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#and what if i were to give him my entire world
hihomeghere · 2 days
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megan, darling sunshine, i have the softest of soft requests for you with our favorite cowboy. 🥺
can i request #6, #34, #36, #41, #83 with arthur? i desperately need protective, soon-to-be dad!arthur in my life. it's what we all deserve, honestly. 🤍
thank you so much! i can't wait to see what absolute magic you make with these prompts.
Deserving | Arthur Morgan / Reader
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First off let me give you the fattest smooch <3
Word Count : 1.9k Prompts : 6. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear. 34. I think you're showing. 36. You're glowing. 41. The baby loves hearing you sing/speak. 83. Was that a kick? Warnings/tags : Cursing, talk of abandonment, Reader is 5 months pregnant, Arthur deserves a second chance at being a father, Self degrading talk on Arthur's part, Switch POV.
Arthur was aware it was a tad foolish the way he was feeling. Although seeing you growing his child has awakened something that had been lying dormant in him. Something that he hardly understood himself. A primal feeling, knowing that he was the one who made you like this. That it was his seed that had made you grow swollen and round and so damn gorgeous. 
He was also painfully aware of the gold ring in his pocket, his nerves eating him from the inside out. He had never been so nervous in his entire life, more nervous than when he went on his first job. Unlike a job he had never felt more unprepared. He had always wanted children, and he had dreamed of having children with you. But Jesus, he was terrified he would turn out like his old man. He didn’t- no - he couldn’t mess up this time. Not with you. Yes, he loved you. God he loved you more than anything. Arthur did not necessarily believe in soulmates. Perhaps when he was younger he could have believed that his soul could be tied to another person, but he wasn’t that foolish anymore. Love was something you worked for, it wasn't predestined by whatever god was above. He knew you could easily find another man to love you, even with the babe. He also knew you deserved someone better than him. You deserved the world, deserved someone who would build you a home, someone who hadn’t been too damn chicken to ask you to marry him before knocking you up. But he also knew that no man could love you like he loved you.
“You’re staring Arthur.” You chuckled, raising a brow as you turned to face him. Your hand resting on your hip as you leaned on the boar skinned table.
“You’re glowing.” He said softly, not denying the fact that he had indeed been staring at you. How could he not? You were really glowing, he hadn’t known that that silly saying about pregnant women was the truth. You were like some angel, the glow coming from within, lighting up the small tent. If he squinted he swore he could see a halo around your head. Especially when your bump had finally shown itself. 
You rolled your eyes, a smile tugging at your lips as you went back to whatever task you were working on. He walked up behind you, his deft fingers working on removing his gun belt. Laying belt down on the table before pulling you against his chest.
His hands lovingly squeezed your hips, before moving to your stomach. He sighed contently, laying his head in the crook of your neck. Breathing in your sweet smell, his calloused hands running over the soft fabric of your skirt. His heart nearly stopped as he felt the swell of your abdomen. Nearly brought to his knees by such a small thing. Well it wasn’t exactly small anymore, you had finally ‘popped’. 
“‘Think you’re showing, sunshine.” He whispered, his breath tickling your ear as he swayed with you in his arms. You giggled, shying away from his lips as they brushed against your neck.
“I would say so, can’t fit in my damn pants anymore.” You chuckled, shaking your head as you continued to patch a hole in one of his shirts. 
In all honesty, you hadn’t been able to fit in your pants for a long time. It had been almost four months since the fateful day you told Arthur you were pregnant.
-
You had all the telltale signs, breast tenderness, food aversions, etc. Along with Abigail’s damn knowing glances, and then your monthly cycle had been absent, confirming your suspicions. You had nearly gone mad, a million thoughts running through your head. How were you supposed to care for a child with the lifestyle you had? You had briefly discussed children with Arthur, but it was always in the future. When you weren’t being chased by the law or Pinkertons or whoever. You didn’t want your child to be raised how either of you were raised. Always on the run, never having a true safe place to call home. Speaking of the future, marriage had always been a talk for the future as well. Now you were here, an unwed mother. 
And then there was Isaac and Eliza. That was a whole new can of worms to throw into the mix. Would he even want to have a child right now? Would he still want you after he found out? If he left you what would you do?
You would manage, that’s what you always did. But you didn’t want to go through this without him. 
He had found you pacing near camp, nearly chewing your lip off. His heart constricted in his chest as he watched you.
“Everything alright darlin’?” He asked, pulling you out of your downward spiral. A similar concerned expression on his face as he took you in. You met his bright blue eyes and instantly you fell apart. Tears welled up in your eyes as he rushed over to you. Taking long strides across the grass before pulling you into his broad chest. His calloused hands warm and loving as they rubbed up and down your back, your body shaking with sobs you couldn’t control. “Darlin’ you’re scaring me.” He said softly, laying his chin on the top of your head. “Talk to me sunshine.”
“Arthur I think-“ You let out a shaky breath, “I think I’m pregnant.” You cried, tears clouding your vision as you looked up at him. 
He was frozen, his brain short circuiting as he tried to process the words you had just said. He must have heard you wrong. 
“What… what did ya say darlin’?” He asked, his hands on your biceps as he held you in front of him. His brows furrowed and his lips drawn into a thin line. 
“I’m pregnant Arthur.” You said, your lip trembling as you waited for his response. You were trembling in his grasp, your heart pounding against your rib cage. 
“Okay.” He nodded slowly, still trying to wrap his head around it all. Goddamn it Morgan, you’ve gone done it again. Are you seriously the most foolish man alive? His thoughts spiraled into their usual degrading speech. Here you were shaking in his arms like a damn leaf and he was too damn stupid to say anything. Say something, anything, to stop her from crying. Your tears tugging on his heart strings. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” He cooed, wiping away your tears with his thumb. “Don’t cry, please.” He said, pressing a kiss to your forehead.
“M’sorry-” You sobbed, looking down.
“Don’t. Don’t you dare apologize for this.” He said holding your face, “If anyone ought to apologize, it should be me.” He said, shaking his head. You bit your lip, looking up at him.
“Arthur, what are we gonna do?” You asked, finally calmed down enough to speak a coherent sentence. He clenched his jaw, looking off to the side.
“Do you want this?” He asked softly, running his hand down your arm. Taking your significantly smaller hands in his, squeezing them gently.
“I-“ You sighed, letting out a long breath. “I think I do.” You nodded, hesitantly raising your head to look at him. He exhaled a breath of relief. 
“Okay.” He nodded, “I want this too.” He said, giving you a reassuring smile. You couldn’t help but let out an equally relieved breath, a small smile tugging at your lips.
“Yeah?” You asked, chuckling breathlessly. 
“Yeah.” He nodded, chuckling along with you. “You know I won’t let anything happen to you, you or the baby, I swear.” He said gently pulling you closer, his hand moving down to caress your stomach. 
-
You smiled at the memory as Arthur rubbed his hand over your bump.
“They movin’ any?” He asked, kissing your cheek.
“They have been most of the day.” You chuckled, following his lips with your cheek as he pulled away. You turned around in his grasp, laying your hands on his chest. “They’d probably move if you talked to them. You know how the baby loves hearing you talk.” You said, smiling up at him. He grinned, his eyes sparkling with pride.
 He knelt down, feeling his mothers ring slide lower into his pocket. As he knelt face to face with your round belly, he couldn’t have been more thankful that Mary had returned his ring. That things hadn’t worked out between them, because if they did, he would have missed this. 
He pressed his lips against your belly in a chaste kiss, before chuckling softly to himself. “Hey there kid.” He said, his grin growing if that was even possible. “Ya bein’ good for ya mama?” He asked, running his hand over the tight skin. He felt a small kick under his palm, looking up at you for confirmation that it wasn’t a part of his imagination. “Was that a kick?”
“Sure was.” You chuckled, laying your hand over his. He chuckled, shaking his head as he stared at your belly. There had been too many nights lying next to you on his small cot, twirling the ring in his fingers. Just trying to work up the courage to ask you. Even before your belly started to swell he had dreamed of asking you. He just wanted everything to be perfect, although in hindsight it was a foolish thought. Things would never be perfect, that was the thing wasn’t it?
Now was the time. He knew it, kneeling here in front of you, but how was he gonna ask? How was he gonna get past the lump in his throat?
“Hey kiddo, ya think I could have a moment with your mama here?” He asked, a nervous smile on his lips as he looked up at you. “I got a question for her.” It was now or never. He reached into his pocket, his sweaty fingers grasping the small gold ring. He took in a deep breath before finding your gaze, holding out the ring to you. You gasped, covering your mouth with your hand, tears pricking your eyes.
“This… well this ain’t how I imagined this. I wanted to do something special for ya and I should’ve done this a long time ago. I promised ya when we found out about the kid I wouldn’t let anything happen to ya. I mean to keep that promise. There are men more deserving of you, hell I’m probably the least deserving-“ You scoffed shaking your head, “But none of those men could ever love you the way I do. So, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He asked, gingerly holding your left hand. 
“Yes, yes!” You cried, grinning as he slipped the ring onto your finger. He let out a breath of relief, getting to his feet. You threw yourself into his arms, laughing as tears slipped down your cheeks. 
“It’s uh- I know it’s nothing fancy but-“ He said softly, “It was my mothers and I know she’d want ya to have it.”
“It’s perfect.” You said, pulling away to admire the ruby ring. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” You chuckled, wiping away your tears as you admired the ring. Arthur’s heart warmed at your words. He would never know what he had done to deserve someone like you, you and the baby. Although he may not have said his vows at that moment, he made a silent one in his heart. As long as his heart was beating, and there was still breath in his lungs, nothing would ever happen to either of you.
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strawberrymochin · 18 hours
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Springtime Fushiguros♪
Context-: exploring the memories of childhood of fushiguros, marking the spring time of you and satoru gojo.
Summer daze :- cozy afternoon naps and picnic with gojo and the fushiguros
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You cleared away the empty cans into a plastic bag, putting them aside, then closing the lid of the emptied bentos, you prepared this morning.
Gojo streched himself on the blanket, he spread earlier, looking much chirpy and vibrant.
Last few days has been really hectic for Gojo. The higher ups are really driving him up the wall, building up his hatred even more. You didn't want him to get stressed because of those shitty people, thus you recommend to spend this holiday in mizumoto park having a picnic day.
You woke up early today, making different items, including a lot of foods that has a slight sweet hint to it, not forgetting to carry extra candies for him. You also made Megumi and Tsumiki's favourite foods so no one's left out. You are not that of a picky eater, so all these items were enough to please you.
'Hey, that was mine!!' Megumi whines as gojo picks a candy that was particularly reserved for Megumi.
'So what? I paid for it.' Gojo flicks an eyebrow at him, scoffing in superiority.
'That doesn't counts, give it back to me!'
'well, I've already popped it into my mouth. It has my saliva over it....still want it back?'
'Y/n-san!!' Megumi calls for you, 'oh come on 'toru! Teasing Megumi is not considered to be a part time hobby.'
Gojo straightens up, flicking his sunglasses with a swift movement. 'call me that again?'
You couldn't reciprocate for a moment that seemed long. 'um....'toru..?'
He looked at you for a while, intently and steadily, then layed down with a soft chuckle. You couldn't process his response, maybe he found the nickname silly? Ahh I shouldn't have called him that. You smacked yourself mentally.
You were about to explain yourself that it was not something cheesy you made up with and just an involuntary action, when—
'megumi-chan you can have mine.' Tsumiki being the kind hearted angel she is, offers her candy to Megumi.
'Its fine 'miki, you have that, I've got some more of those for you guys. Here.' You hand out the candies to the kids. 'we will leave before evening, wanna have a nap till then?'
'yes!' chirps tsumiki, 'lay down then.' you shift your body weight, lying on the right side while your upper arm supports your head, using the left hand to patt the area beside you, indicating the kids to lay down.
Megumi was going to take the spot beside you, but gojo pulls him beside him instead. Megumi groans, trying to squirm to get out of gojo's grip and run to you. Unfortunately, he isn't strong enough to do that. You laugh a bit, as Tsumiki lays beside you.
Warm rays of sunlight pools over, through the crown shyness, slow breezes cause the branches of the trees, above you guys dance loftily. The sound of the birds, insects and the scent of soil forged a serene environment.
Gojo was fondled megumi's hair, while he slowly drifted in his dreamy slumber. Tsumiki was fast asleep too.
'what was that before?' you said softly keeping your voice low, not to wake the kids up.
'hm?'
'why did you make me repeat—'
'Cuz, i wanted to hear it again.'
'why? Do you think it's silly?'
'You know, what's the most melodic thing to my ears in this entire world?' he smiles softly. His blue eyes shone like the point where the sun rays meet the vast sea. 'It's my name from your mouth.'
You felt a thousand butterflies in your stomach. This simple confession felt more intimate than any subtle physical moments you've had.
He continues, 'Don't know much about nicknames, but you've surely made me silly.....in love.'
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kteezy997 · 2 days
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my desire//t.c.
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Warnings: touchy PR subject, cheating, angst, smut, breast worship/sucking, rough sex, kinda sub!Timmy, hair pulling, one slap
This is for entertainment purposes. I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but please be kind❤️
You waited hours for Timothée to get home. He was with her: Kylie Jenner. They had been bound by a promotional contract, and he was forced to go on “dates” with her, to be seen and photographed. According to the press, they had been together for a year. But he was yours way before he was on Jenner's radar.
You knew that it was for his career and nothing more. The public didn’t know who you were or that you were in his life. You agreed to sit on the sidelines and be his secret, only because you loved him so much. You’d hide from the entire world with him, if it meant you could have him in some capacity.
But tonight, it had gone on too long. Why wasn’t he back yet? Could he really not get away? Was he enjoying spending time with her? As the hours dragged on, with you sitting alone in your apartment, you feared the worst: he was cheating on you with her, for real.
The fear turned into anger quickly. How could he give her so much of his time? That alone was cheating. That was betrayal. He was supposed to be with you, talking and laughing with you, not her. You didn’t want to believe that he would go to bed with her.
Finally, into the early morning hours, he came through the door, looking rather exhausted. If you weren’t mistaken, his skin looked a little flushed, and was that sweat on his hairline?
“Where have you been?” you demanded as soon as he came through the door.
“Babe, I didn’t think you’d still be up-" he was obviously surprised to be confronted by you, and he fumbled with his words.
“Answer me, Timothée.” you crossed your arms, feeling like a parent scolding their teenager who had been out passed their curfew.
“You know where I was.” he said lowly, taking his jacket off, tossing it onto the table. He turned to open the refrigerator.
“No, I know who you were with. What were you doing with her?”
“Nothing, baby. Just lost track of time, that’s all.” he insisted, grabbing a bottle of water.
“Lost track of time? With your fake girlfriend while your actual girlfriend was waiting for you?”
He turned to face you, taking a swig of the water, “I didn’t know you were waiting for me. I thought you were going out with your friends. I figured you would be asleep when I got home.”
“What the fuck were you doing out this late, Timothée? You’re all sweaty and tired. And you reek of skanky perfume! Tell me the truth, were you fucking her?!”
“Y/n…” he sighed, looking down at his feet.
“Don’t speak to me if it’s going to be a lie.” you spat through your teeth.
He put his hand on his forehead, then ran his fingers through his hair, “Honey, I meant to shower and forget that it even happened!”
“You’re such a bastard.” you scoffed. You hated yourself for thinking that this wouldn’t happen. The woman had fake tits and a fake ass, she posted bikini pictures almost daily, she was thirsted over by millions of followers. You hated that you thought that Timmy would be above that, and besides, he had you, right?
“It meant nothing to me, I fucking swear! I had to do it!”
“Oh, fuck you!” you felt the anger coursing through your veins. Your heart rate thumped all over your body.
“No, really, babe. She needs to believe that it’s a real relationship, and she wanted to fuck, so I had to. But it was just business,” he reached out for your hand, but you pulled away as soon as he touched you, “it wasn’t like how it is with you.” his voice broke.
“Holding her hand, a few kisses for the cameras are one thing, but I never thought you’d do this. I thought you were better than this.” you said, feeling your throat tighten. You turned your back to him. You were so pissed. All you could see was the two of them together. Kylie with her skinny arms and legs wrapped around the body of the love of your life, both of them sweating and breathing hard.
“Please, forgive me for this stupid thing with her. It will be over soon, I promise you. And we can have our normal life back. I’ll do anything!” he got on his knees in front of you, pleading and holding your hands in his, the persistence in his voice was palpable.
“Timothée.” you shook your head, feeling tears threatening your eyes. It was all so much to bear. You tried to get the images of him with her out of your mind.
“Please, stay with me. I love you. You’re the one I want. You have my desire, not her.” he nestled his face into your stomach, wrapping his arms around your body, “She’s nothing to me. I’m sorry you’d have to deal with this. You are my world. Tonight was a mistake. It will never happen again, you have my word, y/n. Please, stay with me.”
You put your hand on the bed of curls atop his head, combing your fingers through it, “I think I need to sleep on this. It’s just a lot right now.”
Timmy pressed his hands into your back, and you could hear him starting to cry. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
You took ahold of his arms, prying them off of you, “You have to stop. Let me go, Timmy. I have to go to bed. Stop.”
He complied, letting you remove his arms from your body, he sat back on his knees. “I love you, y/n.”
You saw the tears run onto his cheeks, you knew that he was truly broken. At this point, you were glad that he felt so terrible. “I just can’t be around you right now.”
…….
You didn’t get much sleep at all, but morning came, and you found Timmy sleeping on the couch. You watched him sleep for a moment, wondering about all the things he did with Kylie last night. Did he put his mouth on her tits? Did he perform oral sex on her? Did she blow him? Did he like it? Did he get off watching her perfect bubble butt as he rammed into her from behind? Was she better in bed than you?
You noticed that he had changed his clothes from the previous night. He must have showered when you went to bed.
You wanted to hate him, to be angry and loud and throw things at him. But you couldn’t. It would be hard to go on from here, you knew that. Maybe in time, you could forgive him. You had never loved anyone like you loved Timmy.
You just wanted those images out of your head. He was supposed to love you. He was supposed to be loyal to you. He was supposed to protect your heart. You wanted to take back what was yours.
You leaned over, placing your hand on his shoulder, shaking him.
Timmy woke up, barely able to open his eyes, but you didn't care how tired or groggy he was.
"Was she better than me?" you asked in a demanding tone.
He furrowed his brows, squinting, "What?" his voice was soft as a whisper.
"You heard me."
He shook his head, "No. Of course not. Y/n, I didn't want this for you. Please, don't compare. She means nothing to me." he sighed, "Fuck it, I'm going to cancel the contract."
"Well, you'll lose the money that the Karjenner clan is making you."
"I don't give a shit! It's ruined me and you. It’s making you doubt yourself.” he was the most distraught you had ever seen him. “It's clouded my judgement, it's made me do something disgusting, I betrayed you. I'm fucking done with all of it." he grabbed his phone from the side table, dialing a number in an instant.
You heard everything. It was a lengthy process, talking to different members of his management team, his agent, and representatives of the Jenners. He didn't stop. He left no stone unturned until everyone knew that he was finished with this PR deal.
It felt like hours, but once the dust settled, Timmy sat back down on the couch next to you. "It's over." he said, "They have some paperwork for me to sign to finalize everything, but it's definitely finished. I'm so fucking done with it."
"Well, if that's what you want, then I'm happy for you." you said, keeping your tone neutral.
He inhaled, drawing a hefty breath back out, he looked over at your hand as it sat on your lap, nonverbally asking to take it in his.
You gave him a small nod.
He reached over and tucked his fingers under yours, gripping your hand gently, "I'm sorry for what I did. I hope you find a way to forgive me and we can move forward. I'll never hurt you again."
"And I'll kill you if you do." you said, not a hint of falseness in your words. You put your hand on his in your lap and leaned over, kissing his lips.
He was obviously surprised by this, and he kissed you back with a fierceness.
You pulled away, resting your hand on his chest before taking his shirt into your fist. "Now, I want you to fuck me so good that you forget her name."
Timmy wasted no time, he grabbed the back of your head, pulling you into a heated kiss. He introduced his tongue and you let it dance with yours. He pulled you onto his lap, tugging on your clothes.
You complied, taking your clothes off quickly and then steadying yourself on his lap.
He cupped your breasts, and stopped kissing you to latch onto your nipple. He sucked your breast like it was sweet nectar from the gods. He suckled the bud, licked all around it all while rolling your other nipple between his fingers.
You were moaning, clutching the back of his head as he put his lips around your other nipple. He sucked your tits like it was his job, and you got incredibly wet. "Are you hard for me?" you asked, nearly out of breath as you started to grind against his crotch.
"Yes, my love. Take my cock into that sweet pussy." he breathed out, looking up at you like you were a drop of water in the deep desert.
You slid the front of his pants down, letting his hard cock free. It stood perpendicular to his body with drops of precum starting to leak from his slit. You brought your hips forward, and you and Timmy held his cock for you to sink down onto.
He slid in as you bottomed out, you felt the wonderful stretch of him. You put your hands on his shoulders, instantly bobbing your hips up and down.
Timmy started to pant softly. He held you by the waist, just watching you fuck him. He licked his lips, and eventually his mouth fell open, like he was in awe of you. “Yes, baby, feels so good.” he praised, giving your hips a light squeeze.
You moved your hands from his shoulders to the ledge of the back of the couch behind him. “Mm.” you whimpered, slowing your pace, but taking him deeper.
He put his hands on your breasts, softly rubbing your nipples with his thumbs. “I love you. I love you so much.” he cooed, leaning in to you and kissing your neck.
You kept thrusting your hips along his cock, creating that warm sensation inside of you. You felt amazing, you let your head fall back.
The next thing you knew, he tightened his grip around your body, causing you to still yourself completely. He thrusted his hips upward, his cock pumped in and out at full speed.
You held onto him, clenching your eyes shut, feeling the friction, feeling the tip of his cock in your stomach. “Fuck!” you cried. You dug your nails into his arms. “Timmy!” You could hear the squelching, wet sounds from your pussy, and the slapping of his thighs on your ass.
“Aw fuck!” you heard him mutter under a ragged breath. Just after, you felt his sperm shooting into you. You moaned at the feeling, wiggling your hips on him.
Timmy rested his head on your chest for a moment, and kissed your breasts. He didn’t pull out, he didn’t let you go. He put his arms around you and regained his pace inside you.
The build up was insane, you came before you even realized it was happening. He must have sensed your release, because he slowed his pace. He gave your ass a squeeze, and pumped his hips into you, lazily.
As you rode through your high, you met each other’s thrusts, moving together. You locked eyes with him. They were deep green, and all sexed out. You put your hands in his hair, tugging on his curls.
Timmy groaned as you pulled on his hair. He put his head back on the couch.
You attacked his mouth with sloppy kisses. You had stopped fucking him, but he was softly rutting into you. You scraped your teeth along his jaw and bit at his neck. You let go of his hair, pushing it out of his face.
The curls were out of his eyes. He looked at you like you were the only being on earth. “I fucking love you.” he huffed out, a silly grin on his face.
You leaned back a little, then brought your hand up. You opened up your palm, a threw a swift slap across his cheek.
His head snapped to the side, and he groaned in pain. He put his hand on the cheek you had slapped, then turned his head back.
“I love you too. But I don’t like you right now.”
Timmy rubbed his cheek, “I can live with that.”
@gatoenlaciudad @thebetawolfgirl
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dreamcubed · 12 hours
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...ready for it? | mattheo riddle x reader
song; ...ready for it? [taylor swift] pairing; mattheo riddle x fem!muggle-born!reader genre; fake dating, s2l, fluff, smut word count; 5,3k timeline; subsidiary 8th year warnings; swearing, references to alcohol/drugs/smoking, violence, blood and injury, piv sex, unprotected sex, fingering, discrimination (of muggle-borns) summary; following the war, mattheo is suffocated by the association with his father, and decides there is only one way to make people see that he is nothing like him. you, on the other hand, want to prove to people that, in the year you've been in hiding, you have changed from the naïve goody-two-shoes you once were
screaming crying throwing up at how good tortured poets department is
masterlist
"in the middle of the night, in my dreams, you should see the things we do."
————————————————
The rumours followed Mattheo Riddle like hitmen— praying for his downfall, never leaving him alone, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. To many, it was obvious what he was before even meeting him. Evidently, the son of the Dark Lord was every bit as bad as his father, would fill his shoes now that he was dead, that there would be a Third Wizarding War with Mattheo at the very centre of it. Never mind that he hardly knew his father, that Voldemort had been gone for almost his entire childhood.
After the final demise of the Dark Lord, and Mattheo had elected to return to Hogwarts for the subsidiary eighth year, his reputation built on gossip and assumptions had only gotten worse. It hadn't helped that he now bore the dark mark on his left forearm, and he had tried to explain that his father had forced him to take it, that he would have hurt him in unthinkable ways if he didn't, but no one listened. No one cared. He still had his friends, but his association with them didn't help, as most of them were pure-blooded Slytherins whose families were death eaters.
But without them he would have nothing.
He didn't understand— no one was nearly as mad at Draco for walking over to the Dark Lord at the final battle as they were at him for simply possessing some of his DNA. It made him resent his cousin, but he knew he couldn't blame him. He had been every bit as coerced into the death eater cult as him: threatened with the deaths of them and their families.
Muggle-borns and the majority of the half-bloods avoided him like the plague; even some pure-bloods, who were far more politically correct, looked at him with distaste in their eyes. Mattheo wanted to scream to the whole world that he wasn't his father and didn't give a single fuck about blood purity. But who would listen? They would see that he was screaming and immediately associate his anger with the desire to start a war.
You, on the other hand, also couldn't escape your reputation. Prior to the war, you had been known as a goody-two-shoes, called uptight, boring, a smartass. While in hiding throughout seventh year, you had shed any resemblance you had to such an identity, but despite appearing and acting completely differently now you had returned for the subsidiary eighth year, your peers still treated you like a naïve and overly innocent child. Bullied you, even, in some more extreme cases. They viewed you as socially inept, sexually unaware, scared of alcohol, smoking and drugs.
They wouldn't listen when you told them that you had changed— so, there you found yourself, in a Saturday detention after doing something incredibly stupid to get people to stop seeing you that way. The stupid thing in question? You had let yourself get caught being outside of your house quarters after curfew. It was pathetic, and an admittedly idiotic thing to do just for the sake of changing your reputation, but there you were.
Worst thing was it hadn't even worked.
"I bet she had a panic attack," a Ravenclaw girl had giggled.
"She definitely got on her knees and started begging for the professor to show mercy," a Hufflepuff boy had laughed.
They still saw you as pathetic and helpless: a certified teacher's pet.
"Miss L/N, you'll be serving detention with Mr Riddle today," Professor McGonagall spoke, snapping you out of your self-pitying thoughts, "Your task will be to clean every cauldron here in the potions classroom— by hand, no magic— until they are gleaming."
You glanced over to your right to see that Mattheo Riddle was indeed sat there: he must have snuck in while you were deep in thought. It was just your luck, that your weak attempt would have the worst possible consequences— being stuck in detention with the Dark Lord's son as a muggle-born.
"I will check on you both periodically." The headmistress then departed, but not before saying to you, "I'm disappointed in you, Miss L/N."
Even your professors still saw you as naïve. It made you angry.
Mattheo watched you curiously as you stormed over to the big stack of cauldrons and roughly grabbed one, slamming it down on the floor and grabbing the muggle cleaning supplies left out. You started scrubbing in such an anger-fuelled rigorous manner that he almost forgot that he was supposed to be helping you.
"You gonna help or not?" you snapped.
His eyes widened, and he couldn't stop a smirk from gracing his lips, "Never thought I'd see the day where goody-two-shoes L/N is in detention and yells at me."
"Would people stop fucking saying that?" you said all too loud, "I hate it. I fucking hate it."
"Hate what?" Mattheo asked delicately, standing up and walking over to grab a cauldron from the pile.
"Being called a goody-two-shoes like I'm some kind of child," you scowled, "I'm sick of being treated like I've never even had a sip of alcohol."
This was the first time since before the war that a muggle-born had even entertained having a full conversation with Mattheo, even if you were filled with rage throughout it. Because of that, he decided that he needed to calm you down and make you actually like him— association with a muggle-born could completely transform his reputation.
"I'm sorry," he said delicately, the words foreign to him, "I didn't realise it hurt you so much."
You stopped scrubbing the cauldron to look up at him with shock evident on your face: had the son of Voldemort just apologised to you? He had to be mocking you, there was no way he wasn't. "You're making fun of me," you said cautiously.
"I'm not, I swear," he held his hands up in surrender, "I know all too well what it's like to not be able to escape a reputation."
"Aren't you in here for getting into a fight?" you raised an eyebrow curiously.
He nodded grimly, "Guy wouldn't stop saying I'm exactly like my father."
And that was when your opinion of Mattheo began to soften, and you started to feel bad for assuming he hated muggle-borns simply because of who his father was. But he did have the Dark Mark.
"If you're not like him, why did you get that?" you gestured towards his left arm, which was covered but everyone knew what sat there.
Mattheo drew back, "He was responsible for genocide, do you really think he was beyond threatening me if I didn't take it?" His words were cold, and angry.
"Sorry," you mumbled, regretting asking such a personal question when you hardly knew him.
Silence fell upon you both for a couple minutes as you polished away at the cauldrons.
"For the record, I didn't ever think you'd only had a sip of alcohol."
You quirked an eyebrow at him, "No?"
He shrugged, "Everyone gets drunk. I just thought you only did it outside of school."
A small smile crept on to your face, "Thank you, mind telling everyone else that?"
"Sure."
You had said it as a joke— you didn't expect him to be so agreeable. "Really?"
He nodded.
"Oh, God, now I feel so bad."
"Why?" Mattheo asked, finding your muggle-speaking mannerisms endearing.
"Because I believed your reputation."
"You don't anymore?"
You shook your head, "This is the first time someone's ever treated me my age."
He tilted his head curiously, "You know, I think we might be able to help each other's reputations."
"You do?"
"Think about it," he shifted closer to you, "People think I hate muggle-borns, you're a muggle-born. People think you're an innocent goody-two-shoes, I'm known for being quite the opposite."
"So...?"
"We date."
Your brain short circuited and you dropped your cloth into the cauldron, "We... date?"
"Not for real," he clarified, "Just until people's views of us are changed."
You thought it over. It was true: no one would think of Mattheo as like his father if he was willingly in a relationship with a muggle-born, and no real goody-two-shoes would date bad boy Mattheo Riddle.
"Okay," you said, holding out your hand, "Let's do it."
The boy smirked, taking your hand, "Perfect."
***
When you arrived at dinner that evening, after a long few hours of cleaning cauldrons until they glistened, it was hand in hand. He squeezed your palm softly as watchful eyes observed the two of you together, and he even tugged you over to the Slytherin table, making you give him a worried look.
"They'll be civil," he leaned down to whisper in your ear. You nodded nervously.
All of his friends were in silence as they watched you take a seat next to Mattheo, and their jaws almost dropped when he began dishing food on to your plate first. You felt embarrassed under their gaze, but you didn't let it show, thanking Mattheo once your plate was full. He gave you a soft smile that you had never seen grace his face before— not that you had ever been close enough to him to see it.
One of his friends, Blaise Zabini, cleared his throat and broke the silence, "So, uh, are you two a thing?"
"Yeah," your 'boyfriend' replied.
"I didn't even know you were courting," Blaise stated simply, clearly suspicious.
"There's a lot of things you don't know," Mattheo said vaguely, "Can't a man have some secrets?"
Silence fell once more.
"Do any of you have a problem?" he asked, the slightest hint of anger lacing his tone.
They all immediately shook their heads.
"Good."
Despite Mattheo's friends being remarkably docile towards you, you could still feel the stare of other people littered around the room. It was quite a shock, you supposed, as you two were probably the last couple anyone would have expected. Regardless, they should really learn to mind their business— if they did, you wouldn't have to be doing a whole fake dating scheme in the first place.
***
Mattheo walked you to class, held your hand in the corridors, and even carried your books for you wherever you went. Stares continued to follow, but people no longer called you a goody-two-shoes: no, instead when you overheard people ask about you, they said "she's Riddle's girl" instead. You would prefer to be thought of as your own person, but it was certainly a step up from the reputation that you were so sick of. That, and Mattheo had informed you that muggle-borns were no longer avoiding him like the plague, even occasionally nodding at him in the hallways. All around, the plan was working.
No one knew that your dating scheme was fake apart from the two of you, even his friends believed it— and, despite your blood status, they were beginning to warm up to you. Pansy especially, and you were grateful to finally have someone that you could consider a friend.
One chilly Tuesday morning, when Mattheo was walking you to your ancient runes lesson, there was another girl in your class being 'dropped off' by her boyfriend. You both watched as he leaned down to peck her lips before leaving, and you didn't think anything of it until you reached the door and Mattheo leaned down to press a soft kiss on your lips. Taken aback, your ears heated up, and you felt shy as he smirked at you.
"What was that for?" you whispered.
The man before you shrugged, "He did it. Can't have people knowing the truth about us."
"They have no reason to suspect it," you grumbled, but you couldn't deny the butterflies swarming around your stomach.
"Better safe than sorry," he grinned cheekily, "I'll see you later, doll, yeah?"
You nodded, caught off guard when he kissed you yet again.
You were in a daze when you entered the classroom, and you knew that everyone could guess why there was a smile plastered on your face. You felt like a lovesick fool, when you weren't even in love.
***
Mattheo had insisted that people would question the validity of your relationship if you didn't go on Hogsmeade dates together: every Hogwarts couple went on dates to Hogsmeade. You had reminded him that people had no reason to question whether or not your relationship was fake, but he had once again shrugged and said, "Better safe than sorry." Not that you minded, of course, you had always wanted to participate in the Hogsmeade dating tradition. Although, it did make you wonder how long this dating scheme would go on for, as Mattheo's reputation was essentially already completely transformed.
"Can we go in Honeydukes?" you asked as Mattheo, like the gentleman he apparently was, helped you down from the carriage.
"Of course," he smiled, not letting your hand go, "Wherever you want, doll."
Your stomach flipped, but there remained an itching notion in the back of your head. It was fake: it was all fake. He was only being so gentlemanly and caring to prove to the school that not only did he not share his father's views on muggle-borns, but that he could dote on one like it was his life's purpose. All he wanted was to no longer be seen as the devil's incarnate, so he presented himself as an angel. But, when he looked at you with that smirk and that glint in his eyes, it would feel real— just for the briefest moment. No one had ever been romantically interested in you before, maybe that's why you felt his actions deep in your core.
"Hello? Y/N?" his voice snapped you out of your drifting thoughts, and you realised that he was talking to you.
"Hm?"
"Thought I'd lost you there," he chuckled, "C'mon, doll— Honeydukes, remember?"
"Yeah, sorry," you looked down abashedly, and his grip on your hand tightened.
"Sometime this year, if that's okay with you."
***
Mattheo's ring-clad hands left a cool trail against your blazing skin, setting your insides alight as you felt wetness pool at your core. He had his signature smirk settled on his face, the smooth curve of his pink lips sending sparks throughout your body. The hazed look in his dark eyes likely mirrored the one in yours— you were getting desperate, revelling in the way he stared at your tits.
"Please, Matty," you murmured, begging for something, anything.
His sinister chuckle made your senses twitch and tingle. "Please what? What do you want, doll?"
"You," you said thoughtlessly, reaching your hands up to grasp on to his shirt.
"I'm all yours," he whispered, his hand trailing down to the inside of your shorts and panties. When he finally made contact with your slick entrance, your hips bucked up, grateful to have finally received some amount of stimulation. "You're so wet for me."
You hummed as he began tracing circles on your clit, forcing out a moaned, "Only for you."
He applied more pressure, making you grasp on to the bedsheets for dear life, unable to physically comprehend the magic feel of his calloused fingertips. The smirk on his face returned as he watched you writhe beneath him, and you felt your peak approaching faster than you had imagined was possible. Everything about it felt so right, so perfect, so erotic.
"You gonna come for me, angel?" he asked, his eyes locked on to yours.
You nodded.
"Then come."
And just as you felt your muscles begin to tighten and the pleasure begin to climax, the moment was cut short.
***
You were in bed, that much was still the same, but there was no sign of a Slytherin descendant anywhere in your vicinity, and your tits were not out in the open, being enclosed within your large pyjama shirt. You groaned, feeling the pool of wetness between your legs, but being unable to do anything about it due to your shared dormitory situation. Fuck, Mattheo wasn't even your real boyfriend, and you had just had a godly wet dream about him that lit a match in your soul.
How could you face him after picturing him in such an intimate situation? How could you pretend like you were okay with the surface-level falseness of your façade? He was your doom's day: you could feel it. You should never have agreed to a fake relationship, and remained begrudgingly within your outdated reputation.
Reluctantly, you peeled the covers off of your sweating body, and made your way to the showers.
***
Avoiding him was just as impossible as being around him. For one, you couldn't risk people questioning the stability or realness of your relationship. For two, the second you entered the Great Hall for breakfast, he was beckoning you over to where his friends were. And you couldn't very well ignore him when he had done absolutely nothing wrong.
"Hey, doll," he greeted you, pecking your cheek in the process. The very action made the flame burn brighter.
"Hi," you all but squeaked, focusing your attention on taking some waffles.
"We were just discussing the next quidditch game."
"It's a guaranteed win for Slytherin," Zabini smirked, knowing full well that the team that they would be playing against was your house's.
You scrunched up your nose, "I wouldn't be so sure."
"Are you not even gonna wear my jumper during the game?" Mattheo asked, sending yet another sparking bolt straight through your veins. You could feel your body heating up just by being in his presence.
"Against any other house I would, but I have to draw the line somewhere," you said, hoping your voice sounded completely normal and not at all like you craved his naked form. Unfortunately, the appeal of wearing a clothing item that would have his scent woven into its fabric was not helping your case.
"Pity," he grumbled.
Thankfully, Zabini challenging your opinion that Slytherin wasn't guaranteed to win led to a wonderfully distracting argument with the rest of the Slytherin boys. Not only was it a distraction, but it also made you feel as if they saw you as an equal, not just as a muggle-born, but in age and lack of innocence as well. It was a stupid notion, but it was the kind of treatment that you had desired for so long.
"I can't stand this quidditch talk any longer," Pansy finally said, having remained quiet for the majority of the conversation, "Y/N, wanna get away from the men?"
"Please," you murmured, grateful to escape the intoxicating presence of Mattheo.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
Pansy shook her head as she stood up, "Anywhere but here. The girls' toilets if it means getting away from you all."
You giggled, going to stand up. You felt Mattheo's hand grasp your wrist, giving way to tingly sensations reminiscent of last night's dream.
"I'll see you later, yeah?"
"Of course," you nearly stuttered, "We have defence against the dark arts."
He nodded, letting go of your wrist, before saying to Pansy, "Don't keep her too long."
"Calm down, lover boy," she retorted, linking arms with you as you began to walk off.
The last thing you heard from the Slytherin boys was Berkshire saying to Mattheo, "You're pussy-whipped, mate."
Oh, how you wished he was.
***
"I don't know how you managed to lock down prince of the fuckboys Mattheo," Pansy spoke as you both entered the girls' toilets, "And I do see the way he looks at you-"
"The way he looks at me?"
She nodded, "Like you're the only girl in the room— but, please be careful. I don't want you getting hurt."
You knew that it was too late for that, as you had caught feelings in a fake relationship, and it was killing you inside that you couldn't tell anyone about it. All you could do was agree with Pansy. "Thank you for your concern, I appreciate it."
"Of course, we're friends," Pansy smiled, "And I love Mattheo dearly as a friend, but I know his history when it comes to romance and sex."
"People change," you murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.
"That they do," she agreed, "But just be sure of Mattheo's change before you fall madly in love with him."
Somehow you feared it was too late for that.
***
During defence against the dark arts— a theory lesson, unfortunately— you found your seat next to Mattheo as you let Pansy's words mull over you. The anxious pondering that you were in too deep caused you to start nervously bouncing your leg up and down. It was an action that did not go unnoticed by Mattheo, who furrowed his eyebrows at your behaviour. Gently, he placed his hand on your thigh and watched as you froze up at the contact.
Because, little did he know, the simple act of a touch so close to your core sent tingling flashbacks of your dream of him flooding through your veins. Your skin became ablaze with desire, and long gone was the obsessive overthinking about what Pansy had said to you. You sucked in a shallow breath, gripping your quill tightly as you glanced towards Mattheo who was now looking at you with thrice the concern than he was earlier.
"You okay?" he whispered.
You gulped and nodded, but it was clear that he didn't believe you. He squeezed your thigh gently, and you swore that your brain nearly short-circuited— yet you didn't want to push his hand off. This moment was so far removed from the fake external image of your relationship that you temporarily forgot all of your concerns. No one could see where his hand was: it served no purpose towards your reputation as a couple.
Merlin knows you would never be able to recall the content of that lesson.
***
One breezy autumnal afternoon and you were walking down the hallway, hand in hand with Mattheo and giggling about this and that. You had finally pushed Pansy's warning to the very back of your mind, and allowed yourself to almost fully immerse yourself in the moment with your so-called boyfriend. The interlocked nature of your hands felt natural as you paid no mind to bystanders.
That was, until, the unmistakable word of mudblood passed through your ears from the direction of a seventh year Slytherin, who evidently disapproved of your newfound association with the house. It was annoying, really, how your ears always tuned into that word no matter how distracted you were. You paused in your movements and stared at him: you were no longer timid, nor a push-over. Mattheo looked confusedly at you and where you were looking.
"What are you looking at, mudblood?" the seventh year sneered at you, and before you could even say anything, Mattheo's hand had let go of yours.
And he had barrelled right into the boy, throwing merciless punches as his face went stone cold. "Do you wanna say that again, hm?" he spat, landing another solid hit, "Don't ever fucking talk about my girlfriend like that."
You stared in shock at the brawl, feeling a whole wave of mixed emotions— Mattheo was defending you, and by God did he look fucking hot doing it. But, also, you really should break up the fight before he committed manslaughter.
"Mattheo," you said softly, but he didn't hear you, so you said louder and more sternly, "Mattheo."
His movements ceased and he resorted to staring down at the boy who now groaned in pain, covered in blood and already darkening bruises.
"This was a warning," he said carefully, "Next time I won't stop."
You shook your head, grabbing his bicep to pull him off the boy for good and dragging him away. It was lucky there hadn't been a professor around, but they would probably still find out one way or another and Mattheo would get punished. For now, however, he was yours to deal with.
"I can fight my own battles," you bit off, but there wasn't any real malice in your tone.
"I know," he said simply.
You sighed and rolled your eyes, "Thank you, though, for defending me."
"Of course. No one belittles my girl."
Your heart flipped— there was nobody around, there was no reason for him to say that. Deciding to focus your attention in order to ignore the thumping of your heart, you analysed his hands. "We need to get you cleaned up."
"It's just a little blood," he shrugged.
"A little is still too much. C'mon."
You dragged him to the abandoned girls' toilets, where Moaning Myrtle resided, and ran some toilet paper (which had probably been there for decades) under the tap. As you began delicately wiping down the injuries, Mattheo watched you with intrigue, admiring your attention to detail. Little did he know, you were simply trying to stop yourself from replaying the sexiest image you had ever scene in your life inside your head. You felt as if you were about to burst into flames.
Once you were finally done, you chucked the toilet paper into a toilet and re-emerged from the cubicle, making eye contact with the man leaning against the sinks. Moaning Myrtle seemed to be nowhere in sight.
Which was a good thing, because the tension in the air was thick— thicker than blood. You bit your lip as Mattheo's eyes raked down your body and drank you in. Under his gaze, you felt purely animalistic: beauty didn't matter, intelligence didn't matter... all that mattered was skin on skin and bodies becoming one. But, when it became clear no one was going to make a move, you said, "Pansy warned me about you."
"In what way?" he smirked.
"That I shouldn't get in too deep with the prince of fuckboys until I'm sure you've changed."
"And do you think I've changed?"
"What does it matter? We're not actually together."
A flash of hurt coursed through Mattheo at the reminder, but he remained stoic and said, "That's not what I asked, is it?"
You stared at him blankly.
"Do you think I've changed?" he repeated.
You said nothing.
"Because I think I've changed," he stepped closer to you, "So, I'll ask you one more time, do you think I've changed?"
"Yes," you replied feebly.
"My friends think I've changed," he continued, "They think I'm pussy-whipped."
You felt bold for the briefest moment, and asked, "Are you?"
He shrugged, leaning his face down until it was inches from yours, "I don't know yet. Guess we'll have to find out."
And then his lips were on yours in a passionate frenzy. None of those pecks he had given you in greeting and goodbye: no, this was a real kiss, one that had the fire in your heart dancing erratically. You pulled away, breathless, to see that Mattheo was looking at you with hazy dark eyes.
"Was that real?" you asked.
"Well, it happened, didn't it?"
You shook your head, "I mean, was it real?"
A smirk tugged on his lips, "No one was here to see, sweetheart."
And that was all the confirmation you needed to kiss him again, sliding your tongue along his lips as he grabbed your ass, squeezing and groaning. You felt electric, alive— transcendent. His mouth moved from your lips, to along your jaw, to your neck. He sucked and licked in a way that had you letting out a gasp, melting under his touch.
"You're my nicotine," he mumbled, slipping a hand under your skirt and pushing you back against the wall.
You moaned as his fingers glided over your clit.
"You like that, doll?"
Helplessly, you nodded, your legs buckling as he applied more pressure and more vigour.
"Mhm, that's my girl," he murmured, bringing you quicker to your release than you had ever been able to manage yourself.
"Fuck, Matty, I'm gonna come," you gasped out, hips bucking up as you leaned against the tiled wall.
He chuckled as you rode out your high, the slickness of your pussy creating a squelching sound throughout the acoustics of the massive vacant toilets.
"I hate it when my friends call me that," he muttered, pulling his fingers out from under your skirt.
Your ears heated up even more— if that was possible— and you quickly rushed out a, "Sorry."
"Don't be," he kissed your lips softly, "I like it when you say it."
Your lips curved into a shy smile.
"Do you mind if we deal with a certain problem?" he asked, gesturing to the tent in his trousers that had more slick leaking from you at the sight of.
"Of course," you said slyly, a new wave of confidence rushing over you. Slowly, you walked around him and sauntered over to the sinks, pulling your tights and panties down as you leaned forward and lifted up your skirt.
"Fuck," you heard him curse, "You really have changed."
And then he was behind you, as suggested by the sound of a zipper so close to you, and the fact you could see him in the mirror. You watched as he pulled out his dick, which was thick and long, making your mouth water as he lined himself up with your entrance.
"Are you sure?" he questioned, not sure if he could take any answer but 'yes'.
You bobbed your head, "Fuck me, Matty."
"As you wish, doll." And then he was inside you, filling you to the brim and making you feel as if you were finally whole.
"Fuck," you gasped, clutching the edge of the sink as he began thrusting, your eyes tightly shut.
"Look at me."
You opened your eyes, making eye contact with him in the looking glass. Sweat was gathered on his brow, and his hands were tightly on your hips— you felt so close to him, in such a real and authentic way that had your soul burning.
One of his hands moved, retreating out of your view, but you knew exactly where it went when you felt a jolt of pleasure shooting through you. He rubbed circles that had you seeing stars, your moans and curses pushing Mattheo close to the edge along with the pure ecstasy of how you felt around him. He didn't think he had ever been so vocal during sex before, but with you, everything felt brand new. Finally, Mattheo felt like he belonged somewhere, felt like he was nothing like his father— but he had no place in his thoughts at that moment. Instead, he focused on you and the clothed curves of your body, until he was about to explode.
"Can I come inside you?" he panted.
In a sex haze, you moaned, "Yes."
And then his release hit, the throbbing of his dick pushing you to your second orgasm as his movements became sloppy. Eventually, once your highs had been ridden through, he stopped moving, the only sounds remaining being the ones of heavy breathing. When he had pulled out, and you had both cleaned up and done up your clothes, you gave him a teasing smile.
"Are we real now?"
He chuckled, "This was never fake. Not to me."
"Well, then, boyfriend," you smirked, "Better scurry on and get me a Plan B potion."
He pressed a kiss to your lips, "Yes, ma'am."
And he took your hand in his.
———————————————
masterlist
written; 10/04/2024 —> 25/04/2024 published; 25/04/2024 edited; —/—/——
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Text
Scout x reader who's never been to a baseball game before (ROMANTIC)
(I was bored and wrote this, I actually have been to multiple baseball games before but my ass still doesn't know anything about it. Reader's gender neutral as always. Trying to get better at writing oneshots so have this ig :/ Word count: ~1400)
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ─── 
It was strangely calm that day, it was one of the occasional days off that the mercs had. You sat on your bed, reading through some random magazine you’d picked up here or there when your boyfriend Scout barged in. “Hey doll!”
You continued flicking through the pages of the magazine, not flinching. You’d gotten used to this after a year of knowing him and two months of dating him. The door might as well not have existed at this point. “Yes?”
“Wanna go to the game today? With me?” he said, flashing you two tickets in his hand.
“What kinda game?” You looked up.
“Only the best game to be created,” he said with a smirk. “Baseball.”
You shrugged. “Sure, I don’t have anything else to do—” you barely got out before you were tackled with a hug by Scout, your magazine falling somewhere on the bed as you were wrapped up in his arms. “Jesus, you’re that excited, huh?”
He only chuckled and kissed your cheek. “Hell yeah I am! I get to have my two favorite things, baseball and you, dollface.” 
You roll your eyes and give him a kiss on the cheek back, relaxing into his arms for a moment as you soak up his warmth. “...wait, am I below baseball?”
“Uhh…”
ੈ♡˳
“Bye Engie! Thanks for the ride!” Scout yelled out as Engineer drove away in his pickup truck, leaving the two of you to the sea of people waiting to get in despite the insufferable heat. 
“Geez, are there normally this many people at these things?” you said as you held onto Scout’s hand to not lose him as you walked to the back of the line for the ticket booth.
“What, ya never been to a baseball game before?” he said with a laugh. It was a rhetorical question from his perspective, but not for you. 
“No.” Scout’s jaw dropped. 
“W- whaddya mean you’ve never been to a baseball game before, w- why? How?” In his mind, baseball was the most amazing game in the world, and it was simply a crime that the most amazing person in the world had never seen it.
You shrugged. “Just never did.” Scout was full of feelings about this. On one hand, you were his dollface and it hurt that you had been deprived of one of the greatest pleasures life could offer. On the other hand, he got to be the guy to introduce you to your first baseball game, which had the same significance as a first kiss. In his mind at least.
“D’ya at least know the game? Like, how it works?”
You thought for a moment before saying: “Um, you hit balls and run a lot?”
Hoo boy. Scout sighed. “I mean- you ain’t wrong but ya ain’t right. Listen doll, so there’s nine guys on each team, right? And one of the guys is the pitcher for the inning. The pitcher, he’s the fella who . . .”
ੈ♡˳
“. . . and then the outfielders, once you have those fellas you can get somethin’ called a line drive where it hits right to ‘em without touchin’ the ground–”  
It had twenty non-stop minutes of Scout explaining the entire concept of baseball to you, and if you heard another way a ball can be thrown you were gonna snap. You took his face in your hands and kissed him before another move could be explained. 
His ears flushed red and he froze for a moment after you pulled away. “Uh, what was that all about, doll?”
“I love you but if I hear another word about baseball I’m gonna lose it. Can I just watch the game with you and enjoy it that way?” you ask. 
“Fine, fine—” he cuts himself off as the two of you are both hit with the realization. You said I love you. Shit, shit, shit shit shitshitshit!
Before you can stammer out a sorry or any other form of explanation, the woman in the ticket booth says “Next!” and you’re left to panic while Scout gives her the tickets.
We’ve only been dating for a few months, is that weird to say? It must be, he didn’t say it back. Maybe he didn’t hear me? No, he definitely heard me. Oh god, I fucked this up bad, fuck—
“Hey dollface, she said we can go in, c’mon,” he said with a smile, squeezing your hand and leading you into the stadium. You two found a spot in the bleachers, luckily under the shade of an awning. You nervously bounced your leg as you prepared for the game to begin.
He’s not treating me any differently, maybe he’s just gonna ignore that I said that. Please, god just ignore it. 
“Geez, real anxious to see the game, huh doll?” he said to you with a smile.
“Yeah, yeah.” Maybe this would all be okay, another normal date. Just ignore that gross feeling in your gut and it’ll be fine.
ੈ♡˳
It was not all fine. Everytime the word ‘love’ came out of Scout’s mouth you couldn’t help but feel a growing annoyance. And he said it a lot.
“Man, I love that guy!”
“ —fuckin’ love this hot dog—”
“Love the view, right doll?”
It’s like he was rubbing it in. The gross feeling, the loud noise and the tight packed crowd all teamed up to give you a headache. Great. You distracted yourself from the feeling by leaning into him and eating your popcorn, desperately trying to understand the game in front of you. Maybe you should have listened a little more to your boyfriend’s explanation. “You cold dollface?
“Nah, just tired and have a little headache, ‘m fine,” you said as you popped another piece of popcorn in your mouth.
He wrapped his arm around you so you could have more support. “We, uh, don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, y’know. It’s the bottom of the fifth if you wanna get out of here.”
“No, no, it‘s fine, gotta stay for my first baseball game. Besides, isn’t that rude to just leave?”
“Naw, it’s fine. ‘S pretty normal not to stay the whole nine innings for your first game. ‘Sides, I don’t want you to feel like shit. We could go to a game some other time, how’s that sound?”
You smiled softly. “Sounds perfect.”
“Good, now c’mon,” he said as he picked you up in his arms to carry you out of the stadium.
“Jeremy, my head is the thing that hurts, not my legs. I can still walk, you doofus,” you laughed. He kissed your forehead. 
“Whatever you say, sweetcake, but I’m still carryin’ ya.”
ੈ♡˳
It was dark out, and Jeremy had just finished calling Engineer on the pay phone while you sat on a nearby bench: Scout’s jacket draped over you. Only a few people milled about, leaving to their cars underneath the street lamps.
Jeremy sat down next to you, reaching to hold your hand. “Engie’s gonna be here in ‘bout ten minutes...you alright doll?”
You delicately took it. “I dunno…”
“Did anything happen?”
“I mean, kinda? It’s stupid though, dunno why I’m getting so focused on it.”
“Can you tell me?”
You took a deep breath and looked at the concrete. “Well, I don’t know if you actually heard me, but earlier I accidentally said that I love you. I- I mean, not accidentally, I do, but it just, y’know, slipped out.”
“I heard you doll,” Scout said, tilting your face up to look at him.
“Then why didn’t you say anything? I mean, I get if you don’t love me yet, I’m not gonna blame you, but just say something.”
“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know if you were bein’ serious, doll,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “Y’know, you’re amazing and sweet, and almost every time I’ve liked someone this fantastic they’re just with me for laughs.”
“Jeremy…we’ve been dating for two months, did you really think that I don’t care about you?”
“Well I mean, two months right. I kinda thought you would’ve already said ‘I love you’ by now, so just- I dunno. . . do you actually love me?”
“Of course I do, Jeremy, I just was nervous because I thought I said it too early,” you said, leaning closer to him, looking at how his face caught the light of the street lamp.
“I love you too,” Scout said with a dorky smile before pulling you close and kissing you. You probably would’ve kissed for much longer but the sound of a truck horn interrupted you. 
“Hey lovebirds, get in!” Engineer shouted from the truck.
Scout pulled away and blushed before getting in with you, holding your hand tight the whole time. 
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
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Surprise Visit Pt 2 (Thor X Son!Reader)
Characters: Thor Odinson X Son!Reader
Universe: Marvel, Avengers
Warnings: None
Pt 1
Request: Hi, I'm just finish Poco's udon world, and right of the batch I thought what if Poco is Thor's son, Poco has some of his feature too and I remember your fic Surprise Visit. Can you please do a Part 2 of it?🥺 reader is like Thor but he quite shy and always bring with books that his mother read before bed they bonding by activities together Thor bring him to Asgard to meet his grandparents Loki read them books, tell them stories, show and teach them magic (Harry Potter) with Freyaa and all fluff❤
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The first few days after finally meeting your dad had been awkward to say the least. You were spending almost every waking moment either with him, or your uncle. You had expected that Loki would be a lot more awkward with you- or straight up wouldn’t like you from the get go, but it ended up being kind of the opposite. Thor had been a bit too eager from the get go to play the fatherly role, and you found it unnerving, and when Thor realised that (with help from Clint and Steve pointing it out for him) he backed up and started to just try and get to know you, your interests, your dislikes, and take things a little slower. Loki, on the other hand, was nowhere near as pushy, gave you space, and didn’t force conversation on to you. Eventually though, you ended up finding something to bond with Loki over; Books. 
You had been interested in the books he read, even if you couldn’t read the language, and worked up the courage to ask him about it, and after an explanation, he asked what kind of books you liked, and it was a start of an actual long and meaningful conversation. Loki took that, and hinted that Thor should look into those books. The next day, Thor showed up to your room with a pile of books in his arms and a grin on his face. 
Things since then had got a lot better between you and your dad. Instead of forcing it, or acting the part for the sake of it, Thor had naturally fallen into the father role that made it a comfortable change for you. Thor had little interest in books, but you had the ritual with him now of him buying a book for you, you read it, and after every chapter, you give him a rundown of what happened in detail, and you’d discuss it. You’d opened up a bit with him over the weeks, about what your life was like growing up with mum, holidays, key memories for you, and the rituals you two had- including reading books before bed together, which was where your love for books came from. Thor soon got you some of the books you mentioned, so you could do it with him. You got into a nice rhythm of living with and being around your dad and uncle, to the point where you were expecting it when an advancement was suggested. 
“How do you feel about going to Asgard with Loki and I, tomorrow?” Thor asked, as you were tidying up after another late night discussion about a book you had been reading- this one actually a recommendation from your Uncle Loki. You stopped what you were doing, and looked over at Thor, who waited patiently. 
“Uh… sure. Okay.” You agreed hesitantly, and immediately his face lit up. You had long guessed this conversation would happen, so you had time to prepare for it, though you knew that was actually impossible. What could prepare you for going to the land of gods- where you know you didn’t belong, even if Thor was your father? “Do… Do they know about me?” You asked cautiously. 
“Of course!” He immediately answered. “As soon as I returned to Agard after we met, I told mother and father about you, and my friends! I wanted to tell the entire kingdom, but mother- your grandmother, insisted we wait till you met them all first before telling the rest of Asgard. Freya, your grandmother, is the most eager to meet you.” He gushed to you. You’d heard a lot about your grandparents through both Thor and Loki. Admittedly, Thor was the only one who talked about Odin, and while Loki didn’t talk much about them, when he did, it was always about Freya, about how she was also a bit of a bookworm, and how she taught him magic.
You got up early the next morning, mostly due to struggling to sleep from the anticipation, and you didn’t have to wait for either your dad or uncle to be ready either, though you couldn’t tell if it was due to excitement or nerves, or maybe they were both feeling those things- your dad the excitement, and Loki the nerves. It didn’t help that your dad was a raving optimist, and your uncle was a pessimist, so you couldn’t tell who was feeling the right way, so you just adopted a bit of each of their emotions. Cautiously excited.
You honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when you actually got there, or even the process of getting there in the first place, but as soon as you left the Bifrost, you were in awe. Sure, they had told you all about Asguard- the rainbow path that led to it, the great kingdom, the beauty of it all, but none of that was in comparison to what you were actually seeing. You remained in stunned silence the entire walk up the bridge, actually entering into Asguard, past the several hundred people who came to welcome them back and ask about you, up until your father actually called for you, after seeing you distracted by something else further away. You turned, seeing several people stood with your father and uncle, looking at you smiling. “Y/N, these are my friends, Fandrall, Hogun, Volstagg, and Sif.” Your father introduced you.
“So this is the little prince?” Sif questioned with a smile. 
“Little? Thor, you said he was a boy! Give it a few years and he’ll be ready to be king!” Volstagg laughed, though the mention of such a role made you look at Loki quickly, and then your dad. 
“He is a boy! The very idea of being king is still a long way away- you make it sound like he’ll outlive me.” Thor defended. 
“Speaking of Kings.” Loki spoke up, placing  hand on Thor’s shoulder. 
“Right! Haven’t had the chance to introduce him to the rest of his family. We’ll pick this up later, promise.” Thor told them motioning you over, and guiding you deeper into the kingdom, down several expansive corridors, before you turned a corner, and spotted a group of women talking in the hallway ahead, and your father and uncle stopped. “Loki, stay here with Y/N.” Thor requested, before going towards the group, and you looked up at Loki confused, who patted you on the shoulder. You watched as your father approached the group, made some small talk, before all the women except one left down another hallway, and Thor stepped to the side, motioning the woman towards you and Loki, and you realised who she must be. Freya. Your grandmother. 
As soon as she saw you properly, she smiled warmly, hands clasped and pressed against her chest with excitement, and any fear you had- fear of not being liked, or not meeting their standards, of being a disappointment, being looked down on for being half human- it all faded. You could feel the love and acceptance radiating off the woman as she reached out her hands, and took your own. “Y/N, words cannot describe the absolute joy I feel to finally be in your presence finally after all of Thor’s descriptions.” Freya told you, gently squeezing your hands, and you couldn’t help but smile too. 
“I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you too from dad and uncle Loki.” You told her, and her smile grew, before she pulled you closer and wrapped an arm around you. 
“Thor- Loki, go tell your father that you’re here with Y/N- I’ll give Y/N a tour of the palace- we’ll be in the library when you’re done. We have a lot to talk about.” Freya decided, already walking away with you, and you didn’t fight it, leaving with her. 
Thor and Loki did as ordered, finding their father, letting them know they’d also brought you, and after a bit of back and forth questioning where exactly you were, and Loki explaining their mother had already stolen you away herself, and Odin simply sighed, and got up to follow his sons to head to the Library. 
By the time they met back up with you and Freya, you and her were already getting along like a house on fire- she’d asked about your mother, her health, your childhood, her own expieriences that related when raising Thor and Loki, and when she heard about your little tradition with Thor with books, she picked out a book for you to take home to read, and to keep. You felt comfortable enough with her to ask about Loki and Odin’s relationship, the comment Thor’s friends made about being King one day and how you weren’t big on the idea, and also how according to how your dad and Loki talked about Odin, you were much more worried about meeting him than her. Freya had answers your questions, reassured you of your worries, and promised Odin would be on his best behaviour, and she helped your first meeting with Odin a lot from the get go. 
As soon as Freya saw her husband, she stood first, smiling. “Odin, thank you for joining us. I was just about to ask Y/N if they’d like a private family dinner. What do you think?” Freya asked him, wrapping an arm around you again, and you smiled nervously at your grandfather, who was a lot more intimidating than you had anticipated. Odin didn’t talk at first, stepping a little closer, and you panicked internally, not knowing what to do, if you were supposed to do something- but Freya had kept her arm around you, gently rubbing your arm in reassurance. 
“That can certainly be arranged. It’ll let us get to know our grandson. Thor, will you come with me to make the arrangements?” He asked, of his oldest, who nodded. “See you at dinner, Y/N.” He told you, before making his leave, Thor smiling at you, before following after him. 
“In the meantime.” Freya spoke up once the two were quite a distance away. “Y/N, want to learn some magic?” She asked. 
“Mother, I don’t know about that…” Loki fussed. 
“Just beginning spells, nothing serious… we’ll save that for later. Maybe you could mentor Y/N as well when back on Midgard.” She suggested, and you realised that maybe, just maybe… Loki got some of his mischief from his mother. 
“Am I able to do magic? Since I’m half human?” You questioned. 
“I believe so, it’s worth a try. You coming Loki?” Freya questioned her son, who simply sighed, and followed after, deciding to be apart of his mother’s antics, knowing that Thor might lose his mind when he finds out about this. 
Hope you like it! If you have any questions, please send them in!
*Not my Gif
TAGS: @insanityismysanity12345 @klanceiscannon14 @marvelhoeingismyhobby @bellamyblakemorley @dummiesshort  @freyathehuntress @abbybills22-blog @mutantjediavenger @theoraekensnotsosecretlover @alicedanganh @sleutherclaw @sleepy-coffee-bean @stawwpp @rebellionofthecattle @hello-love-youre-pretty @werosemagic @courtneychicken  @graysonmalfoy @bellero @originalpottervengerlock @supernatural-pan @esoltis280 @lady-of-lies @lenaswritingandstuff @macbetheliza @mandywholock1980 @cdwmtjb8 @caswinchester2000 @determinedpines @huntheimpossible @automaticbakeryfreakshoe
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rainbowdaisy13 · 2 days
Note
An old guitar teacher of Taylor's from when she was a kid in Nashville said in an interview he did in 1989 Era that he saw Taylor get screamed at about how nobody wants a fat pop-star by her parents for asking if she could get some Taco Bell too since her brother wanted some and her parents already said yes to him, Taylor's wider fandom pretends this interview doesn't exist though because the guitar teacher also high-key outed Taylor in by mentioning that she was forcing it with the beards and that he hoped she met a nice woman to be with some day
*Incoming novel*
I’m getting many Anons right now saying there’s no way Andrea would’ve allowed this and to this I have to say…..being a parent is the hardest thing in the world. You are trying to do your best with the resources (mentally and physically) you have at the time which doesn’t mean you’re always giving the best of yourself to your child
You all *must* understand the cultural norms in the early 2000s were absolutely abhorrent in regards to women, especially famous women—late night comedians spent entire monologues making fun of a women’s weight, her hair, her being a crazy bitch, etc and everyone laughed hilariously. This was normal and expected—women are either sex objects or to be mocked, never taken seriously
Taylors parents would’ve been in a situation where they were told by all the male record execs that Taylor would go nowhere unless she was ultra thin which was in at the time. We know Scott is a piece of shit and that he was on board with that as he said in those emails Taylor was his investment
Andrea may have been at a point in her life where she either agreed that that’s what Taylor needed to do to become famous and/or she was not confident enough yet to fight back—remember women at this time aren’t to be taken seriously especially about big business men topics like how to become famous aka rich—this is all speculation!! I just know becoming a parent myself really helped me to understand my own parents shortcomings with more empathy than I previously had before
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nocturnalrorobin · 3 days
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My little headcannon to when you want to join crews, cp 0. I might add more over time. ~ Enjoy! ******************************************
The Kid pirates: “What's that little kitten you wanna join us?” The red-haired pirate smirked devilish at you. Four huge men towered over you, one taller than the other, and each just shared a knowing look with each other. “You know we have been on sea for weeks, and we are starving for some entertainment. So before we test your fighting ability, you should take care of the four of us!” The captain came closer and licked his crimson lips. His hand cupped your face and his thumb caressed your lips, he wanted to feel those lips around his girthy cock. “Last chance to run away kitty!” He said, but you just smirked at him. With one swift motion he threw you over his shoulder and the five of you went to the playroom. 
Strawhats: “You wanna join us? Ok!” The happy boy just replied. “LUFFY! At least ask some questions!?” You heard it from the rest of the crew, but Luffy didn't care; he already said yes. You could tell things wouldn't be boring with him and the rest of the crew.
Heartpirates: You heard about the surgeon of death before, and you wanted to be part of his crew, if nothing else, because you were interested in medicine and who was better to train you? “Sure. You can join y/n-ya. Bepo show them the ropes and give them a white jumpsuit.” The tired captain looked at you one more time and said “Welcome to the crew, y/n-ya.” 
Cp0: You always wanted to be an agent for the world government, your entire life you trained for this. You entered the building, and the one that was in charge of you was Rob Lucci. “I expect absolute leniency and professionalism. Failure and weakness will not be tolerated. Go get to the training room. I want a spa match with you to see how capable you are.” He said in a stern and emotionless voice while coldly looking down at you. You could feel a shiver running down your spine. You wanted him to dominate you and devour you.  You wanted to beg him for mercy while he was edging you relentlessly. “Stop gawking and get moving!” He grunted, annoyed.  
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avelanlorelay · 2 days
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About Cardan and his mother
I was re-reading the comments on my fic Deniere Danse and most of them are against Lady Asha, which may be proof that she's just as hated by the fandom in the "parents" category as Madoc and Balekin (Or maybe it's bc of the plot I've created, sorry). So one unanimous question is: why does Cardan still allow her to stay in the brugh?
My pov: From Twk to Tpt we can see that Cardan is not as insensitive as he makes himself out to be, on the contrary, he has a lot of love to give (😭) (a side of him that probably only Nicasia had access to🙄). He's admitted to still liking his mother a little and if we look closely, that despite having a strong personality, Cardan is no longer a hateful person. After losing his entire family, he wouldn't throw out his mother, the second only person left of his blood, for bad things in the past. In Tpt we see how he's very happy with Jude and probably, thinks about the future instead of holding grudges about things from the past.
Okay, Cardan isn't the boy with the heart of stone, but why would he still like Lady Asha? Why didn't he lock her back up in the tower of oblivion like he did with Balekin? First of all it's obvious, she never committed any crime. But although the books say very little about their relationship (a shame because I've always been curious about it), I think there are some clues:
In the prologue to Tqn we see the discovery of Cardan's curse. It's said that Lady Asha doesn't seem to know how to hold a baby, but she hugs he when Eldred seems to be considering parting with the child and holds he tighter when she leaves. Perhaps she was just afraid of not having privileges, but it's the only gesture of affection we see from her.
Still in Tqn, Oriana tells Jude about Cardan's childhood:
"It wasn't as though she didn't dress him in velvets or furs; it's that she left them on until they grew ragged. Nor was it that she didn't feed him the most delectable cuts of meat and cake...."
Now, in Htkoelths, when he meets Aslog in the stables, despite being there because of her (bitch) Cardan thinks that if he called his mother she would beat Aslog up and throw her out. I found this passage strange bc Lady Asha is described as delicate and thin, yet Cardan knows that she would protect him from a much bigger and stronger woman. If he's so sure of this, has Lady Asha defended him before?
And finally, just a guess: when he travels to the mortal world in Tcp's time to save Balekin's mortal slave, Cardan travels on a giant moth owned by Lady Asha. It's said that the creature was personally tamed by her and he still remembers how, so he was probably there when it happened. Which means that perhaps Lady didn't leave him completely abandoned, there were moments that the two of them spent together, when she dressed him, fed him and perhaps took him for walks and played with him.
What does my monologue mean? That if we compare, Cardan seems to have more feelings for Lady Asha than for Eldred, because despite so many bad ones, he has good memories with her too. It's not just a blood bond.
It's sad and unfair, but Cardan has a much more forgiving heart than it seems.
There's probably something else too: guilt. If I'm not mistaken, in Twk's deleted scenes, when Lady Asha meets him to talk about Jude, it's said that Cardan didn't free her because he didn't think he had the power to, after all, Jude was the real High King.
Now, if we stop to think about it, Lady Asha had never committed a crime, (if we don't consider her to be the worst mother in the world), yet she probably spent about ten years trapped in the tower of oblivion, starving and cold, completely alone. Not even Balekin or Madoc suffered so much. Can we feel sorry for her for that? Idk, if you're a good person and can even like Madoc, that's fine, but I think it's well deserved. But not from Cardan's point of view, not least bc from his perspective it was his fault. Now, as High King, the best thing he can do to be fair is to reward her for all that time of suffering. So it's understandable that he lets her live in the palace and have everything she ever wanted.
Jude pov: I think that since she would like her mother to be alive and by her side and Cardan has that opportunity (which I would frankly pass up), she would never take it away from him, even for revenge. And like him, she's too happy to worry about the past and people who aren't worth it.
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prosebushpatch · 13 hours
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Okay so I recently, finally, watched Wish and I have some thoughts. Overall, not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, but still has a lot of fundamental story problems and I've got to get them off of my chest. I'll mostly be focused on Magnifico because I think his motivations and arc largely represent the problem with the overall theme.
Okay so my biggest problem with Magnifico is his motivation. His tragic backstory. How on earth does he go from losing his whole family to thinking, the only way he can prevent that from happening again is to grant wishes? The logic doesn't track. It almost makes sense in his creating a kingdom where he protects everyone and "doesn't even charge rent," but it does not make sense with his wish granting. Having a great need to be control to make sure he doesn't lose anyone ever again can be a compelling motivation for a villain, where we see lines crossed that don't justify the intent, but in the movie, he's too self-absorbed to seem to have any actual care for the people of Rosas.
I think if the motivation was changed to something like Magnifico had once been a bright-eyed, enthusiastic wish granter who blindly believed all wishes were good but learned the hard way that that wasn't true could have been a better fit for the overall goal of the movie. Imagine that he granted a wish for a wicked person who used that wish to hurt others, or if Magnifico granted a wish but that wish ended up ruining the person's life because what they wanted wasn't what they needed (i.e. Remember The Princess and the Frog? Dig a little deeper) and that person could have went after Magnifico and blamed him for their troubles (harkening back to We Don't Talk about Bruno). This would be an understandable tragic backstory for Magnifico, and better explain why he's so careful about the wishes he grants. And, perhaps the reason he keeps the wishes he doesn't want to grant is to keep the people in his kingdom docile. No one will be angry with him for not granting their wishes if he makes them forget them and lose that drive and motivation, which makes more sense than the unexplained hording them like he does in the movie? Why does he keep them in the movie other than admiring the wishes? It doesn't make sense to me.
This would give Asha more of a reason to oppose him, if it's shown how his desire to not get hurt or to inadvertently cause hurt turned into a paranoia where he drains people of wishes to fly or play music that inspires others. And, as a side note, we need to see more of how Rosas is a kingdom of people who lack drive and motivation, where only those younger than 18 have that special part of them that inspires them to chase after a dream (something that Astor Rhymemaster touched on). Because that's the point of wishes, right? That's the point of the entire Disney canon. A dream is a wish your heart makes. That star can only get you so far, it takes hard work and determination. It's wanting something better in life, it's dreaming of leaving behind all you know to chase after a tangible light. It's finding a new dream, it's finding a new wish as you grow and learn about yourself and the world.
I don't think the movie Wish understood what makes wishes so important in Disney stories. You know what wishes do? They ignite change. It's not about getting what you want, it's about finding the courage to chase after something better. Ariel wants to be where the people are, but really she wants to be somewhere where others are willing to understand her and in the end, she finds that and makes amends with her father, who finally is willing to see her for who she is. Rapunzel wants to see the lights, and that desire pushes her to leave a tower she's been trapped in her whole life, learning that the world is not as cruel and cold as her abusive mother told her. Cinderella wants to go to the ball, to dance with people who treat her as a person and not a servant of cinders and ash. That wish is granted by a fairy godmother and gives her a hope that is worth fighting for, a hope that helps her reclaim what is rightfully hers; a glass slipper that fits only her and the love that comes with it.
Wishes inspire change. The movie should have been about that. Magnifico could have been right, that some wishes inspire negative change that can drag down multiple people. The kingdom of Rosas could have been so placid because change is scary. Maybe Magnifico could have convinced people, after taking their wish, that it wasn't worth it. Maybe the wish ceremonies could have changed so it wasn't portrayed as some sort of lottery everyone looks forward to, but Magnifico would grant wishes on the spot if he decided they were good and worthwhile, and he would lock away the wishes that would cause trouble and tribulations. 18 year olds could be enthusiastic to give him their wishes, thinking they were surely good and worth granting, only to forget their wish and be told that their wish would have only brought about their unhappiness, this would have justified a more solemn tone in the kingdom, setting up a world where people are mostly downtrodden, thinking their wishes are bad and pointless and they're better off without them. Imagine Cinderella or Rapunzel being told their wishes weren't good, reinforcing all the things their abusive families tell them, taking away that hope and courage to find something better for themselves.
Here's where the true conflict could come in. Asha could be onto this from the beginning, and her opening song could have been about this concern that the people who didn't get their wishes granted aren't willing to try at all. (Because, after all, why doesn't Sabino play music at all? Having that taken from him would take so much joy and creative expression from his life!) But why does Asha know something is amiss?
Simon.
Imagine that Magnifico has a strict rule not to ever share your wish with another person because then it wouldn't come true. It makes sense with our own superstitions, and then makes it so that no one knows anyone else's wishes. Maybe your best friend changes so drastically after giving up their wish, but you believe, like everyone else, that their wish would have only caused suffering. What can you do about it? Well what if Simon told Asha about his wish? What if Asha knew his wish wasn't dangerous and couldn't imagine a way that it could go wrong? That would give her a reason to doubt Magnifico and put more emphasis on how Simon has lost his drive like all the other adults in the kingdom. And it can also emphasize in the end that sharing your wishes and dreams with others can be a powerful thing. Just the act of sharing your dreams can inspire others to go after their own, and they can give you the encouragement to chase your wish too. Wishes inspire change, love gives you the courage to make it happen.
Imagine if the star boy used to be a human, who wished to help others and lost his humanity to do it. Imagine his wish confirms Magnifico's belief, that wishes cause suffering because star boy lost his tether to earth and is separated from the people he loves. Imagine how he foils Asha who also wants to grant everyone's wishes. Imagine him ensuring she doesn't make the same mistake he did while she gives him a reason to change again, to anchor himself to humanity again because he loves her enough not to leave for forever.
Imagine the movie confirming that, yes, change is scary. Chasing your dreams won't always make things better. You might fail more than you succeed and some wishes cannot coincide with each other, leading to grief and strife. But some wishes are worth it. Sometimes, chasing after something better and failing is worth leaving a worse situation. Sometimes taking that chance is worth it, and, like in all fairy tales, if you are kind and generous and act with love, that will make all the difference in the end.
Also, I know everyone wished for a Magnifico and Amaya evil power couple, but imagine if Magnifico was truly in love with Amaya, as he is in the movie, but that love is eventually his undoing. Like Amaya leaps in front of Asha, and Magnifico stops or redirects his attack because she's the one thing he loves more than himself and that is the weakness that Asha and co can take advantage of. Imagine Amaya keeping Magnifico in the mirror and he gets to dote on her from his imprisonment for forever. I'm just saying. At least 30 sickos like me would be into that. Imagine the depth it would give to the themes of love and change and wishing and how acts of love make all the difference.
Alright, I'll get off my soap box. I just really wish Wish could have been stronger because these fairy tales Disney is famous for matter. They really do. But the movie feels too stale and shallow and too much of a cash grab that knows the outline of a disney musical, but is unable to understand the heart of why they work.
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jennaispunk · 1 day
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A Symptom of Being Human
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Summary: An unlikely connection forms between Joel and a new resident of Jackson. (sorry I suck at summaries)
Word Count: 2.6k
Rating: T
Pairing: Joel Miller x OFC (Maggie)
Warnings: fluff, slight age gap (Joel is 50ish, OFC is 40ish), grief, loss of spouse, loss of child, panic attacks, mild violence, allusions to SA but no specific details, possible friends to something more, soft!Joel, please let me know if I forgot anything.
Notes: This fic was inspired by 'A Symptom of Being Human' by Shinedown. When I first heard this song, the idea for this story immediately popped into my head. This could become a series if it doesn't flop.
Thank you @fallingforthearch for being my #1 fan and my biggest supporter. I would have never had the courage to put my writing out there without you.
dividers and banners by @saradika-graphics
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This wasn’t supposed to happen. Brian promised they’d be safe. They were traveling in a group, not going far. Maggie begged him to stay at the settlement, but the promise of something better for Aiden had made her relent.
The sounds of Brian’s screams still rang in her ears. The ground scattered with the lifeless bodies of their traveling companions; husbands, wives, and children, all just wanting something a little better from this existence.
Her furious struggles elicited laughs from her captors.
“She’s a feisty one, Ty. Gonna be a lot of fun breakin’ ‘er down.”
The smell of his rotten breath filled her nostrils, and she choked back the bile in her throat. His grimy hand slid up her side, roughly groping her breast.
The one called Ty looked over at her as he stood over the limp body of her husband. His steely blue eyes pierced through her, and she froze, her blood running cold.
“Please,” she sobbed. “I’ll do whatever you want; just give me back my son.”
Ty slowly sauntered over to her, tilting her chin so she had to meet his gaze. The cruelty in his eyes betrayed the tenderness of his touch.
“Shhh…” His dirty thumb wiped the tears from her cheek, leaving a streak of dirt in its wake. “You’ll do whatever I want, anyway. You don’t got a choice, darlin’.”
Aiden screamed, struggling in vain against the arms that held him. Her heart shattered at the sight of his tear stained face.
“Please, he’s just a boy.” She begged. “He won’t be any trouble for you, I swear.”
Ty clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly.
“That boy’s got fight in him, like his daddy.” He drawled. “Only a matter a time ‘fore he tries somethin’ ta save his pretty little mama. Can’t have that.”
A wicked smile formed on his thin lips. “B’sides…he’d be just another mouth ta feed.”
Ty nodded to his companion restraining Aiden.
“No!” She knew what that meant. She kicked and screamed wildly, her shoulder joints aching as she struggled to get to the only thing that mattered. She couldn’t let them harm him. She had to protect him at all costs; it was her job. A sharp backhand to her face caused her head to spin.
She watched helplessly through blurry eyes as a shot rang out, and her son…her baby, crumpled to the ground. Her screams filled the air as she thrashed and spit at her captors. Her entire world was lying on the ground in front of her. She wanted them to kill her, too; she had nothing left.
The last thing she remembered was the blinding pain as the butt of a handgun connected with her temple.
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Maggie’s eyes shot open, shooting upright in her bed. Her chest heaved, the sound of that gunshot still rang in her head as if it had just happened moments ago and not over a year ago. Her eyes darted to the small clock on the bedside stand… 5:06 AM. She squeezed her eyes closed; the chance of going back to sleep was lost.
Six hours of uninterrupted sleep- that had to be a record. It had been ages since she slept that long without waking. She rolled herself out of bed, peeling her sweat soaked t-shirt from her body as she padded toward the bathroom. The worn hardwood floor creaked, announcing to the empty house that she was awake.
She turned the faucet to the hottest setting and stepped under the water. Closing her eyes, she let the scorching water beat down upon her. She hoped it would wash away her memories, but she knew better.
The sun was just coming over the horizon as she approached the dining hall doors. She made this trip every day for the last three months, and it hadn’t gotten easier. She took a few deep breaths in front of the faded double doors, her mask firmly in place, a friendly smile that told the world she was okay. Some of her neighbors knew her story…at least the parts she shared with Tommy and Eugene when they found her in the woods, but she never shared the full story with anyone. Speaking the words aloud would make it all too real, and she didn’t want any pity.
The clanking of dishes and silverware filled the dining hall, along with the low hum of conversation. Smiling at her neighbors, she made her way through the hall to grab some food and some much needed coffee. She always sat alone, needing the time to collect her thoughts and prepare for the day. A familiar figure appeared in her periphery; he sat alone, too….always alone. He had a story, too. Tommy had said as much when she first arrived in Jackson, but he didn’t elaborate. She noticed the way he glanced at her from time to time, but he never spoke. Her step faltered slightly as if she was going to break the ice, but she kept moving past him.
Joel watched her as she walked past, taking the same seat by the window every morning. He saw how she smiled at everyone and pretended to be okay, but he knew she wasn’t. He knew that look in her eye…. he’d seen it in his own so many times. The look of loss…of heartbreak and misery. She’d lost something, too. She may think no one noticed…but he did. He wanted to say something to her….anything to let her know he understood, but the words stuck in his throat. He’d never been good at letting people in.
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The air in the barn was surprisingly stuffy for this time of year, and the earthy smell of dirt and hay surrounded her. Despite the stuffiness, she found solace in the scents and sounds of the barn. It brought her peace; she could focus here. She didn’t have to be anything… didn’t have to be happy or smile. The animals understood.
Willow, the chestnut mare, blustered and pranced restlessly around her stall. Maggie brushed a stray lock of her long hair off her damp forehead and reached out to pat Willow’s shoulder over the stall door.
“I know, mama.” She cooed. “The last few days are the hardest, but once you see that little baby you made, it’ll all be worth it.”
She remembered how it felt when she was pregnant with Aiden. How those last few days were uncomfortable, and she struggled to sleep. The mare nudged her hand in silent commiseration. Maggie smiled at her and rubbed Willow’s nose.
“I’ll be here with you when it’s time…make sure you and the baby are alright.”
Joel watched silently as she spoke to the mare. She was so different here…much different than when she was in the dining hall or slinging drinks at the Tipsy Bison. He wondered if she ever slept. It seemed like she had her hands in everything here in Jackson…tending the garden and the animals and bartending at night. He understood the need to keep busy, to drown out the pain and the failure.
The longer he watched, the more guilty he felt. He shouldn’t be intruding like this, watching her like some creep. He backed away slowly, not wanting to interrupt her private moment. The heel of his work boot connected with a bucket, and the clank reverberated through the barn.
Her eyes snapped up, focusing on Joel. How long had he been there? What had he heard?
His cheeks flushed with embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping.
“Sorry…I…didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay. I’m usually not this jumpy.”
She was lying through her teeth, hoping he couldn’t tell. Her heart pounded so loudly she could hardly hear him speak.
Joel smiled sheepishly. He knew how badly he scared her and felt terrible for it. He cleared his throat and took a small step forward. Maybe this was his chance to connect with someone again.
“It’s Maggie, right?” He asked. “I’m-“
“I know who you are.” She winced at the sharpness of her tone.
“Right.” He sighed a little too loudly and dragged a hand through his peppered hair. He cursed himself for being so stupid; of course she knew he was. His brother was just about the only person she had a conversation with that lasted more than a few minutes.
“Is everything alright with the mare?”
He was desperate to change the subject, to get the conversation back on track.
“Willow? No, she’s fine. I was just checking in on her.” Her hand dropped to her lower abdomen, instinctively covering her womb, her eyes tender. “The last few days before giving birth can be pretty uncomfortable.”
Joel’s eyebrow twitched. She’d lost a child, too. He knew that agony all too well. The unbelievable pain and darkness that engulfs you, pulling you down into a pit of emptiness that leaves you with nothing but a gaping hole where your heart should be.
Her face went slack. She’d always been so careful about keeping details of her past close to her vest. She didn’t want pity; she just wanted to feel normal.  
Joel’s eyes softened as they stared at each other, an unspoken conversation between two people with the worst thing in common.
Even twenty-plus years later, it still hurt. It hurt to think about what Sarah would have grown up to be if she’d had the chance, if it hadn’t been stolen from her…if he wouldn’t have failed her. Those moments that she would never have played in his mind… her first day of college… her wedding day… the birth of her first child, his grandchild—his hands clenched into fists as his eyes misted.
He’d never had anyone to share that pain with, not even Tommy. Maria had lost a child, too, but there was no chance of the two of them talking about it; she wasn’t exactly his biggest fan, even after all this time.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. The fear of taking that first step kept them from escaping. 
“Come on, Joel. We gotta go, Eugene’s waitin’ on us.”
Tommy’s voice echoed through the barn. Joel and Maggie averted their gazes from each other. His hand flew to the back of his neck, while she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.
Tommy’s eyebrows raised and he chuckled under his breath.
“Hey, Sparky.” He drawled, his Texas accent more pronounced than usual. “You’re comin’ to the Spring Fling picnic, right?”
Maggie cleared her throat, forcing herself to smile as her heart hammered in her chest. They had been so close to something… something she’d wanted for so long but had been afraid to let herself wish for… understanding. Had she found a kindred spirit in Joel? She saw it in his eyes; he understood. He knew her pain because he felt it, too.
“Yeah, wouldn’t miss it.”
“Good. I know Maria’ll be real happy to have ya there.” Tommy smiled and clapped Joel on the shoulder before turning and heading out of the barn.
Joel shoved his hands in his pockets. The toe of his boot scuffed the ground before he looked up at her once more. He desperately wanted to say something… anything, but his words evaded him—a grown-ass man, tongue-tied like some goddamn teenage boy. The corner of his mouth twitched into a sheepish smile. He turned on his heel and walked away without looking back.
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The chaos of the picnic made things seem almost normal: the sounds of children laughing and playing, the smell of burgers on the grill, and the warmth of the sun on her skin. It all made it easier to pretend that she was okay.
Joel sat silently across from her on the picnic table while Maria, bouncing her toddler on her lap, chatted about the upcoming improvements the council was making to the town.
A blood-curdling scream broke through the din, and everyone scrambled to their feet. She didn’t think; she instinctively ran with the group. She covered her mouth as she saw a little boy lying on the ground, bloodied, and screaming for his mother.
Maggie’s chest heaved, struggling to get air into her lungs. Her heart pounded like it was going to explode out of her chest. The edges of her vision went black as she was immediately pulled back in time. That little boy's voice was Aiden’s… the blood was Aiden’s. She was back in that field, seeing her little boy on the ground dying before her eyes, and she was powerless to stop it once again. She squeezed her eyes closed, clutching her chest as she leaned back against the brick wall.
Joel caught her movements out of the corner of his eye as the chaos swirled around them. He knew what was happening and was at her side in moments.
“Hey.” He gently took her by the elbow. “Just breathe, okay? In through your nose and out through your mouth.”
He’d been through this himself; he knew exactly what she felt.
Each breath felt like lava had been poured down her throat. A burning concoction seeping into her lungs making each breath more difficult than the last. Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks as her muscles clenched keeping her frozen in this hell, not that she could escape it if she tried.
“That’s it, sweetheart…just like that.” His voice was calm and soothing. He could feel her spiraling, and he grabbed her cheeks. “You’re alright. Just focus on me. Look at me.”
She forced her eyes to open to see his soft and tender chocolate brown eyes in front of her, a warm, reassuring smile on his face. His words echoed in her ears. ‘Focus on me. Look at me.’ Her eyes traced the lines of his face. The scent of pine and canvas filled her nostrils, a scent she would forever associate with him.
“I’ve got you. You’re in Jackson…you’re safe.”
Reality slowly settled in. Her chest began to loosen, each breath a little less torturous than the last. The images in her mind slowly dissolved to reveal the tangible world, the feel of his hands on her face, the gentle breeze fluttering the streamers on the picnic tables.
“Good girl…just keep breathin’.”
His large hands cupped her cheeks as his calloused thumb brushed her soft cheek absentmindedly.
“Feeling better?”
Maggie nodded slowly, letting out a shaky breath. She’d never had a panic attack so intense before. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment and then opened again.
“Thanks.” A bashful smile teased at her lips. “How?...”
“Happened to me before, too.” He chuckled softly, scratching at the salt and pepper scruff on his cheek. “But that’s a story for another time.”
He knew he could share that story with her one day; she would understand. There was a long-forgotten feeling in his chest. He wanted to connect with someone for the first time in a very long time.  
Her body went slack against the brick wall; her muscles tingled from the exertion. The nervous and excited chatter of everyone around her filled her ears.
“I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day. Would it be alright if I walked you home?”
“Sure, I’d like that.”
He wrapped a protective arm around her, guiding her away from the picnic. She sank into his warmth, her head cradled perfectly into his shoulder. She never thought Joel Miller would be the one she connected with. This might be an unlikely friendship, born of mutual hurt and pain, but it felt right. She wouldn’t ask him for his story now; she would be patient. For now, she would be content with this.
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Hiiii!! First your posts give me life!!! I’m always waiting for the next one because I know you’re going to spit gems and speak facts 💁‍♀️.
I have a question/thought about the mates situation. People keep saying SJM will be exploring the rejected mating bond concept, specifically in Elain’s book….When did she say that? WHERE? From what I’ve seen and read, she did say it was an interesting concept (fate, mating bond vs agency and all that good stuff) but she also said she didn’t know if she would be exploring it in the future, let alone in Elain’s book or the ACOTAR series. So HOW in the world do people take that as a confirmation that she will absolutely do it in Elain’s book? Even the whole “what if the cauldron is wrong” argument. Well maybe she’ll use Elain’s book to demonstrate that in fact the cauldron is never wrong because it actually doesn’t decide anything. This frustrates me to no end.
Anyway, keep slaying Queen 💅!
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My dear Anon, we shall have an Autumn wedding.
This is what SJM said:
“That’s something I find to be very interesting,” she replies. “What if the forces that be put you with the wrong person? Or what if you just decide, eh, I’m not interested. … There’s a lot to explore within the concept of mates and your agency about it. 
“I’m not going to say if I am exploring it in future books or not,” she continues, “but it definitely offers a wealth of things to explore with this concept of freewill and what is true love. Is it something that’s destined? Or is it something that you make? Is it both?”
She did NOT confirm that she would be exploring it at ANY point!!!! I do NOT know why people are acting like it is a guarantee.
What if the Cauldron was wrong? COULD be foreshadowing yes, but the answer is rarely that obvious LMAO. Amren told Nesta that there were other ways to fight beside a sword, but Nesta became a warrior. Most likely it's talking about Elain. So is it really so hard to believe that this is NOT talking about Elain at all, but someone else entirely?
The three most likely options for a rejected mating trope are as follows:
LoA-Helion: we get to explore the pain and angst of knowing a mate has married and had children with another, and dealing with the rejected trope for centuries, but will eventually get together in the end. SJM is not about to give Lucien's parents a tragic ending lmfao. And in her world, rejected mates=tragedy.
Mor-Eris: if we go in the direction that mating bonds can only occur between males and females and Mor and Eris are both gay, so they can never have feelings for each other. In which case we explore the difficulties associated with a bond that neither person wants yet the instincts are still there.
Tamlin-Amarantha: did anyone wonder WHY tf Amarantha was so obsessed with Tamlin? Like, I know he's hot and all, but goddamnit girl what the fuck? Now, if they were mates and Tamlin rejected her, it would make sense. It would also add more nuance to Tamlin AND Amarantha's characters, and we'd get to explore Tamlin's trauma post-UTM after being forced to reject and kill his mate and how that drove him a little mad.
But, the rejected bond is NOT a guarantee, so there may NOT be any rejected bonds. These are all just theories at this point. One thing I am CERTAIN of is that the rejected bond will CERTAINLY NOT be Elain and Lucien. Especially not when SJM dangled Gwyn in front of us. Now THAT one is fucking obvious lol.
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clerichs-xi · 4 months
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tender as a bruise, sharper than a razor wrap her tentacles around me like she'll never let me go
klaus' backstory arc just ended heho and it was revealed he used to be the lover of the goddess of storms and pirates... she had basically kidnapped him and imprisoned him into murder and piracy for 20 years and needless to say it greatly damaged him on every level <3 its okay he's been able to be normal for once since the start of the campaign thanks to the party aka his new found family
get urself a surrogate middle-aged father who can speedrun a forbidden romance in one minute and then immediately go to confront the darkest version/a corrupted version of himself, as well as his toxic lover as she tortures him -w-)b
details and just the lines hehe
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#clerichs.png#my artwork#original character#original art#original illustration#digital art#digital painting#digital illustration#dnd character#oc#oc illustration#im so unnormal about him.#he got hurt soo badly in isolation... thats where all the scars in his ref came from </3#this portrait is of the one scar his goddess did not give him.... </3#tfw ur jealous sea goddess lover pits you against other pirates and sea monsters to fight for ur life and test ur devotion#and she promised to love you wholly only for u to realize she doesn't understand or know what love is#and only wanted it bc everyone else who had love seemed so happy and she wanted that too#so after she destroyed everything you loved (literally your entire world) she merely treats u as a possession for 20 years#and you don't know how to ask for love because you don't know how to love either so you resent her and everything and everyone#leading rage to build up within you and you willfully slaughtering so many things because you cant handle your emotions and pain#and after deflating and sinking into apathy a rogue priest manages to break ur exterior and touch you deeply enough to let you love again#and because of him you're able to begin breaking free of everything and you lose everything again but this time#this time you wake up in a crate of fish to outstretched hands and people who love you as family even after learning who you are/were#filling you with strength and willpower even as your goddess lover comes back swearing she loved you and loves you still#and she tortures you and threatens to take everything away again if you don't come back to her but because of your love for everyone#and their love for you youre able to hold fast long enough for them to break you out#his goddess made a copy of him by warping the body and soul of a naive young man in an attempt to replace him and fill the hole in her hear#he had to literally kill the darkest version of himself that hurt everyone and he laid him to rest... catharsis if ive ever seen it#as i said. im so normal about him <3 the guy i project onto the most ever#klaus lierstark
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miametropolis · 3 months
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ten in the journey’s end makes me so goddamn mad…rose punched through MULTIPLE dimensions, tracked you through all of time and space, single-handedly saved Donna while you were doing fuck all in a market, gave EVERYTHING to find you again and ALL. SHE. WANTS. IS. FOR. YOU. TO. LOOK AT HER!! WHY WON’T YOU LOOK AT HER ITS ROSE!! ITS THE HEART OF YOUR HEARTS!! YOU COULD EACH DIE ANY SECOND NOW HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU SPENT WISHING YOU ACTED SOONER HOW MANY YEARS HAS SHE WAITED FOR YOU, BURNED HOLES IN THE UNIVERSE FOR YOU AND YOU’RE STILL! LOOKING! AWAY!
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asleepinawell · 1 year
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this little quest chain was one of my favorites in ew because of the perspective it gave into the ancients, a very different one from what little we get from emet and hermes. there’s pretty ample proof that their society was not in any way perfect and was actually really deeply flawed to the core, but this is a look at people, individuals, and ones outside of the main bunch we talk to
put in a read more to spare your dashes
they go to speed up the aether dispersal of some creations (animals) that were killed and they call the deaths distressing and want to find a way to pay respects to the fallen and bring peace to their souls. at the wol’s suggestion they gather flowers for the dead. and they say what amounts to a prayer over the bodies. it’s so very very different from how hermes believes everyone feels and how hythlodaeus spoke of ‘returning to the star’ being beautiful (though even hythlodaeus said a brief prayer for the first boss in ktisis hyberboreia)
and yes, they still talk about life and death in terms of ‘purpose’ and this is no way refutes the callousness towards other lives we’ve seen some of the ancients display in elpis, but my personal take is that it shows that some of them at least understood on some level that there were important things missing in their culture that they needed. even if they didn’t fully grasp why, they were searching for these missing pieces. in this case, a way to process grief and acknowledge the worth of a life, even a non-human life. and they also actively ask for the new ideas the wol presents and talk about incorporating them into their lives and duties
there’s also a ton of little side quests in elpis that involve one person asking you to find or check on another person, or to carry a message to them. there’s so many people who care about each other and are just absolutely godawful at expressing it in person and need the poor wol to act as an intermediary (this happens in present day as well but it was just every 5 seconds in elpis)
there’s one striking one where one person asks you to bring a second person a message about how that second person’s concept was approved and succeeding (I forget the exact details) in the hopes that it would dissuade them from returning to the star. it didn’t dissuade them and the first person accepted that pretty calmly, but the thought was there. there was this hope that they could keep someone they cared about around longer even if the argument they tried to use to persuade them came back to that grim ideology about ‘purpose’. they lacked the framework to think about it another way, but they still tried
it’s definitely a stark contrast from the shade amaurotines we saw in shb (assuming for the sake of argument that they were accurate depictions and not biased by emet which is a big assumption), especially the ones who turned the topic of ‘should we save the lives of others on the planet or just focus on ourselves’ into a casual debate topic as a pastime. there are really terrible ways of thinking about the world that have been ingrained into the population presumably from birth. that’s not something that can easily be changed. but it could be changed. the potential was there
at a societal level the ancient world was terrible in so many ways, and ultimately doomed if it couldn’t change, but at an individual level the people had so much potential and at least some of them were trying their best to make sense of the things their society denied them and adapt their lives
my personal takeaway from all this (which is just a headcanon aka an opinion and i’m not trying to sell as canon), was that if their society could have been changed then the ancients had the potential to have produced people who could have faced meteion. i’m leaving aside the questions of the timeframe and zodiark tempering everyone because that’s not my point. my point is that the ancients weren’t inherently unable to be who was needed to save their world. the density of their aether making them unable to interact with dynamis is highly symbolic of the flaws of their society, of course, but that shouldn’t have stopped them from talking to meteion, from showing compassion and understanding and hope in the face of despair
i’m not trying to take any jabs about any characters’ decisions in the story because the actual situation they were in was extremely complicated (like hey zodiark tempering people!) and that would also miss my point. mostly i’m just saying this makes the fate of their people even more depressing. they were an entire race of people who had all the potential that the sundered humans do despite being stuck in a shit society that happened to be shit in the exact way that made dealing with meteion and the final days a seemingly insurmountable task. their near-immortality and creation powers made it even harder for them to really understand the problem, but not impossible. they had the raw potential and lacked the tools to use it to save themselves. it’s just really damned sad
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carcarrot · 10 months
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im just going to go off in the tags for my review but last nights concert was crazy, entertaining, and crazily entertaining. while they did not play the rhythm thief clearly my rhythm, if i ever had any, was stolen and ron and russell were easily able to see my lack of clapping and dancing skills. when will those 70+ year old men stop beating me at everything
#you would think clapping on the beat is easy. not when youre on a level of excitement you havent been since you were a kid#in all seriousness my sarcastic tone is covering the fact that i really did enjoy it all so much. now on to the analysis#we'll get right to the heart of the matter: russell was sweating three songs in and well. there are many benefits to being in the front row#im really really sorry. but. good god i may have been looking at his neck a lot of the time#also it may have been during the first song but i feel like it was during another one where he jumped (beaver o'lindy?)#and my eyebrow raise and look of 👁️👄👁️ when his shirt rode up was very palpable. i was very close .#i think russ looked at me a couple times near the start but it was more of a dfjfljkda dont look at me im staring at u like 😍 moment for me#im just so self conscious it hurts! but i was smiling my head off the entire time while also not knowing how to stand#the front row was standing the entire time it was wild#also i think the moment i predicted did happen of ron giving me a look like 🤨 for knowing all the lyrics to one of their more obscure songs#but i could be wrong.#russell was bouncing off the walls as usual but good god to see it in person. and he sounded incredible!!!!#i also could not resist bouncing a few times. its contagious. plus you gotta do it during music that you can dance to#good gosh what a fun time.#at the end of the concert someone was like 'i could see you looking with such love' like yes very true. good to know it was obvious#can i just say again russell was sooo. its a different thing altogether seeing him like 6 feet away in the Real World#did i mention how sweaty he was. ok review almost over#still no eaten by the monster of love but hard to complain with such a great show#spars#sparks tour 2023 spoilers
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