, guess what?

The cons are completely fine, their energon cubes are still functional, and they fly out of the mines unscathed. Good job guys.

Ironhide gets (understandably) frustrated and goes after the cons because the Autobots could still fly at this point. Bluestreak goes after Ironhide to stop him, but when Ironhide makes it clear that he's not backing down, Bluestreak joins him in his fight.

Ironhide fires on Skywarp (whether he actually hit him or not I have no clue) and Skywarp teleports behind Ironhide and Bluestreak, firing a missile at them but missing. Bluestreak says "It's like fighting a shadow!" I feel like this is an easily fixable problem--y'all can hover midair; we've seen you do this; you could just turn around and fire back at him??

Skywarp fires and he misses, he fires and he misses, this goes on for several minutes (if anyone gets the reference put it in the comments) until he finally manages to hit Ironhide, who falls from the sky into a conveniently located lake.

Bluestreak goes to rescue Ironhide and all of the other Autobots appear from the void to gawk at the rescue from the shore. Jazz uses his grappling hook like a rescue line once again to reel Bluestreak and Ironhide to shore. Ironhide says that he can't move, but Optimus points out "At least you can still talk old buddy." Despite saying that he can't move, Ironhide moves his arm just fine to emphasize his words while he's telling Ratchet what got damaged on his body. Ratchet transforms into his ambulance mode and Bluestreak and Jazz put Ironhide in the back of Ratchet's alt mode.

Ironhide and Ratchet are the same height with virtually the same alt mode; their toys were just recolors of each other; so how the heck did he fit back there?? Ironhide starts to tell an old war story, but Optimus tells him to "Save the war stories hot shot. Just remember that there's a thin line between being a hero, and being a memory." Which is just a great line. Jazz jokes that maybe Ironhide is ready for a cushy office job (idk how he would even obtain an office job in the middle of a war, let alone on Earth, I doubt he'd even fit in an office building) but Ironhide says he'll be back in action after Ratchet fixes him up. The bots start driving (presumably back to the ark) before we cut to Spike writing in his diary again, this time about how Optimus Prime would make a neat president and honestly? I agree.

Awkward cut to Hound sort of teasing Ravage by holding the key to his cage just out of Ravage's reach. Hound comments that he doesn't think Ravage likes being a prisoner; Mirage says that he can't blame him and that he's surprised that the cons haven't come to rescue him. Hound isn't surprised; the cons don't care about anyone; not even their own. He makes a hologram of Megatron, but it just seems to piss Ravage off. Mirage asks Hound to make him a hologram of a big house with a four car garage when they get back to Cybertron; the holograms look so real that nobody'll know the difference. Mirage. You turn into an F1 racing car. Why do you need a 4 car garage?? Are you going to host a lot of sleepovers when you get back to Cybertron?? And yeah nobody'll know the difference until they try to open a door or go upstairs and their body phases through the hologram.

This gives Hound an idea however; to make a big hologram of a rocket fuel base to trick the cons into coming to the bots on their terms. He shares the idea with autobot high command (aka Prime, Prowl and Jazz) who all agree to it. Hound goes back to tell Mirage about a (fake) secret stash of rocket fuel 140 kilometers due west, telling him that there's enough rocket fuel at that base to make four trips to Cybertron. The two go to tell Ironhide about the base to make him feel better. The two leave but Hound drops the keys to Ravage's cage. Ravage gets ahold of the key, unlocks his cage, and escapes. Hound, Mirage, Prowl and Jazz who were hiding behind a rock (for some reason) see Ravage getting away at the speed of ZOOM. The four go after Ravage but he ends up escaping. The four go back to just outside the Ark where Optimus and Cliffjumper are standing for some reason.

The four tell Optimus that Ravage got away and all look like the shocked Pikachu meme.

It's kind of unclear if they wanted Ravage to escape to trick the cons or not, it's kind of like the writers didn't know either and just never went back to clear it up.

Cut to the cons where Ravage reports back to Megatron about the rocket base Hound was talking about earlier. And we never hear Ravage speak again. Megatron commends Ravage for a job well done. Starscream and Megatron get into it again about Starscream wanting to be leader of the cons. Starscream says that "Now is the time for action, not words! I am the leader of the future!"

Megatron isn't using words though; so far he's only been using action, so this line doesn't make much sense.

Megatron insults Starscream's nonexistent leadership skills and Starscream takes that personally. He tries to shoot Megatron, but Soundwave (who's also there btw) calls out to his leader. Megatron uses a shield that we never see again to block the shot and somehow that one shot made Starscream run out of ammo (I guess he forgot to reload after the fight with the bots??). Megatron threatens to shoot Starscream while Starscream begs Megatron not to shoot him. Megatron shoots him anyway before declaring that the Decepticons would attack the base at sunrise. What is it with the Decepticons and attacking places at sunrise??

Cut to the next day at sunrise when Hound makes the hologram of the rocket base (how he knows what a human rocket base looks like I will never know) and the Decepticons show up immediately after the hologram is made (did they not see him make the hologram??)

The cons attack the hologram rocket base where the Autobots have appeared from the void during the commercial break all wearing lab coats which they quickly ditch to better fight the cons (where did they find such big lab coats and why??).

Not long into the fight, the bots realize that the cons they're fighting are decoys made by the cons out of scrap metal and junk (impressive engineering I guess but how did that work??) and the real Megatron reveals that he was onto the autobot's scheme from the beginning (how. Just how) and that the real cons have been at the real rocket base gathering fuel to make Energon cubes.

But in the next shot we see the cons just arriving at the rocket base. (I guess Megatron overestimated the speed of his soldiers). The humans at the base try to defend themselves but their weapons are completely useless against the cons. The cons get the energon they need and Megatron tells the cons to prepare for blast off.

Cut to the Autobots who have decided to attack the cons directly. Optimus asks for volunteers for the battle ahead and literally every Autobot steps forward; even Spike and Sparkplug volunteer. The bots transform and roll out.

Quick cut to the cons where Megatron talks about how close they are to conquest.

Cut back to the bots who encircle the con's base as the cons board their space cruiser. Before the cons can board, the bots make their presence known and the bots and cons duke it out once again.

Somewhere in the fight, Spike throws a rock at Starscream's blaster hard enough to knock the blaster off his arm (how did he do that??) and Prowl runs over Starscream's blaster rendering it useless. The cons gain a temporary victory over the bots and board the space cruiser while the bots shoot at them but miss horribly because once again everyone in this show has the aim of an absolute Stormtrooper. The cons take off in their new space cruiser. Jazz tells Prime that it's over; they've lost, but Prime says that it's not over yet. He borrows Sideswipe's rocket pack (that we never see again) to go after the con's ship.

Cut to the cons where Megatron says that they've seen the last of the Autobots and Optimus Prime, but Starscream says "Not yet we haven't" as he spots Optimus flying after their ship.

The cons fire on Optimus and actually manage to hit him, sending the Autobot leader plummeting back to earth. He hits the ground pretty hard but claims that he's alright when Prowl and Jazz help him up. The bots then notice that Mirage is missing and seem pretty calm about his not being there.

Cut to the cons where Starscream is trying once again to usurp Megatron (oh hey his blaster is back), who warns Starscream that once he becomes the leader, there will always be someone trying to take leadership from him, which makes me think Megatron is speaking from personal experience here; that’d be interesting. Maybe Megatron was once like Starscream, but he actually succeeded in taking leadership of the cons and regrets it on some level because now there’s a constant target on his back. It's revealed that Mirage snuck aboard the space cruiser and shoots the computers, causing the space cruiser to crash into the ocean. Mirage escapes before it crashes. He makes it back to the bots who congratulate him on defeating the cons.

Optimus commends Mirage for a job well done and Jazz says that they'd better get back to the ship since it still needs repairing. Spike (unprompted) asks Optimus if he can go to Cybertron with the bots when they go back. Optimus basically says "ask your dad" and Sparkplug says that Spike can go so long as he can go too. (Responsible parenting 101. Also how do they know that they’d survive on Cybertron?? Or is NASA getting involved and giving them space suits and food??) The bots transform and roll out.

Cut to later where Spike tells us while he's once again writing in his diary that since the Autobots prevented the Decepticons from stealing earth's resources (did they though? Cause it seems to me the cons got away with that), the governments of the world agreed to give the bots the energy they need to revitalize Cybertron, and that it was probably the first time that all the governments agreed on anything. (Since this was 1984, this was true. The only time--that I'm aware of--that all of the governments of the world ever actually agreed on anything in real life was in 1987; the Montreal Protocol; three years later, so at least that's accurate.)

Optimus tells Spike that they're ready to launch and Spike tells him that he'll be right there. Spike adds one more note in his diary that he's glad they don't have to worry about the cons anymore.

Cut to a shot of the ocean which fades into an underwater shot, showing us the Decepticon space cruiser that shows no sign of having crashed at the bottom of the ocean, as well as Megatron who leaves the cruiser and heads for the surface, leaving us with another cliffhanger.

Spike, you jinxed it.

And that was part three of Transformers; More than Meets the Eye. Just like the other two parts of More than Meets the Eye, it crams a lot into one episode, and a lot of it doesn't really make sense, but it's still a very fun watch. I feel like that's just the way it is when it comes to 80's cartoons.

Anyways, I hope this was enjoyable! My analysis of Fire in the Sky will probably be posted some time in the next few days, so stay tuned!

[valehour]

been idly discussing this with a friend, and generally just kind of ruminating on the DLC's final boss and end story and how mad it made me. so consider this significant rewrite to make the story more like I think I now want it to be because my opinions are obviously important """fix""" to the story.

What if the Miquella's lord was just- the player character, not Radahn?

(Full (and Extremely Long) justification under the cutoff)

this is born from my previous thought/rant on the fact that the player isn't given a motivation to actually oppose Miquella within the game itself.

By contrast, the player being the potential Consort of Miquella necessarily helps solidify the conflict around Miquella's Age of Compassion, and the player's place in it.

the Fundamental nature of Miquella in this DLC is that, ultimately, Miquella's love is amoral, stretching the full range from compassion to overtly abusive manipulation. one of the most evocative descriptors of Miquella's love is that it is "Terrifying". That feels like it's a fundamentally punchy, heavy thing for the player to wrestle with. The Age of Compassion is something that the War-torn Lands Between so clearly needs, it needs peace, and love, a more gentle place to cope with the trauma and the suffering and the Ruin, not merely from the Shattering, but the world that preceded it. but it's being created and enforced by a "terrifying", manipulative Cult leader (for want of a better term) who's channeling a very "All Shall Love Me And Despair!" energy.

There's a familiar throughline created by this- the player (both as the Tarnished, and as the Player has a particular impression and idea of Miquella, one who ultimately promises and provides salvation. As we advance through the story of the DLC, we increasingly learn the truth behind what that means- who Miquella is and the full extents of the implications presented.

The biggest moment in regards to this, is, of course, the Approach and descent into the Fissure, and the one of the most important parts of the story.

"I abandon here my doubt and vacilation"

"I abandon here my love"

"Kindly Miquella. I see you've thrown away... Something you should not have. Under any circumstances. How will you salvation Offer... to those who cannot be saved? When you could not even save your other self?"

Miquella's pursuit of godhood has excised St Trina, who appears to have fundamentally dissented Miquella's deification, as it's her, delivered through sleep, who tells us that we shouldn't side with him, but kill him, instead.

This Feels spiritually adjacent to something like encountering Darkstalker Kaathe for the first time, and hearing his side of the story, an argument for The Age of Dark. but, as far as I can tell, this doesn't actually matter. Knowing that St Trina values preventing Miquella's Age of Compassion means nothing in the game, it's just an explanation as to why she was ditched halfway across the realm of shadow in a pit . But the argument St Trina raises, the doubting of Miquella's agenda means nothing because the final confrontation with Miquella is not born from the player's decision to reject the Age of Compassion, it's born from someone on the Fromsoft Dev team needing to put a final bossfight into the DLC.

it's this that forms the main Issue with the ending. The Player is forced into a passive role- the story happens To them, not Because Of them. the "choice" given by the game mechanics is to "Fight Radahn", or quit the DLC. but while the second one is technically a valid resolution to not opposing the Age of Compassion. It really isn't in any practical metrics because, well, That's not actually narrative resolution- putting a book down halfway through does technically end the story, but it doesn't resolve any of the plot threads or conflicts that the audience is expected to engage with- it stops abruptly and unsatisfyingly, told that we're not supposed to care about those plot details- Literally just the "it was all a dream" ending, but punching through the fourth wall. Simply Stopping Engaging with it isn't narratively satisfying for any work who's resolution isn't designed around the idea of putting the story down. and SOTE quite unambiguously isn't designed around that. So even if we view it as "an" ending, it's still fundamentally a bad ending.

but fighting Radahn is also narratively unsatisfying as an ending simply because of the fact that it's DLC- there was no space or time to establish or set up this plot thread or idea that Miquella and Radahn had any relationship or meaningful interactions in the base game (which, fair enough, it'd've bloated the main game which already has a lot to say and discuss in regards to it's own story). but without the idea that Miquella and Radahn actually interacted, this "reveal" is unsatisfying because like. Why should we care? Why Radahn? many other people have commented that Godwyn would be a better fit, but regardless, I think it still doesn't really address the underlying problem- The Player is a passive actor in this story.

So then 9+ paragraphs later, we get to the actual proposal of this unhinged rant essay:

What if the player, due to being tarnished, became the Consort of Miquella, much like one becomes the Consort of Marika and thus Elden lord in the age of fracture. Tarnishedness is a status that can apparently be conferred and withdrawn, and is not, in fact, a limiting factor in lordship (given you can become Elden lord regardless). Not to mention that being opposed to the present order, why should Miquella care as to whether or not the Golden Order values tarnishedness or not? Additionally, Miquelladahn already has an attack where he bewitches you (his grab attack), and should he successfully accomplish it twice, provides an instant game over due to your newfound love and affection for your new God.

This confers the advantage that now the player an active participant of the story, allowing them to choose, for themselves, whether they embrace or reject the Age of Compassion. it's the question posed by the ghost in the Fissure: "How will you salvation Offer... to those who cannot be saved?" Opposition is largely fronted by Ansbach (who resents the use of Mohg in this ritual. Which like. Me Too Buddy.) and St Trina, who fears that Miquella will become "trapped" by godhood, much like Marika was. but now the player can also decide for themselves whether or not to Oppose Miquella. maintaining a Hard-as-fuck bossfight as a result of refusal also creates a rather fascinating ludonarrative tinge to the amorality of his love, and it's most villainous side- after all, if he valued a gentle place, why does he support Radahn ultimately destroying you? Clearly, his world order is at least founded on the same violence that everyone else's is. it's a Fascinating argument against pacifism, calling out it's hypocrisy- that in truth, peace is violent, born from crushing those who ultimately oppose it- the police- The State's armed body do not enforce "The peace" by beating bankrobbers in a debate, only by beating bankrobbers. It's a strong argument against meekly accepting the shape of the world and one's part to play in it- that one ought to stand up for themselves against someone else's will, that one should fight for one's own world.

It's an argument, effectively, in favour of the worldview supposed by Ranni The Witch, who is arguably one of Miquella's strongest narrative foils. She used a shocking act of violence (the assassination of Godwyn) as a tool of liberation, to overthrow the order imposed by another. the shape of society shall not be determined by militarist-Faith, or a cult of adoration, but by self determination, the power to pursue one's own ends. Ranni and Miquella both have love play a part of their quest, but whereas Ranni spurns and fears love, maintains a cold exterior in favour of her duty- keeping the power of the Greater Will distant from the world- that the player must actively pursue and be willing to share the burdens of the thousand year journey into the chill night- a choice and a sacrifice you have no obligation to actually make- but you choose to do out of love, a willingness for, just a moment, Ranni to be truly vulnerable, share her past and her beliefs. But, Ranni's world, for all it's freedom, guarantees none of them, guarantees no true success, that people would actually be free, only that they be free to choose. what stops great warriors from simply founding a new kingdom, a new empire? Are Crowns not warranted by strength, after all?

Miquella, by contrast would build that peace, build it so intensely, that it feels obsessive, maddening. You drown you in it- drown in his Peace, his Love. You can choose to agree with him- because the world should be more gentle, more kind, more loving. This war has gone on too long, the cities in Liurnia are sinking into the ground, Leyndell partly buried into the ash of a failing world order. Stormveil suffers under a mad tyrant-king, the Albinaurics oppressed for the "sin" of their birth. Where are the people? Where is harvest and harvesthome? Miquella's peace, Miquella's love can give it to you.

but if you refuse to serve leally, if you refuse to submit, refuse to build his peace. Well, you join the corpses scattered about the divine gate. you walk in again. Godling Miquella asks you once, again, in a voice polite, courteous, filled with love and civility. to join him. You refuse, and he and his servants, be it the resurrected Radahn or some original boss crushes you again. And Again. it hurts. the pain of asserting your boundaries, your body, to refuse to give in to the world he'd build. it'd be so easy to submit.

Miquella would love you, to the best he was capable. and after all, what's the alternative? marrying Marika into an Age of Fracture? perpetuating the age of an obviously flawed Golden Order as it continues to decline? Or is it a more inclusive order- that welcomes those who live in death? It's reactionary principles jolted forward in a moment of tolerance. But Fia's hallowbrand doesn't save the Albinaurics, though- only Those Who Live In Death. It's still a bigoted, reactionary order, making a concession to what is explicitly framed as a social minority only because it's literally written into the laws of reality.

Is the failure of the Order that the gods were not held accountable to it's principles? But Ranni didn't want to be an Empyrean. Didn't want to be someone with explicit fertility-childbearing metaphors. her freedom is in many ways a story of fighting that selfsame Order, the literal Laws Of Reality in the name of her bodily autonomy and her self expression. but that was only because she was not held accountable to The Order, because she could dissent. Don't you see Tarnished? Is this pursuit Not Flawed? But he could fix it. and He would, he would save people To the best of his ability. Miquella loves you and he suffered Apotheosis to save you. But what happens to those who Cannot be saved because they Refuse to be saved. For Miquella Loves you and Suffered Apotheosis to Save You. But only if you submit to his shape of "Being Saved". and If you don't? Well, the Swords of the Haligtree will sever parts of you until you can.

Or I guess we could have what we actually got where we show up and Radahn immediately throws hands for unclear reasons with someone he's seen for like 3 seconds, in a game that fails to like, explain a motivation as to why the player is fighting Miquella aside from "Because the DLC needs a final boss" with his admittedly sick as fuck wrestler intro for a plot thread that has left at least a few fans with more than a sour taste in their mouths. Myself included. Hence the essay. Anyway, if you finished reading this, congratulations. :D

[lych33dragoncookie]

Ok so about yesterday's post, I'm rly rly grateful for all the attention n feedback, I'm glad ppl resonate with my analysis stuff and that they're happy to find someone who understands the characters, buuuuut Since it's my most critical post till now it's garnered a few counterpoints that I kinda wanna address.

The first one, and the one that I understand the most; the people that were telling me to not lose hope and that they could do something more with this.

I... Appreciate the optimism! I really do, and if you believe this then obviously I hold no ill will towards you and if you can keep looking on the bright side then more power to you, but... Really, I think the moment and the chance have already passed, unfortunately.

Yes, I am genuinely saying that, unless they pull a miracle, whatever they do next is just... Not going to land. Definitely not as well as it would have to have a better ending to the story we got.

Here's the main thing, really. For one... What is Burning Spice even gonna do to get one over Golden Cheese again? He's already just about entirely outmatched, and so anything they do next is just gonna feel like a repeat of what they already did in this update. Though more importantly, I'm concerned with the fact that they can't really do this again, we just saw Golden Cheese at her lowest point, actually on the brink of death, more heavily damaged than we've ever seen anyone in this entire franchise, we got extra development for both her and Smoked Cheese, and the Spice Army is kind of just... Not there anymore. No one other than Nutmeg Tiger really has any faith in Burning Spice anymore. The setting, the stakes, the characters, everything that made this story hold up (until its god awful ending) isn't repeatable, not without making it feel like we're just doing the same thing again. They can't match the sheer level of visceral brutality either, not only because again the setting is gone but also because it really won't hit anywhere near as hard the second time around, and even they have limits for how far they're willing to go with it.

That's just kind of the thing. The one thing that makes me so mad about how much this ending sucked. This entire story is one of a kind, you can't do this again, because if you try, then it's not gonna hit anywhere near as hard the second time around. Hell, it'd be the third time we've seen Golden Cheese in a low spot that she ends up pulling through and recovering from, and the second time (with Burning Spice) was so much more extreme than the first one which is part of what made it work, you can't do that again.

The framing isn't replicable. The active contrast between the two primary characters, the brutality and viscerality of it all, the active rejection of Burning Spice's ideals in a golden blaze of glory, the reinforcement of Golden Cheese's will through an adversary completely opposite to her, it can't happen again. This is why you don't fumble a story like this, because once you've shot the round, it's spent. There's no getting it back. If you miss the shot, no matter how potent the weapon, it won't do anything, and there's no getting that shot back. Specially because, like... Are we forgetting that we're not done with Golden Cheese here? Why waste more time on retreading ground that we already covered with her encounter against Burning Spice, when instead it would be much better spent later on focusing on her relationship with White Lily, and how she handles the whole Dark Enchantress situation? Sure, I have no doubt all the beasts are gonna come back, but I really, really don't see them getting entire stories dedicated to each and every single one again, specially involving their respective ancients, because... They've. Already lost. And if you try to set up the same matchups, it's just gonna feel like doing the same thing all over again. If/when they come back, it's most likely gonna be more short-form, akin more to a boss rush, I'd imagine, because the alternative is... What, exactly? Just doing their chapters again? A second time? For each one? It just feels really weird to think about, honestly.

Just... Everything here. Every bit of it. Every bit of narrative paralleling with Golden Cheese, Smoked Cheese, Nutmeg Tiger, Burning Spice and both of the respective kingdoms/armies, it was all contained in this arc, and you can't just do the same thing all over again, specially when the thing you've got set up next for Golden Cheese is a meeting with White Lily. Unless you plan to have Silent Salt and Burning Spice team up for a 2v2 against White Lily and Golden Cheese or... Something..? Completely taking away from the 1v1 fated duel kinda thing they've had going on this entire time..? I dunno, man. I don't see how they could salvage this. They had their chance, and they wasted it. Like sand, slipping through their fingertips.

Alright, that's the big one out of the way. I saw the comments and RBs bring up a few other points, so I'll address those now.

The first one, with someone posing the idea that she did take Burning Spice's Soul Jam, and that's why hers' changed color.

... What?

That's... That's not shown. Ever. Sure, you have an animation of her soul jam going over Spice's and eclipsing it, but... That's. Kind of it? It's never implied at all, and worse yet, it's directly contradicted by the fact Spice still has his Soul Jam. Like. It's right there. You can see it.

You could say maybe it's just a case of reusing assets, that they wouldn't make a whole new asset just for this one cutscene, but, uh... ... They did. It's this one.

It shows up in absolutely no other cutscene, only the one where he's about to get smacked by Golden Cheese. If his soul jam was taken not only would we have seen it (like we did both times it's happened to the Ancients), not only would he have probably noticed because that is very much a material object, but we would have seen it, like we do when both GC and Dark Cacao's soul jams are gone. So, no, he absolutely still has it. Undeniably so. You can't take someone's soul jam power without physically taking it, at least not that we've seen.

Secondly, a few comments/tags saying that it makes sense for Nutmeg Tiger to go back to Burning Spice after his defeat.

... I mean... Yeah, I guess? Technically?

It's... Not out of character. She is obsessive, absolutely to a fault, and she is incredibly stubborn. My main complain isn't that it makes no sense, and more that it's a bit of a wasted opportunity. More specifically, the fact that she went back to him with nothing about either of them having changed at all. It would have been super interesting to see how she'd react to seeing her god rendered powerless, to have him lash out at her despite her loyalty to him, to have Burning Spice's hostility and complete lack of care catch up to him and end up isolating him from absolutely everyone who served under him. To have her conversation with Smoked Cheese to be proven tangibly true, proving that yes, he would just discard her the moment she stops being useful. And, the best part? You get to keep her alive to have her process everything that just happened! Because, guess what, Burning Spice lacks basically all his power now, meaning he can't just kill her on the spot! Hell, if you really, really wanted to have a villain for a followup update, it could be Nutmeg Tiger, disillusioned with her former god's promises, deciding she'd find a way to become the next great destroyer, or something like that. Maybe she'd try to find someone else to serve instead to give her life some sort of purpose? Who knows! There's so many options you could go with, rather than just... Resetting everything back to where we started.

Really, this part of the whole thing is the least of my concerns. She's not the biggest player in this update, but I think she would have benefited heavily from the "Burning Spice gets his Soul Jam taken away" route in terms of potential development. Alas... There's a good chance we'll never get to know what that would have even looked like.

Thirdly and lastly;

The argument that it wouldn't be in character for Golden Cheese to give Burning Spice another chance.

Okay, this is somewhat minor. I need to emphasize; when I gave that hypothetical scenario at the end of the last post, I meant it as like... A long term thing. Not something to happen within the chapter itself. Besides, it's just one of many paths you could go with a jamless Spice.

... I'm still holding my ground on it, though.

See... We've got to remember here: Burning Spice's immortality is the exact thing that got him here. Take that away, and what do you get? A large man with anger issues and no special powers; and absolutely no one to cover for the newfound weaknesses of a mortal, since he's alienated and wronged absolutely everyone loyal to him. Not the Kulfis, or Nutmeg Tiger, or any of the spicelings would be left to help him. He'd be on his own, entirely. Why would Golden Cheese ever even consider helping him in any way, you may ask? After all he did, after all the bloodshed, physical pain induced, and complete lack of remorse for any of his actions?

Simple. For the same reasons she gave Smoked Cheese and White Lily another chance.

The latter specially! At the end of the latest Beast Yeast chapter, Golden Cheese decided she's ready to talk to White Lily. White Lily, who, as far as she and everyone else is aware, is pretty much responsible for her kingdom being reduced to nothing but ash and crumbs. Of course, on an objective level, White Lily is much more understandable, specially since she now exists as a separate person from Dark Enchantress, but... In the end, does it matter? Are the actions themselves any different? No, not really. The level of destruction and decay are still the exact same.

The main difference is, while White Lily would at most be hesitant to accept forgiveness and feel really really bad (like mortifyingly bad) about what Dark Enchantress did, Burning Spice wouldn't be interested in such a thing.

And, honestly? I feel like Golden Cheese would know this. And, at first, she'd have absolutely no interest in actually helping him. To me, she'd occasionally visit to see how he's faring, how this oh-so-powerful god of destruction is doing now that he's just a powerless little commoner, a mortal like all the rest, teasing him, finding entertainment in his position, while he can't do anything about it. She gave him the mercy of life, but that doesn't mean she's not gonna be a little shit about it and have her fun. And he can't do anything about it, either! Truly, eternal torture. Powerless, mocked by your enemy, made to feel small, denied the satisfaction of a proper fight or a warrior's death... Lol, get fucked idiot.

Eventually, it would probably turn into teasing him about how her kingdom is shaping up quite nicely, how happy everyone there is, how it's such a shame that his short-sighted and hostile nature prevented him from ever knowing such comfort and luxury, how instead he's here fighting for his life in the land that he once ruled.

And then idk he almost gets himself killed in the middle of a spice storm or something and she refuses to give him the satisfaction of a quick death so she drags his sorry ass off to safety much to his absolute livid rage and idk you know where this kinda thing goes. Both parties here hate each other. But I feel like sooner or later, it could grow into a very begrudging living agreement where he works for her, day in and day out, to make up for everything he did, and as payment for being given somewhere to stay. A destroyer, helping to rebuild and elevate a civilization he was so intent on destroying, how ironic is that?

And then yuri or something idk. That part is optional I just like the idea.

... Can you tell I'm a Dragon Ball fan? I'm all too used to absurdly evil villains getting another chance and becoming either significantly less dangerous or outright good.

Yes, I'm looking at you, Vegeta. You may not have killed a single earthling, but you did almost directly cause the death of 4. And then over time, through many, many humiliations, and finding yourself a woman who can somehow handle how much of an arrogant cocky bastard you are, with a temper matching or surpassing your own, you settled down and built something infinitely better than what you had when you exerted your power over those under you. Seriously, watch Dragon Ball Z, it's really good. It somehow makes a redemption arc for a guy who's blown up planets feel genuinely believable and engaging.

... Right, Cookie Run.

Yeah, I think it would be perfectly in character for GC to refuse Burning Spice the warrior's death he so desperately wanted (you know finding something that can destroy him), take his soul jam, and after a good while of having fun with watching him flounder about as a mortal, drag his ass over to her kingdom to work for her to compensate for all the shit he's done. And it would be infinitely more interesting than what they actually ended up doing.

And... I think that's it!

I think that covers everything I wanted to say regarding my last post on the update. This is probably the last I'll have to say about it of my own accord, though you can definitely continue the conversation through asks (Always open!). I'm still really mad at how bad they fumbled, but...

Hey, that's what fan-fixing is for, isn't it? This ending may have sucked, but don't let that prevent you from making a better one yourself, through whatever your medium of preference is. Go ham. Because there's a good chance whatever you have in mind is infinitely better than whatever the hell they're planning to do next with Burning Spice.

Go absolutely nuts. I'll be watching on, and potentially participating, if writing motivation ever strikes.

Cya'll.