#why would you go through all of that trouble if it doesn't even serve a purpose

[starpros-sunshine]

To be honest I never really understood the "Eichi started the war because he liked Wataru and couldn't be normal about it" thing because like??????????????? What's the war going to do about that?????? What is Eichi getting out of antagonising Wataru and his only friends to the public and almost working himself into an early grave???? How would Eichis relationship with Wataru benefit from holding public executions for half of the eccentrics and turning them into scapegoats and actively declaring his unit as an "enemy" of theirs???? In what world would that be a successful courting ritual I mean I understand Eichi can be extra and Wataru is the definition of the word but genuinely how does that entire train of thought make sense???? Eichi is a lot of things but he's not stupid. The man has the common sense to not do All Of That just for the sake of getting closer to one individual in a way that would never ever work on anyone with some semblance of common sense. The Tomoya Sanctuary incident happened because Eichi was jealous and couldn't be normal aboout it.

And not even to mention how, if the aforementioned was the case, that would also never have worked with Wataru because the reason Wataru was so in on his role was because he knew it was serving a greater purpose. He's not the type to go along with a plan like that simply to satisfy some other guys strange ways of showing his admiration via turning the object of his affections and aforementioneds friends into social outcasts. He's not the type. And neither is Eichi.

That entire train of thought would make absolutely no sense if taken beyond the "haha funny joke" stage

[avcdgrdn]

── .✦ [ FIC ]: can i really stay here? ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) 

mullet stanley pines x innkeeper reader

tags: angst, hurt/comfort, sfw

word count: 1426

˙✧˖° ༘ ⋆｡˚

nothing could have prepared you for the man who walked through the front door of the inn that day.

he looked like death, his chocolate hair tangled, his square jaw riddled with bruises and dirt. heavy eyes fixed themselves upon your figure.

"you got a spare room?"

that voice, gravelly and low, betrayed the exhaustion that plagued this mysterious stranger. you couldn't help but stare for a moment, lost in thought.

"i ... ah, yes, of course. just a room for one?"

your hands swiftly moved to ring him up, pressing a few buttons on the cash register. the man visibly reacted to the metallic sounds of the register, an expression of mild panic settling in.

"yeah ..." he dug through his pockets, patting himself over until he secured a grip on his wallet. pulling it out, he flipped it open, revealing nothing but an ID and a few sticks of gum. he clicked his tongue, defeated. "... this is embarrassing."

it was evident that something wasn't right with him; he looked as if he could collapse at any given moment. should you just deny him service and let him leave? what if he just got himself into deeper trouble? was he even in his right mind?

there was a fleeting moment of awkward silence as the two of you avoided eye contact. you took a sharp breath in.

"... tell me, sir, what's your name?"

his bushy brows rose in surprise. "er ... stan. stan pines." stan gave you a once-over, pulling a sly smirk despite his run-down appearance. "why? ya like what you see?"

a sort of scoffing chuckle left your lips. "this isn't really the time for jokes ..." your eyes trailed down to his stained jacket, torn-up jeans, and over worn shoes. at that, he laughed, which quickly turned into a painful cough. the concern became more evident on your face.

"-ah, you're right, of course. nobody would really want a guy like me, yeah?"

you couldn't bring yourself to respond to that. you could see the storm in his eyes.

turning your back to the counter, you picked up a key that was hanging from the wall, holding it out to him as you met his confused gaze.

"room 34. your stay will be on the house tonight, sir."

"... you're pullin' my leg."

"no, i'm perfectly serious."

hesitantly, he reached out his hand to take the key. your fingers brushed against his rough skin briefly before you pulled your arm back.

stan simply stood there, still processing what had just been given to him. he'd tried this before with numerous other places, and they'd all shut him down. he'd been through ... how many, four, five different states by now? finally, a night where he doesn't have to sleep in his car. the notion of spending a night in an actual bed ... seemed unreal.

"well, i ... damn. th-thanks, toots." he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. a faint shade of pink rose to his cheeks, which he attempted to play off by staring at the ground.

how long had it been since anyone had shown him this kind of generosity?

unsure of what to do, he decided to make his way over to his room, locating the staircase and climbing up, stealing a glance back at you. you watched him ascend the stairs, leaning your arms against the counter.

your mind continued to race. the man looked like he'd just been in a fight. did he have wounds that needed treatment? did he have any place to go? ... of course, those were all personal questions that you knew you shouldn't ask about. he is only a customer ... at least you could offer him somewhere to crash for the night.

it had been two hours.

two hours, and yet, you still couldn't get him off your mind.

you figured you might be able to offer him some dinner.

or was that just you trying to come up with an excuse to see him again? you didn't think about it too hard.

making your way over to the kitchen, you had the chef prep a single serving of food, laying it out on a tray which you picked up and began to walk with. the carpeted floor softened the sound of your footsteps.

arriving at the end of the hall, you stood in front of the door labeled "34", hesitating. you steeled your nerves and knocked gently on its wooden surface.

a few moments passed. you could hear the sound of rustling fabric and footsteps as stan made his way over to the door, opening it and observing his visitor. he was dressed in a bathrobe, his hair damp and his face looking much cleaner than before.

"sorry if i came at a bad time. i just figured you might want a bite to eat." you averted your eyes by glancing to the tray of food you held, a faint blush rising to your face.

twinkling lights began to glisten in place of the dark storm you'd seen in him before. his expression softened in disbelief, and he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

eventually, he spoke.

"why are you doing this?"

"... what do you mean?"

"i mean, you're wastin' your good food 'nd room. you deserve your money-"

he cut himself off, swallowing back a bitter feeling in his throat.

"-i ... i need to ... pay it back."

oh. is he ... crying?

you could feel your heart wrench in your chest. "s-stan. it's okay."

he furiously blinked back tears, taking a deep breath and putting on a weary grin. "will ya keep that food hot for me? i'm just gonna get dressed. i think i'll eat it downstairs."

"oh, of course."

"thanks a bunch." he winked at you, then shut the door, leaving you to stare at the room label again. you blinked, then turned around to head back down.

after some time of waiting in the kitchen, you caught the sight of him descending the staircase and walking over to you. he was wearing a different shirt, although his jacket and jeans were the same. his hair was dry and much poofier now that it was clean. you caught yourself staring at his mullet.

"didja wait for too long?" stan pulled out a stool from the bar, taking a seat and watching as you put his plate of food in front of him.

"nah, you're okay." you offered a small smile. "feel free to dig in."

and boy, did he dig in. this man hasn't had a proper meal in forever. his daily diet has consisted of strictly rationed cheap snacks and the occasional stolen burger and fries. you swore you've never seen a guy so happy to eat something before in your life. somehow, watching him was making you feel warm inside.

"this ... is the best food i ever tasted." stan mumbled, looking up at you in between bites. all sorts of different emotions were raging inside of him, and the feeling of being properly nourished was bringing them up to the surface. his brown eyes began to overflow with tears, and he cursed underneath his breath, eating more aggressively to try and distract himself.

"uh, stan? are you alright?"

that was the last straw. his brows knit together and he swallowed his food, dropping his fork onto the plate. the tears were flowing freely now.

"no. dammit, i'm not alright."

stan covered his face with one arm, his broad frame trembling as he choked back bitter sobs.

"it's just that ... m-my parents, and i ... s-see- and my brother-"

he hunched over, shifting to cover his face with both hands. everything was crashing down.

"oh, God, my brother ..."

you walked out from behind the bar, making your way over to where he sat and taking the seat next to him. you didn't really think at all, you just slid your arm around his back and-

the instant he felt your touch, stanley clung onto you desperately.

onto somebody who was showing him hospitality. onto somebody who cared enough to worry about his health. onto somebody unlike anybody else he'd met these past few years.

burying his face into your shoulder, he pulled you closer against him.

"'m sorry ... don't leave me alone."

the wetness of his tears soaked into your shirt, but you didn't mind. here in your arms was a little boy who just needed a hug.

you barely knew each other, but you had a feeling that was going to change.

"don't worry, i'm not going anywhere."

end

[ part two ]

[helluvathings]

It's interesting that the episode description straight up warned for Stolas lacking self-awareness. It's more or less a confirmation that Stolas and his character arc aren't finished, and between that and the content of the last couple episodes, I ended up going back through the series and looking at the path he's taken so far. Warning now, there's a lot of 'deconstructing' Stolas at first, but I do think he's on a positive trajectory and the set up serves as foundation for future character development.

Anyway for anyone interested in a from-the-beginning rundown of Stolas's arc, full post is below.

From his first conversation with Blitzø, you have Stolas in his bath making the favors for favors offer, while Blitzø is working and in a life-or-death situation. The language Stolas is using is too formal; it causes communication issues, and Blitzø has to tell him to stop using "rich person talk." The scene that sets up their whole dynamic is 1. Stolas establishing the transaction (given he could've straight up punished Blitzø for stealing or just taken back the book, this isn't bad; it just is), 2. Stolas at leisure while Blitzø's job has him in danger, and 3. the class/education difference resulting in Blitzø having difficulty understanding what Stolas is saying.

Move forward to Loo Loo Land. The language Stolas uses with Blitzø gets a lot of attention already, as does Stolas's rather poor grasp of social cues/difficulty seeing outside his own perspective causing him to clash with Octavia. One point I don't see raised as often is that Stolas hiring Blitzø to spend time together, when he doesn't need a bodyguard, and then sexualizing Blitzø while he does his job, is both condescending, and doesn't show much respect for what Blitzø actually does. He pays him more or less to put on a show, so Stolas can indulge a fantasy of them having a relationship (not because he's evil, because he doesn't know better).

Then you've got Stolas in the newest episode, getting annoyed with Blitzø for saying he thought Stolas couldn't be hurt because he was immortal. That if I.M.P. could handle Striker, Stolas surely could. Stolas's sarcastic, "It's not an imp's place to protect a Goetia, is it?" comes across different when considering Stolas literally once hired them as mock bodyguards. It just... escapes him, why Blitzø would think the idea of Stolas needing their help is outrageous. Never mind how clear Stolas's rescue in Truthseekers made their power disparity. Stolas often has trouble putting himself in other people's shoes, and it shows here.

The Harvest Moon Festival brings in Striker, who's basically a "class problems" mouthpiece, exaggerated for emphasis. He even remarks directly on how Stolas's treatment of Blitzø can look from the outside. There's also the episode's opening bedroom scene, where Stolas's idea of flirty talk is copious use of microaggressions, plus the later scene with Blitzø snapping about Stolas not using his proper name. It's likely not an accident that these things happen the same episode Striker appears.

Truthseekers has "impish little plaything," with honorable mention to Stolas pinching Blitzø's cheek and scolding I.M.P. like children. But it also has Blitzø's vision all but screaming how Stolas makes him feel. On the one hand, it's Stolas who brings him back to himself. He washes away the muck. He's something beautiful amidst the ugliness. But he's on a pedestal, he has Blitzø in chains. He has shadow Blitzøs fanning him like servants, and Blitzø stumbles away from him blind and mute, smothered by feathers.

Ozzie's is actually good for Stolas's development, because he gets his first reality check when Blitzø makes it clear he thinks Stolas only wants sex. (It also shows how Stolas feels about Blitzø behind the bad erotic-novel scripts he's been using, which is the first time the audience sees this outright). After that, Stolas realizes his relationship with Blitzø was problematic. He sees the transaction and gets rid of it, and he senses something off with his behavior that has him start calling Blitzø by name and stopping with the 'plaything' type remarks.

But the past two episodes have made it evident he'd made those realizations in a vacuum. His broader class awareness is basically nonexistent, and when Blitzø tries raising the issue, he groups Blitzø with Striker by default, as if any criticism of his status/wealth/privilege is unreliable and antagonistic toward him specifically. He refuses to sincerely consider that Blitzø isn't merely judging him, and that he might be saying something with legitimate basis.

The Circus is especially interesting. Aside from the commentary underlying the 'buying Blitzø' plot, the episode shows Stolas getting scolded by Paimon like a dog for showing respect to an imp; that likely wouldn't have been an isolated incident. It's played somewhat for humor ("I'm so good at daddying"), but it also shows why he'd have so much trouble with things like microaggressions. He has literally been trained to hold himself above others. And just going off the way Stolas is framed at Stella's party, isolated and alone, being laughed at by Stella and her friends, I suspect Stolas may see himself as a "good rich person," because he doesn't seem to fit well with the Goetia either; he's laughed at and bullied, he lacks privilege in his own ways. He identifies more with other demons than his own class--and it blinds him, I think, to the fact that he is still part of his class, and isn't immune to the problems that come with that.

Even in Seeing Stars, there's the moment with Stolas all but strangling that poor butler and hardly seeming to notice. In an episode that's almost entirely focused on father-daughter relationships, that still gets tossed in. Regarding the Octavia plot, Stolas lacking self-awareness comes up again; it's understandable that he's distracted with the divorce, and we do see him try to resolve the issue, but it feels like a quiet alarm indicating hey, you might have a recurring problem where your daughter is concerned.

Western Energy is another 'Striker shouting that class issues matter in this show' moment. While I think Stolas going the 'well, you're part of the system, so you can't complain' route when Striker tries bringing it up is loosely relevant, I also don't blame him for that one. Poor guy is being tortured, he deserves some slack. Oops, in my opinion, shows Stolas at his best; he's just been turned down by Ozzie, but he still sticks around and helps. We even see how sincerely happy he is when Fizz returns. It's a good example of how decent Stolas can be beneath it all, as well as his sense of romance appearing in a healthier way.

Then come Full Moon and Apology Tour, where most of the Stolas subtext gets screamed and/or bitterly snapped in his face by Blitzø. It's stated directly by the main character that those things matter, in a way that imo portrays Blitzø as at least partially sympathetic. And of course the Apology Tour episode description, yelling it for the folks in back.

What all this is trying to say is: 90% of Stolas's time on screen has set him up to have a 'getting more self aware' arc. I see a lot of accusations of the show babying Stolas, but I think it's more that it hasn't gotten around to doing what it wants with Stolas. There are 4 seasons. We're in the second. We've had Stolas's post-Ozzie's revelation, and now he's getting a lot more "you're part of the problem" feedback thrown his way. It's implied Octavia is going to contribute to that as well.

Anyway!! My personal guess so far is that if the "loses his powers and/or titles" theory that's been going around has any merit, that's going to instigate the start of actual, substantial change. Will that actually happen? No idea. But Stolas's flaws have been as articulated and developed as Blitzø's, and at this point, if the consequences aren't explored in the same way, it'll be dropping a ball that's already well in the air. I also think this isn't going to be a "fixed by the end of season 2" thing. Stolas problably won't appear again until Mastermind, and then there's just Sinsmas. There isn't time for him to change in two episodes. There is, however, time for him to have some big realizations, and for the change to happen next season.

[ghostiequill]

Sanji x anxious eater reader

No, shut up this is not me projecting (but i know he'd be so sweet about it)

You have a troubled relationship with eating your whole life

No one was the pinpoint cause of it, but seeing all the other people with their ripped abs and perfect hourglass figures caused hesitation everytime you decided to indulge yourself in food

With your sweet tooth, it was even more difficult. Everything delectable delight you would indulge yourself in, you felt a tsunami of guilt afterwards staring at the empty wrapper, devastated at your lack of control

When you decided to join the Straw Hats, you were shocked to see how forward the cook was, despite how you felt about your figure. He would constantly gush over you, how well you fought, bending to your will and would lather you in constant compliments 

The problems came when he tried to spoil you with his cooking, he would go out of his way to serve you first, despite the various teasing protests by the rest of the crew . Every bite was sinful in every sense of the word, the flavors dancing on your tongue as you swallowed both it and the anxious feelings threatening to bubble up. You could feel your stomach rebelling against the contents as you excused yourself early from dinner, not the first time

Unknownst to you, Sanji was hyper aware of your presence on board. He would notice every time you would leave the table early and the smaller portions you would give yourself compared to every else’s, your furrowed brow and anxious looks when he would cook something more decadent for you

He finds you alone one night after he finishes tidying his kitchen and kicking out Luffy for attempting to steal leftovers. He walks up to you gently laying a hand on your shoulder to try not to spook you.

“Hey, are you ok?” He asked

You forced a smile, “Yeah, why wouldn't I be?”

“If there's anything you want to talk about, you can come to me. We’re a crew, we can confide in each other, you know that right?” Sanji’s eyes are full of concern as he squeezes your shoulder 

“Of course, I know that. You've always been so sweet to me, I really feel like we’re a family here” You claim

“I've just noticed you seem really anxious around food, anything I can do to alleviate that pain for you I will do in an instant” Sanji says, his voice eager to please and full of care 

“…It's just been really hard sometimes. I can't help but feel every calorie that passes my lips and I feel like I haven't done enough to earn it”your eyes looking anywhere but his as you force out the confession

Sanji looks taken aback, grabbing your shoulder and gently making you face him.  “You don't have to earn food. You need calories to do things you love. Your body deserves to be nourished and cared for. You don't earn the right to eat. Every meal is an opportunity for self care. There's no conditions to self love. Food is a vital source of life and love that we shouldn’t take for granted. It is my sworn duty as your friend to help protect you from any enemy, including yourself. If you’ll allow me, I can do my best to help” 

Your eyes are full of tears as you finally break down, head in your hands as you start crying. Sanji doesn't say anything else as he rubs your back

The next day for breakfast, he prepares for you an easier meal of eggs and sausage, healthy but still getting in vital calories. It’s like that for every meal, just for you. He would gently introduce richer ingredients in your meals, easing you in with words of affirmation, small touches and toothy smiles

You couldn't help but feel the love prepared with every meal prepared specifically for you and witness Sanji’s affection and see his smile with every bite. 

The following days were filled with nothing but affection, tender gestures, and thoughtful culinary choices. Through his actions, he conveyed a deep love of your body and soul, easing you into a life of indulgence.

[kbbueckers]

house party

characters: caitlin clark x reader

overview: caitlin punches your homophobic and toxic ex boyfriend, tiny bit of fluff at the end

warnings: tiny bit of angst, tiny bit of blood, violence, homophobia from ex

caitlin has been your girlfriend for about two or three years, you and caitlin were at a house party because you begged her to go with you for weeks, and she finally agreed. turns out the begging wasn't even worth it, you weren't having fun. the music was bad, there was no food, and your ex was here. 

"i'm gonna go get a drink, kk?" you laid her down on the couch as she whispered something you didn't really hear. as you were refilling your cup, the one person you've been trying your best all night to avoid came up to you. 

jay was your boyfriend back before you even knew you were a lesbian. once you realized, you broke up with him because "the spark was gone." atleast that's how you worded it. he really never got over it, and still tries to hit on you every now and then. 

"you've been avoiding me, haven't you?" he asked, leaning against the door frame. you at first thought to not even reply, but you knew that would only make the situation worst. "if you know someone's avoiding you, why come up to them?" you went to walk away before he grabbed your arm, convincing you to stay.

"i've missed you." he attempted to touch your hair before you slapped his hand away. without your knowledge, caitlin had followed you through the crowd and saw the whole interaction with him.

caitlin was extremely overprotective, she has always made attachments to people easily, especially you. ever since you started dating, caitlin wouldn't let you out of her sight. either following you everywhere like a little puppy dog, or dragging you everywhere she went, you thought it was cute. 

"is he bothering you?" she asked. coming up behind you, and grabbing you waist to pull you back from him. caitlin knew your history with him. you always used to tell her whether you found out you were gay or not you still would've eventually ended things with him.

he treated you horribly the whole relationship. when you used to live with him in his apartment, anytime he got the slightest bit of angry, even if it wasn't your fault, he would kick you out. there were many nights where you had to knock on friends doors asking can you stay the night.

caitlin was one of those friends. you would cry to her many nights about how you couldn't do this anymore, and how bad he would make you feel. she always thought you deserved better, and now you had better.

you shake your head no. saving jay the trouble, knowing she could, and would, beat his ass. "this is none of your business." he starts to get defensive with caitlin, deciding to start trouble even though she's about a foot taller than him. 

"i'm her girlfriend, and it seems like you're bothering her, so it is my business." caitlin starts to get louder, and all up in his face. not sure if it was the alcohol or what, but she was ready to fight.

"oh so you're kissing girls now?" he turned to you in surprise. "that's none of your business." you replied. "man just leave her alone, she clearly doesn't wanna speak to you." caitlin brushed him off, turning around back to me as we both started to walk away. before we were able to walk away fully, jay muttered something.

"whatever, fuckin' homos"

what. the. hell. 

you and caitlin both stopped in your tracks, before you could even turn around to stop caitlin from doing whatever she was about to do, she turned around quick, serving a punch to jay's nose. he made a loud sound on the ground from falling, taking a few chairs with him, and the whole keg of beer, causing everyone to turn around in shock.

"come on baby, let's go." caitlin tugged your arm a few times before pointing to the door, turning around like she didn't just punch your ex boyfriend in the nose.

you nodded as you turned around to see jay's friends helping him up off the ground, his nose bleeding bad, and a puddle of beer forming around him. everyone around us was staring at caitlin, muttering and whispering, but she didn't care as we walked out of the house and into the cold. caitlin's arm around your shoulders, holding you tighter than when you first walked in.

caitlin was driving home in silence with her hand resting on your thigh, you couldn't help but notice the small red spots on her knuckles.

"are your hands okay?" she shook her head. "i'm good baby, thanks."

even though caitlin told you her hand was fine, once you got home you insisted on putting some ice on it and wrapping it. you were sitting on her lap and holding her fingers while dabbing the ice on them lightly.

"i'm sorry for punching him." she spoke up. you shook your head. "no, no. i wanna thank you. he definitely won't mess with me anymore." caitlin nodded. "why didn't you tell me he was bothering you?" caitlin wrapped her arms around your waist as she pulled you closer. you shrugged your shoulders in response "i didn't want this to happen." 

once you were finished wrapping her fingers, caitlin got both you and her ready for bed before you cuddled up against each other,  resting from the long night you just had. 

this kinda sucks but i've been working on it all afternoon and im tired, really hope you enjoy.

tips on how to improve my writing are greatly appreciated

-kbbueckers💋

[odesofmeddea]

trying on an argument why sam and dean were in factual canonical enmeshment: their bond presumes the absence of nuclear family or any long-term partner in the lives of either; the very formulation of this rigid condition - me or her, - is telling, overtly so, how their relationships are rooted bog-deep in the belief in its crucial self-sufficiency. the bond between related people devoid of such an incestuous tilt generally endorses that a relative builds and commits to a family of his own and puts not a stipulation of choice. that is, ‘it is fine if my brother marries - how and why would that affect our connection?’ - is not fine with sam and dean. if it was so, sam would've kept dating ruby, amelia, etc., etc., without dean putting him under the exigency of picking, without the uncontrollable invasion of his sexual and general privacy by dean (‘did you have sex with her? first madison then ruby now cara then lilith’, dean eavesdropping on sam's calls and going through his phone, or interrogating him concerning his whereabouts, if there's a woman he doesn't know about), and, moreover, without sam feeling an unspelt obligation of either concealing (why, right?) or rescinding these side hook-ups. oh, also it's him or benny. same with lisa, who knew the fact of her secondariness when competing with sam and that the existence of one naturally excluded that of the other. why can't they all be a big family performing roles socially allotted to them?.. because sam fills in all the roles. because dean and sam want to live in one room and they brush their teeth together and share one car and invariably solve cases together and own a dog and coparent jack and even their afterlife is a shared homoheaven bereft of other love interests. where a woman is to put herself between, in what inextant interstice? ultimately she is reduced to a blur in the background while sammy raises his kid, dean ii, and she is not addressed, not once, in the script, her only definition is of a nemo-womb sam cohabits with to conceive a replica of dean he can nurture as a solace during his lifelong premeditation of reunion with his brother, his nóstos - this is an awful lot of all women and possible partners of have been and to be. one would say that's rather too much. were sam and dean a girl and a boy conforming to gender binarism & heteronormativity the ambiguity of their relation would've been acknowledged more widely, the incestuous codependency interpreted more obscene. but since they're not and also are very uneasy with the innuendo (‘the most troubling question is why they keep assuming we're gay? - we're just brothers!’), it's very convenient to diminish it to just a strong fraternal love. which it is. but not only that.

the potentiality of erotic subtext inside of their greedy proximity seems scary and stupid and is eschewed by both - how are they to subvert and subsume their relationship into non-brother categorization when it's just their life, just the only thing they've known, being this close? still, the only affairs permitted are the ones that are treated as and are simple, emotionally untethered one-night-stands because sam and dean are not sexually available to each other. nor they're resolute into directly consummating their relationship - the need to is either lacking or suppressed and is to be interpreted variously because covert incest is not primarily about coition but miscellanea of things, more often than not of un/subconscious genesis and procession. sam and dean know their relationship is bonkers. they don't necessarily have to know or admit they're a couple. what else they know, though, is they can't have sex. they cannot consciously translate their enmeshment into overt eroticism. that's why the siren episode is titled ‘sex and violence’ - there the mutual violence unleashed onto each other (along with the symbolic penetration through knife and breaking of the door) serves as a surrogate for sex. that, along with impulsive hugs, is the only form of lingering physical contact they usually have. but the yearning, although not experienced in one concreteness, compensates and provides for itself in a safer realm of sam and dean's emotional spaces. they can't have sex but they can fall into possession of each other's feelings. that's why once the personal attachment to anyone else is developed it is construed as betrayal by either. if you need another person, if you feel something for them that you're supposed to feel only with me (intimacy, trust, love, loyalty, belonging) - that's when you abandon me because we can't coexist with others.

[mj-iza-writer]

Whumper glanced down some of the aisles Whumpee normally gravitated towards.

"You better not be in the toys", Whumper whispered to themself as they peaked down one more aisle.

Whumpee gave an uh-oh look the moment they locked eyes with Whumper.

"No", Whumper scolded.

"Please", Whumpee held something up, "it's so cute."

"You don't need anything else", Whumper frowned, "especially not a toy."

"But, but, but", Whumpee sputtered as they looked at Whumper longingly.

"No buts, that will not serve you any purpose", Whumper looked around to see if anyone was watching, "I'll let you pick two snacks out if you drop this silliness, and put the toy away."

Whumpee looked at the toy, then at Whumper.

"Why do you even want that one?", Whumper eyed them, "out of everything here you want that."

Whumpee nodded and gave puppy dog eyes.

"No, you don't get to act cute right now", Whumper scolded in a whisper, "we are in public, you don't get - you don't get to do that."

Whumpee let out a low whine and puffed out their lip.

"Whumpee", Whumper sighed in a low grumble.

"I'll get down and crawl if you'd like me to", Whumpee smirked, "I know you'll melt if I bump my head into your leg."

"You are so unfair", Whumper frowned.

Whumpee started to get down.

"No, no don't do that", Whumper hurried, "fine, you know what, fine. You can get it, but you better put on that charm later at home."

"Deal", Whumpee smirked.

"Did you mention snacks", Whumpee walked to the cart.

"No, no. You're pushing your luck now", Whumper started to go farther into the aisle, "you get your normal treats, and that's all."

"Okay", Whumpee giggled, "worth a shot."

Later Whumpee happily played with the toy while they waited for Whumper.

"Okay you", Whumper came in, "time for you to hold up your part of the deal. Come here."

Whumpee gently placed their new toy on the couch, then crawled to Whumper.

"I'm not exactly happy with you and being blackmailed like that", Whumper frowned, "you know better than to use the public eye against me. You also know that a pet doesn't ask for things. They wait until their master says they can get something."

Whumpee cowarded back, fully frightened by Whumper, "I'm sorry Master, please forgive me. I thought maybe..."

"Maybe you'd get away with it", Whumper sat down in front of the kneeling Whumpee.

"No Master", Whumpee gave a startled glance, "just that I could get-a-toy", Whumpee started to whisper in fear.

"Why would you get a toy?", Whumper frowned, "what special occasion would allow that?"

Whumpee fidgetted with their shirt shyly.

"Answer me pet", Whumper spoke through gritted teeth.

"My gotcha day.... Master", Whumpee whispered as they kept their eyes on the floor.

"Gotcha day?", Whumper leaned back, "it's not", they pulled out their phone, "it's not your gotcha da...y....oh!"

Whumpee bowed their head to the carpet, but then nudged into Whumper's shoe.

"I'm sorry Master", Whumpee whispered, "please train me and punish me accordingly. I want to be good for you.... show me how, please."

"Whumpee why didn't you remind me?", Whumper frowned, "I totally forgot."

"I thought you remembered, and was messing with me Master", Whumpee kept their head on Whumper's shoe, to scared to look up, "I wasn't trying to blackmail you Master, I thought you were playing a game."

"Whumpee", Whumper sighed sadly, "no I wasn't even paying attention to the date. I am so sorry."

"I'm sorry Master", Whumpee whispered.

"No I'm sorry", Whumper reached down and pulled Whumpee up, and had them fall into their lap to pet their head, "that was very mean of me to hurt you like that. I was not paying attention at all."

Whumpee leaned into the touch, "am I... still in trouble, mmm" Whumpee closed their eyes, "Master please keep scratching my head just a few more minutes before you punish me."

"You're not in trouble", Whumper continued to scratch Whumpee's head, "I only wish you had said something at the store to remind me."

"There were too many witnesses... nearby", Whumpee leaned into the touch more, "hmmmm", they moaned.

"Well I guess I need to make it up to you tomorrow", Whumper chuckled as Whumpee seemed to relax, "your gotcha day is supposed to be special, not filled with fear and pleading."

"Master you don't have to. The toy is enough", Whumpee looked up slowly, "and the head scritches."

"No, like I said, it needs to be special", Whumper stood, "we'll start now, then celebrate into tomorrow."

"Really master", Whumpee looked up excitedly, "you mean it."

"I do", Whumper smiled, "how about we order some food from your favorite restaurant. I have some ice cream. We can watch a movie. Tomorrow we can get you a cake, pick out a few treats to enjoy at the candy store, and you can pick out a few more presents. How about we look for a new blanket and something to wear. Yes, we can also look at toys."

Whumpee shook excitedly, "thankyou, thankyou, thankyou", they rested their head on Whumper's lap, "I'm so excited."

"You're welcome Whumpee. Like I said your gotcha day is a big deal, and needs to be celebrated", Whumper patted their head again, "thankyou for being such a good pet."

Whumpee smiled up at Whumper.

"Alright go get comfortable, your day is starting now", Whumper went to grab their phone, "I'll order in the food."

"Okay", Whumpee scampered off.

"My silly pet", Whumper sighed to themself.

Taglist. As always please let me know if you want to be added or taken off of the list. It's not a problem at all.

@villainsandheroes @the-beasts-have-arrived

@sacredwrath @porschethemermaid

@monarchthefirst @generic-whumperz

@bloodyandfrightened @freefallingup13

@notpeppermint @cyborg0109

@idontreallyexistyet @painfulplots

@whumpbump @everythingsscary

@skittles-the-whumpee @expressionless-fr

@theforeverdyingperson @legendarydelusiongoatee

@candleshopmenace @whumpanthems

@lavndvrr @ivymyers

@starfields08000 @a-living-canvas

@lumpofsand @watermeezer

@indigoviolet311 @whumpy-mountains

@3-2-whump @risk606

@electrons2006 @paperprinxe

@whumprince @kaz-of-crows

@mis-graves @decaffeinatedtimetraveler94

@sausages-things @sunglasses-in-the-bentley

@isikedmyself878

[scaralvr]

test me. scaramouche x immortal!gn!reader contains :: religious themes, angst, 3.3 archon quest spoilers

synopsis: you have been scaramouche's faithful & loyal assistant since he was graced with the title of balladeer, but your acts of dedication towards his great being go unnoticed by him each time. however, you would never give up on your God. it is him you worship, not the tsaritsa. when he replaces you with haypasia, you refuse to live without another to serve under.

notes :: songfic based off of melanie martinez's song test me! i haven't written in awhile so it may be a little rusty :')

at first, you weren't quite sure what to think of the almighty sixth you would serve for the rest of your life as a fatui recruit. bearing a cryo vision, you found no use for the doctor's delusions, but the sixth himself requested you use one, for whatever reason you aren't aware of. the sixth of the eleven had a temper that you didn't mind, but still didn't deem his behaviour tolerable. he acts like a brat, expecting everything to be handed to him on a silver platter by his pathetic inferiors.

it sickens you to the core. how could you serve someone as cruel and disgusting as him? questions like these flood your mind but a specific one stands out from the rest. why do you serve him? with such joy and enthusiasm, too. you're fully aware that the other fatui have been stirring up some trouble with scandalous rumors they spread around, fixating on how insane you must be to enjoy working under the balladeer's orders.

you're not deranged. a little eccentric, scaramouche would say. he doesn't mind your passion as his assistant, if anything, he prefers to have someone like this rather than a timid and quiet person who has to be told twice to finish things up. you don't even talk his ear off but instead, abide by every single demand of his and choose to stay silent when he says to. he calls you a, 'smart one,' considering the fact that his past assistants had to face the consequences you were avoiding.

you found the happiness you rarely had in serving him, enjoying the way he sadistically looks into nothing while going on and on about his sinister plans to overpower his creator through his birth of a God. he'd been planning this for quite a while and you were there through all of it. you stole for him, risked your life for him, took lives for him, and what did you get in return after years of your service? your knees feel weak and you suppose it's from kneeling to him all of the time.

they grow even weaker and the breath is knocked out of your throat at his words. "your assistance was tolerable and i'll be dismissing you. this is where your job ends, (y/n)." his words pound at your head and repeat like a broken loop, reminding you over and over that you're not needed. the God that you love and cherish is abandoning his divine angel. his fallen angel. you don't know why, but tears spring to your eyes as you step forward with a hand against your chest. you open your mouth to speak in a small voice, "but, my lord, i'm afraid you do need me. who will come along with you on your way through your journey of Godhood?"

scaramouche doesn't spare you a single glance and chooses to look out the window. "a researcher i've come across in sumeru has proven her worth to me. and don't get me twisted, you have proven your worth as well. she is... simply better in terms of everything and if you can't handle that truth, i don't care. do as i say, since you worship me so much," a wide smirk stretches his lips and you catch sight of it in the reflection of the glass window. the light in your eyes go out in sorrow as you percieve the fact that your God replaced you.

hey, God, i'll be the jester. entertain you, to the best of, my ability.

you wander sumeru with a blank expression, still registering the moments that previously occured. you cut ties with your family and loved ones for him and going back there wouldn't do you any good, as they've already deemed you as scum for joining the fatui all those years ago. your immortal state makes it worse, since you figure living without a purpose is much worse than death itself. while walking with your head down, your shoulder hits something. a person. you turn your head and your eyes meet those of a dashing gold. a fairly handsome man with long blonde hair tied in a braid appears astounded. not too far, a fairy with white hair floats next to him.

"sorry, i wasn't looking where i was going."

at that pathetic apology, you narrow your eyes. what type of person puts the blame on themself when they know very well it's the other's fault? curious, you place a hand on your hip and comment, "your attire... it's not from here. may i question you?" the fairy excitedly claps her hands, "oh, we were about to question you, actually!" you raise a brow, "really? whatever for?" the man kindly smiles and explains the situation to you in a tone like he's known you forever. scaramouche has known you forever. he's never shown such kindness like that to you.

you have no one to serve. no one to follow. all of your sacrifices were a waste, for the very man you put everything on the line for, threw you away like a worthless piece of trash. as you listen to the voice of the mysterious traveler, you feel a hope light up within you again. maybe, just maybe, it'll be different. this time, it will. when he finishes his brief explanation, you instantly shoot your shot. "the balladeer, you say?"

in the meanwhile, scaramouche is left to his own gadgets within the solace of his temporary room. temporary, because he knows he'll be on the move again. he always will be, now that he's turned his back on her majesty, the tsaritsa, and ran away with one of her treasured gnoses. he stares out the window, just like he did a few hours ago, and realizes the time. the sun is beginning to set and usually, you would enter the room with a tray of tea for both him and you to share as he discusses his plans.

it's not too long before scaramouche remembers he already removed you from the plan. your company and assistance have brought him this far, huh? he lets out a sigh that makes him realize he was holding in his breath for quite a bit now. he places his elbow atop the window sill and rests his chin in his palm. it's gotten a little boring since you left, hasn't it? it hasn't even been a day. scaramouche grits his teeth and groans in frustration. it seems like he doesn't enjoy the feeling of being alone, either.

but it's whatever! you're his faithful assistant, maybe if you put some thought into that robotic and tiny brain of yours, you'll be smart enough to come back because both you and scaramouche know you could never survive without him. yeah, you'll be back. the moon rises in the sky and scaramouche tightens his clutch on the wood of the sill. you'll definitely be back...

when i suffer, more fragility, when i answer. came here for a reason.

for the next few days, you spend it with aether and his friend, paimon. he easily opened up to you about his lost sister and the nations he previously went to in hopes of finding her but to no avail. you pity the poor male and choose to make his time in sumeru more enjoyable before he goes off to confront the balladeer. ah, it wasn't too hard to tell him that you're the balladeer's assistant. paimon was a little jumpy at first, but he, he was understanding... someone worthy of worshipping.

bit by bit, scaramouche can feel himself breaking. every little thing irritates him. the sound of the wind's harsh currents, the feeling of something rough against the supple skin of his hand, the crippling isolation of his room. with a determined yet firm frown, he remakes a brew of green tea for the several time this week. it doesn't taste right. no matter how much sugar he adds (which he never enjoys in his tea but he's trying), he can't recreate the taste of the way you made it.

little does he know, you're making the same tea, yet it's for another man. "(y/n), this is very well-made!" aether exclaims with a grin and you feel yourself flush red. "is it?... thank you," you mutter, turning away to pour some into a tea cup for paimon. aether chuckles, "you've done alot for me and my traveling companion, (y/n). and i've been wondering about something for sometime." you notice the way he fumbles with the tea cup in his hands from the corner of your eye. "go on," you say, putting aside the tea pot and facing him. aether confidently adds, "i'd like for you to join me on my journeys, if you'll allow it. considering the way the balladeer did all of that to you-"

ah. you uncomfortably shuffle your feet in your position and paimon notices the tense situation. "h-hey, it's alright, (y/n)! aether's a really nice guy, huh? we would never do something like that to you!" paimon says, trying to lighten the mood. you let out a soft sigh, "i... thank you. will you let me think about it?" aether pauses and eagerly nods, "of course. take as much time as you need." and that's how you ended up wandering in the vast forest of sumeru. no matter which way you shift your thoughts, it always ends up drifting back to the indigo haired harbinger.

you delicately hold a sumeru rose in your hands and tilt your head to inspect the flower. suddenly, an anger rises and before you realize it, you're tightly clutching the flower, completely destroying its petals and stem altogether. you loved him. he was your everything. you guess he didn't feel the same for you. because he is a heartless, wretched and brutal — the silent time to yourself was interfered with another person's barely audible gasp. you're quick to whip around and wield your sword, finding the sharp end of it against someone's neck. scaramouche is unfazed, content, even.

"still on guard as ever," he murmurs, using his finger to guide your sword away from his throat, but the pressure of your blade creates a small slit against his flawless skin and you draw blood. you slowly withdraw your weapon as he traces his fingertip along the wound. "what has my little ex-assistant been up to as of late? i don't think you have any business in sumeru, do you?" scaramouche casually asks while impotently wiping the blood on his attire.

you knit your brows together and as much as it hurts to do so, you speak without using your usual endearment, 'my lord,' for him. "you cease to exist to me, balladeer," the way it rolls off of your tongue is foreign to him, it even surprises you. scaramouche has no time for petty feelings, but he lets them get in the way. his pupils are blown with anger as he seethes, "who do you think you are? just because i've abandoned you like the hindrance you are, it doesn't mean you get to treat me with such... inferiority!"

"but you're wrong, balladeer. i can and i will." with those words serving a final blow to his non-existent heart, you turn on your heel to find the blonde traveler with the answer to his question bound to escape your lips that used to say nothing but praises to the sixth.

just stop complaining, all have our seasons, it's not just a joke or a lesson to live through.

scaramouche watches your form disappear in the distance, only then, can he fully consume the fact that you aren't coming back unless he asks. stubborn one, aren't you? always playing hard to get. he deludes himself with this, believing that you still want to serve your one and only God. right, he's owned you from the start. he owned you the moment you agreed to be his assistant. you can't just get up and leave like that, no, your work is far from done. scaramouche agrees that it was rather trivial to dismiss you like that and he sees his mistake. why can't you understand that he needs you back?

but the cherry on top is the way you stand before his godly form, alongside the traveler. you're not supposed to be here. scaramouche is struck with shock when he sees you enter the scene with aether. the moment is swept away just as quick when he laughs. he laughs like a crazed man, hands on his stomach as he catches his breath. "oh, this is rich, (y/n)! you're so worthless, you really had to find another to serve after i ditched you. you're nothing but a weak follower and i plan on making you take that role to the grave," his tone drops to that of a condescending one and various emotions surge through his veins.

the immense adrenaline pumping through his system can't compare to the pain he feels when buer seizes his gnosis. this can't be happening. he's done so much to make it this far, only for all of it to come crashing down before him. his mother, his friend, the child, you. you've left a scar on him that he'll never forget. he hates it. you must be smirking to yourself as he falls from the large mech. he misses when you were still by his side, always smiling even when he ordered you to commit something so atrocious as murder.

he acknowledges it now. scaramouche realizes that you were there from the beginning and despite his cruel doings, he was your God. he never needed to go this far, because he was yours. what is this feeling, he wonders. well, it's too late now. scaramouche can only accept defeat, falling, until... he hits something, but it certainly isn't the ground. his eyes can barely stay open from how visibly exhausted he is yet he manages to make out a figure looking down at him. you steadily hold him in your arms and aether rushes to you. "are you sure you want to do this, (y/n)?" he queries. you nod in response, "i'll look after him."

every which way in second, there's a breakthrough.

scaramouche, now being the wanderer, loiters within sumeru with no purpose whatsoever. with no place to go or stay, he explores and occasionally helps the traveler with some of their needs. but it still hurts. even if he's occupied himself with other things, he keeps on thinking about you. it was always you. yet the searing pain makes him wail at night, recalling the way you looked at him like he was... a stranger.

"(y/n)!" for the first time in forever, he genuinely smiled. he was happy that at least, he still had you through this whole wreck. scaramouche had the guts to apologize. coming to think of it, it was a stupid thing from the beginning. he was thankful that you stayed loyal to him and still were at that time, considering the fact that you took care of him when he was unconscious. when nahida informed him of it, he couldn't be more relieved.

you turn at the exclaimation of your name and instantly back away in confusion. "aether, who is this?" your words put scaramouche's movements to a stop and his smile drops. "wh-what do you mean? traveler, what do they mean?" he hurriedly asked, voice cracking in between some words. you furrow your brows together and aether muttered, "they don't remember you,"

he felt the heaviest weight bring itself onto his chest. it's hard to breathe. that's right, he erased himself from the memories of many people, including you. how could he be so blind back then? all he needed, wanted, was someone that could stay by his side forever and love him unconditionally. he knew very well you were immortal, so he wouldn't have to worry about your lifespan. he also knew how much you worshipped him, so he wouldn't have to worry about the potential chance of betrayal, either.

why did he let such a beautiful and caring little thing like you out of his sight?

© scaralvr.

[atopvisenyashill]

that bit about joffrey is FASCINATING have you ever written about this in depth? I've always loved his character but I would never be able to like. Describe why exactly he is the way he is so I really appreciate your analysis of him loving BOTH parents and incorporating only their flaws - I always just assumed that he hates his dad and is annoyed by cersei (still loves her) but then the way we sexually humiliates and abuses sansa etc is so robert-coded like of course he emulates the bevavior of his father.

Also slightly off topic but i always forget that Joffrey is like canonically so good at all the proper princely things (thinking of that scene at Sansa and Tyrion's wedding when she's so upset that a monster like Joff could be so good at dancing) and - not to go on about GOT again - but I wish we had actually gotten to see that and him being charming etc. Huge props to the show for giving Joff the perfect wardrobe (the only thing they did right) but also f them for waiting all that potential

yes, they really said joff gets to have all the swag and then the moment he died they put cersei in that fuck ass bob and no one in the lannisters was allowed to serve again smh. and thank youuu i actually had to stop myself from rambling over him before haha, but i'll go into more detail here! so this was the comment from the other post-

joffrey is a kid just ruled by his first, most base instinct. his instincts, his core emotions, tell him to love and trust both robert and cersei, and imo he twists himself into a MONSTER to try to appeal to both of them. no one else matters - not his siblings, not his uncle, not his grandfather, not the realm. he needs to be the sort of vicious person they could both be proud of, he needs to be better than them both at violence, so he absorbs all of their faults and none of their virtues.

i definitely do see very often that people feel he only loves one or the other parent and while I do understand that reading, I don't think it's quite how Joffrey operates. I think he does love them both, and holds them both in high esteem. I do agree that he's annoyed by Cersei but that doesn't mean he doesn't value her opinion (as much as Joffrey puts value on anyone else's opinion, I mean).

Joffrey and Cersei

Joffrey relies on his mother more than almost any other male character we see in the series. We see him call for Cersei basically every time he's hurt, in trouble, or wanting to whine about something. Not only that, but you have everyone from Robert to Renly to Tywin himself saying that Joffrey is doted upon and inseparable from his mother. A few choice quotes:

"Fear is better than love, Mother says." Joffrey pointed at Sansa. "She fears me."

He takes Cersei's lessons to heart, however flawed they are. Her opinion matters to him, he wants her to see him as strong.

Nine cases out of ten seemed to bore him; those he allowed his council to handle, squirming restlessly while Lord Baelish, Grand Maester Pycelle, or Queen Cersei resolved the matter. When he did choose to make a ruling, though, not even his queen mother could sway him.

It's Cersei he listens to the most. We know that if a little King, even with his mother as Regent, doesn't want to deal with her, he can simply ignore her - that's what Jaehaerys does with Alyssa, after all. But Joffrey doesn't do this; he'll fight with her, he'll insult her, and he's not shy about doing it in public but he never disregards her out of hand.

Joffrey lurched to his feet. "I'm king! Kill him! Kill him now! I command it." He chopped down with his hand, a furious, angry gesture . . . and screeched in pain when his arm brushed against one of the sharp metal fangs that surrounded him. The bright crimson samite of his sleeve turned a darker shade of red as his blood soaked through it. "Mother!" he wailed.

His instinct, every time, is to turn to her for help. He loves her. He adores her. She's the only person around who tells him he's strong and smart and will be a good king. He leans on her for guidance, for comfort, he talks to her about fucking whores. He shares everything with her because he doesn't have a single friend. She models anger and violence for him constantly, she excuses his disturbing proclivities, so he molds himself to be the person she wants him to be, the king she wants him to be. People - including Tyrion and Tywin! - are always wondering why Cersei is blind to his cruelty, but the reality is she knew he was cruel and loved him for it.

Tommen did as he was bid. His meekness troubled her. A king had to be strong. Joffrey would have argued. He was never easy to cow.

For Cersei, cruelty is strength and in her eyes, Joffrey is as strong as they come. This isn't by accident; just like his constant cries for her are reinforced by her rushing to coddle him, his cruelty is reinforced by a mother who sees it as strength. It's almost like what Coldhands says to Bran - Joffrey is a monster, yes, but in Cersei's eyes, Joffrey is her monster.

Joffrey and Robert

Joffrey had never had a close friend of his own age, that she recalled. The poor boy was always alone. I had Jaime when I was a child . . . and Melara, until she fell into the well. Joff had been fond of the Hound, to be sure, but that was not friendship. He was looking for the father he never found in Robert.

From Cersei's point of view, I think she knows very well that Joffrey is searching for love, acceptance, and himself in Robert. She doesn't like it, but she seems to accept that it's natural for Joffrey to search for some sort of father figure, and doesn't seem to begrudge him that - imo, I think because she knows Robert is always going to reject Joffrey for his cruelty.

“Why would he [care]? Robert ignored him. He would have beat him if I’d allowed it. That brute you made me marry once hit the boy so hard he knocked out two of his baby teeth, over some mischief with a cat. I told him I’d kill him in his sleep if he ever did it again, and he never did, but sometimes he would say things…”

Whenever they interact, the few times they do, there's violence. People always take this as Cersei not allowing Robert to "teach" or "properly discipline" Joffrey but, well...does the above seem like helpful discipline? Knocking out your child because he freaked you out? Punishing extreme violence with more extreme violence? And it's not just Cersei that this moment sticks with, because Stannis brings it up as well-

"Joffrey . . . I remember once, this kitchen cat . . . the cooks were wont to feed her scraps and fish heads. One told the boy that she had kittens in her belly, thinking he might want one. Joffrey opened up the poor thing with a dagger to see if it were true. When he found the kittens, he brought them to show to his father. Robert hit the boy so hard I thought he'd killed him."

Since Cersei says Robert would "say things" and we see him threatening Cersei (the "or I'll honor you again" line), I don't think it's a stretch to say that Robert threatened to beat Joffrey nearly to death several times over.

And yet...Joffrey compliments his father, especially in comparison to his other relatives.

He wrenched free of her. "Why should I? Everyone knows it's true. My father won all the battles. He killed Prince Rhaegar and took the crown, while your father was hiding under Casterly Rock." The boy gave his grandfather a defiant look. "A strong king acts boldly, he doesn't just talk."

And Cersei believes this came from Robert-

"Father, I am sorry," Cersei said, when the door was shut. "Joff has always been willful, I did warn you . . ." "There is a long league's worth of difference between willful and stupid. 'A strong king acts boldly?' Who told him that?" "Not me, I promise you," said Cersei. "Most like it was something he heard Robert say . . ."

And of course, Jaime is the one who pieces together why Joffrey sent the catspaw-

“Yes, I hoped the boy would die. So did you. Even Robert thought that would have been for the best. ‘We kill our horses when they break a leg, and our dogs when they go blind, but we are too weak to give the same mercy to crippled children’ he told me. He was blind himself at the time, from drink.” Robert? Jaime had guarded the king long enough to know that Robert Baratheon said things in his cups that he would have denied angrily the next day. “Were you alone when Robert said this?” “You don’t think he said it to Ned Stark, I hope? Of course we were alone. Us and the children.” Cersei removed her hairnet and draped it over a bedpost, then shook out her golden curls. “Perhaps Myrcella sent this man with the dagger, do you think so?” It was meant as mockery, but she’d cut right to the heart of it, Jaime saw at once. “Not Myrcella. Joffrey.” Cersei frowned. “Joffrey had no love for Robb Stark, but the younger boy was nothing to him. He was only a child himself .” “A child hungry for a pat on the head from that sot you let him believe was his father.”

When you put it all together, you have a child who is ignored by his father unless he's being threatened with a beating, who is constantly calling him a monster, who watches his father harm and humiliate his mother day in and day out, who has no other paternal figure around but this violent, angry man who he is supposed to model himself off of, and a mother who encourages his cruelty because she believes it's the only way to protect herself, to protect her son. He's not just emulating his mother's cruelty, he's emulating Robert's violence specifically when he humilates Sansa at court, when he openly talks shit about Cersei - it's what he's seen modeled for him as kingly behavior!

The Abuse And Jaime Of It All

King Joffrey's face hardened. "My mother tells me that it isn't fitting that a king should strike his wife. Ser Meryn."

He knows Robert is abusing Cersei and he takes her dislike of it seriously even as he doesn't make the connection that she means he shouldn't be striking his wife period. Whether it's because Cersei directly told him (which could make sense; she's purposefully hiding it from Jaime but perhaps she confided in Joffrey) or because he witnessed it himself, he's aware of the abuse enough that he takes his mother's comments about not personally striking Sansa to heart.

"No," [Robert] thundered in a voice that drowned out all other speech. Sansa was shocked to see the king on his feet, red of face, reeling. He had a goblet of wine in one hand, and he was drunk as a man could be. "You do not tell me what to do, woman," he screamed at Queen Cersei. "I am king here, do you understand? I rule here, and if I say that I will fight tomorrow, I will fight!" Everyone was staring. Sansa saw Ser Barristan, and the king's brother Renly, and the short man who had talked to her so oddly and touched her hair, but no one made a move to interfere. The queen's face was a mask, so bloodless that it might have been sculpted from snow. She rose from the table, gathered her skirts around her, and stormed off in silence, servants trailing behind. Jaime Lannister put a hand on the king's shoulder, but the king shoved him away hard. Lannister stumbled and fell. The king guffawed. "The great knight. I can still knock you in the dirt. Remember that, Kingslayer." He slapped his chest with the jeweled goblet, splashing wine all over his satin tunic. "Give me my hammer and not a man in the realm can stand before me!" Jaime Lannister rose and brushed himself off. "As you say, Your Grace." His voice was stiff. Lord Renly came forward, smiling. "You've spilled your wine, Robert. Let me bring you a fresh goblet." Sansa started as Joffrey laid his hand on her arm. "It grows late," the prince said. He had a queer look on his face, as if he were not seeing her at all. "Do you need an escort back to the castle?"

I think it's pretty clear that Joffrey is dissociating here which also explains his very detached way of looking at Robert's abuse of Cersei. It freaks him out enough that he uses Sansa as an excuse to leave (giving her the Hound, then running off himself) but he doesn't show it. He's not even particularly upset during this scene, not throwing a tantrum or making whiny remarks like he does when he's usually upset. He only has a "queer look" - the stress of trying to reconcile his adoration of Robert and his love of Cersei just makes him fully shut down instead of confronting it.

Joffrey gave a petulant shrug. "Your brother defeated my uncle Jaime. My mother says it was treachery and deceit. She wept when she heard. Women are all weak, even her, though she pretends she isn't. She says we need to stay in King's Landing in case my other uncles attack, but I don't care. After my name day feast, I'm going to raise a host and kill your brother myself. That's what I'll give you, Lady Sansa. Your brother's head."

I think people often take his comments about how women are weak to mean he doesn't view his mother as a competent advisor. But you notice a pattern here - he gets shitty with her when it's about Jaime specifically.

"A great many people are sorry for that," Tyrion replied, "and before I am done, some may be a deal sorrier . . . yet I thank you for the sentiment. Joffrey, where might I find your mother?" "She's with my council," the king answered. "Your brother Jaime keeps losing battles."

"She's with my council" he says, because he sees no reason to not let Cersei run things without him, something Robert never lets her do. But "your brother Jaime" not "my uncle Jaime" which is a shift because he doesn't stop calling Renly or Stannis his uncles even after they rebel. He knows, he suspects, and what he resents is not Cersei fucking Jaime but Jaime fucking Cersei.

My read on this is that Joffrey sees his mother as weak for allowing herself to be seduced by Jaime, and sees Jaime as a lecherous seducer who is the cause of all his problems. If only Jaime hadn't seduced his mother, maybe his parents wouldn't hate each other. His claim wouldn't be under question. His mother should have just taken the abuse and bided her time instead of putting herself in danger and having bastards.

He loves his mother. He loves his father. And that's the human heart in conflict with itself that resides in Joffrey. Does he honor his mother, the only parent he has, or does he honor Robert, the patriarch he is supposed to emulate? If he has no other example of what strength looks like, is he even capable of figuring out a different path for himself?

[luci-is-a-bitch-x3x]

Obey Me! Brothers & Thunderstorms:

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Welcome! To this adventure! The characters may not be how you imagine! I apologize for any poor jokes, bad spelling, and terrible grammar. Without further ado, please enjoy the content. ♡

⚠︎Caution: Nighbringer Post⚠︎

CW: The Celestial Realm war talk, small amount of like angst PTSD talk, angst but eventual fluff.

Notes: this is supposed to take place soon after the fall, the brothers are in HoL, Mc isn't in this story, id say it's mostly told from Lucifers perspective of third person.

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The Devildom has some crazy weather, weather that can sometimes even scare demons. This story takes place on a particularly stormy night, the storms in the Devildom are a harsh difference to the ones in The Celestial Realm. The storms in the Devildom usually serve as a harsh reminder of the different lives the brothers have lived, a reminder of the actions that lead them to live in such a harsh dark place, that they now forever call home.

Lucifer is in his room, his brothers were getting used to the new house so they weren't causing too much trouble. He planned to listen to a cursed record and just try and enjoy the night, but he could hardly hear the music over the sound of the storm raging outside. The rain is beating against Lucifer's bedroom windows, the wind howling loudly. The lighting flashing through his windows and the loud crackle and booms of the thunder doesn't help ease his mind. Lucifer's been doing the opposite of relaxing ever since the storm started, everything about the storm has been subtly reminding Lucifer of a recent memory that's been haunting him. The loud noises of the storm reminded him of the screams and clashing sounds that he heard during The Celestial Realm War. Trying so hard to protect all his siblings and do what's right for all of them, to keep them all together and safe...but he failed. Yes he knows unlike his brothers that Lilith got a second chance, got reborn as a human..but she still wasn't with them any longer. Lucifer was happy Lilith got a second chance, happy she was getting to live and find someone to love without judgement...but he still feels like he failed as an older sibling...failed to keep them all safe and together...failed to- A knock on his bedroom door snaps Lucifer back to reality, he turns his head to look at the door just in time to spot white floofy hair and blue/yellow eyes peaking into his room. Stormy nights can be hard for Lucifer, but they're also a reminder to him that he's the eldest and has a responsibility to take care of and comfort the siblings he has now...not dwell on the ones he can't protect or care for anymore. With a deep breath Lucifer shoves all his thoughts and feelings to the back of his mind and looks at the second born peaking into his room giving Mammon a soft look, not his usual intimidating look. "Do you need to sleep in here with me tonight?" Lucifer asks calmly, not seeming upset or opposed to the idea. Mammon being Mammon gives this response, "I don't need to, I'm brave enough to sleep in my own room." Despite Mammon's words Mammon slips into his older brother's room shutting the door once he's inside.

Lucifer shakes his head with a slight smile, knowing the second born all too well. Lucifer motions for Mammon to go sit on his bed, but before either can move or do anything another knock is heard on Lucifer's bedroom door. The door creaks open and both Lucifer and Mammon watch as orange eyes and purple hair peak through the crack in the door. The third born panics and goes to scurry away when he sees Mammon in Lucifer's room as well. Lucifer manages to call out right after watching the third born's purple hair disappear from the crack in the door, "Leviathan." Lucifer calls out, figuring Levi would stop since he was being serious and said Levi's full name. "You can come in here as well, you don't have to go be scared on your own. Mammon can't make fun of you, that's why he is in here." Lucifer says, Mammon protesting to Lucifer's comment in the background. Lucifer walks to his bedroom door and swings it all the way open, seeing Levi standing on the other side anxiously fidgeting with his fingers. Levi's eyes go wide as Lucifer swings the door open and for a second Lucifer thinks Levi's going to run again, but a loud crash of thunder causes the third born to scurry into Lucifer's room, hopping straight into Lucifer's bed. Lucifer watches as Mammon follows Levi and sits on Lucifer's bed as well, Mammon teasing Levi for being in the room scared even though Mammon's there for that exact reason, though he refused to say as much. Lucifer shakes his head as he watches the two with a slight smile, seeing two of his brothers on his bed already makes him begin to hope his bed magically expands just in case another one of his brothers shows up. As if on queue, a loud strike of thunder is heard and then Lucifer hears someone dramatically scream his name, he knows it's Asmo before the fifth born even has a chance to burst through Lucifer's bedroom door and latch himself to Lucifer. Asmo dramatically scolds Lucifer for not coming to save him when Lucifer should've known Asmo would be scared of the storm. Lucifer rolls his eyes, shimming Asmo into the room and then going to close his door, though he quickly stops when he hears two sets of footsteps approaching his door. Lucifer swings his bedroom door back open to see the twins approaching, Beel is walking in front and Belphie is clinging to Beel's side hiding a little behind Beel.

Lucifer doesn't even have a chance to say anything to the twins before he spots Satan making his way slowly down the hall seemingly headed towards Lucifer's room as well. Satan's carrying a book with him, and Lucifer sighs, knowing his bed won't be able to fit and hold all of them. Once all 6 of his younger brothers are in his room, Lucifer rounds them up telling them- "We're all going to sleep in the Commons room tonight, just in case the storm does anything to the house, we'll all be together to take care of it." Lucifer makes that his reasoning so he doesn't hear any tsundere complaints or arguments from his brothers. Mostly none of his brothers complain and they all soon begin to make their way towards the commons room, everyone's more huddled together and waiting on Lucifer to walk, the storm still raging outside causing them to be fearful. They get to the commons room with mostly no problems, just some bickering and a small amount of pushing and shoving. Eventually the 7 brothers get to the commons room, Lucifer watches as his 6 younger brothers begin to move furniture and make a large makeshift bed on the floor near the fireplace but not to close that anything will catch fire. While his brothers do this, Lucifer goes and makes some tea and gathers up some snacks, since he knows at least Beel is hungry. Lucifer gets back into the commons room just in time for his brothers to have finished making a place for everyone to sleep. Lucifer planned to give his brothers tea and snacks and put on a movie for them, hoping that the movie is louder than the storm, but his plans are ruined when the storm takes the power out. A few screams happen, a dramatic scream from Asmo, a scream from Mammon, and Lucifer can't tell if the other scream came from Belphie or Levi. When the power goes out Lucifer is almost tackled as three of his brothers cling onto him for safety. Lucifer calms everyone down and uses magic to light the fireplace, then he prys himself free of his brothers's grasps so he can light some candles around the room to provide more light. His brothers seem to calm down once there's more light in the room, all the brothers have their snacks and tea, and then slowly but surely everyone finds themselves a place to lay down on the makeshift bed, closer together then you'll ever catch any of the brothers admitting. Everyone's half tired but not completely ready to fall asleep yet, the warmth of the fireplace is enough to make them drowsy, but not enough to make them fall completely asleep. It's unclear which brother suggests it..but someone suggests that Lucifer reads the book that Satan had been carrying. So Lucifer sits there reading to his younger brothers, making his voice loud enough to be heard over the thunder and wind of the storm outside, but soft and soothing enough to put his brothers to sleep. Lucifer watches as each of his brothers fall asleep one by one as he reads out loud to them, he even reads out loud for a little bit after they all fall asleep, just to make sure they stay asleep. Eventually Lucifer grows tired himself, he lets himself lay down, laying in a position where he can still watch over his brothers. Right before he closes his eyes he quietly mutters to his brothers that he won't fail them, that he'll keep them safe and happy, and he will. He'll do whatever it takes to keep them all safe, happy and together. Some people will say he spoils them, and some people will even say he's too mean or controlling, but ultimately he's just doing whatever it takes to make sure he doesn't fail as the eldest again.

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Thats all for now babes! Hope you enjoyed!! ♡ This is not proofread. Feel free to comment or reblog any thoughts or any add ons you have! It's spaced like that because Tumblr hates me, sorry.the end was kinda rushed it was late and I wanted to sleep, but still I hope you enjoyed it. I have other thunderstorm prompts so maybe I'll do them sometime. Anyways more contents coming soon, Stay Tuned. Stay Safe & Stay Spooky! ♡

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⟡˙⋆Masterlist⋆˙⟡

[syndrossi]

the daenerys replies got me thinking of a resonant AU where dany also gets blasted into the past (maybe she goes to summerhall to look for jon after he goes missing?) but instead of being jon and rhaeger's sister, she reawakens as saera targaryen's 8yo daughter (perhaps with a volantene noble?). now this will probably have big effects to the volantis shenanigans, the evil ppl who are ecstatic that a prophecy baby and possible TPWP being born so close to home and saera is wary of all these wizard ppl who are suddenly so interested in her baby girl but oh look they just gifted dany three dragon eggs, wait hold on her daughter just hatched three dragons?? how is that even possible... and dany being dany is like well idk what's going on but it's time to fix volantis' sociopolitical structure with my cool new mom

i think dany would eventually get suspicious of the wizard people and decide to escape volantis and go back to westeros, especially if her dragon's grow as fast as they did in canon, then within a year or two they would be large enough to carry her and saera across the narrow sea. meanwhile in westeros, daemon and viserys worst fears are realized when they start getting reports about a valyrian girl in volantis with the control of three dragons. and she's headed straight for them?? but hold on is that aunt saera with her??

just them reacting to this little girl with three enormous dragons and daemon's immediately suspicious as to why dany looks more like she could be rhaegar's twin than jon, and hold on jon and dany seem to know each other?? what is going on... and poor viserys is in panic mode bc aunt saera has a prophecy baby??? with three balerions???? I need to get this girl betrothed immediately!!!!! and jon and dany are happy (if confused) to reunite and once dany realizes that rhaegar's here too she def gets emotional bc that's the brother she looked up to all her life and named a son and dragon after ;-;

Saera would have been so smug about bringing dragons to Volantis through one of her children! (She'd be an older mama, though--in her early forties at the time of birth if Dany is meant to be the same age as Jon and Rhaegar, and close to fifty by the time Daemon finds them.) Given that she had a bastard son with one of the Triarchs in the early 90s AC, it's not far-fetched to imagine Dany's father is the same man.

The nature of the sorcery that brought them here is such that Dany would be in some pretty big trouble that close to Volantis, though, so probably best that this wasn't the case! Otherwise, Saera would have needed to get her daughter out of there quickly/early, and I don't think her ambition would have allowed her to.

But in the event that Saera decided to forgo her "kingdom" in Volantis, Dany's own hatchling would have been too small to carry them away, so my guess is they would have done their best to hide the hatchling and secure passage via ship.

Which still serves as quite the surprise to those in King's Landing! Aunt Saera alive and back in Westeros after all those decades? Only Rhaenys and Viserys were even old enough to really remember her! Rhaenys would have been around 10 when she fled to Essos.

And Viserys's WTF WHY IS EVERYONE ELSE HAVING PROPHECY BABIES reaction? And the immediate dilemma of what's he's supposed to do. Do you wed two prophecy children together? Dilute the prophecy by marrying them back into the main line? HELP.

(Awwww, Dany reuniting with Jon and finally getting to meet Rhaegar. And he does look just like her, just as everyone had told her. And her immediately agreeing with Jon that he must be protected from all things Baratheon and Trident. And Rhaegar being like omg this is the Dany? The one who brought the dragons back? And Dany immediately spilling the beans about Rhaegar being Jon's dad because she doesn't know that Jon's been trying to keep that from him.)

[hcfiles]

Once in a while, someone asks me to prove my thoughts about this shenanigan (The ones believing in this circus are a minority). Aren't the last four years enough proof? From day one, this circus was seen for what it was and the efforts done to try to prove the fake was real, in my opinion, was the main confession that it was only staged circus:

a) The insistence in continuing staging the plot.

b) The unscrupulous and amateur strategies resulting in a bigger disaster.

c) The obvious and immoral move of motivating hate on the internet to crack the fandom so they would go against each other - intentionally having two possible reasons:

- a fuss to call attention to herself by repeating what she did on the MTV show and have the attention she wanted (what could have been an intention he didn't know of, catching him by surprise),

- a move to "neutralize" the bad publicity he was having by putting fans against each other to deviate attention and justify the mess as toxic fans' reaction, instead of assuming it was a result of a massive management disaster.

d) The obvious way he was suffering, while she was pleased taking advantage of the situation and how he looked uncomfortable on several public occasions by her side - totally unnatural and against the idea of the couple "happy in love and in life" - before surrendering to the plot and having pleasure with it.

e) The lack of a single natural picture showing both together in natural moments - What it seemed is that he refused to take more pictures with her after the only ones they apparently had together - the one in front of the house (which seemed manipulated) and the one at the woods (used in one of his posts saying she would have gotten injured).

f) The obvious and APPARENT control loss he had of his IG page - Was it a loss or he surrendered and allowed it?

g) The use of the dogs to mock and tease the fandom so as to promote the fake plot and hate on the internet.

The entire time this plot screamed fake all over and indicated a gigantic and absurd management mistake. But, if the goal was to promote her image and name, they might have taken advantage of those mistakes. That's what it seems. It surprises me, taking into consideration how he had always been successful promoting his image, despite having troubles with PR stunts before, specifically with the women chosen. But, nothing had been that messy before.

The precedents in this area indicated that it was a matter of time until they screwed big time. How do they make that selection? Is it ordered by a production company? Or is the actor' s choice by being vain? Does the woman in question pay to be the next on the list? It doesn't matter. It's escorting, a fancy and glamorous pros*******n activity serving the brothel called Hollywood.

Some actors are completely against it. Others do it, but not that much as Henry did during his professional life. He made it a parallel business going through so many PR stunts he got sloppy. My God! Any dude can see this is management damage. You don't have to be a professional in the area of PRs to see that his team did him a major disservice. The question is: Why? What the f**k happened?

Apparently, they weren't expecting this woman to have such negative feedback. But, didn't they check her background? Possible is that some who know her from her past, the ones she once bullied and humiliated at the time, came to hunt her. Well, being a fake show or not, she exposed and humiliated people on National TV, while bragging to be a rich brat and now, she had what she deserved - Karma!

And he, indirectly, paid for that, because he accepted going on a PR with a woman of a promiscuous and disgusting past. Didn't he know about his brilliant love and Godsent's past? How is that possible? How could he even suppose that announcing a date with such a figure would be good for his image? Being a private person and, if in a real relationship with this woman, wouldn't it be better if he kept it far from the spotlight?

Oh! But it was necessary to be exposed. Why? Isn't he private and that, his private life? So, I'm sorry! This "romance" is not real life. It's a PR terribly managed. But, that's not the worst. The worst is what came later: a fake plot including a pregnancy followed by a paternity. Getting out of a terrible PR plot is easy by announcing a breakup. But, getting out of a plot in which they use a fake baby belly and fakes a paternity?

It's a professional suicide and there's no way he can turn it back. So, I am curious to see how he's gonna get out of this mess after going that far to compromise his integrity and credibility.

[jakes3resin]

gosh!! magic au!! theseus! chaos of having at the base and it’s like two bucky. gale would definitely be shocked!

That au really hit me like a fever dream, my dear anon. I was thinking about the Twin Cleven AU and the Blond Bucky bit I added when I remembered I tacked on a tiny Theseus Easter egg. 30 minutes later I had Magic AU in my drafts with no memory of writing it.

But I've sketched out some thoughts for you and for those who are interested (please keep in mind the last time I watched Fantastic Beasts was a few years ago so I don't remember much):

Bucky's a Scamander by his father (Theseus and Newt's uncle) but goes by his mother's maiden name as he was taken in by her brother and his wife.

Both his parents were magic, but they died near the end of the First World War. Bucky stayed with the Scamanders for a little while before eventually going to America before he turned 4. Theseus was very close with him, and they were occasionally mistaken as father and son due to the age difference (Theseus was a war hero during the First World War if I remember correctly?) (Also that could be an AU now that I think about it but not rn)

He has a bit of a British accent, comes out more when he's using magic. Or when he's around his cousins. First time Buck hears it, he just about faints.

Went to Hogwarts solely because his parents went there, and he wanted to feel close to them. Not sure what House but leaning Hufflepuff. He seems like he'd be happy there.

Enjoyed the school somewhat, but he dealt with some bullying due to his American upbringing as well as some of the students still remembered Newt and bullied him for that connection.

His favorite animal is still the unicorn. It's just not extinct like he said to Buck. What can I say? Every Scamander is good with magical animals.

Had an accidental falling out with the Scamander family who wanted him to move permanently to England and stay with them during his schooling, but he prefered spending his summers in America and winter holidays in the castle.

Came home before he turned 18 (I guess started Hogwarts young for his grade? Idk.) And decided to blend in to Muggle/No-Maj society by going to college and later joining the Air Force.

After Bucky's revelation to the RAF pilots, one of them writes home saying he met Theseus Scamander's cousin! This gets passed through Wizarding society until it lands in the ears of Theseus who didn't have a clue his cousin was in England, let alone serving in a Muggle unit. And after hearing about the death toll, he gets scared.

Theseus resolves to pop down there and check in on his cousin. And unknowingly reeks havoc upon Thorpes Abbotts.

Looks like this:

(This is in a nebulous point before Curtis' death because he deserves to be alive my baby boy)

Literally everyone that sees him is flabbergasted because 1) Major Egan is handsome but he never dresses like That and 2) Major Egan is supposed to be flying back from a mission right now. Word travels through base, and it's alight with rumors.

Theseus gets dragged to Kidd's office because literally everyone is freaking out, and he's quite confused why everyone keeps calling him Bucky. He tries to explain that he's Theseus and that he's here to see his cousin John, but every time he speaks the people around him all jump (its cause his accent spooks them. That accent should not be coming from someone who looks so much like Bucky in their mind. Boy are they in for a rude awakening.)

Bucky flies back in, and after interrogation, he doesn't even get a chance to change clothes before he's being dragged to Kidd's office. Buck and a few of the boys follow utterly confused. If Bucky's in trouble, Buck's not just gonna stand by.

Theseus happily greets Bucky when he walks into the office, and the pair have an okay reunion before Theseus states that he's here to check on his younger cousin, heavily implying that he's here to transfer Bucky to a British outfit as he's a British citizen and their family connections want to keep him safe (really a Wizard one but among Muggles he's better at speaking around the issue)

Thus an argument breaks out. Bucky's accent also comes out, and nearly everyone around him loses their minds.

Buck really, really does not want to talk about what that accent does to him. It's confusing and concerning. (Clegan are together, but when your partner busts out the London Accent, well that's a gamechanger)

Anyways idk where it goes after that, but now everyone has to deal with the fallout that Bucky is British and has a nearly identical cousin who pops in to check on him.

[ofstarsandvibranium]

To Have & To Hold: Part 2

Fandom: Marvel - Moon Knight (Mafia AU)

Pairing: Marc Spector x F!Reader, Steven Grant x F!Reader, Jake Lockley x F!Reader

Summary: To ensure you’re always safe even after his passing, your father, a mob boss, makes you marry his right hand, Marc Spector. You don’t necessarily hate Marc, but you don’t get along either. Therefore, this marriage of convenience may be a bit difficult for you.

Series Masterlist

You and Marc sit across from each other at a restaurant. Your father had made a reservation for the two of you in a private room. You slump back, arms crossed over your chest, glaring at the bubbles in your champagne.

Marc sits up, back straight. He's alert but his eyes are on you, watching you. It's been fairly silent between the two of you since you both arrived to the restaurant.

He finally speaks up, "You gonna speak or somethin'?"

"Why would you agree to this?" you look at him in disbelief, "I mean, besides being my dad's successor in the business, what could you possibly gain marrying me?"

"Is it hard to believe that I care about you?" he responds with his own question which makes you snort.

"Marc, yes, you've worked for my father for a long time. We see each other a lot, but I wouldn't necessarily count us as friends."

A server comes and refills your glass, even though you've barely had a sip, and refills Marc's whiskey. Marc gives him a nod of thanks and when they're gone, he looks back to you. He leans forward, resting his arms on the table, "Listen, I owe your father a lot. He's done a lot for me. You wanna know why I'm marrying you? Because I owe him and, despite your belief, I care about you."

You scoff, you seem to be doing that a lot since earlier today, "Right, sure. Whatever. If we're actually going through with this, I get to plan ninety percent of this wedding. Got it?"

Marc holds his hands up and leans back in his chair, "Whatever you want, sunshine." He proceeds to open the menu and take a look, "I don't know about you, but I'm starving and I'm tired of waiting for you to get out with this mood," he waves his hand in your direction.

You roll your own eyes and take a look at the menu. This is going to be a long dinner.

_______________

Plates empty, stomachs full, and three glasses of champagne later, the dinner was finally over. You and Marc made, surprisingly, good conversation. He asked you about your charity organization. Throughout the entire time, Marc kept his focus on you, nodding and occasionally pushing for you to share more.

You asked about him, however, he wasn't very keen to talk about his past. You understood. You remember when he started working for you dad. All your father told you was that he's had a troubled past, but he gets stuff done. So your father took him under his wing. From what Marc told you, he was a former Marine and mercenary.

"I wanted to serve my country but...in the process, I hurt a lot of people." You could see the regret in his eyes.

"No offense, Marc, but if you don't like hurting people, getting into the mafia business isn't necessarily a way to-I don't know-cleanse your soul?"

He shrugged, "I learned to turn that all off. I don't always rough people up, like you may think. I do reconnaissance sometimes or, ya know, trail after Miss Sunshine," he nodded towards you and you stuck your tongue at him. He smirked and his eyes darkened. You suddenly felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and began to down more of your champagne.

Now, the dinner is over and you're sleepy.

You stand up and collect your things. Neither of you had to pay because the server told you that your father handled it. As the two of you exited the restaurant, Marc's hand went to your lower back as he guided you to the sidewalk.

"Did you drive here?"

You shake your head, "Nope. I took an uber. They should be here soon."

"Cancel it." Marc doesn't ask but demands.

You wave away his demand, "I'll be fine."

"Y/N," he gives you a warning tone, "Cancel. It."

You glare at him and say with as much ferocity, "Make. Me."

He swiftly pulls your phone from your grasp and you're immediately trying to get it back.

"Wah-hey! Marc! Give it back!" your pleads are deaf on his ears as he manages to unlock your phone, go to the Uber app, and cancels your ride. As soon as he does so, he pockets your phone.

On cue, the valet drives up with Marc's car, "Get in." He opens the passenger door for you and waits.

You sigh in defeat as you climb into his Rolls Royce Cullinan. He closes the door behind you and hands the valet some cash before thanking him and getting in.

He snorts when he sees you checking out his car, "What's wrong?"

"Didn't expect you to have a car like this."

"Seatbelt on," he reminds you. After he sees you buckle up, he explains, "I never had anything super nice. Figured since your dad paid me so well, I'd buy a nice car."

"You seemed like a Tesla guy to me."

"Fuck Tesla," Marc says and that makes you laugh for some reason. His own smile makes a way on his face and he quickly glances your way before focusing back on the road.

A part of you wants to compliment his smile but...is that weird? Is it weird to tell your future fiance that you're being forced to marry that his smile is nice? Maybe?

Too many mental gymnastics made you eventually decide not to say thing. The rest of the ride is silent, but not an awkward or tense silence like before dinner started.

He doesn't say anything until the car rolls up to your apartment building. He quickly rushes out and helps you out, guiding you to the door, where your doorman, Stan, opens it for you.

Before you enter, you turn to Marc, "Um, tonight was...nice?"

He nods, "I know this is gonna be hard for you. But I would like to be friends if we're marrying each other."

"Right. Yeah, that-that makes sense."

"You'll probably be seeing more of me too."

"Of course," you're suddenly unsure of what else to say Marc and he could probably sense this.

"Good night, sunshine. Sweet dreams."

"Yeah, thanks. You too." you give him a small wave before walking into your building. Through the window, you watch him drive away.

When you're finally in your apartment, you get into your jammies and launch yourself into bed. You recall how tonight and...wait...why do you feel all fluttery inside???

[moodymisty]

Not the same anon but you remember that Death with cold and cynical s/o after the Well of Souls thing? I'm kinda intrigued about how that works, so can I request a oneshot for that?

Btw, after reading that entire thing, it sounds a bit like "Just Look My Way" from Helluva Boss.

Author's Note: Hello! I had a bit of trouble with this one, but I hope you still enjoy it :3 I'm trying to get the last few of the SFW requests done since the NSFW ones are becoming so long XD I'm proud of them, but they tend to take longer and get drawn out.

Relationships: Death/Gn!Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1374

Death wouldn't consider himself unfamiliar with the feeling of death, as joking as it might sound to himself.

However the Well of Souls however had felt, different. It feels like no time has passed at all, like a blink of an eye; Though he can tell by the leaves on the trees and the structures around the Tri-Forge than more than a fair bit of time has passed.

A part of him had considered not even making this stop. His 'death' at the Well of Souls could serve as a perfect severing point between him and the Makers realm. He could just add it to the list of places he's traveled through and throw it behind him.

But he just couldn't do it. Against his better judgement, he just needs to make sure.

He'd never said goodbye to you, never told you where he was going; He'd just left you at the Tri-Forge, and had trusted in the Makers to keep you safe. He's sure they've done a fine job of that, in his absence. As much as he might've complained, he can't think of many at all that he trusts as much.

Death dismisses Despair and walks into the Tri-Forge, and within moments he can feel as if something is off.

He's quite familiar with feeling unwelcome in any place unfortunate enough to have him present, but even this is a bit... intense.

The Makers on first glance can't contain their surprise at seeing the Reaper again, before it quickly sours. Death wonders how long he's really been gone; He imagines not much longer than a season, if the weather is anything to go by. It had been quite warm the last time he'd been here, and now the Makers realm is quite a bit colder.

He continues forward, and it's not longer after he passes the outer forges that he crosses the old warrior he remembers from the beginning of that long journey that led him to the Well of Souls.

Valus gives him one cold look; For once the reaper might've preferred seeing Alya.

"You have quite the pair to come back around here again after what you did."

Death lets out a quiet scoff. He knows what the Maker is referring to, but decides to beat around it. Why he can't hazard a guess, it slips from his lips behind the mask before he has a chance to really stop it.

"After what? Attempting to save War? I believe you all helped me in that endeavor, last I remember."

Valus crosses his arms across the expanse of his chest, and nods in the direction deeper into the forge.

"You have a lot to work on, Reaper. You might be able to talk like that to me, but you ain't gonna do that with them."

So you're still here. That fills him with more relief than he'd ever dare utter out loud. He doesn't know why he even thought you would be gone- the Human realm is still off limits, as well as a crumbling wreckage.

Valus, as much as it seems to physically hurt the Maker, directs him in your direction before not giving the reaper much more than a scornful parting glare. Death takes it in stride- it isn't the first time- and keeps moving until he finds you.

But he can't contain the raising of his posture when he sees you, your back turned to him. You don't seem to know he's here as of yet, occupied with something else.

He notices in your lap is Dust; He'd put the bird in charge of keeping an eye on you shortly before he had 'died'. He'll give the bird a piece of carrion for sticking though with it. Though he isn't very much surprised, as the bird had taken a liking to you quite quickly. It helps that you were more than eager to snuggle and give the bird scritches, unlike himself.

You tenderly scratch the bird on the back of the neck and earn an appreciative warble, before the crow notices him and abruptly begins to squawk, jumping on your thigh and flapping his wings. You look down at him and pinch his beak for a moment, trying to distract the bird.

"Quiet Dust, geez." The bird fluffs up and continues to caterwaul, until his old master finally speaks up.

"I don't appreciate you yelling at me, bird."

He notices your body tense up and raise suddenly, and you look over your left and see him, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. The crow lowers his tone and still warbles deep in his throat, but stops the flapping and alarm bells.

And then your face drops back to neutral, and you turn away.

Dust hops gently on your thigh and looks up at you, taking a chunk of your clothing in his beak and attempting to pull at it. He gets gently brushed to stop doing it, and settles back into a fluffy black loaf.

Death takes the hit to his pride a bit harder than perhaps he should have, considering his attempts to feign nonchalance for anything other than your fragile mortality. He had expecting you to have that brightness to your eyes and jump up and run to him, like you'd had the myriad of times he'd left you for even the shortest while. He'd thought it was annoying, but now he finds himself almost craving it as your back faces him. He misses the happiness, the energy. It's like it's all evaporated from you now.

This is what Valus was referring to, it seems.

"Quite the greeting," He says, gesturing with his hand for his crow to finally return to his master. His duty is done after all, he did what Death asked of him.

Dust distinctly hesitates for a moment, before eventually giving in and flying back to rest on the top of Harvester. Meanwhile you turn around and give him a venomous look, crossing your arms.

"You gave so little of a shit about me you couldn't even say goodbye, Death." You just shrug your shoulders and turn away, like you can even tolerate the look of his mask. "Now that you picked up your bird, you can leave. I'm sure you have somewhere much more important to be. I'll be fine with the Makers." "Though I doubt that was ever a concern for you."

He supposes that you aren't wrong to think that. He never did tell you more than what he absolutely had to. In that moment, and the many times he'd neglected to tell you things beforehand, he thought he was doing the best thing. And keeping his feelings at arms length.

Keeping yours at arms length too; He could tell you were getting more and more attached to him, and that he needed to keep it from happening before you ended up too entrenched in something that would only end up getting you killed.

But he hates the way that your admittance to thinking he doesn't care about you hurts.

He does care; Far too much, if Death had any say in it.

He gives far too much of a care for someone as old and dejected as him. One of the first things that came to his mind when he left the Well of Souls was you.

He supposes this was bound to happen. Everyone eventually comes to hate him, in the end. It's his lot in life.

Though this one hurts far worse, and he finds himself wishing to fix it far more than any of the others. To make matters worse, his crow hefts himself off of his scythe and returns to you, as you get up and move to walk away.

As you pass he raises his hand ever so slightly to grab your arm and stop you- he doesn't even know what he'd say to you if he did- but drops it. You don't notice, and keep walking away right past him.

Death supposes he deserves this.

But while he finds himself unsure on what to do, he knows he has to do something. He isn't going to let you go like all of the others that have wandered through his life. He just doesn't know where to start.

[bluemoondust]

Hi there! Your writing is like, SUPER good, man. It’s so in-character! Anyways, could I have some general headcanons for yandere Azul Ashengrotto? Thank youuu!!

Hello there! I'm so glad you enjoy my writing and it's aksjkwkwj— just so nice to hear that things are in character since I try my best in that aspect

ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ I hope you enjoy these headcanons! Also, ack, I'm going back to this template (?) of questions for general headcanons because I do lowkey follow them when writing these sort of headcanons.

✧General Yandere Headcanons✧ — Azul Ashengrotto

Warning(s): Obsessive/Clingy Behavior, Manipulation (Gaslighting, Guilt Tripping), Hints of Self Deprecation/Self Esteem Issues (on Azul's end), Mentions of Unhealthy Lifestyle (Lack of Sleep/Eating—on Azul's end)

What yandere type are they?

There's a bit to unpack when it comes to Azul. A lot of factors that can play into the type of yandere he is and how he proceeds as a yandere (as well as in his pursuit towards you). However, to give some types, I'd say he is a manipulative, obsessive, and clingy yandere. There was the thought of maybe him being a possessive yandere, but I see him more obsessive than such. Still, let it be known that despite that, there are possessive traits that form because of Azul's obsession towards you.

Like any other obsessive yandere, Azul craves to know ever single detail about you, no matter how miniscule. You see, not only will this serve to get closer but also will become a benefit in the future in exploitation. Knowing about your deepest secrets and insecurities is handy in order to know how to properly treat you as Azul wins your favor through such information. However, that same knowledge can be used against you since now he is aware of your weaknesses to which he can utilize to his advantage. Plus your secrets are the perfect blackmail material in case anything...gets a little out of hand or you (who should know better) tries to leave. Hell, it doesn't even matter the type of secret it is. If it was just something that you would try to brush off in front of him, then why was it a secret in the first place? Why was it something you wish to be hidden? Even with all this, Azul just really wants every piece of information on you like it was another part of his collection. Some might believe it's not worth much, but it is extremely valuable in his eyes.

Knowing the type of person Azul is, it's no surprise that he is someone who would manipulate his darling. He won't admit it at first, but some of his tactics are a form of remaining in control. Since one thing is clear about him is that he absolutely despises not having control of his life. He doesn't let things such as fate nor luck determine his life; he does. Relying on odds is foolish because the only way you can get the things you want in life is through work and dedication. And dedicated he is. Azul's go-to methods of manipulation are gaslighting and guilt tripping. He is a man of honey coated words, but boy does he know how to twist and turn the words of others. Nothing gets past his ears as he picks up on the slightest chance of a a slip up on your or anyone's part. This is why it's important to watch what you say or else Azul will use that against you in the future. Plus, he can just tug at your heart strings if you're an empathetic person. Why would you deny anyone help anyways? Aren't you a good person like he believes you are?

On the topic of how clingy Azul can be, it won't show immediately. You'd have to push him to the brink of desperation to see that side of him. Still, he is someone who craves your attention and affections tremendously due to the troubles of his youth. Being ostracized as a child really took a toll on him so of course it'd affect how he views the world and relationships. The signs of you abandoning him can send Azul in a frenzy as he tries harder to keep you around. If you're smart enough and discover this fear of his, then you can exploit it (but bare in mind that you're still against someone who has some insane dedication and resolve). Also...it won't be pretty if he realizes what you're doing.

How did they fall for their darling?

Azul is one of those characters who will fall for you first and then fall harder as time goes on. Maybe his charms caught your interest, but oh boy did your personality snare him up like a net. Unbelievable. It amuses him in the beginning as he tries to brush off this feeling he's having. You just caught his eye, that's all. Azul will just keep tabs on you until this interest passes.

The more you surprise him and keep living in his mind rent free, the more Azul can't help but want to see more of you. He just can't believe it...how did he manage to fumble like this? There must be an answer. So he tries to spend time with you, make conversation to pick up on your traits. Just to see what makes you tick. It'll come in handy for him later when he wants to turn the cogs a certain way in his image. Not too much, mind you. Just enough to ensure everything goes well. I mean, he fell for who you truly are, so why damage that beyond repair? If a clock stops ticking when it is broken, then how can either of you move forward in life?

Are they aware of their unhealthy behavior?

Yeah, he is. Azul just pretends not to see it fully. If he is okay with guilt tripping and manipulating others to get what he wants, I don't see why he would be bothered by the measures he's taking for you. Anything can be on the table if it means he'll get one step closer to what he's pursuing.

Sure, he'll be taken aback by his unhealthy obsession with you at first. Maybe even contemplate and question the reasons. However...not on what you may be thinking of. Azul is more focused on how you managed to put him in such a state like this. He wonders if you're aware of what you're doing and if this is all a ploy against him. Are you trying to get something out of him through your own charms? It's certainly affective but...he can't help but be astonished by your tactics. It's like this is all effortless to you.

When he finds out that, no, you're not actually doing what he believes you're doing, this man ponders even more. The reasons how he even figured it out is because of his time spent with you to further observe your behavior. He's alone with his thoughts when it finally hits him. It's all him. Azul needs some time to come to terms with this before he takes the whole thing in stride. No matter, now that he knows, everything can run smoothly again! He just needs to conjure up the right approaches in order to keep you by his side. In general, I don't even think Azul would really care if this was healthy or not. There is someone who actually is willing to stick by his side and get to know him outside of who he is in front of others. He is not letting this golden opportunity go to waste nor is he passing up the chance of being loved by someone like you.

How do they act around their darling? Are they subtle or obvious?

Extremely subtle unless you're extremely perceptive. You might just believe he wants something out of you whenever he hangs around you on his own time. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch/assumption to believe that, given the type of person Azul is. What you might not expect is his true reason for spending time with you. Well, yeah, it's to get information out of you but not the information you're thinking of. Personal stuff yes but it's only for him and his uses. He doesn't care about the trivial things that revolve around you such as your friends...but knowing who they are would be taken as a precaution. Or to use as pawns for any schemes he has in that head of his.

If he senses that you're distrustful of him, he quickly shuts down your worries with honey coated words. Why would he, Azul, take advantage of your trust? Is it wrong to simply wish for the time to get to know you? It's harmless curiosity, that's all. You should be quite interested knowing that you've caught Azul's eye in the first place. Usually everyone comes to him for something, not the other way around. Which is something very important in this whole thing. Despite him going above and beyond to learn about you, Azul wants you to come to him in the end. He wants you to give in and accept him fully. Tell him that you've come to a conclusion after being around him so much. If you keep playing hard to get...Azul's wits will eventually reach it's end.

Do they get jealous? How do they act when jealous?

Azul tells himself he isn't jealous. He seems like he's never jealous. His demeanor never shows that he is jealous. However, his heart is full of envy towards those you're close with. Azul would not allow himself to be this vulnerable with his feelings, but it pains to see them getting everything he desires. Your attention, care, and smile. Your everything. The part of him that has never left him—the insecure boy who was ignored and pushed to the side—yearns to have all that. Practically craves it.

He pushes down the jealousy whenever you're around and forces himself to feel fine. Though, it doesn't change the fact that it eats away at him every second he watches. What do they have that he doesn't? He can give you anything you'd like and they certainly do not hold a candle to his skills and intellect. Azul's insecurities will eventually crawl back to chip at his self esteem if his methods aren't getting him any closer to you. The thing he's been mastering for years and yet that is not enough? If that is the case, what else is there? Is he not enough for you?

It's those questions that run through his mind when left alone. Azul can pretend all he wants that none of this get under his skin. Act like nothing is wrong while by your side. You'd never know how deep you cut into his heart when you still refuse to accept him. Oh, but you'll know eventually. He just...needs more time. Another angle to look at this from. He can't just give up when he's come this far. You are just making this more difficult, but Azul can take the challenge.

How much of a danger are they? To darling? To others? To themselves?

In some aspects, Azul is more of a danger to others and himself than he is towards you. How much of a danger he is really depends. At his lowest (not counting the chance of an overblot because that is enough of a danger as is), he gets reckless and desperate. You would actually see the full lengths this man will take to try to win you over or just fix any problem in the equation. It is a point you don't want him to reach because that's where he'll be a threat to himself as well. Still, at a normal standpoint, he's a 4/10 in danger level. Pretty tame and uses manipulation tactics to get his way and push unwanted people to the side. Azul having the tweels involved cranks it up to a 5 or 6/10 for obvious reasons. He isn't really that intimidating in terms of physical appearance (and in some cases,  prowess) but he makes up for it with his intellect. A truly terrifying weapon he can utilize without doing too much.

Towards his darling, not much of a threat again for the mentioned reasons above. Your social life and status may be in danger but that's generally it. Even if that is the only threat he poses, it still hurts when you're questioning/doubting your own choices and feeling like life is against you. All because of him. The world is against you so the only solution is to seek him out. Azul would be such the benevolent person he claims to be as he listens to your woes. The world certainly is awful, isn't it? To abandon a person such as yourself without a second glance. He knows how that feels.

In regards to himself, it's the insecurities that'll bring harm to Azul. He doesn't openly show his jealousy, as mentioned before but he certainly is still affected by everything going on. The actions he takes will show you. He pushes himself further. Azul can be a man who is determined to a terrifying degree, shocking those who witness it firsthand. One plan doesn't work. Oh well, he can think of something else. There's a goal he is after and he will not step off the path to achieve it. No matter the obstacles placed in front of him. You're no different.

He will lose sleep and skip meals. Not just to get closer to having you within his grasp, but...because of his self esteem. Azul listens and takes into account your likes and dislikes. He keeps them in mind as they repeat over and over like a broken record. The same goes with your ideal person. As much as Azul tells himself that he is fit to be your significant other, a part of him doubts that. That part is what pushes him to be better. There are some aspects that he won't change, of course, about himself. He will just fix the...undesirable aspects. Either it be his physique, eating habits, or his form, he'll make quick work of it. He already was trying to in the first place but now he has more motivation.

How far are they willing to go for their darling?

A good amount, but I will say that murdering anyways isn't something he'd do. Unless he's in his overblot form or his buttons are severely pushed. Still, theres a lot he would do in your name as written above. His lifestyle will suffer a good amount as well as his composure (which might eventually lead to a breakdown). Heck, even his mental health might suffer too.

Azul is going to monopolize your time whether it's because he guilt tripped you into it or he tricked you into owing him a favor. There will always be a reason why and he will make sure of it. Plus, as mentioned before, he will damage your social life in whatever way he can. This is why you have to be careful with what you share with him. Azul knows that he has a way with talking to people; lulling them into a false sense of security or deceiving them with his words of absoluteness. Whatever you tell him will be used to his advantage, especially in order to get rid of the obstacles that are your friends or family. Maybe you vented out your frustrations about a friend and he twisted your words...now that person refuses to speak with you. Some friend, huh?

Are they selfish or selfless?

Very selfish. Azul is torn though as one side doesn't think he deserves you but the other believes he has every right to have this one thing in life. He has struggled in life to get where he is now. Even with the love of his family in his youth, Azul still feels the absence of belonging when it comes to peers. Everyone is in it for themselves. No one is truly genuine as they, give and leave. Sometimes Azul likes to think that maybe he has made friends even if things didn't start off that way. Maybe they have decided that he is worth sticking around for. That they...value his company.

That is why he can't risk having you reject him nor take what you want and leave. If you won't stay because you care, then you can't leave due to being in debt to him. This is one of the only ways he can come up with to prevent you from discarding him like trash. So he gives into his selfish desires, because he deserves to have all this. To have you. You don't understand how much pain and work he had to go through for all this. It's all for you, so that should amount to something, right? No efforts will be left in vain.