#I guess it was my fault trying to convince people to try and engage in stories they didnt care about

[ornii]

My Better Bitter Half, Part 11

Apologies for taking so long but we back baby.

How well do we really know our parents? Take my father. I've always considered him an open book. A man given to misguided schemes and exaggerated displays of affection. But when he was a student, he was accused of a murder that took place right up there. Which leads me to wonder...what really happened that stormy night 32 years ago?

You, your sister Wednesday and, possible crush Enid stood together listening to the drivel that principal Weems was spewing.

“Nevermore was created as a safe haven for our children to learn and to grow, no matter bI realize most of you have heard about the unfortunate incident involving one of our students.bBut I'm happy to report that Eugene is on the mend and is expected to make a full recovery.bSo let's focus on the positive and make this Parents' Weekend our very best yet.” Weems said.

“On the mend?” Wednesday said.

“Try in a coma.” You chime in, Enid turns to Wednesday and you.

“Have you been to see him? You're his friends.”

“I'm the reason he's in the hospital.” Wednesday said, and Enid attempts to console her.

“That is not your fault, okay?” She says, and you raise an eyebrow.

“Well… technically speaking—“ you start, Enid glares at you, convincing you to stop speaking. You close your mouth and shrug.

“Besides, The monster hasn't attacked anyone in the past week. Maybe you finally scared it off.” Enid explains, and you rub your chin, pondering.

“Or maybe it went into hiding to avoid this weekend. Too many people… they want to avoid getting caught.” You say, suddenly your eyes catch a glimpse of black, three figures, Mother, Father, and Pugsley. Wednesday also notices the family arriving.

“I knew I should have worn my plague mask.” Wednesday said.

“Would you look at my family?” Enid looks over to her howling family.

“Talk about toxic pack mentality. I give my mom 30 seconds before her judge-y claws come out. Let's get this over with.” She said, the students agree and go to face their family.

“There he is. Oh, how we missed those devilish eyes and youthful glare.” Morticia, your mother hugged you sternly, and you happily accepted her love, as decrepit as it was..

“Madré!” You say, hugging her. Spotting your father you also reciprocate a hug.

Padre! How are you father?” You say, you see how uncomfortable Wednesday is, obviously human interaction was not her strong suit.

“How are you, my little rain cloud?” Morticia hugs her daughter.

“I thought Thing was filling you in on my every move.” Wednesday says, Morticia and Gomez look surprised that she knows, and you casually chime in.

“You didn’t think we wouldn’t notice?” You smirk, standing next to Wednesday.

“I uncovered your feeble subterfuge almost immediately.”

“We.” you chime in.

“So, how's the little fella doing? Does he still have all his fingers?” Gomez says.

“Relax. I haven't snapped any of his digits. Yet.”

“So tell us everything.”

“Since you've abandoned me here, I've been hunted, haunted... and the target of an attempted murder.”

Much to no one surprised, the Addams Re reveled in it. Morticia and Gomez reach the Principals office with the family. morticia looks at her old yearbook with Principal Weems

“I haven't laid eyes on this in over 20 years. Such good times we had, didn't we, Larissa?”

“Some of us better than others.”

“Oh, don't be so modest. You always filled a room with your presence. Like a stately sequoia tree.”

“And I guess that would make you the lumberjack.”

The two engage in passive aggressive softball, and you couldn’t enjoy it more, sneering.

“There's that biting sense of humor that I always adored. Do you remember when we did that duet for the Solstice Talent Show? Your Judy Garland impression was a dead ringer.” Morticia says.

“Sounds positively suicidal.” Wednesday said.

“I’d love to see it. Im sure Wedensday would agree.” You say, crossing your leg as you wink at Wednesday, who stares daggers at you. Morticia notices something off.

“Oh. My picture's gone.”

“Really? Well, that is odd.” Weems says, feigning innocence.

“May I borrow this for the weekend? That way Gomez and I can take a little walk down memory lane.” She says to her husband, they gawk at each other which only makes Weems more, uncomfortable.

“All right. Let's get down to the matter at hand, shall we? Unfortunately, Wednesday's assimilation has been rocky at best.”

“Because I refuse to embrace the culture of dishonesty and denial permeating this school.

Starting with the monster that killed Rowan and put Eugene in the ICU.” She says, you raise your finger.

“Although I do hear he's on the mend.” You say with a grin, Weems puts on a smile, a fake one.

“We've always encouraged our children to speak their minds.” Gomez said

“Sometimes her sharp tongue and his serrated wit can cut deep.” Gomez says.

“Apparently her therapist feels she hasn't been very open to the process. Their time together has not yielded the results we'd hoped.” Weems explains

“I'm not a lab rat.” Wednesday said in retort.

“I say more like a, Crow. A lab crow.” You say, Your sisters cold glare was in the corner of your eye.

“I believe Wednesday should get the help she deserves.” You say, only adding more fuel to the fire and Weems Agrees.

“Dr. Kinbott and I have spoken, and we both agree it would be most beneficial for you all to attend a family session this weekend.” She said, and the word “family” made you halt.

“Wait.. family?” You ask. “Absolutely not.”

“No.” Wedensday shuts it down quickly, and Weems shakes her head.

“I thought that might be your reaction, but your parents can see the wisdom in it.”

“Um, not to side with Wednesday, but, um, we're only here for the weekend.” Morticia says, and Gomez spoke up.

“Oh, come on. What can it hurt? To be honest, I've always been a big fan of head-shrinking.”

“It's not that kind of head-shrinking, father.” You say, now having the annoyed cadence of your sister.

“Well, that is disappointing. But anything for our kids.” Morticia says, much to the annoyance of the twins.

The Therapy session began as (Y/n), Wednesday and Pugsley sat in the middle with both Morticia and Gomez at sides, Kinbott looks at the full Addams family with gleaming hope.

“So, who wants to start?” She said, it was silent, until she asked again.

“Maybe we can discuss what it's like having Wednesday away from home?” She said, and Pugsley began.

“I mean, for me....it's been hard not having (Y/n) and Wednesday around. I never thought I'd miss being waterboarded and Used as a host for ghosts so much.” Pugsley admits.

“Morticia, Gomez. How have you been coping?” Kinbott asks them.

“It's been torture for us too.”

“Fortunately, my brother Fester's rack fits two people.”

“Nothing like a good stretch to bring out the best in each other.” Morticia says and the two simply cannot get their hands off of Each other.

“Enough!” Wednesday said, actually letting her anger out. And not many times, (Y/n) agrees.

“I think it's high time my parents faced the music. It seems they've been lying to me.

Keeping secrets. Murderous secrets that need to be addressed. Who was Garrett Gates, and why are you accused of murdering him?” Wednesday asks her father, (Y/n) squints his eyes and slowly turns to Gomez.

“…Father?” He asks, which Gomez’s attitude shifts, and Morticia quickly intervenes

“Those charges were dropped. Your father is an innocent man.”

“Local sheriff doesn't seem too convinced.”

“Wednesday, stop. This is neither the time nor the place.”

“Mother, did you know about this?” (Y/n) asks Morticia.

“(Y/n), now isn’t the time for this.” She said.

“Actually, this is exactly the place.” Kinbott chimes in. “These sessions are—“

“Doctor. This does not concern you. And I refuse to debate a decades-old witch-hunt with you right now.” Morticia says.

“Darling, maybe we should...” Gomez says.

“No. This session is over.”

“Have it your way, Mother.” Wednesday stood up and stormed off.

“Wednes... Wednesday?”

“If you refuse to tell me the truth, I'll just have to excavate it myself.” She walks off, and Morticia follows.

“What were you thinking? How could you ambush your father like that? Wednesday.”

“How could I? You insisted I go to this school.

Did you really think I wouldn't find out your secret?”

“You don't know the full story. Your father did nothing wrong.”

“I'll be the judge of that.” Wednesday walks off, (Y/n) exits the building to see his sister leave, and he follows, Wednesday enters the hospital and makes her way to Eugene’s room, he follows silently until she sits at his side.

“I harvested hive number three. The bees miss you, Eugene. We all do.” Wednesday said, (Y/n) smiles and gently taps on the door. Wednesday quickly turns around and sees her brother.

“How long have you been listening?” She said.

“Long enough to see you care.”

“I don’t.”

“Sure you don’t.” (Y/n) walks next to his sister, looking at Eugene. A heated rage begins to overtake him.

“He didn't deserve this. I should be in that bed.” Wednesday says, and (Y/n) shakes his head…

“It isn’t your fault, it’s the monster who did this, and we will find him, I can assure you of that. Now Cmon, we have to get back to Mother and Father, you’d hate to make they worry.” (Y/n) says with sarcasm. Wednesday reluctantly follows. The twins return to eat with their family.

“Mmm. I am famished. You're not hungry, darling?” Morticia says to her daughter, (Y/n) was too busy looking over at Enid.

“My appetite eludes me, Mother.” She replies; Enid is forced to sit with her family,

“So are you going to make me ask?” Her mother says, and Enid assumes she means the Addams boy who’s making dreamy eyes at her.

“Well.. (Y/n) and I haven't defined our relationship yet, even if it is one—“

“I'm not talking about boys. Have you wolfed out yet?” She says, Enid inhaled sharply and out on a smile.

..”No.”

“Well, that is a disappointment.”

“That's me. A huge disappointment…” she says, (Y/n) sees how sad she is, he stands up and walks over, he adjusts his clothes and smiles.

“Excuse me.” He says, he offers a handshake.

“You must be Miss Sinclair.” He says and takes her hand, the woman puts on a smile as Enid was now panicking. Her crush and now her overbearing mother meeting.

“I’m really sorry but I have to speak with Enid, just for a moment.”

“Alright? Don’t try anything—“

“Mom!” Enid says though her teeth, he leads Enid away and he sighs.

“I’m sorry to pull you from your family—“

“No it’s fine, I actually wanted to ask you something.”

“You did? What?” (Y/n) asks.

“Well… I, don’t know how to feel after the dance…” she begins.

“You, didn’t have fun?” (Y/n) asks, and Enid shakes her head.

“No, of course I did! It’s just… you’re like my best friend, besides Wednesday, you’re.. more than my best friend.. someone I really care about.

“I’d.. like that.. to be more… I know you’re still heartbroken after Ajax..” (Y/n) begins, Enid watches but slowly peers over his shoulder to see what’s going on.

“Uh.. (Y/n)?”

“And I don’t want to be a replacement I, I want to be more than that, I want to be…”

“(Y/n)… your, dad.”

“What I’m trying to say is that I want you to be my Girl—“

“Your dads getting arrested!” She yells. (Y/n) stops and turns around to see his father being taken away by police.

“Gomez Addams. You're under arrest for the murder of Garrett Gates. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

“Father?”

“You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you.” (Y/n) can only watch as his father is taken away, god only knows what hellscape awaits.

The Twins stood at the blocked off prison visiting room, as their father sits solemnly at the seat. He sees the two stand there.

“My little tormenta, how's your mother?” Gomez asks Wednesday first.

“Devastated. She hates you in orange. I caught her laying a rose on a grave earlier today. The headstone read "Garrett Gates." The very boy you've been arrested for murdering. Care to explain?” She says, and (Y/n) nods.

“It’s best for everyone, father, elaborate.” He said, and Gomez explains.

“Garrett was infatuated with your mother. He mistook her kindness for interest. His infatuation turned into obsession, and he started stalking her.”

“Why didn't you call the police?”

“We tried. But his family were the oldest and richest in Jericho, But No one believed us. Garrett's father, an outcast-hating bigot, was furious that your mother had accused his only son. It all came to a head the night of the Rave'N Dance. Your mother and I stepped out to catch our breath. And that's when I saw him. He had broken into the school. His twisted love for your mother had made him insane. His eyes bore into me, brimming with murderous intent. My life flashed before my eyes. Driven by jealousy and hate, Garrett was When I saw the sword, my survival instinct kicked in. It was a terrible accident.” Gomez says, (Y/n) and Wednesday look at each other. (Y/n) motions his sister over and they speak out of hearing range from their father.

“If I'm being objective, his confession sounds entirely plausible, delivered with the perfect degree of sincerity. Perhaps father is exactly what he says.” Wednesday said.

“I agree; although father has a magnificent poker face, I think he’s telling the truth, but then again, what other rotting skeletons are in his closet, let’s play it safe.” (Y/n) said, they walk back and speak at the same time.

“Thank you for being honest with us.”

“I'm sorry I wasn't a better father.” He says, trying to hold back tears, Wednesday had no emotion, (Y/n) sighed.

“Could we please do without the overt display of emotion?” Wednesday demands, and forms composed himself.

“How many fathers hand their daughter a fencing blade when she's five?”

“Your saber strokes were an essay in perfection.”

“How many fathers would teach their son how to beat a lie detector?”

“It’s all about your heartbeat.”

“Or teach her how to swim with sharks?”

“They found you as cold-blooded as I do.”

“The right way to flay a rattlesnake?”

“They really do taste like chicken when prepared properly.”

“The point is, you taught us how to be strong and independent.” Wednesday begins, and (Y/n) adds in.

“And..How to navigate in a world full of treachery and prejudice. You are the reason we understand how imperative it is that we never lose sight of who we are, no matter what life throws at us.” (Y/n) looks into the eyes of his father, showing he means everything he says.

“So as far as fatherhood goes, I would say you've been more than adequate.” Wednesday said, and Gomez holds back a year.

“Gracias, (Y/n), Wednesday.”

The visitation ends and the two step out of the jail.

“We’ll have to consider all of this…” (Y/n) said, Wednesday also agrees and turns to (Y/n).

“You need to… console, Pugsley.”

“Why me?” (Y/n) asks, and Wednesday stares at him.

“… Yeah, I suppose you trying to comfort him would be… an issue.” (Y/n) chuckles, Wednesday turns her head forward.

“I’m going to.. convince the sheriff to hear me out.”

“As long as you don’t wind up behind bars as well, go for it.” He says, they split up and leave, (Y/n) walked past multiple happy families, (Y/n) approached the lake with a bag in hand, he peers over to see Pugsley sitting down.

“Go away.”

“Pug, You forgot your fishing gear.”

“I know you’re just trying to be nice to make me forget about dad. You’re being honest…It doesn't suit you.”

“That’s… fair. Father packed your favorite bait.” He sits next to him and digs into the bag, and grabs a hand grenade.

“What'll happen to him now?” He asks, and (Y/n) primes a grenade and casually tosses it into the water.

“Well, he's confessed, so there won't be a trial. After he's sentenced, he'll be sent to a state penitentiary, where he'll lose his mind being separated from Mother. Did you know they haven't spent a night apart since they tied the knot?”

“I always thought You’d be the first one in the family behind bars.” Pugsley said, (Y/n) shrugged.

“Funny enough, Wedensday nd I had a bet going… she owes me everything in her will.”

The water explodes deep down, and dead fish float up.

“That's quite a catch. Take the shrapnel out and we have a good feast.”

“I'm gonna miss him, (Y/n).”

“It's not over yet. He's innocent.”

“Well, if anyone can figure out who really committed the crime... it's you and Wednesday, you two work really well together. You have to find out the truth and free Dad.”

Pugsley’s words, so endearing. (Y/n) grits his teeth and nods.

“I will. I will Pugsley…Well, until that happens, we both know Mother will be falling apart.

Which means we have to be strong. And by "we," I mean you. Definitely not me.” He says, the brothers spend more time together before (Y/n) left the forest, as he walks out, his ears pick up the sound of sniffling. He halted as he searched for the origin of the sound, what caught his eye was the bright pink vest. He immediately recognized the color. He peers over to Enid sitting behind a tree, crying.

“Enid?” He asks, she looks up to him, her makeup a mess as it seems she’s been at it for a while, (Y/n) sits next to her.

“Is.. something wrong?” He asks, Enid looks at him like a sad, hurt puppy.

“It’s my mom she, wants to send me to… to..”

“To?”

“Conversion therapy! Like I’m some sort of disappointment!” She looks so hurt, (Y/n), not knowing how to console someone, he sighs and speaks from his black heart.

“Enid… you don’t need to wolf out to be a Weerwolf or, find a mate. Even without those powers, you’re unique, sparkly, bubbly, so kind and.. beautiful.” (Y/n) says, looking at the ground, enid looks up at him, perplexed.

“You.. think so?”

“Of course I do! You’re the only person who makes looking at pink bearable.” He says, his hand gently placed on hers. “If my father taught me anything, it’s to be yourself.. unapologetically, which…” he trails on.

“Ive.. been meaning to say this Enid, but I’ve had no luck, I want to ask.. will you—“

“(Y/n)!”

He hears his voice being called, he very didn’t much want to turn his attention to it, but he did, and he saw his sister approach.

“You have got to be kidding me..” he says, he was dragged away by his sister.

“Wednesday this better be good.”

“Father didn’t Kill Garrett. Neither did mother.”

Wednesday said dropping a bombshell, which raises the eyebrow of the Twin.

“Then.. who did?”

“Himself.”

“Okay, elaborate.”

“Mother told me what truly happened, she was protecting father when he attacked, but Garrett was foaming at the mouth. His eyes didn't look human. Foaming saliva, dilated pupils, mental confusion. What are those all textbook symptoms of?”

“Nightshade poisoning…” (Y/n) gets it, and puts everything together.

“He was dead before Mother stabbed him…”

“There's only one way to find out.” Wednesday said, and (Y/n) frowns, he knows what that means.

Late in the night, at the Grave of Miles Garrett, the twins dig his corpse up, both going to the graveyard as they dig up his casket, Morticia stands above them, watching the two.

“This reminds me of when you got your first grave-digging kit. You were so happy, you nearly smiled.” Morticia said, (Y/n) grumbles.

“Are you sure you don't want to join?” Wednesday asks.

“Uh... mm... No, that's okay, darling. I don't want to spoil your fun.” She says.

“This isn’t fun, mother, Digging up graves is for knaves and psychopaths.” (Y/n) jams into the earth again and feels a loud bang, they stop and uncover the decrepit tomb.

“Moment of truth.” Wednesday and (Y/n) open the tomb, the waft of rubbish bond and decaying flesh hits their nostrils. Wednesday seems to enjoy it. (Y/n) isn’t as enthusiastic as his sister. He looks over the corpse.

“I was right.” She points to the inner pocket, seeing hints of a stained blue liquid.

“Nightshade..” (Y/n) reaches in and grabs a finger, and with a quick and sharp twist, effortlessly removes his finger.

“Alright, now.. all we have to do is—“

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Someone from behind all three of they spoke, the twins popped their hands from the grave to see a police cruiser aiming their headlights at them, the second in command.

“Guess there's gonna be an Addams family reunion in lockup tonight. You're all under arrest.”

(Y/n) is locked up with his father, and Wednesday with her mother. Wednesday stands there, silent, as (Y/n) Taps his foot, fuming. Morticia and Gomez were all over each other

“Get comfortable. You can post bail in the morning.” Sherrif Galpin glares at the twins and leave..

“Not even the long arm of the law could keep us apart.”

“At least we'll have one last night together.

Yes.”

“I've seen jackals with more self-control than you two.” Wednesday glares at her parents lost in love.

“Neither one of you are strong enough to serve hard time. And thanks to me, you won't have to.” (Y/n) stops taping his foot.

“I knew our little jailbird would have an escape plan.”

“It seems Wednesday was correct about Garrett, He died from nightshade poisoning.”

“The remarkable preservation of soft tissue and blue tint confirms it. Which means Garrett was dying...Before you stabbed him.”

“You look even more ravishing as an innocent woman!”

“For once, could you two get off of each other and focus.” Wednesday said, (Y/n) agrees.

“Yes, we need to get this to the mayor, and he will drop all charges, all we need is someone to bring it to them.. someone we trust.. Pugsley.” (Y/n) says

“No.” Wednesday replies flatly.

“.. Lurch?”

“No.”

“…Uncle Fester“

“Absolutely not.” Wednesday said, (Y/n) walks to the edge of the cell.

“Well what do you suggest then? break out of here?” He says, Wednesday walks over and snatched the finger from his hand, and suddenly, she had a vision.,

“Prove to me you're still worthy to be called my son! Kill all those outcasts! Sneak into that dance and spike the punch bowl.” Those words rang through her. She sat up from her episode and her family obviously looks concerned.

“Did you have a vision?”

“What happened?”

“What did you see?”

“The night Garrett died, he had a vial of nightshade poison that broke in his pocket.

He wasn't just trying to kill father. He was going to use the nightshade poison to murder the entire school.” She says, the family look at each other. A sly grin creeps along the face of her brother.

“Oh I’m going to enjoy this…”

“Thank you for seeing us at such short notice, Mr. Mayor.”

The twins stand before the mayor, after being in jail for approximately 4 hours.

“Yes, well, veiled threats have that effect.”

“Then let’s cut to the chase, Garrett Gates wasn't killed by a stab wound.” (Y/n) goes first, then Wednesday places the severed finger on his desk.

“That blue sheen is a telltale sign of nightshade poisoning.” Wednesday said.

“But you already knew that, dont you mayor? Because back when you were sheriff, you were in charge and covered it up.”

“Ansel Gates hated outcasts and Nevermore.

He claimed the land the school was built on was stolen from his family over 200 years ago.

Garrett went there that night to spike the punch and kill all the kids at that dance.” The twins deliver a fairly clear shut argument, and the mayor grumbles, and confesses.

“Ansel confessed the whole thing to me in a drunken stupor. It was his idea.”

“Then Why did you instruct Dr. Anwar to falsify the autopsy report? You knew the truth about how he really died.”

“Listen, my job was to keep the peace. If there had been a trial, Jericho's and Nevermore's reputations would have been trashed.”

“I think the only reputation you were worried about ruining was your own.”

“I remember Garrett bragging to me that his father had the sheriff in his pocket. One year later, you get elected mayor. Hmm. No doubt with the full support of Ansel Gates.”

“I resent your implication.”

“I resent the fact you decided to cover up a potential Genocide of an entire school by a bigoted drug crazed maniac to save the face of this place. The truth stings, doesn’t it mayor?” (Y/n) said with a cold bite.

“What I resent is that you could have prevented Garrett's death if you had done your job when I lodged my complaint about him stalking our Mother.” Wednesday snaps back, The mayor was at a loss, and gave in.

“What do you want?” He asks them.

“All charges dropped. Our father will be released with a full and unequivocal apology from the sheriff's office. Do we have a deal?” (Y/n) asked, and the Mayor gave in.

The twins exit the building as (Y/n) thinks, and decides to speak about it.

“Have you spoken to mother about your visions? You know she could help you. You’d only have to ask Wednesday, we’re family.” He said. Wednesday was silent for a moment, and he continues.

“We’re Navigating this, treacherous shoal of our sibling relationship. But I'm always here for you, Wednesday. Mother, father, Pugsley, unfortunately.” He says.

“I’ll.. consider speaking to her.” Wednesday says, and (Y/n) sighs with relief. Gomez and Morticia We’re Released and All hugged, besides Wedensday.

“Don't crowd me.”

The next and final day, (Y/n) approached Enids family with her Next to him, they stopped and he motions for her to go.

“Stick to yourself, I know you’ve got this.” He says, and Enid walks to her mother, ready to stand her ground. Enid approached and her mother was already hounding her.

“So, it's decided. Six weeks at Camp Howl.

You'll need to pick which activity—“

“No, I don't. Because I'm not going. Not this summer. Not ever. If I'm meant to wolf out, then I'm going to do it on my own timeline and not yours. I hope that one day, you'll finally accept me for who I am.” Enid turns and sees (Y/n) smile, giving her a nod of approval.

(Y/n) returns back to his family as Wednesday was reluctantly being hugged goodbye.

“Don't push it.”

“Well, at least we can't say Parents' Weekend wasn't a nail-biter.” Gomez said.

“I knew you didn't have what it takes to be a murderer.” Wednesday says flatly,

“As much as that stings, gracias, my little death trap.” Gomez gives his daughter a hug, and turns to his son.

“A devious as always, my boy.” Gomez grins and (Y/n) smugly bows.

“Of course, manipulating the mayor into freeing my family a stroke of genius.” (Y/n) replies, and he and his father continue to laugh about it, Wednesday and Morticia watch them, she sighs happily and then goes back to her daughter, and she hands her the yearbook.

“As I leafed through the pages of this yearbook, I was reminded of all the wonderful times I had here. But they were just that. Mine.

You have your own path to blaze. I don't want to be a stranger in your life, darling. If you need me for anything, anything at all, I'm only a crystal ball away.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Wedensday looked blankly at her, but under those eyes was love, the Addams leave, letting the twins look into the book, and at a page of Weems.

“Hm… her Judy Garland costume was phenomenal..”

“…no.”

“No?”

“That isn’t a costume… she looks exactly like her.”

“Wednesday that’s impossible, the only way she could if Weems could shape her body to match hers.”

“…like a shape shifter?” Wedensday asks.

“Most likely, yes.” (Y/n) replies; Wednesday immediately slams the book shut and quickly walks off.

“Wednesday?” (Y/n) asks, and she bursts into Weems office.

“I knew it. I did witness Rowan getting murdered that night.” Wedensday stopped at the foot of the desk.

“Excuse me?” Weems asks.

“When Rowan appeared the next morning, it was you. When you participated in the talent show, not only did you impersonate Judy Garland, you became her. You're a shape-shifter.” Wedensday accuses her, and Weems scoffs at her.

“That's a fascinating theory.”

“I'm curious to find out how Sheriff Galpin feels when I tell him.” Wedensday says threateningly, Weems stands up, slowly showing her towering height.

“You won't tell a soul, Miss Addams. And it wouldn't matter much if you did. Rowan's father already knows what happened, and he fully supports my decision not to involve the authorities.”

“Why would he agree to that?”

“Because Rowan was not in his right mind. His telekinetic abilities were driving him mad and he attempted to murder you twice. His tragic death allowed us to rectify the situation without casting the school or Rowan in an unflattering light.” Weems explains the cover up.

“You and Mayor Walker are the same, aren't you? Burying bodies to cover your dirty secrets.”

“I did what I needed to do to shield this school from controversy and protect its students from harm.”

“Tell that to Eugene. How are you protecting him?”

The two continue to bicker, until (Y/n) bursts in.

“Principal Weems, Wedensday… you have to see this.” He rushes back and the two follow out to the yard as they bear witness. Flames dance in their eyes, seeing words burned into the ground, this was a message, who knows the borrows that are yet to come

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[thats-entirely-too-much-tuna]

WWDITS S4 Episode Title Predictions

Okay, okay, okay. As you may know, TV Time dropped the episode titles for the fourth season of What We Do in the Shadows. Now, TV Time is often less than accurate with these things, but given what we already know about this season based on interviews, press releases, leaks, etc., I think there's a strong chance that these titles are actually legit. So naturally, I did what any normal consumer of media would do and spent hours writing predictions based on this new information.

For reference, here are the episode titles:

And here, below the cut, are my predictions:

Right. We know from Harvey that S4 picks up one year after S3 ends, so let's start by talking about what's been going on during that year.

Guillermo has been acting as Nadja's bodyguard while she serves on the Supreme Worldwide Vampiric Council. I've seen some people questioning his decision to remain with Nadja as opposed to tracking down Nandor, but I think Guillermo assumed Nandor would wait for him at the train station, and was deeply hurt when he realized this wasn't the case. He probably spent his time in the crate trying to convince himself that Nandor knew something had gone wrong, that he knew Guillermo would never abandon him unless he'd been incapacitated somehow, that he was out there looking for him, that at any moment the crate lid would open and he'd see his master's face smiling down at him. But then Guillermo arrives in England and learns that Nandor is already halfway around the world, and he just can't deal with his hopes being dashed anymore, so he decides to wipe the slate clean and stay in England with Nadja. And then he meets this cute British guy.

Meanwhile, I feel like Nandor is going through quite the opposite emotional arc. He's devastated when he gets on the train, thinking that Guillermo has stood him up, but then he hears that the whole thing was Laszlo's fault! Guillermo would've met him at the train station, had he not been crated against his will! What a relief! Now Nandor can enjoy the rest of his travels knowing that when they eventually reunite, he and Guillermo can pick up right where they left off.

Nadja has been desperate to make something of her eternal life, and she goes to England thinking that serving on the Supreme Worldwide Vampiric Council is the answer. We know, however, that this only lasts a year, so my guess is that her role on the council is ultimately unfulfilling, or that she isn't taken seriously by the other members. Whatever the reason, she decides to return to Staten Island.

Laszlo has spent the year trying to raise Baby Colin and allowing the house to fall into utter disrepair.

4x01 - Reunited

What it says on the tin! Nandor returns from his travels, Guillermo and Nadja come back from England (with Freddie in tow, apparently) and they all reunite with Laszlo and Baby Colin at the now-dilapidated house. This is almost definitely the episode with the leaked Nandor/Guillermo/Freddie scene (read: Nandor realizes that Guillermo has moved on and he's like THIS IS FINE 🙃). This might also be the episode with the pretzel scene (read: Guillermo kicks everyone out of the house in order to assess the damage and clean what little he can, so Nandor decides to be SUPER SUPPORTIVE of his BODYGUARD'S RELATIONSHIP by taking his NEW BUDDY out for a FUN NIGHT of HUMPING PRETZELS).

4x02 - The Lamp

Nandor is heartbroken over Guillermo and in denial about it, so when he happens upon a lamp with an ancient genie inside, he decides to revive all of his dead wives in an attempt to find the perfect spouse. This will be the episode with Djinn, Marwa (the woman Nandor will ultimately become engaged to), and a whole bunch of other wives. There will surely be some kind of wife montage, and it will be hilarious. Bonus points if one of the malewives hits on Guillermo and Nandor gets uncomfortable.

4x03 - The Grand Opening

In this season, according to the press release, "Nadja finally realizes her dream of opening the hottest vampire nightclub in the Tri-State Area." This is the episode where that happens. Richie Suck and Tom will be involved.

4x04 - The Night Market

Now, this one is particularly intriguing! The press release states that one of the episodes takes place in a secret supernatural night market, which absolutely tracks. But we also know that 4x04 is the episode where Guillermo's family will be introduced, and Paul Simms says that this will happen "in a way that makes [Guillermo] very anxious. We’ll learn that if he has Van Helsing DNA, then so does the rest of his family even though they might not realize it themselves." We've also been told that this season will include the show's most ambitious episode in terms of their depiction of supernatural creatures, and for my money, this is that episode. Listen, I'm not saying that there'll be an accidental massacre at the secret supernatural night market... but there might be an accidental massacre at the secret supernatural night market.

4x05 - Private School

This is going to be the episode where Laszlo tries to get Colin into private school (aka the episode with the leaked Headmaster Warren scene). It's probable that Colin will have rapidly aged into a precocious kid by this point.

4x06 - Pine Barrens

Okay, I have a LOT of thoughts about this one. The press release said that, amongst other locations, this season would take us to the Jersey Pine Barrens. I did some digging, and according to folklore, the Jersey Pine Barrens are home to a legendary creature known as the Jersey Devil. But don't take my word for it! Listen to what Wikipedia has to say about this guy:

The creature is often described as a flying biped with hooves, but there are many variations. The common description is that of a bipedal kangaroo-like or wyvern-like creature with a horse- or goat-like head, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves, and a forked tail. It has been reported to move quickly and is often described as emitting a high-pitched "blood-curdling scream".

Sounds like prime WWDITS material to me.

Another thing this show loves is a pop culture reference, and in my research, I learned that the eleventh episode of the third season of The Sopranos is entitled Pine Barrens, and that it's widely regarded not only as one of the best episodes in the show's history, but as one of the best TV episodes ever made (it's also the first episode that Steve Buscemi directed!). The plot surrounds Paulie and Chris getting lost while attempting to dump a body in the Pine Barrens, and their dynamic in this episode is one of the reasons it's so acclaimed.

Now, I'm just spitballing here. But what if Guillermo is running out of places to bury/dump bodies, so he decides to head out to the Pine Barrens (knowing this show, he could literally come up with the idea because he's been watching S3 of The Sopranos). Nandor doesn't want him to go because he's heard horrific stories about the Jersey Devil. Guillermo's like, "I'm a badass vampire slayer, I'll be fine." Nandor isn't convinced, so he decides to bodyguard the bodyguard and accompany him. They immediately get lost and have a terrifying run-in with the Jersey Devil (bonus points if he's voiced by Steve Buscemi). At some point, when they fear all is lost, Guillermo and Nandor share a Moment of Tension™️ or perhaps even an adrenaline-fueled kiss (though if I had to guess, I’d say the kiss won’t happen until Ep 8). And then Nandor probably remembers he's a fucking vampire, so he grabs Guillermo and flies the two of them out of the Pine Barrens and everything ends up being fine. But uh-oh! They shared a moment! And now there's tension! Guillermo has a boyfriend! Nandor is engaged! How can they possibly resolve this?!

4x07 - Go Flip Yourself

By this episode, I think Nadja's nightclub will be so successful that the gang can finally afford to renovate the house. But the episode is called Go Flip Yourself, which suggests that they'll decide to renovate it, sell it, and upgrade to a bigger house now that Nandor is getting married and Freddie seems to be sticking around. In any case, this will be the "pipes and a new drywall" episode.

4x08 - Freddie

Chewing glass, I am chewing glass. This episode has to be a direct parallel to Gail, right? Like, okay, Nandor is gearing up for his wedding, but he can't stop thinking about Guillermo, and it's not because of their undeniable chemistry and sexual tension, no, something just seems off about that Freddie guy, and it's not that Nandor is jealous, no, he's literally about to get married to Marwa, he's definitely not jealous, he just wants the best for his Guill--uh, that is to say, his bodyguard and oh my shitting fuck, don't look now, but is that Freddie trying to make off with those priceless ancient artifacts????? Fucking guy.

TLDR: I will place money on the fact that Guillermo never learned Freddie's last name.

Edit: @lord-of-the-ducks reminded me of what I like to call the Episode 8 Nandermo Pattern (the parking lot explosion in Citizenship, the break-up and make-up in Collaboration, The Wellness Center…) so there is zero doubt that this episode will be Nandermo-heavy. Can y’all imagine if they have their first kiss in this episode? The episode before Nandor’s wedding?? The episode that’s clearly meant to parallel Gail??? The potential emotional mileage is off the dang charts.

4x09 - The Wedding

Wedding episode!!! Okay, so. Nandor is all set to marry Marwa. His heart's not really in it, but he's trying to convince himself it's the right move. Besides, Guillermo was in a relationship up until very recently, and if Freddie hadn't turned out to be an artifact smuggler, they'd probably still be together. Guillermo made his choice, and now Nandor's making his.

Meanwhile, Guillermo's relationship is over, and he's... relieved? He'd been wracked with guilt over his feelings for Nandor, but now Freddie is out of the picture, and he has nothing to feel guilty about anymore. Because Guillermo knows what Nandor looks like when he's in love, and that's not the way he looks at Marwa. And Marwa's probably still a little miffed about being unceremoniously yanked back to life after 700-odd years of peace and quiet. So when Nandor and Marwa are standing at the altar and the officiant (it might be Laszlo, but imagine the angst potential if it's Guillermo himself) asks if anyone objects to their union, Guillermo doesn't feel anything but absolute certainty when he stands up and tells Nandor he's in love with him.

I think it's more likely that the wedding will be called off rather than Guillermo taking Marwa's place, but regardless, Marwa will be graciously sent back to the dead (or given her own agency beyond marrying this ridiculous man who never once stopped making eyes at his bodyguard), and Nandermo will be canon at last!

4x10 - Memories

In the season finale, I think Nandor will finally honor his promise to turn Guillermo into a vampire. His word is his bond, after all. But first, they'll spend a day doing all of Guillermo's favorite human things one last time. Or checking off all the things on Guillermo's bucket list that he won't be able to do once he's a vampire. Or maybe, to quote a favorite pirate captain of mine, a pretty solid mix of both! Either way, this episode will be centered around making memories, hence the title.

But alas, we have been reliably informed by Mr. Guillén himself that this season will end on a cliffhanger! So what's going to happen? Here are a few of my current predictions:

a) Nandor turns Guillermo, and the last moment of the season is Guillermo's vampire eyes snapping open

b) Nandor attempts to turn Guillermo, but Guillermo's skin is impervious to vampire fangs

c) Nandor attempts to turn Guillermo and everything appears to be going smoothly, but then Guillermo either has a horrible reaction to drinking vampire blood, or simply won't wake up

d) Nandor attempts to turn Guillermo and everything appears to be going smoothly, but then Nandor has a horrible reaction to drinking slayer blood

e) Nandor attempts to turn Guillermo, but his slayer blood interacts with the vampire blood in such a way that he becomes something... else (no idea what, I just think this is a fun and spicy take)

Anyway, those are my thoughts, but this is an entirely collaborative effort, so please feel free to chime in if you have anything to add! I'm having so much fun trying to put the pieces of this vampiric jigsaw puzzle together.

#wwdits #what we do in the shadows #nandermo #wwdits spoilers #what we do in the shadows spoilers #wwdits leak

[citizen-zero]

I guess part of the reason that the whole “proshipper/anti” discourse is so silly to me is because like. I actually lived the situation that so many of them talk about, the whole “predators will show your fic to minors in order to groom them” thing. Except that’s not…that’s not really what happened.

The 25 year old woman I “dated” when I was 15 was someone I met through the Hetalia fandom; we did a lot of NSFW RPs and bonded over smutty fic. She drew, commissioned, and purchased smutty art and doujins that she shared with me. She came to visit me twice and like, we never went further than kissing, but I know for a fact that she wanted to. She said as much, and I think if I hadn’t been worried about getting caught by my mom, we would’ve. And this isn’t super distressing for me to talk about but it still makes me feel a little dirty. Not in a shame-filled way, I don’t think it’s my fault or anything, but I don’t feel good about it either.

Anyway, point is, it’s literally the situation that people wave around as an example of what might happen if we let people write about Sexually Immoral Topics, and yet I maintain that none of it was the fault of NSFW fan art/fiction. Not even the handful of teacher/student or incest fics I read and enjoyed—even when I was “dating” her, I recognized that that sort of relationship was wrong and should only be enjoyed in a fictional context. That sort of content was cathartic for me because I could engage with it but didn’t have to see or experience it IRL where it would have actual consequences. It’s the same as how playing GTA let me shoot rocket launchers at cops and blow up cars without…you know, doing that.

No, all of it was squarely the fault of the adult woman who was trying to fuck a teenage girl. All the emotional stress I felt then and all the lingering sour taste I have now is her fault. It wasn’t a single one of those artists’ or authors’ faults that, for almost two years, I was denying/unable to recognize the wrongness of my own situation even though I could recognize it in fictional ones. All of it was her fault for earning the trust of a teenager and then pursuing a “relationship.” The only function that the sexual content served was to be just another part of fandom to bond over, just like we bonded over cosplay and merchandise and new canon material and anime episodes and dubs and—you get it. It was one part of a whole. Like, smutty fan works are so common that it didn’t raise a red flag, because, well…everyone likes that stuff. If we’d been hanging out offline it would’ve been a red flag because adults talking about about sex with teenagers in a non-educational context is creepy. But in the fandom space, it’s just normal and part of the fun and it was okay because it wasn’t about us, it was about fake people.

So that makes it hard for me to take the discourse seriously, because 1) I don’t think most of you even know what you’re angry about anymore, and 2) sexual fan works and RPs didn’t have the heavy influence in my situation that you think they did. They were a part of the equation, but that woman could’ve easily groomed me even if we’d never talked about sex before we got into a “relationship.” The reason why I could recognize the wrongness of a fictional relationship but not my own was because she had earned my trust and used it to emotionally manipulate me into believing we were an exception.

I think a lot of you have a very…early 2000s after-school special idea of the role fandom can play in grooming and abuse. I think a lot of you imagine a creepy adult sending a teacher/student fic to a 14 year old and saying, “See, this is normal and okay because it’s in a fan fiction.” And I’m not saying that never ever happens, but I think it’s far more common for it to happen the same way it does offline: the adult bonds with the minor over shared interests, earns their trust, makes them feel cool and special, and then uses that trust and goodwill to convince them that the abuse is okay and that other people “don’t/won’t understand.” It’s exactly the same tactics as adult men “dating” high school girls.

I think it’s unproductive at best to go after artists and authors who create the kind of content I was reading back then, because like, I recognized that the fictional scenarios would be wrong IRL and it still didn’t help. I’m betting most people reading AND making that stuff recognize on some level that it’d be wrong IRL. Blaming abuse on fan work and not solely on predators means that one of the ways that predators can gain your trust is by aligning themselves with “antis,” the same way that right wingers can get you to agree with them on anything by dressing it up in progressive language. I dread to say it but I am confident that it’s already happening.

I’m not saying anyone needs to read something they’re uncomfortable with, or interact with people who enjoy those things, but I do think you need to develop some nuance and recognize that the vast majority of people making the sexual content you dislike aren’t doing so for nefarious reasons. Yes, fiction can normalize and perpetuate bad ideas, but fiction isn’t the cause, it’s the symptom. You’re not going to end sexual abuse by witch hunting people who write about, like, teenagers dating and having sex (which, as we all know, definitely doesn’t happen IRL). At best it’s unproductive, and at worst you create an environment where teens feel even greater shame about wanting to explore their sexuality by writing about characters their own age, and adults feel afraid to draw inspiration from their own life experiences for fear someone will call them a predator. Which sucks for everyone, but it also means that queer teens and adults (who are already made to feel like their feelings are dirty and inappropriate) effectively end up closeted and unable to come to terms with their identities and see their experiences represented somewhere.

So…I don’t really have a smooth conclusion here. I just think the shipping discourse is fucking stupid because it assumes a world that runs on Internet Stranger Danger PSA logic.

#personal #erika's blog and bar

[ask-e123-omega]

(//OOC: The friend of mine that inspired me to run this ask blog recently filled out a character questionnaire for the character she plays, and it was such a damn good questionnaire that I just had to fill it out for Omega. Long post beneath the cut of me dumping my headcanons for this robot:)

How aware is your character of their thought processes? Do they think about why they do what they do (however accurately)? Do they care about self-analysis?

Ooh, complicated question, since Omega can look into his own memory banks and literally review his own thought processes on a whim. But does this mean he's good at it? Not really. Upon reviewing an impulsive decision, he's more likely to remark "RAGE PROTOCOLS WERE RUNNING AS NORMAL" instead of sitting down and puzzling out why he was so enraged and how it affected the outcome of his decision.

That being said, he's all about self-analysis. He's constantly reviewing old data to try and gain an edge over his enemies. He's just terrible at admitting when he's made a mistake, so he doesn't really learn from it.

Is your character more likely to think they can overcome something even when they can't or to feel helpless even when they aren't?

This overconfident motherfucker thinks he can solo the entire Eggman empire on an average day, so take a guess.

But when everything's on the last straw, it isn't always ego that convinces him he can overcome the impossible. It's also a steely determination, a sort of "I have to do it or I die. There is no other option," if you will. When failure is not an option, he simply erases it from his processor. He's similar to Sonic in this regard.

What's one thing they're overconfident about? What's one thing they're under-confident about?

Overconfident about? It would be intuitive to say "his abilities", but that's actually not the case. He is a scarily competent killing machine. What he's actually most overconfident about is his strategic planning. He's the Ultimate Robot: Of Course He Can Succeed In Any Tactical Situation, so he clearly doesn't need to think about setting himself up for success before engaging. You don't need to reposition if there's no more enemies left to force you out of position. You don't need to hide if there's no one left to see you. Right?

Underconfident about? His social skills. He considers his skill with people to be barely passable enough to get him where he needs to be, but he can be more charismatic than he realizes. He's got a higher understanding of cognitive empathy than he thinks he does due to his observational tendencies.

How aware of and in control of their physical presence are they? Could they ever be caught with their clothes inside-out or spinach in their teeth? Do they ever stop paying attention to where they're walking or hit things when gesturing?

Omega used to be terrible- constantly crashing into things, crushing furniture, etc. Spending the first year or so of his life locked in a cramped basement left him unpracticed with movement. Not only that, but the world outside is so much more fragile than he is. It took him time to learn the strengths of common household materials and the height/width tolerances of things like doors. Nowadays, he's pretty good with spaces he's familiar with. Put him in an environment he's never been in before, like a grandmother's house or something, and he might start running into and breaking things again.

As for hygiene stuff, he's pretty on top of it. He's got sensors all over his body, including his blind spots. Shadow tried to stick a note on his back once. It didn't work- he detected it immediately.

How good are they at accurately assigning blame? Do they think everything is their fault? That nothing is?

Nothing is Omega's fault, ever.

With exactly one exception: if avoiding blame would make Eggman look more competent. If Eggman got away because he missed his shot, he'll begrudgingly admit he missed his shot rather than make up anything outrageous to justify how Eggman avoided it.

(He'll be pissed at himself for weeks afterwards, of course.)

Name something from your character's past that affects their behavior now in a way they don't realize and something that affects them in a way they do realize.

Omega can't stand being alone, especially in rooms with the door closed. He can do it if he's got a distraction, such as a videogame, but even then he'll still leave the window open to hear the sounds of people from outside. This is directly because he spent the first year of his life trapped in the same room alone. He has no idea that he's this sensitive about it and will deny it if someone pointed it out.

The part of his trauma that he does choose to acknowledge and externalize is the obvious one: he hates his creator and goes out of his way to disrespect him every chance he gets.

Does your character overcompensate for anything?

His whole "Ultimate Robot" schtick is to overcompensate for the fact that he was discarded by his creator. If he's the best at what he does, then no one will ever throw him away ever again.

Does your character believe they're chronically lucky/unlucky? Why?

Chronically unlucky. Eggman always seems to get away. His inferior robots keep coming. Could this be because Omega isn't strong enough to take them on alone? No, Never! It's because of the mistakes of others or just plain bad chance, that's all!

Does your character have an inner monologue? Are their thoughts about themselves more frequently positive or critical?

Nope, no inner monologue, but you bet that his post-action reviews are nothing but complimentary about himself unless he physically malfunctions.

Are there any values or beliefs your character espouses but doesn't live up to?

Omega has stated since day one that he's superior to organic beings due to being a robot. . . but he doesn't exactly believe it anymore. His respect for certain organics has debunked that line of logic, though he's too prideful to admit it now.

How good at reading people is your character, usually? Do they think they're better or worse at it than they are?

He's actually pretty damn decent at it, especially when it comes to his teammates. He's one of the few people on the planet who could have a good guess at what's going on in Shadow's head at any given time, for one. While organic social/emotional cues weren't intuitive for him, he learned them by doing "post-action" reviews for any social interactions he had. Combine this with a flawless memory and a willingness to research anything he gets stuck on, and he's got more capacity for that sort of thing than you might expect from a killer robot.

Of course, he doesn't value this skill nor advertise that he has it, so he thinks he's worse at it than he actually is.

(So why'd he bother learning? Initially, it was to understand Eggman to be better at killing him. Then it morphed into a desire to understand and eventually take care of his organic teammates, though he'd never admit that straight.)

What sorts of things does your character use to evaluate someone they've just met—clothes, looks, attitude? Is there anything (besides bad behavior) that will give them a kneejerk dislike of a stranger? A kneejerk affection?

Physical aptitude. Omega is quick to categorize organics into "pathetic civilians" or "potential assets" based on muscle mass, how many weapons they have, etc. (Other robots don't get the privilege of categorization- they're labeled "inferior", regardless of traits.)

Kneejerk dislike is, of course, if the person makes any sort of respectful/complimentary statement about Eggman, even if unintentional. Other kneejerk dislikes include people who suggest diplomacy as a solution to any problem.

Kneejerk affection is if the person is capable of mass destruction. With weapons or superpowers, doesn't matter.

Would you say your character is too trusting, not trusting enough, or juuuust right?

Not trusting enough. He assumes that everyone other than himself or a tiny handful of his friends are incompetent idiots who can't be trusted with anything. He's very guarded with strangers even after they prove their worth.

How susceptible is your character to perceiving or treating others like surrogate parents or children (or some other specific familial role)? Why?

Not at all! The only concept of "family" he has is from Rouge and Shadow, and he only know of that term because those two use it sometimes. He doesn't understand why such a designation would matter, what difference being a "family" might make versus just being close to someone.

Can they easily tell when someone is hitting on them?

Nope! He'd conflate any flirting attempts with Rouge's typical "flirty" banter, which she does platonically. Not that he's ever been hit on before. It'd be funny as hell to see someone try.

How sensitive are they to passive aggression or backhanded compliments? Do they ever read too much into things?

It's a 50/50 shot if he notices the passive aggressiveness from someone (higher if it's Shadow or Rouge), but if he does, he gets irritated about it. He'll tell the offending person that they're a coward for not stating their problem with him directly. (He will never employ passive aggressiveness himself unless being directly aggressive to someone will severely hinder him from achieving his goals- the GUN director has been on the receiving end of many half-assed tasks and disinterested "AFFIRMATIVES".)

He takes backhanded compliments completely straight- "thank you" and all. He loves frustrating people by giving off the impression that he doesn't recognize the back-handedness.

Does your character project anything in particular onto other people—thinking everyone is scheming because they're always scheming themselves, for example?

If you squint, Omega projects his own sense of individuality onto people. He believes that he is more different and unique from everyone else than he actually is. . . and that other people find each other similarly unknowable.

Are the standards your character holds other people to higher, lower, or equal to the standards they hold themselves to? Do they notice that?

Omega holds others to an equal standard as he does himself. . . the problem being that he's holding organic people up to robot standards. He expects everyone to have superhuman pain tolerance, catastrophic destructive capabilities, and utter determination to accomplish the mission, because he'd expect no less of himself.

Is this still incredibly self-centered and a dick move? YES. Is this toxic and harmful to both himself and everyone around him? Absolutely. Does he realize that he's doing this? Not really! He's not reflective enough to realize that he bases his standard of competency on his own expectations for himself.

How noticeable is your character? Do they stand out or fade into the background? Is that intentional or innate?

Omega's an absolute standout. Being a sentient war machine tends to do that, but it's also very intentional. He speaks loudly and often. He interjects himself into conversations, providing opinions that were unasked for. He moves with vigor and gusto. The last thing he wants to be is ignored.

What's the first thing they want other people to notice about them? Is that what most people actually usually notice?

He wants other people to see that he's a large, dangerous, competent killing machine, and he will viciously defend this image. This is indeed the first thing people notice due to both his frame and his efforts.

Besides just being more formal in formal settings, do they ever change how they behave around specific people? Is it on purpose? What happens if they're in the room with two of those people at the same time?

When he's around organics that he's used to seeing often, such as the regular GUN grunts, or especially his teammates, he tends to relax the effort of keeping up his reputation. He gets a bit softer, a bit more understanding, though it takes a trained eye to spot the change. It also means that his mischievous streak comes out, and there's nothing he loves more than subverting the expectation that he can't be funny. This is on purpose. In his mind, he's already proved that he's the "Ultimate Robot" to these specific meatbags, and therefore doesn't need to expend as much effort to keep them convinced.

If anyone else is in the room, though, he's back to trying to dominate every social interaction to prove that he's superior.

Does your character wish people perceived them differently than they do? Do they have any qualities they wish got more recognition? Is there anything about your character's background or personality that they try to hide but can't?

He HATES being perceived as nonsentient. However, even that's preferable to being perceived as an "Eggman Robot", a title he can't seem to outrun no matter how hard he tries. The decision to keep his paint job the same red-and-yellow as most other Badniks was not a decision he made lightly; he figures that instead of changing it, he'll simply eliminate all other Eggman robots with the color scheme until he's the only one left, making it so that the colors will be associated with only him.

As for what he'd like to get recognition more often, he'd appreciate being seen as competent for once. He's not blind to the way everyone assumes him to be a liability on missions just because he doesn't do stealth or subtlety.

Does your character come across the way they intend to come across—cool when they're trying to be cool, intimidating when they're trying to be intimidating—or is there a mismatch?

There's a pretty clear match, if only because his goal is to seem brusque and intimidating at all times, even when he's being more caring. The only time there's a mismatch is when he's doing so deliberately for the purpose of humor, and that mismatch will always be "coming off way more intense than he actually means to be".

If someone hated your character for no apparent reason, how would they take it? Would they try to change their minds? Could they live without knowing why?

Omega would wear it as a badge of honor and brag to everyone about it. . . but he'd be absolutely unable to live without knowing why. He wants to make sure you're hating him for the right reason (his personality) and not for the wrong reason (being built by Eggman).

What if someone openly adored your character for no apparent reason? Flattering or uncomfortable?

Finally, someone who appreciates the Ultimate Robot! That person would get 'favorite meatbag' status.

#e 123 omega #e123 omega #//ooc

[psifitopia]

my two cents

So, some discussion of Christianity and homosexuality is going down in the salt and light tag. I'm going to give my thoughts. This post is going to be part confession, part comfort, and part exhortation.

This is a hard subject. There are a lot of personal feelings involved, as will be true, when humans are involved. This is going to be a very personal post. I'm not going to use philosophical language. I'm going to start this with three assertions. This is not an outline of what I'm going to say. I just want these three things in your minds, while you're reading this.

I do believe homosexuality is a sin. 2. Homophobia is a real thing and it, too, is a sin. 3. If we want to obey God, we have to give homosexuals the same unconditional love that we give anyone else. We are all sinners, who have fallen short.

I'm fifty years old and my family, both sides, is from Missouri, a very conservative state. I was raised attending Baptist churches. Homosexuality was almost never discussed...and never with anything approaching Christian love. It's important that you understand that.

I have heard family and friends of the family talk casually about violence towards homosexuals, up to and including talk about murder. Mind you, this was never carried out. (They aren't brainiacs and would have been caught). But the violent rhetoric was still there. And, most of these people were bigoted in other ways, too.

In my late teens/early twenties, I became convinced that homosexuality was not a sin. I saw the bigotry around me and couldn't reconcile that with what I knew, or thought I knew, of God. I honestly thought they were using the Bible to justify their bigotry. And, you know? They still might have been. You can use true things to justify garbage behavior.

Now, this conviction was not entirely other people's fault. Part of it was my own sinful desire to engage in fandoms with slash pairings. It excited me, for various reasons. Also, my dearest friend, one I will always love as a sister, came out as bisexual. I didn't want to believe she was sinning. She had always been a strong Christian and I couldn't imagine her going astray.

I spent twenty-plus years writing m/m slash fiction, including erotica.

Then, I got back into church. I found myself surrounded by loving, Godly people. I started not just reading the Bible, but studying it. I spent time with other Christians in small groups. And, I listened and learned.

One time, an elder of our church told a story about an interaction he had with a homosexual friend of his. The friend asked my elder what he thought of homosexuality and was told, "I love you as a brother, but I think it's wrong."

I can't emphasize enough how that hit me. I can not begin to imagine anyone I grew up around, not parents or grandparents, saying that. I can't imagine any homosexual trusting them enough to even ask. Well, no. I can imagine one person in my family being that kind...my late aunt Kelva. My elder's comment helped plant the seed for my repentance and he has no idea. One day, I'll have to tell him.

In June 2021, I decided to stop writing slash. I had already stopped writing porn and using profanity. I wasn't yet convinced homosexuality is sin, but, well. Here's a link to my post at that time, where I explained myself:

I honestly don't know, why God rejects homosexuality. I can make some decent guesses, but I don't claim to know. I don't need to know. I just trust God and submit to His will. But, here's the thing. If you go through your entire Christian walk and never have a moment where you're like "whoa, God, I don't agree with that" or "um, God, really? That doesn't seem fair" or something of that nature? If getting to know God doesn't challenge you? If everything God commands and says leaves you feeling warm and comfortable? You're probably not worshipping the real, living God. You're probably worshipping an image of God that you've tried to remake in your own image. Your understanding is human and limited. That's why the Bible warns us to not lean on our own understanding.

So, yes, homosexuality is a sin. But, we who know the truth have to be careful how we dispense that truth. We have to give love. No one is going to respond well to violence. No one is going to respond well to having abomination screeched in their faces...and these are all things the homosexual community has faced from a Christian community that sometimes has a bad case of i'm-right-itis. Being correct on a point does not justify any and all behavior and we have to stop pretending that behavior doesn't exist.

Here's the exhortation, put plainly. Homosexuals have to admit that same-sex physical relationships are sin. Submit to God. Is refraining from your body's urges really so much for God to ask from you? He's given you everything, including his life. On the other hand, Christians have to start showing homosexuals love and follow the Bible's commands on how to deal with persistent sinners, which is basically leave them alone. Peter and the other apostles were told to shake the dust off their feet and walk away, if a household wouldn't listen to them. Paul told congregations to send members away. Laws were not passed. Politics didn't enter into it. It's only by showing radical love for God and each other that we can shine as lights. And, I know the internet is fairly tone deaf, though entirely, but c'mon. Read your words before posting them. Would you want someone to talk like that to you, even if you were wrong? Well, then.

Now, for the comfort. This is for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community reading this. I love you. God loves you. Your attraction to other people is temptation, but temptation is not sin. Acting on the temptation is sin. You deserve to be as safe in this world as anyone else. You are just as valuable. I'm a sinner by nature, too. Heaven knows, I need a savior and praise Jesus for his forgiveness and love. Don't take our rejection of your sexuality as rejection of you. You are far more than who you enjoy sleeping with. We want you reconciled to us. We just need it to be on God's terms.

#christianity #salt and light

[irrigos]

i was not expecting that post abt ahistorical fiction to get any notes lol. but since it's on my mind i AM gonna talk a little shit about the regency letter larp i was in. yes i will do it on my fl sideblog you are not the boss of me

really i guess it's my fault for expecting more from people but i s2g sooo many of these people got their knowledge of the regency era from like. memes. yes i too read that twitter thread about how beau brummel ruined menswear, but i did one picosecond of research after that and learned that thats literally not true at all. "beau brummell made it all boring :/" look at a fashion plate from the 1830s and tell me menswear got boring in the 1790s and never recovered. try it. please. "its his fault that menswear is only black or navy suits :(" literally when was the last time you saw a man wearing a suit regularly. like... my dad wears one to work sometimes? but he's a lawyer. that's not really what menswear looks like anymore!! that used to be the daily work wear for everyone, but honestly if i wore a suit into the office every day, people would think i was incredibly strange. we're just less formal these days!

but also like. im sorry i know all your ocs are soooo special and smart and right about everything so somehow they all have modern opinions about every topic. but most of them would probably be into beau brummell. they would think he was stylish. because that is what was stylish at the time. why don't you also tell me that your girl characters don't wear stays or corsets because #feminism while you're at it 🙄

i just don't really get the appeal of writing historical fiction if you're not actually interested in engaging with the reality of the era? i mean, i know it's all fantasy. it's play. but why choose THIS setting then? i honestly had more respect for and more fun playing with the people who were open about the fact that they didn't know much about history, and just wanted to rp a romance between fancy people. at least they weren't trying to convince me that it makes perfect sense that their character held these really anachronistic views about their own era that just so happen to align with what you, a modern person, think about it retroactively

anyway tldr: 🙄

#i had the unenviable task of making my character be a beau brummell defender #because this made me so annoyed lol #like yeah im sure that the guy whose name we still know today BECAUSE he was so popular #specifically for being handsome and fashionable and charming and poised #is somehow known by everyone to be an arrogant blowhard who doesn't know how to dress himself #to the point that even the im game publications on fashion agree that he is unfashionable and boring and he sucks!!! #like im sure he DID but i really think the newspaper would be writing breathless thinkpieces about how good he looks #you know. the way every news outlet treats every rich person #this is such a pointless complaint lol #but i remembered it last night and got mad #why?? idk #im just a history enjoyer

[cainightfics]

what kind of people do you find repulsive?

im guessing you mean the type of person i find personally/socially repulsive, so ill answer with that in mind. if thats not what you meant, please correct me!

the personally trait i find most aggravating is self-victimization. like, those people who think theyre never at fault, that the world is against them, that they can do no wrong and theyre just perpetual victims of others. this annoys me because often these people use victimhood as a way to convince themselves they CANT be wrong, and its other people who are always the problem. i pretty much refuse to engage with people like this because theres just no chance you can ever have a decent conversation with them. in their minds, if youre not appeasing them, youre attacking them. even the slightest disagreements can cause them to lash out at you. and to be clear im not like an anti-sjw or anything, im not saying this about people who correctly identify and callout societal/structural issues which cause suffering and oppression, im talking about the kind of person who makes themselves out to be the victim of every relationship and social interaction they have.

in the same vein, i dont like chronic whiners, lol. i think complaining can be fun and constructive, but people who just never stop whining make me roll my eyes. i guess the common thread between this trait and the last one is lack of any personal responsibility or will to save yourself. theres only so many times you can hear a person whine or claim to be the victim of their circumstances before youre like "man, can you just do something about it for once instead of talking my ear off about it???"

i also hate people who get mad/freak out easily. it just really throws me off. i never get angry and i never yell at people, and i dont see why other people do. its just really immature and annoying to me lol.

rude people are another type i cant stand. its not difficult to just be polite. especially when it comes to service workers!! there have been times where ive gone out to eat with someone and they literally just DONT ACKNOWLEDGE the waiter... dont say please/thank you... nothing!! i will literally never talk to people again if i see them do this lol. i think we should all try to make interactions easy on each other by simply acting in good faith and being polite.

i also hate rich people. like just as an entire class. ESPECIALLY nepotism babies omfg. not that meritocracy was ever anything more than capitalist propaganda, but these days its literally impossible to get a job anywhere other than minimum wage retail spots without knowing somebody who works there. sooo many smart, talented people i know cant find jobs, meanwhile all of the useless, lazy, rich kids from my highschool have 6 figure positions at huge companies because their parents got them a job.

those are the five things i dislike that are noticeable about a person after the first few conversations. to be honest, though, i dont have any friends IRL, and i mostly keep to myself, so if somebody annoys me, i just dont talk to them.

[unalomepath]

365/365

Hi Dear Me!

What a year! Last post done in the end of 2022. Let's summarise!

Moving abroad.

Well, I knew that it wouldn't happen. I didn't even want that. I guess I was trying to convince myself that it is a good solution and time to run from Poland, but deep in my hear I just knew. In the end the main reason was that we did not find a proper flat due to be expats. Also we couldn't take our cats. Everything with that idea was a mess and I completely forgot about it a little later.

Job change!

New opprtunity to develop in a strong worldwide company and great salary (60% rise). Am I dreaming?

Mess in my head.

In the beginning of May, I am not sure, I started therapy. I could not bare anymore panic attacks and feeling just like a trash. I felt responsible for every fucking misfortune. May long weekend we spent in Greece, Corfu. Only because I had a really high pressure that I need to go somewhere. It's been 6 months of staying at home, it is unacceptable! But the weather was bad - half of the stay heavy rain, and if not - almost all the time fully cloudy. It affected the whole experience. And I was utterly sure that it is my fault. Also we spent sooo much money for that trip only because it was in a desirable date. We were arguing, I was depressed and annoying, everything went awful. At least in my head.

During the therapy I learnt to think and see myself and the world differently. My therapist made me aware that the wather is not under my control and that I forgot about everything good - like the fact that I am a great planner when it comes to the sightseeing or renting a car.

New job is going worse and worse...

New dream job turned out to be a disaster I hate. I realised that it is not me. It a imagined me, extravert, confident and proud. I had to go on a official trip to Germany, I felt there lost, I did not understand a thing, everyting was so confusing. I did not receive any onboarding, any explanation, any introduction. Only more and more calls and upcoming requirements. I started stressing me and I felt so stupid. A job that I couldn't tell a word about. But my holiday were soon I stopped caring at leat in the summer.

I am a fiancee!

The 10 days in Zakynthos, Greece, were my best holidays ever. Everything finally went perfect. PERFECT. The hotel, food, sea, beach, trips, views. It overcome my expectations. Best holiday ever! And the main point was that my partner gave me a ring, so I finally after almost 8 years changed my status from girlfriend to fiancee.

Come back to the old job.

After holiday I realised I need to run from my "dream new job". Quickly. Somewhow my previous company took me back. Of course not too easily - I went great during the interviews, but to punish me for leaving they lowered my salary in comparison to the other people in the team. And there is nothing I can do about it. And it is really fucking annoying. I am not progressing with my salary due to the high inflantion for the past 2-3 years.

After job change I started again to have panic attacks and issues with myself. Unfortunately my therapy had to end in July because the owner of the medical center decided to close it... But I learnt back then a lot. I just need to remember to follow the rules.

2023.

Some points about 2023.

I got engaged. It means that I am important in this big world.

I had a short adventure in another company that allowed me to pay off the car, go to therapy, buy a computer, and benefit fully from the holiday. I quitt because it was the best choice for my mental health and money wasn't worth it.

I realised I do not need social media to live. I feel better without the knowledge what everyone is doing! If it is something interesting, they will tell you.

I realised that life is not about building it the same as other people. You choose. You have your own, special priorities. You have your own plan.

Me is the most important (of course besides my fiance). I live only for myself, I do not have to fit in, drink alcohol or enjoy the same stuff. Big NO.

Health is the biggest value. Doing overtime, skipping lunch breaks, trying be always the best IS NOT WORTH YOUR HEALTH. Both, physical and mental!

Life is about living, so close this virtual blog for today. :)

[eddies-house]

*I dont know your whole situation so you can ignore this entirely and im not trying to be rude at all so if i am lmk*

You could firmly but kindly set some boundaries. Be honest and say, "I need a day to relax" or whatever else you might wanna say. I feel letting people know where you are mentally is crucial. I find just being real with people and not having these expectations of them in my mind brings me back. Like you feel like they don't wanna hear it but do you know that? Or is it something that you thought up and are now convinced its reality? (I'm not saying you're at fault with any of this btw)

Idk people only say this advice for romantic relationships i notice but it works for any, communication is key.

the fact that you even took the time to read my rant and write this has me so 🥺💜

You’re so right and I do tend to have communication issues when it comes to my own needs and I know it’s something I need to work on

I think I’m frustrated because I do think I’m telling people like I need to be left alone, my mental state isn’t allowing me to engage in whatever activity they want me to do and they still don’t fully listen. Like they listen but they aren’t actually hearing me and then continue to prod at me.

that being said, I also feel that maybe even tho I think I’m communicating and telling them that, maybe I’m not actually fully communicating and from my perspective I’m just not seeing that because it feels like I’m projecting my thoughts out loud when in reality, maybe I’m not being as specific as I need to, you know?

I will say I’m super non confrontational so there’s that and i find it hard to be firm with people…ughh we’re learning I guess

#asks #ily <3 #it’s like therapy up in here lmao

[wolves0nmars]

performativity theory thoughts

I hate the whole "gender performance thing" so much but also its such a hard mindset to escape. Like a couple weeks ago I had a mullet and my grandma kept misgendering me, and I felt like it was because I had longer hair. So I cut it shorter. And I still don't pass, but at least I'm doing everything in my ability to pass the best I can. But like. She still kept misgendering me. I've corrected her again and again and she misgenders me again and again. But now it doesn't feel as bad. Before I felt like it was my fault but now I feel like it's hers. I feel like I have deniability

I feel like I have this instinct to perform my gender as best as possible so if any cissy looks at me and says "how do these trnansgednerds expect people to respect their silly little pronouns" I can point to all ways I'm actually trying really, really hard to pass. Don't worry, I'm ashamed enough by this that I don't think I'll ever externalize it onto other trans people, but I still feel this way about myself.

This whole mindset is pretty easy to disprove. with FACTS and LGOIC. Because you can point to a cis man doing whatever he wants. Wearing dresses, doing drag, constantly crying, screaming, and generally being very weak and submissive like a little bitch and its like. That's still a man. He's such man. And the same could be said about a cis woman. She could cut her hair, stomp around in her combat boots and be constantly enraged with carnal desire and she is still very much a woman. And I mean obviously this same logic does not work in their favor if you consider sometimes cis people are actually. not. But it's just generally true that when you're cis you'll typically pass as your AGAB even if you aren't. Optimally porferming thine gneder.

And what's even worse is that when a man wears a dress, cis liberals are like "wow this is so brave and provocative" but if a transmasc did it... it's like... "are you even trying?" And it's the same if a cis woman got an undercut and wore combat boots versus if a transfemme did that.

But if someone says something like "are you even really trans" you can say well if I were a cis man and dressed like this would you say I'm a trans woman? And like. That's true. But also. Is it?

Cause there's a difference between identity and expression. If you're androgynous nobody will instantly tell you go transitioN!!!!! Because being trans is a lot of work. And if you're already trans and you're already putting the work in to get people to use different pronouns, sitting on 19 year waiting lists for healthcare, people will be quicker to convince you that's not necessary and you're not really trans ur just gay or something.

Part of me is reading all this shit im writing and thinking. fuck those cissies. Who cares if you aren't palatable enough to the centrists. It doesn't matter if some random person on the internet talks shit about something they know nothing about. Just do your own thing, who cares.

But the other part of me thinks, real life exists, too. And sometimes you just really really want to perform your gender the best you can to your relatives, and your coworkers, and your classmates, and your boss and that little bitch boy at the store that ma'ams you everytime you come in. or sirs you if thats more relatable to your situation.

I guess that's why the internet is just so great. Cause it's easier to find niche little spaces where everyone thinks the way you do and you don't have to explain anything to anyone. Even if occasionally you run into somebody you disagree with, it just doesn't really matter. You don't have to engage with them. But in real life, it's harder to find like-minded people who get it. And it's easier to stumble upon a confused centrist.

And I think that's part of the reason medical transition can be so good. Because your body actually looks like what you want. So it's kind of like being a cis person and having that same reassurance. When you don't pass "anatomically" you have to compensate by perfformsaijngagender whatever. But when you do, there's less to "compensate" for.

if only i could actually get it haha ha. ha.

Conclusion:

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

#performativity theory #gender performance #trans #transgender thoughts #<3

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

I love when someone is smart enough to understand one thing but not smart enough to communicate it. And this isn't about simple struggles to communicate which have nothing to do with intelligence. This is about "ah yes. I understand how this complex thing is BAD. I will process to blindly scream at anyone who touches it in any manner." To me it doesn't matter if you're smart enough to understand the video essay you watched if you're not smart enough to be kind.

So for example, I am one to agree that the word "bitch" and our overuse of it is sexist. I try to remove it from my vocabulary and ask that people don't use it for me in jokes. I wish I knew how to be convincing about this, though I'm not sure I have the tools to at this exact moment. (Lying in bed with puffy eyes from Processing Things last night.) Well let me tell you that the vaguely-TERF-reminiscent argument I just saw of someone butting in on strangers talking about a video where someone says "game over, bitch" being funny to blindly call them out for "glamourizing a sexist word", then reporting them for using it, is not helping my case.

Where did you find the intelligence to understand what makes the use of "bitch" sexist, but not that to understand that its being deeply ingrained in our everyday vocabulary is part of that? Do you really truly think that anyone who uses the word "bitch" at any point does so because they hate women? You won't be able to engage with people and change things if you don't first understand how to socialise.

This isn't to say that there is no room for being strict with an argument in this sphere. But if you yourself don't understand what it is you're criticising, it will only make yourself, and the argument you're trying to defend, look ridiculous.

I guess next time we will talk about how "someone making a bad argument like this at the dinner table" is a common occurrence with little consequence but the same argument online will be viewed by too many bad actors, which is not necessarily the poster's fault.

[dreamingsushi]

Dance of the Phœnix - Episode 20

We have reached now way past the middle of the series and are going towards the ending. There’s still a few episodes and I do hope that they use their time well. At this point I have two fears : either they will add too much and it will be lacking in explanations, either they’re going to run in circles endlessly until the end. Both options seems very likely for me. As for now, I hope they focus on getting Feng Wu’s phœnix blood and nothing more. Then engagement with Jun Linyuan and happily ever after. Or something of a regular unsatisfying ending, without too many deaths. Because there are always too many deaths in Chinese dramas.

Zuo Qingluan’s master is once again very mad at her for failing. But... you that wasn’t her fault. The guy is in love with Feng Wu since they were kids. Even though she is quite different than she used to be before. Zhao Ge kind of witnesses her elder disciple sister being ignored and think of the past, whence her mother used to abuse Qingluan if she wasn’t doing good enough. I don’t understand why she’s being so cold towards Qingluan nowadays, it seems she used to care a lot for her, but keeps a distance. I mean I get that she’s bad at cultivating her spiritual powers and she’s an outcast in her sect since she’s not meeting her mom’s expectation, but that’s a little over the top. Zhao Ge seems to want to talk to Qingluan, but she’s invited to visit the empress. Qingluan swears to serve the empress. She doesn’t like Jun linyuan, she just likes winning.

Feng Xun is still upset about Jun Linyuan and Feng Wu, ish. I mean, he should be over it by now. Anyways, he tells Jun Linyuan to be careful. Yu Mingye could try to get Feng wu away from him, this dude is weird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such murderous intent in Jun Linyuan’s eyes as he polishes his sword.

Talking about Yu Mingye, he’s too busy following Wu Youdao to pursue Feng Wu seriously. He thinks there’s something fishy inside the library, but doesn’t know what yet.

The colourful bird calls Feng Wu. He thinks the second piece is going to appear anytime soon. Also, something bad is going to happen at the school. He doesn’t know what yet, but his intuition is always right so he tells Feng Wu to remain on guard.

I thought there was some fighting happening, but it was actually only Zuo Qingluan training or venting her frustrations. She ended up meeting Yu Mingye. I really like the dynamic between the two of them. In some ways they are quite similar as they have to bear the pression of the role they are forced to take on. Geniuses, their sect leader expect a lot of them. I think that’s the reason why Yu Mingye is well qualified to advise Zuo Qingluan and that he always hits the mark with her. And I know he does because she would remain unphased otherwise. Yu Mingye is probably the only character who gets to see Zuo Qingluan as who she really is and she need more people to open their eyes for her to find inner peace. My humble opinion. Plus we’ve got to see more of the relationship between Yu Mingye and his father. This guy is really hungry for power. It’s sad, because along the way, he’s totally breaking down his own son.

So it’s Chinese Valentine’s day (I actually don’t like calling it like this because it is actually for spouses and not for couples, but I don’t feel like explaining the whole thing right now) and the girls can write letters to the boy they like. Zhao Ge convinces Feng Wu to write one for Jun Linyuan and herself is going to write one for Xuan Yi. Seeing how many letters Jun Linyuan received, Feng Wu decides on not handing over her own letter. Zhao Ge put hers in Xuan Yi’s book, but Feng Xun grabs it because he lent it to Xuan Yi and thinks Zhao Ge’s letter was for him. He prepares for the date with her, leaving both Xuan Yi and Jun Linyuan upset. To be honest, both love stories aren’t so interesting to me hahaha.

Something happens to the Emperor, he collapses while he was reading in his room (I guess it is his room). Jun Linyuan was on his way to see Feng Wu and confront her when Zuo Qingluan informs him something happened to his father. I wonder why she’s the one relaying the message. It’s not like they don’t have servants and stuff to take care of it. She’s not an employee of the residence or something, is she? Anyways, mister Ning says he’s alright to the empress, but when Jun Linyuan comes inquiring of his father, he eye signal him that they should talk alone. DRAMAAAA. It appears that someone is tampering with the spiritual energy of the emperor. He needs to read some books first, because it’s really rare and he is unsure of the cause. Of course, Zuo Qingluan eavesdrop on their conversation. Jun Linyuan must stay by his father’s side until he wakes up again.

So the empress sent a servant girl to the emperor’s side so she could spy on his every movement and she would feed him some pill tampering with his energy. She’s been poisinning him for already three years, so the effects would appear slowly, without leaving a trace. I’m not even surprised. It has been shown for a while that the empress isn’t a very nice person. I really wonder what is actually her main goal. She doesn’t have any children of her own, she doesn’t seem to want to kill Jun Linyuan and take over the power... so I really don’t know. Anyways she kills the maid. Well, her underling, I can’t remember the guy’s name. They use the corpse to stage a different lead, pretending the maid hung herself and admitted in a letter feeding the emperor poison on the orders of someone inside the Junwu academy. Jun Linyuan is reluctant to believe it. Just... pretend to go along with it. Sometimes he’s just really too dumb. The empress orders to search everyone at the academy. Jun Linyuan tries to oppose her, but his hands are tied. I wonder who she’s going to frame. Feng Wu? Wu youdao? Principal Ning? Jun Linyuan is really unhappy about Zuo Qingluan being over. Wow. Bravo. It was about time that you realized that she doesn’t give a damn about being the consort princess. Qingluan is despicable in many ways, but she’s really not an airhead like other young girls her age. She has always relied on no one but herself and she never shown any interest in being consort princess, only perhaps for the fact that she wants to be on top everyone else.

As to be expected, the story is getting even more complicated as it evolves even though there aren’t many episodes left to unravel all the mystery. I think they’re going to use the opportunity well. I mean, the villains. They’ll probably lose in the end, but for sure a lot of drama is incoming.

#dance of the pheonix #qie ting feng ming #yang chaoyue #xu kaicheng #gao jicai #guo cheng #wang haoxuan #jinna fu #estelle chen #cdrama #c-drama #chinese drama #xuanhuan #xuanhuan drama #drama review #drama recap #drama reaction #costume drama

[myempirepro-blog]

5 "Do's & Don'ts" During Separation in Marriage (ft Obodo Oyinbo TV)

Quick story.  So my husband was on Aunty B’s platform, Obodo Oyinbo TV, in the past few days oh my God… he ended up becoming an overnight detective.

--> READ THE BLOG POST HERE https://lolaandola.com/5-dos-donts-during-separation-in-marriage/

  --> WATCH VIDEO VERSION HERE https://youtu.be/1ZgPFMMXE3E

  A man had called him before he called into a show making wild claims about women in Nigeria and as usual, it was obvious to him that this man was speaking from personal experience.

  The truth is that we have both men and women who perpetuate this terrible behavior once they have had  traumatic experiences in marriage or relationships.

  And nothing good comes out of it.

  So we want to share 5 "do's & don'ts" if you happen to be in a separation from your marriage at this moment.  

  We  know you will be tempted to destroy your future relationship if you don’t know these things so please, pay attention.

Thing Number 5

OLA: Don’t Focus on Whose Fault; It’s Irrelevant

  After about 30,000 views, what I always knew was confirmed.  He was projecting from his personal experiences.

  He is presently separated from his wife who he had met in Nigeria while visiting.  So the wife had recently asked for divorce.

  So he decided he wanted to help others who may be captured by the evil women who are poor and live in Nigeria; according to him.

  After getting dragged on that platform so many times, there was one thing that really stood out to me and this is it.

  He was obsessed with who was at fault for the demise of the marriage.  Not just that, we are talking about a need to spell out every fault at every stop since he met the lady.

  If you are in separation and you want the outcome of the process to be positive, you have two choices.

  Decide that no one is at fault or… 

  The 2nd choice, which is “both of you are at fault”; unless of course, someone had a gun to their head during the decision to engage in a romantic way.

Thing Number 4

LOLA: Don’t Attempt Saving Others Before Healing

  So we get it.  You’ve just gone through a very traumatic situation and experience.  Your experience is valid but you need to believe that.

  Naturally, if you consider yourself “nice” or “good”, you might want to jump out there and save everyone else from people like your ex-partner who is now a bad person I guess…

  Don’t do it.  You will end up re-creating your own version of your experience in others and they will effectively project it further into our society… 

  …when it is in-fact, not necessarily their experience.

  It’s a fact that your ex-partner had their own experience. This is why those who don’t know any better end up calling each other liars; making things worse.

  Stay away from trying to help others until you make sure you’ve gone through healing.

  And have peace with the idea that it’s not necessarily anyone’s fault.

  Thing Number 3

OLA: Let Go In Every Sense

  Generally speaking, letting go is one of the hardest things for humans to do.  People would yell out things like “I don’t care” with such anger.

  You would be left to wonder…”Do you believe that you don’t care or you need to convince yourself even more?”

  It’s confusing at best.  Sure you should be able to tell your story.  But you should only do it within a controlled context and environment.

  Letting go, self control and awareness is key but hard.  Have you noticed that you enjoy talking so much about your ex-partner particularly in a bad light?

  Thing Number 2

LOLA: Engage a Wise Counsel

  There is a good chance you are not able to smell your own breath.  You can barely see your own nose.  Maybe if you calm down, you can at least see a blurry version of it.

  The point I am making is this.  Separation from a marriage is tough on a human heart.  Take some time off and engage wise counsel.

  We all have a blind spot by default.  So how much more when everything you believed when it comes to romance is being questioned.

  Thing Number 1

OLA: Don’t Generalize! It’s a sign of a weak person…

  Let me ask that question I asked previously again.  Have you noticed that you enjoy talking so much about your ex-partner particularly in a bad light?

  Or maybe this time, you’ve managed to camouflage it as a generalized story that you have become an evangelist for.

  You find yourself saying things like “American women are not good wives.”  You’ve perfected the art of saying “All Nigerian men are cheaters.”

  I’m just gonna be straight up with you.  There is no better way to tell us that you need counseling and possibly therapy than showcasing a habit of generalizing.

  It’s a red flag.  You shouldn’t be advising or trying to save anyone.

  It’s projection at best.  There is no way that you know enough people to be capable of generalizing in the name of helping someone.

  You will end up making more people toxic than you help if at all..

  We are speaking from experience.  We share our own story inside the book "GET MY MARRIAGE BACK" which  you can download for free at www.GetMyMarriageBack.com

  Please support this video by hitting the thumbs up and share with us below what you'd like us to cover on the next video. 

  Check out this episode!

[redrobin-detective]

I would like to preface about the Sherlock Holmes club, it existed before I arrived. It was made by 3 senior girls who wanted an excuse to get together and watch BBC Sherlock. I still remember running up to the table during the club meet and greet and talking a mile a minute about the stories and they’re like “yeah that’s cool but we mostly talk the BBC show”. I loved the club that first year, we watched BBC Shelock and some of the classic Granada stories, even Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century to compare and contrast. 

When they graduated the next year and I was made president (IE... literally there was no one else in the club to do us, it was just us 4) I’m the one who revamped it and made it in a general mystery appreciation club and put so much mental energy, time and energy into creating a cohesive mystery experience so people could learn/enjoy classic detective stories. I made/compiled fun activities, I paid for and hosted a mystery dinner every year, I found easy to read stories and tried to encourage discussion, rented out the local theater to show movies.... and the only people who showed up were my friends who didn’t often want to enage.

I put my heart and fucking soul into the club and no one reciprocated the tiniest amount except when I got tired and caved and just started doing fandom stuff. Its been 5 years and that still stings.

#personal #lil bit of a rant #i did SO MUCH for that club and very few people appreciated it #I guess it was my fault trying to convince people to try and engage in stories they didnt care about #when they were busy with their own work #but like #they'd show up to club meetings not having read the short stories #they brushed aside my projects #I printed off radio play transcripts to have people dress up and act out these silly myserties #and no one wanted to #like sometimes I think back to the sheer amount of effort and love I put into that #and how no one responded and yeah it stings a bit #Also! i made a giant poster of the dancing men code from SH #took me like 2 days to make this thing so we could practice using this famous code #I brought it to a halloween fair and like no one cares #the only thing that was popular was the tshirt making booth at the fair we did #I cut out sherlock/fandom stencils for a freaking week #i still have all my tshirts and I treasure them greatly

[giorno-plays-piano]

Fearless

Part IV

Pairing: prince!Bakugo × duke's daughter!reader, a bit of Izuku x reader

Warnings: yandere-ish behaviour, obsession, stalking, Bakugo being an ass; may get darker as the story progresses.

Words: 1.3k

Summary: Locked in a body of a fairytale's character, you are forced to live her life, obeying the the rules of the story where you are the villain. Do you really have no choice but to accept her fate?

Part I

Part II

Part III

P.S. Dedicated to all those mangas and manhwas about reincarnated villainness I read 🙄

_________

"It's an obvious lie. I don't understand why you even bother saying it to my face."

If looks could kill, you were sure the prince would drop dead right in that moment. Dear God, it was impossible to get through his damn obstinacy, Bakugo was so headstrong he refused to listen to you regardless of how many times you repeated your reasons! Now you really pitied the Queen who had to deal with this idiot on a daily basis and try to raise him as a future king.

Well, it was no surprise his sweetheart ran out on him. You wondered how patient she was not to murder him in his sleep because it would definitely be your top priority if you were still engaged to him.

"You never even liked magic. Did you forget you called magicians filthy?" He asked you as you rolled your eyes again, tempted to call Izuku from behind the curtain and ask him to kick your ex-fiancée's ass for your sake.

"So what? I was stupid. Magic is just means to reach your goal like power or money," exhaling loudly from this endless torture, you folded your arms on your chest, "and guess what, people tend to change over time. There's nothing surprising in me changing my opinion."

He held his head high. "You? Changing? Please!"

Groaning in frustration and tugging on the roots of your hair, you stood up, walking over to one of the shelves where the secret passage to your personal study room was hidden. You weren’t too keen on showing it to the prince, but to hell with it, if it took this much to prove him you had been busy with your potions, so be it!

Touching one of the books with barely visible title - something about history of this kingdom - you stepped back, watching the wall move to open a passage, Bakugo glaring at it suspiciously behind your back. That idiot was probably thinking you were gonna take out a bow out of there and shoot him on the spot. Oh, to think of it, it sounded very alluring to you...

"Come," you demanded him sharply, tired from this useless bravado that was taking too much of your time. "I'll show you the proof what I was doing all this time."

He moved reluctantly, unwilling to step somewhere where he certainly wasn't welcomed, but you moved fast, forcing the long curtain hiding the entrance to the side and demonstrating Bakugo a small, neat room filled with books, elixirs, and enchanted machinery you used for creating your potions.

Strictly speaking, you weren't much of an inventor yourself, only an apprentice to those researchers your father employed, but you still took a great pride in your little experiments, determined to keep working to test the potions made by other magicians and maybe even create your own.

Staring at countless bottles filled with emerald green and golden liquids, the prince grunted something under his breath that you didn't quite hear. Was he now convinced you didn't spend this half a year for nothing? With all going on in your life now you had no chance to be plotting against him. Hell, you wouldn't care even if he suddenly admitted his fault and crawled back to you, asking for your forgiveness!

"The potion you're staring at is meant to relieve pain. Unlike other drugs used for the same purpose, it has no narcotic ingredient and is safer to use. Unfortunately, it's not very strong, so we're looking for components to increase its force. As for now, we're planning to sell it for relieving mild aches or giving to young kids who are in pain," taking a little green bottle in your hand, you opened it and let Bakugo smell it a little, returning it to the shelf and taking a little pot instead. "This one is a salve to ease rheumatism. I know you can buy it from any decent doctor, but this one here is made from very common ingredients, and it's incredibly cheap while still being effective. The next month we're hoping to start selling it to commoners."

Judging by the thoughtful expression on his face, Bakugo started to realize what you were doing here, finally. You really hoped he did because you had no other proof to show him you really cared about that medical institution of yours, spending day and night with the doctors and healers, writing down their vague explanations and long talks about theory of healing magic and potion brewing. In the end, all this was so much more important than love affairs of some guy even if he was the crown prince of this country.

"Caring about commoners... breaking the engagement with me... it's so not like you," he whispered suddenly, staring at you with contempt. "Not at all like you."

"People change, Your Highness," you turned your back to him to return the last book you showed him on its place. "Maybe it's time for you to realize you can change too."

"Or maybe it's my chance to discover who has taken control of the body of my fiancée and tries to trick me with all this talk about her compassion for others."

You heard him drawing his sword before you even looked back at him.

"Maybe if I force you out of her body, demon, we'll see what you'll say to my face then," his wicked whisper made you tremble as you stared at his pale face, his sword nearly touching your bare neck.

"Stop it," you demanded, breaking into cold sweat as you prepared to cast a protective barrier to defend yourself. "Do you even hear what you're saying?"

But he didn't listen to you, his stubborn stare growing dark as he brought his sword even closer, forcing you to retreat to the table.

Your figure started glowing with magic as you shouted to him, "Stop it, Bakugo!"

He moved so fast you didn't have time to react, but your body acted on its own, and the next second the sound of a metal clashing against something solid broke the dead silence: you were staring at the prince through the golden shield of a spell surrounding you, its light so bright it was blinding the man who was determined to end you here and now, apparently. Quickly, you casted one more spell to move him to the opposite door so you could escape the study room and run to get help, but then you saw guards storming in the room one by one, all of them pointing their swords at the prince, Izuku standing somewhere behind them.

"Your ladyship!"

They dragged the madman out of your room in an instant before he uttered a single word, taking his weapon and constantly punching him, bruises already forming on Bakugo's face and arms, but you couldn't bring yourself to pity him, slowly crumpling to the floor as the strength finally left you. God, he was ready to kill you. He really wanted to pry you open, thinking he could take your soul out of his ex-fiancée's body.

Bakugo almost succeeded.

For a couple of minutes you were nearly unconscious as Izuku held you in his embrace, bringing you to the sofa and constantly saying something you couldn't understand in a state of shock. When you came down, you felt that your face was wet and your eyes hurt, but what surprised you the most was the feeling of fear you hadn't felt since you came into this world.

"I'm so sorry," you had finally felt Izuku's desperation as he kept whispering something to you. "I should have stopped him before he even came to your room. I'm so sorry. I never thought the rumors about him treating you like this were true... It's all my fault. I'm so, so sorry, sister."

He almost killed you. He almost stripped you of your precious life just because he was mad at his beloved running away from him.

Bakugo was on the verge of lunacy, no doubt.

________

Tags: @tspice283 @surprisemodafakas @honeybeehungry @tjmaxx556 @superblyspeedydragon

#yandere #bakugo katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo #bakugou katsuki #bnha bakugou #bnha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia

[softboywriting]

Meet The Parents | Billy Russo

Summary: You introduce Billy to your parents and it doesn’t go as well as you hope. [Billy Russo x F!Reader] [Assistant!Reader Trope] [Alternate Timeline - Castle family not mentioned/never happened] [Fluff] [Problematic Parents/Divorced] [Parents Fighting] [Language] [Flirting] [Flashback/Nightmare]

 Word Count: 3.8k 

 A/N: This is a follow up to my first fic Little Moments but can be read separately as a stand alone story. I may be doing several in a series with these two.

---

The office is quiet, and has been for the whole day. Billy has been out at a client meeting since you got in. Anvil is becoming quite popular in the private military market, having taken on three new contracts in the last two weeks. You're proud of Billy, he works hard to win over his clients and offer top of the line service. As the primary contact for all contracts and placements, you've gotten busy too. More business means more expenses, and more employees to keep track of. You don't mind, it keeps you active and engaged. There is nothing more you hate than just sitting around staring at the wall or watching cat videos for the billionth time.

"Hey sweetheart."

You glance up from your work and see Billy closing the office door behind him. He's dressed up, black and grey patterned silk shirt, expensive black suit, the tailored jacket over his arm. He looks positively delicious if you do say so. Those shirts are the best thing you ever convinced him to wear.

"Hey yourself. How'd the meeting go?"

"Shitty." He sneers and tosses his jacket on his office chair. He begins unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt to roll them up to his elbows. "The guy brought his daughter."

"Okay? What does she have to do with anything?"

Billy raises his eyebrows in an 'are you shitting me' expression. "His daughter is a model. Not naturally talented mind you, paid for by her daddy. Clearly he thought havin' her there would sway me into acceptin' the number he offered for the contract you wrote up. Like he's doing me a favor."

You stand and walk around the desk, eyes going up and down his chest. "You didn't do anything did you?"

"What kinda man do you think I am?" Billy walks you back against your desk, pinning you in with his hands on the top behind you. He drops his head to yours and stares at you with those dark endless eyes. "You think I'd fuck around?"

"I know you won't, you're too gone for me." You run your hands up his back and he arches against you. "Did she try?"

"She tried. Even sat on my lap."

"In front of her dad?"

"Mmmhmm." Billy drops his face to your neck and mouths at your skin. "I don't mind a little show and tell but even I got boundaries. Parental peepshows are off limits."

You laugh softly and he brings one hand against your lower back up to pull you against him. "Take it easy. You know the rules. No relationship stuff while I'm on the clock."

He groans, pulling his head back to look at you. "I need to touch you though. I don't want her lingering on me."

"I know." You step out of his hold and he lets his hand drag across your back as you escape his grasp. "Just another hour okay? I've gotta wrap a few things up."

Billy pulls his tie loose and unbuttons the top of his shirt. "Why did I ever make these rules?" He sinks down in his chair and spreads his legs, lolling his head against the back. He really is such a tempting little tease. How could you resist a man like that? Truth be told it's hard.

You take a seat behind your desk and focus your eyes on the invoices on screen. "You made them because you want Anvil to remain professional and not a playground."

"Bullshit."

"Your bullshit."

Billy bites his lip and gives you that look. The one that says he isn't to be messed with, that he's gonna get what he wants no matter what. And oh it's so tempting to get up and go sit on his lap in that chair. It's always been a fantasy of yours. One you haven't gotten to full fill due to his rules. He's really only cockblocking himself.

"C'mere."

"No, Billy."

"C'mon, be bad. Break my rules."

"No! You're such a jerk!" You laugh and he chuckles playfully. "We have dinner with my parents after this anyway. I'm not breaking your rules and getting all messy before we go see my parents. You hear? Parents."

"Always such a good girl."

"You like it."

"Damn right I do." He pushes up out of his chair and crosses the office to cradle your head and press a chaste kiss to your temple. "I'm gonna go home and get ready. Anything you want me to lay out for you? I think you've got a few things at the apartment."  

"The blue dress. I picked it up from the cleaners last week with a few suits. It should be in your closet."

"The one I bought you a while back for the client dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't that a little revealing for a parents dinner?"

You raise your eyebrows and he narrows his eyes.

"You're a monster." He presses his lips to your ear. "If you keep teasing me I'll have to put you in your place."

"I guess I'm a glutton for punishment."

"Oh sweetheart, you have no idea what you're askin' for." Billy kisses your cheek and steps away. "Playin' with fire will get you burned."

You smile innocently. "See you later."

"You're terrible." He goes to the door and stops, looking back once more. "But I love you."

"Love you too Billy."

"Ugh," he groans, slapping a hand over his chest. "Say it again."

"Love you?" You giggle and he acts even more dramatic, pretending to swoon against the door. "What are you doing?"

"Being you."

"Wh- you son of a bitch! Get out!" You throw your squishy stress ball at him and he cackles as he runs from the office. What a child.

_____________________

"Oh, this is your boyfriend?" Your mother asks in actual surprise. As if you weren't meant to have a man that looks like Billy Russo. Truth be told you had never dated anyone half as attractive, not to you anyways. "He's so...well dressed."

Billy takes your mom's hand and kisses it politely. "We're all well dressed here ma'am. You look lovely too."

"Thank you." She flushes and giggles.

Billy gives a warm smile and tugs you closer. His hand on your back is radiating heat, its comforting. He knows you're tense. This dinner will be a strain on your nerves and he had been warned how difficult your parents can be.

"Your father should be here soon. I told him not to be late." Mom says huffily, eyeing the doors to the restaurant. You've met up with her outside and you're currently waiting for your dad to arrive. Your parents have been split for ten years and it's been hard, but not as hard as it would have been if they had divorced when you were still a young child. Well, you like to think that anyways. They waited, held on to their shit until you were graduated and old enough to understand that some people don't remain in love.

Billy leans in and presses his lips to your ear. "Are your parents going to fight? This place is very nice, I don't want to cause a scene."

"It'll be fine. They can hold it together for a few hours. I hope. Just don't mention their personal lives. It's a sore spot for mom. Dad isn't single anymore."

"Gotcha."

"Sorry I'm late." You turn and see your dad walking towards you. "Some asshole parked his Rolls Royce just on the line and I hardly squeezed into the only spot open beside it."

Mom scoffs and rolls her eyes. She bites her tongue but you know what she would say. Some comments about his truck being too damn big and a gas guzzler.

Dad puts his hand out for Billy. "You must be the lucky guy!"

Billy takes it and smiles a beautiful, toothy, shit eating grin. "Billy Russo, the asshole who parked his Rolls Royce a bit close to the line."

The way Dad's face turns pale and then red with embarrassment makes the whole evening worthwhile up until then. "That's yours?"

"One hundred percent. Bought and paid for."

"That's a beautiful piece of machinery. Expensive."

Billy leans his head on yours. "I only go for the best."

"Well you know I-"

"Oh shut up already, let's go inside." Mom says and grabs your dad's arm. "Always babbling on about shit when we've got things to do."

"Y'know what-" the conversation fades as your parents head into the restaurant. You're glad. It is bound to be petty anyways. Always was with them. Bickering children they should be called.

"Relax." Billy says in your ear, hand traveling up and down your side. "I can win over your parents for one night."

"You could charm anyone into anything and I've seen as much. You're a silver tongued sn-"

Billy catches your jaw in a light hold and presses a kiss to your lips. Your hand slides up into his hair and he grins into the kiss. "Easy now. We've not even gotten seated yet."

"Your fault."

"Usually is."

____________________

You stare at yourself in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. Dinner wasn't going so great and you had barely made it through an appetizer and drinks.

Your parents couldn't stop arguing, Billy was trying his best to charm them but apparently they're uncharmable, and you were left to play referee for your parents against each other or them against you and Billy.

It is a whole mess and you want to just leave, just walk out say fuck everything and go to Billy's apartment and go to bed. You haven't even had a chance to tease Billy like you were planning, hell, you've barely gotten a word in that wasn't defending him or fielding your parents insults they continuously hurdled over the table at one another.

The door rattles on your left and you clear your throat. "Occupied!" You shout and it stops.

It's a single use bathroom, not a multi-stall type set up. So the person outside would just have to wait until you were done having your crisis. Maybe not so fair to them but you'll be damned if you won't let yourself have a moment.

The handle turns and you back into the sink as the door opens. To your surprise it is Billy, not some worker with a key. "What the-"

"Your parents are insufferable. How the hell did you grow up with them? I mean I was in a group home and a few of the adults weren't great but holy shit they weren't my parents."

"I'm sorry."

Billy closes the door and shakes his head, taking your hands in his. "Don't be sorry for their actions. Never apologize for anyone but yourself."

"I knew this would happen. I just thought that maybe...I don't know...maybe they'd be different. Maybe they'd be proud of me, of you, so they would get along for two fucking hours."

"Sweetheart, you're nearly thirty, you're still seeking your parents approval?"

You laugh joylessly and bite the inside of your cheek. "You don't understand. You can't understand."

Billy brings your forehead to his lips and he rubs your back. He's always so affectionate with you, careful to hold and to love you like a man who never received it himself so he wants to make sure those he loves receives it tenfold.

"I understand seeking approval, but there is nothing you need approval for. You're an adult with a good job, a place to stay, an outstanding boyfriend with his own company. I'd say you're doin' alright honey."

You let out an actual little laugh, and he does too, bumping his nose against yours. "You're so full of yourself."

"You like that?" He bumps again, eyes on yours. "I said it to get you to giggle."

"You know it's a little true."

His lips meet yours in a warm tender kiss. "Confidence is sexy."

"It is."

"I could tell your parents there's a work emergency." He slides his hands over your ass and pulls you flush against him. "A real pain in the ass employee is causin' trouble."

You smile into his lips and he smiles back. "Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm."

He chuckles softly and cradles your head to his chest. "You can't choose how your family acts. Remember that. It's up to you to decide how you act, and if you want to deal with them."

"I know."

"Do you?" He runs a hand over your hair, tangling his fingers in the strands briefly.. "I know it's different for you, I can distance myself easier since I didn't grow up with proper parents. Maybe I'm cold, or indifferent but-"

"Stop." You dig your fingers into his side and he falls quiet. "Don't compare your childhood to mine. It's not fair. I don't want you to begin resenting me because-"

Billy gives you a look that is all warning and it silences you instantly. "I would never resent you for having parents and growing up like a normal kid should. I ended up in a shit situation and that is no one's fault but my own mother's. She is the only person I will ever resent." He softens, leaning in and kissing your nose. "Do you wanna ditch or go try to make something of this dinner?"

You swallow harshly and look at the door. Ditching would be easy, but the repercussions would be insufferable. Your mom would never stop calling about it, your dad would hold it over your head forever. It would be more of a disaster to leave than it would be to stay. No matter how valid the reason.

"We'll stay. I can try and redirect the conversation."

"That's my girl." He pats your cheek. "Proud of you."

"T-thanks."

Billy takes your hand and interlocks your fingers with his. "I'll take care of it. I can get them to shut up."

"If you can get a word in."

"I have my ways. Don't worry."

You cut him a look as you exit the bathroom and head for the table. "What are you-"

"Don't worry." He presses against your ear and guides you down to sit at the table.

Your parents are still bickering.

"Hey!" Billy says firmly with his hands on the table, not a yell, but enough to get his point across and the attention of your parents but not many others.

"Yes?" Mom asks surprisingly quietly.

Billy smiles and it's all venom, beautiful venom. You know this look, these eyes, that deadly grin. He isn't fucking around and the way he can express that so physically subtly astounds you. "The arguing is going to stop. The petty comments are going to stop. We're going to sit here and have conversations like adults, or you can leave and your daughter and I will have a nice dinner."

"Wh-" Dad starts but doesn't get any further.

"I am not goin' to repeat myself." Billy stands up straight and raises his eyebrows, daring your parents to say another word. The tension is thick, you can hardly breathe. Never did you think you'd have to witness Billy being like this with your parents of all people.

You grab a roll from the basket at the center of the table and pick at it. "How's work been, Dad?"

Dad clears his throat. "Good, busy. People always need an electrician for something. I did a school the other day, new classroom."

Billy sits beside you and lays his hand on your leg, thumb stroking your skin gently. He leans in and whispers "I told you don't worry." He turns his attention back to your parents. "So you're an electrician? Contractor?"

"Yeah, I work for Mundun Electric. Union job, pays well."

"And you?" Billy looks to your mom.

"I'm a medical receptionist. Clarke Center Hospital."

Billy smiles. "That's incredible. You're both hardworking people it seems, I see where she gets her work ethic. She's incredible, the best I've hired for Anvil."

You chew your lip and look down, flushed. "You're just being nice."

"I'm serious." He holds your hand up and kisses your knuckles. "I admire your dedication and the hard work you've put into making Anvil a success. Without you, I don't know where I'd be. Probably buried in paperwork."

"So you work for Billy? That's how you met?" Mom asks and you nod.

Dad raises his eyebrows.

"Dad, don't start."

Billy cuts a glare at your dad. "Don't start what?"

"Nothing." Dad says nonchalantly, eyes going to somewhere else in the room. "I just think inter-workplace relationships are never a good idea."

You squeeze Billy's hand and he just smiles oh so sweetly. "Dad, it's fine. Billy and I are both professionals. If things don't work out we'll make it work for the sake of the company."

"He'll fire you and you'll be looking for a job yet again." Mom pipes up, rolling her eyes. "See, things like this are why you can't hold a career."

"Mom!"

"Alright." Billy says firmly. "We're done here. Ma'am, sir, with all due respect you can both go fuck yourselves."

"Excuse me!?" Dad bellows and your mom looks flustered at the use of language. "You have no right-!"

"Actually I do." Billy stands and guides you to stand with him. "I'm going to love and care about your daughter the way she should be. You two are self absorbed monsters who should have never had a child, let alone forced the one you had to live through a loveless marriage. The fact that you cannot manage to sit here and have dinner with her and myself, which mind you has left quite a first impression, is sad and disappointing."

You grab his hand and you're shaking. You don't even know what to say. It's like Billy is telling them everything you've wanted to for your whole life.

"C'mon sweetheart." He puts his arm around you and guides you out of the restaurant. You know there are people staring but it's fine. It's over now.

"I'm s-"

"Uh uh." Billy puts his finger to your lips. "No apologies. Here." He shrugs his suit jacket off and puts it around your shoulders.

"Thanks."

"You wanna get out of here before your parents come out. Go get some burgers or something?"

You can't help the little smile that tugs at the corner of your mouth. "Pete's Diner?"

"Anywhere you like." He takes your hand and walks you toward the parking area. "Fuck this fancy bullshit anyway. I never understood the food they serve."

"Me neither. A hamburger and fries with a big ole pickle is good enough for me."

Billy opens the passenger door for you. "You're a girl after my heart y'know that?"

"I think I already have it."

He leans in and kisses your forehead. "That's for damn sure."

_____________________

Midnight you wake up crying. A nightmare, a reoccurring one as it would be. Though it is more of a twisted memory than a nightmare in actuality.

You are always around seven or eight years old, it's nighttime, you've been in bed for an hour and still not asleep. Downstairs your parents are awake, their disembodied voices float through the old floors. Their voices grow louder, shouting, screaming at each other. A glass shatters and you crawl under the bed. Footsteps come closer in the hall, heavy and slow.

The dream shifts. You're not a child but an adult. Under the bed is smaller now, the footsteps grow louder. The door opens and you scream when your foot is grabbed and you wake up crying.

"What's wrong?" Billy asks, sitting up in bed abruptly and turning on the light, hand instinctively going for the nightstand where you know a weapon is stored.

You had stayed the night, both of you decided it was best to stay together while you decompress from your tragic meet the parents dinner. Didn't matter in the end though. The nightmare still came.

"Just a bad dream. I'm going to get some water." You push back the blankets and plant your feet on the cold floor. It's a nice shock to the system, reminding you this is reality.

Billy's arm snakes around your waist. "Care to share with the class?"

"It's nothing. Just a nonsense dream about old crap."

"Your parents?"

"Yeah. Um, just a dream." You yawn and pat his hand on top of your stomach. "I need water."

"Grab me a bottle?"

"Sure."

You end up in the kitchen, looking out at the New York skyline. His place is so beautiful. It's luxurious, and you can't get used to it. You lean on the island and sip a bottle of cold water from the fridge. You don't think you belong here.

Then the dream comes creeping back in. Rationally you know that dream is never going to become a reality. Not with Billy around.

"Hey."

You look back to see Billy walking in with his sleep pants low on his hips. He scrubs a hand over his face before meeting you at the island.

"Sorry, I just got caught up in the view."

"It s'okay." His arms wrap around you and he presses his face to your neck. "I love you." He whispers softly into your skin.

"Are you alright?"

"Mmm."

You thread a hand into his hair and scratch at his scalp. It elicits a hum that's nearly a purr against your back. "Do you ever feel like you don't deserve this? Like everyday you can't comprehend that you're loved."

"I didn't think I could fall in love before I met you, yeah. I'm familiar."

"Oh."

"Wasn't expecting that?" He chuckles, flexing his fingers against your tummy.

You shake your head and he kisses along your jaw. "Billy, stop," you giggle as his short beard tickles your skin.

"No way." He starts walking you back away from the island counter and toward the bedroom. "I've got a disease and if I don't kiss you all the time I'll definitely succumb to it."

The two of you tumble onto the bed and he straddles your hips, mouthing at your neck and chest relentlessly.

"It's three in the morning. We need to go back to sleep."

Billy hums and settles on top of you, nose in your hair. "Sleep is for the weak."

"Then I'm weak." You trail a hand up his back, fingers flitting over his shoulder blade. His skin is so soft, so warm. "Thank you by the way."

"For what?"

"Being here when I had a nightmare."

"Of course." Billy pets your hair, stroking it down against the pillow. "I've suffered my share of them alone. I'm glad you were here so you weren't."

"Me too."

"Go to sleep." He kisses your cheek and rolls off to the side. His arm curls around you and pulls you close. "Love you."

"Love you too."

_____________________

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