#they were fighting over whose side (of their parents' divorce) they were on

[alwayssimmin-alwaysrantin]

Me trying to figure out what this argument I took 40 bajillion pictures of was about:

Me realizing:

[apheliia]

SUFFERING. — In which Yaoshi's child is wounded.

— trigger & content warnings. mildly graphic depictions of wounds, mild blood, mentions of fainting, both yaoshi and the reader operate on questionable morality at best.

— pairings & notes. hurt/comfort. yaoshi & emanator of abundance!reader. reader is gender neutral (they/them pronouns used). when yaoshi cries, it has a direct effect on those who have come into contact with the power of abundance, including xianzhou natives. 2.1k words.

— author's thoughts. pov lan and yaoshi are divorced parents and their children are fighting. i am very normal about yaoshi i promise 🫶 i made shit up for this fic fr, i am working with CRUMBS you guys 😔🙏 ik from experience that the yaoshi nation is starving so i offer this to my fellow aeon of abundance enjoyers <3 side note, writing two characters with they/them pronouns is so hard LMAO??!??!?!

       Stars dance behind their eyelids every time they dare to let them drift shut.

       The universe is an ever-expanding blur of stars and planets that seem to dance and spin the longer one gazes at them—that, of course, is a natural given.

       ...The stars behind their eyelids are, however, not a given; those are most certainly not meant to be there.

       Their chest heaves, lungs aching and burning as if lit on fire when they painfully expand to take in as much air as possible, lightning striking across their chest and side when they breathe just the slightest bit too forcefully.

       Blood drips from their side—slowly, thankfully, but they've lost so much at this point that it really could not have mattered less if the flow was slow or rapid. The amount lost would have remained the same, nevertheless, because their body vehemently refused to heal the wound that should have been gone within seconds. Minutes, at the absolute most.

       Whatever the Xianzhou Alliance had done to them was terribly effective, delaying their inhuman capacity to heal instantaneously and causing their body to convulse fiercely whenever they tried to force the healing to proceed. It was... less than ideal, but they'd try not to hold it against their siblings.

       (The Xianzhou Alliance just does not see it, does not see anything, the way they do, unenlightened and led astray by the Aeon Lan. That's fine. Perhaps one day they will all come to their senses, snap out of the misguidance, and recognize Yaoshi's benevolence.)

       The ground sways beneath their feet.

       A gasp is torn from their throat as they trip over themselves, ankles snapping inwards, unable to support the weight of their body any longer. Trembling, bloody hands shoot out in a weak attempt to catch themselves, and—

       "Beloved child..."

       —and they're fine, situated on the floor without ever having to fall to get there. The growing cold knawing at their flesh is chased away. Soothing warmth takes its place, and their wounds don't seem to throb as excruciatingly as they did before.

       They're certain that they are no longer where they were before—not hopelessly, blindly stumbling along a familiar planet in hopes of reaching one of its civilizations before the blood loss got to be too much for their body to handle, before they fell unconscious and helpless to the whims of the universe surrounding them.

       (Of course, it wouldn't have killed them. The fainting alone was fairly harmless. However, doing so out in the middle of nowhere while bleeding and wounded was not an ideal fate for any creature to experience. Maybe the blood loss would not have killed them, but if something else of equal or greater strength to them discovered their unconscious body when they were that vulnerable...)

       They're... elsewhere, now, though they haven't the slightest clue where. Truthfully, it mattered not. All they were concerned with was whose side they were at; they were earnestly grateful that their parent had sensed their suffering and seen it fit to bring them somewhere safer.

       Tones soft and saccharine yet richly smooth and vaguely rumbling with the power of something ancient danced across their skin; the sound alone was enough to send a shiver up their spine and to raise goosebumps on their fragile, bleeding body. Undertones of pity and sorrow overwhelm the voice—if it had belonged to a human, perhaps they might say it sounded more akin to horror and shock.

       Actually, now that they thought about it, the chills may have very well been the blood loss... it was hard—if not downright impossible—to tell at this point.

       ...Not that it mattered, of course. Now that they were here, any suffering their child had unfairly endured would be undone and amended.

       "What have they done to you?"

       An unsteady hand dares to reach out to them, and the deity's face twists, displeased, in a way their child cannot quite describe. The flash of displeasure makes them worry through the dazed fog of blood loss that they gesture was unwelcome. Their gaze is quick to move elsewhere—looking so bodly at Yaoshi's face has always felt rude, anyways, so they're quick to look away at even the most minor allusion to disapproval, even though something at the back of their mind reassures them that their actions are hardly the cause of the Aeon's unrest.

       As fast as the concern arises, it dissloves into nothing.

       They did not even have the chance to shift, to pull their arm back, before Yaoshi takes their hand stained wine red, and bestows a tender kiss upon their aching knuckles. The pain is washed away in an instant; there was no trace of it ever having been there in the first place. No lingering ache, no soreness, just relief.

       Sanctus Medicus' touch alone—let alone their kiss—causes their body to have a reaction. The most concerning wound of all has begun closing, skin stitching itself together anew, even without the Aeon extending any of their power to do so. Simply existing in the deity's presence has already guaranteed the preservation of their life. A concern of death did not exist any longer.

       It was only really a halfhearted concern, anyway. Truly killing something like them would have taken an insurmountable showing of strength and wit. The Alliance only injured them; putting a complete end to their life was something their estranged siblings horribly failed to do.

       "G— Guardian, I—"

       A wave of coughs that they cannot suppress no matter how hard they try wracks their body, and they wince, abdomen sharply crying out in protest of the forceful motions. The healing process has not yet concluded, and any excess force or strain put on their body still causes them great discomfort.

       "Speak not," the Lord of Longevity murmurs, chiding, as their many hands gently guide their little one ever closer to their body until their child is strewn across their lap. Blood soaks into the the Aeon's robes, though they pay it no mind and instead opt to focus on the source of it. "Poor, sweet child... how much suffering have your siblings wrought upon you? How much cruelty have they extended? Limitless child, struck down by your limited siblings..."

       The sulking lasts for quite some time, but they feel no compulsion to complain about it. It doesn't even cross their mind once. If anything, Yaoshi's love for them is communicated perfectly through their distraught musings, and the attention makes their little one feel quite embarrassed, if anything at all.

       Embarrassed for not being able to defend themselves? Perhaps, though they would attribute it more to simply being overcome by the ever-abundant love the Aeon carried for them.

       Merciful nails stroke the hair from their face, and the Aeon's tens of thousands of eyes flick across their body, thoughtful and contemplative yet riddled with monumentally expansive layers of all-consuming pity and sympathy. To some, it may have been deeply unsettling to be stared at by something so unfathomably powerful, but they have long since grown used to being gazed at so intently. Yaoshi's affections are not subtle in any way, so having the Aeon's complete and undivided attention on them was an overwhelming feeling that they have learned to welcome with open arms.

       (Well...

       More or less 'complete and undivided'; they're fairly certain that Sanctus Medicus is still keenly aware of everything going on outside of this little oasis, still hearing prayers sent to them, still feeling the pains of death and sorrow that they'll undoubtedly seek out and quell to the best of their abilities in as many societies as possible once they've handled the nasty wound left on their favored child. An Aeon's attention is always divided at least somewhat, but it was not their place to complain about something so inevitable. Divided attention was only natural for cosmic beings, no?)

       It is warm. Peaceful.

       ...But only for a moment.

       Something—disappointment, sadness, perhaps even what could be described as fury—rolls off of the Aeon's being in suffocating waves undoubtedly capable of drowning entire civilizations. It is hard to breathe, somehow even harder than it was when their ribs were collapsed inwards and poking agonizingly at their viscera.

       This is worse.

       In an instant, something deep inside of them shatters, and their chest is seized by the grief and agony of millions and millions of beings. A wheeze is drawn from their chest as any clarity they had slowly gained back is snatched away in a mere second, replaced with terror and pain and screaming, so much screaming—

       Their head spins.

       If not for the Aeon of Abundance's presence, soft hushes and careful nails dragging soothingly over and across their skin on as many areas as they can reach at once, they're certain that these conditions would have made their mara flare. It doesn't, thankfully.

       Something about being held by the very deity who had given them their immortality in the first place soothes that side of them into submission, like a dog kneeling at its master's feet. If they listen closely, beyond the screaming and wailing and pleading for the agony to cease, they can hear adoring yet vague and indistinguishable whispers in the corners of their mind.

       Their mara is sated for the time being, but the storm of despair rages on.

       When the tears begin to fall, it is far beyond their control, impossible to stop no matter how much effort they put into doing so.

       It is immensely difficult for them to see through the hazy blur of their uncontrollable weeping, but their gaze still instinctively shifts up towards Yaoshi's face, the terror and nervousness swirling in their chest growing to be too much. In that moment, they were hardly any different than a child seeking reassurance from their parent; of course, the Aeon was all too happy to provide that to them.

       However...

       To their absolute dismay, though the Aeon's expression remains detached, soft, and thoughtful as ever, they are crying.

       Whatever cracking bits of their will that were still somehow clinging together were shattered beyond repair in a quick instant, and they sobbed harder, pressing close to their God in a feeble and weak attempt at taking some of the agony that their parent endured away.

       Between the sorrow, Yaoshi's tears ignited rage, boiling just beneath the surface of their skin and threatening to consume those who stood in its way. It is one thing to take up arms against them, but to make the Aeon of Abundance cry? It is nothing short of a crime, unforgivable and worthy of only the greatest punishment. If not for said deity's gentle kneading of their skin, easily making the rage dissolve into dazed serenity, they may have very well cut down entire armies, wounds be damned.

       ...But that is blatantly against Yaoshi's will at the moment (and more than likely in general, for such destruction is not in the nature of the path which they emanate), so they allowed the anger to be soothed.

       Concern—what could possibly have made something as incomprehensible as Yaoshi cry? Was it truly what the Xianzhou Alliance had done? And moreover, what can they do to stop it? To amend it without being disobedient?—was there, but they were moreso overwhelmed by absolute horror.

       ...

       Aeons are far above mortality, so far beyond humans and their concepts of everything. Nothing that applied to mortals applied the same to Aeons. They were concepts personified. Living ideologies.

       Seeing a being they had come to recognize as infallible, as the purest form of existence above all other creatures, a being of love and light crying?

       Oh, it sent endless ripples of fear and uncertainty blazing across their skin.

       If their will—the will of someone with a deep and intimate connection to the Aeon, someone who had been spared a beautiful fraction of their strength—was so effortlessly shattered by the Abundance's tears, what were other beings connected to them feeling in this moment?

       ...Far worse things, no doubt, but maybe some of them deserved it.

       (The distant screams, a cacophany of confusion and horror, of their siblings rang in their head. Sick satisfaction brewed in their chest at the sound. If any of the Alliance's fleets were mid-battle, there is not a single doubt in their mind that the entire fight will now be lost and in vain. It is only a small fraction of the pain that they were put through by those people, but it is more than enough.)

       One of Yaoshi's hands pets over their head fondly, and they hum through the tears and pain, eyelids fluttering closed as they press ever closer against the Aeon's collarbone.

       "The actions of your siblings will not go unpunished, precious one," they murmur, leaning down and pressing tender kisses to the battered flesh of their shoulder. Any bruises or scratches in that area disappear miraculously. "The suffering you have endured is unjust."

       "I trust in your judgement, Guardian."

       They could feel Yaoshi's smile against their skin, a stark contrast from the Aeon's tears, burning and stinging their skin yet somehow perpetuating their healing process.

       "Good."

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[blackenedsnow]

I’m not sure if this is considered an AU but could you do Shadow x fem teen reader in which the reader is the one to free shadow from his pod.

the reader is a gifted student but due to her smarts the students consider her perfect and snobby, which doesn’t make better with her parents divorce.

One day, the reader takes a stroll though the woods but gets lost as she goes deeper. however she stumbles upon a pod and hesitantly checks it out but she accidentally activates it which awakens Shadow. the reader gets frightened and runs away but Shadow chases after her and tries to reassure her that he won’t hurt her but keeps on running till she hits a dead end. the reader is unsure if she should defend herself or wait for a opening to make a break for it but Shadow manages to calm her down and he introduces himself, which the reader hesitantly introduces herself back. Shadow then thanks her for freeing him, which the reader says she didn’t too, only for him to bicker about it before continuing that for freeing him, he vows to protect and be a companion to the reader [ real reason is because she’s reminds him of Maria ] the readers gets a little freaked out and decides to make a break for it but Shadow stops her and tells her that with him around, she will be kept safe and wouldn’t be lonely. the reader thinks over and decides to trust him. over time, shadow and the reader slowly form a friendship and learn about each other and realize they have more things in common, as well as keeping him a secret from everyone else.

[[ platonic with angst please ]]

lost and found

WARNING: Themes of isolation, parental divorce, angst, and mild emotional distress.

PAIRING: Shadow the Hedgehog & (Fem) Teen! Reader

NOTE: Hey there! Thank you so much for sending in this request! I had such a fun time writing this, and I hope it turned out exactly how you envisioned.

SUMMARY: On a quiet day in the woods, you're struggling with your parents’ divorce and school bullying. You stumble upon a strange pod and accidentally free the ultimate lifeform.

The woods were the only place you found comfort these days, away from the incessant noise of your school life, your parents’ fighting, and the weight of being the so-called “perfect” student. The other kids saw you as unapproachable, a snob who thought she was better than everyone else just because you got the grades they couldn’t. But that wasn’t true at all. They didn’t see what it cost you to keep up the act—to always be “on.”

Your parents were getting divorced, and it felt like your world was splitting apart along with them. You’d overheard one too many arguments about whose fault it was, and you’d finally had enough. So you did what you usually did when things got unbearable: you left the house, your feet carrying you deep into the woods behind your neighborhood.

It was only after a while that you realized you didn’t recognize where you were anymore. The once-familiar paths twisted and turned, leaving you disoriented. A faint sense of unease crept over you, but you shook it off. Getting lost wasn’t that big of a deal. You’d find your way back eventually.

Right?

But something caught your eye—a metallic glint buried deep among the trees. Curiosity tugged at you, and before you knew it, you were heading toward it, your unease momentarily forgotten.

You stopped in your tracks when you saw it. A pod.

It looked old and weathered, like it had been hidden in the forest forever. Your heart raced as you hesitated. What the hell is this?

Unable to resist, you took a step closer, then another. The surface of the pod shimmered faintly under the filtered sunlight. There was a panel on its side, and against your better judgment, you reached out to touch it.

The moment your fingertips brushed against the panel, the pod lit up with a loud hiss, and steam erupted from its seams. You stumbled back in shock, watching wide-eyed as the metal casing slid open.

A figure slowly emerged from inside—a tall, black-and-red hedgehog, his eyes glowing an eerie crimson as he stood there, stretching like he’d just woken from a long sleep.

Fear shot through you like a bolt of lightning. You didn’t know what you had expected, but it definitely wasn’t this.

Panic set in, and before you could stop yourself, you turned on your heel and ran. Branches whipped against your skin as you tore through the forest, heart pounding in your ears.

“Wait!” a voice called after you. It was deep, commanding, and oddly… human.

You didn’t listen. You kept running, your legs burning, lungs aching, until you hit a dead end—a steep drop-off with no way down. Trapped.

Footsteps, fast and steady, approached from behind.

You spun around, pressing your back against the rock wall. The hedgehog stood a few feet away, his red eyes locked onto yours. You could feel the weight of his gaze, heavy and unreadable.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “I just want to talk.”

You didn’t trust him—not yet. “What… who are you?”

He took a step forward, and instinctively, you raised your arms in a poor attempt at self-defense, but he stopped in his tracks, raising his hands as though to show he meant no harm.

“My name is Shadow,” he said, his voice softening just a little. “You… you freed me. Why?”

“I didn’t mean to!” you blurted, feeling the tremor in your voice. “It was an accident.”

He tilted his head, considering your words. “Accident or not, you’re the reason I’m no longer trapped. For that, I owe you.”

His intense gaze suddenly shifted, softening as though he saw something in you that struck a nerve. You weren’t sure what it was, but the way he looked at you then—it was like he saw right through you, past all your walls, your fears, your struggles.

He was silent for a long moment, his eyes flickering with something you couldn’t quite place. Was it recognition? Sadness? Whatever it was, it made you uncomfortable. You had never been looked at like that before.

“You remind me of someone,” he said quietly, more to himself than to you.

You didn’t know what to say. Instead, you shuffled nervously, still contemplating whether you should try and run again.

But before you could move, Shadow stepped forward, closing the distance between you. His presence was imposing, yet there was no threat in his posture, only resolve.

“I owe you my freedom,” he said firmly. “And in return, I will stay by your side.”

You blinked up at him, your mind racing. This… this was too much. You barely knew this guy—this hedgehog. And now he was vowing to stay with you? To protect you?

You weren’t sure you wanted that. Not after everything. You were used to being on your own, even if it hurt. The idea of someone—anyone—being there for you sounded almost too good to be true.

“I… I don’t need—” you began, but the words caught in your throat.

Shadow stared at you, his expression unreadable but serious. “I’ll keep you safe.”

The sincerity in his voice made your resolve falter. You didn’t know why, but something about him—his determination, his loneliness—felt familiar. You’d been lonely for so long, and now here was this strange, powerful being offering his companionship, his protection.

A small part of you wanted to believe him, to trust him. But another part of you, the part that had been hurt too many times, screamed for you to run.

You hesitated for just a moment too long, and Shadow stepped closer, his gaze softening just a little more.

“Trust me,” he said quietly.

After what felt like an eternity, you nodded, your voice barely above a whisper. “Okay.”

And so it began.

Over time, you and Shadow formed an unlikely bond. You learned more about him—his past, his regrets, his connection to someone named Maria—and he learned about you—your loneliness, the struggles you faced at home and school. Slowly, you began to trust him, and in turn, he trusted you.

In Shadow, you found the companionship you’d been missing for so long. And in you, Shadow found someone to protect, someone who reminded him of what he had once lost.

And neither of you were alone anymore.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Doting husband being over protective? Yes please. Thank you!

It was taking an absurd amount of effort not to growl or glare. Bruce had to content himself with standing behind your chair and rubbing your shoulders.

You'd warned him what was going to happen. The endless demands and the frankly ridiculous comments. You'd warned him and yet- nothing could have prepared him for it.

"Dad, It's fine it doesn't have to be-"

"It's not fine. You're going to wind up getting divorced and you're not moving back home when it happens."

And that was the least offensive thing. Neither of them were happy for you. And he could feel the weight of all their expectations for you, bearing down on you. You were physically trembling under the pressure. You were the scapegoat and the golden goose at the same time. The one that was the cause of and solution to all of their problems.

"If that happens," Bruce said intervening, "she won't need to. I had her write the pre-nup herself." He hadn't. But if you wanted to he would have. Anything you wanted at that point. Instead you'd had a third party do it- worried about conflicts of interest. And the rumors that you were a gold digger.

"Maybe you're not as stupid-"

"Stop," Bruce said, his voice sinking into a growl. Just enough to make your father flinch. You didn't talk much about what growing up had been like. Not much beyond a few little funny stories. But. He'd done his homework. And he knew. And he wanted Rex to know he knew. "You're not going to talk to her like that."

"You want to make something of it?" he challenged.

"I'll let you swing first," Bruce said calmly- it wouldn't take much. Even if his public persona wasn't much for fighting. Rex was only tough enough to pick on little girls. People who weren't going to fight back.

"Probation, dad," you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. "If you go back you go all the way back and I JUST got you off your tether."

Rex growled but turned away, "C'mon Reyanne," he said.

"Thanks," she huffed following her husband as he stalked out of the room. "Next think you'll want me to wear pink to the wedding. Gag me."

For a moment, when they leave. As you listen to them bicker their way back out the front door, Bruce doesn't know what to say.

"Sweetheart I'm-"

"Don't apologize," you murmur. "I've had a lot longer to build up a callous. And a lot longer to wrap my head around the fact that they see love as transactional."

"You warned me," he said, kissing the top of your head. "I guess I just- didn't believe it."

"I've spent my whole life trying to make them love me," you say, voice wooden. "Like there's some kind of secret code that will make them act like parents but-" You break off and shrug. "I haven't found it yet... if getting engaged to a billionaire doesn't do it nothing will."

Bruce snorted and took a seat next to you, pulling you against his side, "Their loss, Sweetheart."

"I think you're biased-"

"Do you know how many people I went to school with whose parent's would KILL, probably literally, to have a kid that works as hard as you do?" He chuckled. "You're amazing. One of a kind... And I hate that they don't treat you like that. I'm just sorry I lost my temper."

"Please don't actually fight my dad."

"No promises," Bruce said lightly. "If I ever hear him call you stupid again he'll be lucky if he doesn't need a feeding tube."

"Bruce-"

"Of course it's not me doing it if Batman-"

"Bruce."

He heaved a put upon sigh and cuddled you closer, "Fine. Only because it'll upset you."

For a long moment, he let's you sit in silence. Stroking your hair and reminding you that he's there. Comforted that he knew you weren't with them. That you hadn't been alone and sad after they left. That you knew he wouldn't allow their worst behavior. "Are you hungry, Sweetheart? You hardly ate dinner."

"Just tired," you tell him. "They make me so tired."

"Let's go take a hot bath, huh?" Anything to have his girl feel better. And if it had the side effect of getting you naked well- he wasn't going to complain.

[megu-meow]

Whose fault is that?! - Gojo Satoru

Inspired by this post from @vagabond-umlaut. Thank you for allowing me to use your post as inspiration!

gojo x fem. reader

Arguing with Gojo is terrible. Your arguments last for days, because he can never take them seriously and makes you laugh, making you forget about why you were mad at him in the first place only to remind you a few days later by doing the same stupid shit.

The only instance that he took one of your fights seriously was when Geto started going berserk and Satoru didn't know how to deal with the situation at hand. He started drifting away from you unintentionally, slowly pushing you away. You confronted him about it after a while, asking him to change his behaviour, otherwise you would have no choice but to break up with him. He observed silently as tears were rolling down your cheeks, realising how much trouble he was in, how much you were hurting from his idiocy. That day, you saw a side of him you never knew existed, his cerulean eyes were glossing with tears, begging you to give him another chance to prove you how important you were for him, how much he loved and cherished you. He was more serious than ever, he never showed that level of earnestness in his entire life, not for the elders of his clan, not for the jujutsu higher-ups. You learned that day that he was right: there was no use in taking fights and arguments too seriously, at the end of the day you were partners for life and as long as your relationship was alright no issues mattered enough to be sour about them.

But this one's a big one.

"Satoru, I understand that you have to work a lot. I understand, when you don't come home for days, because you have paperwork to do. I asked you once to fucking show up, to have dinner with my parents. But no, you had to go watch Boss Baby 2 with Yuji Itadori for the 5th time this week, bailing on me and my parents. Do you have any idea how furious my dad was, Baka?"

In reality, Gojo did not go to the cinema to watch that stupid animated movie, he had to go to Kyoto to pick up the ring he ordered a while ago, he wanted to show it to your dad so that he could ask for his permission to marry you. He ran into some trouble on his way back to Tokyo, a special grade humanoid curse wreaking havoc in the train station in Roppongi, close to your favorite flower shop, one he visited to get a blatantly oversized bouquet of peonies. If the curse didn't show up, he would have made it to dinner in time, giving you the flowers he had irritably lost while fighting, with a kiss to your lips. He would have waited for you to excuse yourself from the table to go to the bathroom, he would have gotten the velvet box out of the pockets of his fancy slacks, showing the diamond that mimicked the color of his unique eyes to your father, asking for his approval. However, by the time he got to the restaurant you were already done with dinner and were on your way home. He did catch your parents though, they were waiting for their car, he did explain the situation to your dad, your mom's eyes were full of tears as they both hugged him, gladly accepting him into your family.

"We had to go watch it again baby 'cause Sukuna kept showing up, making Yuji miss some of the best parts." he said nonchalantly, trying to make you smile.

"I don't care, Gojo!" you said furiously, flabbergasted by the audacity of the man in front of you "I'm done. You know what?! I want a fucking divorce!"

By the time you finished your sentence you voice was laced with laughter, not taking the fight too seriously always helped, you knew he was planning to atone for his wrongdoing with your parents, making a reservation at the world's best restaurant's convenient Tokyo pop-up. However, you still wanted to make him understand how annoying it was, being ignored for 5 night in a row for the same dumb movie.

"BABY, WE'RE NOT EVEN MARRIED!" he shouted back, smiling widely. He knew the argument was over, you were joyous, your smile intoxicating. He enjoyed how lighthearted these moments were, nothing seemed to be complicated or exhausting when it came to you, one of the main reasons why he wanted to marry you.

"AND WHOSE FUCKING FAULT IS THAT, 'TORU?!"

"Oh, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into, my mochi." he says, trowing finger guns at you with a mischievous wink. He sprints out of the living room, taking long strides with his chicken legs. You observe him with confusion and you are urged to follow after him. "Stay exactly where you are!" he shouts from what you assume your bedroom and you can hear shuffling, the sound of his sock drawer opening with a screech, you can also hear glass breaking, he probably knocked over the vase sitting on top of his dresser. You look down the hallway leading to your shared bedroom and he appears at the end of it, his smile reaches his pretty eyes as he sprints back to you, but the floor is slippery and he falls, landing in front of you with one of his arms lifted towards the sky, a velvet box sitting on top of his palm. Your eyes widen at the sight of the white gold band with the blatantly oversized diamond attached to it. He was groaning under his nose, whining about hitting his elbow, but he shows no effort of getting up.

"YES, SATORU, YES!" You shout in excitement, he didn't pop the question, but you knew your answer without hesitation. He smiles widely, looking up to meet your eyes, but you land on top of him with a huff, linking your arms around his neck, leaving a million kisses on his face. The whole situation is comical, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He takes pride in how excited you are, how you're laughing and giggling in eagerness. You're his everything, the diamond ring is the reminder that you will be his everything forever.

"I love you." he says quietly, getting up from the floor with you hanging around his body like a koala.

"I love you too, Satoru!" you whisper back gently, leaving a soft kiss on the spot behind his ear, which causes a shiver going through his body.

"Do you love me enough to marry me, mochi?" he asks timidly, afraid from rejection. It doesn't make a lot of sense, he knows you would say yes, you basically did already, but he feels the need to ask and with the question comes the possibility for rejection.

"Of course, silly! I would marry you today if I could." you answer, shuffling his soft hair gently. "But you will have to ask for my dad's permission and I'm not sure he would grant it to you after the shit you pulled, baby."

"I'm way ahead of you, pretty. I asked him yesterday after dinner. He even said he was excited fro me to become part of your family."

"But you weren't at dinner yesterday, 'toru..." you look at him questioningly, remembering your fight from earlier. "You didn't actually go to the movies, did you?"

"No, I didn't." he smiles widely.

"Then where were you?"

"Picking up a diamond ring in Kyoto so that I could propose mid-fight to my crazy little girlfriend." he says nonchalantly.

You want to be mad at him for lying to you. You want to scold him, for being secretive and always doing this dumb stuff. But you love him for his idiotic behaviour. You love him for his shenanigans. You are reminded about all the silly shit he pulls as he carefully slips the ring on your finger, the glimmering diamond matching the glint of his pretty eyes. You forget about your argument, you forget about all the other fights, because with Satoru around everything seems to be a bit silly and crazy.

[k7l4d4]

K Reviews and Rants: Miraculous Ladybug Season 5! Episode 24

Hello all! Here we are, just two episodes before this fiasco of a season finishes, and if I'm being honest? This review is one I've been looking forward to the most.

Now, there is... not much going on this episode. On one hand is a lazy Akuma fight, on the other is a bad and overly dramatic play.

This episode is the one where the writers' go all in on trying to make the audience like and sympathize with Felix. And... it kinda falls flat on its face because it glosses over, retcons, and straight-up ignores all the times Felix has been nothing but a selfish, manipulative weasel whose actions have done nothing but hurt Adrien. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

One of the most prominent things about this episode is that it has Felix and Kagami detail the history of the Agreste family, and one thought was screaming through my mind after seeing all of it... Emilie was a spoiled BRAT.

To explain what I mean, the play basically starts off by implying Emilie and Amilie's parents were tight-fisted and controlling, so Emilie rebelled and forged her own path in life... but that's not what was shown. Beyond a vague comment on 'making' Emilie fall in line, by all accounts the Graham de Vanily's let Emilie run wild as a child and did nothing to curb her tendency to run away from her lessons to do her own thing, and even as an adult, they funded and enabled her desire to study abroad and see the world without a word of complaint. And she was the twin expected to be the family heir; by all rights, Emilie should've been under incredible scrutiny... yet her family let her get away with just about whatever she wanted.

The one time they put their foot down with Emilie? When she met and started dating Gabriel. The narrative likes to paint Gabe as having once been an idealistic young man... but given how he and Emilie apparently always kept Adrien isolated from other people, the way this situation is framed feels more like Emilie's parents finally had enough when she expected them to approve of her rushing to get married to a guy she had apparently barely known... and Emilie's response was to disown them. Not her parents disowning their disobedient daughter, but said DAUGHTER cutting out her parents for the crime of not approving of her boyfriend. Oh, and lets not forget how Emilie essentially stole a family heirloom to use as her and Gabe's wedding rings! Not a word of complaint from her parents then either.

And yet, when Emilie had fertility troubles, and swallowed her pride to come to her family for support, they welcomed her with open arms. We aren't given any word on what rejoining the family entailed or what responsibilities Emilie was expected to maintain, yet, despite not being made to cut off or divorce the husband her parents never approved of and being given all the support she required, the narrative treats Emilie as having made a great sacrifice.

Then... we get to the Amilie side of things. Unlike her sister, who ran wild, Amilie was a more quiet kid, and acted as the dutiful daughter her parents allegedly wanted, doing all she could to meet their expectations. We aren't given any word on how they treated her, but given how she apparently married a weapons manufacturer from the United States at their behest, the implication is that they were controlling... but given how they, I cannot reiterate this enough, did nothing to rein in Emilie doing her own thing all this time and let her get away with stealing a family heirloom, I'm willing to give them the slight benefit of the doubt that if Amilie had stated she didn't want to marry Colt or later asked for a divorce, they wouldn't have been against her doing so.

That brings me to Colt. Colt is presented by the narrative as a cold-blooded, black-hearted businessman who only cares about himself. Yet, prior to Felix being created, his big "crimes" amount to "makes weapons for a living" and "married a woman who didn't love him." Here's where I get to theorizing again; when Amilie and Emilie BOTH started having fertility issues, it was presented as a big problem for both of them, even though while the narrative insists upon how much Emilie wanted a child, and believed her and Gabe's "love" couldn't be complete without one, Amilie never seems to care about having a kid beyond meeting her family's expectations. Yet, when Gabe and Emilie manage to get the Peacock and Emilie uses it to conceive, a furious Colt later comes in and demands to know how they did it.

Gabe's answer? Coyly avoid answering the question by claiming "it's a miracle." Which, at it's core, speaks volumes of Gabe's personality. For a person the narrative treats as a former idealist and artistic soul, the only person who he seemed to ever show that side to was Emilie. To everyone else, even his own brother in law, he comes off as apathetic, sarcastic, and smug. It took Emilie basically demanding Gabe help them for him to do so (I'll give her props for wanting to help out her sister, at least), and even THEN, he refused to do so for free, extorting a promise of a bodyguard from Colt. How in the world is a man who would hold hostage the gift of life over his own family's heads for his own gain supposed to be a good person?

Even when he DOES finally give the Peacock to Colt, temporarily, so as to ensure Amilie can have a child, the closest thing to a warning he gives to Colt is that the Peacock "has a price for its use." This... this is where things get messy for me. See, what this implies is that, before Adrien had even been born, or just shortly after being born, Gabe and Emilie knew full well that the Peacock would have consequences for its use, possibly DEADLY ones. Gabe had YEARS to come to terms with the fact that his wife was most likely going to die, YEARS to prepare himself emotionally... and yet, when it actually happened, he shut down, and immediately started preparing on how to best go about ignoring all of her wishes to selfishly bring her back, for his own happiness. Because in the end, that's the cold hard fact of the matter; for all he tries to frame it as being all for Adrien, given how he had no problems keeping Adrien isolated and alone throughout his whole childhood and repeatedly tried to keep him from attending school with other people his age, it becomes apparent that he's just using Adrien as an excuse to justify his own inability to move on with his life.

And what makes his granting the Peacock to Colt so egregious to me, honestly, is just how vague he's shown to be. He didn't even tell Colt the thing was damaged and that there were risks involved in its use. He said nothing beyond "it has a price." Does Colt seem like the man who is knowledgeable on magical artifacts or lore? To me, he doesn't. So, what this comes off to me as is Gabe essentially deliberately giving Colt unhelpful advice because he knows it won't stop him. To me, it feels like Gabe set Colt up to DIE. It wouldn't be the first time; we know he masterminded the death of Fei's adoptive father in the Shanghai special, after all.

But yeah, that misinformation Gabe spread to Colt feels like it comes into play rather quickly; namely, whereas Gabe eagerly embraced the new child he and Emilie created, having full knowledge of what using the Peacock entailed and what it meant, Colt, who had no real clue as to how it worked beyond Gabe's unhelpful words, was wary and frightened. One could interpret his hesitance to embrace Felix's existence after it was confirmed Amilie was pregnant as his being worried he had somehow hurt his wife... or just plain having jitters about being a father, which is a very normal reaction. Not everyone in life leaps at the knowledge that they are going to be a parent, even those that want to be one.

Then we get into the details of the Fathom family's home life after Felix was born. I'll be blunt; child abuse is NEVER okay, under any circumstances, and how Colt treated Felix is entirely on him. No matter what mind games Gabe might've been playing with him, it was Colt's own choice to take his fears and paranoia and failing health out on his son, someone he was supposed to love and protect unconditionally. Shame that the writers seem to think child abuse only "counts" if it happens to someone the audience is meant to sympathize with...

I'm not gonna go into too much detail regarding Felix's life, since beyond being treated like crap by his dad and nearly dying when Colt accidentally cracks the ring he anchored Felix's existence to in a fit of rage, Felix's life has little to nothing to do with his actions; the show tries to present his arriving at the Agreste Manor as him looking for the Peacock in order to save his own life... yet he never once bothers looking for it, and instead spends his entire time going out of his way to ruin Adrien's social life and later stealing the heirloom rings Emilie had stolen to use as her and Gabe's wedding rings to give to his mother.

There's a LOT I could cover here. I've already covered a ton. So I'm gonna simplify my thoughts; I think that this entire story that Felix told is based on Amilie's perspective of things, and what it tells me is that I think Amilie was jealous of Emilie, or rather, jealous of her life. Whereas Amilie felt forced to do what her parents wanted, despite them letting Emilie run wild, and married a man she didn't love, whereas Emilie chose her own partner, it comes off as Amilie romanticizing and idealizing Emilie's life while ignoring how Emilie's attitude comes off largely as entitled to getting her way and honestly a bit selfish. Amilie wanted what Emilie had, and while she may not have resented her sister for it, that want covers every aspect of the story, in how it glorifies Gabe as this dashing romantic who came from nothing yet degrades her own husband as someone she was forced to be with.

Honestly, Colt comes off as someone who fits the mold of "good husband, bad father." Given how Amilie's parents were willing to let Emilie do just about whatever (side note: the play also glorifies Emilie cutting them out of her life, treating it as a big romantic gesture instead of an act of petty spite at them not being perfectly supportive in all things she chose to do), I wouldn't be surprised if Colt genuinely was interested in Amilie and approached her parents for her hand in marriage because it was what an "old-fashioned gentleman" and someone of high society and old nobility like the Graham de Vanily's are implied to be would be expected to do. It comes off as an infatuated rich man expecting to have a happy life with a woman who is only marrying him out of obligation, and when he learns that his, in his mind, spoiled and ungrateful sister-in-law and her husband managed to overcome her fertility troubles yet didn't share the method with her own sister, got pissed off about it.

I do not think Colt is a good man. But I think that, if the writing were more realistic, the situation would be far more complicated and gray then the show insists it is. In the end, however, we are only going off of what Felix says things were like... and given his track record for lying, I can't say I trust him at all.

Anyway, that's my monologue over, onto the review! As always, warning for my profanity.

Episode 24: Representation

Yadda yadda, normal pretentious intro that blatantly lies that Marinette is a "normal girl with a normal life."

Okay, opening with the news, and it's in Britain we are starting with. Props for them actually showing off the new location, even if I don't really care. Honestly baffled that the opening news story is about Paris' elections. I have to ask, is that any kind of normal?? From my experience, unless it's something genuinely major like the new leader of an entire country, most news organizations are not gonna give a shit about the election of a Mayor, even if that Mayor is for a country's capital.

Aanndd... the news is immediately shit by auto-hyping Ms. Bustier as "going the distance." Which is just... why? She's someone with no experience, no training, no background in ANY KIND OF POLITICS. What makes her seem a choice to "go the distance"? Also, apparently Tomoe and Gabriel have been boosting their PR Game to ensure that their preferred narrative is in control; now if only Gabe could apply that kind of competency towards being a villain, and he wouldn't be such a fucking joke.

"Perfect Love" NOPE NOPE NOPE!!! For fuck's sake, the way this show keeps throwing around "perfect" so much, it's rapidly becoming a berserk button for me. For FUCK'S SAKE, WHY ARE PEOPLE IN-UNIVERSE OBSESSING OVER A TEENAGE COUPLE SO MUCH!? GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!!! THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE THEN ROMANCE PEOPLE!!!

Also, why are they describing Britain as "going over seas" for Kagami and Adrien? Granted, I'm shit at geography, but I'm pretty sure they are STILL IN EUROPE. If they'd gone to New York or something, I might've bought it. This, this is just fucking LAZY. Oh, and my obligatory ADRIEN CAN JUST HAVE A LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP WITH MARINETTE WHY IS THAT SO FUCKING HARD TO UNDERSTAND FOR PEOPLE!?!?

...Okay, someone who looks like Adrien saying "Kagami is the greatest love of my life," yup that's Felix, WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU FUCKING MORON!? FOR FUCK'S SAKE, YOU ARE ACTIVELY DAMAGING ADRIEN'S REPUTATION ALL OVER AGAIN YOU FUCKING JACKASS!!! Or maybe it is Adrien, and he's letting Gabe push him around because "reasons" again. Seriously, this whole Sentimonster shit is just BULLSHIT!!! Oh, and Plagg once again pointing out how Adrien lets himself get pushed around by his dad is spot on. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BOY WHO BROKE OUT OF HIS OWN HOUSE TO GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOL, HUH!?!?

Yup, Kagami gets pissed off about the lies... then the Feathered Fucker shows up. Howdy Argos!! What hypocritical bullshit are you gonna spill today!? Also, for real, I cannot tell if this "interview" is something that Tomoe and Gabe whipped up on a computer and sold to news groups, or if they are literally spineless enough to just meekly go along with their parents' toxic demands, despite actively working to DEFY THEIR PARENTS IS LITERALLY THE ENTIRE CORE OF THEIR CHARACTERS!!! FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!

Aanndd Argos drew a heart. Vomit. I am literally feeling sick to my fucking stomach. Nope, NO FUCKING GIGGLING OVER THE ASSHOLE WHO LITERALLY GENOCIDED THE ENTIRE CITY NOT EVEN A MONTH AGO!!! HE IS NOT SOME MISUNDERSTOOD WOOBIE, HE IS A PSYCHO THE NARRATIVE IS TRYING TO PRETEND DID NOTHING FUCKING WRONG!!! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!!!

"I can never seem to go against my father," OH, I WONDER WHY THE FUCK NOT!? Also, that is blatantly untrue, since if he couldn't ever go against his father, HE NEVER WOULD'VE MET MARINETTE TO START WITH!!! "I can go see her as often as I want as Astro-Cat!" Or, you could JUST FUCKING VIDEO CHAT WITH HER!!! For fuck's sake, YOU CAN JUST HAVE A LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP!!! IT IS NOT THAT COMPLICATED!!!

Now, we're back in Paris, and apparently it's still night, I guess? This... what the fuck is this? How the fuck is this even happening!? I'm just totally confused on how the timing is supposed to be working. Marinette's still a weepy mess from the last episode, no sympathy from me because of the rampant character assassination from last episode, fucking deal with it people. I have no care for Marinette's feelings at this point because this series has just butchered her for the sake of dragging out this nonsensical drama FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME!!!

Marinette... shut up. Stop with the "fought so hard for this happy ending" you have done JACK AND SHIT up until relatively recently doing the bare fucking minimum, and have routinely blown every chance to do something meaningful because you are that much of a fucking disaster. Grow the fuck up, and get the fuck over your hurt feelings. If you ever thought convincing Gabe was in the cards, you are fucking delusional. This is the man who explicitly stated that he would ruin you if you kept trying to pursue his son and has kept his son essentially trapped for the vast majority of his life. You are an absolute moron if you thought there would be any other outcome by going for this option.

NO Tikki, she ISN'T brave. She's a fucking coward who has wussed the fuck out on every fucking chance to grow the fuck up and act her fucking age, and acts as if she deserves a fucking medal for "putting on a brave face for her friends" instead of admitting she uses other people to ignore her own problems while also forcing them to DEAL with her problems because she can't get the fuck over herself. What, you think she'll never love again!? BULLSHIT!! THAT IS NOT HOW LOVE WORKS!!! THAT IS NOT HOW PEOPLE WORK!! THIS IS A GUY YOU HAVE DONE THE BARE MINIMUM TO LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT AND HAVE KNOWN FOR LESS THEN A FUCKING YEAR, GROW THE HELL UP!!!

And of course her "friends" made a big spectacle out of her arriving, on the stupid fucking assumption that Adrien would be with her. For fuck's sake, I forget, did Adrien ever tell ANYONE that he was leaving!? Some friend. Some friends. This... this is shit.

Oh, and Argos and Kagami are spying on the dance, and Kagami is spilling Marinette's secret... oh, and the obligatory flashback detailing how she found out just makes her falling for Lila's lies about Marinette not being her "real friend" EVEN FUCKING STUPIDER because she is literally overhearing a damn good reason why Marinette doesn't tell her some things and isn't always able to spend time with her, and yet she falls for Lila's bullshit hook, line, and sinker. Someone get me a fucking drink.

"It's the only possible explanation." Yeah, because overhearing Marinette confessing to have a Miraculous still despite all the Temp Heroes being gone clearly has SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!!! Seriously, the way they try to frame this stupidity as some brilliant deduction instead of something being blatantly obvious is obnoxious.

"Do you think she can be trusted?" Felix, YOU HAVE NO FUCKING RIGHT TO SAY THAT WHEN YOU ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVING HAWKMOTH ALL THE MIRACULOUSES BESIDES YOUR OWN, CHAT NOIR's, AND LADYBUG'S!!!

"We don't have a choice." No Kagami, you very much do have a choice, AND IT IS A FUCKING EASY ONE. Since when are you this much of an obnoxious idiot?! Oh yeah, since this season.

"My mother and Gabriel Agreste will never allow us to love each other." For fuck's sake, Kagami, YOU DO NOT EVEN KNOW THIS FUCKING PSYCHO, AND YOUR LOVE LIFE IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THIS FUCKING SCENARIO, GET THE FUCK OVER YOURSELF!!! They really are just trying to make her a re-skin of Marinette.

"Without you, I never would've had the courage to run for mayor!" Yeah, no. Fuck that. She had nothing to do with you running for an office you are entirely unqualified to hold.

Oh, and has anyone else noticed that Argos is still using the same transformation and de-transformation phrases as Mayura? The supervillain who has been enabling Hawkmoth? Huh, almost makes you think HE IS STILL A BAD GUY!!!

It's really fucking stupid how this show is already presenting Caline winning the election as a guarantee, or that she'd even have that much influence. Seriously, this show doesn't even pretend to present the complexities of being an elected official appropriately. The Ghost and Molly McGee presented how being an elected official works better, and it's aimed at the same target audience, so this sloppy presentation has no excuse.

Oh, and Marinette is now rushing at Felix, once more impersonating his cousin, and isn't stopping to question how the FUCK 'Adrien' could even be IN THE CITY when she LITERALLY SAW HIM FLYING OFF ON A PLANE!! Speaking of which, HOW AND WHEN WAS FELIX ABLE TO GET BACK TO PARIS WITH KAGAMI!? ADRIEN APPARENTLY LITERALLY LEFT TODAY, AND FELIX DOESN'T HAVE ANY FAST TRAVEL POWER-UPS LIKE ASTRO-CAT!!! God fucking dammit, they aren't even trying.

NOW her classmates notice that Marinette clearly isn't feeling well, bravo, much surprise. Much skill.

Oh, and Marinette walks in on Nathaniel and Marc holding hands, and they notice she's crying.

I'm just gonna say it, Felix deciding that THIS, essentially gaslighting Marinette with Adrien's image rather then just, you know, WAITING UNTIL SHE'S ALONE AND PULLING HER ASIDE, in order to draw her away from the crowd and talk to her is just plain fucking cruel. Because that's what this is; gaslighting. Also, just hit me that the writers' establishing that Kagami knew Marinette's identity (or at least heavily suspected) but didn't hit her with the "Alix Card" like they did Luka is a fucking blatant double-standard and retcon.

This gaslighting routine Felix has going is just disgusting. This is abusive. I have little to no sympathy regarding Marinette, and even I think that this is a needlessly toxic and cruel way to get her attention. Heck, he literally could've just placed himself somewhere in her line of sight in Argos mode and gestured that he needed to speak with her; this? This is just tormenting her for no goddamn reason. Fuck this asshole.

And now Alya and Nino are there, and they think she's just imagining things. GREAT JOB, FELIX!!!

"What if he's come home?" MARINETTE THAT IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE. HE LEFT LITERALLY THIS NIGHT THERE IS NO WAY (as far as you know) HE COULD'VE MADE THE DISTANCE BACK TO PARIS!!! Goddammit these dumbass writers are almost making me feel bad for her. And all it took was them making the guy they went out of their way to go "no really, he's just misunderstood!" over emotionally torture her with the image of her boyfriend. Also, seriously, HOW DO PEOPLE NOT GET YOU CAN JUST HAVE A LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP!? IS THAT REALLY SUCH A STRANGE IDEA!?!?

Also, another thing that makes the time zones weird. I literally just looked up how long it takes to get to London from Paris. By car, it would take just a little bit over five hours. It really isn't that far, so why the fuck is Adrien in bright sunshine while the Parisian cast is currently in night time??

Also, I fucking hate how they keep using "ending" to describe things. Like, right after Nino suggests they find a way to go visit him (FUCKING FINALLY THEY HAVE NINO BE A BRO AND IT IS TOO FUCKING LITTLE TOO FUCKING LATE!!!), Alya describes this as "not the ending they expected." Because for FUCKS SAKE this is not the end of the world or even their god awful relationship!! They can call, they can video chat, they can text, heck they could literally just beg their parents to take a roadtrip and surprise him if they wanted it bad enough, WHY THE HELL IS EVERYONE ACTING LIKE THIS IS THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD!?!? I can get and even accept that Marinette has a right to be sad, but everyone, and I do mean fucking EVERYONE, is treating this like it's the death of her precious relationship. It's barely a fucking SET BACK if they honestly want to pursue it still.

Oh, now we get Tomoe and Gabe throwing a hissy fit over their dolls children are missing, with Gabe going to look for Nathalie, who is sick in bed. Oh, and also watching those dumb as shit video diaries from Emilie. It'd be easier to by that she "just wants Adrien to be free" when she was complicit in Adrien living in isolation his entire life up until now. And her watching those videos on LOOP doesn't make Nathalie a good person, writers, she has known about them this entire time and STILL was fully complicit in Gabe's efforts to keep Adrien under his thumb. Stop babying her and have her face the consequences of her aiding and abetting a terrorist like a fucking adult.

Also, why the fuck is Gabe assuming Nathalie would know where Adrien is, or why she would even tell him!? Bullshit attempt at making her sympathetic aside, she's very visibly IN NO SHAPE to have helped him, and wouldn't tell Gabe anything. Oh, and Gabe FINALLY seems to FUCKING GET THAT NATHALIE IS NOT ON HIS FUCKING SIDE!!! Little bit late for that, Gabe, considering she once put you in a fucking armlock and called you insane to your face. Are you delusional or just stupid!? ...probably both.

And it's ONLY NOW that he takes the Ring from her. NOW. God fucking DAMMIT, none of this is adding tension. This is literally Gabe just being too fucking stupid in that he's only taking actions to consolidate his power AFTER DOING SO NO LONGER MATTERS. This man is not competent. This man is a rabid DOG that needs to be put down before he gets people killed.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! I'm sure he went to find her!" Wow, it's as if it's the obvious thing to do after someone forcibly separates you against your will from your girlfriend! Seriously, this is not a big brain moment for Gabe, this is him realizing the fucking obvious way too fucking late, as per usual.

Okay, now we actually get a moment of Gabe using his brain by using an Akuma as a spying tool- Nevermind, he's just Akumatizing himself, AGAIN, to try and scare Adrien out into the open and obeying him, because OBVIOUSLY that won't backfire and doesn't involve him pointlessly putting himself at risk of getting captured and defeated for good!!

One thing that really baffles me about this current stupidity is how Gabe doesn't seem to question how Adrien would even be able to GET to Marinette, you know, considering that even if he left, Adrien would still have to travel from London all the way to Paris, and it's not like he can get on a plane in anything approaching a timely manner!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled instance of Marinette being gaslit by Felix!! Felix leads Marinette away from the party (still wearing Adrien's get-up), and Adrien himself arrives and overhears his "friends" talking about Marinette and Adrien not being there. Heck, Nino even mentions that they would've helped him if he just told him! Which, yeah, they would've, nice going leaving all your friends, not just your girlfriend, in the lurch like that bud. But I'm laughing at Nino going "his dad can't have that much control over him." Do- do the writers not understand how parental rights and guardianship WORK?? Unless they can hire a good lawyer and make a rock-solid case why Gabe shouldn't have guardianship over Adrien anymore, there is jack-shit they could've done... not that I think Adrien was thinking about that in the slightest when he made his decision to keep it all to himself.

Nighttormenter, and WOW that is a crappy name, having the power to make their worst nightmares come to life would be more effective if it wasn't limited to just them having an image appear briefly in their heads. Like, it's a fucking waste; this is a power literally BUILT for emotional torment, and could give insights into the thoughts of his enemies, and it's a fucking let-down because it does nothing other then make people collapse to the ground clutching their heads. Like, we KNOW he could've made it do more, we've literally seen a better version of this power with Sandboy, why the FUCK is this the best he can do!?

And after Nighttormentor runs for the hills to try and find where Marinette is (despite LITERALLY having a power that causes immediate debilitating suffering and Chat Noir right in front of him), Nino decides to get... sigh... "The Resistance" involved. Which I can't even pretend to take seriously.

Marinette rushing after Felix through the streets of Paris... what is the point of all this? Like, for real, he had PLENTY of chances and ways he could've covertly taken her aside and talked with her. All this? This is just torturing her by forcing her to run through the city (is she wearing HEELS!?) in the vain hope she'll see her boyfriend again after watching him be dragged away onto a plane before.

...It's the school. He went to all the freaking trouble of gaslighting her by imitating Adrien, leading her on a goose chase throughout Paris, crying her eyes out while dressed in clothing absolutely inappropriate for running through the streets at night, just to get to the school. (Inhales deeply) FELIX YOU ABSOLUTE MOTHERFUCKING COCKEATING PISS-SOCKET SON OF CANNIBALISTIC WHORE I AM GOING TO RIP YOUR SPINE OUT AND MAKE A BACKSCRATCHER FROM IT YOU PIECE OF UNSANITARY SELF-SERVING SLIME BALL!!!!!

Okay, glad I got that out. That was... a very ugly feeling.

Oh wow, the room he lead her all over Paris to had a picture of her and Adrien and now she's crying over it, way to go Felix, you must feel so proud of yourself! Hey, Kagami, what a catch, right? You must feel so happy your boytoy tormented your alleged friend, don't you? After all, you wouldn't go along with all this nonsense if you didn't approve, right? You wouldn't torture someone you call a friend just because, right? THERE IS SOME DEEPER, HUMANE REASON BEHIND ALL THIS, RIGHT!?!?

"The reason we're doing this Duusu is because we're hoping for a happy ending!" ...How. IN WHAT FUCKING WORLD DOES EMOTIONALLY TORMENTING HER AND MAKING HER CRY HER EYES OUT AFTER MAKING HER THINK HER BOYFRIEND CAME BACK FOR HER EQUATE TO A HAPPY FUCKING ENDING YOU PIECE OF FILTH!?!?

"Then it's wonderful!" Duusu... I'm gonna bitch-slap you.

"Oh Amok, let our thirst for truth take shape! I am giving you life so that you can bring the truth to light." ...Get the fuck out. GET THE FUCK OUT. SHUT THE FUCK UP, GET OUT, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THAT FUCKING CHICKEN SUIT NOW YOU CONDESCENDING PIECE OF SHIT!!!! YOU HAVE NO FUCKING RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT BRINGING THE TRUTH TO LIGHT WHEN YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT LIE, MANIPULATE, AND TORMENT EVERYONE YOU CLAIM YOU CARE ABOUT WITHOUT GIVING A SINGLE FUCK ABOUT THE INNOCENTS CAUGHT IN THE FUCKING CROSSFIRE!!

Alright, a reprieve from my burning anger, Nighttormentor is in Marinette's room and throwing a hissy fit over her creepy love shrine to Adrien. It'd be understandable if it weren't for the fact his hatred is because someone HE didn't pick DARES to pursue his "creation." And after briefly subduing Chat Noir, Nighttormentor once again misses a prime opportunity to subdue him and take his Miraculous, because obviously missing out on the perfect chance to accomplish his ultimate goal right here and now is worth being a parasitic control freak towards the poor boy who has the misfortune of being his son.

One dive through Voyage alongside Nighttormentor, and now back to our regularly scheduled bullshit!

...This is really the best he could come up with. Having an Amok put on... a bad play involving him and Kagami acting out roles on screen. Instead of, you know, just TELLING HER THE TRUTH!?

I would face-palm at Marinette automatically assuming she's looking at "Adrien" and Kagami if it weren't for the fact that FELIX HAS BEEN FUCKING GASLIGHTING THE HELL OUT OF HER ALL FUCKING NIGHT!!!

Okay, play begins, and he's... telling her about the backstory of the Graham de Vanily twins (Amilie and Emilie).

Now back to Nighttormentor! Somehow we missed a bunch of steps since Nighttormentor is staring out at fireworks on a rooftop, and Chat Noir is somehow far enough behind him he needs to make a running attack... Seeing how THIS occurred would be more interesting than whatever fever dream Gaslight Piss-stain and the Wind-up Doll that is his Girlfriend cooked up. And NOW the Akuma FINALLY focuses on what Akumas are MEANT to focus on and gives Chat Noir his full attention rather than wasting his time throwing his little hissy fit, and all it took was Chat calling him out on being a shit dad!!

The one thing I'll say about this episode, even discounting the gaps in fight scenes, the current battle between Chat Noir and Nighttormentor is actually entertaining. Like, him timing a Voyage to perfectly dodge Chat Noir's attack, and Chat Noir landing so hard he shatters the ground behind Nighttormentor, while snarling that he's a coward. Why can't we see Adrien LIKE THIS as a civilian, instead of a mopey brat? WHY!?

Back to the shitty play, apparently "Daughter One" was a wild child who went against her parents' wishes to live her own life whenever she could, whereas "Daughter Two" was an indoors kid who wanted her parents' approval. Still no fucking clue why Marinette needs to KNOW ANY OF THIS BULLCRAP. Oh, and apparently Marinette is actually invested in the play. Not sure why, since if I was in her shoes, I'd have been pissed and screaming at the two by this point for dragging her all over town, tormenting her by making her think Adrien was back, and taking her away from her friends... for a FUCKING PLAY.

And apparently Emilie and Amilie's parents were control freaks. No clue if that's true or not, or if it's the biases of Amilie bleeding into Gaslighting Shit-Weasel, who bleeds it into the play. Either way, it fits the "All Rich People are Evil Bastards (unless I say they aren't)" attitude Astruc has going on in the writing.

Okay, "Daughter One" is Emilie, and they described her immediately finding "true love in a humble tailor." Now, to avoid going on a screaming rant again, I'm just gonna summarize what's wrong with this scene: firstly, it once again pins "true love" onto a relationship and idealizes romance without engaging with the toxic elements that can occur, acting as if Emilie and Gabe's relationship HAD to have been pure and wholesome without any issues, because 'that's how romance works' or some shit. Secondly, it carries the common undercurrent of the show demonizing wealth and success by implying that the "Gabe" Emilie fell in love with is practically a different person from Gabriel Agreste, treating Gabe as having once been a kind, loving man... while once again ignoring how Emilie and Gabe both kept Adrien isolated and controlled throughout his entire childhood, and both were complicit in keeping him alone.

Oh, and the fact it had Kagami (As "Emilie") swooning in Felix's arms is fucking disgusting given how many unhealthy undertones there are to their "relationship." Also, Marinette seems to be catching on to who they seem to be talking about.

Second Scene: Apparently Gabe used to be a more altruistic designer whose designs emphasized how he worked to bring out and enhance the natural beauty of the wearer rather than dictate HOW they can be considered beautiful. Again, this scene carries the vibe of the writers side-stepping how much of a toxic control freak Gabe is to push the narrative that "fame and success corrupted him."

Third Scene: Emilie apparently gave up all of her prior connections to her family to live her own life. (Sighs in contempt) Yeah, I was kinda expecting this. It's exactly the same kind of vibe that Astruc pushes online and pushed in the form of how Chloe, Audrey, Zoe, and Andre are written; being wealthy and successful is inherently a "bad thing" and to be a good person you have to "give up your privileges and live humbly." I'm feeling a bit of spiteful glee at the fact that Gabe is really exactly the kind of person her parents would have approved of, going by the vibes I'm getting; a control freak who gained incredible wealth and success in his chosen fields and grinds anyone who goes against his design under his thumb. Also, them once again pushing the "wealth and success are bad!!" narrative falls flat on its face by the fact that their "successful trial run" to "prove" that giving up your wealth and "privileges" makes you happier (Andre) only gave up his office and still owns a ludicrously successful and important Hotel, and never actually made any kind of amends for the harm he caused, he just acted like he got his happy ending when all he did was get rid of a responsibility and leaving it up for grabs.

Fourth Scene: The Wedding Rings apparently used to be a single ring, for some reason, and Emilie apparently is of the belief that 'babies make everything better' in how she (Kagami acting as Emilie) said that "we only require a child for our happiness to be complete." Like, I get wanting a kid, there's nothing wrong with that. But acting as if you absolutely NEED a kid is not a healthy mindset, especially if you have no way of knowing if you are even really fit to RAISE a kid (newsflash, they aren't), and to me it illustrates that, despite claiming she's free and gave up her attachments to her family and their means, Emilie picked up way more from them then she realizes. They idealized having an heir, just as Emilie idealizes having a child of her own.

Pulling back the nostalgia shades that the writers seem to have placed on the scene, this scenario paints Emilie as a spoiled brat to me. It frames her childhood as having a lot of expectations placed on her, only for her to shirk those responsibilities and run wild, doing whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. Even if her parents disapproved, they never sincerely tried to stop her. Heck, when she got older, they literally let her study abroad and get away from them and live her own life. And when they finally put their foot down when she insisted a random tailor she met in Paris was her "one true love" she cut them out of her life in a fit of spite.

Now, I'm not saying she should've been obligated to do whatever her parents wanted, and I think that them insisting on putting the burden of being their heir onto her while apparently neglecting her sister was toxic and unfair... but Emilie, by all accounts, didn't have ANY of the typical burdens the heir to a noble or royal family would have, in the modern era or the past. But the ONE TIME it seems like her parents EVER really were strict with her, she cut them out of her life without a care in the world, and essentially stole a family heirloom to make into her wedding rings in the process. Heck, they might've disapproved of Gabe because they could tell he was secretly really toxic, we don't know! But the vibe this image paints for me is much less optimistic and idealized then the writers intended.

Now, back to Amilie's side of the story, without her sister around, and still eager to please their parents, she agreed to marry a weapons manufacturer (who is portrayed as such an obnoxiously offensive American Stereotype I'd probably be screaming if my rage hadn't reached the point of tranquility) that they introduced her to, Colt Fathom. Apparently her parents and Colt all wanted her to have a kid and were really eager for it. Colt is stated to be "heartless." Amilie is not presented as having wanted a kid herself.

...The reading this comes across to me is that this story is Amilie's perspective of her childhood, with her older sister living an idealized life of freedom and romance with someone she loved, while Amilie resigned herself to misery due to being unable to not please her parents and bow to their wishes. I'd even go so far as to say that the only reason that Emilie's portrayed as good as she is is because Amilie is projecting all her childhood resentment onto her parents and the circumstances they shaped for her, with the irony that Emilie really kind of WAS the heir they wanted in how not only was Emilie the family favorite, she even wanted to have a child, an "heir," just like their parents wanted. Or at least it is at this stage. I feel like I know what's coming up.

Okay, back to Nighttormentor, with him having apparently once again abandoned his focusing on Chat Noir in favor of his temper tantrum in tracking down Adrien. Oh, and Chat Noir basically unloading his problems with his dad through the veil of anonymity by ripping into how shitty Gabe is as a father. Naturally, Gabe doesn't give a damn about someone criticizing his parenting skills, but this scene would honestly be awesome if this was how Adrien acted around Gabe in their civilian lives instead of only having the guts to say it when Gabe is unable to recognize him.

Also, the fact that Gabe is sincerely delusional enough to believe that ADRIEN IS HAPPY with everything he's done is just plain disturbing. Anyone so twisted that they could believe being under another person's thumb like that is a good thing, that someone would be happy being so controlled, is fucked up in the head. This isn't the kind of attitude that comes from nowhere. This is how Gabe has always been, it's just only now that the veil of sanity is coming down. That "Humble Tailor" never existed; he was always a monster, he just used to be better at hiding it.

Okay, back to the play, and we learn that neither Amilie nor Emilie were able to get preggers. Amilie was probably secretly happy, since she apparently wasn't really all that invested in having a kid, whereas Emilie was more sincerely upset. After all their struggles, Emilie apparently swallowed her pride and went back to her parents to ask for help; the fact that they apparently didn't turn her away for defying them, let her keep her life with Gabe without any apparent strings attached, and even helped get her treatments to get pregnant... I'm thinking my "Emilie was actually a spoiled brat whose parents coddled her" theory is spot on. Even after essentially running away from home to be with a guy who would turn out to be awful to their future son, nothing yet indicates that they made her miserable over her choices and just accepted she was home. Heck, they could've demanded she give back the rings she took, but didn't, and unlike when Felix stole them, they would've been in their rights to do so given that the rings legally belonged to them in the first place.

Next we learn that Emilie "was pregnant" with imagery of the Peacock (REAL subtle there, Astruc), and apparently Colt got insanely jealous over it. Which, I can honestly understand to some extent; ignoring the confusion that Emilie and Gabe apparently created a Sentichild INSIDE HER to grow like a regular baby gives me, they apparently never bothered to share with Emilie's sister, who was also struggling to find a way to get pregnant, that they had found a means to overcome their implied infertility. ANYONE who honestly wanted a child and was left out of the loop of a means to do so would probably be pissed off and jealous.

Heck, honestly, his jealousy doesn't even seem to be for himself. He's jealous on behalf of his wife, that SHE deserved to have a child more than the spoiled brat who ran away from home and got hitched to a tailor she met in Paris and married with stolen rings. Even if his attitude his unacceptable, his feelings are somewhat understandable; not only did she run away from home, abandon her family, then come crawling back to get treatment for her infertility, when she FOUND a method to overcome, she couldn't even be bothered to share it with her twin sister? WHO DOES THAT SHIT!?

While his confrontation with Gabe was harsh, the fact that Gabe's response to being confronted was to act coy and essentially snub his stepbrother... yeah. I really do not buy the whole "used to be an idealistic, humble tailor" routine; I'm pretty sure he was totally fine leaving his extended family out to dry so long as his branch of it benefited. One positive point on Emilie's side, she apparently had the good conscience to eventually realize that keeping a means of getting pregnant away from her sister who (she thought) wanted a child herself after she had benefited from it and talked Gabe into talking with Colt about it. I'm honestly baffled on how Gabe knew that the Peacock "would have a price to pay" given that Emilie hadn't shown any signs by this point (since this was apparently shortly after she got pregnant and her "fading" took place over several YEARS), yet never actually bothered to TELL Colt what that price would be.

Also, apparently he was "given" Adrien's bodyguard in exchange for the Miraculous... because just hiring a competent bodyguard normally and giving his stepbrother and stepsister the thing that would allow them to have a child for free as a favor to his wife would be too big of an ask. Yeah, the vibe of "Emilie's parents opposed her marrying Gabe because they could smell the slime on him" is getting stronger with this scene.

And aside from being briefly freaked out over the idea of using magic to create a kid, Colt went along with it. The narration says that it was his jealousy that created the child (Felix) but given this is all second hand via Felix himself, it could've been anything. Similarly, when it shows him hesitating to touch Amilie's pregnant belly, the reasoning could be just about anything. Naturally, the narrative is gonna paint this as him being bigoted against his son, but the root cause is that we simply don't know anything beyond what Felix says, and I don't trust a word he says in the slightest. And the scene ends with the narration having both women give birth "to two boys as similar as their mothers were," which is kinda bizarre as I don't know why that would happen in the slightest, even if "jealousy" were a factor in the equation.

And NOW we get a scene showing off how fucked up Nighttormentor's power is with a fully detailed scene showing Adrien's nightmare. And apparently his nightmare is him getting Akumatized and ending up causing something like Chat Blanc to take place. ...Okay, back the fuck up, WHEN WAS THIS EVER HINTED AT!? Chat doesn't even KNOW about Chat Blanc, how could THIS be his worst fucking nightmare!? You can't say it's because of him being afraid of cataclysming someone, given he was fully willing to fly off the handle and do it to "Dark Humor," yet he's somehow upset he did it to Hawkmoth!? AND AGAIN, HE HAS NO WAY OF EVEN KNOWING WHAT A WORLD IN WHICH HE CATACLYSMED EVERYONE WOULD EVEN LOOK LIKE!! Why would THIS be his worst nightmare!? It's completely unconnected to all of his personal hardships and struggles!!

It'd make more sense (if make me roll my eyes) if his "nightmare" was him acting as Gabe's model son and breaking up with Marinette to be with Kagami... and then Marinette just shrugs, goes "I never loved you anyway, have fun being under your dad's thumb" with all of his friends abandoning him to his fate and laughing at him or something. THAT would fit his character more then having THIS scene crammed in out of nowhere. Oh, and apparently Nighttormmentor can communicate with the people he's put into nightmares? When was THAT implied, ANYWHERE!? If this were a reveal that Nighttormentor can somehow control what nightmares he gives people, it'd be a cool reveal and make for a good explanation as to why Chat's secret wasn't blown wide open. But it's not the case, it's just an excuse to have Chat lose his confidence and act like a weepy baby.

I seriously do not get why Nighttormentor didn't just yank it off of Chat's finger. There's no reason for mind games. His power just works, so obviously he can just take it and Chat's in no shape to stop him. This? All this scene does is neuter the one badass scene Chat has genuinely gotten this season for... dumb shit.

Now, back to the lame play that makes me want to light things on fire!

Alright, we're at the scene where we learn that Colt got sick from using the Peacock Miraculous, and projected his fears onto a young Felix. Fear that later turned to hatred. You know, I feel like this might've been avoided if Gabe had just explained to Colt what he meant by "consequences" especially when Colt was obviously able to puzzle it out himself when the symptoms started. Because Colt was right, he WAS experiencing the consequences, but it's not because he made a kid with Magic (I wouldn't be surprised if Colt thought it was some "equivalent exchange, life for a life" bullshit), but because the thing he used to do it was busted and thus dangerous to use.

(Inhales deeply) Yeah. This pisses me off. We have wasted... basically HALF THIS FUCKING EPISODE devoted to Felix wangsting about his life. Like, yeah, Colt yelling at him and calling him a monster (possibly worse) is incredibly fucked up. But given that prior episodes this season were whitewashing Felix's bad actions, I have a sinking feeling where this is going.

Okay, yup, looks like Colt became a toxic, verbally abusive control freak. Honestly, on the orders thing, given Colt was apparently so ill that the scenery of the play implies he was constantly bed ridden and on monitors for his vitals, I'm not certain how aware he was of all that was going on. Needless to say, Colt was an abusive fuck, but the way the play implies that Gabe was somehow better, when he helped contribute to all this by withholding the truth from Colt, was deliberately vague about the "consequences" his miraculous child would bring about to him, and even using the situation to extort a bodyguard from Colt... yeah, Colt's an abusive fuck. No doubt about it. But the way this play implies Gabe wasn't his own flavor of "monster" is infuriating.

Also, if they are trying to use this to imply why Felix dislikes Sentis being called Monsters, it rings hollow when he has zero fucking problem labeling the rich kids at the Diamond Dance as "monsters" despite none of them calling either him or Marinette monsters. Did they remind him of his father? Who knows? All I know is that the worst they did was act like snobby brats, and he took that as justification to try and murder them with his Sentimonster of a Red Moon.

See, what kills me about this scene is that, if Colt was such an abusive monster, then why in the world would Felix cop an attitude to Adrien during his debut attitude and try to shame Adrien over his father's death? Why did he go out of his way to impersonate Adrien and try to ruin his personal life? Why? Why!? WHY!? The one, ONE, possible redeeming trait regarding his behavior in that episode was him lashing out over his father's passing, but if his father was such a piece of shit, then that flies out the window and he treated ADRIEN like shit just for giggles!! I sincerely fucking doubt Colt ordered Felix before his death to ruin Adrien's life, so all that bad attitude was ALL him. Heck, the episode says he was trying to look for the Peacock; WHEN!? He never did ANYTHING to try and find it, he just spent the entire time harassing Adrien, ruining Adrien's personal life, and acting like a snobby brat (just like those rich kids he criticized/tried to murder) while Amilie tried to bully and emotionally manipulate Gabe into handing over the family rings that Emilie had taken when she ran away from home and eloped with him.

..."He had to steal other magical objects to make an exchange." THE ABSOLUTE FUCK HE DID!! He KNEW Gabe was Hawkmoth, he KNEW Gabe wouldn't recognize him under the influence of a Miraculous, he had the PERFECT Miraculous to steal the Peacock and get away with it, THERE WAS NO FUCKING REASON TO MAKE AN "EXCHANGE!!" He literally only did it because he could, and mocked Ladybug over it. This!? THIS IS BULLSHIT!!! THIS IS UTTER HORSESHIT!!! THIS IS COMPLETE AND UTTER DOGSHIT!!! SHIT!!!!!

"The day I lost the Miraculous!" No, Marinette, the day Felix STOLE THE MIRACULOUS and gave them to Hawkmoth in a pointless deal he could've avoided but didn't because he didn't give a shit if he made the lives of you or the rest of Paris harder in the process.

Now, we get a scene of Nighttormentor oh so carefully reaching to take the Cat Miraculous, when the Resistance shows up, and the best Nino can say is "Why do you have to be so mean to people!?" Wow, much impress. What a great burn.

Oh, and he just stood there and let them throw stuff at him when he's the one with superpowers and literally has the perfect power to incapacitate them with. And whatever badass factor he gained this episode (Negative 1, but he's normally negative 10) just dropped down nine whole points. What a fucking joke.

"And the miraculous boy met a girl like him. They fell in love." No. No you didn't. That is as rotten as you claiming you came to Gabe's house to find the Peacock to try and save your life, while ignoring how you did nothing the entire visit besides steal the rings for your mother and tormented your cousin and damaged his social life. Shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up, right now.

"Just like the curious princess and the tailor before them" KAGAMI JUST STOP! STOP IDEALIZING THAT ABUSIVE PIECE OF SHIT!! YOU KNOW HE IS AN ABUSIVE PIECE OF SHIT!!! YOU LITERALLY JUST TOOK PART IN A PLAY DETAILING HOW HE'S AN ABUSIVE PIECE OF SHIT!!! STOP!! IF YOU REALLY ARE "JUST LIKE THEM" THAT IS A RED FLAG THAT THIS RELATIONSHIP IS A BAD ONE!! JUST FUCKING STOP ALREADY!!

"They just wanted to be free." Kagami... Felix already WAS free by that point, there's no way Gabe would ever bother undoing him, and you had made a point of already breaking the limitations your mother set for you, AND unlike Gabe and Colt, she actually let you have your Amok, so she never enforced orders on you. You can't pretend that Felix has done ANYTHING to help you be free. He hasn't. He's just put you in a new cage, and made it look nicer.

...This entire stupid as hell play to explain information Marinette never needed when they could've just told her "we're sentimonsters, Gabe is Hawkmoth, PLEASE stop him. Please." Fuck this shit.

And now Felix and Kagami are doing the echoey voice thing that has them talk to Marinette while not even being in the room. Fuck that. Fuck this. Fuck these shitty writers.

Oh, and the writers trying to draw parallels about having "to lie all the time," which in this context I guess is meant to imply that Felix and Kagami are "forced to lie," despite nothing implying that's the case, when Felix has rather gleefully lied and manipulated others in the past, and Kagami is no longer under any threat of being compelled to lie and is just enabling her mother's abusive attitude (I would normally never go there, but the writing is just that bad).

Now it's morning, Gabe was defeated without Ladybug, and all of Felix's attitude about the rights and plights of the Sentis is a load of shit as the utterly meaningless Sentimonster he created was erased as soon as he no longer needed it.

"Will she have the courage to face the father of the boy she loves?" Given that said "father" is an abusive piece of garbage who has threatened her career, her love life, her actual life (as both Ladybug and Marinette), and her friend's lives for MONTHS NOW, I'd say she is fully willing to face him because NOT FACING HIM IS NOT AN OPTION YOU FUCKING MORON.

And Argos and Kagami share a kiss. Please wait a moment while I hurl.

...Oh, and Adrien has a panic attack/PTSD episode when he tries to go tell Marinette the truth. Ah yes, because clearly an artificial and utterly nonsensical nightmare that Gabe crammed in his head with Akuma powers regarding a knock off of an alternate future that technically never happened would totally traumatize him to the point of being unable to confess the truth to his girlfriend and there's no way this isn't the writers forcing more needless drama in place!

...They are seriously fucking going with "Ladybug didn't undo the Akuma's damage, the nightmare's still there!" Dude, if that were the case, YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EVEN MOVE YOU FUCKING IDIOT.

"You were right Plagg, I can't tell Marinette I'm Chat Noir, and I can't disobey my father either." ...THOSE TWO THINGS HAVE JACK AND SHIT TO DO WITH EACH OTHER YOU FUCKING JOKE OF A SUPERHERO!!! YOU HAVE BEEN DISOBEYING HIM SINCE THE START OF THIS SERIES!!! THIS SERIES ONLY EVEN BEGAN BECAUSE YOU DISOBEYED THAT ABUSIVE PIECE OF SHIT!!! AND THAT FUCKING NIGHTMARE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH EITHER DISOBEYING YOUR FATHER OR TELLING MARINETTE YOUR SECRET IDENTITY!!! GROW THE FUCK UP!!!

And now that the episode is over, we end on a scene of Kagami and Adrien being put through "White Torture." What WONDERFUL parents they have. What fucking bullshit.

[elizabethrobertajones]

Hi! Top 5 NPCs for ffxiv? :>

Joint 5: the bunny girlfriends - Debroye from the bread quest in EW and Lilja from Bozja in Shb :) Debroye is fighting the good fight for flavour and that hardly needs expanding on after the build up Archon Loaf had in the MSQ as worldbuilding for Sharlayan. Lilja is just a badass bimbo nerd who is good enough to work at the Ironworks but cool enough for shiny nail polish and sunglasses in a warzone. They're small characters who you only meet doing side content but they have strong personalities and they get to rep viera girls who are just kinda nerdy and weird. I am disproportionately affectionate to both of them.

4: Gerolt... I think I've just spent too much time doing relic weapons... He's just awful in a really funny way and I wish him all the best and do all I can to ensure he has a better lot in life, and then one expansion later he is once again in deep drinking debt but saying the realest shit while creating incredible artworks. Also he's sort of 1/3rd the parent of the aforementioned child Frog has so I guess I need to at least get child support in the form of the first free weapon of each quest. The AU version of him and Mowen in the relic crafting tools thing actually really moved me and I'm not ashamed to admit it :')

Anyway in terms of "this guy!!" he's so up there and I'm always thrilled to see what Scenario he's in now. Over the long course of the game he's made an impression...

3: Ameliance. I'm certain she's a mob boss controlling everything from the shadows.

But seriously, no. The twins really are favourites but in terms of Top NPCs I'd been wondering about her the whole time since they do make mentions of their family and writing to mother etc and expectations were high, and getting to know her was so utterly wild because the plot demands on her from all directions of her family - her husband, her father in law, her children, the servants she hires who include the hired goons Alisaie brought to the Coils of Bahamut... Like. She is a character who had to be retroactively constructed from everything that has been said in a way that Fourchenault didn't need to be because his template is clear: He's the Son of Louisoix and burdened with cursed knowledge and the weight of history from immediate family and long lineage of being related to founding fathers of his city; he's EASY to write. Now imagine up the woman who MARRIED him, and has stayed married to him. And is going to stay married to him since the twins dealing with divorce doesn't seem like a probable plotline given the emotional directions of the broader story. Okay, now let's imagine a real woman with actual desires and personality who can fit into this puzzle piece.

Fucking Ameliance.

How on earth they convinced me she's real is a feat of writing I am in awe of.

2: Urianger is so important, like. Leave me alone, Il Mheg got me good because ffxiv seems to get everyone eventually, and now I'm nonbinary and he's my nonbinary icon :') SIGH. A Process Has Occurred. I could say more but honestly, I think that sums up that he is important to me.

1: Erenville............. Listen, I own multiple David Attenborough merch people get me because they know it's an easy gift. I had been a kid who sat and poked rockpools and puddles and I put snails in a jar and and of course picked up frogs in the garden. You introduce a character whose job is Animals and especially claims to be an expert in frogs??? He would have been at least with the bunny girlfriends on this list if this was his only contribution to the story. (And I would have enjoyed my feud in peace.)

Instead he's a fascinating guy who stood up for his workers, has leves where he's commissioning presents for gleaners, happily goes against authority to be helpful from the jump.... And NOW we get more content where we get to see him being a grumpy snarky bastard who is the only rational person in Sharlayan AND apparently has been neglecting being the only rational person in Tural too so off we go to see that in action???

I'm marrying him I'm marrying him I'm marrying him...

[cletusthurstonbeauregard]

Supreme Court rejects appeal from parents who lost custody of trans teen

Story by Maureen Groppe and Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY

 • 1h • 3 min read

WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court declined to decide Monday whether an Indiana couple who believe children should be raised based on their sex at birth should have lost custody of their teenager, a transgender girl.

The court, without comment, rejected an appeal from the teen’s parents, who had warned that cases similar to theirs are likely to reoccur “due to developing conflicts between parents and their children concerning gender identity.”

“With increasing frequency, governments run roughshod over parents’ religious beliefs on gender identity, including removing children from parents, favoring certain beliefs in divorce custody disputes, and preventing adoptions,” lawyers for Mary and Jeremy Cox of Anderson, Indiana, told the court in their appeal. “These cases are sure to proliferate.”

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The state said the parents, who are self-described devout Christians, lost custody not because of their views but because of the medical necessity of addressing the teen’s severe eating disorder.

A provision of Indiana law that is similar to statutes in nearly every state allows government intervention in “a variety of situations in which even well-intentioned parent find themselves unable to prevent serious harm,” the state told the court.

Indiana also argued that the custody dispute is no longer relevant because the teen, who was 16 when removed from the home, is now an adult.

In a statement following the Supreme Court's denial, Mary and Jeremy Cox referred to their child as "our son" and said losing custody of the teen "because of their beliefs will stay with us forever."

"We can't change the past, but we will continue to fight for a future where parents of faith can raise their children without fear of state officials knocking on their doors," the Coxes said.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, whose office is tasked with defending state agencies, said he is "sympathetic" to the Coxes, citing his work in defending parental rights.

"We always protect parental rights and religious liberty. Neither we nor the Indiana courts believe that the State can remove a child because of a parent's religious beliefs, views about gender identity, or anything of the sort," Rokita said in a statement, adding that the record shows the state's actions were motivated by the teen's "extreme eating disorder."

Mary and Jeremy Cox, self-described devout Christians, lost custody of their trans teen

The case began in 2021 after the Indiana Department of Child Services received two reports of abuse or neglect, both related to the teen’s transgender identity. One accused the parents of verbally and emotionally abusing their child because they did not accept that the teen was transgender, according to court records. 

After hearings, a judge ordered the teen be removed from the parents’ custody, get treated for the eating disorder and participate in individual and family therapy. The state dropped allegations of parental abuse or neglect but argued the teen’s eating disorder might worsen if the parents regained custody.

The parents were told not to discuss transgenderism with their child outside of the therapy sessions because of the connection between those conversations and the eating disorder. 

The Coxes, who are identified in the court filings by their initials, said the state violated their parental rights, their free speech and their free exercise of religion.

“M.C. and J.C. seek only to raise their children according to their religious beliefs and best judgment,” they told the court. “This case is about the state taking a child from fit parents.”

The Indiana Court of Appeals sided with the state, and the Indiana Supreme Court declined to review the case.

"The Parents have the right to exercise their religious beliefs,” the appeals court said, “but they do not have the right to exercise them in a manner that causes physical or emotional harm to Child.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court rejects appeal from parents who lost custody of trans teen

[arkiwii]

Obligatory ranting, because I have to and I have too many thoughts™ about them

I have been meaning to write a fanfiction or make an animation of the sort, from the point of view of Ifrit, because it's really interesting

Very important: read Ifrit's operator record

There's a lot of jokes in the community about "ahah Silence and Saria are divorced", but you know? This is exactly how divorce feels like, from the point of view of a child; and especially a young child, who is not mature enough to understand what is going on.

Contrary to Silence, whose goal is to save what cannot be saved, and Saria, whose goal is to punish the wrong of her own, Ifrit, she just wants to be happy, and see others happy. She's not fighting for Oripathy, she's not fighting for Infected rights, she's not fighting for political reasons, she's not fighting against a corporation or anything like that. She's fighting against herself, against what is haunting her, because she wants to become a good person, she wants to have control over her power, she wants to be able to use it to protect Silence, Saria, Ptilopsis, and everyone she loves.

And then, everything falls apart in front of her, while she is powerless. She doesn't understand what is happening, she doesn't know why the two person who saved her life are fighting, and despite how strong her flames can be, how powerful she can become, it will never heal emotional scars.

Ifrit is not a rebellious teenager who will try to take a side, and hate on one, if not both of her caretakers. She has been saved by them, she is grateful for them. Saria taught her how to be strong and to protect others, Silence taught her how to care and how to love. She wants to make the first proud of her, and she wants to show the second that she can now take care of herself and be independent. She fights for this, she wants to make her caretakers proud, she wants them to be happy for her, so they can all be happy together. But now, this ideal life is getting lost, it's burning, little by little, and Ifrit can't do anything about it, but watch. She can't change their point of view, she is but a poor child who needs to be protected to their eyes.

She dreams of the day they will ask her for help. Where they will realize how strong she became, that she can be trusted, that she became an independant adult.

The most tragic point of this story is that Ifrit knows she doesn't have a lot of time left. She knows Oripathy is consuming her. Her pains are becoming worse, even if she got used to them. She can't fall yet, she simply can't allow herself to, because it would make it way worse for Silence and Saria, because it would disappoint them regarding what they expect for her. And of course, because she believes that she's the reason why Saria left, it seriously prints into her that she must not let a mistake happens again.

Ifrit is just a child who is witnessing the separation of the two persons who saved her life, and is forced unconsciously to become what they want her to become, because she wants to see them both happy.

Maybe if Silence and Saria could talk it out, maybe if they simply were happy of the moment, just happy to be reunited with Ifrit, to share these beautiful times together before they're gone, then maybe Ifrit would live a healthier and happier life.

It's ironic, knowing that Silence keeps Saria away for Ifrit's own good, and that Saria stays away from them because she believes that she betrayed them, and in the end, that's exactly what they're doing that destroys Ifrit.

I am so normal about them (lie)

Before I leave, I want to share this song that I associate with Ifrit a lot; it's a song about a child who lived the divorce of his parents.

(listen to AJR, it's an amazing band)

【アークナイツ/Arknights】Something just like this【Rhine Labs/ライン生命】

not sure how i missed it for so long but i just found this gem recently and I'm obsessed with it. Like, Rhine Lab to Rhodes Island (and back to Rhine in Dorothy's Vision) makes for a cool story full of intrigue... but only if you take it from Saria's or Silence's point of view.

For Ifrit, it's just a story of trying to keep her head above water while watching her surrogate family get ripped apart again and again. The flashbacks hit hard because Ifrit only really has two realities that we've been able to see;

First, when she was being 'treated' [experimented on] at Rhine. Her value to her 'family' was basically defined by how much physical abuse she could withstand. She was a Good Girl when she could survive greater and greater doses of literal poison. She was a disappointment when she didn't want to hurt anymore. But this is really the only time that she could exist with both Saria and Silence caring for her together. Life was busy and painful and exhausting, but it was life with two genuinely caring parental figures that she loved.

The second is after she was rescued to Rhodes Island. At RI, Ifrit got actual medical treatment, both in terms of attempting to alleviate her condition and of treating her like a human with feelings. She was accepted into a community of people who maybe didn't know the specifics of her situation, but understood and empathized with her in general. However, she lost something in her escape; she lost Saria. What's worse, she started getting signals from Silence that losing Saria was a good thing, but without an explanation of why. It's hard to imagine that Ifrit didn't internalize it as her fault that Saria was gone.

Ifrit wouldn't have understood anything about Rhine politics or its academic prestige. She doesn't give two shits about Rhodes Island trying to remake Terra in Theresa's image. She's just a girl who wants to live her life and love something akin to a family. And she would know that she had traded her and Silence's relationship with Saria for a life with less physical pain. She had traded her family, willingly or not, for being poked with moderately less painful needles. But maybe, if she was stronger, Saria wouldn't have had to leave. If only she'd endured better. If she hadn't lost control. Maybe it really is her fault that Saria left.

[She's] not looking for somebody / With some superhuman gifts / Some superhero / Some fairytale bliss / Just something [she] can turn to / Somebody [she] can miss / [She] want[s] something just like this

[angstymdzsthoughts]

How about, a modern AU in which 5yrs old!wangxian remember their past life, and a widowed CCSR & divorced Quingheng Jun remarry. Their sons are so cute, with their heartfelt declarations, when they play music together and cuddle in the same bed. Except, they never grow out of it, and their parents worry over how close the "brothers" really are. Or, In which society deems their love monstruous and incesteous, and wangxian have to fight to be together (even if it means teraing their family appart)

They were so happy about it at first. Both of them had been worried about how well their kids would get along, especially since Lan Zhan never liked change and the poor boy still missed his mother so terribly.

It turned out they had nothing to worry about. The two young boys had almost immediately become the best of friends despite there being some unexpected tears from both of them when they saw each other. They had quickly gone off to play together and were found humming a made up song together while holding hands later. If anything, it was Lan Huan who was jealous of sharing his little brother!

Life was just wonderful afterwards. Qingheng-Jun proposed just five months later and the boys were happy to become a family. They moved in together. Huan and Zhan continued to visit their mother every other weekend and Wei Ying never failed to dramatically wail about missing Lan Zhan every hour of the day. They didn't see the harm in how often they would find one of the boys in the others bed in the mornings and made jokes about why they even bothered with separate rooms.

No one found it funny when a deeply uncomfortable and unsure nineteen year old Lan Huan told his parents about the... sounds he had heard coming from his brothers bedroom late one night when he knew Wei Ying was in there.

They tried to sit them down and talk about it. Neither Lan Zhan or Wei Ying saw anything wrong with what they had done. They said that it wasn't like they were related by blood and they have always loved each other like this. Lan Zhan assured them the way he loved Wei Ying was nothing like how he loved Lan Huan. No amount of explaining would get through to them. The talk turned into an argument, which turned into a punishment.

They installed new door knobs on the boys bedroom doors that required keys to lock and unlock so they wouldn't be able to share a bed anymore. Cangse Sanren found them cuddling in Lan Zhan's bed a week later. Wei Ying proudly told her that scaling the side of their house wasn't that hard.

They put both of the boys in therapy. The doctors assured them that there was nothing mentally wrong and neither of them felt forced or pressured- they were just teenagers going through their first love. They got the boys different therapists, who told them that this was unfortunate, but probably temporary.

Qingheng and Cangse began to argue more. They argued about sending Lan Zhan to live with his mother or sending Wei Ying to live with Jiang Fengmian and his family. They argued about whose fault it was that their happy, blended family had turned out like this. Neither of them wanted to put the blame on their own son even when it was obvious that the feelings between them were mutual.

Both of the boys took their disapproval as a challenge and became even more affectionate with each other. It lead to almost daily arguments. Qingheng threatened to send Wei Ying to boarding school in a different country when he caught them kissing on the couch. Cangse and her husband ended up screaming at each other.

Lan Huan went off to his third year of university and took his brother with him. They two of them shared an apartment almost three hours drive away from home. Away from Wei Ying.

The two boys being separated did not improve Qingheng's anger. He still yelled at Wei Ying and gave harsh punishments for small things. He took away Wei Ying's phone so he couldn't contact Lan Zhan. His laptop soon followed. He found out they had resorted to writing letters to stay in contact and made Wei Ying watch as he burned them and screamed at him that he wasn't going to let him ruin his son.

Cangse packed her and her son some bags and went to stay with Jiang Fengmian after that. A month of couples counseling led to Qingheng admitting that he resented her and Wei Ying for everything that happened. Jiang Fengmian was happy to get her the best divorce lawyer in the city. 

Wei Ying finds his mother sobbing into her pillow the day the divorce was finalized. He hugged her and tried to comfort her but refused to apologize for loving Lan Zhan.

“Are you happy,” Cangse Sanren demanded. She had never spoken to her son like this, with anger and loathing and resentment darkening her voice. “Are you fucking happy now?”

[chaotic-nick]

Goodbye To These Things

Plot: It's a weird summer vacation where both of you are studying . . . for next year's college entrance exams and Kuroo's gone quiet.

Highschool AU- wc: 1132

written for @divineei 's summer time collab

His bag, the one issued by his school when they were all first years, was heavy with the material he printed out at the convenience store’s self-service section and mixed with the past papers he asked from his seniors when they graduated. Another drawstring bag in his hand in case their study sessions extend and he’s made to stay.

They’ve done enough studying together since the beginning of their high school lives for her parents to buy him an extra futon that they rolled to the other side of her room with a mini fan at the end. False excuses of him having a curfew weren’t accepted especially after (Y/n) told them of his parent's divorce.

“Tetsu-chan!” Greeted his mother from their front garden, looming over her crouched husband, “Good afternoon to you, did you eat?”

“Onigiri,” pushing past the gate, he waited for him to stand up before bowing.

 They never questioned his sudden appearances in their household, even getting to the point where “I put your steamed sweet potatoes on the counter. I don’t (Y/n)’s had hers yet.” Followed by, “You can bring them up to her room, have something while you two study.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the downstairs of the house was awfully quiet— meaning her siblings were at the park causing their ruckus there or napping on the living room’s floor. Changing into his house slippers that were kept next to their spare ones, he balanced his drawstring bag on his shoulder and held the plates of steamed potatoes.

As he climbed up the set of stairs he heard the faint sounds of a song she strummed on her guitar. It was the one she’d been humming when they walked home from school together . . . and proceeded to try learning.

He’s heard all her attempts in getting it correctly in their late-night phone calls that ended when one of them fell asleep. Always hidden under the blankets as if talking to each other was illegal.

“Ya-ho~” Tetsurou interrupted her next attempt with a slide of her door open. Bags landing with a thud near his folded futon.“I finished the English worksheet and . . .” a question that was discarded when he saw the maths worksheet scribbled with red across its pages.

He was sure there were English curse words that decorated it if he looked properly.

“Kenma’s not with you today?”

“Destressing after the same worksheet.” She set the guitar down to face him, only to see his version of the worksheet consisting of trigonometric equations. All neat and tidy. Solved even.

Not a single scribble, or maybe he used a friction erase pen. That was cheating. Wide eyes as her legs unfolded from her sitting position to kneel in front of the study table. “And you’re done?”

Only to be answered with the new worksheet being pulled out from his bag, ready to solve it for the day. “How can you? In this heat!”

“Same way you—” his tone raised to a wide yawn that he covered with the said worksheet, body lowering down to cross his legs“— work on your music stuff.” His face was met with the cool blow of the fan she sat in front of .

Leaning away from the fan so that he too could feel its cool air, he saw the music notes scribbled on paper torn from her old school notebooks. Picking up her guitar again and fingers automatically going into position along the fretboard, she turned to him“Okay, we’re not studying. Mom said, well asked me to ask you to stay for dinner. That okay?”

“I’ll wash the dishes with you.”Again, another yawn.

Ang again. His head nodded against the pillow he placed atop the table, back crouched in comfort. “Ah-hah and we can study next week,” only a yes from him too.

He’d been studying long enough at her house to know that he shouldn’t fight the sleep he felt. Naps— the unexpected ones at her house brought a weird sense of comfort. The type that told him he could act his age. A seventeen-year-old student whose humour was all scientific jokes. 

“What song?” 

“Uhh, it’s something by RADWIMPS. From that movie, weathering with you.”

“ ‘kay,” he mumbled, letting his shoulders relax. Accepting that he was going to fall asleep, Tetsurou only adjusted himself to lay flat on the carpet, covering his face from the harsh sun penetrating through the window.

No more words were exchanged between the two of them as she went back to learning that song he’s starting to take a liking to, only softly this time. Under the pillow, his eyes opened again, staring at the bookshelf before him, stacked to make place for the new books she’d bought on their way home.

At the corner were the books for university entrance exams. Right. That was all of their priorities for now. Reminding him of the late-night thoughts that jolts him awake.

Everything that they’ve been doing was in preparation for what would be next year. The biggest stepping stone of their lives, being able to spend time together was an added bonus to that.

But, Tetsurou’s done a wonderful job of reminding himself that once next year happens— once they sit down to write their entrance exams. He says goodbye to all of this. All that he’s gotten used to.

He says goodbye to volleyball— no way his extended family would let him be an athlete without projecting their insecurities at him if he decides to do it professionally.

Goodbye to walks home in his tracksuit with the other third years, breaking away from them once he sees (Y/n) at the bus stop waiting for him.

Goodbye to riding the bus together where she sat at the window seat, his head resting above hers. Sometimes falling asleep after a day of practice tests. Only to be woken up by the bus driver, Matsuda-san, two stops before their destination.

It’s a sad thought that he’s trained himself to become numb to— A loud slap to the strings half a second she got the next note wrong. “God damnit!” That.

He’ll definitely miss seeing her hold herself back from slamming the guitar, as if it was the poor thing’s fault that she got the melody wrong, against the wall. Hugging the pillow close to him with both arms, he sat up to see a familiar sight.

Guitar above the flowery bedding and her fists curled, murmuring, “Please let me get the song right guitar-gods. I can’t get a worksheet right.”

“Tetsu-kun, were you asleep?”

“Almost, how long have you been doing that?”

“Since the morning of Wednesday . . . maybe I should change to a new song, what do you think?”

Either way, it all ends the same with her. Unfinished because of her anger.

tagging: @mrskodzuken @tobiomybeloved @nayunbunnies

[random2908]

My two sisters and I are probably never going to marry, probably never going to have kids. Pretty sure my little sister is just all the way aroace. Middle sister and I are somewhere on the gray scale where we don’t identify as ace or aro, but sex and finding a romantic relationship are like down around like #10 on our life priority list. For most allo people it seems like one or both of those is typically in their top 3, and for plenty of people it’s #1.

People talk about Millennials not have kids, generational deviance due to despair, whatever. And it’s like... wow, I don’t think of myself as having or leaning on role models much, but my sisters and I are so lucky this was role-modeled so much for us as kids.

Like. Two of our mother’s siblings never married. They’re both in long-term relationships, but no marriage, no kids, and they’re in their 80s now. Two of our grandparents’ cousins--the two they were closest to--weren’t even in long-term relationships (and were still alive and participating in family stuff in our childhood memories). My grandmother had an aunt who never had romantic relationships--also still alive when I was very young, she lived past 100--and my grandfather had THREE uncles who so far as I know were never in serious relationships, although none of them lived past 40 so even my mom never met them. There were an additional two great-uncles of my grandfather, great-great uncles of my grandmother (my grandparents were distant-ish cousins) whose father died before they were old enough to have an arranged marriage and they decided that gave them the liberty to never be in relationships--one of them lived to be pretty old, like into his 70s, old enough that my grandparents knew him. That’s not getting into the occasional lesbian cousin across the generations (presumably there were gay male cousins and uncles too, but they weren’t out back in the day).

That’s my mom’s side. About half my relatives on my mom’s side never had kids. About half of those were never in serious romantic relationships. It’s common in my family.

On my dad’s side it was rarer, because arranged marriage lasted into my grandparents’ generation and was still universal in my great-grandparents’ generation. But my dad’s favorite great-aunt had been married off to an American in her early 20s, and he died just a few years later (possibly as a US soldier in WWII? I’m not really sure). But not before she got American citizenship, and then she was like, she was an American citizen--what did she even need marriage for anymore? She lived long enough that I remember her, vaguely. Only one of her siblings--only one person in my great-grandparents’ generation--had anything resembling a love match, which is to say one of my dad’s great-aunts married a doctor who was stuck in the same relocation camp as her because it seemed like a pragmatic choice, but she didn’t have parents or a matchmaker to pick him out for her so she did it herself.

That was my dad’s idea of what a love match looked like: he married literally the only Jewish woman in his doctoral program, because he needed to marry and have kids, and that was the option on the table, and at least they laughed at some of the same jokes and really that’s good enough.

My sisters and I were poisoned by American movies, according to my dad. We thought “falling in love” was a thing, and it’s mostly not, he said, and we needed to get over it. Grow up--find someone you can get along with emotionally and financially (because most divorces are over money), someone who will laugh at some of the same jokes and someone you can survive a road trip with without hating them; get married; start procreating. My sisters and I said no, mostly quietly, occasionally out loud in my case because I’d rather have a fight most of the time. Whether or not we believe falling in love is a thing, we weren’t doing that.

But it’s ok. Because on my mother’s side, the American side, the side where arranged marriages ended in the 1880s, this is normal. It’s normal in a big family for only one or two siblings to marry--and our baby brother is married and planning to have kids, it’s not like it’s none of us. It’s not about being a Millennial with Millennial values at all. It’s that the wider message of our family said it was ok to do this, this was a choice available to us. So we took that choice.

[sayonaradumbass]

caterpillarprince​:

Malcolm had his jaw set, his eyes had fire in them and his cheek stung where she slapped him. He still felt fire in his blood.

He didn’t like change, and things had been changing, he was in his fifties now, Gary had recently moved out which shifted the whole dynamic, and recruitment for more henchmen, the only solution he could think of to problem of him starting to feel his age, had been less than great.

“Only child, and whose fucking fault is that?” It was the only time he actually brought up being even remotely upset that about having to get a vasectomy after they had a little scare about three years before, hell it was the first time he’d shown even an inkling that he may have even wanted another kid.

He’s more aggressive than he intended in pulling the lever to reveal the entrance to the egg sac. Turning around to offer a last, stupid, word after hearing her utter his full name. “You know how fucking worried you were that I’d feel trapped when this all began? Well I sure as shit feel trapped now! Don’t wait up.” He disappeared into his secret lair, the door turning back into a bookcase.

Bug had heard everything albeit muffled through a floor and a bunch of wood, but he could make out bits and pieces that he kept replaying in his mind making it hard to sleep when bedtime came.

It was about 11:30 at night when he padded into his parents room, clad in his Alpha Dog pajamas and clutching on to Mr. Reachy for dear life.

His dad was still down underneath the house brooding but his mom was in bed and she could make the knots in his stomach disappear.

He quietly got into bed on, what was normally, his father’s side and snuggled up next to the comforting presence of Sheila. Mommy could always fix things, especially little caterpillars having big feelings.

“I’m sorry I’m making you and daddy get a divorce.” That was the logical next step in his head. He had plenty of friends whose parents had a big fight and then split up.

This isn't the first time he'd broken her heart, and it's certainly not the last. But it's been awhile since Sheila's been left to cry herself to a restless sleep alone, without his comforting, safe arms around her.

She feels shattered, completely wrung out, like there's nothing left of her. At least for now. For now. Now, in the darkness of her room, in the blankets that smell like the two of them, she can find a bit of a respite, a bit of comfort.

But she'll turn their words over and over, his regrets, hers, her hand still stinging--

And then there's that little voice, a long little nose she's traced every single day of his life hooking over her shoulder when Bug climbs into bed next to her. His giraffe and all.

Sniffling to try and hide the tears, she wipes her eyes and opens her arms to her baby boy, trying to laugh.

"Are you kidding? Your daddy can never leave me. That's my super power, I bet you didn't know that, did you, my boy?"

She tucks him into her arms, against her chest like she has since the moment he tumbled from her body.

[the-witty-pen-name]

Deadbeat Pt. 7

Lee Bodecker x F!Reader

18+ ONLY

Warnings: age gap (reader is 21), fluff, angst, cursing, abandonment, toxic parent, violence, toxic siblings, infatuation, cheating/divorce, insecurity, mild housewife kink, mentions of prostitution, mentions of alcohol, corrupt official, fake relationship, jealousy

Word Count: 2.5k

Summary: You work at the bar at the edge of town, the Sheriff is going through a divorce and needs to rent a room.

A/N:

IMPORTANT UPDATE

I made a Google form to be added to my taglists, so if you want to be added, the link is in my bio. I’ll only be adding people to the list if they requested to be added by filling out the form! This way all of the requests are just in one place so I don’t miss requests! Thank you!!!

I’m sorry for this chapter being shorter than normal, but it is more of a transitional chapter to set up some new stuff! I’m trying a new writing style in this chapter and this is why the word count is shorter. I’m nervous about posting this chapter honestly, since I tried something different. The following chapters will be back up to 3.5-4k as usual! This story is not over! 

Thank you all so much for reading and sharing my work. Everyone whose reached out and told me how much they love the story really makes my day, oh my gosh!! I love you all so much, I’m so thankful.

Address mentioned is completely made up. 

This is unedited, and I missed anything I should include as a warning let me know! I hope you all enjoy!

Tags and Requests are OPEN

Part One // Part Two // Part Three // Part Four // Part Five // Part Six

Lee never stopped telling you how much he loved you. At first, you had thought it was a spur of the moment exclamation but you were mistaken. When you realized he meant it, you reciprocated telling him you loved him too, making him the happiest man in the world. It all happened so fast, and your relationship was evolving quickly.

Maybe living together played a factor in how quickly the relationship progressed. It’s hard to just be dating someone you already live with and can’t take out on proper dates. It made everything else happen faster. He wished he could spoil you and take you to restaurants and walk into a room with you on his arm, but he couldn’t yet.

But from that moment on, he never stopped telling you. He said the phrase probably every moment he could manage. Every time he called from his office; he wouldn’t hang up without muttering the phrase. He’d tell you that he loved you before he left the house, or he’d just announce it unprompted when you both were home together, like it was some epiphany or declaration. He’d love to whisper it to you, especially at night with you pulled tightly to his chest.

He made sure he’d tell you in nonverbal ways as well, always letting you know he was thinking about you. Somehow, you’d end up with flowers on your desk at work at least once a week as well, never with a card. He’d cook, and on his days off, he’d spend them with you or he would surprise you by fixing things on the house. Never in a million years had you ever expected Lee Bodecker to be such a romantic, and when you’d joke about it, he’d say,

“You give me a reason to be, doll.”

It was thrilling, having someone to love and to have those feelings reciprocated. The ability to just be able to give and receive love was something he was never able to manage, perhaps it was just never the right person, or perhaps he had always been too selfish.

Now for the first time in a very long time, he wasn’t thinking about himself.

You gave him purpose and something worth fighting for.

“When this whole thing is over and we’re out of this town, I’m gonna marry you,” he said rubbing your arm as you lay in bed cuddled up to his side. You lay your arm across his tummy and rest your head on his chest. You hum in agreement, resting your eyes, both of you waking up earlier than you needed and you were enjoying the peaceful moment of the morning together.

“I hate seeing you with that Russel kid,” he’ll mutter, possessively pulling you closer, you could feel the vulnerability in his voice.

The past weeks have been really hard on Lee. It bothered him more and more each day, knowing Arvin was the one who got to drive you home from work and just being out and about with you. He knew you were his, and he never didn’t trust you. But you were so blind to the boy’s obvious feelings for you. It was something that would eat at him at night.

He couldn’t even blame you, if Arvin was able to sweep you away from him. Arvin was a good kid- took care of his family, worked a decent job, went to Church, and he was your age. He was much better looking in the traditional sense than Lee as well. Plus, you had a history. The boy was your first love and no one forgets their first love.

He knew you didn’t look at Arvin the same way Arvin looked at you, but he was always worried that a shift could come. If that damned reporter wouldn’t leave town and the more time you spent with Arvin, the more you’d see how much you’d actually want to be with him instead. You always told Lee he was the one you wanted and he believed you, but he worried that you would change your mind. He was so insecure, and he felt guilt, and he knew that he didn’t deserve to be happy, that he didn’t deserve your affection.

Sometimes he couldn’t let himself relax. Scenarios of all the different reasons you could leave him for polluted his mind and he hated how it took him out of being in the moments he just wanted to enjoy. He’d see you in his mind, happy with Arvin, marrying him instead and creating all those experiences with Arvin instead of him.

“He’s just my friend,” you reiterate, probably now for the millionth time. You were patient, and it never seemed to bother you, that the two of you ending up having this same conversation over and over. He needed the constant reassurance, and he hated the fact that he did.

“I want you, Lee,” you’ll mumble affectionately, trying to shower him with compliments and praise, to lift him up when he got down like this. “I don’t want any other man,” you’d affirm.

“This town is poison,” Lee mutters, looking out the window, the blinds pulled back as the sun is steadily rising. “Everything feels like it’s tainted,” he observes.

“Except us,” you correct him. He nods, but he knows his statement especially applies to him.

“Except you,” he sighs, his fingertips tracing circles on your bare shoulder.

“You don’t think you’ve ruined me, Sheriff?” you tease, making him smile, gradually pulling him out of his state. You’d lean up and kiss him, and the sensation would help his thoughts fade away for a few minutes. The feeling of your lips and soft skin against his own just putting his mind at ease, using his other senses to just keep his mind at bay.

He’s not sure if you realize how much he means it when he talks about escaping away from the town and marrying you. He thought about it all the time and it was what he was working toward. He knew even if he managed to go straight, if when Curtis left town, if the case around your mom was resolved, the town would still eat you up. The image of you both would be sullied. Reputation was crucial for survival in a town like this. You’d already been subjected to it before your relationship started.

He knew the solution was simple. He needed to take you away from Ross County, move to a new town where no one knew you both. It would just be a Sheriff and his new bride looking for a place to settle down. No rumors, or peeping eyes, or reporters, or exes, no corruption- just the two of you. Get a house, maybe start a family if you wanted that too.

He hoped you did. He’d be content either way, but he wanted a big family. His growing up was much less than ideal and it was just him and his sister. He loved the idea of a bigger family. He loved the image of having a house that was loud in a different way than what he grew up in. He often worried if he’d be a good father, but he never once doubted how excellent of a mother you would be if you wanted.

The only thing he wanted in his future was you, and everything else would be a blissful bonus of things he also doesn’t deserve. But to him you deserved the world and he simultaneously wanted to give you everything but then at the same time he felt like he would hold you back. You were young and had so many good years ahead of you. He couldn’t imagine you’d want to waste the rest of your life or even the rest of your twenties with him.  

You could get a job doing anything you wanted and he could run for Sheriff in the new town maybe, or he could do something else. It didn’t matter to him anymore really. The time he’s been with you has really helped him see what is actually important. It was the only thing he wanted. He wanted to be able to give you that because he knew that you deserved it and more than he’d ever be able to give you.

Laying in bed with you on this lazy morning, reminded him of the last time he was there when you were still bartending. It was the first time that pesky day dream of his started. It was something a lot bigger now than it was then. He loved you, and he was relieved he could say it to you now, and he wanted to settle down. This backwards way the two of you got together was a mess but it was yours. He wouldn’t trade it for anything, but he knew he needed to make things right.

He had been so blind, for so long, and he finally started to feel like he could be someone he actually wanted to be.

All he needed was time and he could set it all straight.

***

Arrest of Pimp in Knockemstiff, Ohio Reveals Corruption of Town Sheriff

By: Henry Curtis

Sheriff of Ross County, Lee Bodecker, has been allegedly involved in the coverup of a local brothel, run by Leroy Brown. Brown and several of his associates were arrested on Wednesday night by local police for drug possession and possession of illegal firearms. As the group resisted arrest, there was a shoot out at a small bar in Meade, which was revealed to serve as a front for their operation. Seven men, including Brown, were arrested Wednesday night for questioning by the local police.

While giving his statement, Brown confessed to the charges and in hopes of a lesser sentence, cooperated with police and provided names of all involved in the underground prostitution ring. He provided the police with twelve names, including that of the local Sheriff Lee Bodecker and his sister Sandy Henderson, who has since also been apprehended by the local authorities.

Sandy Henderson was apprehended on Thursday morning, and made bail for $500 that Saturday. Henderson and her husband, both denied an opportunity to provide a statement. The pair only stated they will be promptly returning home and want to put this behind them.

Although there has been no release of his official statement as of yet regarding this alleged involvement, Bodecker was taken into custody the next morning, apprehended by his deputies from his home. Deputy Bill Thomas has since announced that the Sheriff will be subject to a trial in the near future, and for now faces an indefinite suspension from his post until his innocence has been proven. Deputy Thomas has also said that regardless of the outcome of the trial, Bodecker will be unable to run for reelection next term.

With this new development, it is also worth noting that the Sheriff is a tenant of (Y/N) (Y/L/N), the daughter of Estelle (Y/L/N)-Tucker who is currently wanted by law enforcement for embezzling thousands from her husband Harvey Tucker’s company, Tucker Brokerage, and then fleeing with her sixteen-year-old son. When police arrived at her home Thursday morning to apprehend the Sheriff, deputies on scene took an official statement from (Y/L/N), where she denied knowledge of the Sheriff’s involvement in any of the alleged criminal activities nor any knowledge regarding her mother or brother’s whereabouts.

Woman Wanted for Embezzling Funds from Tucker Brokerage Arrested in Indiana

By: Henry Curtis

Former resident of Knockemstiff, Ohio, Estelle (Y/L/N)-Tucker was arrested in South Bend, Indiana yesterday morning before dawn. Being able to identify her as a wanted person, Este and Harold Turner, owners of the Sunnyside Motel where (Y/L/N)-Tucker had been staying for about three days prior to the arrest, notified the local authorities she was staying in one of their rooms. She also was accompanied by her sixteen-year-old son.

The boy’s older sister has now become the boy’s sole guardian and he has since returned to his hometown. According to the police, the boy was completely cooperative and they believe he had no knowledge of his mother’s crimes. In a statement given the night of the arrest, the boy told police he believed they were running from his step-father, as his mother insinuated, she had been a victim of domestic abuse. There is no evidence yet as to whether her statement is true, but there will be an investigation of husband, Harvey Tucker, to discover if this claim is true.

Both children of Estelle (Y/L/N)-Tucker have not agreed to speak about their mother or the situation to anyone except police. Daughter, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), said when she arrived in Indiana to pick up her brother, seemed to only care about getting her brother home safely. Locals report she never asked to see her mother, and only focused on her brother.

As of now, (Y/L/N)-Tucker will remain in the custody of the South Bend Police until they are ready to transport her to Columbus, Ohio where she will face jail time and then eventually a trial.

Corruption in Knockemstiff High School Staff, Principal Arrested for Illegal Distilling- Sheriff Involved in Cover Up

By: Henry Curtis

Principal of local high school, Mark Cunningham, was arrested today after local police discover an illegal distillery on his residence. Police had retrieved a warrant to search Cunningham’s land after receiving an anonymous tip from a source close to the Principal.

Following his arrest, Cunningham admitted to the felony, but also claimed Ross County’s previous Sherriff, Lee Bodecker, had prior knowledge of the still, and in exchange for his silence, he demanded Cunningham offer a secretarial job at the high school to his landlord, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), who is the daughter of Estelle (Y/L/N)-Tucker, who recently was tried for embezzlement.

The vice-principal of the high school, Meredith Lively, has stepped forth as interim principal until the position can be filled, and ensured the press (Y/L/N) had been fired effective immediately, despite her claims of being unaware any such deal had conspired. Police have found no evidence to contradict (Y/L/N)’s statement, and in an official statement taken from Bodecker, he confirmed that it was part of the deal she not be made aware of the circumstances.

New Sheriff Elected to Ross County

By: Henry Curtis

Former Deputy Bill Thomas has been elected Sheriff of Ross County. Following the trial of former Sheriff Lee Bodecker, who had been found guilty of all charges, Bodecker was barred from office, and given a five-year sentence.

Deputy Thomas in an acceptance speech during a recent town hall meeting, ensured residents of Knockemstiff that “one bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch” and the Sheriff’s department under new control will keep the town safe, and clean of crime and corruption. When asked by reporters how he felt about Bodecker, Thomas only described his situation as “unfortunate.”

There has been no other evidence of corruption within Ross County Sheriff’s Department although the investigation is still ongoing. When asked during his trial if he received any corroboration from any other law officials, Bodecker stated he never involved other members of the force with his wrongdoings.

REAL ESTATE  

Room Available for Rent in Knockemstiff, Ohio

$50 monthly rent (utilities included)

1 Bedroom (250 sq. ft.), furnished

Private bathroom with shower

4 Birch Street

Knockemstiff, Ohio

Please call the following number with serious offers. Price negotiable.

PART EIGHT

Taglist

@scar-is-bi @jiminlife2k18 @asylummaniac01 @rosalynshields @charmed-asylum @jamesbuchananbuckybarnes1917 @alexandrathegreat3 @hersilencedscreams @malar-region @purplerain85 @vesper852 @smilewolfdolan @softshell-taco @champagnebucky @lilacmeadows @mollygetssherlockcoffee

[dameronology]

love in a time of p.t.a. meetings {marcus moreno} - 5/5

v summary: you hadn’t expected to find anything at a stupid p.t.a. meeting - but somehow, you found everything {series masterlist} 

warnings: swearing, one very mild innuendo 

there’s a long message at the end but...this is the last official part and i’m very sad about it. with that said, i hope you enjoy❤️

- j

Being a parent was tiring.

So much so that you hadn’t even made it to bed last night.

In fact, none of you had. The entire household was slumped together on the sofa; Marcus was in the middle, with one arm wrapped around Missy on his left side and the other stretched across you and Jack on his right. You’d completely flopped into his chest, with your kid passed out on you in a similar manner. The dogs (plural - but more on that later) were both stretched across the four of you on your laps, snoozing quietly. It had been a long week, clearly; between the school year coming to an end and the hot weather, you were all worn out. It had been a rush of finishing up projects at school, evenings in the pool and ordering take out. Marcus had been working late and your cooking skills were...well, calling them skills was an overstatement in itself. 

You grumbled slightly as you woke - why the fuck did your neck ache so bad? Right, because you’d fallen asleep tilted sideways. You probably would have stayed passed out for hours more if it hadn’t been for the sunlight streaming through the blinds. The TV ahead of you had stopped now, displaying an are you still watching Friends? message. You’d started watching it at what...six o clock the night before? 

Rubbing your bleary eyes, you sat up. Instead of waking up, Jack simply flopped into your lap, clearly not phased by the sudden movement other than letting out a tiny oof! as he fell. The kid had fallen asleep on the log flumes at Coney Island, so really, it wasn’t a surprise. Plus, him waking up would mean having to get up and make breakfast, which you really weren’t ready for just yet. 

‘D’you know what day it is today?’ Marcus quietly muttered. 

‘One year.’ You peered up at him, a sleepy smile spreading across your face.

‘So where the hell do you think you’re going?’ He pulled you back towards him, broad arm wrapping around your shoulders to trap you against his chest. ‘Happy one year, baby.’

‘Happy one year.’ You leant up to a soft kiss to his lips. 

You stayed like that for a minute, head resting against Marcus as you gently ran a hand through Jack’s hair. It was sort of a moment of...reflection. A lot had changed in the last year and yet somehow, it felt like your life had always been like this. The four of you have had gelled together into a slightly chaotic but ever-loving entity and you loved it. With the combined antics of your energetic children, everything was in disarray practically all the time but you wouldn’t have changed it for the world. It had been the thing you’d had all along and the very thing that Marcus had been looking for; you had been the one to bring it into his life and he had been the one to teach you to appreciate it. 

The two dogs had brought a lot of chaos into your lives as well. After weeks of Missy and Jack insisting that the garden was too big for just Optimus Prime, you’d ended up traipsing to the dog shelter late on a Saturday afternoon. Bumblebee had become a valued member of the Moreno family within a matter of hours. 

‘I love you.’ You murmured. You could feel yourself getting sleepy again. 

‘I love you more.’

‘No, you don’t.’ You pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

‘At least that’s the only fight we’ve had over the last year.’ He reasoned. ‘What time d’we have to be at cook out?’

‘Twelve.’ You replied. Glancing at the screen of your dying Apple watch, you squinted at the screen. ‘It’s just gone eight.’

Every year, the PTA threw a cook out on the school field to celebrate the end of the semester. In previous years, you’d avoided it like the plague but this year you were actually excited. The last one had been in the very early stages of your relationship, and you and Marcus weren’t publicly showing affection when you’d been. There had been a lot of lingering glances across the field and knowing looks at one another but this time, you were solid. Everyone knew they were together and like hell where they gonna say things about you when you were with Marcus Moreno. Whether it’s because they’d suddenly got a newfound respect for you or because they were scared into silence by his reputation, you didn’t know, but you weren’t going to complain.

‘Do you want breakfast, hermosa?’ He asked.

‘Yeah, I’ll help-’

Having heard the b-word, Jack suddenly shot up. He was six now (too old, in your book) and just as much of a tiny, evil genius as ever. He’d upgraded from a Chewbacca onesie to an Ewok onesie, so that was something too, and you were proud of him. 

‘- what’s for breakfast?!’ He demanded. ‘I want waffles.’

‘Then waffles we shall have.’ You stood up, sticking your hand out to him. ‘What about you two?’

‘I want waffles.’ Missy sleepily murmured.

Jack followed you through to the kitchen, swiping his iPad off the side as he did. Despite the fact you’d put it in a nuclear bomb proof case, he’d still managed to crack the screen. There had also been at least five occasions where he’d tried to take it in the pool. And this was the same kid who’d insisted he was responsible enough for his own hamster. 

Marcus breezed into the kitchen a few moments later, pressing a kiss to your cheek and ruffling Jack’s hair as he went by. You heard him rustling around behind you for a few minutes whilst you prepared the food; he came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. He placed a terribly wrapped gift on the counter in front of you, head coming to rest on your shoulder. 

‘Happy anniversary, baby.’ He murmured.

‘Hey.’ You dropped the knife you were holding, turning around to face him. ‘You didn’t have to get me anything.’

‘I know we said we wouldn’t do presents but since you got me a present last night and-’

‘- Marcus!’ You clamped a hand over his mouth. ‘There is a child in the room.’

‘He has his headphones in!’ He protested. ‘Just open it, please?’

‘Of course.’ You smiled. 

‘Jack even helped me wrap it.’ He said. ‘And decorate it.’ 

‘That would explain a lot.’ You replied.

Pulling the paper off it, you felt your heart drop in your chest when you saw what it was. 

It was a bright red photo with random doodles in puffy paint; the photo itself was one of you and Jack from when you’d all gone to New York for the weekend a few months previous. You were stood on top of the Rockerfeller Centre, the Empire State in the distance behind you and Jack on your shoulders. You were both grinning despite how windy it was, and his hat had blown off seconds after the photo was taken.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t - ah, dammit.

‘I love it.’ You tried to keep your voice steady, but it wobbled despite your efforts. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ He flashed you a lopsided grin, pressing another kiss to your forehead. ‘I figured we could hang it up in place of the one he managed to smash last week with the broom stick.’

(He’d recently watched Harry Potter. Don’t ask.) 

‘Of course.’ You gave him one last kiss, before heading over to the empty space on the wall. It fit perfectly in the space, right between the photo of Marcus and Missy, and the sign that said 0 days since Jack’s last incident.

---

Four hours later, and after consuming enough waffles to feed a small army, the four of you finally reached the school. Both of the kids seemed excited to see their friends, but you were a little nervous.  What if people asked questions about you and Marcus? About your divorce? Or Jack’s behaviour, or whether or not-

‘You okay, baby?’ Marcus had suddenly appeared beside you, an arm coming around your waist. You’d been stood on the sidelines of the football field for way longer than you realised. ‘You’ve got eyes like dinner plates.’

‘I don’t know how to interact with these people.’ You murmured back. ‘They’re all...you know.’

‘They’re all what?’

‘Perfect. And shiny.’ You huffed. ‘Look at their cars! There’s not a dent in sight. And their kids aren’t wearing an Ewok onesie to a cook-out in July.’

‘I think Jack is admirable for embracing his unique sense of fashion.’ You could practically hear the smirk in his voice. ‘C’mon! They’re gonna run out of food if you keep longingly staring at their minivans.’

‘You’re right.’ You stumbled slightly as he dragged your hand, pulling you towards the crowd in the middle of the field.

‘I mean if you want a minivan, we can get one.’

‘Moving to the suburbs was already a big deal for me.’ You grumbled. 

Marcus continued to laugh, pulling you closer into his side as you reached the other parents. 

Naturally, he immediately jumped into conversation about one of the other dads with...actually, you weren’t really paying attention. You switched off as soon as you heard the word football. One thing you did notice, however, was his ability to be completely and entirely charming with anyone. You lacked that, normally shying away from talking to strangers. Especially strangers who had previously cast you out for being a single parent and constantly given you the side-eye. The only reason they’d stopped was because you and Marcus were together now.

You tried to remind yourself that it didn’t matter, that their thoughts and feelings weren’t relevant. They shouldn’t have been. You had the best guy in the world by your side and two amazing kids. The people most important to you were the ones whose opinions mattered - and they all thought the world of you. Marcus loved and supported you unconditionally, and Missy thought you were a bad-ass. Jack, though probably a little bias, thought you were the best parent in the world. That was what counted. 

But still, you couldn’t help but feel a little angry. You’d worked your ass off to get where you were, to raise your kid and make him a semi functional human being. You’d single-handedly kept a roof over both of your heads and provided for your family, even when you’d been married to a dead beat husband. 

Things were different now; brighter, happier, filled with more dogs and more love than you could ever have imagined. You didn’t want to linger in the past, not when everything else was moving forward. If anything, being here had just solidified your faith in your relationship. If all you wanted to do was go home and be alone with your partner, then that was a sure sign. 

‘Mum!’ You heard Jack from across the field. ‘Can you get my football out the car?’

‘Duty calls.’ You finally spoke. Marcus had noted how quiet you were, having made a mental note to bring it up later. ‘I’ll be back in a second.’

‘Okay, baby.’ He pressed a kiss to your check. 

The sun beat down on your back as you trudged across the field, Doc Martens kicking up grass around you. Your outfit was cute at least; a pair of denim shorts and an old tank top with one of your boyfriend’s plaid shirts thrown over the top. You hadn’t even realised it was his until the lingering smell of aftershave hit your nostrils when you got in the car. After that, there was no way in hell you were taking it off.

The car park was around the corner from the field -- it was nice to get away for a minute. Even though you’d simply stood beside Marcus like an older man’s sidepiece at a business meeting, just being in the presence of the people and listening to them talk about their kids was exhausting. At least he had been good at pretending to be interested in their sugar free diets and screen time limitations and how their French lessons were going. You, meanwhile, hadn’t even tried to look like it piqued your fancy. You’d been half-tempted to put your sunglasses on so they couldn’t see you roll your eyes. 

Pulling Marcus’ car-keys out your pocket, you opened the boot and began to rifle around. His car was a thousand times more put together than yours, but it still accumulated a bunch of crap. 

You jumped backwards when you heard the gravel crunch behind you. 

Glancing over your shoulder, your eyes fell on Carol. It had been a while since you’d last seen her, but she looked a little worst for wear. What’s more was that she had a cigarette between her lips, despite being the one to run the entire school’s anti-smoking campaign.

‘I didn’t know you smoked.’ You commented, catching her attention as you slammed the boot shut. 

‘Oh!’ She jumped, quickly throwing it onto the floor.

‘Hey, I’m not bothered.’ You leant against the back of the car. ‘A lot of people do it.’

‘I don’t normally.’ She stamped on the remains to put it out, dusting off her bright pink work-out jacket. ‘I’ve just been stressed lately.’

‘Are you okay?’ You raised an eyebrow at her.

‘I’m fine.’ 

You tossed the football between your hands, giving her a nod. ‘If you’re sure.’

With that, you locked the car and began to make your way back towards the cook-out. If you could wear Jack out by playing with him all afternoon, then you might be able to catch some peace and quiet that evening. Then, you and Marcus could celebrate your first anniversary by ordering take out and watching Friends.

(Which is ironically, what you’d done for the last four nights).

‘Y’know, I’ve always been jealous of you.’ You froze when Carol called after you.

‘What?!’ You turned around to face her, confusion etched on your features. ‘Are you talking to someone else, or?..’

‘No, I’m talking to you.’ She muttered. 

‘Why me? I thought you hated me?’

‘Because I was jealous of you.’ She said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

‘Carol, you’re the perfect one here. You’re married to your high school sweetheart, you’ve got a big-ass house - with a gate! - and your kids are perfectly well behaved. And you drive a fucking minivan!’

‘Oh, please.’ She groaned, falling back against the nearest car. ‘My husband is married to his job and my kids are more interested in their iPads than me!’ 

‘So’s mine-’

‘- you’ve always provided for yourself.’ She continued, cutting you off. ‘Always put your kid first and just did what was best for you without worrying what anyone else thought. That’s..admirable.’

‘Thanks?’ You furrowed your brow. ‘I never really gave it that much thought.’

‘I never thought I’d wish for your life.’ She muttered. 

You gently approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. With caution, obviously. You know that she had a tendency to be vicious and bite. Like a chihuahua. 

‘My life isn’t perfect.’ You said softly. ‘There’s a difference between happiness and perfect. And if you keep trying for perfect, you’ll never be happy.’

‘That’s deep.’

‘Actually, it’s a quote that you shared on Facebook.’ You snorted. ‘You just gotta appreciate what’s around you. Your house, your kids, your husband.’

‘Maybe you’re right.’ Carol nodded. ‘You’re a good parent. A good person. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel less than that.’

‘I mean...you were an asshole, I won’t lie. You’re nosey as fuck and you got involved with my kid, but I’d probably be doing the same if I wasn’t satisfied with my life.’ 

Okay, so you didn’t mean for that to sound so rude, but who could blame you? The woman had given you nothing but crap. You’d already felt bad for her, but now you felt worst.

‘C’mon.’ You stuck your hand out to her. ‘You have two lovely daughters and a husband waiting for you back on the field....you family waiting for you back on the field.’

Dragging Carol off of the car, you dusted off her arms and forced a smile. It didn’t make you happy that she was miserable, but at least offered an explanation for her behaviour. The fact she’d envied you this entire time didn’t make up for what she’d done - the rumours the spread, the things she said - but it at least helped soothe you a little bit. 

‘Can we be friends?’ She asked quietly, traipsing beside you. 

‘...maybe in a few years.’ 

---

As it turned out, Jack did not pass out early. Instead, the four of you ended up having another night on the sofa -- this time with an extra large pizza, just to celebrate the special night. 

Your head had been spinning since your conversation with Carol. You were glad you finally had closure on the whole thing, but it had completely fried your circuits. She was the queen of the hive, the perfect mum, the perfect wife. Her kids wore matching outfits to school and they never had a hair out of place. Her Facebook was filled with family photos of their international vacations and outings to all their activities. Was she not the blue print?

It made you take a step back and look at your own life, which was something you hadn’t done in a while. In fact, last time you’d done it, you realised you’d weren’t happy with your ex-husband. 

Now, it was the opposite. You were in love with somebody who was better than you could have ever imagined; he wasn’t perfect - he snored and he never did the dishes and he always forgot to put the bins out - but he was everything to you. You had a kid who, although was undeniably a tiny meddler, you loved with your whole heart. You had Missy, who had welcomed you into her life with open arms and embraced the chaos you brought. You had dogs, and a house with a fucking garden. 

You didn’t blame Carol for being jealous because, even though it was from perfect, you didn’t need it to be. You had everything you ever wanted and heck, you would have been jealous of it too if it wasn’t completely and entirely yours. 

For the first time all day, you finally had a moment to yourself. You were stretched out across the couch, feet propped up on a pile of cushions; Marcus’ shirt was still on, only now you had changed out your shorts for leggings and your boots for socks fluffy enough to be dangerous on the wooden floors. 

‘Hey, baby.’ Marcus quietly greeted you, shutting the living room door behind him. ‘Kids are asleep.’

You gave him a doubtful look. ‘Even Jack?’

‘Okay - Missy is asleep and Jack is on his iPad.’

You opened your arms to him, grinning. ‘I’ll take it.’

Marcus dropped onto the sofa, an equally big smile falling onto his face as you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss you. He wound both of his around your waist, lifting you off of the couch and into his lap. It always reminded you of when you’d kissed on your first date -- it seemed like worlds away now. 

‘Has it really been a year?’ You murmured softly, resting your forehead against his.

‘Yeah.’ He shyly smiled at you. ‘I don’t know how I got so lucky.’

‘We both got lucky.’ You reminded him. ‘I got lucky that Carol guilt-tripped me into that fucking meeting.’

‘And I got lucky that you were the person I chose to victimise with my small talk.’ He chuckled. ‘You know you’re my whole fucking heart, right?’

‘Yeah.’ You slowly nodded. ‘And you’re mine.’

You’d completely changed each other’s lives - blown them apart, and used the tiny pieces to rebuild everything back into one. Neither of you had even been looking and you’d still managed to find one another. You’d been hurt before and he’d been patient. He’d lost a lot before and you helped him find it again. What he lacked, you had. What you lacked, he had. 

Above all, Marcus had embraced what everybody seemed to encourage; he saw value in the things you’d been insecure about and when he fell in love with him, so did you. In return, you brought an energy and light to his life that he didn’t even know he needed.  In one another, you found unconditional love and support, and a feeling of security that you’d both lacked for so long.

This was it. And it was everything . 

--

OKAY i’m actually so sad this story is over -- i’ve written over the course of maybe 2 weeks but when i TELL YOU i have become so attached? u better believe it. if you check out the series masterlist, you’ll see that there’s a few little fics i’m gonna write to fill in the gaps that were in the time skips between chapters, so that’s still something to look forward to!

thank so so so much for all your support on this series; it’s been so much fun to write & your comments are what encouraged me to finish it so quickly. 

- jamie xx 

taglist: taglist: @naivara-duneimith @1-2-3-4-5metalfingers @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky @phoenixhalliwell @crazycookiecrumbles @bitchin-beskar @comphersjost @absurdthirst @mjby @parkjammys @kteague @katdante @vonschweetz @cyarikashakira​ @mrsparknuts​ @starryeyedstories​ 

[phantomrose96]

Flash in the Eyes Part 2

(Part 1)

More fixed!Flynn lore? More fixed!Flynn lore

..................

Danny lay awake. He kept his eyes glued to the bedroom ceiling, studded with glow-in-the-dark stars from corner to corner. They doused him in the tiniest shimmer of ethereal light – the second source of light in the room – after his phone, which he gripped loosely in the hand dangling off the bed. The phone cast its own faint shimmer outward, a ray into the bleak night.

And he himself made for the third source of light, he supposed. That pulse of iridescent green from his eyes, which he felt like the beginnings of a headache building inside his head, had been spurred to the front by the trickle of anxiety that kept his nerves alight now at 3:30 am.

The plastic stars above. His phone glowing outward. (His radioactive eyes, pinned to Aunt Alicia.)

Danny was not allowed to forget the incident. He was not allowed to move on. Even home, it followed him.

His phone, with that dim light, was open to a single message that had been plaguing him all day. A single Facebook message, from a profile wishing to connect, with no profile picture, no history, no other friends, made day-of. “danny. this is your aunt alicia. never would of thought id be using of one these computers. wierd things. any way. wanted to apoligize about scarring you. I have a mean face maddie knows. i dont have a computer. this is in the libary in town. but hoping you culd call me on the phone. wanted to ask you somthing more. thanks. xxx-xxx-xxxx…”

Danny left the message on read. He figured it didn’t much matter that his read-receipts were on. Alicia made it clear she had no access to a computer, or likely internet for that matter. This was a message cast into the void, framed as an apology, but fishing for information that made Danny’s skin crawl to think about. Alicia could talk to his mom any time. But she had chosen not to. She’d chosen to contact Danny directly, through a means of great hassle for a woman so sworn-off technology, living so far away from proper civilization. And she’d chosen to do so after seeing that flash in his eyes.

This wasn’t like fighting ghosts. Those were pure physical scuffles which ended in him casting the creature off into the portal to (hopefully) never be heard from again. This instead was an anxiety pricking along every nerve of his skin, deep-seeded and deep-sewn from the woman who terrified him all these many years, whose connection to his ghost-hunting parents sent his brain into spirals of dread for all the what-ifs he conjured.

“You seem deep in contemplation. Perhaps I should come back later?”

Danny sat bolt-upright, spinning fast enough to see new stars spawning in his vision. He blinked them away, and sucked in a sharp inhale of breath as he snapped his head to the side.

Half-translucent, idly floating, Vlad Plasmius appraised him from the other side of he bedroom, studying Danny the way a teacher might study a struggling student.

Danny’s transformation and leap from bed came as one. His covers blew back, phone clattering to the floor forgotten.

“Plas—”

“Yes yes, ‘it is I, Plasmius’. I believe we’ve done our battle cry introductions enough times for the audience to get the point.”

“What are you doing here?!”

“Just dropping in on old friends.” Plasmius, still floating, performed a motion as if to sit. He swung one leg over the other, and reduced the miasma of pressure that his aura sent off. He was relaxed, and conversational, and this made Danny’s neck hair prickle all the more.

“All the way from Wisconsin! Yeah just, dropping in at 3 in the morning! Yeah, well, sorry but I don’t buy it, Plasmius. And I’m sending you back to Wisconsin now that you—”

“Seems we’ve both been traveling quite a bit out of state. Tell me was it a fun little vacation? A ghost hunting trip?”

“It—” Danny’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know we were gone?”

“Oh easy, I have ghost sentinels pinned on your house at all hours. They feed me this information.”

“Noted. Thanks for the tip. I’ll be sure to blast them out of existence next time I’m out.”

“I’d love to see you try. They’re masters of stealth.” Vlad flashed a grin. “I have to say I am quite disappointed to see you all back so soon – must have been a short trip. Where did you go?”

“Not telling you. Now why are you here?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

Danny bit down the urge to sucker-punch Vlad on spot. “We were visiting our aunt. Nothing special. Not everything is some big…I dunno… ghost conspiracy, Vlad. Now why are you here?”

“I was simply hoping to catch the house unguarded. You know, explore the lab, see the new contraptions that Maddie designed and Jack botched, perhaps sprinkle some cyanide in the oaf’s cornflakes box.”

“Like I’d let you--!”

“Aunt, did you say, Daniel? Alicia, perchance?”

Danny gave no response. He felt only the twist in his gut, which wrought a smile to Vlad’s face.

Vlad clapped his hands together and continued. “That is a name that brings back memories! She and Maddie were remarkably close. I heard about her constantly – given of course that I am a fantastic listener who never forgets a name or a face, unlike some fools who can’t even remember birthdays – but yes as Maddie’s best listener and best supporter, I feel like I know Alicia personally. Tell me, how is her husband Dale doing? How’s little Flynn? Not so little anymore, I imagine.”

“Don’t… talk about my aunt. That’s weird.” Danny floated backwards, coalescing a lick of flame in his palm. “Also, goes to show how much you know these days. Alicia and Dale have been divorced for like ten years now. And there’s no Flynn. You sure you’re that great a listener?”

Vlad quirked an eyebrow. “Ah, shame how divorce never seems to happen to the right people. Has Alicia tried telling Maddie it’s not too late to follow suit?” Danny unleashed his pulse of energy. Vlad blocked it with a single dismissive wave of his gloved hand. “And Daniel I am referring to your cousin Flynn, about whom I am absolutely not mistaken. Maddie and I were sophomores in college when he was born. Maddie flooded me with pictures of the boy, chubby little thing with red hair like Maddie’s. They moved her to tears, some of them. It was formative for me. The moment I realized that was the future I wished for myself, that I could bring Maddie that same joy with a family of our own. Shame how children don’t seem to happen to the right people either.”

Danny gave no response. He only lingered in the air, drifting slightly, the wafting residue of his attack trailing along his palm.

“You don’t seem so convinced,” Vlad commented.

“I’m not. Aunt Alicia doesn’t have kids. I don’t have any cousins. Unless you count whatever Danielle is.”

“A clone. You have to know the cousin thing was made up.”

“Alicia doesn’t have kids. Bottom line.”

“Did she sign him away in the divorce? That’s cold. I wonder if I could convince Jack to do the same with you.”

“Aunt Alicia divorced without kids, dumbass!” Danny swept a hand out. “She talks about her divorce all the time like it’s the best thing that happened to her, and she’s said how easy it was with just her and Dale and no one else. I don’t know how many other ways I can tell you I don’t have cousins, and I definitely don’t have a cousin named Flynn. You’re making yourself look like an idiot.”

“The opinion of a 14-year-old means very little to me.” Vlad dipped forward, closing the gap between him and Danny by a few feet. The air howled cold behind him. “However I am utterly intrigued to know what became of Flynn then. Clearly something worth keeping from you. Drowned in a pool? Carried off by a bear? Perhaps his parents made a ghost portal a decade prior to yours and he zapped it on from the inside.”

“You’re not funny.”

“I am hilarious, young man.” Vlad uncrossed his legs, still floating, but as though standing once more. “You should respond to your aunt’s message.” Vlad nodded his head to the phone on the floor. “She seems eager to speak to you. Maybe she can tell you what happened to dear little Flynn. And if you don’t, well perhaps I will stop by tomorrow morning for some tea, and ask Maddie myself what became of him. You’re welcome to be in the room when I do.”

“Hey!”

A flash of light momentarily blinded Danny, followed by a pulse of energy, and when Danny opened his eyes again he had to blink through stars.

Nothing remained in the night.

Only the ceiling studded stars above, and the glow of the phone below, and the consumptive chilling green flashing from his own eyes.