#why would someone over 50 go to teenagers

[nyxneon]

.

[dcxdpdabbles]

Royal Consort? 🥺🥺

The worst part about knowing there was danger on the way was acting like everything was fine. Danny found it very annoying that instead of going through the guests individually to find the key for the invading forces, he had to dance with his future self.

Danny was pulled into a fast-paced Viennese Waltz by his future self. (He would call him Phantom since it was easier in his mind. No way could Future him have the right to be a Danny when he came dressed like King Phantom)

The two dazzled everyone by their skill. It was one of the few things Princess Dora could beat into his head when Danny had been crowned. Shockingly, Pointdexter was the ghost that took his mediocre skills and sharpened them to a level that Danny had once considered competing with.

Danny considered Pointdexter one of the best dancers to ever live. This was one reason his classmates were so cruel.

The two became fast friends after he defeated Pariah Dark, especially when Danny stumbled over the ghost version of Casper High. It seemed Pointdexter's soul was trapped in his old torment, and his classmates—the real ones from life—were still bothering him after their mirror fight.

Danny beat the 1950s teenagers and freed Pointdexter, finally removing him from his bullies. He had the teen relocate to the King's castle as his Lair Manager, where he was tasked with caretaking Pariah Dark's castle.

This, unfortunately, was done after Danny had taken the Royal Consort necklace, so his lair manager was not able to stop him from wearing it. It did make sense now why Pointdexter mentioned more than once that he was "rather vain to love yourself that much, Dano".

He just thought it was weird 50s lingo.

Phantom couldn't be that far into the future—not if they still looked so much alike—the only difference was that he was an inch or two shorter. If anything, he would guess this Danny Fenton, in all his Kingly attire, was a year or two from the current day.

He wanted all the information Phantom could give him, but sadly, the other was just as in the dark of tonight's events. The only real clue they had was what Phantom experienced.

Sometime around midnight, someone would activate the key—a rectangular tool with a loud boom when it was turned on. The tool tore apart Wayne Manor as it blew the roof away, and the invading forces were teleported to Earth.

It quickly overran Gotham, even with the Bats arriving almost instantaneously, and the aliens made quick work of the rest of the world. The Justice League responded quickly, too, and soon, it was an all-out war with planet Earth as the battlefield.

Millions of lives were lost in the battle that first night. Batman was killed around 2 a.m., followed by Superman—who was helping hold off the main mother ship—at 5 a.m. The Justice League put up their best effort, but it soon became clear they were outmatched.

The following months saw humans scrambling to fight while countries were destroyed one by one. Their armies conquered, their heroes fell in battle, and the humans were either enslaved or killed. It seemed Earth had earned a reputation in faraway galaxies.

Humans or anyone from Earth were deemed exotic pets. The aliens had come to poach them.

They had blocked all communication with Earth's allies, including the Green Lantern Corp and New Genesis, not wanting anyone to interfere with their hunt. They also decided that the resources from Earth were of enough quality to take over the planet and rip it apart to sell to the highest bidder.

The aliens came in never-ending waves no matter how many Earthlings managed to kill, forcing humanity to flee underground.

In only a short while, Earth was picked clean.

In a low, anger-coated voice, Phantom said he had just finished a mission to rescue humans from a breeding center. He had helped them escape to Ghost Zone, which had become one of the few forces keeping humans safe. His army had torn apart the galaxies to find the stolen humans when Clockwork offered him a chance to fix everything.

Danny wanted to ask so much more, but with the gala attendees watching their every move, they figured they should discuss it less, even in Ghost Dialect.

Phantom had pulled Danny into a secluded location to hiss his explanation, but it was only a few minutes before Tim Drake Wayne found them. Danny wasn't sure why, but the other teen seemed determined to speak to Phantom.

It didn't help the Waynes that Phantom already suspected them and was very hostile whenever Tim opened his mouth. If the Waynes were innocent, that could lead to a problem later, but for now, Danny could only glare at Tim.

Phantom said that the person who turned it on had stuck the rectangular device to Jazz's back, using her body as a gateway. That meant someone in this crowd would approach his sister to turn her into a sacrificial lamb.

King Phantom had already warned her—under the disguise of dancing with her to honor Danny's family. He had even danced with his parents and one with Dani—but Jazz had insisted on staying. She theorized that if she left the gala early with Dani, as Phantom had wanted, someone else would become the gateway.

The aliens would attack no matter what, and removing her would take away concrete information.

Danny and Phantom did not like it, but both agreed with her logic. They didn't even know who had betrayed humanity- whether it was voluntary.

It was barely nine-twenty. The suspense was killing Danny.

"Mind if I cut in?" A silky voice fills the air, tearing Danny away from his anxious thoughts. Danny turns to find a woman standing at their side. She is gorgeous and holds herself in a way that lets the world know she is aware of this fact.

She leans over slightly so her cleavage is on display, resting an arm on Phantom's shoulder. Her smirk sharpens when Phantom's eyes drop to her hand as he lets his hold on Danny slip.

Her smugness quickly shatters when Phantom's face clouds over in rage at the hold she has of him.

Phantom reaches up to fling her hand away. His voice overlaps with thousands of others, sending a shiver down the spine of anyone who hears it. "Don't touch me."

Danny gapes alongside the woman as Phantom twists around and waltzes them away.

"Dude, what was that?"

"We don't have time for her or anyone who wants to replace you as my husband," Phantom hisses, though his expression remains ever so loving as he swings them about. Danny matches him step by step, ignoring the gaping crowd. "The Waynes are watching us, and half the venue has asked Jazz for a dance. Dani even more so."

The two glance toward Dani, who is in an equally fast-paced Viennese Waltz with Damian Wayne. She seems to be purposely stepping on his feet. There is a line of young, influential boys waiting for their turn.

It seems they all believe this is a chance to get married to the princess of the dead. It seemed half the Gotham elites believed Phantom would go for an arranged marriage for his daughter.

Fools them.

"We still have hours before midnight. Dancing with or talking to other people would be a good idea, so try to find the key," Danny whispers to him. "You've only danced with me since you arrived. I know it's for your King Phantom image, but we can't-"

Tim Drake Wayne slides up next to them, dancing with the air and keeping pace with their movement. Both halfas blink as Wayne smiles at them brightly, looking at ease for someone acting so ridiculous. "Hello again."

Danny and Phantom keep dancing, and Danny replies with a confused hesitation. "Hey....what are you doing?"

" Nothing much! Just...ugh love this song. Couldn't find a partner so-"

"Dance with Phantom," Danny is quick to say, ignoring the way Phantom's eyes start to glow. He is done with pretending there isn't a problem. He will find that key with or without future him's help.

He pulls himself away- ignoring the hiss growing in the back of Phantom's throat. He didn't know he could do that- and tugs the alarmed-looking human into the King's arms.

"Darling." Phantom's voice is low in warning. Knowing the crowd is still watching even more openly now, Danny turns his nose up.

"I'm tired, Phantom. Dance with Wayne here since you couldn't keep your eyes off him!"

He storms away, ignoring Wayne's choked "King Phantom, I am so sorry for causing this misunderstanding. I swear I am not trying to upset the Consort or come between you two."

He disappears into the crowd that part for him, pretending to be so blinded by jealous rage that he does not notice the way he is going. Danny finds a hallway out of the gala and goes into Wayne Manor.

Now then. Danny thinks Let's see what the Waynes are hiding.

Meanwhile, Bruce drags a hand down his face, watching King Phantom's face twist as Tim babbles before him. "I told him not to upset the King."

[anothermansjeans]

you know how to ball, i know aristotle

s.r x f!reader

summary: spencer's love feels so high school

warnings: none!

wc: 689 (she's short!)

a/n: inspired by so high school!! i have 50 different fics planned after listening to ttpd.......be prepared

It felt childish in a way. The way Spencer feels his cheeks flush and a chill run down his body whenever she’s near him. The constant butterflies. The shyness he feels when she's around. The high he gets from being near her. It feels like he’s a teenager in love.

Right now, the feeling remains as he watches Y/N and the rest of the team that fills the bullpen play a makeshift game of basketball with a trash bin and crumpled up paper. Whenever she makes a basket, she snaps her head over to him to see if he was looking– of course he was– and his chest fills with pride. Once her turn was over though, his head went right back down to his current read, something about Greek philosophers.

“Pretty Boy!”

His head immediately went back up at the sound of Morgan calling out to him. “Hmm?”

“We need reinforcements. Your girl is kicking our asses over here.”

A red wave flooded his neck, making its way up to his face, and he moved his chair back the tiniest bit, giving a small nod as he tried to hide his shy smile. He felt the way one would if they were asked to play kiss, marry, kill with their crush’s name thrown in there. Honestly, he’d be content if she did all three to him.

From there on, the game went terribly. While Y/N was making shot after shot, Emily was barely making it around the rim, Derek made it every other time, and Spencer was so far off it was pointless in asking him to join (but he knew the ball wasn't weighted properly, and he’d die on that hill). It didn't take long for those who were losing to become uninterested in the game, so everything eventually went back to business.

That was until Spencer felt a pair of hands gently knead into his shoulders.

Normally, he would tense up immediately. He wouldn't want to be touched– he’d be questioning why someone was touching him. But he knew it was Y/N. He’s become accustomed to her delicate touch; the smell of her lotion; the light reflecting off of the promise ring he bought her for their last anniversary. She would massage his shoulders until he was completely relaxed against her, allowing her to lean forward more and wrap her arms around his neck, placing her chin on his shoulder.

“I had a lot of fun earlier. You did well.”

He let out a giddy laugh as he craned his neck in order to look at her. The same giddy feeling a teenager gets when playing spin the bottle and truth or dare spread through his body whenever he’s this close to her, it truly never fails.

“I’m glad. I absolutely embarrassed myself with my lack of skill, but I’m glad at least someone enjoyed it.”

“Hey,” she shifted slightly so that she was directly looking at him all while keeping her chin perched on him. “You didn't embarrass yourself. We all have things we’re good at. Like, look at this.” She lazily gestured to the books scattered across his desk, “I couldn't even begin to describe what you're reading. You’re brilliant, Spence.”

“It’s called The Philosophy of Aristotle. It’s a selection of Aristotle’s works and–” he stopped himself, watching the way Y/N was completely mesmerized by what he had to say.

“Keep going. I've done my reports and I’m sure you've finished yours. We have plenty of time.” She kissed his cheek as a way to get him to start speaking again, and he felt on top of the world.

It was childish, really. The constant buzz he felt when speaking to her. The crinkles he can feel by his eyes from smiling so hard. The childlike wonder at how someone could be so perfect for him. No one’s ever had him like her. He felt as though this is what he would've felt if he had a normal childhood, one where he had a high school sweetheart. And despite it feeling so high school, he loves it. He loves her.

[astrolynnworld]

warmhearted reveals

pairing: matt x reader

summary: you tell matt that you’re pregnant

warnings: fluff! love, romance, confessions, reassurance.

word count: 656

i prepared a nice dinner for when matt comes home so i can tell him the big news.

i can’t tell if he’ll be excited, shocked, or anxious. this is a big step in our lives, and i just hope he supports it

we have talked about wanting kids in the past, but we haven’t discussed goal, time, or plan.

i anticipate his arrival at the door as i let the food simmer on the stove for a little longer.

“baby? i’m home” matt says as he walks in through the front door

i go to greet him with a kiss and hug

“someone’s in a good mood today” he smiles as he sets down his stuff into the nearby office room

“you hungry? i made your favorite!” i gleefully share as he follows me to the kitchen

“duh!” he joking says, “it smells so good bae”

i prepare a plate for him before we sit across the dinner table

“how was work today?” i question

“it was great actually..”

“really? how so?” i follow up

“sucks to say but, one of the head managers of the inquiries office had gotten fired today because he violated one of the company policies, right?” he starts

“mhm” i acknowledge

“so they needed someone to take his job, and the head boss had put in a good word for me because he sees my progress in the job and says that i’ve been working hard for the last few months now.” he continues

“oh my god!! really? that’s so good baby. so what’s gonna happen?” i further ask

“well. today they had discussed it over a board meeting and went over some of my latest work to decide if i would be a good fit on the team and .. they all agreed.”

“BABY!!! that’s such great news oh my godd!! i’m so happy for you!! so you basically got promoted to the higher ups of the office right?” i proudly support

“yeah! and they’re raising my pay my 50%” he shares

“i’m so so happy for you matt!! great news all around. more money to go towards us and the baby!!” i quickly slip out

“what?” he questions

a smile plasters across my face

“i’m pregnant baby.”

he pauses and looks quickly takes a glance down at my stomach

“a- are you serious?” he anxiously stutters out

i nod my head slowly as i start to tear up

he comes around the table and kneels in front of me

“you’re not joking baby?” he says as the tears start to well up in his eyes

i shake my head no as i chuckle softly; tears starting to fall down my cheeks

he takes my hand and stands me up before embracing me into his own

“baby. we’re having a kid” he says as he tries to process his shock

“you’re pregnant with my baby right now, princess” he says as he pulls back from me

i see the tears starting to drip his face

“i can’t believe this baby. you’re really not lying to me?” he questions one more time

i grab his face and start to wipe his tears, “you’re gonna be a father, matt”

he lets his face fall into my hands as he brings his forehead to mine

“i can’t believe i’m about to start a family with you baby. it’s all i’ve ever dreamed of, since we were teenagers” he confesses

“i just can’t believe you’re really mine.” he says before kissing my forehead, “all mine.”

“i love you so so so so much, matt.” i speak out

“i love you so much more baby.” he kisses my lips, “both of you” he says as places his hand on my stomach

“why don’t you hop into bed, i’ll clean up dinner. there’s so many plans we have to discuss” he eagerly says

i laugh at his enthusiasm as i head back to the bedroom.

———————————————————————- taglist: @lenna-77 @cutiepatootie36273 @secret-sturniolo @sturns-blog @sturniolo-2003 @mayaaatok @sturnswrites @mattsleftnipple03 @mattybswife @tropicasturn @princessbetsy123-blog <333

[oneatlatime]

Bitter Work

Life took me out at the knees for a couple of weeks but I'm back! I'm hoping this is a nice restful episode after the relentlessness of The Chase.

I have to say, Toph's nicknaming skills are on point. I never would have thought of Sugarqueen, but it fits perfectly.

This is me. Every morning.

Full nose plant from Appa.

And the beat up Sokka quota is fulfilled. Very funny Toph, but completely uncalled for. If someone had catapulted teenage me 50 feet into the air while I was trying to sleep, it would have been fully justifiable homicide.

Aang is always trying to run before he can walk. What was Iroh always saying to Zuko about basics? Aang needs that speech too.

I was really on the ball in my post about how airbenders aren't homicidal, actually. Rock is a stubborn element. Yay me!

Aang earthbends = Earth bends Aang.

Seriously, how did he mess up that badly?

Cozy.

Thank you Zuko for the incredibly obvious exposition that's somehow completely in character. Interesting to see that Iroh and his son had brown hair, but Zuko seems to have black hair. More hair variety in the Fire Nation than I thought.

Tangent time! I love the contrast in social intelligence (I guess that's the term?) in this scene. Zuko wakes Iroh up with an infodump, some bad tea, and then gets straight to discussing strategy. Iroh's first actions are to compliment the bad tea, then dispose of the refill in a way that won't hurt Zuko's feelings (probably not necessary, as Zuko seems to be the type that's oblivious to all things other than the task at hand when he's focused). Iroh, injured and awake for all of 15 seconds, jumps straight to actions that help look after his nephew. And Zuko is trying! That's why he made tea! But still, he doesn't even ask if his uncle's feeling ok. Zuko has such a massive gap in his education - he can probably reel off the specs of all Fire Nation battleships, but he doesn't know how to be a human person. Contrast that with Iroh, and especially Katara, who makes friends and connections with such aggressive forwardness that she's at times more steamroller than teenage girl. It's funny how privilege plays into this too - Zuko comes from probably the single most privileged (on paper) family in the world, yet it's the children of the impoverished water tribe who have the more well-rounded education/socialisation.

"She's crazy and she needs to go down" go a full belly laugh out of me.

"What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?" Jesus I was REALLY on point with my post about the airbenders. Credit where credit is due, this show has such good writing/worldbuilding that viewers have picked up what Toph is laying out in this episode already. Also a little bit of stealth character work in there - since Toph is putting into words what we've been thinking this whole time, she now reads as trustworthy. This show is so good. So thought out.

Maybe it's just VLC being weird, but methinks Katara is having some trouble with her eyeball.

Katara STOP BABYING HIM. This is why I don't like Aang having a crush on her.

Honestly it's refreshing to have Toph giving it to Aang straight, no softening the blows.

I really like this texture.

Sokka's club is a giant bottle opener. Or at least a multitool.

ROCK SUITS

wait

ELEMENTAL FASHION

oh this is going to be haybending all over again.

They are totally going to have to nerf this girl. She could defeat the Fire Lord right now.

Earth beats water tribe

Someome who knows more about tea than I do: Why are both pots necessary?

"requires peace of mind" well that's out. Sorry Zuko, we'll have to get you a taser instead.

"So we're drinking tea to calm down?" "not it's to get the nasty ass taste of the sludge you brewed out of my mouth. I mean yes." For what's looking like an extended training montage, this episode is far funnier than it needs to be.

I pretty much don't notice Zuko's scar anymore (it's just part of his character design) then every so often a certain frame of animation will come out of the blue and remind me that this kid's missing half his face. I don't know if it's intentional on the part of the animators, but his scar is prominent this episode.

So it sounds like bending lightning actually corresponds with how lightning in our world works. Neat.

In an absolutely Shocking turn of events (pun absolutely intended), Zuko fucks it up. Fucking shit up: the autobiography of a Fire Prince. Has a nice ring to it.

Toph I know you go hard, but maybe apply a sense of proportion to this?

It kind of looks like Aang's about to be run over by a giant scoop of caramel ice cream.

Toph is such an interesting mishmash of bluntness and emotional intelligence. I don't think I've seen a character like that before.

Zuko being self aware for once! Everything always does explode in his face. Except when he's being the Blue Spirit. Seems he's more capable then.

It's a tragedy that this boy wasn't around for the emo movement. He would have single-handedly sustained Hot Topic.

Zuko going "WHAT TURMOIL?!?!?" is like Katara going "I'M COMPLETELY CALM!!!!!" last episode. Also got a laugh out of me.

"I'm as proud as ever." OF WHAT?!?!? What could he possibly be proud of? He's a homeless fugitive with a stolen horse bird and a half-dead uncle that he can't even properly brew tea for. The self-delusion is strong.

Is pride the source of shame? Honest question, I don't know.

There's a surprising variety of trees in this part of the Earth Kingdom. Where Zuko and Iroh are there are fluffly hardwoods, probably deciduous; Toph's training ground is ringed by cartoon pines.

This whole bit is too cute for words.

"Now come back boomerang" This is a training episode, it's not supposed to be this funny!

Are there voice acting awards? Like voice acting oscars? Sokka's actor needs one. Or several.

I should have waited to answer the ask about airbenders and just copy pasted Iroh's speech here. Except for the water = change bit. That doesn't make sense.

What can I possibly say about Iroh's speech? It's the thesis for this show in a single paragraph.

Pretty.

Are characters' eyes a different shape this episode? Aang's eyes change colour all the time, but everyone's eyes seem more cat-like.

I do love me some constructive bullying.

Sokka is so refreshingly self-aware while still totally oblivious. He is meat and sarcasm, but he's so much more!

"Have you got any meat?" He said that in an Irish accent.

"You're gonna pull my fingers off and I don't think the rest of me is coming!" Do you ever come across a sentence that is so obviously an innuendo that your brain trips over itself trying to decipher it?

Sokka's hair must be so fluffy. It's got so much volume.

Why can't he go get Toph? I think being stuck in a hole outranks avoiding an awkward encounter.

FOO FOO CUDDLYPOOPS

"You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly." Foreshadowing?

Today in 'things Zuko thinks it's acceptable, nay, expected, for parental figures to do' - attempted murder as a teaching method! What went on in that palace?

Is this the closest Sokka's come to dying?

He's earthbending the air! Doing air but earthlike. You know what I mean.

I thought she was levitating.

Toph is so smart. She does the airbender thing and comes at the problem from a different angle. Telling Aang to stand up for himself doesn't work? Fine. Let's bully him into standing up for himself. And it works!

This episode's MVP is Sokka's patience.

"You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?" uhhhhh sure!

Appa getting vengeance for Sokka. Nice.

Theatre kids.

I wish Zuko would just have the breakdown he's obviously hurtling towards so we can get started on the rebuilding arc. Every time I think he's a rock bottom, he keeps digging.

Luten is Katara. Let's not read too far into that one.

Final Thoughts

I defy any episode from this point on to fulfill the Beat Up Sokka Quota as thoroughly as this one did.

In a lesser show, the 'Aang learns earthbending episode' would have had Aang & Toph as the A-plot, and Sokka & Katara doing something completely unrelated as a b-plot, and probably no Zuko at all. Sokka does have his own thing going on this episode, but the fact that they managed to weave in both water tribe siblings so organically is so satisfying. Of course a team member struggling to learn a new skill would seek out his friends. Of course his friends are in the area, observing the lesson to varying degrees. It feels so much more real to have the characters who aren't 'useful' that episode still there, rather than conveniently absent.

Zuko was very Zuko this episode. He's correct that he needs more training for his inevitable next encounter with Zuko jr., but Iroh is also correct that Zuko is a bundle of issues held together by a different bundle of issues. Not to jinx it, but I thought I detected a hint of self-awareness from Zuko this episode, although it seems to have occurred despite his best efforts to suppress it.

Iroh's Zuko-wrangling skills were sharp this episode, despite being injured. And his wisdom was off the charts. Zuko was also not as annoying as I usually find him, and unlike in Zuko Alone where I found his quieter self to be out of character, it fit this episode. Maybe he's turned over a new, quieter, leaf? I loved "she's crazy and she needs to go down" both as a joke and as a statement. Shared blood doesn't trump someone's actions, and I'm glad to see a show meant for kids acknowledge that. Although, given that this show has no problem depicting objectively BAD parents and families, I can't say I'm surprised.

In a testament to Jack de Sena's skill, Sokka get a soliloquy this episode and pulls it off flawlessly. Kudos to the animation team for making Sokka's face fit the words so well. Double kudos for whoever had the balls to approve 'stick Sokka in a hole and put an apex predator on his head to force self-reflection' as a plotline.

There was a lot of exposition from a lot of different characters this episode, but it's mostly unnoticeable. It just makes sense that that's what they would be talking about at that point in time.

I think I said it above, but I'll say it again: the worldbuilding in this show is phenomenally well done. How do I know this? Because I was able to construct most of Iroh's monologue before watching this episode, just by paying attention. This show rewards focus and attentiveness. (Almost) nothing that Iroh said was not something the audience has already observed for themselves. Not heard, but observed. That 'show, don't tell' thing.

This episode was way funnier than it needed to be too. Not just the obvious stuff like *inhales*

FOO FOO CUDDLYPOOPS

but tiny one-liners buried mid-conversation and character interactions too. Momo turning into a reed didn't have to be there, but it was, and it was funny. It wasn't exactly restful, but it was a relief to have an episode that really didn't move around after The Chase.

What I like most about this episode was that it went farther than it had to. This was a training episode. It could have been just training. Anyone familiar with training episodes would expect just training, and be satisfied with just training. But Avatar said 'nope, we'll do better than that' and organically incorporated a heap of character stuff, worldbuilding from multiple perspectives, humour, multiple characters undergoing self-reflection, the next step in the domestication of Zuko, what I'm hoping wasn't a heap of foreshadowing, and pretty backgrounds as the cherry on top. They didn't have to go so hard, but Avatar always goes hard. I like that.

[randomly--accessed--memories]

@storm-ismyusername

1 - How does 60sMindbreak!Vox condition different from regular RAM? (Can he remember specific events? Is he less scatterbrained and distractible? Does he break less things while at the hotel?)

Vox would probably be significantly more mellow than his main RAM counterpart. He's still distractible, high-energy, and struggles with short-term memory, but he's far more stable. There's not a 50 year gap in his memory, he doesn't have the trauma of the torture or his confinement to grapple with, and he's more or less acclimated to the way his mind works now. No one's afraid that he's going to suddenly fall apart for no clear reason and set the building on fire in this verse– he's just Alastor's offbeat, old-fashioned friend/lackey who probably shouldn't be left alone for long periods of time.

2 - Since Alastor broke Vox before he became an Overlord does he have less powers/is weaker than regular RAM?

It's sort of a weird situation. They're equal in terms of power level since neither has any active contracts anymore, but their levels of experience are difference. Main RAM Vox had become very adept at using his powers before the broadcast, after which he lost control over them, although there's still a bit of "muscle memory" there. 60s Vox never had those years of refining his powers, but he isn't starting from scratch like main Vox is. Not sure who would be more powerful since it's not exactly clearcut.

3 - How is Vox's relationship with Velvette different from canon? How is Valentino's relationship with Velvette different from canon?

My interpretation of canon Vox and Vel's relationship is that he's her mentor. He respects her abilities, but still can be a bit condescending to her. Velvette sees him as old (despite his best efforts) and kind of cringey, but she also recognizes that he's incredibly clever and his advice is worthwhile. For Valentino and Velvette, I think Valentino's opinion of Velvette changes with his mood. Sometimes he thinks she's cool and fun, other times she's a spoiled bitch who needs to get off her high horse. Velvette repeats Valentino as an overlord, but not as a person. His temper tantrums are ridiculous and she's not sure why Vox puts up with him– the sex must really be that good. However, Vel's not one to turn down partying with someone just because they're a pain to deal with sometimes. Her and Val can totally get along, so long as he's not stepping on her toes.

In this AU, Vox isn't as self-impressed as he is in the main verse, so he sees Velvette as more of a friend than someone whose raw potential he needs to mold. He might still have his quasi-paternal moments, but he mostly talks to her as an equal. Valentino tries to shut her out at first, but as time goes on, he realizes how fun and clever she can be and starts opening up to her a bit. Velvette starts off her character arc thinking that Vox is a freak and Valentino is a miserable shit. She ends it feeling like she's finally found her people. Yeah, they're freaks, but they're her freaks. She doesn't want to part ways with them; maybe if all this redemption shit doesn't work out and they all break free of their masters, they could be a team.

4 - What does Velvette think of Charlie, Vaggie, Sir Pentious (if he's still there), and Alastor? What does Valentino think of Charlie, Vaggie, Sir Pentious (if he's still there)?

Velvette's giving "sullen teenager" during her first month or so at the hotel. Like mainverse Angel, she doesn't take any of the redemption exercises seriously and can be kind of a bitch to deal with. Her and Vaggie clash a lot because of her attitude. Charlie is endlessly patient with her and thinks that once she can get her to open up, she'll buy in. Velvette bullies Pentious if he's around. Eventually, Velvette starts to chill out and becomes a bit softer with the OG hazbins.

Valentino is also hard to deal with. He's moody, thinks Charlie's mission is laughable, and is prone to making deeply cutting sarcastic remarks. His relationships with the original cast are similar to Velvette's, being mostly antagonistic until they start growing on him a bit. It takes longer for him to come around than Velvette, though.

5 - What would Velvette's reaction to seeing Mindbreak Niffty scuttling around the hotel? (Such a contrast to the cutthroat woman she worked under.

It makes Velvette's hair stand on end. She may not have liked Niffty, but this is just scary, seeing her turned inside out like this. Velvette was already leery of Alastor, but now she's actually afraid of him.

6 - What would Valentinos react to seeing Mindbreak Niffty so helpless? Would he try to hurt her (but she would like the pain) or has he grown enough of a conscience to just ignore her instead?

I'm not confident enough in my characterization of Valentino to say. We could meet in the middle and say he does something to hurt her as revenge, she reacts positively, and he's freaked out, deciding it's not worth it.

7 - Would Niffty and Vox's relationship be slightly different?

Depends on how malleable Vox's grasp on reality is. He could forget that she used to be Velvette's boss/accept Alastor's claim that Everything's Fine, She's Part Of The Team Now and start treating her like a friend, or he could be a bit more hesitant.

1 - Velvette and Valentino making fun of Alastor's stupid haircut while Vox tries (and fails) to defend it. (He secretly thinks it looks stupid too).

Valentino and Velvette are high school mean girls and Vox is trying not to give in to peer pressure (but there's a mean girl deep down inside him too, just waiting to come out).

2 - Thinking about when Vaggie flung the Hotel residents into a literal war zone. Velvette doesn't know how to fight! She was a regular teenager before dying and was snatched up by Niffty quickly after arriving in Hell so never learned to fend for herself. I can see Velvette completely freaking the entire time, potentially using Sir Pentious as a (in)human shield, and relying entirely on Valentino and Vox to not be brutally maimed or worse. This would probably be the moment Velvette became actual friends with Valentino and Vox. (Also when she realized how dangerous Vox truly is when he electrocutes an entire block. (Vaggie just assumed Velvette could fight and is horrified when she learns she threw a non combatant in the middle of a literal war zone. She would definitely apologize afterwards.)

Velvette probably has some self-defense skills, but not enough to hold her own in the Doomsday District. She definitely would try to use Pentious as a meat shield and is lowkey in awe when Valentino and Vox suddenly reveal themselves as highly competent fighters. Vaggie might've been too preoccupied with her musical number to notice that Velvette wasn't fully participating in the fight (until Val gave her one of his guns, that is).

3- After Vaggie finds out how Alastor maims Valentino including removing and selling his wings) she tries to reach out to him. At first Valentino pushes her away and lashes out, thinking it's pity when really it's empathy. Vaggie finally managed to break through his shell when she hand sewed him an eyepatch. After that he doesn't completely push her away and they start to become kinda-sorta-almost friends, eventually.

Vaggie and Val, the two most prickly people in the hotel, making nice. Charlie would be proud if she wan't preoccupied with the "Alastor's been abusing my friends" realization.

4- I think Valentino's eyesight looks like this:

Don't know enough about low vision to dispute this. He probably has depth perception issues given how he's missing an eye.

5 - Husk, Niffty, and Angel Dust are nicknamed The Glamours~ by regular Sinners because of their glamorous looking lifestyles and how much time they spend together.

Cool

6 - Alastor's a lot softer with Vox than in regular RAM He's a 1-3 out of 10 on maliciousness, breaking Vox was a complete accident and he tries his best to be kind to him. (Still a monster to Valentino though.)

That would be interesting, and has the potential to be kind of sweet in a messed up way. Alastor might've taken what happened with Vox as a lesson: don't be reckless with your powers and don't act out of anger. He ended up breaking his friend because he got too caught up in their fight and tried something rash. It'd make him even more infuriating to deal with from Valentino's perspective though. Alastor maintains that he's not hurting him out of spite (well, not entirely), he's just doing what's necessary to correct him. Valentino thinks that's a crock of shit, but if he says so, he's putting himself in danger.

60s Swap: Valentino experiencing phantom pains from his missing wings (and arm).

Mental image of Vox and Val sitting together quietly as Val "flexes" his missing arm. Vox doesn't know what to say or do, so he just decides to be there with him.

60s Swap: Velvette takes Angel Dust's role where would she take the group in episode 3?

Velvette probably wouldn't volunteer a location, she just sits there making snide comments until Vaggie snaps and tells her that if she's so smart, why doesn't she pick the trust exercise? Velvette takes them to the mall. The exercise is "trust me with your credit cards." Vaggie wants to throttle her but– shit, where did Vox go?

What would Velvette, Vox, and Valentino think of Lucifer and vice versa?

Vox is excited to meet royalty and tries to schmooze with him (the effect is slightly ruined by the fact that Vox is talking so fast that Lucifer thinks he's on coke). Valentino doesn't really give a fuck, but enjoys watching him and Alastor bicker. Velvette's curious at first, thinking Lucifer is going to be some cool, cunning anti-hero, and is lowkey disappointed when he turns out to be just some cringey dad. His and Charlie's reconciliation may have touched her just a tiny bit, though.

[mpregandproud]

Isaac II (Part 1)

Twenty years ago my life took a 180 degree turn. After separating from my ex-wife Sandra, Isaac came into my life, and with him an adventure that if someone told you about it you would not believe. In just five years I went through five pregnancies and gave birth to seventeen children, no more and no less. With my husband I had eleven of them, and we adopted the daughter I had with my ex-wife, whom I got pregnant before our separation. And we decided to be surrogates for our friends Lucas, Ray and Tom, six more children. Oh yes, I forgot, I am a man, a man who got pregnant. I know, I'm kind of a weirdo. Although Isaac prefers to say it's a “gift given to me by nature”.

While Isaac and I adore our children and thoroughly enjoyed my pregnancies, we decided to stop making babies. With twelve boys and girls per household we had more than enough. We had dreamed of having a big, happy family, especially since neither of us had grown up in large families. The dream of our lives was more complete than ever. Or so we believe at the time.

After having the sextuplets we decided to leave the city and move to the town where I grew up. There we bought a big house in the country. Isaac and I could work from home, and being close to my parents and sister would help us raise little quintuplets Dylan, Nate, Philip, Edward and Cristina, sextuplets Bruce, Ken, Patrick, Charlotte, Ivana and Jason, and Sandra, the oldest of all our children.

This change allowed me to make a major change in my life. I started to take up sports again and regain a healthier way of life. With Lucas, Gary, Samuel and Frank, my former soccer teammates when I was young, we started participating in the veterans' league. Although I never regained the shape I had before I gave birth, I lost my belly and my muscles started to show after years of being hidden under fat. My ass, two large spheres, and my hips, wide as proof of having given birth to a full soccer team with its starting and substitute players included, were living witnesses that inside me the party of life had taken place.

Isaac and I have strengthened our relationship a lot over the years. He is my soul mate. If I ever had any doubts about our marriage, seeing him day in and day out taking care of our children made me fall in love with him like I did the first day I saw him on that soccer field. Now in his 50s, he is the sugar daddy I once dreamed of as a teenager, when I was still trying to convince myself that I liked women. His athletic body and the gray hair that has slightly whitened his hair is like a dream come true. When he comes home from working in the garden, sweaty and dirty, I have to hold back my desire for him to slam me against the wall and plant his potent seed inside me again.

This is not to say that Isaac and I have stopped fucking, in fact we do it more than ever. The years have made us wilder. And now that our older kids are in college and our younger ones are in high school, we have more time to live our passionate love intensely. Maybe we have too much time, and too much passion for no good.

Yes, as you can imagine, the inevitable happened again. Sixteen years after I had last been pregnant I felt morning sickness and a general feeling of discomfort in my body again. I didn't want to believe it at first. Remember that we had decided not to have any more babies, but Mother Nature had other plans. That's why a condom broke, there was a plan to get us pregnant again. Apparently twelve children was not enough, so a new litter was about to arrive. I was pregnant again.

For the first time in all these years I saw Isaac worried. In spite of having experience in the matter, this was going to be my sixth time pregnant, it was not the same to be pregnant when I was 30 than when I was 50. And I wasn't sure that my body would work the same way either.

“What are we going to do, Isaac, do you want to become a father again?”, I asked him the night after we confirmed the pregnancy.

“Daniel, I don't know. I really don't know, it was no longer in my plans to be a father again. I adore our children and I love you madly, but I have more doubts than ever”, he said cuddling up to me on the bed. “I remember when we found out you were pregnant twenty years ago it was you who had doubts, and me who reassured you. But look at me now, I don't recognize myself, I'm scared of what this pregnancy might mean for you, especially knowing that we tend to have many children at the same time”, he was shaking as he told me, so I grabbed his hand and shook it tightly to try to calm him down.

I gave him a little kiss on the crown of his head. “I didn't expect to find myself gestating a child again either at our age and after going through this so many times. I already felt complete with what we had. But today, when the doctor confirmed that we were pregnant, something changed in me. I have doubts, lots and lots of doubts, but also the desire to be a father again with you”, I told him without being able to look at him because I was so nervous. “I think it's clear to me that I want to have this child, or children. It may be our last chance to be parents again. Who knows. And, I'm not going to lie to you, I love how much the pregnancies brought us together before. So, yes, I want to be a father”. I looked down and saw him crying emotionally, as much as I was. Both with tears in our eyes.

Isaac sat up, grabbed my face and said in a breathy voice, “I love you so much. We're in this together, let's get to it”. We kissed passionately and sealed that night by fucking like animals again.

The following week we got our children together. Taking advantage of the fact that the older ones had returned from college that week for summer vacation, it was the ideal time to tell them all the good news. Isaac prepared a barbecue in the garden. We also invited Esther and her children Svetlana and Boris, the children she had with Yevgeni, who died last year in a helicopter accident.

Our best friends, Lucas and Adam, and their children Daniel and Isaac, the first ones I had as a surrogate, also came. They are also our family, our chosen family. For little Daniel and Isaac, our sons are their cousins, and we are their uncles. Lucas and Adam wanted us to be in their lives from day one. I will be eternally grateful to them, as it helped me cope better with the strange feeling of having given birth to children that were technically not mine. I still have a very close relationship with the other children I had as a surrogate, but they live farther away, so I see them less often. And also, Daniel and Isaac were my first, it's something special, hard to explain.

When they were a little older Lucas and Adam explained to the boys that I was the one who gestated them because they could not. Far from being scared, the children became even more fond of me. They say that I am their favorite uncle. When they tell me that in front of Isaac he gets jealous. I love to see him like that. He looks so sexy in those funny moments.

Before we got to desserts I sat for a while with my sister Esther and Lucas, my childhood friend. She has always been very perceptive, so it didn't catch me by surprise that she was the one who asked me the question, “You're pregnant again, aren't you?”. Lucas was silent and staring at me with wide eyes. “The first time you got pregnant you did something similar in Isaac's apartment in the city. You will have many children, but originality is not your strong point,” she said teasing me as only a sister knows how. I sipped my soda and nodded my head. “But don't tell anyone yet, we want to announce it to all of you today”, I winked.

Both Esther and Lucas were concerned about a pregnancy in my fifties. “Are you sure? You and Isaac have sky-high fertility, so knowing your backgrounds it's possible you're expecting a whole basketball team. Isn't that dangerous at your age?” said a very concerned Lucas. “Yes, we are aware of the complications that may be involved, but we want to give it a try. It could be our last chance to be parents again. It's not a planned pregnancy, but we agree that we want to try. We take all the risks”, I told them.

They both gave me a big hug in that very moment. They are the two people who understand me best. Apart from Isaac, I can talk to Esther and Lucas about anything. Their hug felt comforting, they were giving me their approval and support. I knew that in the face of any difficulty I could count on them in this adventure.

From across the garden Isaac was looking at us. I knew that without explaining anything to him, just by seeing the three of us hugging, he was aware that Lucas and Esther knew about the pregnancy and that they were giving me strength. His smile at the sight of us made me feel even more confident in the decision we had made. It would not be a planned pregnancy, but it would be a desired pregnancy.

After desserts we gathered everyone around the table and Isaac was in charge of telling everyone. “Thank you for coming to our house today. For us it is very important to have the family close to us in all our steps as a couple and as parents. We are about to start a journey with many doubts, but that will once again fill this house with love”. He then grabbed me with his left hand and put his right hand on my belly. In case anyone did not understand his gesture, he proceeded to clarify it by shouting it from the rooftops. “We are going to be parents again. We are pregnant!”, he announced with the same joy with which twenty years ago he told that we were pregnant for the first time.

Everyone started squealing with joy and celebrating. If there were any doubts, our family cleared them all. Our children hugged both of us, some of them crying with excitement as Isaac and I were. Sandra, our oldest, gave me a huge hug, then told me that “mommy would be as excited as I am right now. I can't wait to have new siblings". I think a lot about my ex-wife Sandra, and as my daughter said, I'm sure that on a day like this she would have liked to be with us celebrating. I miss her, I hope she is proud of the family we have given our daughter.

Be that as it may, come what children may, we are on this journey together, Isaac and I. Together about to become parents again. Living the best of our lives.

Go to Part 2

[rinadragomir]

My thoughts on the couples included in Better in Black for those who care

I expect you to write down yours so work work

📍Wessa

You know, as a dedicated Jessa stan I wanna say that it's okay~ Because these two were together for 50 years or sth, there's still some things to add. We might watch them in their 30s, 50s, 60s. I guess at this point both camps have around the same amount of content. Plus I'll have Jessa in twp so I'm in peace 🌱

📍Clace

All my first thoughts are over here. I'm a Clace defender, I'm their oldest stan, I'm a veteran👩‍🦳 So I feel like I have a right to say that...it was kinda unnecessary. We've witnessed every step in their relationship so far, beginning of it in TMI, gentle transition to adulthood in TDA and Tales of Shadowhunter Academy, adulthood in SOBH and proposal. So if the story isn't about their wedding then WHAT THE HELL IS IT ABOUT REALLY? And we know that they won't get married until twp.

📍Anna & Ari (Arianna!)

Hey🥺that is nice, we've seen so little of them in chain of thorns and I've loved them since their debut in 2018 in that short story. I'm very biased when it comes to TLH, cause I'm their mother. So YAY🌱they have a long way to go, Anna still needs to change a tiny little bit for them to be healthy, so I'd love to witness it

📍Jordelia

We all have known about it, because Cassie kinda promised us their story a while ago. Wedding runes scene, honeymoon, kids, mortgage etc. Go kids, slay, serve, eat and so on, I'm excited for u!

📍Sebastian & Seelie Queen

🤨🧐🤔👁👁

Yeah... That famous Sebastian &Fanbase. Like... I'm conflicted, because it's useless and doesn't make any sense even tho it might slay. Listen up, I'll show you.

Lots of people defend it by saying that it might be important for Ash's background in TWP. But... No it's not. Because this is exclusive book made for few people who were lucky and financially stable enough to get it. It won't be posted online. So most people won't read it unless someone leaks it. So there's no point for that story to be important for the plot, therefore it has nothing to do with it.

And it's definitely not "one of the most beloved" couples. BUT LIKE... WHAT IF IT SLAYS? Toxic, unhinged romance, what if I'll love it? 🤡

📍Jemma

So you see the problem? Because it's the same as Clace. What else might she add, because there's nothing. SoBH ended like yesterday. We know exactly where they live rn, their daily routine, their plans. So there's nothing to add between SOBH and twp. What will it be about? Hard to say, but I hope Cassie will come up with sth interesting for them.

📍Thomastair (why did Cassie say Alistair instead of Alastair, I'm lost help me)

Yay🥺slay, serve, eat and leave no crumbs, go, kill it idk you're doing great boys, there's so much to add and explore because they've just started dating. I'm so excited ^-^

📍Kierartkina

That is fine. No matter what I think about their relationship, because in my point of view Cristina and Kieran fell in love because Cassie said so apparently, I still don't mind them being there. Because there's also lots of things to discuss and explore. I hope the story will be soft and warm☀they've just started their advantage so it definitely makes sense

📍Sizzy

Even though we've had lots of them in TMI and Shadowhunters Academy I still think they deserve to be here. They are famous (I guess? 👁👁) and I'd like to know more about their plans for future. Simon was still a teenager in the stories collection and now I'd love to see him as a grown man being in relationship with the woman he loves.

📍Luke & Jocelyn

👁👁🤨🧐🤔👀

Well... That was... Unexpected. I guess... I've just never met their fandom but I hope it's huge af, because I don't know why else would they be here. Sophideon, Gabrily and Charlotte with Henry were supposed to be here, let's be honest. But since they're here, I do think Cassie is able to make a decent story. I expect it to be bittersweet, angsty and somehow heartwarming. I think there's nothing to say except let's wait and find out.

OVERALL I think it's pretty fine. Maximum 7/10 from me. I was ready to face the worst, but it turned out to be... Fine. So it's fine☺🌱

[mrooops]

well, finally, the solemn occasion for which we have gathered here. let's discuss why i personally think that roger waters is 101% bisexual.

perhaps, let's start in order. teenage hormones associated with sexual desire begin to appear during school. i like to let you imagine situations, so imagine yourself back in the shoes of a boy in the 50s. his mother intimidated him with her strong character; adults around him believe that even mentioning sex is the height of indecency. nobody talks about this at all. there are no girls, the school you study at is strictly for boys and, accordingly, your first conversations about any sexual contact are only with boys. this closed male space becomes the motif for Empty Spaces, where waters reveals his fear of women. he was afraid of them because he was afraid of any intimacy with them, he was afraid to even imagine it, as i said earlier, women for him are like wild predators wanting to tear him apart. guys will be a more familiar experience, less scary, oh, and you all know what often happened in english boys' schools, yes (i'm not talking about anything mega sexy, it's just about exploring your sexuality). in his situation, i can’t say for sure, but i’m more inclined to believe that at school he had nothing but shameful curiosity. all the same, he was terribly pressed and everyone humiliated him. it’s unlikely that he would have even done something like that then.

let's move on. in general, let's talk about another very important psychological aspect, which left him with food for thought for many more years. Syd. imagine roger, who is ashamed of any intimate action, who is dependent on other people's opinions, is insanely tense and always attacks someone with aggression if they say something that seems offensive to him, and imagine syd, who is not afraid to expirience, he is not afraid of sex, he is not afraid to talk about sex, he does not need to listen to the people around him to know who he is and what he wants from his life. he's incredibly free. roger admires this freedom. i think he was openly surprised at this side of barrett more than once. even now, he talks insanely often about how much he and syd talked about things that he didn’t understand then.

and in fact, yes, syd greatly influenced his life. syd never needed roger to pretend to him like waters did with his other friends. syd never needed roger to be right about everything or for everything to work out for him. syd just loved being around him and knowing that roger was listening to him and that syd had something to share with him. he loved that sometimes roger is very emotional or very sensitive and he never judged him for that. i think their sheer revelation to each other is what made roger obsess over him. he could have chosen anyone to talk about all his life and write songs about, even his girlfriend or wife, but he chose syd because he treated roger equally, honestly and openly.

you might think it was some weird jump from talking about sex to talking about feelings, but it's roger's sexuality that we're talking about. and his sexuality certainly includes sex AND feelings.

i'll also clarify that i don't want to say that they had any kind of sexual contact, but i believe that at least once he really thought that maybe if it was syd of all, he wouldn't be against. roger is very sensual and emotional and he is very confused about his sexual feelings, he was one hundred percent just as confused about syd. the “i'm a homosexual” moment didn’t make the situation any better either.

and what roger described in Incarceration of a flower child is an incredibly intimate moment. he remembers it. this is what he wants to remember when he thinks about syd. when it was just the two of them, lying on pillows and discussing baby names. and the way he grabs onto this moment, afraid to let it go - this is also very significant. i mean, he deeply loved him, kinda romantically, kinda friendly. there are many examples of songs that can prove this if you think a little, but i won't do that here, it's already a long post.

when syd left, this whole long process of his “leaving” made roger angry. i can only compare this to when a wife’s husband dies and she begins to ask herself “why did he do this to me? why did he leave me?” (i have an example of real people with whom this situation happened). roger also likes to direct everything towards himself, of course it was syd who left him, not pink floyd. syd made them famous, they were being pressured to write a new album, and syd just decided that he was leaving. and roger didn’t need excuses for why this happened, he saw it as if he was simply left to deal with all the problems. and so he feels sad, because he feels sad he gets angry and you get the idea. but the anger passes. and he understands that he misses him and syd was very, very important to him. and then the realization comes that it was he who was selfish in this situation.

and when syd leaves he becomes who he was again. he is unsure of himself, he is waiting for approval, he cannot improve his sex life (in some way) because there is simply something missing in it.

he is kinda bisexual.

he will never admit it because he doesn't think it's anyone's business. he doesn't admit it because he's still closed and he still can't agree with himself. after all, even if he had thoughts and even fantasies, he was always ashamed of them because for society it was shameful then. and he was dependent on it.

you can agree or disagree, i am not claiming to be his sex psychologist, i am simply writing this as my own thoughts and conclusions.

[imaginedreamwrite]

Like No One Does

Part 2: And Everything’s A Mess

The candlelight in your bedroom was fading, and you were more comfortable sitting in the dark than trying to turn on the lights.

You had sent yourself to your bedroom, isolated from what little family you had that had come to visit because you wanted to be alone. No one would bother you, not after Danah had figuratively ripped into one of your father’s cousins about you being present.

No one would bother you, not now. You were stuck in your bedroom, in the same position, watching soft flames flick against thick glass as a somewhat, scent of autumn had filled your room. It was colder now than you anticipated, fitting for the gathering that your great aunt had insisted upon, to remember your parents.

16 and an orphan.

16, and you were expected to find someone to take on your guardianship. Who would want to take care of you anyway? Why would anyone want a grumpy teenager in their house who would mope and not do anything?

You could hear them out there, the friends and family who had come to say goodbye to your parents, both of them sick.

After lengthy hospital stays and medical treatments that would never extend their lives past their 50s, they had finally met peace. On a Friday night at the tail end of August, your parents had finally taken their last breath, and you were told to say the last goodbye you’d ever be able to give them.

Now you were supposed to bury your parents and, according to your great aunt, be present with the remaining family you had. You weren’t supposed to show your mourning, you were supposed to put a smile on your face and be stronger than this.

“She can go fuck herself if she thinks you need to be anything but—“ Danah had found you earlier in the morning when she came over to help you get ready for whatever company you’d have. “—fuck her.”

You had restricted yourself to your bedroom, confined yourself to the dark as you sat there with your knees pulled up to your chest and your face hidden. You kept yourself in the dark while watching the soft flames of that candle flickering, and the scent of pumpkin and cinnamon, some kind of spice, all blend into something that smelled well enough.

“I can’t do this.” Your voice wavered when the door opened, and you felt the bed dip under the weight of someone sitting near you. “How am I supposed to say goodbye?”

You knew it was Ari, he was the only one, besides Danah, who could’ve come in here and not gotten his head rips off. He had this way about him, this silent comfort that had been extended to you without him having to say a word. He had sat there with you, as you hid your face into your knees and cried so desperately.

Your shoulders shook with every heartbroken sob, every ounce of pain and loss exuded from you with a torrential downpour. You hadn’t been able to cry in front of your relatives, it was as if there was a block that had come up and prevented you from allowing you to be emotional. Not in front of them, but in front of Danah, and Ari, you let it go.

You couldn’t possibly go out there and watch their caskets being lowered knowing that it was it, that it was the end of your parents. You didn’t think you could face your family, the distant relatives who had never once tried to step up and help.

“I hate them, I hate them all.” You wanted to throw everything in your path, you wanted to scream until your throat bled and your voice broke. “I hate them.”

Ari didn’t need to say anything. He didn’t need to speak to you to comfort you, all it took was for him to wrap a blanket around your shoulders, and allow you to rest your head in his lap while you cried.

He brushed your hair back behind your ears, he had wiped your tears from your cheeks as you laid your head in your lap. Furthermore, he had comforted you more than anyone else had to that point, and all he had done was allow you to cry without him saying a thing.

It was the bare minimum anyone could do, and it had brought you the most comfort. With your head in his lap, while you were mourning your parents before their caskets had event been lowered, you felt the raw pain of your heart being smashed to pieces.

You were in a daze, with no functional ability to tell how much time had passed, or if you had even moved from your bed. You were mindlessly withdrawn, your body on autopilot while your mind retreated, throughout the whole process of the funeral for your parents.

As they were buried side by side and dirt was thrown on top of the caskets by your relatives, you had remained silent and withdrawn. You had retained your inability to cry in front of your relatives, though you had tears pooling in your eyes, they would not be shed.

Over and over, you had willed yourself to keep it together for people who didn’t give a shit about you, or your parents. You had willed yourself to remain stoic and avoid giving themselves any part of your emotional state, they didn’t deserve to get a picture into your head or your heart.

Mindlessly and as if you were experiencing something out of body, you moved on autopilot the entire day until the final grieving family member had gone. Once the door was shut, and you were alone in the little apartment your parents had occupied sparsely between their hospital stays, you allowed yourself to feel again.

Anger had caused you to lash out, broken glass and thrown books all over the floor. Water spilled from the smashed vases, flowers, and flower petals crushed…

Anger had turned to crying again, and you found yourself laying heaped on the floor. 16 years old and an orphan, 16 years old and left straddled with debt that was not yours.

You laid against the cold floor with destruction around you, mindlessly lost to your grief. Endlessly thrown back and forth from crying to pleading, to cursing to silence.

Not until you had felt arms lifting you from the floor, and a soft whisper of your name as you were carried out. Almost everything had been sold to pay for as much as it could, and the apartment was rented out within weeks.

You were given the ability to live with the Levinson’s, though that only lasted two years before you threw yourself into college. And into paying off the debts incurred.

You balanced work and university, for as long as you could, until it had finally been too much, and you were forced to drop out.

Stricken by your own forcible exhaustion, you had become a shell of the person you were.

Consider my offer, princess. Don’t shut me out — A. L.

The bouquet of flowers had dried, now in the trash. The clay vase is being used to hold another cheap dollar store decoration that made your apartment look less depressing. Though, neither of those facts can deter you from the note in your hand that almost carries its warmth. You find yourself staring at its intent while you remunerate over the latest debilitating bills that have landed in your hands.

The flowers were once gorgeous with bright petals and fresh green stems. The bouquet had come the day after Ari had broken into your apartment, regardless of him asserting that you let him in. The days between him coming over, the flowers the following morning, and the arrival of new bills, were filled with an endless cycle of work.

You worked late hours as a waitress at a high-end banquet hall, and early morning hours at a café/bookstore. You worked there in the early hours as a barista, making coffee for people who were: seemingly always in a bad mood and in a rush, or people who would stumble in during the early hours and stay until they compunction made them leave.

In the quiet hours of the night as you had sat on your couch, staring at the bills littered on your coffee table, you had time to think and process the offer that was in front of you and on the phone. It had been days since you’d been first given the offer by Ari, and the weekly Sunday dinner that Danah would insist you come to was tomorrow.

With a decision to be made, a weight was upon your shoulders. It had begun dragging you beneath the dark cut of an inescapable water, and you had to choose what outcome you would face.

You could decide to ignore the life-preserver and not save yourself from the encroaching depths that would surely extinguish you with a one-ton weight. It would inevitably start dragging you to your death in the loch. You would be overwhelmed by the bills, by the debt that had been inherited to you by your parents' state of health, and their death. It was an inescapable reality, you would figuratively drown.

Or you could take the offer, accept the help that was being offered to you and pull yourself from the stinging and brutal waters.

You could make the counter-choice and take the role as Ari’s assistant, a job that would provide health insurance and security for your debts. The job would give you three weeks vacation every year, you would be cushioned from the unseemly debts that would otherwise destroy you, and ultimately, you could breathe again.

The choice seemed an obvious one to make, and yet, your stubborn self-preservation had made you hesitate. You were, and equally were not, on your own since you were 16. The Levinson’s have done more for you than you could ever hope to thank them for, and still, there as resistance to asking for more help. You were a grown woman, this was your responsibility to take on, it was your debt that had been incurred by your family—regardless of intent.

Asking and accepting this continued olive branch had been a tough decision to make, although it shouldn’t have been.

Was it your pride that was keeping you from giving into Ari? Was it your stubbornness to not burden the Levinson’s any more than you had?

There was an endless gratitude you heralded for all of them, the family that had done so much for your family. They were all incredible and had given you so much already, and it seemed that trying to take more or even another offer, it had left you feeling at odds with yourself.

However, on the flip side of your stubborn pride, there was an innate sense of hopelessness.

You were barely getting by in fact, one bout of sickness that could result in a hospital stay, would destroy the last of your ability to pay bills. There was little forgiveness with these debtors and collections companies. They wouldn’t have cared either way if you lived a good life outside your debts, or scrambled until you took your last breath.

It was slow, the way you had gathered the bills in your hands and stacked them neatly. Rather than feeling like a diabolical task, it had felt ordinary and almost reminded you of stacking clean plates at your banquet job before putting them away.

You had gathered them, opened and unopened, and stood from the couch to walk toward your cheap second hand entertainment stand. You dug through a bin that you’d shoved into the cupboard, and neatly stacked the new bills with the old.

And once your decision was made, you headed off to your bedroom, closing the door behind you, ultimately falling to your mattress and sparsely covering yourself up.

Tomorrow, when you went over to Danah’s house for dinner, with their parents, you would give Ari your answer and finally put this matter to rest.

The walk up the driveway to Danah’s house was usual and ordinary, nothing that you hadn’t taken before. And like every Sunday sequentially that you’d attended, you stood on the edge of the driveway for a moment to gather your thoughts. You had taken time to think about whether this choice was the right one, and then your mind drifted to the years you and Danah had spent together.

You were best friends from different class structures, and her family had taken care of you like you were their daughter. Mrs. Levinson, the matriarch of the family, had often made Danah bring your favourite baked pastries, if not entire meals, for you to eat. She had repeatedly told you that you needed some nice Jewish boy to marry, regardless of you not being Jewish, the same mantra that she had told Danah.

Today, however, as you arrived at the house, you saw Ari standing outside. His appearance on the front steps of the stately Levinson home was surprising at best, considering that he had usually arrived after you, or he was usually outside. However, this Sunday he was on the phone holding a conversation, one that made his eyebrows furrow and his lips to press in a thin line.

As casually as he had dressed, in a pair of jeans that cost more than your apartment and a thick flannel, he had once again forgone the suit but still looked gorgeous. And the state of him made your heart beat erratically, a reminder that he was beautiful and every woman’s dream—though he was entirely too far out of your reach.

You watched him, speculatively, as you walked up the driveway. He had lifted his head and caught your gaze as you made your way closer to him, your heart thrashing in your chest and butterflies fluttering in your stomach. Ari was your best friends’ older brother, he was a CEO and vastly wealthy, whereas you had maybe $100 to last you the next week, or days, respectively.

“Get it done.” His voice carried, and you had stepped onto the porch, attempting to move past him. While he finished the conversation he was in, your attempt was made feeble, and you innately found yourself unable to quite get past him, stopped by his hand grabbing your wrist.

“Not so fast, princess.” He stood from where he had sat, standing far too close for you not to notice the scent of his cologne, and the slight stagnant tone of cigarettes. “You don’t even say hi?”


“I was going to say hi inside,” your eyes were captive by his own, and you sought a distraction by mentioning the fact his mother would hate, “you know I can smell the smoke on you. Your mom’s going to be pissed.”


Ari grinned and ran his fingers through his soft brown hair, his beard forming a thicker coating on his face. It was as if he were preparing for the cool months by purposefully avoiding shaving, to give himself some kind of modern Bostonian lumberjack aesthetic. With his thick flannel, dark jeans, longer hair and thicker beard, he would’ve looked the part without a single doubt, if he didn’t live in a penthouse in the heart of the city.

“Ma’ll get over it when she sees you, darling.” Ari’s constant stare or flirting had been your undoing many times, in private, and you’d been made restless again by his voice.

He was beyond beautiful, and he knew it.

He knew how attractive he was, he knew the effect he had on women and that attractiveness had gotten him into trouble, especially when it came to his ma. Ari had flings, he had one-night stands, that you’d been privy to seeing the morning after, and those flings had driven his Jewish mama up the wall. She had wanted nothing but the best for Danah and Ari, though neither had made stellar choices for their love lives.

“You overestimate my presence in your ma’s life.” You contested his claim, with your own negated response that was rooted in the idea that Mrs. Levinson felt pity for you, nothing else.

“Yeah?” Ari knocked on the door and waited, with a smirk on his face, as if he were waiting to prove a point.

And to further make his point, Ari had dug a cigarette from his pocket and placed it between his top and bottom lips. You watched him with narrowed eyes, your focus on him rather than the front door, though it was soon clear what he was trying to do.

When the door opened and Mrs. Levinson had appeared on the other side, your attention briefly shifted to her, watching her eyes narrow as she first took in the appearance of her son with a cigarette in his mouth. Her eyes had narrowed dangerously and egregiously, her hands had been set on her hips, and she let her son know exactly how displeased she was with him.

“Ari Levinson, you get that out of your mouth right now! You may be an adult, but I am still your mother and I will take out the wooden spoon!” She had shifted her attention from Ari to yourself, her ire melting into nothing but eager happiness at seeing you.

“Y/N come in, dear. I hope you’re hungry.” She had rested her arm around your upper back to steer you into the house, her soft voice pleasant upon your ears as she ordered Ari to close the door.

“I told you—“

“Put that damn thing out!” His ma barked the order at him and when you had looked over your shoulder toward your potential boss, he had smirked and winked at you before slipping back outside.

You were steered it the kitchen toward a tray of fresh Jewish pastries, your favourites, while his ma had stood beside you. She still kept an arm around your back as she spoke, her voice chipper and joyful, like usual. You had reached for one of them, lifting them off the tray and ripping a piece off to pop it into your mouth.

“How are you, sweetheart? Are you good? Do you have enough to eat?” Mrs. Levinson cupped your cheeks, her brilliant blue eyes boring into your own, and you had become overwhelmed with emotion at the motherly love she cast upon you.

“I’m okay, Mrs. Levinson. I have enough food for years-“ You answered her question, though she waved off your claim with a soft sigh.

“Nonsense, I’m sending you home with food tonight. Now, please go find Danah and tell her to get off the phone with her no good boyfriend. That putz will be the death of me.” She had dismissed you with a soft kiss to your forehead and gentle push in the direction of the staircase leading to the second floor.

As you had stepped out of the kitchen and made your way to the start of the living room, you had turned your head and briefly locked eyes with Ari. His gaze was nothing short of tender and soft, and the offer had retained its place at the forefront of your mind.

With a decision made, you changed courses and headed toward Ari, waiting until he had taken off his shoes and set them aside. And then you licked your lips out of habit and cleared your throat.

“I want the job.” Your voice was soft, and there was a moment wherein Ari had remained stoic and silent, and then a wide grin broke on his face. “I want to be your new secretary. If the job is still available.”

In response to your choice, Ari’s large hand had come to rest upon your cheek and his thumb brushed your flesh softly. He had looked down at you with your head tilted ever so slightly, and spoke just as softly as you had spoken to him.

“Good.” He leaned in and pressed his lips against your forehead, his soft lips caressing your skin. “Quit your jobs and make yourself available Tuesday. I’m taking you shopping.”

[weareallgonnaliveforawhile]

Mob Psycho x Saiki K AU/ Kokomi Reigen AU

Alright so, to start, I'm gonna start from the very beginning, before the actual start of the story.

You might be asking, why the hell would Kokomi decide to work at a run-down little 'company' that specializes in exorcising spirits where the only other workers is this weird sweaty adult guy and his middle schooler son(?) 

I am here to say that it started with one little thing; Kokomi realized that Saiki was in the 'occult' club. Now Kokomi is a normal teenager and when she finds out that her crush is interested in something, she wants to join it...

if she did, she'd have to deal with Toritsuka all the time plus she doesn't want her fans to flood the club and ruin the time she wants to spend with Saiki, so joining was absolutely out of the question. 

But what WASN'T out of the question was trying to learn more about the occult and that type of thing so that later she can mention it to Saiki, and then he'll be so impressed with her that he'll have to say Oh wow-

But the thing is that going to libraries is also really hard for her because of her looks, so she decides to google the shit out of things and stumbles upon a site for this quiet little 'Exorcist' place that has a lot of positive reviews, and it's the only place that she's seen that's not a tourist spot. 

Maybe if she talked to the owner, she'll be able to learn more about the occult! (From the reviews, he’s either a middle-aged man or a dude in college and both types of dude LOVE her so she'll be able to charm him into helping her with her research if need be) Plus, it's in an isolated area so if she does her best to attract as little attention as possible, she'll be able to get there with 50% fewer stalkers!

Though, when she gets there she's given several surprises 

The owner guy, while he did (predictably) say 'Oh wow' when he saw her...that was it. He didn't get heart eyes or anything like that, he just went straight to business

There was a random middle schooler there and he was the same! He said 'Oh wow' and blushed but all he did was quietly ask if she was related to some girl at his school then get embarrassed and continue his own work without looking at her!

The office is a real hole-in-the-wall place, hard to find if you don't have an exact address or were told by someone else where it was.

She made it there with no stalkers. She managed to lose some stragglers by hiding behind a tree, but there was just a weird energy in the area that seemed to make them go away on their own. She liked it.

She gathered that the occult was almost definitely not what they did most of the time. While the dude did seem to offer some 'Ghost Hunting Services', the other half of the services were just a lot of fancy words used to hide the fact that they were just doing bullshit to make people who didn't have ghosts (or demons or whatever it was)

Maybe it was a mix of all five of these. Maybe it's because the middle schooler's calm demeanor reminds her of Saiki. Maybe it's cause the dudes causal reaction to her beauty (something that made lesser men faint) was some of the closest that she's had to being treated like a human being by a dude older than her. Maybe it's because Makoto last check that he sent for bills came last night with the note 'Love you, my dear kokomi <3' and she couldn't stop herself from burning it.

But when the blond, sweaty, and over-the-top scam artist owner who hasn't ONCE blushed when looking at her asks her what she's here for-

-she says the only thing that comes to mind and asks for a job.

It takes everyone in the room off guard, but she liked to think that she was hiding it decently enough. But after filling out some paperwork and answering some surprisingly short questions, she's hired and expected to start working next Monday after school.

Her mind kinda goes blank after that. 

But can she really be blamed? She’s had a long week this is the first time in ages that someone (Other than Saiki) didn’t fawn over her.

It isn't until much later, when she's been working there for a few weeks that she begins to loosen up and not be the 'perfect pretty girl' all the time during work hours. 

Mob helps.

Reigen punching her brother in the face helps a lot more.

[hfjonewiki]

Hi! I hope this isn't a strange thing to ask but could you tell me more about ii-critical? I'm writing a research paper on the ii community and I wanna gain more insight to what that part of the fandom was all about.

My main questions are: Why did it exist? Why were you apart of it? What were the posts like? What was the biggest drama? Hell, what platform was it even on??

I wasn't that deep in the OSC when it was up and running (only really got into the community in ~2018) so a lot of community context from that era is lost on me. If you have any other object show oldhead insight for ii you wanna share, please do! I find fandom fascinating and would love to here more stories.

hoooo boy...... cracks knuckles. i went over it a little bit in a previous post but i'll try and give more info this time

(also this should go without saying but please don't try and seek out anyone mentioned or involved its been like 6-7 years since all this happened. also most of us were mentally unstable teenagers hence the. everything)

ii-critical originated as a tumblr blog created by someone named mira (i have no idea if they still go by mira or what their pronouns are now. i'm just gonna stick to they/them for convenience) as a way for them to discuss their criticisms towards the show's writing. the blog was created in mid-to-late 2017, during a time period where "(media) critical" was becoming a common tag. the trend was started by "su critical", a tag created by steven universe fans to discuss the show's faults in response to the show being in a rut of making some VERY dubious decisions (i believe it was started around bismuth's introduction, which was heavily criticized at the time for MANY reasons). the "critical" tags were often created for fandoms who tended to be hostile towards criticism of the media they were based around. the inanimate insanity fandom didn't really have that issue, thankfully. and so, the blog "ii-critical" was born.

at the beginning, the posts were about mira going through an episode beat by beat, and pointing out things they both liked and disliked about it. occasionally, there were posts analyzing a specific character. i'm kind of speeding through the "what were the posts like" section because that is by far the LEAST interesting part of the ii-critical mythos

i found the blog very shortly after its creation. it caught me at a good time, because i was at a point where i was becoming disillusioned with the show (episode 11 was the most recent episode at this point, and i really disliked it due to it being at the peak of ii's melodrama era. the show just felt miserable to watch. s2e11 sucking butt is still an opinion i stand by today Lolzor). mira and i started talking and i was brought on as the blog's other moderator, and i wrote my own analysis posts.

the blog was decently successful and didn't actually get that much hate. most people agreed with our criticisms and were, like, normal about the concept of a thing they liked being flawed. at some point we had a decent amount of followers and made the ill-fated decision to create a discord server for the blog. for added context: at the time of the server's creation, mira was 13, and i was 14. we were NOT old enough to be running a public discord server that at least 50+ people ended up joining.

the server had a lot of problems, mainly in regards to the channels. since we were both at the age where you are hormonal and stupid, we decided to make the nsfw channel accessible to everyone, and didn't even ask for people to include their ages in their intros. a concerning amount of people assumed that mira and i were both adults, or at least older teens until we said otherwise. we also had a blacklist and vent channel, which, word of advice, you should NOT have in a public server. shit gets out of hand SO fast. i vividly remember there being at least one guy who posted in the vent channel on a near-daily basis about pretty serious stuff. trust me when i say that people shared some HORRIFIC information in there. also, we had an emoji that was just a drawing of donut from bfdi with his whole cock and balls hanging out because we thought it was funny. i'm pretty sure there wasn't a "please don't post the donut balls emoji in non-nsfw channels" rule anywhere either.

i could go into more detail about various happenings, but that delves too deeply into interpersonal drama that frankly has no business being shared publicly. one of the most concerning things that happened, however, was this one guy who would come in vc, barely say anything, and fuck around with his gun the whole time. and yes, you could hear it. eventually we got reports of him being predatory towards a younger member of the server, and he was banned. i think that was the first thing that made mira and i go, "oh, we might've fucked up". there was also another incident where somebody was leaking information from inside the server (yet another reason why the vent channel was a HORRIBLE idea), and we banned a bunch of inactive people until eventually realizing somebody had stolen the username and pfp of a real user and impersonated them to stay in the server. this whole ordeal lasted like, two weeks. and again!! we were just BARELY no longer preteens at this point!! and we still thought, yeah, we can handle this. we're super capable. at one point we hired two other moderators (one of whom was 14-15, and the other was an actual adult for once. having an adult moderator led to us FINALLY locking the nsfw channel off to minors, since we had somebody who could moderate it for us), but this was towards the end so most of the damage had already been done

i was removed as a moderator on the blog after a large amount of interpersonal nonsense that, again, i'm not going to get into. it was mainly just because i was spending too much time in the server instead of posting on the blog like i was supposed to. a couple weeks later, i was suddenly banned from the server and mira had blocked me on everything. again, interpersonal nonsense and both of us being mentally unstable, not anyone's business. we reconciled a few months after and both apologized for being dumbasses, so we at least ended things on better terms.

another notable thing is that sometimes, crew members would pop in and out of the server, and they were surprisingly chill about the blog's existence. it was mainly justin and sam from what i remember, and resulted in this legendary image:

i don't remember this bit, but at some point taylor may have responded to one of our posts and was Not Nice about it? again, i don't remember this, take it with a grain of salt. but knowing his history with getting into shit with fans for no reason and how it got to the point where it was cited as a reason he was removed from the team, yeah that tracks

talking about ii-critical is strange, because i don't know where to draw the line between "infamous blog from the early days of the tumblr osc", "stupid pointless infighting between teenagers", and "genuinely horrible decisions and moderation that caused real damage". i'm trying to stick to just the first one and giving info about the last one when necessary. i'm aware a lot of this is gonna paint my past self in a VERY unflattering light, but that's who i was and what i did when i was 14 and i just have to accept that.

ii-critical was just a facet of the tumblr osc circa 2017. a lot of what happened can be traced back to larger issues with the fandom, especially when it came to restrictions on nsfw content. remember, this is pre-tumblr porn ban. i knew an ALARMING amount of people who had nsfw blogs, and even posted nsfw art while they were minors. i don't wanna seem like i'm making excuses for fucking up when it came to moderation and keeping our members safe, but it's important to know that the blog and server were very much a product of a specific point in tumblr history. we saw minors casually posting nsfw on a regular basis and thought, "yeah, it should be fine to have the nsfw channel open to everyone, right?" and like i said, we didn't originally require ages upon introduction. people didn't realize how badly we'd fucked up until the damage had already been done.

i could go on about the dozens of other ways i fucked up, but that would start to dive into the interpersonal side of things. i think i covered everything that actually mattered. i don't plan on talking about ii-critical to this extent again any time soon. everyone who both ran and was part of the blog and server have moved on, i don't wanna keep dragging people back to what's probably a very unpleasant period of their lives.

that said, if prompted, i will talk about the 2012-2014 deviantart era + "dark ages" of the osc AT LENGTH if prompted. i swear i have wisdom beyond the shitty blog i ran with my friends as a teenager. you dont even know about the Ball OC Discourse

[the-unconquered-queen]

Why aren't the ID vampires just homeschooled? Or rather, "homeschooled"?

Let's not even go in-depth into the question of why the covens are consenting to the turning of teenagers, who, unlike adults, have a more fixed age range. I mean, someone like Astoria can probably pass for being anywhere from her 30s to her 50s, so she doesn't need to be refreshing her disguise as often, but vampires like Gabe and Cas? They're 18, but their appearance doesn't put them anywhere below 16ish and not much above their early 20s.

So then in what universe is that convenient, especially considering that we've seen the covens have about as many teen vampires as adult vampires?

How are they pulling that off if all of those teens are in high school with the human teens? Vampires fake their deaths to restart at some point, but that would mean that Crimson Beech sees kids dying in droves every few years. They'd have to be gone for a very long time, too, if teachers or other townies don't recognize them. Some teachers work at a single place for decades, teaching multiple generations of the same family.

Hell, realistically, Gabe and Cas should not be those two's first identities, since in several decades, they should've had to change many times. And they shouldn't still look exactly the way they looked back when they were human, which is how we saw them look in their respective flashbacks.

So then school. Every however many years, old-ass, teen-bodied vampires have to enroll and go through four years of classes, assignments, and tests when they've already passed those classes and graduated at some point? Why not just claim they're being homeschooled, which would solve the following issues:

Not have vampires wasting four consecutive years of their immortal lives sitting in classrooms to earn a diploma they've already earned many times over (seriously, no wonder Cas is an academic slacker)

It puts distance between them and the town, who, knowing them less, wouldn't know how old they are and not be able to do the math for their ages when said math isn't mathing

It'd mean less chances for slip-ups that potentially jeopardize their secret

And hell, it even plays perfectly into the Venandis' whole schtick being wanting to be separate from humans, so at the very least, they should be.

Obviously, I get that we need them to not be so that there can be a story, it's just that in-universe it kind of works against the vampires and their secrecy.

[poppylovestowrite]

Why Are They Friends?

Even if it's not obvious during the first watch, everyone in the ass-class fandom agrees that Gakushu's closest friend is Ren. Ever since I started writing Ren into my Asano fics, I've had this constant question going on in my head. How and why are they friends? I can see why Ren would stick with someone like Gakushu. Gakushu is admired by everyone and that includes Ren. But, why does Gakushu see Ren as a friend? Or does he? Even as adults the two keep in contact with each other, so he must enjoy his company somewhat. Gakushu also refers to Ren as his first name, unlike most people. 

Ren is a womanizer, who, yes has amazing grades, but so do the other guys in the Big Five. So why is he the closest to Ren?

Now, it could be because of Ren's status at school. Gakushu is rather shallow, so I doubt he would be close to someone who doesn't have the intelligence or wealth to back them up. Ren has both of those. 

According to the show, Ren is not only described as a poet but a shrewd one at that. And as we all know it, Gakushu himself is one manipulative asshole, so maybe that's something he admires from Ren.

In chapter 50, when Gakushu went to confront Isogai for having a job, one of the women there got upset, but Ren immediately stepped in and calmed her down. Now, Gakushu is a good-looking guy, he could probably seduce anyone if he wanted. But let's face it, he wouldn't. So, he leaves that stuff for Ren to do.

It wouldn't surprise me if something like this happened before where Ren needs to use his poetic skills to quell an angry woman so Gakushu could do what he wants. Would that make them partners in crime lol.

And over time, their time, they probably grew to have some kind of bond and grew to trust Ren for stuff like that. Ren is also the student council secretary, giving him more opportunities to be with Gakushu. 

They also hang out outside of school. After their loss in the sports festival, Ren offered Gakushu to go out to eat at a fancy restaurant to cheer him up. 

I don't see Gakushu asking any of the Big Five to go out and just hang out. He seems to only spend time with them when it comes to school-related activities. From what I have seen, Ren is the one to suggest going out or inviting others to parties.

It's safe to say that Ren seems to like having a social life. He's not like Gakushu, someone who is obsessed with grades. Yes, Ren likes to have high grades, but he also likes hanging out with his friends, going on dates, and just being a teenager. And since Gakushu was groomed to spend all his time excelling at everything, which means he doesn't have time to build genuine relationships around people, it's a nice change of pace to hang out with someone like Ren.

[rodolfoparras]

Just thought of this, too lazy to make a fic so why not send it to a price lover??

Kissing Old man!Price so close to his lips but not quite.

As am older man reaching his 50s, over his prime to get a partner, he's resigned to just strictly work.. until reader comes in. Strictly professionally at first, but then, he gets a papercut looking over some information.

Nothing serious, so he cleans it and slaps a bandaid on.

The next morning at mess hall, reader sees it. The interaction goes similar to this:

Reader: "hurt yourself, cap?"

Price: "oh, no, jus' a papercut. No worries sergeant."

Reader: "awh, want me to kiss it better?"

Price: "..sure. go right ahead."

Reader slowly took his hand in his, lifting it up to his lips and giving it a sweet kiss before lifting it down.

Reader: "all good?"

Price: at an absolute loss for words "I..."

Reader: finger guns "catch ya later, cap'n."

He didn't actually think you were serious. But.. it felt great. God who was he kidding, it was amazing. Later that day, he pulled soap to the side.

Price: "Soap."

Soap: "ya cap?"

This was so ridiculous. There's no way you'll kiss him again.

Price: deep sigh "I need you to punch me in the mouth."

Soap blinked, utterly confused.

Price: "please soap, just do this for me."

Soap swallowed dryly.

Soap: "well.. if you insist."

Later he walked to you as you were making a cuppa, seeing an injured price. You looked at him for a solid second in surprise, scanning over his forming bruises on his lip.

Price: "need you to kiss it better, sergeant. If you don't mind."

He tried to say with authority, but all he sounded like was a bashful teenager. You smiled, chuckling slightly. You put a hand to his cheek, coarse beard hairs under your fingers and palm. You pulled him closer, your hand navigating to the back of his head and luring him in with your hypnotizing eyes and sweet smile. But however.. you didn't kiss him on his lips. No, just on the bruises, a hair away from his lips.

It drove him mad.

All week after that, he kept finding ways hurt himself on the mouth, never quite getting on his lips. He groaned in frustration, your kisses never hitting the correct spot. It was too much. He couldn't wait, and he also couldn't keep paying soap to punch him in the face. It started to hurt, and not only his bank account.

He had gotten the idea just to ask. It was too insanity inducing to wait for you to kiss him correctly. He had to take matters into his own hands.

One day, he requested you in his office.

Reader: "yes, sir?"

Price: "shut the door behind you sergeant."

You complied.

Reader: "what's going on? More information?"

Price took a deep breath, trying to soothe his thumping heart. It would be better to just get to the point, trying to ignore the hotness on his cheeks. You smirked, watching his face dust with a pretty light pink.

Reader: "cap, I think I know what you need."

You walked around the desk, leaning your face into his.

Reader: "you've got an aching for me, don't you cap? I bet I can make it all better..."

You whispered, taking your hand behind to feel his hair on the back of his head. It was soft like cat's fur. Price pulled you in, your lips locking together. It quickly became heated in the room, both of your faces reciving the heat from the other's soft breath. Your hand tugged at his beard, the kiss becoming more and more desperate. You both pulled away after about a minute, price whining.

(This next part is NSFW so I wanted to warn you ‼️)

Price: "(reader)..."

Reader: "yes cap?"

Price unbuckled his belt, his pants sagging ever so slightly in his chair.

Price: "I've got an aching down 'ere."

You smiled devilishly, your eyes becoming hungry as your strict and professional captain became weak at just your lips locking with his.

Reader: "want me to kiss it better?"

Price: "please."

Reader: "yes sir."

- 🎻 anon

SUGAR BEE I AM SCREAMINF

old man price who hates when someone dots on him turning into an absolute softey whenever you check on him going from subtly waiting for you to ask him if he’s okay to straight up complaining to you about his recent injure and sure it makes him sound like a whiny kid and he’s way to be old to be acting in such way but if it gets your attention then does it really matter? Price who huffs and puffs whenever you miss out on the fact that he’s hurt goes quiet all day and you’re confused as ever until you ask him about his recent injury and he absolutely lights up silently laughing at how he brags that he didn’t bother to patch himself up ALSO THE LASY PAERT HELLO?:?; I WILL KISS WHEECR HE WANTS ME TO KISS

[lemonhemlock]

I honestly wonder if the writers are seeing what people think about/of this season or if they only look about the ones whonloves everything because they're here to "win" and don't care about the story in any way, because at this point is all a mess (yes, it had some thing that were ok, but it's... bad) and I can't see people really enjoying it

Even thought there's always someone saying "ACTUALLY" and whay if I just scream lol?

It's something I see happening all around, this "defence" squad of a media where the only goal is to gi against every criticism of said media

so there are two things to consider there: the general audience and the critics. since the general audience is made up mostly of team black stans and sympathizers, anything that portrays rhaenyra in a slightly less idealized light is going to get pushback. so i think the writers are honestly blind to that criticism bc they will kind of be expecting that, which is why they already treat rhaenyra with kid gloves.

the fans who are upset over the greens' writing are significantly fewer and honestly i think the writers have such a warped understand of the asoiafverse and of grrm's themes that they just see us as delulu. to them the greens = villains, so any attempt to humanize them a little must be way more than enough in their minds: to them, they have done the greens justice because they're not horrible monsters like ramsay or euron or joffrey. to them, of course they should be constantly punished, of course they should feel shitty, of course they don't really care about each other.

as far as the critics are concerned, i.... do not think that people who have not read the books + Fire & Blood are able to truly understand what the hell is going on here, because they just lack the context. even if they are professional critics. they HAVE just fallen out of the coconut tree in this story. because, if you expect the dance of the dragons to be this classic woman-gets-usurped-by-her-evil-brother's-family storyline, with a hero side and a villain side, as long as you humanize the villains a little bit and give the heroes some flaws, you're going to think this is business as usual.

if, instead, you know this is supposed to be a story in which both sides have equal weight in heroism and villainy, then the adaptation is horribly written. if you are familiar with the source material, you KNOW that rhaenyra has never been in any way this messianic figure tasked with ensuring a prophecy that will save the world. of course that changes the stakes massively, as well as one's opinion of the character and of the way others should interact with her. the dance of the dragons has never been about "saving the world" from the threat of the Others, it's the consequence of feudalism, patriarchy, not having an easily implementable legal system because you lack basic democratic institutions and the indifference of nobles towards massive destruction and civilian casualties.

i would have hoped, at least, that a professional critic could consider some egregiously out of place elements, such as the effusive praising of viserys, but HotD S2 has a score of 70 on Metacritic and i haven't seen any think pieces asking why the show is celebrating alicent's abuser, even by alicent herself. but, apparently, even in 2024, we are not asking ourselves why are we not calling out a 50-year-old man impregnating a teenager repeatedly against her will. 🤷‍♀️ i'm sure that for many it doesn't even track bc of the "it's game of thrones so it's to be expected" brainrot, as if those things were never meant to be critiqued and are just par for the course in this world