#they are thriving they are in their lane and they are the moment

[constantlybrainrotting]

you guys will never guess what time it is...

COMP DANCER AU TIME!!!

on todays roster, the main characters as well as the more important characters to this au, their roles, specialties and some facts (in order of oldest to youngest)!! keep in mind some of the characters are underage, as that is the prime time for competitive dancing

Mel Medarda (19)

Studio: Piltover Dance Corps

Team: Senior

Specialty: lyrical/contemp

Mel was originally born in the city of Noxus to the wealthy Medarda family

in 6th grade she ended up moving in with her estranged uncle, who lived in New Piltover, after her and her mother got into a huge arguement

he ended up signing her up for dance as a way to get her out of the house and to stop sulking

she ended up loving it so much she dedicated her whole life to it and refused to move back with her mother at all since Noxus didn't have a good dance program that she was looking for

she quickly improved and was asked to join the competitive team in 8th grade, where she thrived

this is when she met Elora, who ended up in her class that year and they quickly became best friends

she wants to become a professional dancer when she gets out of high school and has gotten an offer with the New Piltover Ballet Company for their lyrical specific program, leading to her in the end running the NPBC

she teaches the younger part-time kids lyrical and tech classes

her and Jayce ended up doing some partner work during the nutcracker one year and ended up becoming good friends because of it

she ended up having to ask out both her boys because one is dense and the other has a hard time with social ques

she is choreographing a few solos as well this year

met Lest in her civics class (her mother insisted) and she was quickly was added in to make the iconic trio (Mel, Elora, Lest)

her mother ended up moving to New Piltover when she was brought to the senior team and has become the most involved dance parent ever omg

i chose lyrical for Mel because of the way she walks and presents herself in the show. her walk and movements are soft and intentional and pairing that with the way she fights with her magic, she is shown to use a lot of fluidity with her whole body which pairs well with the fluidity of lyrical

i however also chose lyrical because of her unpredictability. while everything to her is intentional, to everyone else she can be conniving with both her movements and speech. i find it would work well with contemp because it does have these moments of chaos before softening up and moving back to a neutral state.

Sky Young (19)

Studio: Zaun Dance Movement

Team: Senior

Specialty: pointe/ballet/lyrical

Sky is Viktor's best friend and biggest pain in the ass tbh

you think being a ballet kid makes her calm?? WRONG we are agents of chaos

as one of the only ballet kids at the studio she is pushed even harder by Silco and in turn has become closer with the Lane-Shimmerson family

her favourite solo has been her demi-pointe to the song "Gypsy Dance I" from Don Quixote when she was 15 because she was given a tambourine to use (yes that was an actual dance i did and i wanted to include it because i love that one so much lol)

she is going to university next year for a major in plant science/botany and a minor in both statistics and entomology

she wants to become a botanist with a specialty in plant genetics

always pairing up with Mel in science because Mel's dweeb boyfriends are a nightmare to pair up with in science

we don't know a whole lot about her in the show but we do know that in the first season she was very timid so i wanted to give her an opposite effect when she dances.

i picked ballet/pointe for her because at it's core ballet as a whole can be both soft and intense and i wanted to create that space for her where she could be this agent of intensity and allow her to express herself in a healthy way. i did however to the opposite by picking lyrical for her as well, as to bring through that softer and timid side to her with softer and flowy movements (i really hope that made sense)

she currently works at a local flower shop part time and teaches ballet to the rec kids

Viktor Lane-Shimmerson (19)

Studio: Zaun Dance Movement

Team: honorary senior

Specialty: being a bitch <3

OH HOW I ADORE THIS GREMLIN

he was adopted through surrogacy by Silco and Vander before they gained any of the other kids actually when the two were a year into their marriage

Silco and Vander were both 21 at the time

has a good amount of health problems that no one caught when he was a newborn and it ended up giving him a nasty case of femoral anteversion that he received surgery on at one point

he uses a mix of a heavy duty knee brace, kt tape, his cane and a fuck ton of tiger balm to help with any pains and such

when his parents opened up the studio, he was the main cause for the adaptive movement program and he ended up joining as a way to help strengthen his bad leg (his physio therapist actually recommended it (DO NOT TAKE THIS ADVICE I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, I AM SIMPLY JUST A GIRLY IN THE ARTS))

he is always around the studio to the point that the current senior group think of him as one of their own

he attends all the comps and thats actually how he met Jayce when they were younger

besties with Sky and they love talking smack

he will sit in on dance classes and tell you where you fucked up because he may not be a dancer but his entire family is so he knows what he's talking about tyvm

always pairing up with Jayce in science because no one wants to pair up with either of them (they collectively have caused so many accidents in that room)

has both a badass gf and boyfriend who both dance!!

my guy is a disabled guy surrounded by athletes and he WILL pull out the disabled card everytime

low key got a bit of the tism (his special interests are infectious diseases, cults, programming, science as a whole and unsurprisingly dance, specifically it's effects on the body)

because this man cannot take a break, he is double majored in kinesiology and mechanical engineering when he heads of to college next year

he wants to become a sports medicine physician with a specialty in dancers, as well as to create more physical disability aids, ergo the mechanical engineering degree

he's such a good older brother tbh and is the best person to go to for advice according to his siblings

Powder and him get along especially with their shared love for the sciences

during recitals, he is backstage coordinating with the backstage crew on lights, curtains, backdrop, etc.

while he himself doesn't do comp dance, he is proficient in creating choreo that he choreographs solos for his siblings that always do well

he works part time at the studio doing all sorts of odd jobs like front desk work, organizing costumes, creating programs to help with front desk, and honestly whatever Silco needs done

Vander is his dad and Silco is his tatínek (papa in Czech according to google translate so let me know if im wrong pls)

Calls Claggor ""Button Vi "Bolt", Mylo "Duckling" and Powder a mix of "Powder Keg, Shadow and Little Rabbit", and will occasionally call any of them "Sestřička" and "Bratříček"

he is the loudest mf in the audience okay, like hes so loud you can distinctly hear him in the recordings and people refuse to sit beside him it's actually a problem (no ur honor i am not projecting myself on Viktor shut the fuck up-)

Jayce Talis (19)

Studio: Piltover Dance Corps

Team: Senior

Specialty: hip hop/tap

Jayce has been at PDC since he was young and has been there probably the longest of everyone

Ximena was a professional dancer and had put him in dance to share the love with her son

unfortunately his father had passed when Jayce was 8 due to a driving accident in a blizzard when the family was driving to see Ximena's family

Ximena suffered the loss of 2 of her fingers while Jayce luckily just suffered with some nasty cuts and bruises

he hates blizzards with a passion since then and refuses to leave the house when theirs one no matter what

he loves the cold however because this man is a FURNACE

he also works at his late fathers forge part time that creates medical aid devices

i have him as a hip hop and tap kid for different reasons. this man is BIG okay, big and bulky that when he swings his hammer in canon, it is through jerky and heavy movements and I find that translates well into hip hop. hip hop would show off his more intense and rougher self that we clearly see in season 2. tap however is closer to his season 1 self, lighter and airy and overall a more laid back look to him

i believe tap would come easiest to him and he would be a natural at it, to the point that its all muscle memory to him, while hip hop he has to think about more, giving him an intense look to his hip hop

i also just think he would love the clicking of tap shoes given his part time job in the forge

he first met Viktor when they were fairly young at a competition and Jayce made it his MISSION to befriend this pathetic looking boy (little did you know, that is Viktor's ruse and that man is a MENACE)

Ximena and Vander would set up play dates with the two because Jayce would not shut up about his new friend and it was a year after the accident and he needed some cheering up tbh and Vander thought Viktor needed to socialize and no, talking on cult forums is not socializing Viktor do not listen to your other father-

while they went to different elementary schools, they ended up going to the same middle/high school where they formatted themselves as a duo

definitely has adhd and whenever someone close to him brings up a special interest or general interest, he does deep dives into it to talk to them about it

CANNOT stop moving

and for the moment we've all been waiting for, hes dating both Mel and Viktor and the three have a polyship and are known around school as the Brains and the Brawn, Viktor & Jayce as brains and Mel as brawn because as strong as Jayce is he is but a pathetic nerd and Mel grew up in Noxus where people are known to be ample fighters (she also beat the shit out of a girl when she first came to the school for talking smack about her uncle who hadn't deserved to be talked in that way)

over time he has had increasing knee, joint and muscle pain in his left leg that doctors are just straight up not believing him about and keep giving him the same 5 pages of exercises to do that don't work (it was Viktor that suggested the part time use of a knee brace and tiger balm when it gets bad)

he was accepted into a biomedical major at the same university as Viktor and will be doing a double major in mechanical engineering - he wants to be able to help people with disabilities and pains and give them better access to treatments with his inventions. it definitely helps that both he and his boyf are a part of those communities and want to work in similar fields. (in the future their most popular invention is the HexCore, a series of leg braces that helps take stress off the leg, allowing for more range of movement without allowing for the leg to loose muscle and strength (side note; do not ask me how it would work, i almost failed 10th grade science okay-))

Claggor Lane (16)

Studio: Zaun Dance Movement

Team: Senior

Specialty: ballet/tap

the second oldest of the Lane-Shimmerson clan

Claggor is actually Vander's younger brother (their mother was 17 when she had Vander and 41 when she had Claggor and she died in childbirth, their father left after their mother found out she was pregnant with Claggor and gave up all rights to the boy)

he only has Vander's last name even though he is officially adopted by Silco due to Vander's request on wanting to keep his mother's final request of her son to keep Claggor simply a Lane (her maiden name)

A 24 year old Vander was also dealing with a 24yo Silco, who was in performances quite a bit and a 4yo Viktor in his toddler years so he had his hands full but the 2 of them made do and while Claggor knew of his origins, he never saw Vander as a brother in any sort of capacity, Vander is his dad and Silco is his tatínek

he's dating Orianna Reveck (SHE'S TECHNICALLY IN ARCANE OK AND IM PROB GOING TO FACTOR IN LOL CHARACTERS IF I NEED MORE) and they are so cute ngl

i picked ballet for 2 reasons, one more selfish than the other lmao. the first reason is that with the way he uses his strength in the fight against Deckard in canon, can easily be translated into great partner work and lifting in ballet and it ties into his less intense demeanor compared to Vi and Mylo. the other is that i think a ballet/pointe duet with him and Orianna would be adorable and I think the partner work would look so good!!

i also went with tap for him because as we noted earlier, his fighting is heavy handed and i think a good intense tap with a lot of stamping would really work well with him.

Claggor is a very focused person and really enjoys the STEM subjects - he is debating on going into the biology field and asks Sky lots of questions on botany

him and Orianna have friday night dates because it's the only night they are free during the week and they tend to rotate between movie night, rollerblading, karaoke, the arcade and dinner + ice cream

his love language is gift giving and he when he finds random trinkets on the street, he gives them to who he thinks would like them like he is always bringing pretty flowers and rocks to Orianna, found a pile of gears by the junkyard for Viktor and Powder, a vintage coin for Vi, a skeleton key for Milo (which no one knows how he found it honestly even him), etc.

he has nicknames for everyone (Vik and Braniac - Viktor / Vi - Violet (he was the one to start it actually) / Lo and Pebbles (Mylo hates that one) - Mylo / Bug and Blue - Powder / Ori and Doll - Orianna / Little Man - Ekko / Kay - Caitlyn / Mar - Margot / Big G - Gert / you get the gist)

he's suprisingly friends with Margot Vyx and have been since elementary school

he works part time at the cafe and really enjoys working there when he has time

he has been dancing since the first year the studio was open when he was 4

Violet "Vi" Lane-Shimmerson (16)

Studio: Zaun Dance Movement

Team: Senior

Specialty: hip hop/contemp

our favourite head blocker is the full on middle child in the Lane-Shimmerson clan

when she was 10 years old her parents passed when they were participating in a protest for better pay at the NPBC by trigger happy cops that came to break it up (both were dancers at the company)

that was the day that Vander and Silco took her and Powder in, as per the will of their parents (the four were very close and Felicia+Connel named the two godparents of the two girls)

Vi bonded more originally with Vander since Silco was recovering from an injury he had received that same day from the protest. She calls Vander pops and it took her much longer to call Silco papa (she ends up calling him Sil more than anything though)

I had a very clear vision of what styles i wanted to have Vi specialize in

I gave her hip hop and contemp exclusively based off her fighting style and her roof running, because if you look closely, the way she moves in certain situations can work with either style

her fighting leans more towards the hip hop style, heavy hitting and strong at its core. she has a tendency to use larger but fast punches at first but switches to smaller jabs to disorient her opponents that work seamlessly with hip hops use of levels and erratic pacing. the same erratic pacing of her punches also work seamlessly with contemp, having be known as one of the more intense pacing styles of dance

her roof running however is a lot more graceful and meticulous, with a lot of quick footing that contemp loves to use and flips that are more correlated with hip hop

her and Caitlyn are in a very sweet and hidden relationship but it is quite legit only hidden to Silco and Cassandra who are always 5 seconds away from ripping the other to shreds (Vander and Tobias think its hilarious but would love for their respective partners to chill so the girls can be cute with them)

Tobias was actually very hesitant about Vi and Caitlyn's friendship at first since they started with a bit of a rivalry and it was Cassandra who told him to give her a chance because Vander is a good man and she trusts his parenting more than her urge to fist fight Silco

she takes up boxing at the closest gym and is pretty good overall

she's actually a huge reader and her favourite school book is "The Kite Runner" and her favourite non-school book/series is "Assistant to the Villain"

has a one sided rivalry with Deckard that she doesn't realize she has (he hates her and she is indifferent to him)

everytime she sees Loris at a comp she gets excited and the 2 are always cheering eachother on despite the difference in studios

Vi and Jayce are not aloud to be left alone together because last time Jayce sprained his wrist and Vi almost broke her collarbone from trying to do a stunt

it's so bad that Viktor/Mel and Caitlyn fear what would happen with the two at their respective weddings

when the two studios do a collective show, Vi and Caitlyn do the sweetest lyrical duet ever to "Physics and Love" by The Public Service

Vi teaches hip hop to the rec kids part time and does some solos when she can

Vi's contemp solos are extremely dark and heavy in theme while her hip hop solos are light and upbeat

she wants to either become a dance teacher, firefighter or a writer one day

she joined the studio during the 2nd year it was open when she turned 5 since Felicia and Connel wanted her to have a healthy outlet and support their friends new studio

Caitlyn Kiramman (16)

Studio: Piltover Dance Corps

Team: Senior

Specialty: lyrical/pointe

Cait is by all definitions a dance nepo baby but no one actually gaf because shes actually good and applies herself

i decided on giving her pointe because of her use of a rifle in the show which sounds odd but trust me on this one!!! using any sort of gun, but specifically a rifle, takes a good amount of focus, concentration and precision which are all qualities needed for pointe, so going off of that, i think she would throw herself into ballet and pointe and absolutely love it

i think that her love of ballet would also translate well to lyrical. lyrical is the byproduct of mixing ballet and jazz together so the softer lines would really appeal to her and basing off of her season 1 personality mainly, she is a soft hearted individual who can portray the emotions needed for lyrical in particular.

Caitlyn is genuinely such an amazing dancer that it's what initially drew in Vi to have a crush on her and the exact dance that made her realize that crush was to "Winner Takes it All" (side note, i found this solo while deep diving and i think it is so gorgeous that i had to have Cait do it)

she is one of the golden kids at the studio since her routines always score high and she dances in such a specific way that you can tell it's her

she teaches some of the rec ballet classes and the younger rec part time ballet classes

shes a mediocre student surprisingly! she is always studying but her grades are c+ to a- most of the time

she's a huge cry baby and you can always find her in tears after doing or watching a sadder routine

as the youngest on her team, her nickname is "mouse"

it was hilarious to them all when she asked to be cast as a rat in the nutcracker after receiving the nickname

shes always down to do a bit - that girl is a huge jokester when she gets close to you

shes also always baking and will drop off goodies to ZDC and PDC both (Vi is always excited for a sweet treat and when she first dropped off cupcakes thats when the nickname "cupcake" was born)

she is in a current debate with herself to become a journalist or to continue with dance

her and Jayce have a serious sibling/cousin relationship due to the closeness of Ximena and Cassandra and are always picking on each other

she takes pilates and yoga classes when she has the chance

she hates not being busy and tries to book up her time

has the prettiest dance photos its actually so rude

she is always cracking her joints its to the point her mother is worried she needs a chiroprator

she buys Vi flowers all the time and when they first got together, she bought a bouquet for each of the siblings

she was the one to give Mel and Viktor the shovel talk when they first got together with Jayce and it was very funny watching this 13 year old girl threaten two 16 year olds much to Jayce's embarrassment

Mylo Lane-Shimmerson (15)

Studio: Zaun Dance Movement

Team: Inter

Specialty: tap

Mylo is the second youngest of the Lane-Shimmerson clan

he was the last one to join the family as an emergency foster placement

Vander and Silco full on forgot they had signed up to be foster parents when Vi and Powder came into their custody so you can imagine their surprise a year later when they got a call at 3am about an emergency foster placement of a 9 year old boy who had come from a case of extreme neglect

he was very slow to open up to the family but ended up bonding with Powder who took it upon herself to keep him company in his sulking, just being a little chatterbox and showing him her inventions until he started to open up to her

as one of the youngest, he is constantly fucking with Powder who is 5 seconds away from jumping his ass in class

he was 11 when he finally joined the studio, wanting to relate to his new siblings easier and quickly took to it

for Mylo i took some creative liberties in choosing his specialty for a few reasons. in his fight scenes he quite frankly is a horrid fighter with wider punches and little to no muscle mass so i had to only go off his general presentation of himself, specifically the way he walks and his general attitude

Mylo at his core embodies the tap genre very well. he is loud and brash on the outside but has these moments where the quieter noises take effect to bring a softer side to him and add dimension to him and the tap genre

i also just think he would love the noise that tap shoes make tbh

he does the most intense and high energy tap solos

hes the only one that Smeech doesn't completely hate since he can pull off intricate tap moves

can jump stupidly high its so annoying but so good for ballet

he does however hate ballet so it's a double edged sword for Silco

he is closer with Silco to everyone's surprise since they bonded over their random trinket collections

hes the class clown 100% and loves to make people laugh

he and powder are really close despite how mean he was to her in the earlier years of his stay and he calls her "pipsqueak, brainiac" and was technically the first one to nickname her "jinx"

he was fully adopted when he was 13 and he low-key was sobbing when it was ruled that he could stay with the Lane-Shimmerson's

he regularly sees a therapist to help with the trauma from the neglect in his youth (her name is Leanne and she is a godsend)

he wants to become an entrepreneur when hes older and work in sales and marketing

because of this, Vander has put him in charge of the cafe's social media to help him gain some experience - the people love his posts

Ekko Prospero (14)

Studio: Zaun Dance Movement

Team: Inters

Specialty: hip hop/acro

fun fact time! his last name Prospero is from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, symbolizing control over time and destiny. (thank you namecoded.com)

i originally had him just specializing in hip hop but after reviewing his fighting scenes, adding in acro would make the most sense given his form on the hoverboards

he would be the type of hip hopper to be extremely light on their feet and move quickly compared to heavier hitters like Vi and it would translate well into his flips and tricks for both acro and hip hop

he knows how to do some insane tumbling sets that always have the crowd cheering

his parents were never together but he lives with his dad Benzo since his mom passed in labour - his step mom Amari (random name that i threw in) is wonderful to him and treats him as her own

he and Powder originally met through a party that Vander and Silco had thrown when the two were 3 and have been inseparable since

when they were younger, Ekko, Scar, Eve and other unrevealed character were in a hip hop small group ad nicknamed themselves the "Firelights" after the song they had danced to and are still a close knit group

him and Jinx do the most ridiculous and insane acro duets and they are always a fan favourite

he is always showing up to the studio with his skateboard and a dream, trying new tricks while attempting not to hurt himself so Silco and Sevika don't kick his ass

he started dance the same year as Powder did and for years he only did it because he wanted to hang with Powder until he took up acro his second year

he really looks up to Claggor and will always be watching his routines even if he is up past his bedtime

as he's grown older, hes gathered a small crush on Powder that he refuses to act on

him and Powder once did an acro duet to "Red Flags" by Tom Cardy and it got so many special awards that year

he loves doing hip hop solos with Vi

he gets such good grades because 1 he is just naturally smart and 2 he studies quite a bit, he want's to be able to be given any and all opportunites

he's a tiny tinkerer, always fixing items around the house - Benzo got him a fancy toolbox one year and it's his prized possession

always has some sort of jerky on him it's actually concerning

helps Powder pull pranks on the older kids

they once managed to tinfoil the entire studio much to Silco's annoyance

they both got grounded for that one

Powder "Jinx" Lane-Shimmerson (13)

Studio: Zaun Dance Movement

Team: Inters

Specialty: acro/musical theatre

MY GIRL IS FINALLY HERE!!!!

i gave her the acro specialty due to her quiet and snake-like movements and well as her general ability to move and flip quickly while fighting. to me that is only elevated by the shimmer she receives in season 1 and would make her SO GOOD at acro, with a further specialty in silks

her musical theatre specialty would come from her ability to act less dangerous as we see in multiple scenes throughout the show. that girl would LOVE the dramatics of musical theatre you cannot convince me otherwise

she IS the studio sweetheart as the youngest Lane-Shimmerson

she also has schizophrenia which has been medicated for years at this point but she regularly sees a therapist to help with it nonetheless

she's a little spitfire like she is in canon and that translates to her style of dancing, lots of drawn out moments followed by intensely moving scenes

because Babette does most of her musical theatre solos, she sees the woman like a grandmother of sorts and she goes to her for all kinds of advice

Silco is by far her favourite dad mostly because he teaches her all kinds of random shit outside dance and encourages her habit of inventing things

she has always followed Viktor like a little duckling and he's where she found her love of inventing shit

in later years, he has choreographed her musical theatre and acro solos both

she goes to a local gymnastics place to learn how to do silks and they incorporate it a lot with her acro solos and routines

when she first met Isha, she was her assistant and Isha immediately took to her which has led to a very sweet mentorship between the two - leading to Jinx seeing her as a little sister

she LOVES playing pranks everywhere she goes

her and Smeech have so much beef that its a genuine physical struggle to get her to tap class

Vander had to actually lift her up and stand by the door every tap class when she was younger

her favourite acro/silks solo was to "The Ballad of Jane Doe" from Ride the Cyclone and it got her a top soloist award that year

she also has a small crush on Ekko and is essentially forcing Ekko into pulling the first move because she's a little shit like that

during her last senior year, her and Isha do a final duet that they both cry every time they do it

gets mediocre grades in everything but science and art

she is determined to become both an engineer and an artist when she's older and combine the two to create insane pieces

the Lane-Shimmerson house is never safe from her glitter bombs - it used to be paint but Vander quickly shut that down for the safety of the furniture

shes always doodling

Mylo during his mean years once called her a jinx so to spite him, she made it a nickname and makes Silco put her down as Jinx on her comp registration forms every year

she loves doing flips and will give everyone heart attacks by doing them at the most un-opportune times

is ALWAYS cracking every bone in her body

always annoying Sevika and that woman cannot ESCAPE (Sevika is so tired of her shit ngl)

Isha Lowe (6)

Studio: Zaun Dance Movement

Team: Mini

Specialty: acro/hip hop

little Isha is here!!!

i am of the belief that she would want to be just like the older kids, taking after Powder in particular so she gets an acro specialty as well as a hip hop one because who wouldn't want to see this cutie do hip hop

Isha is mute from damage to her vocal cords at a young age

she does however have the LARGEST attitude omg

LOVES Sevika omg

she is always watching in on her classes when she has the chance

not a whole lot on Isha but she would end up as a somewhat important character at some point due to her relation with Jinx in this AU

[mlmxreader]

High Society | Bruce Wayne x gn!reader

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ Bruce Wayne

77"I just… just need to be with you for a while, if that’s okay?”

97“What’s the harm in just one dance, huh?”

278“It was just a nightmare, you’re okay, you’re safe”

292Sneaking away during a party to share stolen kisses ❞

: ̗̀➛ Bruce forces your hand and makes you accompany to him to the very last place in the world that you would ever want to go to.

trigger warnings: ̗̀➛ swearing

: ̗̀➛ CHRISTIAN BALE!BATMAN

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

spotlight fundraiser : ̗̀➛ help Eman survive and study medicine

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

Wisteria Lane was alight and thriving with noise and light and food and drinks and just about anything that anybody would ever need for a good, strong, party; you weren't so keen, outside of Gotham wasn't exactly your favourite place to be and was far from your natural habitat.

But Bruce had insisted, and you did owe him one after he had stayed late at yours to fix a busted pipe; you just figured it was one of those things where you owed your boyfriend a favour and would make him breakfast in bed to even the debt. Apparently not.

The suburb was all too false; perfectly cut green grass in their front gardens with white picket fences and arches and roses and hydrangeas. Every window was clean and there wasn't so much as a speck of dirt on any of the houses or the cars outside; it was disgusting.

You clung to Bruce's arm tightly, scowling as you looked at the false, gleaming white, toothy smiles and grins; he gently tapped your chin, glancing at you from the corner of his eye to tell you to stop.

"Relax," he murmured. "If anyone didn't know any better, they wouldn't think your boyfriend is the richest man in Gotham."

You huffed, glancing around at all the faces and their deceitful and spiteful smiles. "They just have to rub their wealth in everybody's faces, don't they?"

Bruce smiled to himself as he licked his lips; he tugged you close, putting his hand between your shoulders and making a big show and dance of kissing you softly. The camera lights flashed as people took pictures of the moment, and you found it difficult not to scowl.

"It's just one night," he murmured against your lips. "You'll survive."

You shook your head in disapproval, still clinging onto his arm as you followed him around.

The redhead was chatty and polite, kind enough. She seemed to like your candid way of speaking, not so much the raggedy jeans and hoodie that you had donned.

The blonde was a lot more open and honest. She was down to earth and you actually didn't mind her so much.

The brunette was a bit clumsy, having to constantly hold onto her boyfriend for support. But she was friendly and she was sweet.

The ex-model was more than happy to have the company of Bruce. She was pleasant towards you as well, though.

Their husbands and boyfriends were the issue, more than anything; asking Bruce about Lex Luthor's latest shitty electric car that posed a danger to the public. Asking about Lex's plan for government. They seemed like they actually supported that fucking weirdo.

You grew tired of it, though, and when the music increased in volume, you tugged at Bruce's hand; no one noticed when you lead him into one of the open back gardens, pushing him down onto a patio chair and straddled his waist, your hands falling onto his shoulders.

In the dim light, his dark brown eyes seemed to sparkle so brightly; his soft, dark brown hair slightly messy from where he had been chasing around after you to keep you from biting someone's throat out.

He smiled, tilting his head to the side. "And what's this about?"

You shrugged as you stole a kiss, then another, and a third, then a fourth, then you couldn't kiss him again without laughing. "I just... just need to be with you for a while, if that's okay?"

Bruce nodded, maybe a little too eager, as he stole another kiss; holding the back of your neck as he allowed his other hand to drift down to the waistband of your jeans at the back. Just shy of stealing a quick, cheeky, grab. "Mmm. More than if you wanna do is steal kisses."

You smiled against him, and when you noticed that a slower song was starting to play, you stood up, and allowed him to follow suit before leading you in a private, quiet, dance. Your head fell against his, and you leaned into him as much as you possibly could. Bruce hummed softly, keeping you close.

"What's the harm in just one dance, huh?" He asked quietly. "Unless you think we'll get caught?"

"I don't think so," you murmured. "All those toffs out there are too concerned with looking good to worry about us."

Softly, Bruce laughed as he easily fell in with you. "Y'know, I haven't thought about that night for a while..."

You shook your head against him, taking in a harsh breath. "It was just a nightmare, you're okay, you're safe with me... it's that lot out there you should worry about - they'll eat you alive."

He pulled away, cupping your face in his hands as he grinned and swallowed thickly. "But at least I have you to protect me."

"Fancy that," you whistled. "The big, bad bat needs help from a commoner."

"Shut up," he chuckled, making it a point to pull you in close by the shoulders so he could kiss you properly.

It was harsh and it was deep, and you kissed him back as much as you possibly could. You loved every second of it, and when he pulled away, you could only frown.

"Come on," he told you, smiling. "We best make another five minute appearance before we sneak off again, don't you think?"

You agreed, letting him guide you around and cling to him as he did all the talking; he glanced at you from the corner of his eye every now and then when he knew you were scowling. It was amusing to him, as he couldn't believe that you were so against every single one of them, yet perfectly fine with him.

Then again, it was always going to be a funny thing with him.

Finally, the five minutes of high society and false polite small talk was over, and Bruce tugged at your arm to make sure you were paying attention to him.

"Come on, let's sneak off before anyone notices."

[ratatattouille]

Why Arcane's Finale Fumbled Pt. 2

In my last post, I argued that Arcane's second season was artistically beautiful and thematically cheap. I broke down where I believed the writers fumbled with Vi's, Jinx's and Viktor's characters, and how the conflict of season 2 should have centred around a war between Piltover and Zaun rather than Piltover/Zaun against Ambessa and cosmic robots. I asserted the the real let-down of Season 2 had to do with its themes and its refusal to commit to the political story it had set up.

Well, folks, on further examination, it actually looks worse than I thought, and I'm going to use two characters--Silco and Mel--to break down what makes the message of Arcane so hollow and even a little dangerous.

Let's get into it.

Silco: The First Proposition

Silco and Vander:

Silco is a character CENTRAL to the themes of Arcane. The setup of the entire drama of the show, the central theme, are these questions: what is the price of progress and are we willing to pay it? Should we pay that price? Or as Silco says it quite bluntly to the first kid we see him give shimmer to: “Real power belongs to people who are willing to do anything to get it.” This story isn’t merely about ambition, but a dialogue on what actual progress costs and looks like. What does a better world look like? Is the better world we’re fighting for better for us or others? And what (or who) are we willing to sacrifice to achieve that goal? Vander, when faced with that question on the bridge answers, “No dream is worth the loss of those we love.”

The death on the Bridge of Progress during the early war/conflict had too high a cost to Vander. Silco, however, “had enough.” Unlike Vander, what happened on the Bridge of Progress radicalized him. Silco, while being drowned by Vander, realized in that moment that he would do anything, not just to live, but to achieve his dream of a free Zaun. With or without Vander. Even if he had to sacrifice Vander. And we soon see, that while Vander dedicated the rest of his life to keeping the vulnerable in The Lanes safe (even if it meant making deals with enforcers), Silco was willing to throw citizens of The Lanes to the wolves on his way to achieve independence for Zaun. Silco calls it, “The necessary violence for change.” And in this episode (3 of Season 1) Silco sets forth a proposition for the entire show: does the path to a better world require violence?

Silco and Sevika:

Silco’s new approach to crossing the bridge of progress, the path to freedom is winding and twisted. Silco embraces that, because only the goal matters: an independent Zaun. Silco won’t be at the mercy of the Council or anyone in The Lanes, and Sevika is into that shit. We saw that she percieved Vander as weak and servile to enforcers. Who she deems abhorrent without remorse (Vander and Grayson are both despised by Sevika and Marcus because they are percieved as being too lenient with their enemies). Silco, however, has an ACTUAL plan.

He creates a shimmer enterprise because having this control not only gives him a monopoly on The Lanes (and the gangs within), but leverage when it comes to manipulating the Council. Violence and the threat of war are the official languages of both Zaun and Piltover. It is how anyone bothers to listen to Silco both in The Lanes and within the Council. We know that the rich Piltovians (like those IRL) only speak money. “Progress” to them is prosperity and legacy (and I’ll get more into that later).

By creating the shimmer enterprise, Silco not only gets his foot in the door, monopoly over the other gangs and factions (thus uniting them), but a metaphorical seat at the table. His name has weight now, which positions him to make demands of Piltover and give Zaun a thriving industry (at least when it comes to money). Especially because (as we see with Salo and Lest) shimmer is also used by the elites. Silco is a brilliant tactician who exploits the hubris of Piltovians (like Marcus, who wanted to be in charge so he can neuter Zaunites indiscriminately), and manipulates them to his own advantage (much like Mel). But when Renni’s son is killed in the mines, Silco’s proposition is confronted once again: isn’t it easy to justify necessary violence when no one you love is the collateral?

Silco doesn’t care about Renni’s son, doesn’t see himself as remotely near Renni’s position. When Twitch calls Jinx his “dog” (something Sevika herself wanted to do lmao), Silco gets twitchy. He doesn’t recognize any similarity between his relationship with Jinx and Renni and her son. Jinx is not someone he would ever consider as up for debate. Which was the point of tension between him and Sevika (a Sevika who’s loyalty he KNEW he needed in order to keep control, especially in the wake of Jinx’s volatility and unpopularity). Nevertheless, Sevika doesn’t betray him in that moment, because she still sees Silco as stronger (even though she believes Jinx is a weakness he needs to get rid of). As with Vander, Sevika views affection for their own at the cost of freedom as weakness.

Yet, funnily enough, she is fiercely loyal. She, like Jinx, is Silco’s “dog.” She shares his weakness, the weakness that makes her zealous for a better world in the first place. But what Twitch and Renni pose to both Silco and Sevika is the unsettling question of: are you really willing to go far enough? Or do you still see yourself as an exception? Regardless, when it comes to Silco’s proposition, Silco WAS SUCCESSFUL (and also accurate in his deductions on what would get both cities to respect him and eventaully give him what he wanted - Zaun). His determination and focus paid off, indeed, it’s hard to see how he could have been successful without the “necessary violence”. It is clear that he wouldn’t have. No shimmer, no independence. Silco, for all his gruesome methods, WAS RIGHT. Except . . .

Silco and Marcus:

By exploiting and manipulating the vulnerable of The Lanes, Silco also ensured he would suffer the same fate as Marcus. Unlike Silco, Marcus did horrible things to protect his daughter. Marcus, at first, had started out as a zealous enforcer, eager to clean out the rats of The Lanes. Although he didn’t plan for Grayson to be killed, he was willing to get rid of her in order to ensure that he would get into a position that allowed him to do what he wanted to do: exterminate rats and be the hero of Piltover.

Silco offers him bodies for Stillwater in exchange for ease of shimmer distribution. Silco is willing to sacrifice his own people, the people Zaun is ironically for, in order to gain influence in Piltover. Silco, however, did the opposite. Because he loved Jinx, he recognized her deepest insecurity and sought to assuage it (inadvertently weaponizing it against her and those who loved her). He let Jinx get close and gave her responsibility so she could feel like she belonged (he let her drug his eye, a delicate process, while she was still thought of as reckless and untrustworthy). He brought her deeper into the heart of the violence and taught her to embrace it. He made her a child prodigy of warfare.

He takes a different approach to Vander (who kept telling the kids to stay out of trouble where they could and used himself as a buffer). So was Silco wrong? Was Vander? The answer was, quite poetically and profoundly, their deaths and the resulting silence. Both died, more or less, at the hands of their daughters. This is something overlooked often by fandom. It was Vi’s choice to lead her brothers and sister into Jayce’s apartment that would eventually bring the enforcers down to The Lanes, sparking the chain of events that would lead to Vander’s death (or had things gone “well,” his arrest). Vi is also how Powder got the arcane stones in the first place. Vi’s encouragement (well-meaning and innocent as it was) played a hand in the disaster that followed.

But the fact that both Vander and Silco die regardless, paints an excellent portrait of the constraints of oppression. Both tried different methods when it came to rearing their daughters. Both methods got them killed and thrust their children into peril. Vander could only have shielded Vi for so long, and Jinx could only have taken so much so young before she broke down completely. The fate of the girls is not merely their fathers’ fault, nor their sister’s. The tragedies of their lives happen due to the simple fact that they were born in The Lanes. No choice, on either Vander’s, Silco’s, Powder’s or Vi’s mattered in the end.

They were always playing a losing game, which is what makes it so fucking INFURIATING when S2 comes along and suggests that “ACKTUALLY the reason everyone’s happy in Ekko’s AU is because Vi died/hextech was no more/Silco and Vander made up).” All of those were symptoms of the bigger issue, not the issue itself. And that is the horrible irony of Silco’s story. He WAS right. But his folly was viewing himself and those he loved as exceptions to the rule. For when Zaun demands the final price, when Jayce asks for Jinx in exchange for his dream being realized, he isn’t willing to pay anymore.

Marcus only crossed the bridge of progress into Zaun for the sake of his daughter (as is shown in a chilling scene where he finds Silco playing with her in her room). Likewise, when Silco FINALLY finishes, after all those years, his march on The Bridge of Progress, like Marcus, he dies in a swarm of bullets. But unlike Marcus, he is afforded time to tell his daughter, “I wouldn’t have given you to them. Not for the world.” Not for his dream. So what did Season 2 do with that?

Summary of Fumblings:

-I’ll tell you what Season 2 did. Season 2 took the biggest shit on one of the most fascinating characters in animated history. The reason I didn’t put that much critique up there was to show you how complex, layered, deep and thoughtful Season 1 was with Silco’s character. Silco in S2 became a cheap gimmick flung in our faces like the marketing team was trying to sell Silco plushies following the release. His back-story in Season 2 clashes horribly with Season 1. If Vander, Silco and Felicia were such chums back then, why did neither Silco nor Vi recognize each other when they met in Season 1? They were quite grown by the time the March on The Bridge of Progress happened. Honestly, there’s too many mistakes and inconsistencies with how Season 2 handles the backstory I don’t even see a point in getting to it

-(excerpt from one of the writers) I can't BELIEVE MY FUCKING EYES! Silco’s respect for Vander, despite the fact that Vander tried to drown him (most likely after the carnage on the Bridge of Progress where Vander realized the cost of war), was that Vander remained dedicated to Zaun’s independence, at least, until he began prioritizing the safety of the children over Zaun’s freedom. Silco’s respect for Vander had never been a goal or motivation. Silco never expressed any desire to be respected by Vander. He merely expressed respect, ONLY because Vander, up until he became the enforcer’s “lapdog,” shared his pursuit of a free Zaun. Silco killed Vander for the same reason Vander tried to drown Silco: they had become a threat to what they held dear - Silco, his pursuit of Zaun, and Vander the safety of his adopted children.

-”We build our own prisons. Bars forged of oaths, codes, commitments.” This conversation is SO FUCKING—rips into mattress and pulls out stuffing Jinx hallucinates Silco from within the cell she’s in at Stillwater, maybe the same one Vi had been in. Silco starts off saying something like “It’s funny how Marcus thought putting Vi in this cell was a greater mercy than killing her,” cluing us in to not just Jinx’s mental state but the very real torment it must have been for Vi as a child as well. SO JUST TO RECAP, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE PRISON OF THE CYCLE OF KILLING AND VIOLENCE, OKAY. In addition to that already horrible quote above, Silco says, “. . . and it will continue, long after the two of you.” So, folks, IN CONCLUSION, this cycle of violence (which I have already established like a fucking broken record is EXPLICITLY started and perpetuated by Piltover) is eternal and inevitable. Just let that fucking sink in. Let it settle nice and sour in your gut and then tell me how that GERD feels. Not only is that an appalling thing to suggest about any oppressive regime, it’s also untrue. Yes, humanity has not gone a decade without some form of conflict and struggle, but individual societies have been PROVABLY capable of both progress and regress. Both of which require the agency and active participation of others. And Arcane seems to want to show that progress is indeed possible, but it has already declared it, to some extent, a pointless pursuit in this conversation. Which is it, Arcane S2 writers? Is progress worth striving for, or is it pointless? “Oh my god, you’re so dumb ratatatouille!” you say. “Of course they answered the former! Duh! In Ekko’s monologue when Jinx is trying to kill herself, he tells Jinx that someone special once told him that no matter what happened in the past, it’s never too late to build something new - someone worth building it for.” GREAT! DELICIOUS, EVEN! Now why is it that Ekko says this instead of Silco? Why isn’t this something Silco would say, given that this was the entire point of his and Vander’s story? That this is what his arc embodied and explored? “You’re so silly! Obviously Silco is a hallucination!” The show explicitly frames Silco as RIGHT and tries to tie in what Silco says with what Ekko says. More sympathetic viewers will say that since Ekko discovered that Jinx was never the problem, that hextech was, and that Jinx was actually the path towards progress - a path Silco had walked so she could run - Ekko approached her as someone he could finally save (and oh boy am I going to get into why that doesn’t work AT ALL later). Is is not Jinx, but the hextech, the ARCANE, that is dangerous. The hextech is the true jinx. It is what will keep the cycle going. That’s why Silco holds the arcane stone near his eye like that in the scene.

And to that I say . . . WELL THAT’S FUCKING STUPID. I don’t care that “Arcane” is the title of the show. It is the cheapest story gimmick I have seen since vibranium, except vibranium REMAINED a plot device and didn’t usurp the theme or political/interpersonal conflicts in Black Panther. Hextech was a PLOT DEVICE meant to be used to explore the themes which became the ENDPOINT. And this story SUFFERS SO MUCH from that simple change. This is why most critics of season 2 say the story should have remained focused on the interpersonal and political reasons characters did what they did, rather than siphoning all their stories into a mission to stop the evil, mystical stones. It is a fucking stupid distraction in S2, where in S1 it had been a beautiful metaphor, a fragment of a mirror that the characters held up to examine their faces.

But by claiming the cycle was the hextech all along, you just shat on everything that made S1 good.

Which brings me back to what Ekko tells Jinx, that she can still build a better world for the people she loves (like Vi, I guess). That’s why she comes back to help her sister. She cuts her hair (a symbol of letting go of the past) and joins Vi to defeat Ambessa and evil Viktor. This is treated as some kind of continuation (or the true point) of Silco’s “ending the cycle” speech. By letting go of Vi (literally) and Silco (also literally), she can finally . . . er . . . stop “running in circles.” So the show tells us she is BOTH supposed to fight one more time to achieve an autonomous Zaun AND fuck off to a new land to escape said cycle—which, what was the POINT of fighting if she still had to “escape” it in the end anyways?

NO S2 HALLUCINATION SILCO, JINX AND VI DID NOT BUILD THEIR OWN PRISONS. THEY SURVIVED THE CAGES THEY WERE PUT IN AS CHILDREN AND THEY DESERVED BETTER THAN THAT GODAWFUL DUMBASS SPEECH.

Do you see why this writing is so horrible? It contradicts itself so many fucking times, no matter how you splice it. Whether it’s about the cycle of violence being the fault of unforgiveness or hextech. None of it makes any sense because none of it was ever established in season 1 as being the cause for any of those things. And by even SUGGESTING that either or both of those could be the cause, the writers send us two very troubling messages: oppression is inevitable and also, somehow, the fault (rather than responsibility) of the oppressed. Actually no, I think the suggestion from the writers is even stupider: oppression is an option and you can opt in or out.

And that is the ultimate insult to Silco’s character and what he did for the story of the show.

Mel: The Counterpoint

Mel and Jayce:

Mel is Silco’s thematic counterpoint. In the story, Silco proposes that progress costs some “necessary violence.” Mel is faced with this same question as a child, when Ambessa presents her with the last remaining heir of a nation Noxus had conquered. Ambessa asks young Mel if they should kill or spare the girl. “Kino says war is a failure of statecraft,” Mel had said, when her mother told her about how her father had made her retrieve knives on the battlefield at ten so she’d know death. War, Mel is sure, is REGRESS not PROGRESS. It is the breaking down of the state, not the making of one. It’s obvious to Mel that sparing this girl, who looks about her age, is the progressive, less barbaric thing to do. Yet Ambessa insists, “Your brother thinks he can talk his way out of anything,” Likening him to being a fox among wolves when a good ruler needs to be both. To which Mel goes on to describe the kind of ruler the new conquered kingdom will need. A woman “with a kind, fat face to charm her subjects”, but moldable, to which Ambesaa basically says “So basically you? Cool. I’m down, but you have to prove yourself to me. Prove you can take it.” This is when Mel is presented with the ultimatum: choose to spare the girl or kill her. “We can show the people we are merciful,” she pleads on behalf of the girl. But Ambessa is firm. If Mel kills her now (a symbol of the old “regime”), she won’t (maybe) have to deal with any uprisings and kill thousands.

But Mel doesn’t swallow this poison, insists that diplomacy is the superior way, and is banished to Piltover, where she undertakes the task of proving herself. She tries to become the fox. She uses her kind, fat face to charm the Councilors of Piltover and manipulates Jayce to use hextech for Piltover so that her work in the city becomes impressive, cements her legacy as a Medarda, validates her as one of them, and ALSO proves her mother wrong, thus liberating herself from her mother’s cycle of violence and re-instating her rightful station as a worthy member of the Medarda clan.

But it’s not JUST that, though. Jayce’s enthusiasm to improve the world with hextech inspires Mel and validates what she felt so strongly as a child that Ambessa staunchly denied. When Jayce shares his dream with her, she goes all soft and says, “We’re (the Medarda’s) not often in the position to give back.” Which is . . . funny, lol. I think she was talking about herself rather than her entire family. Anyway, to Jayce, Mel was the one who gave him a second chance. He and Viktor wouldn’t have gone anywhere without her help. Jayce is likely the first person she’s felt capable of helping (especially outside Ambessa’s shadow), and likewise, Mel makes Jayce feel indominable (remember: “Nothing feels impossible when I’m with you”). Jayce makes her feel good about herself, hopeful that her ways can work. After all, being the fox has worked for Jayce and Piltover.

But Mel isn’t just the fox, and not for the reasons S2 thinks. Why? LONG before Ambessa sets foot in Piltover, Mel receives a letter from a correspondent overseas. She despairs that Jayce is not ready to be the success she needs him to be. Even after he confides in her about Viktor’s illness, to her it is not a personal loss. If anything, she’s more concerned that Jayce has a close relationship with him, wondering how much it may affect Jayce, hence her plans. Jayce wants to uphold his promise in helping Viktor, the man who saved him from his own death (AND TRUST ME, WE’LL GET TO THAT) but Mel wants Jayce focused on keeping her investment and legacy IN PILTOVER safe.

So what does homegirl do? She manipulates Jayce into creating hextech weapons. The reason she moves for a vote to make Jayce a councilor on Progress Day is in light of Jinx’s attack. The councilors are worried that someone in the undercity got their hands on hextech and can use it against them. Jayce, feeling responsible for the situation (and that probably having something to do with Caitlyn nearly dying in the attack), proposes to pause all hextech developments until the threat is neutralized. Instantly, we see Viktor’s and Mel’s reactions—panic. Both are running out of time. Mel to make Piltover a success, and Viktor to help those dying in The Lanes. So Mel proposes Jayce become a councilor instead.

We next see her examining Jinx’s bomb with Viktor and Jayce. Jayce asks Viktor if it’s possible that Jinx could create something resembling hextech. Viktor, who is busy marvelling at Jinx’s ingenuity and feeling a little proud of his people, says very confidently that “It’s a leap.” Meaning it’s far away from what Jayce and him are developing. But Mel needs SOMETHING to show her peers overseas. That, or she recognizes the undercity as a real threat to her dream of progress and prosperity. Legacy. The undercity is ugly and she wants to neutralize it before she loses her chance. Here, we see her make the choice to be the wolf. The relentless and unmerciful. Focused and driven by her ambition. She will be a Medarda, unlike last time. When Jayce asks if she knows for certain that Zaun intends to turn the gemstones into weapons, Mel says, “That doesn’t matter. We’ll assume,” which pisses Viktor off. But then she performs the ultimate manipulation on Jayce. She uses Jayce’s care for the Kirammans and Piltover to convince him that it’s necessary to “protect your people” which, Viktor can tell, does not extend to the people of the undercity.

Once again, Mel is demonstrating that she doesn’t see Zaunites as people. She barely acknowledges Viktor when he protests, saying “That’s not what we invented hextech for!” She merely looks at him, then looks back at Jayce and talks to Jayce. She repeatedly ignores Viktor, talks over him, as if he isn’t there. Doesn’t matter. After all, Jayce is the only one in Piltover worth her time. Piltover is her project, not the dirty undercity. Mel had already sown the seed for Jayce’s rampage by the time Ambessa showed up.

“Stay away from Jayce!” she says, and yet Mel is what brought Ambessa close to Jayce both physically and ideologically. For hextech and Piltover (the City of Progress) to be safe, Jayce has to commit some “necessary violence for change.”

This isn’t Ambessa’s fault, but Mel’s and Jayce’s. Again, Mel is the one who started the manipulation and Jayce is the one who betrayed his and Viktor’s vision.

Jayce acquiesces to Ambessa's rhetoric since the attack at the bridge, and proposes to the other council members to go into The Lanes with force, which they are all (including Mel) hesitant to do. But then Jayce goes ahead anyways, and kills a kid (which we’ll come back to), and he not only regrets it, but does a 180 and returns, like Mel, back to his core values — peace and progress over prosperity or legacy. He makes a deal with Silco and then goes and tells the Council what’s up. Mel, now utterly convinced of her position, is the first to cast her vote in favor of an independent Zaun, and removes the Medarda ring while she does so, signalling her disdain for all the clan represents. Not only that, but she smears gold over the Noxian ships in her painting, which her mother correctly reads as a rejection of Noxus and an embrace of the Piltover her and Jayce want to build. Mel does not anticipate the attack, and Mel, in the last frame of the finale of Season 1, is the first target of Jinx’s bomb, the first councilor it was going to hit while her back was turned to it.

Mel and Viktor:

Mel’s parallel with Viktor is interesting. Mel’s interest in hextech (and initially Jayce) are to her own ends, later becoming altruistic (Viktor’s interest in Jayce also starts as an interest in his theories although his motivations were altruistic from the start). Jayce reminded her what she wanted to be in the first place. That her family name, like Jayce’s was to his, was a ball and chain around her neck. Holding her back from true progress. From a better world. A better legacy. Viktor comes from nowhere-land. Viktor doesn’t have a family legacy to inherit. Viktor is a Zaunite. And soon, much like Viktor, Mel is going to have to work hard to create her own legacy. Both Viktor and Mel are sort of outsiders in Piltover. As is shown in S2 with Salo, Piltover, the Fake City of Progress, has no accommodations for the disabled, which makes Viktor stand out like a sore thumb (also, Viktor is the one who made his own leg brace). Mel is a foreigner who has to make a name for herself before she can latch onto the Medarda title. Viktor wants the city to be good, while Mel wants the city (and herself) to look good.

This is why Viktor gets so sassy with her lmao. He sees through her manipulations and notices that she is pulling Jayce away from what they’d set out to do together (he is also annoyed at how easy it is for Jayce to forget). Mel is the one who tells Jayce it would be wiser to let the council members get away with their criminality (all while cracking down on The Lanes), which makes them wealthier, something that pushes Jayce deeper into his own prejudices against Zaun, where he starts seeing himself as primarily a caretaker of Piltover rather than hextech, as a councilor rather than a scientist, and it jeopardizes his relationship with Viktor.

But Jayce helped her re-connect with the values all three of them shared deep down. The desire to help people and make the world a better place. After the bridge massacre, Mel wants to put her manipulation, charm and diplomacy to good use, and she does so in the Council Room when she votes for Zaun’s independence.

But here’s where the FUMBLE happens. In S2, we see that Mel’s magic seems to have shielded Jayce and herself, but not Viktor. Not only that, but it’s hinted that Viktor’s magic is resistant to her touch. We don’t get any answer as to why that is (although I’d like to think that was Viktor being petty even while unconscious). This is especially weird since the arcane is alluded to be where the mages get their power (and isn’t it convenient that Viktor became a mindless war machine controlled by the corrupted/corrupting arcane instead of a mage when we see that in other universes he is indeed a mage already?). Not only that, but Viktor can clearly “touch” her magic through the puppet, later on.

Jayce keeps asking her why he was spared and Viktor wasn’t, and Mel, once again, cannot answer him. She knows that her magic protected her and Jayce, but once again, Jayce is lowkey asking why all these horrible things keep happening to Viktor instead of him. Why he is spared instead of Viktor. Unlike Mel, I have an answer. The answer IS PRIVILEGE JAYCE NOT THE FUCKING ARCANE AND THE MYSTICAL NATURE OF MAGIC OR SOME UNKNOWN FORCE OF FATE. Viktor’s tragedy was something that could be helped by both hextech and just Piltover not being a bunch of fucking asswipes. Viktor’s “bad luck” was actually just piss poor governance, or as Kino would say, “a failure of statecraft.” When Mel forsook her original ideals in order to pursue her mother’s acceptance and her family legacy, she did what all the other council members did: make themselves comfortable in places of power at the expense of the oppressed. In order for her to reclaim herself, she had to abandon Noxus and her dream of returning or belonging to the Medarda Clan. Mel has to choose between her family’s legacy and her own longing for progress.

Mel and Ambessa:

While Jayce has to fight Victor (who is really now reduced to just another weapon Jayce created that’s gotten into the wrong hands - and more on THAT later), Mel’s task is facing down her mother. By removing the context of oppressed/oppressor inherent to the Piltover/Zaun dynamic, we fail to explore S1’s setup for Mel. IT SHOULD BE NOTED that the reason diplomacy worked for Mel and not Silco was because of their differences in power. When Viktor tells Jayce “There is always a choice” after Jayce expresses his doubts regarding what Mel said about the Zaunites making hextech, Viktor was talking about Jayce’s choice. Mel’s choice. Mel could have chosen to be diplomatic, even with the threat of Jinx. But instead she forsook her ideals in pursuit of her desire to become a Medarda and, like her mother in her dream, preferred to eliminate the threat rather than integrate (Zaun). Even if she back-tracked by the time her mom came back.

Mel has to face the fact that, like Jayce, she betrayed her values and initiated something horrible: the war she’d always dreaded and despised. Mel is why Ambessa heard of the weapons in the first place. But S2 doesn’t focus on this at all. It barely acknowledges it. Instead, Mel is sucked into the Black Rose and told she’s a mage and that her mother must die for the sake of nameless nations the Black Rose mentions. You see, Ambessa is a scapegoat. An excuse to halt and dissolve any meaningful discussion on Piltover’s (and Mel’s) hand in the plight of The Lanes.

By making Ambessa the big bad, the council members and other Piltovians complicit in Zaun’s desperation get a free pass. Both in the show and by fandom. In fact, Mel can now be regarded as a hero (one of the GOATs of Arcane, if I recall) for killing Ambessa, then being christened the wolf by her mother. We don’t have to reckon with the fact that for most of the time she knowingly used Viktor (and Jayce) as a means and ignored Zaun, and that when Zaun got her attention, her first instinct was to weaponize Piltover, saying, “The peace was already broken.” And I’m pretty sure the reason she did this was PURELY for ambition, because not more than an episode later, she’s backtracking, insisting that Jayce doesn’t know war like she does, that they should simply give Silco what he wants.

So Viktor was right. She wasn’t forced to manipulate Jayce into creating hextech weapons. She wanted to do it for her own gain. And Jayce rightfully gets mad at her in S2 when he recognizes her manipulations (even if he himself was complicit). He does, however tell her that “No one can control you and you’ll never be a passenger.” Once again affirming her incredible power—only this time, the focus is magic and not her political prowess. AND ISN’T IT CONVENIENT THAT MEL “DOESN’T UNDERSTAND” HER EMPATHIC POWERS SO SHE CAN BE TECHNICALLY EXCUSED FROM HER DECISIONS IN S1? HOW COOL IS THAT?!

Lmao when Mel starts lecturing her mother in the finale with “Mother, look at the price of your ambition,” it’s like . . . okay? You exacerbated this war long before your mother, girl. You were the one on the council for YEARS before she arrived. Mel, like Caitlyn, gets to play saviour while barely taking any credit for the fact that she was largely responsible for where Zaun and Piltover ended up (sis literally determined council votes singlehandedly). When Mel stands on the other side of the Bridge of Progress, she sees a trail of violence. She decides to cling even more firmly to her core values. Silco was right, but so was Mel. You see, diplomacy wouldn't have worked for Silco, but it could work for Mel, because Mel had power.

Summary of Fumblings:

-And what was that, “(Piltover is) the city I built for my family” BS? By the end of S1, it is clear that Mel wants NOTHING to do with being a Medarda anymore. She wants to keep Noxus and Piltover SEPARATE. So why does she tell her mother, “You will never be a Medarda” as some kind of gotcha? Lmao, like why tf does that matter? How would she know? Why would she care? Other than her and Kino, what other benevolent Medardas are out there that makes her say this?

-The Black Rose warns Mel of Ambessa’s “thirst for legacy” (much like Mel’s) leading to a worldwide calamity. Mel wants to imagine that her mother prizes her own children over her pride, but the Black Rose insists that’s not true. That Ambessa is willing to sacrifice her children for more power and legacy. We do understand, however, that when Ambessa is confronted by the Black Rose, she is resorting to hextech so she can avoid using Mel (”she’s safer as our enemy”). AND THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE IF THE THIRD ACT ACTUALLY ACTED LIKE IT. How is Mel going to be this really great weapon that Ambessa doesn’t want to use because she loves her (which like, why didn’t she love Kino then if it wasn’t about magic?), but also simultaneously SENT AWAY TO A DISTANT LAND OUT OF HER WATCH? So now she’s hiding Mel, but she wants to pursue the arcane that is waking her mage-ness up and making it impossible for Mel to hide? Ambessa was literally there in the council room in the aftermath of the explosion. She knew Mel had used magic to protect herself and Jayce, but she didn’t do anything? Say anything?

Now most of this is clearly setting up another story in Runeterra (which means my criticism will ultimately be left to conjecture), so I’m going to focus instead on her last words to Mel: “You are the wolf.” The wolf being a symbol (at least in callback to season 1) of ruthlessness and fearlessness: the opposite of mercy. Why does her mother say this? Because Mel finally made a kill? Or because she killed to protect what she built? Finally embraced her power? Yeah, let’s go with that last one. Mel’s development in S2 becomes one where we focus on the power she’s always had, both magical and influential. Yet the show focuses more on the cool magic part than the rammys of Mel’s decisions in S1. It ignores her political power and frontlines her magical abilities, even making her political prowess partly due to her magical empath powers . . . like . . .

Mel was the wolf long before she killed her mother because she had always been someone who used her strength in order to pursue her own goals ruthlessly, even at the expense of Zaunites. But S2 insists she became the wolf only when she was willing to kill her mother. That her wolfness had something to do with her magic rather than her judgement.

-Mel had dislodged her legacy from the Medardas by the time S2 rolls around. . . except no she hasn’t. In the end, Mel is sailing back on the Noxian ships she painted over, and she is doing so as the new Warlord (even wearing what looks like her mother’s cape) because she is the badass wolf, the leader that her mom wasn’t. And how did she achieve that power? Magic. Why does she want to go back? To reform the Medarda name? To take on the mission her mother couldn’t finish against The Deceiver? Because Jayce is dead? Who even cares at this point, this is mainly happening for the spinoff. It isn’t illogical, it’s just the least interesting approach to her character. Mel had much more agency in S1, and her political prowess made her formidable. But that doesn’t matter anymore.

-Her whole arc in S1 was all about her finding the courage to leave the Medarda name behind in pursuit of true progress, but then she kills her mother and sails away from Piltover, the city she fought to protect and killed her mother for and is all about probably reforming the Medarda name—and that’s her job done? Is it me, or is that a reversal of her—pardon the pun—progress? Not only that, but making Ambessa go from an imperialist tyrant to this woman bravely fighting against a larger, more powerful threat cheapens what Noxus represented for me. Sometimes conquerors do be conquering, and they make threats up to justify their greed. Not the other way around. It’s not too egregious, but it would’ve been nice if the Black Rose had been more of an epilogue thing.

-sigh I know I’ve said it before but it’s because it’s true . . . the conflict should have remained between Zaun and Piltover and Ambessa was a cheap way out of what S1 was building up

-Mel being a mage is a cool reveal, but it side-lines and devalues what she was, could do, had done and how she’d developed in S1

-Despite what the show would have you believe, Mel was not the victim. She was very much complicit in ignoring Zaun’s needs in priority of the rich and wealthy in order to make herself look good. She wasn’t as cruel as her mother, but she wasn’t progressive until she saw the damage already done (and Jayce helped her re-connect with her own conscience).

-Mel’s contribution to the development of hex-tech every step of the way is completely ignored. Instead Viktor and Jayce take full responsibility.

Conclusion:

Mel and Silco's arcs both ask: is violence necessary for progress? Both answer yes, but Mel's remains a little unsatisfactory. Because Mel had a choice. She had power. Power that Silco was willing to do (almost) anything to get. Both Mel and Silco's presence in S1 were formidable, and what made them so intriguing was there thorough understanding of people, both the good and the bad. But in S2, at least for Mel, what made her such an agentive character is thrust aside for spinoff hype. It's not that it isn't cool, it is. It's just one of the things that made S2 feel not only chunky, but disconnected from the roots of its story in S1. Both Silco's and Mel's characters in S2 reveal a very poor (or troubling) view of oppression, power dynamics and politics.

Anyway, that's just me. I was gonna do Ekko, Caitlyn and Jayce as well, but this post got too lengthy. I'll probably need to whittle it all down later. I've already cut so much.

[gazeofseer]

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍?

𓇼🐚☾☼🦪 🎀🫶🏻💌💓

••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°••....••

Texas, Australia, United States and California, You are a queer by soul who lives by their own even amongst the crowded room, seeking something as distant and indifferent to what seems the same after all, but subtle do you fear the idea behind crossing lines, edges that drew scars around your borderline of heart the reason you easily withdraw the click and connection with places and people, you feel everything should be new as each passing moment because anything that stay longer bored you because you feed in daydreams and expect teh same dosh to be served outside around you, but all you taste is something different but not you.

Guidance : You are looking for yourself from within by blocking all the external settings and invites believing the world to be a harm to your existence throughout your journey down the lane to changing seasons and places so far, now you are just tired and tormented wanting to settle but truly can't keeps you restless.

Leo sun, Aries Rising, 8, Saturn in 9th house, Silver accessories, Denim Jeans, You brought something last week still waiting to be worn.

I see you are not only brain fogging but also bloating with overwhelming thoughts and emotions at the same time because you want but you don't, you don't but you want so badly, you have been guided to not make any decision right now, and not to hang in either, changes kept happening, but you are holding something beyond it did. It could be a little picture or a memory too, let it go to where it belongs it will harm you in the long run. Stop sitting with disappointment, disgrace or insult. Let that find peace within you and embrace these changes as a chance for you to strike this fog with the sword of your consciousness on if the very next second you would die, what will you do in the given second of the moment? Chose what is right, and needed for now that is how you lead life always rightly despite the wrong being gifted.

Netherland, Germany, Scotland, Denver & Amsterdam, there are eerie chills to your soul which plays chivilrious in the darkness and acts demure in the light, like a nasty kid you carry the flaws around the forest creeks but throw a elegant gaze the moment a eye flickers upon you, the mask of basking in solitude feels so enchanting enough to thrive through life beyond its hardship and pain, you take it as gift for the one who got none even sorrow becomes the only life present before.

Guidance : The ostracized child, who was not even a count nor in the quantity or quality leave the first and last of being a choice but never an part of any option to even begin with? I feel you started to heal enough that you understand the value of pain you received so far and treat it exactly right that it has become your that safe home which strengthens you instead to tame, instead of guidance your spirit guides have messages 'That, we really appreciate your pure heart and acknowledge your being of existence as of great as of the any other living, we are around you, when you believe you are lucky enough after seeing something weird l, quirky and unique because that is who you are and we show up there'

Fox teddy, bear, herbivores, cozy vibes, brown eyes, eyeglasses, Aquarius Venus, Capricorn Venus or sun, writing a novel or blog, secret lover.

Paris, France, Italy, London, Russia and South Korea, What beauty of it doesn't scares a bit right? It took you a trail blaze or ages to burn down and pave one path for you that fire runs through your body despite the sickness you feel in your heart and fatigue you carry on your soul, the more you get tested the more pure you mold into the miracles and become the magic itself, you accept the essence of love, that sets free, wild and at the arms of death where one can love so truly to the depths of each feels and moves of life.

Guidance : Okay, so this pile has been through a lot bodily or mentally the sickness which prolonged seems like a default, or your mistake or an accident which made you be on bed for rest and feel this helplessness from the echoes of the room and beyond the sky where slowly you discovered and connected to your soul and learned the ultimate truth of being all that you need to yourself exactly when you need yourself.

'Hey, sorry to interrupt I am just worried and kind off ..sorry again how are you? I hope you are doing well now, I promise I am on my way please, kindly don't give upon me, for that I have not yet arrived into your life, all the lovers you met were the lie you told yourself to hold yourself tight in your head, but let go the grudge and find me within your heart whenever you look into the mirror with those doe eyes, those two flicks of your hair curls around you ear I did kiss those cheeks with freckles and toughened skin, I did hold you like the witch who carries her wretched wand in her power and strength, I love you, can you hear that, I say that everyday before you sleep'

Well, that was tear jerking right? Give me a second.

Important Updated my services list do check (;

[whateverisbeautiful]

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#61: The Happy Ending (1.06)

The Grimes family is reunited.😭🙌🏽

That's it. That's the intro. 😋 Because we just gotta dive right in and break this super rewarding and moving Grimes family reunion all the way down. It's everything. 🥹...

First off - The way we WIN.

After so many years, we really got to witness our babies get their happily ever after with their babies. They won. We won. 🎉😭

And the biggest reason I say we win is because something that we love lives. Richonne's story has been able to live to its fullest potential and in the most captivating and fulfilling way. From the iconic start in TWD to this impactful conclusion in TOWL. 🙌🏽

When working on these TOWL revelings, I tried to have the majority of them written and ready before I even started sharing the posts in July to ensure I’d deliver on my promise and follow through to the end. These final Grimes Family reunion posts are the only ones I put off writing for a while because, as far as we know, this is it. 🥲 The last page we get to see of Richonne’s beautiful years-long story. The last new Richonne scenes to break down and revel in. 

Since TOWL was announced as a 6-episode miniseries, I’m currently approaching this final scene as the official conclusion of Richonne's story. I know Andy, Danai, and Scott haven't outright said they're never reprising these roles, and the more I hear their answers to the questions about a return, a part of me thinks they know they're coming back in some capacity, be it a cameo or more, and already have an existing contract perhaps, which is why they can't 'spoil' anything by confirming or denying a return.

The way I view it - if Richonne makes another appearance, I'm absolutely seated and celebratory. And if they don't, I'm absolutely satisfied and grateful for what we got. As the gift that keeps on giving, they've already given us over 10 years of golden Richonne content, and this Grimes Family 2.0 reunion put a lovely bow on top of this gift. 💝 It was truly a beautiful and fitting conclusion to their story. And most of all I want the Grimes Family to get to live happily and at peace together, so I'm more than elated with how Richonne's story comes to a close here. 😇

So, as the broadcast announces “A historic day to begin a new chapter for the Republic” - which of course Rick and Michonne Grimes would be the ones capable of bringing about a fresh, historic, and thriving new chapter for a whole city of thousands - we see a glimpse of Judith sitting beside her walkie. And then I love hearing Michonne on the other end say, “Shoto, it’s Daito.” 🥹

Ahhhhhhh the Grimes family reunion was happening! 🥳🥳🥳 And I'm so glad it's with the original actors too. 😭🙌🏽

I remember there was a period when some were a bit worried that Richonne wouldn't reunite with their kids in TOWL. For me, I felt so sure it was gonna happen because that was the only way Michonne and Rick would feel their mission was successful. And I love how it gets confirmed that they’ll be seeing the kids as soon as we see this walkie-talkie moment. 

...Even tho for some of us, the Grimes family reunion was basically confirmed a little earlier, when a certain two illustrious actors filmed a trip down memory lane in Senoia, Georgia. 🤭

Our lovely captains have a sweet little exchange during that great memory lane special that clued me in on what to expect. There's a part where Danai is talking about Judith and RJ and how she loved seeing Judith with the mini sword on her back. Then, as others also picked up on, Danai said something to Andy about how now Cailey has nearly outgrown the sword, and she seemed to think Andy could co-sign that she has. And that had my extra self’s ears perking up. 😋

Because Andy had been having to work double time to recall some TWD scenes he was actually a part of during this trip down memory lane - so I said to myself - Self, it is highly unlikely that he knows if Cailey, who he never had scenes with, is now outgrowing the sword…unless he’s already filmed a scene with her wearing the sword. 😏

gif cred: @nerd4music

So yeah, after that I was no longer even 1% unsure if Richonne would have their family reunion. It was happening. 💯 And the way it happened is Love personified. 👏🏽💗

It had to be such a euphoric moment for Judith to finally, after over a year, hear her mom on the other end of that walkie that she said she'd always keep with her. And it had to be euphoric for Michonne to no longer get static but finally get her baby girl on the other end. 🥹

I remember it was emotional watching Michonne and Judith's final walkie-talkie conversation in TWD, especially knowing they'd eventually fall out of range. And so it was a great feeling to see their walkies finally make a connection again.

I like the way it’s shot with the walkie on the steps and Rick’s holster and gun on Judith’s hip. Again, Michonne summed it up perfectly when she said Judith is her and Rick. And it’s sweet seeing Judith immediately grab the walkie when she hears her mom’s voice. 

Also knowing Michonne was able to reach Judith on the walkie, I think this would definitely imply that Rick was able to talk to or at least hear Judith before they see each other in person. I’d be so curious what that very first exchange over the walkies was like between Michonne, Judith, and Rick. I'd imagine it was quite emotional for Rick to hear Judith's voice on the other end for the first time. 🥲

So then there’s the return of Rick’s battle-tested cowboy boots as he steps off the helicopter. And I really like the way it’s shot as we just see his feet first and then Michonne’s feet join him. It feels like yet another way to illustrate and celebrate that Rick is no longer alone. The love of his life found him and now they really will be by each other's side for pretty much all things going forward. 

gif cred: @taiturner

As TV's greatest husband and wife step off the helicopter, we get to see Rick and Michonne more fully and I adore that they’re holding hands. 🥰 They always look so married. And as has been established, holding hands is one of Richonne's favorite things.

And then you know we gotta take a moment for Michonne’s outfit 🔥🔥🔥. Cutest outfit she’s ever worn. 👏🏽 I LOVE it. 🤩

gif cred: @alwaysthequietones

It’s great how they chose something that feels both fresh but also so true to Michonne for her final outfit and it just feels like she’s again getting to return to herself through the clothing. A fashion It Girl, through and through. 💅🏽

Michonne stayed proving an apocalypse does not have to stop you from stylishly color-coordinating and accessorizing. And I love the cowrie shells being back in her hair too. One of the last times she wore cowrie shells - a symbol of fertility - RJ arrived shortly after. So of course seeing the shells in this finale had my Richonne baby fever activated. 😋 It’s also great she got her katana back as well. That sword will always find its way back to its Mama Michonne. 👌🏽

And I of course also love that Michonne and Rick are wearing matching colors. A signature Richonne thing to the end. 😌 And Rick and Michonne matching in that tan color is great because the color scheme is giving "Must've been something else then." 😊

Then, I think it’s such a touching and well-acted moment when, before we even see the kids, we can tell that Richonne has spotted their kids from the way they react. 😭

Something about the way Michonne holds Rick's hand and then runs to her babies just feels like such a wife and mother and it’s so sweet. Like if you showed this running clip out of context to someone unfamiliar with the show, I feel they'd immediately be able to tell that who Michonne and Rick are running to is their children.

I love how Michonne drops her bag and just immediately runs to the kids. And then it’s precious that Rick sees his children for the first time and drops his bag as he eagerly runs to them as well. Goodness, this whole thing is just heartwarming x10, I can’t. 🫠

gif cred: @nat111love

And it gets extra heartwarming when we see Judith and RJ for the first time, sprinting to their parents with the biggest smiles on their faces. 😭😭😭 Richonne's babies are here. 🥹

gif cred: @alwaysthequietones

The way I rejoiced seeing the adorable Grimes kids running the first time I watched. 🙌🏽 I love seeing how ecstatic they are and the way Judith looks back at her little brother as they run. A true big sister. And of course, I adore that Judith is wearing the sword like her mom and her gun in her holster like her dad and that RJ is wearing his dad's signature Sherriff hat and dressed like little Carl. It’s all so perfect. 🥹

And for me, watching this scene would be the hardest Try Not To Tear Up challenge yet, because the way Judith and RJ smile and run into Michonne’s arms, and the three embrace - My heart bursts. 😭❤️‍🩹

gif cred: @riickgrimes

They all hold so tightly to each other and it’s precious. For a long while, the only Grimes family Judith and RJ had been used to was just the three of them. So it’s really sweet that the three of them have a moment to reunite after missing each other for so long. RJ's smile and Judith's face when she hugs her mom always makes me want to cry. 

gif cred: @nat111love

(Side note: There are people out there who ignorantly discredit and downplay Judith and Michonne’s mother/daughter relationship and that will forever be foolish to me (though sadly not surprising 😪). Judith has only ever known life with Michonne, and Michonne has been raising Judith since before she could walk. Their mom/daughter status cannot be denied. Interestingly, Judith is the one Grimes kid who has only ever known life with both Rick and Michonne. Carl was old enough to recall when Michonne entered his life. RJ is old enough to recall when Rick entered his life. But Judith doesn’t recall when either entered her life because her parents have been raising her since she was in diapers. They’re the only mom and dad she’s ever recognized. Yes, Judith knows Michonne didn’t birth her but that’s not the only qualification one needs to be a mom. In every other way, Michonne has been Judith’s mom for as long as she can remember. So when Judith looks at Michonne it’s clear she sees her mom, not 'the woman who looks after her', not her 'play mom' - her mom. 👌🏽)

I love that Michonne gets her own moment to reunite with her kids and that they let that moment breathe. Michonne is the anchor to this reunion as they all look to her as the connecting piece of this family right now. It’s realistic for the kids to take their time greeting Michonne because that’s the only parent they really know.

And just like Rick and Michonne had to do a lot of sacrificing on this journey, so did Judith and RJ.

These kids sacrificed valuable time with their mom so that she could go bring their dad back home. So I love that they get to have a moment of being just so elated to be back in their mom’s arms.

Rick stands in the back of the shot, as he anxiously awaits greeting his kids. I know Rick appreciated seeing this moment between the three and immediately seeing that his kids love and view Michonne just as highly as he does. He got yet another reminder that he chose the perfect woman to be the mother of his kids seeing the way his babies beamed and ran in Michonne's arms. 😊

gif cred: @riickgrimes

And then it is again so precious when Michonne and the kids look at each other and whisper "Hi" and just again have these joyous smiles on their faces.

gif cred: @riickgrimes

RJ’s quiet little ‘hi,’ 🥹 Michonne asking how they’re doing and acknowledging they’ve got so big since she last saw them, 🥹 the way they can’t help but smile and laugh, 🥹 and then when Michonne and Judith put their heads together. 🥹 I love every second.

gif cred: @riickgrimes

Michonne finally gets to hold the two who fueled her to keep going even in the moments during this TOWL journey where it felt like all was lost. She was not going to let her kids down and she was going to ensure she made it back to them.And Judith and RJ knew their mom would make it back to them too, no matter how long it took. 

I also love seeing Michonne’s M bracelet in the shot. Again, she really came back adorned with gifts from her husband because Rick loves her the way a cherished wife should be loved. And of all the gifts Rick has given Michonne, we know she cherishes most the gift of their children. 💛

gif cred: @riickgrimes

It really is beautiful how we went from Michonne telling Carl one kid was enough for her to her now having four kids (…and counting possibly). And I love the way it's visible how Michonne's soul just lights up so brightly as she holds her kids in her arms.

So as the three embrace, Rick stands back and watches his beautiful family. And the way Rick is looking at them, it’s clear this is all so surreal for him.

It makes sense that Rick would hang back for the reunion as Michonne has a moment with their kids. It reminds me of how on Carl’s last day, Rick approached it like he understood Michonne and Carl needed their time together as a mother and son because he knew he was losing his son and Michonne was too. Also, it's evident during this reunion that Rick wants to be mindful of whatever contact Judith and RJ want with him.

So Judith gives one more smile over at her brother and mom, as Michonne adorably lifts up RJ’s hat and embraces her baby boy, who is not such a baby anymore, saying, “Hi there.”

And then Judith turns to Rick with a smile. As they look at each other, Judith becomes emotional and starts to cry. She walks to Rick and finally, after all this time, gets to embrace her dad. 🥹

gif cred: @twdfranchise

Y’all, there is a reason I put off writing these reunion posts for so long. 😭 This entire scene between these four makes me emotional for so many reasons.

I think it’s so sweet that Rick is letting his kids set the tone for how they want to interact with him in this scene. You know if it were up to him, he’d probably be bawling and pulling them into an embrace, but he also knows that he’s in some ways a stranger to them now. So the thoughtful way Andy plays it, I love that it’s clear Rick wants to let the kids decide what they’re comfortable with. And the second Rick knows they want to hug him, he so tenderly and lovingly hugs them back. 🥹

gif cred: @twdfranchise

The way he hugs Judith, you see how layered this moment is for Rick because he’s so happy to be back with his daughter and also sad to see just how much he’s missed as she’s done a lot of growing up in his absence.

Plus, during his time with the CRM, Rick had to devastatingly accept that he may never see Judith again and even tried to convince himself that maybe she'd be safer if he didn't come home to her and protected her from afar. I feel like hugging Judith right now, Rick probably feels so overcome with emotion knowing that he's actually getting to hold his daughter after thinking he'd never get this chance again.

Hearing Judith cry as she hugs him and seeing the fatherly way Rick holds her head and tries to hold it together while clearly feeling so many emotions. I cannot. ❤️‍🩹 My heart is moved during each part of this Grimes family reunion. 

While still hugging him, Judith emotionally says, “I knew it, Dad. I knew you were still out there.” It’s so sweet that this is the first thing she says and that Rick gets to hear that Judith never lost her hope that Rick was alive.

gif cred: @twdfranchise

While Rick came close to ending it a few times during his years away, he managed to stay another day and then another after that and another after that, and I like to think that day by day he was somehow subconsciously being fueled by his wife and kids belief in him. They believed he was still out there and that energy helped keep him here long enough to now be back with them again.

I also love how no one ever came and took Rick’s place in his family’s life because these three Grimes were always believing Rick was still out there. Judith held onto this faith that her dad was alive even when the odds of Rick being alive seemed low. It feels like Michonne modeled that example to her of continuing to believe. And their belief was worth the wait. 🥹

And then Judith looks up at Rick and says, "I just never wanted you to feel alone.” It moves me so much that while Rick was afar hoping Judith was okay, he now gets to know that his daughter had been hoping he was okay too. 🥲

gif cred: @twdfranchise

As a big sister myself, I just gotta say Cailey plays the big sister role so well. Especially when you’re the family-oriented and responsible big sister, you always just want to make sure everyone is okay. Your younger siblings, your parents, aunts, uncles, everybody. And I love that Judith’s big thing was wanting to be sure her dad never felt alone. That’s so caring. 😭

I also feel like her saying this is her reiterating why she encouraged her mom to go after Rick. On the walkies in Michonne's last full TWD episode, Judith told Michonne, "What if he's trying to come home too, but no one will help?" And she was spot on with that prediction. In TOWL ep 3, Rick even verbalized to Michonne that he had asked for help, but he didn't get it.

So even though it made Judith really sad to be away from her mom, she knew Rick might be alone and in need of Michonne's help even more. Never wanting her dad to feel alone was among the many reasons Judith urged Michonne to go get him.

And another thing that's poetic to me is that Judith is such a pivotal character in getting Rick and Michonne to meet the way they did. Had Glenn and Maggie not gone out to the store to get Judith's formula, Michonne wouldn't have run into them and brought the formula to the prison for her future daughter. Also, even the very night Rick and Michonne became an official romantic couple in 6.10, their couch moment began with smiling over Judith on the baby monitor.

Since she was born, Judith has helped ensure her dad didn't feel alone because her very existence played a part in Rick finding his ultimate life partner and soulmate, Michonne.

So next, Rick says his first words to Judith in years when he looks at her and says, “I thought I was..."

I like that he's honest about how he did think he was alone at first. There definitely was a time when Rick was confronted with the depths of loneliness within the CRM.

gif cred: @riickgrimes

Rick continues, "Then I realized..." and I love that he looks over at Michonne as he says this. And the way Michonne holds RJ while smiling at Rick and Judith interacting again for the first time in years. 🥲

All those years in TWD, Michonne saw how much Rick loved Judith, and so it clearly means a lot to her to see Rick face to face with their daughter again. Rick and Michonne both just seem so present and grateful for this moment as parents.

gif cred: @riickgrimes

Rick looks over at Michonne, knowing how instrumental his wife was in both his daughter being who she is today and in helping him realize what he says next - "I wasn’t.” 🥹

It’s really nice to see that Rick realized he was never alone because he always had his family.

When Rick tells Judith that he realized he wasn’t alone, Judith gets to hear Rick essentially say he realized her own little mantra that she wrote on her family drawing, “My family is always with me.”

Judith and Rick both know the sadness of losing your loved ones' memory, but I’m so glad they now have each other back to affirm that while the memory can seem lost, it can always be found again.

gif cred: @andremichaux

Also the way Rick says this line with such a tender tone and tears in his eyes and then he looks at Judith with a smile and blinks probably still trying to comprehend that this little lady in front of him is the daughter he last saw as a toddler. 😭

gif cred: @alwaysthequietones

And then Judith cries again as she leans in and hugs Rick and I’m a puddle of tears inside. Like when you think about how hard Rick fought for his daughter all those years on TWD, it’s just so special to now see him get to hold her and already get a glimpse of the great loving person she’s turned out to be.

I know Judith is about to feel so loved and protected by this great dad, and I love thinking about how they’ll now get to reestablish their bond and just have the best father-daughter relationship. 

It hit me that years ago, we got to see the very first time both Rick and Michonne ever held baby Judith and how it was a big moment for both of them. While she stirred up painful memories from their past, Judith was also this little bundle of hope for the future in their arms.

And then in this TOWL finale, we beautifully got to see Rick and Michonne hold Judith in their embrace one more time. 🥹

Michonne reuniting with her son and daughter and Rick reuniting with his baby girl were such golden TOWL moments.

With these touching exchanges, the Grimes Family reunions had all occurred. And now it was time for the big Grimes Family introduction. It was time for Rick to finally meet Rick. 😭

So we gotta bring it on home now and talk about the special, heartfelt, and rewarding final moment of The Ones Who Live. 🥰👌🏽

[cowboylikelyric]

strip (famous!harry x fashion designer!y/n)

Summary: A focused CEO Y/N clashes with an unprofessional but alluring Harry Styles, their heated partnership testing patience and stirring unexpected tension.

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: nothing much, angsty

A/N: hey guys.... it's been a while. the writing bug bit me tonight, so you guys have the start to a new series that i will hopefully finish. i know that there's no smut, but hoping you guys will still love it. more to come in up coming parts!

---

      You stomp quickly through the halls of the office, your folder tucked in the crease of your arm against your body. At the sound of your heels clicking, everyone stiffens in their seats and people in passing move to the side of the hallway, out of your way. On a regular basis, your employees weren’t threatened by you like this. But when the click of your heels went up an octave, they all knew to stay out of your lane. 

      When you stepped into your assistant Heather’s office, she must not have picked up on the cues considering she began by greeting you with a, “Good morning, Y/N! All good this morning?”

      You ignore her greeting and cut straight to the chase, “Do you have any idea where he is?” Heather’s face drops and surely her stomach too. You look down at your watch and up at her again, “It’s quarter ‘til 10. He was meant to be here 45 minutes ago.” 

      Your assistant immediately reaches for her telephone, pressing it against her ear as she types in the sequence of numbers. Heather sits there for a second as the phone rings, biting her lip until you hear a faint click and someone speaks. “Hi Abby, yes, this is Heather Rossi, Y/N Y/L/N’s assistant, and I was just calling to check in about Y/N and Mr. Styles’ meeting this morning. It was meant to start approximately 45 minutes ago, but we still have no signs of Mr. Styles.” You lean against the door frame, possibly looking like a cartoon character with steam spewing from your ears. 

      Heather nods as she listens to the person on the opposite end. “A miscommunication, I understand.” You roll your eyes and scoff. Heather gives you an apologetic look. “Will you excuse me for a moment while I talk to Miss. Y/L/N?” She puts the call on hold before looking up to you. “Are we rescheduling or will you still take him?” 

      You sigh and shake your head, “We have to take him today. We’re under a strict schedule, there’s no time for rescheduling.” Heather nods and picks up the call again.

      “Yeah, so we’re going to need for Mr. Styles to come in today. Scheduling is tight and there is really no time for rescheduling.” She pauses for a second as she hears Abby’s response. “Asap would be great. Perfect, thank you.” When Heather hangs up the phone, she gives you a roll of the eye. “20 minutes.” She sighs.

      You groan and decide that you might as well take a seat in her office. “This guy is actually creeping onto my last nerve.”

      Normal people would just tell you to get rid of him, and it has crossed your mind plenty of times, but it just wouldn’t be good for your company. Aurelia, your clothing brand, thrived when he was wearing your clothes, unfortunately. His first advertisement boosted your sales by almost 50%. It felt almost insulting, but you couldn’t really deny that it was rewarding. And of course his assistant came running back to you. Whatever was good for your company, was even better for him. 

      However, while this partnership was very important to his team,  modeling was not his top priority. In fact, it was probably last on his personal list. On a normal day, he was a music artist. He’d show up to proposals in wrinkled button ups and sunglasses to shadow his hangovers. Overall, he showed no respect for you or your brand for that matter. So, it seemed to you that he was treating this partnership as extra spending money. It infuriated you. 

      Heather nods, “Mine as well. I mean, he could at least try and take the whole thing more seriously.” 

      “Tell me about it,” You lay your folder down on her desk and sit back in the guest chair in front of it. “Abby’s always like, ‘He really appreciates this opportunity,’ with that sweet smile. And while I appreciate excitement, I don’t appreciate lies.” Heather snorts out a laugh before picking up the coffee mug in front of her, handing it to you. 

      “I think you might need this more than I do.” You accept it and take a large sip, feeling the warmth travel down your body. “I’ll make sure I stock up on some tequila next time.” That cracks a good laugh out of you.

      While most CEO’s look down upon their assistants, You praise yours. Heather is an angel sent from above, and most of the time, her work is harder than yours is. She keeps everything on track, aside from Styles' shenanigans which you can’t blame her for, and does it like it’s nothing. She’s the real lady boss.

      “Okay, well let me get down there and prepare for their arrival,” You scoop up your folder and take the mug of coffee with you. “And would you consider coming down to teach Abby how reminders work in online calendars? She’s driving me up the wall.” 

      She laughs, “I’ll be there.” You exit the office with somewhat less of a temper, giving everyone a good morning as you pass, despite you not having one. When you make your way down to the lobby, You watch as a petite woman with icy blonde hair and lash extensions enters through the doors. Abby. And the man you were supposed to see over an hour ago following close behind.

      Harry Styles.

      “Good Morning! I’m so sorry for our tardiness.” Abby clatters near you, grabbing your shoulder as she apologizes. You remove her hand, painting on a smile.

      “That’s alright, Heather’s gonna set up a joint online calendar with you today, so there are no more misunderstandings.” On your part, you want to say. You peak around her to see Harry with his head buried in his phone. You clear your throat and his head lifts. “Harry.” You say, your neck is stiff and your nose is tilted. 

      “Y/N.” He’s dressed in ripped jeans and a loose t-shirt that contains a few holes, as well as glasses that you’ve seen him in one or two times. He slides his phone into his back pocket. “What are ya dressing me up in today?” 

      “Ah, there’s that excitement of your’s I would have loved to have over an hour ago.” You state as you start walking in the direction of your dressing room. You can feel his eye’s roll from behind you, but you continue on with a firm click of your heels. 

      When you reach the room, Heather happens to already be there, looking up from her phone as you approach. “Good morning, everyone.” She walks straight toward Harry and Abby. “Nice to see you again, Harry. Abby, would you like to join me up in my office? I think we should go over some of the future meetings and shoots we have so there are no confusions.” Abby nods and you have to try hard to hold back a laugh. You would say poor Abby, but sympathy left you a long time ago. 

      After their departure, you turn to Harry, who is on his phone yet again, “Harry.” You call his name, but this time you don’t worry about layering on any nice tones. If you aren’t stern with Harry, your words fly right over him. He looks up and raises his brows. “Okay so listen. This project that we're working on is moving fast and on schedule. Which means I need you here when you’re supposed to be and doing what you’re supposed to be. An album with no release date can wait, a line with a hard launch date cannot.”

      You raise your brows, looking for a reply. Harry huffs out a laugh and, “Yes, ma’am.” At least he’s paying attention. 

      “Great.” You turn and grab some of the pieces you created, specifically with him in mind. 

      While he never seems too interested in his part of Aurelia, Harry is known in the media for his style. He’s been seen on the cover of multiple fashion magazines, which is where you first caught sight of him. So while his interests in Aurelia were low, he didn’t mind fashion. 

      “While I get these ready for you, remind me of the name of this collection, the one that you are the “partner” for.” Yeah, you just air quoted him.

      He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the dressing room. “HA HA HA.” 

      “Exactly, which is a very you name, and not a very Aurelia name. But if you really sell it, everyone will love it.” You pull a ringer tee off of the rack that displays a moody teddy bear, quite similar to Harry right now, with a line of his lyrics. You look over to Harry who’s still fully clothed, raising your brows. When he raises his back, you groan, “Strip.”

      He smirks and pulls his shirt over his head, “Geez, take me to dinner first.” When his abdomen flashes in front of your eyes, you scold yourself mentally for spending a little extra time perusing the creases of his body with your eyeballs. You quickly shake the thoughts from your head and hand him the shirt, not missing the sly grin on his face, signaling that he most definitely caught you gawking. 

      Harry slips on the shirt and walks over to stand in front of the full body mirror, brushing his hands down the shirt. You walk over behind him, just barely being able to look over his shoulder in your heels to see his reflection in the mirror. You pull at one of the sleeves to even out the shirt on his shoulders, your stomach twisting slightly, making you pull away rather quickly. When you look back into the mirror, Harry’s no longer looking at himself, but he’s looking you in the eyes. 

      “Look good?” He asks, the tone of his voice being deep, adding a rasp to it that gives you goosebumps. Judging by the way he asks, he knows it looks good, he just wants to hear you say it. You nod, but he pushes further with a, “Hmm?” 

      You bristle and straighten your shoulders, pulling yourself from the daze you fell into. “Yes, it looks exactly as I imagined.” Strutting over to the rack, you pluck out a pale yellow pair of slacks to pair with the shirt. When you look back over to Harry, he’s just staring back at you, so you raise a brow.

      “Strip?” He asks, and you nod, rolling your eyes.

      “You act like you’re new here, Styles.” He reaches for the button of his jeans, shrugging,

     “Just in a daze today.” That makes two of us, you thought. As he discarded his jeans you couldn’t help but be drawn to watch below his torso. This man annoyed you on the regular, but something about him today spiked your blood. You had to be ovulating, it was the only explanation. Something about the way that those ferns pointed right to a place you’d never thought about before today, had your lady bits in a frenzy. But that was quickly shut down as he tugged on the pair of pants you had given him, covering the tattoos you were fantasizing about following like they were a huge neon sign that read ‘suck my cock!’ What the hell was wrong with you? 

      You cleared your throat and began helping him tuck the shirt into the trousers. You can feel as he sucks in a breath and his abdomen caves in, making your stomach turn. When you’re finished, you lean back and take him in, tilting your head to the side.

      “Something’s missing.” Don’t get it twisted, he still looked near delectable, which was infuriating, but it needed something more. You watch as he looks past you to the rack. 

      “That.” You follow his eyes to the plaid green overcoat that hangs at the end of the clothing rack. As soon as you saw it, you gasped. 

      “Exactly,” You rush toward the piece, pulling it off of the hanger and walking it over to him. He pulled it over his arms and joy burst throughout your chest. You clapped a little to yourself out of pure satisfaction.

      Harry smirks at your excitement, stating, “I know what I’m doing, sometimes.”

      Blinded by happiness, you rush forward and run your hands down his coat covered arms smiling. “This is sooo good.” Key moments like this were the reason that you loved this job. When an outfit just made sense, it meant everything to you. But then you realize that you’re feeling up your brand partner, and pull away immediately. Harry huffs out a laugh, shaking his head. Cocky bastard.

      Turning a shade of pink, you pull out your phone from the inside of your blazer, pulling up your camera to capture the outfit. Harry sticks his hands in the pockets of the slacks and stares at you with this sexy straight face smolder. God damn ovulation. You snap the photo and quickly put your phone away. 

      “Okay, on to the next.”

—

      You needed to get him out of your office as soon as possible. Something in the air had turned you into a cat in heat, feeling like you were going to hump his leg any second now. It was such a strange sensation. One minute you wanted to punch his face, the next you wanted to sit on it. What a predicament.

      Harry snapped in front of your face. “Hello?” 

      Your shoulders tightened up and you blinked a few times. “Huh?” Sorry, I was too busy focusing on the fact you were standing in front of me in just a pair of briefs that hug your package quite nicely. 

      “Is that all for today?” He smirked as he looked you in the eye, his gaze then traveling up and down your body. You planted your hands on your hips and tried to give him an unimpressed look, though you were definitely impressed by the size of that- Oh my god, what is happening?

      You nodded and gestured your hands to his original outfit. “Yeah, put some clothes on please.” 

      “I don’t know,” He said slyly, stalking closer to you, like a predator to its prey, “I’m starting to think you like them better off me.” I definitely am- No! You gave him a stern look and squinted your eyes. 

        “Styles, that is highly inappropriate. Please put your clothes on.” Crossing your arms, you made your way to the door of the room. “Get here on time next time.” You reach for the door handle to exit the room but as you do, his fingers grasp your wrist tightly and spin you around, pulling you close to him.

      He shakes his head, with a panty dropping expression. “I don’t think I will.” He whispers. You grit your teeth and huff through your nose. This brings another one of those god damned smirks to his face. “Not if you're gonna continue to be a brat like this.” His hand reaches up to thread through your hair before pulling it tight to cock your head up to look at him. “You gonna keep being a brat?” 

      Your nostril flared and your panties became drenched. It has to be ovulation time. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

      He chuckled degradingly, “Oh, please. Like you aren’t crossing your fucking legs right now.” Harry leans in beside your ear. “Need some relief, don’t you?” His teeth nipped and your ear and you felt a shiver run down your spine. But then a knock came to the door and you ripped away from him, also probably ripping out a few strands of hair at the same time. A moment later, Abby burst through the door. 

      She smiled, “Oh good, you’re done. You have a studio session in an hour, so we better get going.” Oh, so she could keep track of the studio sessions, but not this? Makes you feel wonderful. 

      You straightened your posture and nodded to Harry. “See you in a few days.” 

      A fucking smirk and you squeezed your thighs together. “Can’t wait.”

***

For more of my writing, check out my masterlist!

[stele3]

Has anybody written the fic of Jason getting his throat cut by Bruce in “UtRH,” then having a moment of true clarity in his second(?) death(?) and deciding “fuck this”?

He tells Talia that Bruce isn’t the person they thought he was and if either of them are going to be saved, they have to do it for themselves. He takes off for the West Coast.

I’m gonna be selfish and say he settles in Portland with the intent of going back to school. This is the Batman-ified version of Portland, though, or maybe just the Portland envisioned in conservative media: lawless, violent, on fire all the time. (Reality check: lol.) The guy can’t help himself and pretty soon he’s beating the shit out of Proud Boys downtown. No reason he can’t smash some fash AND get his GED.

Flash forward a few years and by day he’s attending Reed College, with its rolling lawns, nature trails, and liberal arts; by night he’s gotten involved with the local mutual aid network. He’s got a ponytail and an undercut, one full sleeve tattoo and the start of another, multiple facial piercings, and a Subaru. He’s joined a polycule — nothing serious, just some people who are kind with their bodies and have taught him to be the same. He buys secondhand and recycles. He works in the community garden. And if a few Proud Boys have gone missing then no one misses them, right? Portland is small enough to be overlooked but big enough to disappear into. He’s in his lane, moisturized, thriving.

Then Talia shows up with Damian in tow. Because it makes absolutely no sense for her to send Damian to Bruce in the first place, unless she somehow didn’t know that Bruce slit Jason’s throat, OR she somehow didn’t give a shit. Why on Earth would she trust Bruce to care for Damian after he’s already killed one son? No. She gives Damian to Jason.

Has anyone written a fic like this very specific one? Lolol

[ad-hawkeye]

i love your new vroom vroom artem icon. he vroom vroom. vrooming, if you will.

he's thriving.... fully nourished. staying in his own lane......... perfectly content with life....... unaware of the Horrors........ just takin in the moment................. vroom vroom..........................

[srslyblvck]

── LOVER BOY !! wolfstar

❛ 𝖻𝗎𝗒 𝖺 𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗋𝗈𝗌𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂’𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾𓈒𓈒

ooo. chapter one !

ooo. series masterlist !

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ THE LITTLE STREET IN Cardiff was picture-perfect, especially this time of year. Snowflakes dusted the cobblestones, twinkling lights dangled from eaves, and shop windows glowed with Christmas warmth. Tucked away from the bustle of the high street, it was a corner where individuality thrived. On one side stood Moonlit Ink, a small but reputable tattoo shop, its façade muted save for the intricately painted crescent moon sign. On the other, a new arrival had thrown the lane into a festive buzz: Fleur Sauvage, a flower boutique, freshly opened and impossible to miss with its warm yellow door and an explosion of seasonal arrangements spilling onto the pavement.

Inside the flower shop, Sirius Black was putting the finishing touches on a wreath of holly and ivy. His black leather gloves, lined with red stitching, were tossed carelessly onto the counter, revealing tattooed hands that danced over ribbons and greenery with surprising delicacy. He was wearing a loose button-down under a wool peacoat, the collar half-popped in a way that seemed to say, Yes, I woke up looking this good.

"Et voilà," Sirius murmured, stepping back and eyeing his handiwork. He grinned, satisfied, before glancing at his reflection in the glass door to adjust a stray strand of dark hair.

That was when he saw him.

Next door, standing in the doorway of Moonlit Ink, was a man Sirius hadn't noticed in his few whirlwind days of moving in. The man was tall, dressed in a soft sweater under a thick winter coat, his hands shoved into his pockets. He was pale, with tawny brown hair that curled slightly under his woolen beanie. He looked... Sirius searched for the word. Careworn? No, that wasn't it. Shy? Close. Kind. Definitely kind.

The man was watching Sirius with an expression that hovered between curiosity and suspicion. Sirius, naturally, decided this was an invitation.

"Salut!" Sirius called, his voice ringing out in the stillness. He crossed the snowy pavement in a few long strides, wreath swinging from one hand. "I am your new neighbour!" He gestured grandly toward the flower shop. "You must have noticed. It's hard to miss, no?"

The man blinked, clearly startled, but didn’t retreat. “Uh, yeah,” he said, voice quiet but pleasant, tinged with a Welsh lilt. “Hard to miss, indeed.”

"Well, you don’t sound thrilled," Sirius said with mock offense, clutching his chest as though wounded. His grin softened the tease. "You’re the tattoo artist, no? Moonlit Ink. Lovely name, by the way."

“That’s me,” the man admitted, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “Remus Lupin.”

"Enchanté." Sirius thrust out his hand, which Remus shook after a moment’s hesitation. Sirius noted the warmth of his grip, the faint calluses. He liked that. “Sirius Black. And my shop is Fleur Sauvage. It means ‘Wild Flower.’ Very chic, very me.”

Remus gave a faint smile. “Seems to suit.”

Sirius leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “So, tell me, how does one man the tattoo needles with such... sensitive hands?” He wiggled his fingers for emphasis, a mischievous glint in his grey eyes.

Remus flushed. “I, uh…” He trailed off, visibly flustered, and Sirius had to bite back a laugh. The reaction wasn’t unexpected, but the genuine sweetness of it took him slightly by surprise.

“I tease,” Sirius said, stepping back to give him space, though he made a mental note of how Remus’s blush crept to the tips of his ears. “I’ll be popping by soon enough for some work of my own. A man can never have too much ink, no?”

“You… you have tattoos?” Remus asked, glancing over Sirius’s arms, visible beneath his rolled-up sleeves. His tone was quiet, but Sirius swore he heard a note of interest.

Sirius smirked, tugging the collar of his shirt to reveal a swirl of black ink that snaked over his collarbone. “Many. Perhaps you’ll see them all. In time.”

Remus blinked, his lips parting as though to reply, but instead, he simply nodded. Before the moment could stretch into awkwardness, Sirius clapped his hands together.

“Well, I shan’t keep you standing in the cold. But you must come by soon, eh? I’ll make tea. Or mulled wine, if you prefer. And I’ll insist on a tattoo tour.” He winked and turned toward his shop, the wreath swinging jauntily as he went. “Happy Christmas, neighbour!”

Remus stood there a moment longer, watching as Sirius disappeared through the bright yellow door, the scent of pine and cinnamon trailing after him. A faint smile lingered on his lips as he turned back into his own shop, shaking his head at the absurdly charming whirlwind that had just entered his life.

[same-skies]

Finding my feet

In a land where shadows softly creep, 

Where unknown paths and secrets sleep, 

I found myself, a stranger's face, 

In this new, uncharted place.

The streets were whispers, tales untold, 

With every step, my heart grew bold. 

Though fear did knock, I stood my ground, 

In this strange place, my feet were found.

The skies were foreign, stars anew, 

Yet in their light, my courage grew. 

With every dawn, a chance to see, 

The beauty in this mystery.

Through winding roads and hidden lanes, 

I danced in sun and welcomed rains. 

For in this place, so wild and free, 

I found the strength to just be me.

The city breathed, a living art, 

Its pulse became my beating heart. 

Mountains rose like ancient kings, 

Whispering tales of timeless things.

Rivers flowed like veins of gold, 

Through valleys deep and stories old. 

The wind, a voice both soft and strong, 

Sang to me a foreign song.

In markets bright with colours rare, 

I found new dreams within the air. 

Each face, a book with pages turned, 

In every gaze, a lesson learned.

The night, a velvet cloak of stars, 

Guided me through near and far. 

In this place, both strange and grand, 

I found my feet, I made my stand.

Surviving storms with steadfast grace, 

I carved my path, I found my place. 

In every challenge, strength did grow, 

In every trial, a chance to show.

Living fully, heart and soul, 

Embracing life, becoming whole. 

With every breath, a song to sing, 

In every moment, blossoming.

Thriving in this newfound land, 

With open heart and outstretched hand. 

In this place, both wild and free, 

I found my home, I found me.

[lajulie24]

I always wanted to be lifted. I was always eager, always waiting to be inspired. I remember every time it happened, every time the dead lifted me... with their truth. And now I'm dead, and I yearn to lift you. Not because i want to shine or even be remembered. It's because i want you to go on. I want Ferrix to continue. In my waning hours, that’s what comforts me most.

But I fear for you. We've been sleeping. We've had each other, and Ferrix, our work, our days. We had each other and they left us alone. We kept the trade lane open, and they left us alone. We took their money and ignored them, we kept their engine churning, and the moment they pulled away. we forgot them. Because we had each other. We had Ferrix. But we were sleeping. I've been sleeping. And I've been turning away from the truth I wanted not to face.

There is a wound that won't heal at the center of the galaxy. There is a darkness reaching like rust into everything around us. We let it grow, and now it's here. It's here and it's not visiting anymore. It wants to stay.

The Empire is a disease that thrives in darkness, it is never more alive than when we asleep. It's easy for the dead to tell you to fight, and maybe it's true, maybe fighting is useless. Perhaps it's too late. But I'll tell you this, if I could do it again, I'd wake up early and be fighting those bastards from the start! Fight the Empire!

— from Maarva Andor’s monologue, Andor (season 1 finale)

[yuurivoice]

since you love to write, does your job ever feel like actual work? Kinda like that saying “if you love your job, you’ll never work a day of your life.” Kinda question.

also, how much free time do you normally have?

It felt like actual work from pretty early on. The moment I crossed over from doing it for funsies to sometimes taking commissions I didn't really feel strongly about for money, it was work.

I've had to drag my ass into the booth and record on days when I couldn't even take care of my basic needs because of ADHD struggles, and that sure felt like work.

I've had to write like absolute dogshit and just accept it because I had deadlines and people waiting on me. That felt like work.

I've had to spend hours breaking down different shots needed for visual projects, like a caveman painting on a wall for a renaissance artist to reference. That definitely felt like work.

I've had to deal with community moderation, personal betrayals of trust, harassment, goddamn pr crises, tax nightmares, and shipping hundreds of orders by hand. That was work.

That old cliche of if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life is a crock of shit. But all of that being said, even though it is work, and even though it can be really difficult sometimes?

Wouldn't trade it for the world. There is no other calling for me, my heart is not satisfied if I am not telling stories, and for some reason the universe decided that this was the path forward. I didn't plan on it. I never loved voice acting, but I learned to. I wish there was less bullshit over the years that robbed me of my joy. I wish I wasn't fighting my brain for so much of the time I've been doing this.

But the good will always outweigh the bad.

It's a dream fulfilled. I never needed or wanted to be some sort of massive sensation, or have broad renown or appeal. I didn't need to become a best selling author, or create a hit video game, or do anything like that. I am happy that I've found even a small group of people who love to get lost in my worlds, or spend time with my characters, or hear them get railed in pumpkin patches.

I get to experience the magic of creating something I didn't know was within me. Again and again. Projects like BitterSweet, Shattered, and Echoes of Evalas are precious to me because of the wondrous feeling creating those stories gives me. They could all flop, and I'd do it anyway.

I was creating art when no one was ever there to listen or watch. In that regard, it's never been work. It is a function of my existence. I was made, raised, and shaped to tell stories. It's the one thing I can do. At a table of friends, an audience of hundreds, or on long drives by myself. It's like breathing. It just happens.

Being able to call it work is a privilege. I'm thrilled that I've got the chance to work. I'm happy that I even have the opportunity to have days where I have to push myself. Because it has given me more than I've ever thought it could. I was on food stamps living with family under constant threat of getting kicked out. I was lonely, isolated, and scared of the world. I was considered lazy.

Finding my lane, getting traction, and thriving was something I considered out of reach. I was ready to tap out and accept that I just wasn't quite right for life. Like maybe I just didn't have all the right parts. I was okay with it, even. I was tired.

So yeah. It's work. But I spent a long time desperate to find work I was suited for, and with a lot of recent life changes I've removed many of those points of friction that would make it tough to work. So I'm thrilled.

And that, my friends, is what happens when you ask a professional yapper if they love yapping. 😂

As for free time, it's hard to say. So much of what I do being my own boss and shit, plus creative stuff just constantly churning in my brain, I struggle to clearly define what is and is not "free time". I basically have to be on call. At any given moment something might need my attention, or creativity comes knocking. It's hard to completely disconnect.

I've done a good job of getting into the office about four times a week. That has helped me find some sort of balance, but even recent writing I've done was on my laptop at my little breakfast nook having coffee.

I think the big thing is, I can create my free time whenever I need or want to.

Anywho, this is why you don't open Tumblr when you wake up to pee in the middle of the night because then you spent 30 minutes staring at your phone writing a whole ass essay. I'm gonna go get out of bed and make something awesome now. 💖

[truthandadare]

Delight’s Edge

Silco/OC (Silco/Edain) One-shot

By: TruthAndAdare

Months after Zaun's liberation, its people began to heal, with hope flickering amid lingering scars. As their nation heals, Silco and his lover spend a delicious evening together...

“And what have you dreamt, Edain?”

Before she could so much as open her mouth to confess, Silco captured her lips with his. It was not like the ones they usually shared. Those were tender, delicate things. Sweet scraps of intimacy. This was teeth and tongue, carnal biwitchery.

Months after gaining liberty, shucking itself free from Piltover’s glittering clenched fist, Zaun and it’s people finally knew the relief of dauntless breath. Yes, the afterbirth of their nation still clung to them. Cracks remained, bruises and stubborn calluses too rough to entirely soften for another generation. But scrapes were scabbing and hearts could finally allow themselves the indulgence of hope.

Edain saw the work to be done as she hurried through the Lanes, reading the needs of Zaun in the uneven cobbled streets that threatened to swallow her heel and twist her ankle, in the half empty classrooms, in the twist of her stomach torn posters begging for fire brigade volunteers. Each of these needs she tucked away, filing them to share with others who cared and had the means to make change. It was a growing list but a dynamic one.

She scribbled such thoughts in her pocket notebook on the assent, the rusted cage of the elevator creaking slightly as it rattled to Promenade level, leaving her bullet points disjointed and near illegible. The air was softer when she reached the top, with only the tinge of Zaun’s pungent–if improving–breath. She remained distracted as she stepped out and strode down the hall, dusting off an old memory of the last time visited the boardroom to guide her in periphery. The soft hum of music carried her to the room, a relaxing blend of strings and light percussion, indiscernible but unmistakably the taste of Silco when he needed accompaniment for concentration.

The social scientist hadn’t questioned the setting of their evening, though it’s abnormal location puzzled her. Silco proved himself a lover capable of spontaneity, perhaps a little theatrics. Nothing far too grand or excessive, nothing worthy of making her blush with anything other than delight. With years apart, years of thorny yearning, a serpentine reunion, the King of the Lanes had missed the opportunity to properly woo her.

Or more likely, this was entirely practical, the offer of an exhausted but sensible industrialist looking for a moment with his companion after a slew of meetings.

She tucked her notebook in a pocket as she used a shoulder to open the doors to the boardroom. Was it so bewitching last time? So breathtakingly grand? Perhaps it was the shadows then, clinging and heavy, that beguiled her memory of that night long ago.

There were no twisting shadows in the room she entered. Lamps hung from the soaring ceiling like stalactites, lit by a variety of cavern larkspur, crispspring mushrooms, even deadly milkpoppies. The bioluminescent plants and fungi illuminated rich honey golden light which poured across the large but utilitarian board table. The golden light mingled with patches of green glow, of healthy growing foliage-mints and jades and pine. The dance of hanging lamplight warmth and the reflections through verdant glass across the expansive table, the amethyst velvet chairs, the lush Zaunite native garden of carnivorous pitchers stretching twenty-feet tall alongside cave scuppernong and fluffy ferns.

Rich was the light that spilled over Silco as he lounged at the head of the table, thin book in hand and fierce features slightly relaxed but concentrated, framed by the thriving garden behind him. A platter sat before him, a simple tray but colorful with fruits sliced thin, vegetables, seed breads, tiny dishes of spiced butters. Beside the spread sat a half empty bottle, liquid of rich plum sat in two gold rimmed glasses, untouched, allowed to breathe while he waited for her.

Well, theatrics it was then.

He did not look at her as she made her way to stand beside him, his eyes still scanning the book in his hands, though she saw the straightening of his spine, the melting of his features. She had become fluent in the language of his sharp edges and her heart still ached to see them soften, if only in the company of those he cherished dearly.

“You’ve eaten?” Silco eyed her softly from over the pages.

“A little,” she whispered the small lie. Her appetite was ever the first victim to slipping hours and anxiety. A terrible habit, a stubborn old pattern, and one Silco seemed determined to never ignore. Ever the hypocrite for a man who simply ate to live, having lost much more than a sweet tooth since his attack from Vander. “This is far too lovely to spoil.”

Edain studied the simple beauty of the colorful platter before stepping to him. It was always his left side she kissed first in moments such as these, slow, tender, purposeful. Soft lips upon ridged scar tissue. She knew it was only the whisper of a touch for him, an echo, no matter how harshly she pressed to his skin. But by the close of his good eye, the slump of his tense frame toward her, the hand that slid to the small of her back and pulled, it was clear intensity of touch was inconsequential.

She allowed the soft pull of his hand guide her to press against his shoulder, and she gained a peek at his reading material as she swept in for a brush of lips against his. They parted as his hand slipped from her back and he shut his book with a small puff and tucked it away so she might monopolize his attention.

“Join me,” the words seemed to rumble from the back of his throat, as if more laced through his soft command than a shared meal beneath amber lamplight. Edain studied the man for a breath as she stood above him and the patient hunger in his aqua eye.

Ah , a look well known to her and likely to leave her a little dizzy by the end of the evening.

“ Euroka ?” She pried, tilting her head to the closed novella. She sat to his right and pulled the wine closest to her and swirled the deep purple liquid until the legs rippled down the belly of the glass. “You’re indulging in fiction.”

Silco quirked a brow as he tilted his own glass toward her in a lazy cheers, before taking a tiny sip.

“The prose is cumbrous,” his low voice echoed in the glass as he took another sip, sending a welcome scuttle of chills up Edain’s spine.

“I warned you.”

“You are an unforgiving reader.” His chest hopped as he gave a soundless chuckle. “And often correct.”

“Thank you,” Edain tipped her own glass to him and took a leisurely sip. Ever the scientist, she allowed the spiced wine to dance deliciously on her tongue for a second before swallowing. The sweetness of vanilla and the zing of currant lingered and she spied a satisfied sigh release from Silco as she smiled gently.

Her time in Piltover had been a complicated one, but for all it’s tragedies it’d allowed her to develope a taste for fine vintages. She stared into the wine a moment, transported to a hundred University funding galas, Hextech social engagements, Progress Day soirees. Expensive excuses for intemperance and bootlicking. Agony at times, but never without a lavish drink selection.

“Hmm,” Silco’s rich voice expelled the bittersweet memories with a hum. “Your mind is busy.”

Edain was not the only one literate in the body language and nuance of their lover.

“I finally had a formal introduction to Councilor Medarda today,” she plopped a grape in her mouth, it’s sweetness slightly alleviating the bitterness rising in her heart. “Best to keep her close, I don’t trust her unwavering support in a free Zaun as entirely selfless.”

It was Silco who stared into his wine then as he sent the glass in small circles upon the table with two delicate fingers on the base, creating a small whirlpool of plum.

“She comes from a long legacy of women willing to draw blood and topple thrones. Did you seize what you needed from her?”

“I know a journey to Noxus will be…ambitious.” Edain shrugged, chewing on another fruit and the memories of the day. “Their academics are as harsh as their politicians, maybe worse. But if our intention is broadening perspectives for building the school, perhaps their austerity is a strength for our research. Meeting with her was more confirmation than anything.”

“She advised you against going.”

“Hmm, she thought she was vague. Or she knows I’m beyond convincing,” Edain rolled her eyes as she took another sip of the wine, let it warm her throat. “Nevertheless…with such a fraught relationship between her—with Piltover at large and their lingering tariffs–”

“Familial hostility,” he interjected lightly.

“Precisely.” She caught his eyes flick to her lips as they twisted into a small smirk. “Zaun may just have an opportunity.”

Mischief danced in his aqua eye and he returned her smirk with his own. A tight sort of smile, peppered with pride, crooked to his unscarred side and a little out of practice.

“Your talents would translate exquisitely into diplomacy. I’d recommend a change in career, were the University not your fate.” He seemed to tilt back, gazing at her through mismatched eyes, ready to either admire or devour her.

Maybe both.

“Bah,” she gave a small huff, feeling the rising blush creep up her neck, heating her cheeks, as she looked into the devilry in his features. A heat bellowed deep in her stomach, heart hammered in her ribs. The temperate room suddenly seemed sweltering. “I’ve studied politics enough to know I’d only like to observe it from afar. I tried to gauge Sevika’s interest the other day. She’s capable of more . Of richer work. She’s not just muscle.”

“Sevika is instrumental to Zaun,” Silco scoffed lightly “in ways beyond politics.”

“As my personal bodyguard?”

All at once the tempting mischief melted from Silco’s features, lips firmly pressed, good eye narrowed. He took a sip of the wine with a harsh motion, as if the sweet liquid vexed him. He leaned toward her then, a challenge shadowing his face.

“You’ve always felt encumbered by the presence of protection.”

“I don’t enjoy feeling chaperoned,” she leaned forward too, into the boiling heat of him. “A goat in need of a collie.” She spread her hand across the table before his mouth could so much as open in protest. He did not flinch as she reached for his hand, slid her thumb along the boney mountains and valleys of his knuckles. “But…I know this,” she squeezed warmth over the top of his hand, “puts me in a precarious position.”

“You are deserving of a peaceful life Edain.”

Both were shrewd enough to know the dangers waiting in the shadows of his orbit. She’d known this from the start–in his employment, as his enemy, as his companion, and now lover. Each step closer to one another widened the possibilities of endangerment. They were careful creatures in the streets. Subtle. But stories crept through the fissures like eels, slipping through their fingers before they could control them. It hadn’t taken long for gossip to spread that the iron-gripped Eye of Zaun was indeed a man with a vulnerability called Edain.

“If the risks are too—“

“I thought we’d moved past doubts?”

Silco set his glass down gently before bringing his other hand to rest over hers.

“It is not a matter of doubts,” he slid his hand to her wrist, gently drew it to his lips and press a steady kiss to her palm. “No fragment of me questions your affection. As you should never mine–not for a fucking instant, Edain.” he still said her name like a revelation and soften unmarred eye to gaze into her as a man devoted, a man aware of the wolves he’d ushered to their now shared door. “There are hazards. Realities–”

“Realities I’m prepared to face so we might make a life together,” she whispered across to him.

“ My love ,” he bestowed the honorific with ease, the low timbre of his voice crackling with something desperate, something wanting. “This world has tattered me. Left me suspicious when it shows generosity. Your choosing to....There are darker edges of our Zaun than I ever wish you to witness. Darker patches within me.”

The soft strings faded their warm melody as the record continued, and Edain saw the small sigh that escaped her lover as the new tune began. She knew it instantly, soft piano blending deliciously with plucked strings. The song they’d danced to, knife to knife, when she still dreamed of escaping Zaun and his hair was not so painted with silver. Surely the viciousness of Silco’s enemies was worth the heat of the memories, the heartbreaking earnestness in his stare, the knowledge he never wished for her to doubt his true and utter devotion.

“I know this. Welcome this,” his lover leaned forward, slid her hands from beneath his and cupped the soft side of his face. Her heart thundered as he leaned into the touch, closed his good eye, brushing his sharp nose against the palm he’d kissed. “Now, Eye of Zaun,” she smiled crookedly as he allowed her to guide his chin so they might stare into each other. “Will you and your dark patches ever ask me to dance?”

Instantly she was lifted from her chair by the waist. The music seemed to drown under the percussion of her heart as a sinewy arm spread across her back, pulled her flushed body against his. She let him lead her, relinquishing her stubbornness to a man who’d earned her trust and fidelity. This man, who could hum to the rhythm of Zaun’s heart as well as he could hers, who knew the intricacies of her dreams because he listened , who could be content to sit and read at her side for hours. Whose racing pulse she could feel as her thumb circled his thin wrist where he held one arm outstretched.

He swayed her orderly, assuredly, to the grace of the music leading her to the other side of the board room amidst the company of indigenous plants and beneath the canopy of emerald and honey light. She surrendered all power as he thrust them both into the flow of the waltz with a strength he rarely showcased in her presence. Edain’s stomach tightened, warmed at the welcome feeling of his strength beneath the buckles and finely tailored garments.

There were no blades this time, no jeers, or flirtations. The sharing of their mutual devotions, of their equal passion and growing desire as they embraced one another in their journey across the room was enough to make them both dizzy and breathless.

“I’ve thought about the last night we danced here,” Edain found her voice, though it came out low, husked. “Imagined returning.”

He stopped their spinning to cup the back of her skull and press his forehead to hers just on the agonizing precipice of harshness. He held her there for a dozen haggard breaths, their devotion and lust mingling in its own waltz as the song dimmed and bled into the next.

Chills vined up her spine as he tucked himself in the hollow of her neck, his nose setting her bare skin ablaze like the feel of dragonbreath. She dipped forward in response, sliding her face against his skin. Edain breathed in the perfume of her lover, sharp bergamot and sweet smoke. She nuzzled the ridges of scar tissue along his left side, with her nose, then her lips, then the soft graze of teeth.

The arm around her waist drew her closer with enough force to release a gasp from her lips. Silco, a man of patience, a man of agonizing leisure when he wanted to torture her with anticipation, pulled her body against him like a man desperate for her warmth, for the full feel of her.

“And what have you dreamt, Edain?”

Before she could so much as open her mouth to confess, Silco captured her lips with his. It was not like the ones they usually shared. Those were tender, delicate things. Sweet scraps of intimacy. This was teeth and tongue, carnal biwitchery.

He kissed her as if famished, his tongue sliding into her mouth to find hers. He tasted of tart currant wine, the spiced warmth of cigar smoke, of need. The force of him was enrapturing, liquifying her until she spread both hands along his back, feeling her way over the tapestry of muscles along his shoulder blades. Silco spun her one last time, and pushed her against the expansive table, leaving her to stare up at him breathlessly.

“Here?” He feigned surprise, the slight hoarseness of his voice and tightening of his body exposing his longing. “In the light of our nation? Upon this table of power?”

Electricity zapped through her blood as Silco loomed over her, capturing her in a kiss that would surely bruise. She gasped against his unforgiving lips as a knee pushed her legs apart and settled at the apex of her desire.

“Yes,” she released a moan at the back of her throat as drew his large hands over her neck to trace her collarbone and then the aching outline of her breasts.“Please…” but her plea remained unspoken as his caress of her breast intensified, sending her eyes shut and a gasp from her lips. “Tortuous,” she whispered with a yearning thrust against the sharp end of his knee. He leaned to press his mouth to her ear. She thrilled to hear the sound of a rare low chuckle through a gasp.

“Deny my lover?” His voice was velvet, warm breath against her ear sending shivers across her skin. “I am a cruel man.” He paused to nip at her ear, the thrill of sharp teeth stoking the embers low in her belly. “Hmm,” the rumble of his voice vibrated against her chest as he slid a slow, measured fingers to grab at her hips, to massage her thighs and finally dip between her legs, making her back arch. “Such salacious fantasies,” those clever hands pulled at her undergarments, circled her sex with agonizing leisure.

He chuckled again to feel her squirm as he built toward her pleasure–teasing her, preparing her, nimble fingers adjusting pressure and speed, before thrusting two inside of her, just deep enough to make her moan and rock against him.

“Since we danced blade to blade? Dreaming of how I would take you, leave you breathless in this room? Have you imagined it?” He nipped at her ear once more, harder this time, but still harmless, still measured. “As I have?”

“Silco.” She nodded, knocking their teeth together as she tipped up into her own bold and bruising kiss, sending a surprised sigh to waft over her cheek. As she pulled away she hoped he’d see the fire behind her gaze, matching his own. Hoped he knew not to be gentle this time, that she had no interest in making love tenderly that evening.“I’ve imagined it a hundred times. And I expect you to live up to dreams.”

“Who am I,” he undid the buttons of his trousers without taking his eyes off of her “to refuse such a challenge, such a delight.”

Swiftly he pulled her under garment free from her thighs, discarding the silk to the floor. He took a moment to gaze down at her with a wolfish look, drinking in the sight of her, before plunging into her in one smooth motion. A startled but euphoric gasp released from Edain as he drove into her with an unrestrained vigor, with a power he’d always restrained.

He was often a fairly gentle lover, especially when their hearts had been fragile. He proved himself a versatile partner as he unbridled his desires, denying her nothing as the man thrust into her further, harder, more mercilessly than before. He’d deciphered her gaze, knew the hungers of her body, her unconditional desire for him.

Emboldened by her small thrusts against him, Silco drew his hands over her wrists and pressed them against the slick table, pinning her down with a wild strength rarely manifested in their bedroom. She released a small cry at the back of her throat as he kissed at her neck, nipped at her jaw, continuing thrusts so wanton, so ruthless, it threatened to drive her very soul into the verdant glow above them.

Moans of shocked rapture blended with his heated gasps, echoing through the high ceilings as Silco slowed only briefly to pull out of her, almost completely, before plunging once more, deeper, angling himself both for his own pleasure as well as hers.

“Fuck,” she closed her eyes, heralding a haze of constellations behind her eyelids. “Silco that’s…” An invariably clever and giving lover, Silco continued his steady rhythm at the angle that made her mouth fall open in ecstasy. He remained there, releasing his own ardent moans, fingers spread against her and caging her, his body relentless in its chase for ultimate pleasure. The current dragged her into its depths, dragging her beneath in a sea of starlight, swirling her with an unforgiving but entirely welcome force. Building, building, bursting.

Silco’s lips seized hers as she released an enraptured cry. He tensed, not allowing himself to come undone to the sounds of her satisfaction.

He continued his work of her as she opened her eyes to reveal a man unraveled, disobedient slices of ink and starlight hair falling into his face, unblemished eye closed and the other glowing–blinded but ever watchful with it’s magma glow. Lost was his precision as his thrusts came shorter, almost frantic, airing on desperate. He tucked his face in the valley of her neck once more, searing breath grazing over her as he drove a final profound thrust and released his own breaking gasp.

The moment his hands ceased their intense press of hers, Edain tipped forward to pull his face to hers by the golden embroidered collar and kiss him with matched passion. She held him by the jaw as he relaxed over her, his breaths slowing steadily as the mist of carnal delight dissipated. She rubbed her thumb along his cheek bones, marveled at the beauty of the asymmetry, the dark patches of skin revealed as her finger smudged the medicinal concealer he wore like armor. Silco lay his skull against hers as she continued her tender caresses, their chests rising and falling together as their heart beats slowed.

They were a partnership as much as they were lovers. He knew the fiddling of her rings revealed her anxious heart, she knew the grind of his teeth in the night meant his mind was troubled. He knew she needed regular moments to commune with friends, that she detested being interrupted when concentrating, that she liked dahlias and spiced rolls and never longed for much more than intellectual conversations and the comfort of another’s presence. She knew he needed time in the quiet to properly think, to rejuvenate, and that in the end he preferred if she was there to enjoy the peace with him.

Their intimacy was a pastry layered lovely thing. A bloom still opening but with unwaveringly sturdy roots.

“I want you to join the next assembly,” his unexpected words released as a rasp and she thrilled to feel the vibration of his words as they lay chest to chest.

“You’ve always insisted it's dangerous.” Edain nuzzled her nose against his, waited as her lover drew his hand to cup her jaw.

“That’s not changed. But your voice is a necessity,” Silco slid a thumb over her chin delicately, his earlier mercilessness melted to gentilty once more. “As much as you dislike politics, the university of Zaun’s creator must be welcomed into meetings of authority.” He nodded, bits of his hair tickling her forehead. “It is….a risk.” He leaned to press his mouth against her ear, allowing his voice to drop to an almost growling whisper. “Take pleasure in knowing that from this evening onward whenever I step into this room, I shall be drawn back to this night, these sweet delights, and the thought of you."

“Hmm,” she hummed into the warm space between them. “I’ll think about it.”

[thewitchoftheweed]

I’m still not over Sam.

Bro is the Moment. He’s a playwright. He’s a janitor. He initially wrote Waiting for Godot about a vampire named Guido. He survived Louis’s rampage and decided to use the script anyway. He’s a double agent for the Talamasca. He saved the singular piece of evidence that could fuck Armand over, and did so, seventy-seven years later. He’s either deadmau5 or Marshmello. He is in his own lane, no companions, no coven drama, just thriving.

Truly a vampire worthy of admiration.

[lambilegs]

thinking about how lee harker would spend christmas.

I think on most years, she'd go back to ruth's house on the day of. it just feels wrong to be away from her mom on christmas day, when for the first eighteen years of her life, it was always just the two of them. drying and hanging orange slices, lee helping ruth wrap presents for her coworkers, lee doing drawings of santa and his reindeer -- those moments rest and sleep in lee's chest, sometimes awoken when an unexpected surge of nostalgia hits her. as she got older, and ruth became more hazed and distant, christmas no longer was a day that lee awaited with wide eyes and eager crossings of the calendar. it just became a day she resigned herself to spending with her mom out of obligation. not that it was completely dreadful. her mom and her still shared some normal conversations, bouts of laughter and a dip into past traditions, like watching films together. but, even those often left her feeling a bit emptier than when they had started. for things were so different from before, and no walks down memory lane changed that.

she tends to feel the same way as an adult, too. dread upon reaching her mother's home, disgust and stress upon seeing how much worse the hoarding got, hugging her mom, letting herself fall into the false pretence that everything is okay for a split second, then being shattered as soon as her mom says something that reminds lee of just how not okay things are. but, lee stays. for her mom, and partially, truthfully, for her own sake too. both in fulfilling an obligation that'd gnaw at her otherwise, as well as be able to indulge in... better memories. even if just for a second.

there has been the occasional christmas where she couldn't go to her mom's due to a particularly hard case she had to work on. as carter chuckled and said every year, "the job never stops." while she feels guilty, delivering the news to her mom in a low tone, part of her also softens in relief at not needing to bear witness of what her mother, or their once shared home, has become.

these christmases are usually spent in solitude, at home, crouched over a case just like any other day, some christmas film playing in the background for some noise. lee doesn't get a tree, she doesn't decorate her home, encapsulating none of the spirit that's so fervently promoted this time of year. she's not a scrooge by any means, she just isn't really into celebrating much of anything. her birthday, christmas, halloween. she doesn't feel a thrill from any of it. maybe it's due to some unhealthy investment in work, or because she doesn't have anyone to really coax her into festive activities. she's more than content to spend any holiday by herself, comforted by the familiar walls of her cottage and the scent of pine. most people can't stand being alone on christmas, but to lee, christmas is nothing but a day that carries remnants of what feels like an entirely different lifetime. she doesn't mind treating it like any other day, and throwing herself into work so that she doesn't get too caught up in the useless wandering thoughts of how this day might be if things were different. if her mom was better, if it wasn't just the two of them, if lee wasn't so alone.

she doesn't mind the loneliness. in fact, she thrives on it. but, every now and then, especially on a day like christmas, where community is celebrated and honoured, she can't help but break from her usual flow of life with the lingering questions of: what would it be like to not be alone? how would it feel to spend this day with a person, or people, who she actually feels at ease with? do such people exist?

because the truth of the matter is, while her isolation has been freeing in adulthood, a paradise she can slink off to after the long hours of intensive cases and talkative coworkers, she sometimes wonders if she's become tangled so far into this web that she can't escape. if she's so far gone, so accustomed to her way of living, that she'll always be absent of company on the days where another person might... actually benefit her in some way. days like christmas, or days where she can't sleep because the details of a case are seeped too far into her mind, rotting away any semblance of peace. what if, sooner than she expects, she starts longing for some help, some relief? what if, by the time she reaches that moment, she's unable to fulfill the want?

as she watches the snow drift outside her home, creating a soft, thick layer of white along her windows, she can't help but wonder: is this solitude really better than company, or she has just managed to escape any fulfilling connection from her dependency on the former?

she sighs, then continues making notes on the documents. maybe that's a question for another night.

[jackiequick]

Behind The Layers / Marvel OC

A/N: Was this an small excuse to make another OC using the Once Upon A Time cast, like I did with Jennifer Morrison as an Top Gun OC? Yes. Yes, it is. Might use Lana Parrilla next.

Name: Adrian Clayton Everhart Richards

Nicknames: Rian, Clay, A.C.

Age: 28-33

Birthday: February 15th

Height: 5'10"

Relationship Status: Single

Appearance:

Charming and charismatic.

Striking ocean blue eyes.

Messy dark brown hair.

One pierced earlobe with a stud earring.

Has a tendency to wear a lot of black clothes

Job: Businessman, SHIELD Agent

Personality: He is a rich tapestry of creativity, independence, and principled honor. Stemming from his literary upbringing, Adrian's creative mindset and unique style mark him as an individual with a distinct flair. Preferring solitude and autonomy, he thrives when working on his own terms, reflecting a self-reliant and determined nature.

His unquenchable curiosity fuels a constant quest for understanding the world. Despite his persistent nature, Adrian grapples with moments of weariness and occasional irritation, especially when confronted with arrogance. His quiet demeanor and selective information-sharing contribute to an enigmatic persona, allowing him to navigate life on his own terms, staying in his own lane.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Background:

Born out of an affair between his mother, a young assistant, and his father, a wealthy businessman.

Raised in the Reed Richards family alongside his half-brother Reed, a scientist with a high IQ.

Father cared for his sons but imposed numerous expectations and rules on them.

Father was a wealthy businessman who slept around and made poor financial decisions.

Adrian's dating life was manipulated by his father for public relations, leading to less-than-pleasant experiences. Resulting in him not caring to date at all, not having any actual interest in anyone. But he is open to grabbing a friendly cup of coffee with a friend or two.

Emphasis on education: Reed excelled, while Adrian struggled with certain subjects but excelled in others.

After their father's death, Reed and Adrian had to navigate financial challenges and pick up the pieces.

Adrian tends to be one of the agents who scouts locations before striking, contributing to SHIELD's tactical approach.

Presents himself as a down-to-earth SHIELD agent who occasionally heads out to missions and parties to collect intelligence information. Even if he tends to very silent and stay within his own lane most of the time, resulting in people respecting him but curious onto what's going on in his mind.

But in reality, all Adrian wants to do get work done by the end of the day and head home to grab a bite. And possibly a nice bottle of beer afterwards.

Relationship with Reed was decent, despite their differences and Reed's ego. Their half-sibling dynamic involved comedic yet harsh fights over the years, resulting in the occasional broken lamp in moments of anger.

Despite their conflicts, they got along well in planning, with Adrian assisting Reed in matters like helping him win over his girlfriend Sue Storm.

Over the years, the brothers lost touch, going their separate ways to pursue their own paths.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motivations and Conflicts:

Strives to prove his worth to his family and himself.

Balances corporate expectations with his secret life as a member of SHIELD's STRIKE team.

Deals with identity struggles being the result of an affair and the black sheep of the family.

Hobbies and Interests:

Music Enthusiast: Developed a love for music at a young age and played the guitar during his younger years. But stopped once he got a bit older.

Literary Pursuits: A avid reader and occasional writer, contributing to his creative mindset and unique sense of style.

Diverse Skill Set: Adrian's mother enrolled him in various classes, including waltz and photography, providing him with a diverse skill set that extends beyond his professional life.

Fitness Enthusiast: An advocate for a healthy lifestyle, Adrian is known to start his days with a morning jog in the park. During high school, he showcased his athletic side by participating in sports like soccer and baseball during gym class.

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Key Moments:

Sibling Rivalry and Self-Discovery: Growing up alongside his brilliant half-brother Reed, Adrian faced moments of self-doubt and comparison. It became apparent that he would never match Reed's level of intellect or quick-wittedness.

Realization of Differences: As Reed exhibited a self-centered and correction-prone demeanor, Adrian began to notice the limitations of his own capabilities. He observed how Reed often overlooked the obvious and failed to appreciate what was right in front of him.

Confrontation with Reed: Frustration built up within Adrian, leading to a pivotal moment of confrontation. During a heated exchange, Adrian pointed out Reed's tendency to overthink and correct others, uttering the words, "Use your head, Reed!" This marked a turning point for Adrian as he acknowledged his own strengths and value, distinct from his brother's.

Embracing Individuality: Following this confrontation, Adrian embarked on a journey of self-discovery, realizing that while he might not possess Reed's genius, he had his own stretches of positive thinking and unique contributions. This realization allowed Adrian to embrace his individuality and break free from the constant comparison to his brother.

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Strategic Operations Specialist:

Location Scouting: Adrian excels in scouting and analyzing locations before SHIELD missions. He assesses the terrain, identifies potential threats, and provides valuable intelligence to enhance the team's preparedness.

Intelligence Gathering: Beyond physical locations, Adrian is skilled in gathering intelligence from various sources. Whether it's monitoring communications, analyzing data, or infiltrating enemy networks, he contributes to SHIELD's information-gathering efforts.

Covert Operations: Adrian is adept at handling covert operations, ensuring that the STRIKE team can approach missions with discretion and precision. His strategic planning minimizes risks and maximizes the team's chances of success.

STRIKE Team Member:

Sniper Expertise: Adrian serves as the team's sniper, utilizing his sharpshooting skills to eliminate threats from a distance. His marksmanship is crucial in situations that require precision and stealth.

Financial Support: Beyond field operations, Adrian leverages his background in marketing and investments to provide financial support to SHIELD. He channels funds from his family's company and other sources to contribute to the organization's resources.

Adaptive Team Player: Adrian's ability to work both as a lone operative and as an integral part of the STRIKE team makes him an adaptive team player. He contributes not only through combat skills but also with strategic insights and financial backing.

Mission Planning: Collaborating with other team members, Adrian actively participates in mission planning. Despite being silent for most of the time. His knack for planning and coordination, honed from his relationship with Reed and their shared experiences, contributes to the team's overall success.

Key Event - 2014 HYDRA Takeover: In 2014, during the shocking HYDRA takeover of SHIELD, Adrian Clayton Everhart Richards faced a profound and unsettling revelation. Discovering that his STRIKE team, led by Rumlow, was covertly aligned with HYDRA, Adrian experienced a wave of betrayal and shame.

The very organization he had committed to fighting against had infiltrated his team, casting a shadow over his trust in those he worked alongside. In a moment of clarity and loyalty to SHIELD's true mission, Adrian took back his position as a member of the team and aligned himself with agents who remained loyal to the organization's original ideals.

Fueled by a determination to right the wrongs and protect his fellow agents, Adrian joined forces with Agent 13 and other supporters of Captain America's fight against HYDRA. In a proactive role, he engaged in shutting down financial support and investments that HYDRA exploited, aiming to sever their funding sources and hinder their nefarious activities. This pivotal event showcased Adrian's unwavering commitment to justice and his resilience in the face of betrayal.

Post-SHIELD Takeover: Following the dismantling of SHIELD due to his knowledge (thanks to Nick Fury's contingency plans), Adrian Clayton Everhart Richards retreated to his home, contemplating the uncertain path ahead. Determined to continue the fight against threats to humanity, Adrian redirected his efforts to support the remaining loyal members of SHIELD who adhered to the organization's original ideals.

Simultaneously, he strategically maneuvered within the corporate world, utilizing his financial acumen to bolster market shares for Stark Industries, where he heard Maria Hill had found a new home working for Tony Stark. This move not only served as a means of support for the genuine defenders but also facilitated his introduction to The Avengers and Young Avengers.

In his discreet endeavors, Adrian channeled both time and financial resources into the development and enhancement of necessary equipment for these burgeoning hero teams. His contributions played a vital role in fortifying their capabilities and ensuring their effectiveness in safeguarding the world. Despite his significant role in this realm, Adrian maintained his characteristic low profile, shying away from the limelight and avoiding unnecessary attention. Attending events with a subtle presence, he operated in the shadows, a silent force ensuring that the heroes had the tools they needed to face the challenges ahead.

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Anyways here is a new low-key oc! I might add more to his story later on, who know haha. What do you think of him? Any ideas for new OCs?

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