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nobodyfamousposts · 9 months

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Do you really think all of ML's problems would be fixed if Adrien never existed?

Good heavens, no.

Adrien isn't the problem. He's just a symptom of a much larger issue. That issue being laziness and poor writing that comes in the form of "tell, don't show", plot threads that go nowhere, and lack of character development or plot progression that leads to a setup of "Status Quo Is God". Removing Adrien wouldn't fix all of that. Heck, it wouldn't fix any of that.

I can't fault the writers for replacing Felix with Adrien. Even if I and others could write out a plot with Felix, that's not to say everyone could or that the writers could. It could very well be that Felix as he was in the PV simply didn't work for the setup they had in mind.

...the issue here is that the setup they had in mind seems to require stagnancy. Where Hawk Moth attacks without winning and the heroes fight off the akumas without really trying to track him as the source and the two leads chase each other around in circles without anyone making any headway in either of these battles. Marinette wants to date Adrien. Chat wants to date Ladybug. It's why all her plans to ask him out fail while his attempts to express his feelings aren't taken seriously. And there is no forward movement, whether in their arc or in the fight against Hawk Moth. There wasn't even build or lead up to the two falling in love. They just started out episode one with crushes on each other and remained having crushes on each other until arguably season 5.

But no good story is stagnant. In this setup, characters need to do things and there needs to be a feeling of forward momentum.

Break it down this way: What is Adrien's problem? What is his goal? What is the obstacle to his goal?

Yes, we could say Adrien's dad being a supervillain and a neglectful jerk is Adrien's main problem, but it's not the problem Adrien is actually focused on in the show. Instead, if we could say Adrien has a problem, it would be that he wants to date Ladybug. And his goal is to date Ladybug. And the source of the problem and obstacle to his goal is...Ladybug.

So his problem, his goal, and the obstacle are all the same thing. This ultimately seems to make his problems Ladybug’s fault then because the problem would be solved if she gives in to his wants rather than by any real effort on his part.

Adrien as he is in the show doesn't do anything. And he doesn't need to do anything because he is at his base a character that things are done for. He doesn't have a goal or direction or drive. He just comes out to deal with akumas as needed, flirt with Ladybug when he can, and then be sad because his life is so hard when he doesn't get what he wants. We don't see him doing anything else. We don't see him making friends. We don't see him engaging in school. We don't even really see how he interacts with the classmates he only recently met. Things happen around him, but he is not a driving force in anything in the show.

But Felix in the PV is a very driving character. He had a problem: he's cursed. What does he need to break the curse? A kiss from Ladybug. What are the obstacles to his goal: Ladybug refusing to kiss him and Hawk Moth trying to kill her. How does he get that kiss? By flirting with her and trying to earn her affections while protecting her and making sure she doesn't DIE against an akuma before he gets that special curse-breaking kiss.

It's the start of Felix's journey. His goal and the various obstacles to that goal that make his story interesting and his growth possible. As such, I see him as a character who would progress in his attempts to obtain his goal as well as one who would progress the storyline...which is also accurate of 3D Felix since that's kind of what he's done more in his relatively few appearances than the series has in 5 seasons.

Adrien didn't have to have Felix's personality. He didn't have to have the same goals or level of drive. But he could still have had things where he grows and helps to push the plot forward.

Adrien...

...just started school. He has no friends, knows no one, and is trying to learn the ins and outs of public education. How is he doing in the different setting with teachers instead of tutors? How is he trying to get along with his classmates? Does he experience bullying? Does anyone NOT like him? What is he going through as a new student who had been homeschooled all his life?

...is friends with Chloe. What's it like learning his "only friend" is a bully? How do people respond to this? Does anyone (besides Marinette) fear him or avoid him because if he's friends with Chloe, he must be just like her?

...is a superhero. He could have been spending time learning the history of the ring and trying to develop his powers. Trying to get stronger? Trying to get to know Plagg? What is he experiencing as a highly known model who is also a superhero and having to juggle those dual identities?

...has a dead mom who died of a "mysterious illness". Given that this loss supposedly occurred about a year prior, he could still be mourning her. Maybe trying to learn what happened to her.

...has a neglectful father. How is he trying to interact with his dad? How does he feel about his dad not being around? What is he doing to try to resolve this?

...has a supervillain father. Like, I cannot stress this enough! His dad is a SUPERVILLAIN! His dad is THE SUPERVILLAIN THEY ARE FIGHTING! People were predicting him finding out and joining Gabriel to try and revive his mom! People were living for the eventual heartbreak of when Adrien finds out the truth! Entire AUs, fan arts, and fanfics were born of this very idea! Going into the drama and struggle Adrien would be experiencing being caught between the "right thing" and the girl he loves and his duty vs his father and his mother and his family. HOW CAN THEY JUST IGNORE THIS?!

But we don't get any of that. Instead, we get Adrien...

...just acclimated with no issues in school and automatically friends with everyone. Good for him, I guess. Wish it was that easy for the rest of us.

...doing little besides occasional comments to Chloe as she is completely horrible for five seasons including Chloe stealing from classmates, getting the entire school punished for something she did, stealing a Miraculous, trying to crash a train, and betraying the city to Hawk Moth. But it takes him learning about something she did to Marinette a year ago for him to finally decide enough is enough and drop her as a friend.

...only goes out to deal with akumas as they come but does nothing to try and figure out his powers and history, get stronger, or try to track Hawk Moth.

...just moves on from dead mom. No relevance here aside from wanting to see a movie she was in or making a passing comment about how she got sick. No attempt to find out what happened to her. No questioning what she may have wanted for him.

...is just sad about his neglectful father neglecting him but seems to get over it rather quickly.

...never learns his father is a supervillain. Okay, I take it back. He learns twice and those timelines are erased with no real repercussions other than trauma for Marinette, so it really doesn't feel like they count. The pieces are all there, though! He knows his dad has the grimoire but never questions him about it! Never asks his dad what the deal was with Tibet! No question about how mom died or what is going on with Nathalie or what he's doing with a hidden mechanism in mom's portrait.

Adrien has potential. He has plot threads and aspects that could be used and goals he could have. But the writing does nothing with him, so while he has a number of things he COULD do to move forward and progress as a character or for the plot, nothing comes of it.

And that all boils down to a problem with the writing.

Adrien was chosen over Felix as an "easier" option to keep the story at a standstill so they could drag it out for as long as needed. That doesn't mean it should have been. There were so many paths that could have been taken, but Adrien was given the personality of a wet noodle, so he acts on none of them because that was what the writers wanted out of his character.

#ml salt #adrien salt #ml writers salt #ml spoilers #ml analysis

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peterman-spideyparker · 5 months

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Something Good (Matt Murdock x fem!Reader)

Author’s Note: Heya! So, one big perk about being sick and working from home is that I'm really chugging through my idea notebook! This one is the first one on the page, actually, and it's inspired by "Something Good" from The Sound of Music. Enjoy :)

Summary: Matt's in love. He's not entirely sure he deserves it, but he found love with you. It's terrifying and special, and he knows he's beyond lucky.

Warnings: Sweet adorable fluff (Matt's in love, guys). No use of (Y/N), but it does refer to the reader being feminine/female-identifying

Other Characters: Foggy Nelson

Word Count: 746

Matt’s no stranger to sleepless nights. From the sounds of the city keeping him up, to staying out until sunrise on patrol, to being kept awake by his injuries, to his nightmares, his worst case scenarios violently ripping him from his slumber. Tonight, though, tonight is different. He’s still experiences sleepless nights, all the fear and guilt that comes from the idea of not being good enough or strong enough. But those sleepless nights and all those worries have become lesser and lesser the more that you’re in his life.

The first time you slept over, he was so worried he’d wake up screaming with a nightmare, he almost didn’t sleep. He was even apprehensive of having you stay over because he was concerned that Hell’s Kitchen would need it’s Devil and he’d have to slip out; you’d wake up in the middle of the night alone, and he’d loose something he worked hard to try and achieve—a normal relationship. And until that night, it had been just that for Matt, normal. Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. Boy asks girl out. Boy takes girl on date. They date some more. He finally kisses her after arguably too long. Boy cooks girl a romantic dinner. Boy and girl spend the night together. Boy knows he feels something he’s never felt before.

But in all that worry that he’d mess up that first night, with all the fear that kept him wide awake in his own bed, you snuggled into him; in your slumber, you wrapped your arm around his torso, held him close, and cuddled down into his chest. Matt noticed how your heartbeat changed, how your breathing slowed and evened out. You were the purest form of content and relaxed with him. Now, that made him nervous because it meant that you felt the same way, too. And while it made him nervous, he felt his own heart steady and the sleep that he so desperately tried to fight off lay like weighted blankets on his eyes. He was the first one to wake up the next morning, and he found your positions unchanged; you were still latched onto him, and his arms were around you, keeping you close to his heart.

Each night after that got easier. He was afraid, though, for the inevitable. Mentioning this in passing to Foggy, his best friend closed his office door, sat down across from Matt at his desk, and laid it all out: how to carefully bring it up, broaching the topic of senses, his passion for justice—a methodical plan for how to tell you about his night job in a way that wouldn’t scare you away. Unfortunately for Matt, he’d been thinking about it so much, he started at the wrong spot of the explanation when he saw you later that night and put his foot in his mouth. But you stayed, you listened. You asked questions that he was happy to answer. You spoke well into the night, and at the end of it all, you didn’t leave; you took his hand in yours and gave it a squeeze, thanking him, and assuring him that his secret was safe with you.

Now, almost a year later, you were still by his side, guarding his secret, waiting up for him, patching up his wounds, protecting his heart, and holding him close. So, this time when sleep evades him, it’s not because of his fears, not because of his traumas, not because of his nightmares. It’s because he is wracking his brain, asking God to help him figure out what he did to deserve you because Matt cannot figure it out for the life of him. He tilts his head to the side of the bed where you’re sound asleep, still holding onto him like that first night together. As he thinks and thinks, he can only settle on the fact that at some point in his life, he must have done something good that made him worthy of you. If he can never figure it out, so be it. As long as you’re in his life, he doesn’t really care. Leaning over to press a long, sweet kiss into your forehead, he snuggles down onto you and pulls you close, letting your scent flood his senses and remind him that he’s safe with you, his heart is safe, and that he’ll never be more loved than by you.

Yeah, he must have done something good.

Permanent Taglist: @majesticavenger @steampowerednightvaler @themusingsofmany @just-the-hiddles @toozmanykids @dangertoozmanykids101 @clints-worldavengers @theburningbookshop @itwasthereaminuteago @peter1ismybrother@hellskitchens-whore @dpaccione @catnip987

Matt Murdock Taglist: @two-unbeatable-beaters

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folklaur21 · 25 days

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What would've should've been

Pairing: Theodore Nott x fem!ravenclaw!reader

Summary: Theodore Nott didn't truly know what love felt like until he found you. But now all he can do is sit and imagine what should've been.

Warnings: Mentions of death/killing, Battle of Hogwarts, use of Y/N

Word Count: 2.3k

Before You

Theodore Nott isn't the happiest person in the world. Scratch that, he might be the most subdued, emotionally complex guy to have ever existed. Hardly anything made him smile, next to nothing made him laugh. That's just how he was, is, and how he will always be.

It isn't completely his fault. People are never born 'sad' or 'emotionless'. Theo was brought up this way. It was ingrained into him as a child, silently impacting his life forever, and he didn't even realise it. Well, that was until his mother died. At the hands of his father.

Theodore's mother was a gentle soul. Sweet and caring, she always looked after her son. She gave him everything a child needed, wanted, and then some. The one thing she couldn't provide for Theo? A stable father, who wasn't an alcoholic, abusive pig. Though she did try, the fear she had of Theodore's father never ceased throughout their marriage. She just had to try to shelter Theodore from this cold, uncaring lifestyle.

She could only protect her son so much. When Theodore was just nine years old, she couldn't take the abuse from his father anymore. So she tried to escape. From her house, from her husband, from her life. Yet she failed. And he found out. Theodore Nott Sr. was not happy with this. So he did the only thing that he thought could ease his troubles. He killed his wife. The mother of his child. The child that had heard the Unforgiveable Curse uttered from his father's lips. The child who watched the flash of green light emitted from his father's wand. The child who had to watch his own mother, the only person who truly cared for him, die.

When he started Hogwarts, Theodore wanted a somewhat fresh start. Free from the burdens of his home life, he made friends.(Arguably, they were friends who his father would have approved of. If his father even cared.) At school, Theodore worked hard, and tried to mask the emotions he had always been told to oppress. Anger. Hatred. Vulnerability. So none of his friends truly knew what his life was like. Except for Lorenzo.

Theo told Enzo Berkshire everything. It was easier, having someone understand why you were like you were. Someone who you trusted with your deepest, darkest secrets. Someone who cared about you. That's how the two became best friends. Practically inseparable, 24/7.

During You

Having a connection with someone was something Theodore didn't truly seek throughout his lifetime. Especially now, in his fourth year at Hogwarts. Apart from Enzo, he was fine with keeping to himself, keeping a low profile and staying out of everyone's way. That was, until he saw you.

"Enzo, I don't want to go."

"Please, Theo, I want you to come. I'll be lonely without you." Enzo pleaded with his friend.

"I don't want to go to the Yule Ball. And besides, I didn't ask anyone to go with me." Theodore replied, still resisting the idea.

"So? No-one really cares if you're with someone or not. It's supposed to be fun." Enzo says with a sigh as he flops down next to Theo on his bed.

Theo scoffs. "Says you! How many girls asked you to go with them? 15?"

Lorenzo turns slightly pink at his friend's comment. "23..."

Theo lets out an exasperated sigh. "Exactly," Theo says, but after a moment he decides, "I will go to the ball with you Enz. Only because it's that, or sit around here or in the common room with all the first years."

So, that was how he ended up standing at the side of the Great Hall, sipping a glass of pumpkin juice, and watching all of his friends dancing with whoever they brought to the Ball. Theo didn't really mind. Once again, he was merely waiting in the wings, not really expecting anything grand to happen to him. At least, that's what he thought would happen. Until he saw you.

You were with some of your friends on the dancefloor. Laughing and smiling, you were carefree, living your life to it's full potential. Theo couldn't bear to take his eyes off of you. It's not like you would have seen him anyway, with him lurking in the shadows.

After he had spent what felt like forever watching you, Enzo came to his friend's side, offering a new glass of pumpkin juice, which Theo gladly accepted.

"Who's that?" Theo asked his friend, nodding his head in your direction.

"That's Y/N. Y/L/N I think. She's in Ravenclaw. She's actually quite clever, I sat next to her in arithmancy last year." Enzo pauses for a second. "Why do you want to know?"

"I don't know," Theo shrugs, nonchalant. "I just... don't remember seeing her before, that's all."

"Oh. Well, she's really kind. And sweet." Enzo smiles before rushing of again to resume dancing, leaving Theo to mull over his thoughts. Thoughts of you.

A week later, whilst sat in Potions, Theodore couldn't help but watch you, sitting across from him in the classroom. Strange. He had never noticed you before, but now it seemed you were the only thing plaguing his mind. He hardly took any notice of Professor Snape that lesson, watching you as you took notes with your brow furrowed, and how you twirled your quill around in your fingertips if you seemed distracted.

Over the next few weeks, Theodore Nott grew to know lots about you, even if you didn't yet realise it. He knew your favourite subject (Charms), your favourite sweets from Honeydukes (Chocolate Frogs, because you collected the cards). He even knew how you liked to spend your Sundays (sat in the courtyard with a book and a hot chocolate). Theo was drawn to you, for some unknown reason, and not even he could figure out why.

In the weeks leading up to your exams, you spent an increasing amount of time in the library, studying. Funnily enough, so did Theodore. He wanted to do well academically, even if his friends preferred skiving off and messing with first years. So, that was how he came to speak to you for the first time, five whole months after he was first captivated by you.

"Can I sit here? All the other tables are either occupied or slightly sticky and I don't want to mess up my books"

"Uhh, sure!" Theodore said, shocked that you had even come over to him. "No," he told himself. "She's only over here because nowhere else was free. Don't get your hopes up."

"I'm Y/N, by the way." You smile at him, and wave your wand to get your books laid out on the desk in front of you.

"Theodore. But you can call me Theo." Theodore said, as he found himself smiling in return.

The two of you started to talk about anything and everything; school, exams, your hobbies, interests, just your lives in general. And that's how Theo realised that, maybe he wasn't such a cold, uncaring teenager after all.

A week or so later, the two of you were sat under the shade of an oak tree overlooking the Black Lake, studying for, you guessed it, exams. That moment was when Theo finally plucked up enough courage to ask you something.

"Hey, Y/N?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

"What?" you replied, looking up from your book.

"I was wondering, would you maybe like to, and it's OK if you don't, I don't mind, you don't have to say yes or anything because it's completely your choice-"

"Spit it out, Theo!" you giggled, humoured by his rambling.

"Right. Sorry." Theo said, trying to calm himself down. "Umm, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend? And could we possibly go to the Three Broomsticks? You know, just... us?"

Your eyes widened, before you smiled at the boy's worried expression. "Of course! Theo I'd love to."

You wrapped your arms around him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before returning to your book, leaving Theodore grinning as if he'd just won the lottery. Which, with you, he basically had.

After You

It had been a while since Theodore Nott had been back at Hogwarts. Since he had gotten the Dark Mark, at his father's force, he had stayed working for The Dark Lord, being a Death Eater. He hated it. It was a life his father had forced him into, a life which wasn't truly his. And now he was back at the one place which had been a home to him, but now he was here to destroy it.

Theo tried to look for you. The one person who he trusted, and the one person who trusted him. Theo wasn't here to fight. He wasn't here to kill. He couldn't do that here. His safe place, where his father couldn't physically torture him. Where you were.

Before his sixth year at Hogwarts, Theo was held under the Imperius curse by his father, and the searing skull tattoo, the tattoo that would hurt him forever, was imprinted into his left arm. When school started again, he couldn't bear to tell you, his girlfriend, what had happened. But he did, because between you two, there were no secrets. When you found out, all you were was supportive. You helped Theo though his pain and anguish, but what he didn't know is that when you first found out, you cried for hours. Crying about his future, your future, angry at the world you live in for being so cruel. Crying was really the only thing you could do.

After Dumbledore's death, Theodore did what he thought would be best for your relationship, best for you.

"You can't be serious, Theodore?" you said, trying to keep your voice levelled and clear, holding back the tears.

That hurt Theo. You never called him Theodore, unless you were really frustrated. Which hadn't happened until now. "Y/N please, I have to, it's for your safety."

"My SAFETY? Theo, I couldn't care less about that right now. Please, don't do this." You couldn't hold back any longer. The tears were now streaming down your face.

"I don't want to, but-"

"But what, Theo? I love you!"

"I love you too, but-"

"Then surely that's all that matter?" you say, exasperated. "We love each other. We can run away together, and live in hiding until it's safe for us to come out, to be together."

"No, we can't, you know we can't, we'll be found and then... you'd... You'd be killed." Theo says in a small voice. "And I can't let that happen to you. Please, Y/N, just listen to me. As soon as this is over, we can get back together. We can live together, start over together. But it can't happen now. Not yet. Please, Y/N, wait for me."

You can't stop crying now, and you lean over to Theo and kiss him. "OK. When it's all over. I'll be waiting for you, Theo. You'll definitely come back to me?"

"Of course I will, Y/N. I promise I'll find you."

And of course, that's what he was currently doing. Looking for you. He had been waiting a year to see your face again, hoping you hadn't forgotten about him. However now he couldn't find you. Running through the corridors, shouting you name, dodging curses and rubble, Theo's only goal was to find you. And he did.

There you were at the top of the Astronomy tower, a split lip and wearing a torn blue jumper, you were aiming all sorts of hexes at a Death Eater. Theo was so relieved, and began firing spells at your opponent, until he was knocked unconscious. At that point, Theo kicked the limp body over the balcony, not caring what would happen.

"Y/N." Theo smiled. "I told you I'd come back."

You pulled Theo into a hug and kissed him. "Theo!" you breathed.

"I love you more than anything, Y/N." All Theo could do was look into your bright, tearful eyes, relieved that he could see you once again before-

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

That fateful curse.

A flash of green light.

Your body fell limp in Theo's arms.

Your eyes lost their brightness.

"NO!"

Theo tried to pull you up, tried to hold you tight, but it was no use. You were gone. Theo looked up to see your murderer, looking him in the eyes. His father.

Your death at the hands of Nott Sr. ensured Nott Sr.'s death at the hands of his son. That was the first and last time that Theodore Nott would ever use the killing curse, and it only made sense for it to be on the person that used it on the two people who he had loved most in the world.

When the Battle of Hogwarts was over, most of Voldemort's supporters were dead, captured, or had fled the scene when it was evident that they were losing. But two Death Eaters stayed behind, simply because they couldn't bear to leave the castle like this. They felt it was partly their fault. Those two Death Eaters were Theodore Nott and Lorenzo Berkshire.

Whilst everyone gathered in the Great Hall, Enzo wandered the, now ruined, corridors of a place he loved so dearly. What he didn't expect to find his best friend, leaning on the crumbled wall of the Astronomy tower, cradling someone in his arms. Not to mention the fact that his father lay on the ground mere feet away.

"Please, Y/N, you can't be dead, you can't. I came back for you I-"

"Theo?" Enzo inquired, sitting on the floor next to his best friend, who was in fits of tears.

"He killed her, Enz. He killed her so- So I killed him. I had to."

"It's OK, Theo." Enzo replied, putting an arm around his friend's shoulder, and letting him cry.

The pair fell into a comfortable silence, with the sound of everyone in the castle talking and grieving the loss of friends and family. The two could have been down there with them, celebrating the demise of the people who made their lives hell.

But instead, all Theodore Nott could think about is what should've been.

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bunniekittiee · 6 months

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Hello ! Hope you're doing well! I really loved your headcanons of Bi-han's S/O relationship with his brothers it was so cute ❤ I'm curious what you think the relationship becomes if you take in account the story mode events ( Bihan's "betrayal ") because I'm sure s/o would stik by her husband and support him so how those three interact afterward? Thanks ~

Hi! I am doing okay, I hope you are doing well too! Y’all are so nice here woo hoo

I will answer this in headcanons. Bi-Han x Fem. Reader by the way! Also kind of a little sad :(

Finding out what Bi-Han had done was like a knife to the heart.

She was so close to his brothers that they were her own, as they too viewed her as a sister.

She was definitely distraught knowing that her family was ripping itself apart.

But, she could not just leave Bi-Han. She had married him, but she also married the Lin Kuei when she said her vows.

Leaving him would only result in more anguish.

She would have to support Bi-Han’s decision either way, even if she had her doubts or believed that he was actually losing his sanity.

Bi-Han never fully discussed all the details, but he would tell her the big important ones such as the development of the Cyber Initiative and how they were close to overpowering the Shirai Ryu.

It pained her greatly, but she would smile and congratulate Bi-Han on his success. That was all she could do unfortunately as arguing with Bi-Han about his betrayal was like speaking to a brick wall.

Bi-Han believes that his brothers have betrayed him rather than the other way around. He is delusional lol.

He is blinded by his own anger and thirst for power.

It is argued whether he truly wants to kill his brothers or just wants them to stand down and let the Lin Kuei thrive.

Sometimes, she is never so sure if he really wants to kill his brothers in cold blood. In his eyes, she can see the glimmer of murderous intent, but then it will form into something else.

Like he had lost something important to him.

It was definitely arguable. She had hoped that Bi-Han would never be that cruel.

She could not bear to see any harm come to Kuai Liang and Tomas.

If she somehow ever came across them, whether it was at an event or some different way, she would feel like crying.

She would hug her boys close.

They would hug her back, joyful to be reunited with her.

They know she is not to be enemies with as their fight is with Bi-Han, not his wife.

Even though Bi-Han has stated that family is not off limits in their war, Kuai Liang cannot bring himself to harm her, nor can Tomas.

They know how much she means to Bi-Han, and he would go to the depths of the Netherrealm to protect her.

When those three reunite, it is usually quick as they cannot stay long. If Sektor or Cyrax were to catch a glimpse of them, they would be in trouble.

The brothers understand that she has to support Bi-Han no matter what, yet sometimes they feel that she is not trying enough to reason with him.

But again, they understand that reasoning with Bi-Han is something that cannot be achievable.

Once he is passionate and confident in something, he will continue to pursue it.

Just like he is passionate about overthrowing the Shirai Ryu and teaching his brothers a lesson.

Bi-Han hardly lets her leave the premises. He does not trust soldiers to go with her, and he does not have his brothers.

So only Sektor or Cyrax are really supposed to go with her, sometimes both of them will go with.

They are nothing like Kuai and Tomas though, which saddens her.

They have different personalities, and they put on the soldier face to prevent others from attempting to mess with them.

It is mainly for intimidation. That was something Kuai and Tomas hardly ever did unless it was truly needed.

Trips with Sektor and Cyrax are quick and usually not that fun. They are disconnected from her as they do not want attachments to the Grandmaster’s wife.

Supporting Bi-Han may be difficult in this because her loyalty also stands with his brothers, but since Bi-Han exiled them from ever being mentioned, her loyalties were forced to change.

She had to fully be loyal to Bi-Han and support his decisions. Just as Sektor and Cyrax supported them.

They were almost like the “replacements” for Kuai Liang and Tomas. That’s what Bi-Han tried to show her by sending them with her when she needed a break from the Arctika.

Replacements that were never going to fulfill the places of the brothers.

She dearly misses them. She does not have much contact with them and she thinks about them often.

She thinks about her old life often, truthfully.

If Bi-Han had a change of heart, they could be reunited and happy like they once were.

Kuai Liang and Tomas give her the offer of staying with the Shirai Ryu, even though they both know Bi-Han would rip the realms apart for her.

If she is too scared of Bi-Han or he is doing worse things, they want to make sure that the door is open for her.

She can be part of their clan and live a happier life. One that is not full of darkness and evil.

But they do not pressure her or try convincing her because deep down, they know that her place is with the Lin Kuei.

She is shackled by them, she will never be able to leave unless in death.

#mk 1 #mk1 2023 #mk1 #mk bi han #mk kuai liang #mk tomas vrbada #mk sub zero #mk scorpion #mk smoke #sub zero #bi han sub zero #sub zero x reader #bi han x reader #mk1 bi han #bi han x you #bi han headcanon #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat

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pennyserenade · 2 months

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i have thought in great detail about coriolanus and sejanus, and whether or not coriolanus ever really liked sejanus. i think that the novel/movie are purposefully constructed to make this ambiguous, but i prefer to veer on the side of "yes, he did."

coriolanus' way of loving people was...lacking, to say the least. even with tigris, he thought awful, mean things about her, but it was evident he cared very much for her. the problem with coriolanus was not that he couldn't love -- it was that he could not love without first being assured that his investment would yield positive results for him. at least, he could not readily admit to himself that he was loving until he knew it was going to work out for him.

his character is very succinctly summed up by sejanus, when he tells him, "I remember that from school, watching you watch other people. Pretending you weren't. And choosing the moments you weighed in so carefully" (397). without fully knowing the totality of it, sejanus got it all too right: coriolanus took people in, measured them out, decided what they meant to him, and weighed in when he thought it'd benefit him. coriolanus was calculated in all things, most of all in love—a thing he knew made you vulnerable.

but that's not to say what coriolanus said to himself was the exact same thing as what he felt. if it was, i do not believe he would've done half the things he had done for sejanus--even given the prospect of reward in the end. this is part of what makes coriolanus descent into evil so heartbreaking: a part of him was good. he did want for connection and comfort, even if he had a real fucked up way of going about getting it. coriolanus was a dog that bit without fully knowing why; it was a protective instinct he used, because so much of his life had been filled with loss already.

in the book, after coriolanus snuck his father's handkerchief with lucy gray's scent into the tank of snakes, he went to sejanus' house. this is an incredible detail that so many people tend to overlook when they talk about coriolanus and sejanus' friendship. the beginning of the chapter reads:

"What had he done? What on earth had he done? His heart raced as he blindly turned down one street and then another, trying to make sense of his actions. He couldn't think clearly but had the dreadful feeling he'd crossed some line that could not be uncrossed" (287).

we start this chapter with a frenzied, rattled coriolanus, one terribly afraid of what he had just done and the consequences this action might have later. he was scared and isolated, and he didn't know what to do. a little further on, collins writes: "His feet had carried him far from home, but he realized the Plinth apartment was just a few minutes away. Why not pop in?" (288).i find this construction of words to be fascinating, especially in relation to coriolanus--a character we have come to known as calculated and precise, even in moments when he has to think on his feet. one could argue that during this part of the book, and in this state, it makes sense that coriolanus might wander that far from his home absent-mindedly. it shows how out of touch with himself he had become, and just how much the act he had just committed disorientated him. but i think it was more than that. i think coriolanus wanted to go to the plinth's house, that he was seeking comfort after he had done something incredibly dangerous (something, arguably, that sejanus might have done), and he could not admit it to himself. and his original intention had been to see sejanus, but sejanus was asleep.

the fact that collins wrote "his feet had carried him" and "he realized" is so brilliant. i’ve got lots of opinions about why she chose to write the book in a third person point of view. one of the reasons i think she did it has to do with the fact that coriolanus was distancing himself from himself--shedding culpability through phrases such as these, especially in moments like this. coriolanus did love sejanus, but he simply could not admit it to himself because sejanus was not a safe or wise investment to make. coriolanus refused to give credence to his need for him, and it ended up killing the boy in the long run.

#sejanus plinth #coriolanus snow #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #suzanne collins #tbosas meta #tbosas analysis #didn't mean to write an essay #this fully was meant to be a short post but i had finished all my homework #and suddenly i had my kindle app open and i wrote a page number without thinking (bc i am an english major and this is my lot)#and bam it was an essay

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fierrochase-falafel · 9 months

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"All the names are changed to protect the innocent"- an analysis of Marvin's use of names

So y'know how in In Trousers, Marvin is the only named character who actually has screentime and all the women in his life are nameless (ignoring his teacher, Miss Goldberg). It's pretty clear this is, to an extent, a sign of Marvin not seeing the women in his life as people in their own right as he appreciates the affection of no woman actively giving him any, and that he only focuses his attention on unattainable women (such as Miss Goldberg) as a form of compulsory heterosexuality and men (Whizzer).

I do, though, think it's interesting to note that in Love is Blind (in March of the Falsettos), Marvin says "Love reads like a bad biography, all the names are changed to protect the innocent". Marvin's experience of love so far has been women whose names he has left unsaid. Given Whizzer refuses to acknowledge he loves Marvin, and Marvin says he loves Whizzer "sorta, kinda", their relationship isn't taken fully into account as love Marvin has experienced. Marvin does admit he loves Whizzer to Mendel later in the "sorta kinda" conversation, but says he would only concede it if Whizzer loved him back, meaning that he refuses to fully accept that love unless Whizzer said he loved him first: Marvin's inner dialogue does not really see Whizzer as part of his vision of 'love' (albeit ironically the only true romantic love he has experienced). Hence, Marvin's experience of love, at this point, really has had his previous lovers' names changed, perhaps to protect them from people recognising them as having engaged with him at all.

Who this decision is protecting, though, depends on who is innocent. Maybe Marvin had some amount of sympathy for both his high school sweetheart and his wife as being innocent victims of loving him when he didn't love them in return. However, in March of the Falsettos, Marvin does say his wife's name for the first time (I think!) in 'Marvin hits Trina', and he says it not 1, not 2 but 8 TIMES. In quick succession. This song takes place immediately after he gets an invitation to Trina and Mendel's wedding. Trina having her own life makes her no longer 'innocent' as he sees her as having betrayed him, so he addresses her by name repeatedly in anger at this.

I think it's also worth noting that from a point of view of innocence, the first whole name revealed in the musical is that of Whizzer Brown. Whizzer is someone Marvin is very well aware of being sexually experienced, which contradicts the idea of innocence as someone naive to concepts such as sex. He sees Whizzer as someone who is not innocent, and so his name is left in fully throughout. The multiple meanings of 'innocent' to both imply sexual inexperience and having done nothing wrong, can also group together having a lot of sexual experience with being guilty of it. The negative connotations of these together subtly shows Marvin's internalised homophobia and conflicted views on Whizzer and his unapologetic flamboyance. One could also say Whizzer is basically a walking pride flag in how he seems unashamed of his personality and life, and his name is also very obviously on display as such as he has nothing to hide or stash away. Arguably that is innocence, but I don't think Marvin sees it that way. Anyways, this is getting a bit convoluted.

Through this one line, even though it seems strange-sounding and just a pretty odd throwaway at first (atleast it did to me on the first few listens), you get a distinct idea of Marvin's view of what is innocent and what is guilty, and who he deems to be innocent in a world where he sees himself as the highest power. Trina and Whizzer, as individuals who disagree with Marvin's views of what is right on a particular front, are guilty. While trying to hide their names initially when mentioning "his wife", "his child" and "his friend" in Tight Knit Family, his opinion of their lives comes out on top in this love-biography he has in his head. He writes the bad biography (even he admits it's bad, funnily enough), and to him they aren't innocent. Obviously he goes through major character development at the end of March of the Falsettos, and this seems to make his use of names less distinct. He says Whizzer's name more softly, with emphasis on love, and I don't think he says Trina's very much at all, maybe letting go with his anger and view of her as 'guilty'. This is last part is largely conjecture though! I'd love to hear more people's takes on this.

Edit: I just realised! In terms of innocence, Miss Goldberg's name being revealed is probably also representative of her adulthood when Marvin's in school, making her seem more 'mature' to him and thus not innocent (given how childhood often connotes innocence.

#names #falsettos #falsettoland #march of the falsettos #in trousers #marvin falsettos #trina falsettos #whizzer falsettos #whizzer brown #falsettos meta #miss goldberg #in trousers meta #analysis time by me so I can track them in my tags #posts originating from my brain

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kanansdume · 2 years

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I find it interesting how the keep coming back to the fact that Cassian was introduced to audiences in Rogue One with the murder of the informant. And in that moment, we see what kind of person he is and the arc he's going to go on. Because he DOES try other options, he doesn't kill the guy immediately, and even once he clearly decides that the only way they don't both die is to kill the informant, he doesn't necessarily do it in a cruel way. And the first thing we see in the moment afterwards is Cassian's face looking VERY upset. He's immensely distressed that he just had to murder someone who was on his own side, but he did it anyway and then just has to move on. We learn later that this is far from his first kill, that he's done a LOT of things like this for the Rebellion and it's a large part of what drives him.

It is a defining moment for Cassian's character, obviously. And so it's quite interesting to see them keep coming back to it.

In the pilot episode of Andor, we see Cassian shoot the guard, but it does take him quite a while to really weigh those options and decide he can't trust the guard enough to let him live and there's really very little sense of remorse or regret in the aftermath of that.

And of course now, we see him kill Skeen. Skeen who he related to a little and was beginning to trust. Skeen who then turns on them all and proves himself false. Skeen who places a choice before Cassian, to betray Vel and Nemik and Cinta, or to probably die because Skeen is unlikely to let Cassian live now that he knows the truth. Cassian doesn't want to betray the others and he doesn't want to die, so he's left with a single option before him. You can SEE him weighing all of those options as Skeen keeps talking, you can see him attempting to find another way out of it and see if he can talk Skeen out of what he's suggesting and it doesn't work. And so Cassian doesn't hesitate. He does the one thing that will save himself and allow Vel to keep the money for her rebellion. He does what is probably arguably the most morally correct option, but he also is aware that Vel is never going to believe him. She doesn't trust him enough to take his word about Skeen. And so he runs. Again.

There's more nuance this time, and we do see him really not WANTING to kill Skeen, but doing it anyway not just for survival reasons but to protect Vel and Nemik and Cinta and their rebellion, as well. He's not going to just let Skeen esacpe with the money they all fought so hard for, that Taramyn and Gorn and now Nemik died for. He kills Skeen for the cause, but he's not been a part of that cause long enough to be able to keep fighting for it afterward.

Which is likely where Luthen will come in. Who will get the necklace back and hear about how Cassian didn't take the money and be able to read between the lines enough to chase Cassian down again to keep trying to recruit him.

I love watching Cassian start to become the person who WILL kill, but kills for a CAUSE, he kills to protect other people, he kills because the greater good requires it. I wonder if we'll keep seeing more versions of this scene, more call backs to how he was introduced, as mile markers to show how close he is to becoming that person.

#andor #andor show #andor series #cassian andor #andor spoilers #star wars

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klapollo · 2 years

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(barbarian movie spoilers, rape/incest tw)

i've seen people (understandably imo) bothered by the fact that the mother was a "monster" when she was a victim who was the product of decades of rape and incest, but i'm willing to lightly defend this on thematic grounds.

a significant chunk of the movie's theme seems to be rooted in the idea that our perception of who is really bad and good is stilted and often informed by our own cultural biases. take, for example, how tess runs away from andre the first time she sees him bc he's a homeless man and calls the cops -- he was trying to save her life. the cops, often portrayed as heroes in our culture, are totally useless and even callous and cruel. to a lesser extent, keith -- a guy who the audience is acquainted with as a chronic horror villain through his actor -- comes off creepy and suspicious but was ultimately genuine, kind and innocent. arguably the strongest example is frank, who is brutalizing innocent women by the dozens and buying supplies and skulking around in public, and all the while his neighbors whisper to him in confidence that they need to get out and move because the neighborhood is falling apart -- because it's losing its racial homogeneity.

and just the same, the mother LOOKS "scary" but she's just a victim trying to do what she thinks it's right. the REAL monster is frank, who is ostensibly a "normal" guy. the mother is, along with tess and andre, one of the most innocent characters in the film. this sounds ridiculous considering the amount of carnage she inflicts, but unlike frank, her motivations are pure: she sees tess as her baby, and she wants to do anything to protect her. even after tess rams her with the car, she throws herself off the water tower to save her life. tess understands this. it's why she hesitates in the end, because she's a good person and (unlike AJ) sees the mother for what she really is -- even after everything she's been through.

while a lot of the movie is about the ramifications of gendered violence, i'd argue it's also about judging things based on our society's prejudices. the mother as a monster is a red herring. frank, though he looks "normal," is the true beast, not her.

i don't think these criticisms are WRONG necessarily (especially when critiquing a male director) but i do think cregger was judicious in his choices and didn't do this with misogynistic intention -- actually the opposite. i totally respect people who disagree though, it's a difficult thing.

#barbarian spoilers #barbarian 2022

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glitchyko · 3 months

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I’ve decided to just go wild and start showing off my ocs and stories here that I’ve had in my brain and have made art for, even if they make absolutely no sense, starting with my oc that arguably makes the least amount of sense, but I still love her despite that, Xiǎodàn

To explain what’s up with Xiǎodàn, she kind of started as a sort of silly what if thought I had that went something along the lines of, “What would happen if someone was like, born in the scroll?” I’m not sure how to explain it, but before I knew it I was just running with the idea and Xiǎodàn is the result of that-

I’m still working out some of the details of Xiǎodàns story, but I have a sort of general idea of her backstory and her family’s to an extent

So this story starts with Xiǎodàn’s mother, Xīcai, who was a celestial maiden, though she was only a servant/attendant, nothing too grand or special. But she was forced into assisting in a crime (this is one of the things I’m still thinking on) and was caught and sentenced to be imprisoned in the memory scroll, however her punishment was reduced to be only temporary since it came out that she wasn’t helping of her own free will

But when Xīcai was eventually released from said scroll, two things were different about her now, one being her divinity was taken away from her (this was part of her punishment) and she was pregnant-

To explain that Xīcǎi, falls in love with a man who is a apart of the ink scroll (he’s the memory of someone else, I don’t really know how to explain it, ink scroll stuff is hard to explain, but basically he’s not the actual guy, but a memory of him) and stuff happens from there that leads to Xīcai to be expecting when she’s freed from the scroll

So now that she’s a mortal woman, and soon to be a mother, Xīcai works her ass off building a life, getting a home and job and integrating into the mortal realm and raising her daughter, who she named Xiǎodàn, and her daughter looks and acts completely like any mortal human kid would

That changes after Xiǎodàn’s 13th birthday

One day, Xiǎodàn noticed on the very tip of her middle finger, was a small black mark, that no matter how much she scrubbed and wiped it, wouldn’t go away. And with each day that passed, that black stain quickly got bigger and bigger and more appeared as well, and within a month or two, she was basically an ink person, though unlike the ink demons shown in s4, her body has more physicality, she’s got flesh, bones, etc, and her body doesn’t stain everything it touches

So while Xīcai is trying to figure out what to do about her daughters transformation and who she can go to for help, Xiǎodàn stays home and in her room most of the time, since she can’t go outside with her current appearance, cause of this, she’s grown incredibly lonely since she can’t see or talk to her friends in person now, the only person she can talk to face to face is her mom. One day at some point she’s just curled up in her room, and she mutters how she just wants someone else to talk to, before pressing her face into her knees, unaware of drips of ink on the floor slowly coming together and forming a small puddle, until a figure starts coming out of said puddle

It turns out Xiǎodàn can summon Inky (that’s what she calls the protective curse/ink MK) and de summon him whenever she pleases-

In a way Xiǎodàn is kind of like a walking scroll, she can create/summon ink people, but she can’t imprison people in the scroll (maybe she could if she had a piece of the scroll but I’m still deciding on this)

Xiǎodàn is not super eager to trust this ink monkey person who appeared in her room, and Inky isn’t super keen on trusting her either, though they are very curious about what exactly Xiǎodàn is and what she could be capable of, since she was able to bring them out of the scroll without a having a piece of it, and Xiǎodàn summoning inky and talking to them does make her wonder what exactly can she do (inky helps spark her curiosity) but she doesn’t tell Xīcai about this because she doesn’t want her mother to worry or freak out, and Inky advised her not to. So Xiǎodàn sort has Inky as a secret friend, summoning when she just wants someone to talk to about whatever.

One day inky is summoned by Xiǎodàn, and inky notices some bags are being packed and asks what are those for, and Xiǎodàn explains that her mom says they’re going to go to a city called Megaopolis to meet someone Xīcǎi says might be able help her, and when inky asks who, Xiǎodàn says he’s called the monkie kid and Inky just quietly says with a smile, “Interesting…”

And that’s all I’m gonna share for right now, I know this oc and this story don’t really make sense when you think about it, and there’s things I still need to decide on, but I wanted to share these here cause why not

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destinysbounty · 2 years

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We as a fandom do not talk about this scene nearly as much as we should

Like, I had already headcanoned that Nya's independent personality was a result of her upbringing, but the fact that this scene officially confirms it is just *chefs kiss*.

What I find so interesting about Kai and Nya is that their childhood trauma has very clearly effected personalities and overall characterizations. Both of them have lone wolf tendencies (albeit more so in earlier seasons), often tending to go their own way and handle their problems on their own instead of relying on the team. They both have anger issues and short tempers, struggling to process their emotions in a healthy way. And neither of them are comfortable with weakness and vulnerability, and tend to lash out when they feel cornered.

There's also the fact that, due to growing up as two kids forced to raise themselves and learn survive with limited assistance from their community, both of them are understandably afraid of feeling weak and vulnerable. What I find to be perhaps the most interesting part of all this is that despite sharing a similar fear, both of them have vastly different coping mechanisms for dealing with it.

For Kai, his fear of powerlessness manifests in a desire for more power - a desire to be the green ninja, a desire to protect his friends, a desire to be strong and heroic, and of course a difficulty with accepting the situation when he loses his powers. He has pretty seamlessly integrated his power into his persona as well, frequently referencing his abilities and praising his status as the master of fire arguably more so than any other character. He's quickly turned his power into a huge part of his identity. Every time he loses his powers, he tends to go into a bit of a depressive episode - in season 5 he developed a fear of water, and in season 11 he became so upset that he nearly quit being a ninja altogether. When he failed to save the Never Realm villagers from Boreal, he blamed himself for it by lamenting that he wasn't powerful enough to save them.

You get the idea. Point is, Kai doesn't like feeling weak, he doesn't like vulnerability, he doesn't like being the weak link or a liability holding everyone back. Personally, I would point to that insecurity as being the primary driving force for his determination to become the green ninja, but that's definitely up for debate.

And as for Nya, this fear has manifested as her being a fiercely independent perfectionist, equating mistakes and failure with weakness, and fearing failure to such an extreme extent that she either gives up anything she's not immediately good at, or completely ignores her problems and pretends everything is fine. Like in season 5 when Wu was training her to become the master of water. "I'm not weak, this bucket is weak! I'm good at everything else, why do I have to be good at filling buckets?!" Or her struggles to get along with her mother all throughout Seabound, knowing full well that she can't blame her mom for leaving but still not quite ready to have her mom in her life again. She also isn't good at asking for help either, often preferring to handle things on her own even at her own detriment, and often she has a hard time admitting when she's wrong as well.

Whenever traumatic things happen, she just steamrolls right past it, refusing to acknowledge her own grief for very long. At Zane's funeral the first thing she said was, "So...what happens after this?" In the face of Maya's repeated attempts to reconnect and talk about Nya's childhood trauma, Nya would often shrug her off or storm away or change the subject.

Maya tried to explain her reasons once - tried to explain that sacrificing yourself comes with immense collateral damage, often hurting the same people you're trying to protect, and says "That's just the way the cookie crumbles." But Nya can't bring herself to address what Maya is really getting at, instead swimming away and saying "I don't like crumbly cookies."

That's why her final words are so important to me. "Tell my mother I understand now. That's the way the cookie crumbles." Nya has finally come to terms with and accepted her mother's decision, accepted that not all solutions have perfect answers, and has finally confronted her own baggage once and for all. She understands why her mother left, she forgives her, and above all she, the team perfectionist, is making a decision that isn't perfect. A decision that will leave a lot of collateral damage, and will cause serious trauma to her loved ones. She knows that by leaving her friends behind and becoming one with the sea, she's hurting them the same way her mother's absence hurt her - but she does it anyway because it's the only way to save their lives.

And as she looks back to say goodbye to Jay one last time, she cries. She mouths the words "I love you" - something she'd never said out loud before. She lets herself be truly raw and vulnerable. Even during her death in Skybound, she was still trying to keep her up her strong and defensive facade, saying things like "I never wanted to be part of your boys' club anyway". Even on her deathbed, in that moment she can't bring herself to let down her walls all the way. But here, several seasons later, she has finally let herself be vulnerable enough to cry, to say goodbye, to say "I love you."

Nya may not be my favorite ninja, but she does have my favorite character arc. Her going from samurai to ninja was a controversial decision, but I really do think it was a good choice in the long run because it almost feels like it's symbolizing her growth - going from a lone wolf who insists on doing things by herself, to being part of a team and relying on her friends just as much as they rely on her.

Just...I love Nya so much. She needs a hug.

#ninjago #nya smith #nya ninjago #ninjago nya #ninjago seabound #kai smith #kai ninjago #ninjago kai #ns14 #ns15 #long post #destiny post

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kory-dany · 11 months

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In defense of Charlotte as a mother

Quick disclaimer this post is not trying to undermine charlottegeorge's (we seriously need to come up with a better ship name) children's feelings towards their mother. Although we know very little about them, it's obvious their relationship with Charlotte isn't perfect, but if I'm being honest, I'm tired of this narrative that she was an awful mother. I 100% agree that she wasn't the best mother (tbh, none of the Bridgerton mothers are. That's what makes the show interesting), but people keep suggesting that she's Augusta-level bad, and that's just not true.

Firstly, everyone keeps forgetting that Lottie lost her parents when she was young, which suggests she didn't have a motherly presence for at least half her life. Secondly, she was eighteen when she had her first child. Eighteen and her strongest examples of motherhood were probably Agatha and Augusta (both, again, arguably not the most amazing mothers). Thirdly, she had fifteen kids. FIFTEEN!! Thirteen (twelve???) surviving, I'm not saying she didn't love them equally, but that's a lot of kids to get to know.

My main argument, however, is that Charlotte probably was not the best mother, and she probably did focus more on being queen and protecting George — which I would argue was also protecting her children. However, she is not Augutsa 2.0 (who, even though not the best mother did try).

Charlotte had twelve (thirteen, idk any more consistency is not this shows strength) surviving children, and it seemed that, for the most part, she let them do whatever they wanted. Unlike Augusta, who tried to control every aspect of George's life, she let her sons whore about (her words, not mine), and she clearly didn't meddle too much in her daughter's love lives. It's only until the very last minute that she inserts herself into their affairs.

At first, it was just her telling them to marry suitable people and produce an heir. She still allowed them to marry who they liked, just as long as they were from a specific pool. And if I'm being honest, that pool wasn't that small; they literally had all of Europe. One of them could have found someone if they had tried. But alas, they didn't which forced Charlotte's hand, leading to arranged marriages.

I think none of them really took her command of marriage seriously because none of them, outside of George probably, knows what responsibility is. Yes, we know that her daughters stayed because they couldn't bare to see their mother remain stuck in time. However, Charlotte did what Augusta couldn't. She didn't let the weight and responsibility of the crown break her children. To her, she was a good mother because she gave them freedom — freedom George never had — she let them have affairs and stay unmarried because she refused to put pressure on them the way Augusta and everyone else did on George.

Her children didn't crack under the crown's weight because she did. Charlotte had two choices: be the best queen or be the best mother. I think she chose the option that made the most sense to her. By being the best queen (George's queen), George had someone on his side, the kingdom had stability, AND her children got to live their lives.

Charlotte had so much responsibility from such a young age; is it really shocking that she couldn't juggle it all? Furthermore, people keep acting like she didn't love her kids, but she clearly did. She was very much pained when Elizabeth confessed her miscarriages, she was gentle with William when he admitted he was scared, and she was ecstatic when Edward announced Victoria's pregnancy. She didn't even care that they thought it would be a girl.

Overall, Charlotte is not a perfect mother, but none of the Bridgerton mothers are (not even Violet). All the mothers in this world are just women who tried their best. And as much as their best may not have been enough, it's all they had. Bridgerton does this brilliant thing, highlighting the toxic cycle that occurs when child-baring is a societal expectation, even in relationships made from love and children produced by autonomy. Charlotte's story is just another example.

#queen charlotte: a bridgerton story #queen charlotte #charlotte of mecklenburg-strelitz #yes i know how she reacted to her granddaughters death was no pretty but thats an entirely different post #this is a whole bunch of rambling #but I had to say it because it felt like people were being extremely critical #like yes she’s not the best mum but like also nuance?!?!#charlottes a complicated character and i don’t think it’s appreciated enough #anyway i will always appreciate the complicated mother representation that the bridgerton world keeps feeding us

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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 1 year

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Hi! I love everything you write about SOC and CK! Why do you think in SOC chapter 2 Inej says Kaz had done his best to teach her how to pick locks, but then in CK, Kaz says he'd done a "shoddy job" teaching her how to pick locks (this is when Inej is casing Van Eck's house and discovers they installed Skylar locks).

Also, it baffles me that Kaz has the presence of mind to call Inej an investment after she's been stabbed and is bleeding to death in his arms ("I protect my investments"). Would you consider creating a post analyzing just the stabbing scene? (For example: was it Kaz that caught Inej's ankle or one of the Black Tips? What do you think Kaz was thinking when he saw Inej face-down on the crate with a knife poised against her heart? And Rotty saying there was "enough blood to paint a barn red").

Thanks so much!

Thanks, I’m so glad you like the posts!! Those are both really interesting ideas so I’d absolutely love to let you know my thoughts on them!

With the way Inej sees Kaz as having done “his best to teach her” about picking locks whilst Kaz describes himself as having done “a shoddy job” of it, I think this is actually quite indicative of their relationship dynamic in a lot of ways. Both put the other on a pedestal in a lot of ways, but Kaz more often glorifies Inej and almost finds it difficult to accept that she, like anyone else, has flaws. I think that in this way, Inej sees Kaz as having done “his best” because she sees her inability to pick the Skylar locks as her failing rather than his, whereas Kaz is incapable of admitting that she could possible fail at anything so it must be his fault for failing to teach her well enough instead.

The “protect my investments” like is always interesting, and I think it’s absolutely because it’s a defence mechanism. Kaz uses sarcasm as a defence mechanism when he says “Darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honour of acquiring me a new hat” to hide his genuine feelings towards her, and I think the investments line can be considered an extension of this. As well as Inej being vulnerable in this scene for obvious reasons, Kaz is also incredibly vulnerable; he’s carrying Inej, having to touch her to do so which we know he can find difficult even with his gloves on particularly when he’s touching someone for a long period of time, he’s running whilst carrying her and presumably holding his cane as well which is of course incredibly taxing from a physical standpoint, and he is absolutely terrified for her life in a way he never has been before. This is arguably the first time Kaz is forced to directly face his feelings for Inej, and when that comes in such a stressful moment when he is already so vulnerable, I wouldn’t consider it at all surprising that he finds support in these defence mechanisms to separate himself from her. I could talk about the stabbing scene for DAYS, and I absolutely think that Inej’s “kind steel” blade is something that we should talk about far more often because I think it’s something we really skim over as a fandom, but without going into too much detail on Inej herself in this scene I would argue that the “kind steel” is one of the things Kaz finds most frightening in this moment. Inej’s lifting the blade to her own chest is suddenly not just about watching someone else be responsible for her death, but actually facing the possibility that she would be willing to die for Kaz. Kaz is not only in this moment forced to consider the idea of losing her, he is also forced to consider what her willingness here means in terms of her feelings towards him - he arguably feels just as she does,m when she questions whether he’s concerned for her well-being or the success of the job: is she trying to protect me, or is she trying to protect herself and the Dregs? Inej would be protecting Kaz by stopping herself from revealing his secrets, but she’d also be protecting herself from torture at the hands of Oomen and the Black Tips. Of course there is a massive other dimension to this moment about Inej’s mental well-being and her willingness to raise the blade - Kaz literally had to wrestle it out of her hands - but I don’t think I could do that justice without delving deep into Inej’s trauma and the rest of this scene, so I won’t do it here because this is already pretty long and I have more to say yet, but if anyone is interested let me know.

“There was enough blood to paint a barn red” -ohhhhhhh how I love this moment and everything it says about Inej’s relationship with the Dregs!! I’m actually so glad you mentioned this one. So this phrase is about Kaz attacking the Black Tips after they injured Inej, and I think that Rotty’s colloquial characterisation of this shows the way the Barrel desensitises its citizens to violence, particularly emphasised by the only people struggling with violence at this stage are Wylan, who has never known large scale conflict, and Matthias, who only knows military not this crazed melee. It particularly emphasises that the Dregs are desensitised to Kaz’s mad rages and violence; I think we can assume he killed a minimum of three people here, but none of them are particularly surprised or phased by it. But this casual, rough colloquialism could also imply that Rotty isn’t particularly concerned for Inej, everyone else is terrified and on edge but he seems to be no different to usual. I think this, in part, is a result of the way Inej and the rest of the Dregs are marginally separate from each other and she feels that she doesn’t fit in with them. They don’t seem to show the same familial dynamic that have with Jesper or want to have with Kaz around her, and she questions whether they’d really have any respect for a girl “just two years out the Menagerie” and comments on the way she hides the scars where she cut her tattoo off even though “they all knew it was there”. Once she reawakens on the boat she noticed how many people say hi to her and seem happy to see her back, and Jesper points out that nearly sacrificing yourself for everyone is a great way to make friends, showing that this idea of them seeing her as not being the same as them - probably only enhanced by her lack of tattoo - has been rescinded.

#grishaverse #leigh bardugo #six of crows #crooked kingdom #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #kanej #amita suman

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pellucid-constellations · 2 years

Text

A Million Reasons - Two

Pairing: College!Bucky x Reader

Summary: Bucky Barnes, with all his trust fund money and family connections, gets assigned community service. You, as someone that’s technically part of the community, now have to put up with him. Every day. And he won’t stop killing your plants.

Warnings: General conflicting feelings, rude Bucky is protective??

Word Count: 4.3k

a/n: Writing this relationship is so funnn!!! Let me know what you think! I really appreciate your feedback :))

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Physics was—arguably—the worst subject known to man. If it were up to you, the topic would never be breached in conversation and you would never be around anyone that would even consider uttering the words centripetal force. Your days would be easy and calm, full of plant biology and algae samples.

Unfortunately, life wasn’t always up to you, and you had left your most undesirable elective for your senior year. That meant that you had to sit in a physics lecture every Tuesday and Thursday and try to keep the tears at bay.

At least Wanda was in the class with you. She wasn’t much help—she always seemed to ace the tests even though she spent the majority of class online shopping—but it was nice to have someone sit beside you while you spiraled. When you wanted a distraction from the endless equations, you could always glance over at the shoes she was adding to her cart.

A nice, well-deserved break if you asked your roommate.

“It’s been about a week with Barnes,” Wanda murmured as the influx of students slowly trickled into the lecture hall. “Anything interesting happen?”

You breathed out a laugh, scrolling through your notes from the last lecture. “If by interesting you mean annoying, then yes. It’s been days and I’ve heard endless phone conversations about trashed penthouses and extra liquor.”

“I don’t know why you don’t make him work. It’s what he’s there for.”

“Wanda,” you exasperated, turning in your seat. “I’ve told you, it’s supposed to be my space. I’ve been looking forward to this project for years. I don’t need him coming in and messing things up.”

“He would just be cleaning,” she argued, the delicate lithe of her accent almost reprimanding.

You quietly groaned. “Fine, would you like to be the one to boss around a millionaire? Because I certainly wouldn’t. It would probably be like pulling teeth and I’m already at my wits end trying to gain funding for my project. I don’t need the extra stress of micromanaging a man that’s never picked up a paper towel before.”

“You didn’t have any problems bossing him around when you shoved him in that corner.”

You rolled your eyes in place of a response, flicking your gaze up to the doors by the chalkboard with just enough time to catch none other than Bucky Barnes walking through them. Was he even in this class? It was already a month into the semester and, sure, the lecture hall was always packed, but you would have heard whispers on the first day if he had walked in.

He was laughing and playfully knocking his shoulder into the guy next to him, completely ignoring the stares he was definitely receiving from the rest of the room. You bit the inside of your cheek when his nose scrunched up and tried to tune out of the sound of his voice when he chimed into the conversation.

“I’d boss him around for sure.”

“Wanda!” you chided, lightly hitting her arm.

She held her hands out in front of her with a small shake of her head. “What? He is pretty, what do you want me to say?”

“Have you ever seen him in this lecture before?”

“Hmm, no,” she hummed. “But I wouldn’t put it past him not to show up until now. Maybe he knows the professor.”

You leaned back in your seat with a small huff, crossing your arms as Bucky made his way to the front podium. Where he shook the professor's hand—obviously. It wasn’t even worth a laugh at this point; with all of the outlandish conversations you’d overheard in the last few days, you’d believe that Bucky Barnes could get away with absolutely anything.

That didn’t keep the small flicker of vexation from licking up in your chest, however. Because of course Bucky was in the class you were drowning in and of course he was going to get an A from the professor currently clapping a fond hand over his shoulder. Maybe you would make him work in the greenhouse today, just to act on some of the irritation you felt.

“He’s looking at you,” Wanda whispered, leaning over to bump your shoulder.

Your gaze immediately left the ceiling to meet Bucky’s annoyingly blue eyes. A hint of a smile still lit up the corners and he was looking at you—directly at you, actually. But he didn’t wave and he definitely didn’t call out a greeting. He didn’t acknowledge your distant acquaintanceship at all. Instead, he turned his head just as soon as you looked his way, following his friend up the steps to take a seat in one of the rows.

A prickle of disbelief found its way under your skin, irking you as you thought back to the few times in the greenhouse when he wouldn’t stop acknowledging your presence. Like yesterday, for example, when you watering the plants was apparently much more interesting than his phone.

“Do you mind not staring at me,” you asked, malice threatening to take over your tone.

“Give me something better to do then,” Bucky replied haughtily.

You held in a groan, turning to meet his gaze that was once glued to the side of your face. He had his legs spread open and his arms supporting him as he sat atop an almost empty table—definitely not the stool you had provided for him and definitely not where he was supposed to be.

“It’s not my job to entertain you,” you snapped. “You know how this works by now.”

Bucky raised a brow, his backward baseball cap shifting up with the motion. “Well, sorry.” He flung a hand up in surrender. “Didn’t realize my eyes had to be closed the entire time I was in here.”

“Stop being an ass and just go back on your phone or something.”

As if on cue, a phone went off. Obviously yours if the embarrassing, personalized ringtone Peter had set to his contact told you anything. Your face heated in embarrassment, the fire behind your eyes dimming as Bucky’s smirk only grew.

“Think your phone’s ringing, daisy.”

You pressed your lips together and and went to reach for the offending item, but Bucky had a clear view of it as it lay face-up on the table. You locked it and declined the call—silently cursing Peter—as Bucky kicked off the table, his feet now flat on the ground.

“Peter,” he hummed. “That your boyfriend or something?”

Your face got hotter, somehow, the warmth trailing down to your neck. “I don’t really see how that’s any of your business.”

“Just tryna get to know you.”

He was unbearably close at this point, and you found yourself clutching the watering can tighter as he loomed over you. But you stood your ground—or tried to, at least—when he smiled and cocked his head to the side, tucking his hands into his pockets with a seamless ease.

“If I answer you, will you leave me alone?” you gritted out.

He flitted his gaze between your eyes; up to your angry brow and down to your frown. “Maybe for today,” he conceded. “Don’t know about tomorrow.”

So yeah, it was a bit odd—and frustrating—when Bucky walked right past you in this lecture hall after making it his personal goal to get on your nerves. You wanted to trip him as he meandered up the stairs to find somewhere to sit, but you missed your opportunity because he finally did find a row.

The one directly behind yours.

You could almost feel Wanda’s snickering from beside you.

“Either of you ladies know which chapter the prof’s covering today?” a deep baritone voice asked from behind you. Not Bucky’s, but you wouldn’t have turned either way. You left that up to Wanda.

“We’re reviewing a quiz today,” she replied with a small smile as she glanced over her shoulder. “Then chapter seven.”

You kept your eyes glued to the notes on your laptop, feeling a burning on the back of your head. That burn was amplified when a smooth, familiar voice echoed in your ears.

“Damn, Wilson. Looks like we’re a little behind, aren’t we?” Bucky joked, and Wanda offered him a laugh.

“Not to worry, I’m sure we could share some notes with you.” Wanda motioned between the two of you.

You titled your neck to the side to widen your eyes at her, trying to convey a few choice words to the redhead. The professor had started to fire up the projector at the front of the room, and the quieting class was making the task that much harder.

You raised your brows… she shook her head. You sighed and splayed your hands on your knees… she simply shrugged and gave you a gentle smile. Was she trying to make your life harder?

You were interrupted before you could brush your hair back in frustration. “You have some nice notes, sweetheart,” Bucky observed, his breath almost fanning your neck as he leaned forward to look at your computer. “Think you could send ‘em to us?”

The fluttering in your stomach felt like betrayal. You shut your eyes and took a deep breath to combat the anger-laced emotions battling for dominance within you, completely ignoring the subtle, warm pine that was invading your senses. He shifted in his seat and his jacket brushed your shoulder. You snapped your head back instantly.

“What, starting from week one? Think that ship has just about sailed,” you replied, sarcasm clear in your feigned grin.

His small smirk grated at your nerves, and he didn’t lean back, even with your face now inches from his own. “Help a poor guy out?”

You narrowed your eyes, unsure what kind of game he was trying to play. Your days in the greenhouse were filled with little conversation, but the times you actually did respond to one of his many questions, the interactions were fleeting. And you liked it that way—preferred it.

Bucky, on the other hand, seemed to prefer trying to make you miserable. He asked you things you knew he didn’t really care about and poked at plants he shouldn’t be. He talked on the phone loud enough to shake the windows and lingered behind your stool close enough that you were able to feel his presence.

And then he showed up to your physics lecture after apparently ditching for an entire month, pretended he’d never met you before, and then requested your notes.

You could scream.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized with a fake remorse. “I don’t like to share notes with strangers.”

His brows shot up in surprise, a flicker of amusement lighting up his features. His jaw flexed into a smile as he bit into his gum, and he raised his hands as he sat back in his seat, conceding from the stare-off you two seemed to be having. His friend teased him while you turned back around, but you missed the exchange with the blood still thumping in your ears.

“That was so romantic,” Wanda whispered beside your ear.

The glare you sent her was acidic.

The greenhouse felt more chaotic at night.

In the morning, there was a serene calmness to the space, a warm sun filtering in and a warmth that you welcomed after the brisk walk from your car. There weren’t many voices beyond the walls since most students were still asleep, and sometimes you could hear birds sing through the flimsy windows.

At night, that was all shot. Leftover heat from the day made you more irritated and the botanical garden by the house was usually full of people. You always a had a full day of classes, so not only were you overheated and annoyed, but you were tired as well. And to make matters worse, Bucky was on another phone call.

Your eye twitched when he let out a rambunctious laugh, the sound startling you and making you jostle the plant you were measuring. The urge to throttle him briefly entered your mind, but you banished it just as quickly; violence was never the answer, even when it really seemed like it should be.

You abandoned the delicate plant, deciding that it would be better tend to it when you weren’t so agitated. The careful steps you took toward your table were each punctuated by another one of Bucky’s words or his laughs, and you considered bringing headphones the next time you had an afternoon with him at the greenhouse.

Your small notebook sat ready for you at the table, the black leather binding worn and cracked up the spine. It was filled with the mountain of ideas you had proposed for your senior project, along with diagrams that you added to your field notes as time went on. It was important, integral to your studies. And it was also full, you learned, as you flipped to your most recent page and found nothing past it.

A groan crept its way up your throat at the inconvenience, and you eyed the box of unused journals on the shelf above your desk. You might not receive the most funding with scholarship money, but the school certainly gave you enough writing materials to last a lifetime.

With one hand pressed to the table, you reached up for the shelf. The attempt was futile; even with your extension, the box of journals was still a good few feet from your fingertips. You sighed, pulling your stool out and wobbling as your shoe fit into the first rung in the legs. It creaked under the new weight and you cringed, praying that it wouldn’t crumble when you stood up all the way.

“Hang on, Steve. I gotta call you back.” You ignored Bucky’s goodbye, just as you did with everything else he said. Until he called out, “The hell are you doing?”

You turned your head in his direction, holding onto the table as the seat wobbled beneath you. Bucky shot his hands out as if to steady you from clear across the room. You rolled your eyes.

“I’m getting that box. Up there.” You pointed, and the stool shook even more.

Bucky’s hurried steps echoed against the walls, getting louder as he knocked over old bags of soil and stepped on crumpled tarps. The long coat he was wearing earlier was hanging over his own chair, and his fitted t-shirt rode up a few inches when he raised his hands up to you.

“Get down,” he insisted. “That thing’s on its last leg as is.”

You snorted. “Yeah, I’m going to listen to you. Just go sit, I got it.”

He huffed, his fingers flexing as he kept them in the air, but not touching you. A small sense of satisfaction surged through you at his frustration, probably being one of the few people that consistently told him no. You slipped your shoe out of the rung and placed it flat on the surface of the stool.

“Y/n,” Bucky stressed, eyes going wide as the stool groaned once again.

“Oh, so now you know my name? That’s super interesting because earlier I could’ve sworn that you—”

“Please, just get down,” he pleaded, and you paused, glancing down at his worried expression. “I’ll get the damn box and you can even yell at me while I’m up there, alright?”

You eyed him, tracking up his form with a narrowed slowness before sighing, “Fine. But only because you’re throwing such a fit about it.”

He scoffed, keeping his hands out to offer you a support that you blatantly ignored. He still grabbed your elbow when the stool squeaked again, and you looked down at the contact before snapping your gaze up to his face. His cheeks flushed so faintly you almost missed it, and he then released you.

With your feet back on solid ground, you straightened out your clothes and gave Bucky an expecting look, eyes drifting up to the shelf.

“Okay, I’m getting it,” he grumbled, only he didn’t wait for you to move. He reached up above your head instead, and you were forced to keep your face inches from his broad chest when the table behind you refused to let you escape.

You bit your lip and looked off to the side when he raised his other arm up, clean linen and the musk of his cologne hitting your nose in gentle wisps. He grunted, apparently finding the box heavier than he anticipated, and you pressed the back of your legs so far against the table that it started to hurt. Heat began to boil up onto your face and the journals didn’t seem to be worth it anymore.

Luckily, your torture was short-lived; Bucky hauled the box up over your head and settled it on the ground between you, your sigh of relief probably interpreted for all the wrong reasons as Bucky gave box a small kick.

“There,” he breathed. “And you didn’t even fall to your death.”

You might as well have.

“I’m pretty sure I would’ve been fine,” you shot back, pulling the tape back on the cardboard box.

“Yeah, maybe. Or maybe that fifty-year-old stool would’ve collapsed and you would’ve ended up in the hospital.”

You laughed to yourself, holding a new notebook to your chest and rising. “And I’m supposed to believe that you would be the one taking me to the hospital?”

Bucky reared back. “Of course I’d take you. You think I would just leave?”

“I think…” you began, rounding the table to set everything back into place after the disruption. “that you pretended not to know me in front of your friend and that you are a very busy guy with lots of obligations. Some girl falling when you only have—” you checked your phone “—an hour left of community service might not be interesting to you.”

His lips parted as you spoke, and he uncrossed his arms from their place over his chest when you finished. You weren’t trying to insult him, but the look on his face spelled the opposite. He took a step toward you, his shoe clicking against old cement.

“You really think I’m that much of an asshole?”

You looked up at him, a piece of you resolve dwindling. “I think you don’t care about things that you don’t want to care about. That you don’t have to. And I’m positive that my well-being is on that list.”

“Look,” he sighed, bringing up a hand to rub his forehead. “I didn’t tell Sam I knew you because none of the guys know I’m doing this.” He waved around the greenroom. “If I said ‘hey’, he would’ve asked where I met you and then I would’ve had to lie.”

“Or you could’ve told the truth since you’re the one that got yourself in this position in the first place.”

“You gonna let me finish?” Bucky posed, sending you a knowing look.

You mumbled out a small fine and crossed your arms.

Bucky looked to be fighting off a smile. “Anyways, I was sort of a dick and I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you and show you that I would, in fact, take you to the hospital if you fell to your death.”

“And how do you propose you’ll do that?”

“I’m gonna clean all those spiderwebs from that shelf up there.”

“Oh, so you’re going to make it up to me by doing the community service you were assigned?”

Bucky sent you a hopeless look and shifted on his feet, the few bracelets he wore sliding down on his wrists. You eyed the movement—along with the way his face scrunched up in a plea—and almost tapped your foot on the ground in agitation. He had to know what he was doing; looking at you like that, with those stupid, sad eyes—it had to be some ploy.

But you gave in anyway.

“Fine, but just the shelf,” you clarified. “I don’t need you rearranging the place while I’m trying to work.”

He grinned. “I’ll stay outta your hair, daisy.”

“Don’t call me that.”

He was apparently expecting your reprimand, already high up on the table and getting dust all over his designer t-shirt to keep your anger at bay. And it worked, to an extent, so you turned around and went back to your project, this time without the sound of Bucky’s phone conversation for once.

The sky was completely dark by the time you were both finished, you covered in soil and Bucky covered in… maybe dust? You weren’t able to tell. He didn’t complain at all, but you could tell he was tired and ready to never do another chore in the greenhouse again. You couldn’t really blame him; there was a reason you left it so out of order.

“You can head out,” you called to him, your head in one of the many cabinets scattered about. “I’ll sign your paper tomorrow.”

You waited for his response, placing the tools on the shelves and hanging up the apron you wore over your clothes. When nothing came, you poked your head past the door.

“Barnes? I said you can go.”

He still lingered, but now you could see him scrolling through his phone by the door. His coat was slung over her shoulder and his bag was set by his feet. When had he finished? It was well past the time he could leave. You’d probably have to add extra time to his sheet for tomorrow.

You shut the cabinet and shifted its handles back into place, rolling back on your heel with a bit of awkwardness. “James.”

He finally glanced up from his phone. “What time are you out of here?” he asked, avoiding your past statements entirely.

“Uh, just another few minutes? I have to clean up.”

Bucky nodded, crossing his ankles as he leaned back against a wall. You looked around the room aimlessly, bringing your fingers up to twist them in front of your waist. Your throat felt dry when you spoke next.

“You don’t have to, like, stay. Your time is up for the day,” you clarified, feeling more confusion wash through you when he didn’t immediately leave.

Instead, he simply replied, “It’s dark.”

You bit into your bottom lip, stressing the skin and, once again, glancing around the room as if it would have some kind of answer. “Can’t find your way home in the dark?”

“Well I gotta make sure you get to your car, don’t I?”

“You don’t have to—”

“I’m waiting until you lock up,” he finalized, eyes turning back down to his phone.

You hummed out a low, drawn out okay, and worked to clean up your station, now apparently on a time crunch. You felt that familiar irritation in your chest at Bucky’s persistence, but it was clouded by something else this time. He was being a bit pushy, and his attitude was awfully short for a guy that had only done about an hour’s worth of work, but there was a warmth pulling at the seams of your vexation. And you kind of hated it.

The last drawer of the night slid shut at you fingertips, and you reached below the desk to grab your bag and fish out your keys. Bucky looked relieved at the new sounds, yawning as you pushed the door open with a comfortable silence.

A part of you almost wished he wasn’t here for the next part of your nightly routine. You pulled the handle, hard, and placed your foot against the door as you jammed the key into the lock. It didn’t give at first, so you shook your foot until the mechanism inside lined up perfectly for the closing. It took another try, but when the key finally started to turn, you let out a long sigh.

“What the hell?” Bucky breathed, phone screen now dark as looked over at you.

“You said it yourself on Monday,” you replied, jiggling the handle to check the lock. “The door’s broken. I do this every night, you just usually come in the mornings.”

“Why don’t you ask the department to fix it?”

You walked beside him to the parking lot, laughing a little at how easy he made it seem. “If the department finally agreed to do something for me, the door would be the last thing on my list.”

“I think if you just asked them nicely, maybe they would—”

“Not everyone can just walk into a room and get whatever they want, Barnes. I know that’s a tough concept for you to grasp,” you interrupted, your shoe scuffing against the curb to the asphalt. “Look, just don’t worry about it, alright? It’s just a door.”

He raised his hands in surrender, his phone lighting up as he did so. On the screen was an incoming call from a “Serena”, and the picture that accompanied it made it look like they were pretty well acquainted. Your chest twisted uncomfortably. Bucky noticed your stare and took a look for himself.

“Oh, I gotta go,” he mumbled. He glanced back at you. “You’ll get to your car okay?”

You couldn’t understand why your throat hurt. “Yeah, I’m just right over there.”

He gave you a small smile, unlocking his phone and bidding you a quick goodnight before he jogged off.

Your feet were still rooted in the asphalt as you watched him dig in his pockets for his keys. Your fingers were still looped through your lanyard as you watched him take the call. You snapped out of it when you heard his car start, but only to save yourself from the embarrassment.

Everything Bucky Barnes did annoyed you to no end, but this weird ache in your chest was a new one.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes au #college!bucky #modern!bucky #bucky barnes #enemies to lovers

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saintsenara · 1 month

Note

Oh, and kind of a follow up but, thoughts on Harry/Ginny/Voldemort or even just Ginnymort?

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

now, i'll admit to being quite fond of a bit of tominny [or, to give it its proper name, gin and tonic] but i think the more interesting thing to do here is to take you specifically asking about hinnymort and ginnymort seriously and assume that we're talking about the adult lord voldemort. no nose and all.

because i regret to say that how ginny would interact with this version of voldemort is something i spend a disturbingly large amount of time thinking about. and this is largely because i think it's really fascinating that she's the only person in canon [other than hagrid and myrtle, neither of whom the narrative particularly cares about] whose torture comes at the hands of tom riddle in young and pretty form and whose hatred of voldemort is - therefore - not hatred of the horrifying voldemort who brought the country to its knees in the 1970s and is determined to do it again, but of someone she considered her best friend in the world.

i'm always really struck by harry's insistence when breaking up with ginny at the end of half-blood prince that he's afraid she's at risk from voldemort if they stay together, because this is one of the only examples prior to deathly hallows of him demonstrably thinking of tom riddle and lord voldemort as a single continuation of the same person. in both chamber of secrets and half-blood prince, harry - however begrudgingly - is interested in and sympathises with [and, let's be real, fancies...] the teenage voldemort. his sympathy vanishes when voldemort comes for his job interview with dumbledore - that is, when he begins to look like his adult self, who harry is only afraid of and enraged by.

i think something really interesting can be done with that in terms of thinking about how harry's fear of the voldemort ginny's at risk from doesn't square with her own experience. harry's trying to keep her safe from the eldritch monster; ginny finds him considerably less scary than the beautiful boy who was her best friend.

and there is also the fact that there seems to be no evidence that the non-diary voldemort actually knows who ginny is. one of the things which really stands out in the first chapters of deathly hallows is just how wrong harry is about needing to go it alone for his friends' own protection: nagini has evidently not been briefed to expect hermione in godric's hollow; ron isn't identified by the snatchers who capture him after he leaves the horcrux hunt; and the vast majority of the order, including the adult weasleys, are free to continue working until at least april 1998.

and so i think it's quite interesting to think about how ginny is probably going to be less bothered by finding herself entangled with the adult voldemort - after all, he's so obviously evil that there's none of the wheedling his way into her trust which got her into such trouble with tom. she can just go with the flow...

and - of course - this experience would be very different from how harry's going to react to finding himself as the third in this triad. i actually think ginny would find it easier to talk to a voldemort she never felt any inclination to trust. harry very much would not. his interest lies with the young voldemort, who he can convince himself might be salvageable. i don't think he's rushing home from the ministry for cuddles on the sofa...

what does voldemort get out of the arrangement? apart from the opportunity to live rent-free in grimmauld place and leech off harry's riches, that is...

well, his whole.... vibe with harry is obvious, and he does have a canonical fondness for bolshy women with great hair...

but i think it's also arguable that ginny also possesses lots of qualities he canonically values - above all, the fact that she clearly has a bit of a vindictive streak. i am absolutely certain that diary!tom plays on this in order to make her all the more vulnerable to manipulation surrounding the basilisk's attacks [i.e. reminding her that she was complaining about how annoying she finds justin finch-fletchley the day before he's petrified, convincing her that she's the person responsible] and i am also certain that the secrets he uses to strengthen himself are her most violent and unpleasant ones.

bellatrix's capacity for casual cruelty is clearly one of the things voldemort particularly likes about her - and, indeed, there are more similarities between hinny and bellamort in canon that i imagine was jkr's intention [she never gave up on voldemort either!]. i actually think you can write yourself fairly plausibly into a scenario in which voldemort becomes quite fond of ginny, and ginny becomes reasonably happy to listen to him complain about harry's taste in interior design and how everyone who works for the ministry is insufferable.

harry's getting through it by screaming into a pillow at regular intervals. and - y'know - because of the whole soulmates thing.

#asks answered #asenora's opinions on ships #ginnymort #hinnymort #harry potter #tom riddle #lord voldemort #ginny weasley

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