#she's realistic. yes there are times she needs saving but those moments and how she is strong in the face of them and her choices afterwards

[desos-records]

The part I appreciate the most in the Lockwood and Co show is how it handles depression and suicidal thoughts in teenagers. As a theme, it’s not often (ever) done well. Lockwood and Co is the only story I can think of that depicts it in a nuanced, realistic, non-romanticized way

but first, before I get into it: [if you’re in crisis or need someone to talk to and don’t want to/can’t use your national hotline, highly recommend Samaritans, genuinely saved my life] okay, let’s go

Lockwood is the most obvious, with his general disregard for his own life and admitted suicidal ideation. Lucy struggles with her self-worth and the intensity of the emotions she’s subjected to. George worries that he doesn’t belong, that there’s something useless or wrong about him. The show depicts these thoughts and feelings in a way that isn’t overblown or dramatized, it’s all but casual. Which is how it happens. Depression or suicidal thoughts don’t crash into you all at once, they creep into your life without you noticing

But more importantly (and again, something I’ve never seen anywhere else), the show also offers counterpoints to those thoughts and feelings. It shows that there is a way out, even though you may feel trapped and hopeless. This is crucial for the show’s target demographic. Bad media depictions of depression or suicide get internalized, contribute to the stigma, and make it harder for people to ask for help. This show doesn’t do that. This show tells its audience that, yes, things are scary and painful and it fucking sucks, but it’s not hopeless. And it says it so well

In the second episode, when Lucy wants to quit, she admits something that I’m almost certain she’s never told anyone

“sometimes I just think I’d be better off dead”

And when I watched this the first time, I expected Lockwood to react the way I’ve seen people react in my own life; with silence or panic or downright dismissal. But he didn’t. He stays calm and he says something that is so so important to hear when you’re struggling under the weight of feelings like this

“I understand that”

Saying this tells someone several things: that you’re on their side, they aren’t strange or monstrous for feeling like this, and that you’re not going to attack or abandon them because of it. And you can see the impact it has on Lucy, the way her face clears. She went from struggling to breathe and near tears to calm and steady. It’s no mistake that in this moment we hear his and Lucy’s theme for the first time (those simple, beautiful guitar strings)

The next thing he says is also important

“and it’s not true”

Simple, to the point, directly addressing her feelings, and (the most common mistake) doesn’t make it about him. Telling someone that you love them or that they’d be upset to lose you might sound nice, and it can be later on in the conversation, but in a moment like this, it’s infinitely more helpful to confront the thought itself

A similar moment in the first book stuck with me too, when they’re underneath Combe Carey Hall and Lucy almost steps into the well. What she’s hearing in her head (and the general phenomenon of malaise that ghosts produce) is very similar to depressive or suicidal thoughts. Before she can fall, Lockwood pulls her back

“no, Lucy, that’s not the way it’s going to be”

Depressive and suicidal thoughts deal in absolutes, so sometimes it takes an absolute to counter it

In the last episode, George has that heart-breaking moment where he says all the awful things he thinks about himself, partly because of the influence of the boneglass and Bickerstaff, but it’s also been building up, there in the background. Increasingly, it’s Lockwood and Lucy working together and George working on his own, which picks at old wounds (engineer, engineer, engineer, weirdo). He bonds with Joplin because he feels like she understands him in a way the others don’t

“it’s nice to have someone to show off to”

But Lucy pushes back against all that because she sees herself in all the ugly things George is saying, because she’s felt that way too. She understands that. She’s so surprised and horrified to hear him saying those things, resigning himself to dying down there, she’s not going to let him go on believing them

“you’re not a third wheel or an oddball or whatever it is that you think you are”

“you’re the best of us”

“we are not losing you, Georgie”

Flo called him that earlier too, but Lucy wasn’t there for that and coming unprompted from her it sounds so much like something you might call your slightly annoying younger brother. She’s so absolute about it all, with no opening for doubt, and you can see something like surprise on George’s face (but also pain because now Lucy’s in danger too)

For all Lucy knows, the boneglass will kill her. I don’t think for a second she genuinely believes her talent will protect her; she told Joplin that to protect George. It’s unclear when exactly she came up with the plan to use the skull, but she was willing to risk it anyway. And she knows, she knows, George will blame himself for this (because she would too, if it were the other way around), but even then, she’s very clear

“this isn’t your fault”

Their whole scene down in the catacombs is two kids trying to keep each other alive, physically obviously, but on the inside as well. And, oh god, George almost crashing down next to Lucy after he’s knocked over the boneglass, trying to wake her up. His voice

“Lucy, Lucy, it’s me, it’s me, say something, speak to me”

I think it’s down in those catacombs that George and Lucy really understand each other for the first time. In their own ways, they’re both curious and suspicious about the Problem and what causes it, trying to learn more about it (and stressing Lockwood out in the process). They both left their families; they both struggle with feeling strange and different than everyone around them. That connection pulls them both back from the edge

Lockwood, for all his confidence, is practically in crisis or was fairly recently (I suspect living with George helped). It’s fairly common, actually, for someone suicidal to overcompensate with an exterior shell to hide it, which can manifest in different ways depending on the person (they may not even realize they’re doing it, I didn’t)

And I love how the show handles it. He’s not made into this dark, tragic figure. He’s so full of life it hurts. He jokes around with George and Flo, fights with Kipps, admires Fairfax. He has dreams (plans) for the future. He’s struggling with trauma, they all are, but he’s not Broken™ in the way similar leading characters are often made out to be, in the way we often fear we are

And, of course, there’s Lucy, a wreaking ball through the precarious balance of Lockwood’s life. It’s not so much that she gives him a reason to live (although she definitely helps), but she holds him accountable in a way no one else does. This is the difficult part of recovery that no one talks about. Having people care for you (George) and sympathize with you (Flo) is great and necessary, especially early on. But at some point, you have to take responsibility for yourself and the noise in your head (you have to open your door on the landing)

What that looks like is complicated and messy and different for every person, but seeing it played out in a story is remarkable. I’ve never seen anything like it. This is a difficult thing for anyone to learn (many adults never even try)

That shot of George, Lucy, Lockwood (and Kipps) rising up on the catafalque sums it all up for me. Each of them fell into darkness alone and rose out of it together. They inspired each other to fight and win their individual battles, even when they couldn’t be there to help

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #george karim #george cubbins #quill kipps #lockwood and lucy #lucy and lockwood #locklyle #lockwood netflix #flo bones #She speaks!

[batllethinker]

Million dollar baby | W.mf + N.rv

Pairing: chubby milf Nat x buff Wanda | fuck buddies carol x wanda

Wc: 5154

Summary: In a time of desperation, broke college student Wanda wanders into a high end bar which is where she meets a woman that could offer her more than she could ever imagine

Warnings: amab Wanda, amab Carol, unprotected sex, breeding, alot of manhandling, sex work (technically??), sub Nat, dom Wanda, switch Carol, thick thighs saves lives, age gap (W-21, N-37), daddy kink, anal, semi/public sex, degradation, football captain Carol™️, oral, doggy all around because I can't write anything else apparently, praise, degradation | 18+ mdni

Translations:

Папочка-daddy

котелок-kitten

малышка - babygirl

принцесса - princess

Being a full time student and working part time does nothing to put a dent in Wandas' massive college debt, which is also what she always complains to her friends about.

"You could always get a sugar mommy, there's no way that wouldn't work." Wanda rolled her eyes as Carol gave her a look and shrugged, while her other friends looked away, trying their best to avoid the situation.

The brunette leaned back in her seat as she contemplated Carols' suggestion, she realistically knew that it wasn't a bad proposition as several of her friends had gone and done exactly that. It was just that Wanda hated the idea of leaning on someone like that.

She startled when Carol suddenly grabbed both of her hands and stared into her eyes, and Wanda knew that she would try to convince her once again.

"There's this bar uptown, very famous for picking up those type of women, just give it a try!" The blonde smiled brightly at her as Wanda raised an eyebrow, slowly mulling over the information.

It took a mere minute until she decided that, yes, she would give this whole thing a try, what's the worst that could happen, right?

Wanda nodded to herself and Carol lit up even more when she figured out her answer, jumping triumphantly as the younger woman rolled her eyes playfully.

"You won't regret this!" The others sat with them snickered, clearly amused with the whole ordeal as Wanda sighed and rose from her seat, her mind focusing on the night she had before her.

"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow" Wanda shot Carol a pointed look, who pumped her fist in excited, shouting a hell yeah, which garnered her a few looks while the brunette snickered as she walked back to her dorm room.

Wanda sighed before going through her closet for anything that wasn't cheap, 'dress to impress', she just needed a semi formal outfit.

'There you are!' She excitedly pulled forth a black button up, it was form fitting and highlighted her best assets, tight around her biceps and breast, something she always loved to show off. The brunette paired the shirt with tan dress pants, they were baggy enough to hide her bulge, if she were to go without attention that is.

Wanda sighed as she checked the clock and realized that it was way too early to go to a bar, no one really goes to a bar mid-evening.

'Alright, guess I'll just get ready for two hours??' She placed her clothes on the bed before walking into the bathroom, heaving another heavy sigh as she stared at herself in the mirror for a moment.

She was nowhere close to self-concious, Wanda knew how to use her assets to her advantage, how to make girls fall for her charm, how to make sure that her needs are always met in whatever way she seems fit.

She was strong, her muscles flexing with every movement and she always made a point to show them off. Wanda knew that she was big, bigger than average in fact, and she knew how to please a woman, how to fuck them until they were nothing but a drooling mess. She loved it.

The tall woman shook her head to clear her head before pulling her clothes off, hands brushing against her happy trail in the process, another feature she knew women loved.

Wanda took one last look in the mirror before stepping into the shower, the warm water instantly making her relax, she stood under the stream for a good few minutes, letting herself revel in the pure serenity of her shower before thoroughly scrubbing herself of off any filth, and making sure that she smelt and looked as good as she could.

Which also meant going through her extensive skincare routine, and putting on the minimal makeup she's comfortable doing. Wanda spent extra time just putting her clothes on and slicking her hair back, making sure that the night wouldn't fail.

The time finally came when the clock hit 7pm and her uber arrived, her wariness started dissipating once she stepped out of the car and stood outside of the bar. There was a black, classy sign that spelled out "midnight rose", Wanda stood there for a moment before shrugging and walking in.

To her surprise, the bar was barely filled but she could distinctly make out a good few older women. The atmosphere was nice, she could just feel the class in the air, and she did not fit in.

As she stepped further into the bar she could feel eyes on her, several eyes but she paid no mind as she continued towards the bar, and took a seat, quickly casting a glance towards the women seated a few stools away from her only to see them already watching her. There were three of them but one in particular caught her attention, her curled red hair, painted red lips and short black dress that showed off thick thighs, heavy breast and the most perfect stomach, her rolls visible through the dress. Yeah, Wanda wanted her.

Wanda quickly ordered a drink before making her way over to the women, and focusing in on the redhead, a small smirk forming when she noticed the other two giggling before moving to another table.

She sent a charming smile to the now alone woman, before asking if it was okay for her to sit down to which Wanda got an enthusiastic 'yes' to. The younger woman smiled to herself as she sat down, 'so far so good' before turning her attention to the other woman.

"I'm Wanda" The redhead hummed as Wanda took a sip from her drink, and she didn't even bother to hide the way her eyes followed the movement of Wandas' tongue as she licked off the excess liquid from her lips.

"Oh, I, I'm uhm Natasha" The brunette did not even bother her satisfaction with the effect she was already having, or how happy she was with how nervous Nat was.

"Natasha, huh? what a pretty name" Natasha blushed, just hearing her name coming from Wanda was enough for her to feel a carnal need she hadn't felt in years.

"I- thank you" Wanda smiled warmly at her, hiding her desires as she leaned closer, slowly surrounding Natasha in every sense but not doing anything too bold knowing that her friends were still watching.

"So, Natasha, tell me about yourself." The older woman nodded quickly, knowing that it would help turn her mind away from the burning ache in between her legs.

"Oh, I'm 38, just became a mom of the cutest little baby! He's truly the light of my life, and I'm a CEO, it's very stressful but I have the most amazing support system" Natashas' whole face lit up as she talked about her son, and Wanda found it way too endearing.

"That's amazing, it really does seem like you have a good support system" Wanda cast a glance at the two friends who were not-so-subtly looking at them.

Natasha noticed it, ofcourse and laughed brightly, leaning forward and giving Wanda a good view of her cleavage in the process. The brunette couldn't help but stare for a moment before meeting the older womans eyes again.

"What about you?" Wandas eyebrows raised in surprise, she never talks with anyone enough to get to this stage, or no one has cared enough to ask.

"I'm a full time student, I work part time at a convenience store too, you know trying to pay off the college debt I will have until I die" The student playfully rolled her eyes as Natasha nodded in understanding.

Wanda hoped Natasha wouldn't find out her ulterior motive, she didn't want to use Nat for her money, she already had a stressful enough life.

"Do you have anyone to help you with that?" The brunettes' eyes raised in surprise again, this night couldn't be going better.

"I don't.." Natasha nodded thoughtfully, she had more than enough money and this woman clearly needed it more than her, and she wouldn't mind being in affairs with Wanda.

"Do you want me to help you?" Wanda opened her mouth to protest, but she did need the money, and the expectant look on Natashas' face made her rethink.

"I, yes. Thank you, Natasha!" The brunette smiled brightly, over the moon at the revelation of the night. She leaned even closer to the redhead, her hands gripping onto Natashas', she noted in the process how much bigger her hands were than the older womans', it was nice.

Wanda looked at her with an intensity that made Natasha flush and her hands sweat, this woman made her nervous, her strong hands held hers in a vice grip, the redhead chanced a glance to their hands. Wandas' hands were noticeably bigger than hers, slender and veiny.

The older womans' breath caught in her throat as she met Wandas' eyes, her nerves coming back full time when she noticed the dark look in her eyes.

"Wanda.." Natasha felt breathless, her thighs pressing together in pure need and she knew that Wanda felt it too judging by the way she adjusted in her seat.

"fuck.." It was groaned out, Wandas' voice taking on a much huskier tone, her accent all the more prominent. "Natasha, can we get out of here?"

The redhead nodded quickly, more than ready for what's about to come. Nat kept her hand in the younger womans' as she led her to the restroom, deciding that she did not have the patience for a car ride.

A surprised gasp left her when Wanda pressed up against her, her bulge clear against Natasha as she rubbed against the older woman, not even bothering to hide her desires.

The brunette let out a heady groan, loving the way her fingers sunk into Natashas' waist when she not-so-carefully maneuvered the shorter womans' body to face hers.

Natasha looked up at her with wide viridescent eyes, a burning desire playing in them and Wanda couldn't hold herself back from surging forward and kissing the other woman.

Wanda moaned in delight as their lips met, and the older woman immediately let her take control of the kiss. She smiled into the kiss when Natasha didn't even put a fight when she pushed her tongue into the redheads mouth.

The brunette delighted in the way Natasha felt against her as her hands started moving, sliding up her stomach and squeezing her boobs before one hand wrapped around her throat to push Natasha back against the sink.

The redhead pulled away with a delighted gasp, her chest heaving as Wanda lifted her up onto the counter, pushing her dress up in the process and Natasha has never been more turned on.

"Oh fuck, you look so good like this" Wanda was becoming breathless and knew she couldn't waste anymore time being outside of Natasha. The younger woman used one hand to unbuckle and pull her cock out, and the other to free the redheads breast from her dress with a certain desperation.

Natashas' head fell back against the wall when the taller woman rubbed her tip against her entrance, Wandas' head dipped forward to wrap her lips around one of the redheads' nipples.

The older woman moaned deeply, her eyes squeezing shut as Wanda pushed into her, Natashas' breath faltered when inch after inch filled her up. Natasha held her breath until she could feel Wandas' hips pressed against her and the resounding groan from the younger woman.

The brunette continued to suckling on Natashas' nipple as she let the woman adjust to the intrusion. Wandas eyes widened in surprise when a warm, sweet liquid flowed into her mouth but it did nothing to make her less desperate.

Wanda finally started fucking her, the woman was in no hurry as she kept her pace slow enough to take in every sensation that Natasha was giving her.

The younger woman placed one final kiss on her nipple before switching to the other, eagerly suckling on Natasha as a deep, satisfied moan left her. Wanda finally picked up the pace when the redhead gripped her head and forced the taller womans head further into her chest.

It wasn't long until Wanda took on a much rougher pace, her hands tightly gripping Natashas' hips as the sound of their mixed moans and skin slapping together filled the confined space.

"Fuck baby, you're going to make me cum like this" Wanda had stopped her slight assault on Natashas' boobs in favor of burying her face in the older womans neck, occasionally placing kisses and bite marks there as she brought them both closer to their impending orgasms.

The redhead moaned loudly at that, the mere idea of Wanda cumming in her pushed her closer to the edge, her hips moving to meet the younger womans every thrust, desperate for her release.

"I can feel how close you are, cum for daddy, doll" Natasha moaned loudly and nodded desperately as she fell apart for Wanda, who follows shortly after, the feeling of the older womans walls convulsing around her was all she needed.

"That's it, such a good girl" Wanda held the woman close as she rode out her orgasm fully, the two holding each other close as they caught their breath. It took a few more minutes until the brunette decided to pull out, smiling subtly at the sight of her cum dripping out of Natasha.

The redhead watched as Wanda grabbed a paper towel and dampened it in the sink before turning back to her. The younger woman carefully cleaned her up before helping her of off the counter and adjusted her dress.

"Thank you, Natasha, really" The taller woman had her hands on Natashas' waist as she stared down at her, her eyes shining with pure happiness and the redhead could feel herself melt.

"You don't have to thank me, sweetie" Natasha smiled up at her, and placed her hands on Wandas' shoulders, ignoring just how muscular they were and how much she wanted to explore the younger womans' body for the moment.

Wanda tilted her head in contemplation, she owed the other woman more than she could put into words but she also wasn't the one holding the reigns.

"Alright, but I'm still very thankful for you" Natashas smile widened at that, and she couldn't help but lean up to kiss the other woman, who eagerly kissed her back. The older woman kept the kiss short and sweet, not wanting to get swept up in it.

The redhead reluctantly pulled back only for Wanda to roughly pull her body against her own, making Natasha gasp as she felt just how firm she was.

"Wanda..I have to get back" it was said in a mere whisper, and Natasha made no move to let go of the brunette but Wanda nodded in understanding nonetheless.

"Give me your phone." Natasha nodded and pulled her phone up and handed it over to the other woman, who took it and put in her contact as 'Папочка <3' before texting herself from the number.

"So, now we can figure out the details" Wanda gave her a tight smile as she handed the older woman her phone back, her smile widening when she noticed the way Natasha blushed at the name she gave herself.

"Get back to your friends котелок, we'll see eachother soon, okay?" Natasha looked at her with wide eyes and the taller woman could tell that she didn't really want to.

"Yeah...okay" The redhead nodded, psyching herself up to see her overly pretentious friends again.

Wanda smiled softly at her and pressed a parting kiss to her forehead before walking them both out of the restroom to make sure that Natasha made it back to her friends while she made her way out of the bar to wait for her uber.

That night Wanda fell asleep with thoughts surrounding Natasha and with a smile on her face. When she woke up the next morning she had $200 transferred to her account and a 'thank you for last night' from the older woman.

She smiled at the message and shot back a 'thank you, котелок' along with a picture of her still in bed, nothing more than a cropped tank top and boxers adorning her body, both her muscles and bulge on display for Natasha.

The older woman did not reply right away but Wanda knew that she had seen her message, a small smirk playing on her lips when she received a 'when can we see eachother again?'.

Wanda didn't reply until she had gotten herself ready for class, just letting Natasha sit in her own desperation.

'I don't get off until 8pm but you can pick me up if you want' the younger woman had a busy day ahead of her, her morning filled with classes and her evening filled with work.

Natasha responded a minute later with a 'I'll see you then', the younger woman smiled down at her phone as she made her way to her friends, only to see that Bucky and Kate were the only ones there.

The brunette sat down on the bench opposite her friends, making sure to save the spot next to her for Carol, who happened to arrive a mere minute later.

Wanda smiled brightly at the blonde and opened her arms for Carol to jump into, to which she pressed her back against Wandas' chest as the brunette wrapped her arms around the other womans waist, fingers teasingly running along the waistline of her jeans.

Carol smirked up at her, and Wanda knew what that meant but instead decided to take her time, placing a lingering kiss to the junction of the taller womans' neck.

The blonde whined in annoyance, practically vibrating against Wanda as she waited for the younger woman to tell her all about her rendezvous.

"Come on, Wanda, just tell me!" The shorter woman chuckled and scratched Carols waist in warning.

"She's so fucking hot and god, she was such a fucking slut, couldn't even wait to take me home, I just had to take her in the bathroom and she took my cock like she was made for it." Wanda chuckled at the other womans very obvious boner as Carols breath faltered while their other friends groaned out an "get a room"

The brunette smirked and whispered a "if you're really good, I might take care of your little predicament for you" as Carol shivered against her.

The two didn't even notice as Bucky and Kate left, muttering something about them being "too much", which Wanda paid no mind to as she placed more wet kisses onto the blondes neck.

"We should get out of here." Carol let out a shuddering breath and nodded, carefully standing up but almost too mindful of her painful boner as she adjusted herself the best she could.

Wanda followed shortly after, placing a guiding hand on the blondes lower back as she walked them to her dorm. The shorter woman playfully slapped Carols ass, smirking in satisfaction as the other woman jumped in surprise, a small yelp leaving her at the pure force of it.

"Strip and get on the bed, on your stomach ass up" The taller woman nodded and gave a cheeky grin as she started getting rid off her clothes, Carol laid down on the bed, smirking to herself when Wanda adjusted her position, her hands gripping Carols cheeks, the brunette smirked when she noticed the blue jeweled plug that was pushed inside of her ass.

"You wanted this, didn't you?" Wanda chuckled when Carol whined, a small nod following shortly after.

The shorter woman took a moment to take in the sight before her, before taking ahold of the base and pulling out until the widest part was stretching the rim. Carol moaned when the brunette pushed the plug into her again before pulling it all the way out.

"You ready for me, baby?" Wanda smirked at the way the blonde pushed back against her, and the way she whined with every minute the brunette was outside of her.

The younger woman grabbed ahold of the base of her cock and slowly pushed her way into Carol, a low satisfied moan leaving her as she pushed further and further into the taller woman.

The blonde moaned loudly when Wanda finally bottomed out, her ass pushed against the other womans pelvis as Wanda let her adjust to the stretch.

Wanda slowly pulled out before thrusting forward with a force the blonde still was not used to, Carols entire body being forced forward with every thrust the younger woman forced upon her.

The blondes' loud moans were slightly muffled by the cheap dorm mattress as her face was pushed into it, even then Wanda could clearly hear her pleads for more.

The brunette smirked as she reached around Carol and wrapped her hand around her cock in a vice grip, laughing as the older womans' hips immediately moved forward into her hand.

"You gonna cum for me, cap?" The blonde moaned loudly at that, and nodded desperately as Wanda jerked her off.

"Cum then, slut" Carol did so without a second thought, hips stilling as spurts after spurts of cum land on the mattress, finally able to catch her breath as Wandas' also stilled.

"Now you just gotta make daddy cum" The older woman let out a deep breath as Wanda pulled out of her and turned her onto her back.

The shorter woman kneeled over her, perfectly lining herself up with Carols' awaiting mouth before pushing herself in, a low, satisfied moan leaving her as she's surrounded by the captains' awfully skilled mouth.

Wanda carelessly grabbed onto the back of the older womans head to get the leverage she needed to properly fuck her mouth.

"That's it, such a good cock sucker" Carol moaned quietly around her, her own hips jerking up into nothingness as she let Wanda use her.

The brunette came with one last thrust and a satisfied groan, smiling tiredly as Carol gagged around her.

Wanda caressed the other womans cheek with a small smile as she pulled out.

The brunette tapped Carols cheek with two fingers, giving a slightly apologetic smile as she got herself dressed.

"Not to fuck and dump but-" Carol rolled her eyes with a small smirk, the younger woman did this every single time and she didn't necessarily mind, it wasn't one sided either.

"Yeah, I know, I'll get going" Wanda gave her a bright smile and a kiss to her cheek as Carol got herself dressed, and walked out of the room with a small limp to her step.

The brunette watched with a small smirk, before giving herself a once over and making her way to the local convenience store she worked at.

Deciding to text Natasha, and lowkey hoping for a little something in her messages. 'Hey, I might get off earlier today, pick me up at 6? Ps. I miss you :)'

Natasha surprisingly responded straight away, her excitement exuding from her words alone. 'Hi! Yes, I can do that 😊' followed closely by a 'I miss you too, daddy'

Wanda smirked down at her phone, more than happy with how their arrangement was working out.

As the student made her way into the store with a smile she usually wouldn't wear to work, but she couldn't bring herself to wipe it off of her face.

Steve, her coworker, gave her an odd look as she walked up to the cash register. "What's up with you today?" Wanda dropped her smile, and scowled at him.

"Can't a girl be happy, old man" The blonde man playfully rolled his eyes, not too fond but used to the nickname given by practically all of his coworkers.

"She can but you usually aren't, especially not during your shifts" Wanda chuckled, nodding in admittance.

"I'm getting my dick wet, twice" The younger woman laughed when Steves face scrunched up in disgust.

"Don't tell me that! I didn't need to know that!" Wanda only laughed harder as the blond half-heartedly glared at her.

"You asked so you can't really blame me" The brunette shrugged as Steve let out a heavy sigh, hoping to completely erase the vision Wanda gave him out of his mind.

"Just get to work, please" The man pleaded, which just made Wanda laugh even more, knowing that she had nothing to do.

"I work at the register and there's literally no-one here" She gave him a pointed look and it was his turn to shrug, giving her a somewhat innocent look.

"You know you could just let me go home, you work fantastically alone and I would be able to see my girl" Steve sighed once again, knowing that he wouldn't need any help but he also would get in big trouble if he just let Wanda go.

"Just work your shift, it's not even that long" Wanda sighed in experation but didn't say anything further, deciding that she could endure those few hours of her shift.

Her shift was uneventful to say the least, her costumers consisting of five people in total and Wanda could die of boredom. The promise of seeing Natasha again was the only thing that kept her going.

Natashas wide grin was the first thing she noticed as she stepped through the main entrance and she could barely hold herself back from barreling herself into the older woman.

She wrapped her strong arms around the older woman, Wanda lifted Natasha up in the air, relishing in the way the other woman wrapped her thighs around her waist as she spun her around in the air. The brunette shoved her face into Natashas chest, loving the way she's surrounded by pillowy softness as Nat giggles above her.

The shorter womans face is flushed red when Wanda sets her down on the ground again and the brunette grins at her, eyes dark with lust even as her smile is bright.

No words are needed as the two of them step into Natashas car, the fanciest car that Wanda has been in by far and the younger woman gives herself a moment to appreciate it.

The redhead glanced at her for a moment before starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot. Wanda spent the entire time watching her, her hand tightly gripping Natashas' thigh, just barely holding herself back from moving her hand higher.

"Fuck, I've missed this body" it was groaned out in a dark rasp, and Natasha couldn't hold back her gasp as the grip on her thigh tightened to something painful.

"Wanda.." The younger woman only hummed in reply, way too distracted by how Natasha looked in her tight, low cut t shirt and short skirt.

"That's not my name, принцесса" The redhead let out a breath in an attempt to calm herself down.

"Daddy...please, we're almost home" Wanda groaned in annoyance and grabbed her free hand, placing it right on her bulge.

"Baby, please, I need you" Natasha let out a quiet whine at that, her hand tightening around Wanda and her own thighs clenching together.

The redhead let out a quiet sigh of relief as she pulls up into her driveway, her now free hand coming to grab Wandas in a pathetic attempt to stop her.

"Let's take this inside, please" The younger woman hummed in conteplation, knowing very well that she'd take Natasha anywhere anytime.

"Inside, now." The redhead grinned in pure exhilaration, hand already grabbing for Wandas as the younger woman pressed up against her back, her other hand rubbing up and down her thigh before settling on her waist, their joined hands resting against Natashas belly.

The walk inside seemed endless, and was somewhat of a struggle as Wanda just refused to let go of her.

The both of them sighed in relief as they stepped into Natashas bedroom and Wanda detached herself from her.

"Strip. Now" Natasha gulped in what could only be anticipation as she undressed, avoiding the brunette's intense gaze the best she could.

Wanda groaned in pure lust as she was met with the sight of the older womans nude body, and she knew she couldn't keep herself from fucking Natasha any longer as she made quick work on undressing herself.

"On your hands and knees" Natasha nodded, barely holding back her whimper as she settled into position on her bed. Wanda following closely behind as she settled right against her with a satisfied sigh.

The younger woman drug her cock through her pussy, just far enough to bump against her clit before pushing into the velvety heat she had dreamt about all day.

Wanda moaned in satisfaction as she was finally sheated inside of the redhead, letting herself savour the feeling of Natasha.

When she started moving again it was with a hand in the older woman's hair and one tightly gripping her waist, fingers sinking into plush softness.

Her thrusts are aggressive and she's pushing Natashas' face further into the mattress with each thrust, her hips meeting her ass each and every time, making it jiggle and Wanda could not look away.

Natashas moans were music to her ears and she could not get enough, and she would not muffle them either. Using the handful of hair she pulled the shorter woman up against herself.

"You sound so fucking pretty for me" The redheads responding moan was the lewdest Wanda had heard her, and fuck, she was about ready to cum on the spot.

The brunette wrapped the hand that was once in Natashas hair to her throat, pressing down enough to give her that heady feeling as she moved the other down to rub her clit in tight circles.

The older woman moaned loudly, her hips jerking in uneven motions against her as she tried to get herself off.

Wanda could feel the woman tightening around her, and she knew that Natasha wouldn't need much more to cum.

"Cum for daddy, котелок" Natashas moan bordered on a scream as she tensed in the younger womans arms, letting her orgasm wash over her with a relieved moan of Wandas name.

Wanda let the feeling of Natasha cumming around her bring her to her own orgasm, her hips stilling as she filled the redhead to the brim with her cum, the both of them milking eachother on.

The younger woman groaned quietly as they both came down from their highs, Wanda pressed a kiss against her shoulder blade before shifting them both to lay down on the kingsized bed.

"Can I stay in you?" Natashas eyes widened in surprise but still nodded shyly, seemingly embarrassed by the question but Wanda grinned widely at her and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

#wandanat #wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #carol danvers #maxivers #daddy wandas cap #cas writes #million dollar baby au

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

I just want to say that BOTW/TOTK's Zelda is the first version of the character I've ever loved, and I've been a LoZ fan since OoT. It just frustrates me the way some fans lambast her for being angry at Link in BOTW and also claim she was wasted/fridged/sidelined/reduced to "pure sacrificial maiden" and had her adorable nerd personality stripped away in TOTK (also claiming her sacrifice in TOTK is an attempt to validate Rhoam's treatment of her in BOTW). I thought her arc in TOTK was a wonderful continuation of the one she had in BOTW and showed how much stronger she had grown. Poor gal can't catch a break. What are your thoughts?

….I do not know how long of an answer you expected, but I have so many thoughts. So. Many. Thoughts. And boy do I go on tangents when I should be sleeping. Anyway. Here you go :)

For the most part, I hold a lot of the Zelda’s near and dear to my heart! Though, admittedly, it comes from the fandom’s exploration of these characters rather than just purely canonical content.

But Botw/Totk Zelda…. I don’t need any ‘additional’ content or exploration beyond what we see in the games to make me absolutely love and adore her. She is the most developed Zelda and she has an amazing arc— her complex feelings regarding her own magic, the complicated relationship she had with her father, the realistic exploration of her feelings regarding Link and how they went from jealousy and dislike to acceptance and adoration.

I always find that many complex and well developed characters are nearly always wasted on those who cannot look past mistakes (especially ones that set up future developments and start plot lines). Sometimes, people fixate on the moments writers use to cement that yes, this character is in a very low point of their life and the way they cope is not the ‘good’ way to.

The first memory in botw tells us that Zelda is none too thrilled to have Link as her knight attendant and the Hylian Champion. That she’s using him to project her own frustrations regarding her own failures. Which is the very introduction used to draw us in, make us curious about her history and how Link is tied into any of it.

So many just… can’t see past the reason we are shown this memory, nor why her frustrations led her to yell at Link. Because she was absolutely powerless and unlike Link who has had the Master Sword since he was 12, she had nothing to show. And her character is constantly forced to listen to her father, to heed the teachings she was vaguely given through one-off comments her mother and grandmother said. She was forbidden to pursue her hobbies and give it all up for the sake of the prophecy.

And then, to find out that Zelda awakened her powers through love, love for Link who she initially misjudged and mistreated, is so so powerful. Because she had grown to resent the spirits and herself. But Link. She grew to not only care for Link but to fall in love with him. And that instinct, that belief, that faith, that love. That is what sparked the power within her.

Zelda finally heard the spirit in the sword. She understood her part in this fight. For so long she had struggled to find her power, and she awakened it just in time to save Link, but at the cost of everyone else she held dear.

Something I don’t think a lot of people who criticize and hate Zelda understand is that Zelda’s pure and unwavering faith in Link is her drive to make these sacrifices. She knows it will be worth it. Because she believes in Link. And she supports him in whatever way she can. The reason they don’t understand this is because they can’t see past Zelda’s initial emotions regarding Link. They can’t see how she never believed in herself but she always had unflinching faith in him once she got to know him.

Then to see her accept that her magic has been sapped from its constant, draining use for the last 100 years at the end of botw…. It is a powerful moment. She fought so long to have those powers, ones her father berated her for not having access to, but she can finally accept that she can’t hear the spirit in the sword anymore. That’s development.

And for those who think Zelda’s cute adorable nerdiness was wiped from totk obviously don’t have the greatest history of understanding context clues. Zelda legitimately geeks out in the very first opening sequence of totk.

*totk Spoilers ahead*

She goes on and on about the Imprisoning War and the Zonai, taking pictures and obviously ecstatic about the discovery. She finds the Master Sword’s ability to heal itself fascinating. She founded research teams and build a school to further education in Hyrule. She wasn’t just a nerd. She was the Princess of Nerds.

Her sacrifice in ToTK is at surface level the action of a sacrificial maiden. Those who can’t read beyond that won’t understand it any other way. They won’t see how important it is that Fi sought Zelda thousands of years into the past, when in the beginning of botw she couldn’t even hear the spirits. They won’t understand how Zelda’s unflinching faith in Link parallels Link’s unflinching loyalty to Zelda. ToTK is a zelink centered game. Yep. I said it. We all know it’s true.

The entire plot revolves around, get this, Finding Princess Zelda.

Link’s entire motivation behind this game is to find Zelda. That is quite literally all he truly wants to do. He wants to find her. He isn’t there for duty. He just simply wants to find her.

And she is in the past, ensuring Link has every possible thing to help him secure a future for Hyrule. She went from detesting her place in the prophecy, from being forced to comply to her father’s choices, to embracing her role as the Princess of Hyrule and choosing her own way of aiding Link.

Totk gave Zelda the supportive father figure and guiding mother figure she sorely lack in botw. It showed us and Zelda that despite having the things she didn’t have, they still failed. Sonia was killed. Rauru had to sacrifice himself.

Zelda had to sacrifice herself. She was known for being stubborn, perceptive, analytical, and independent. Now she is known for her kindness, her intelligence, her empathy, and her compassion. And she sacrificed it all just to give Link the Master Sword. Because she had unwavering faith he could defeat Ganondorf.

Zelda is a RIDICULOUSLY complex character who has been through so much. But complexity is lost on those who only look for the simple, easy to understand things. So she is bound to have haters.

But for those who can understand and admire that development, we see Zelda for who she is. And if it’s any consolation, so does Link. While this game didn’t officially make zelink canon, they did make it canon that Link stayed by Zelda’s side after the Calamity. Once she was gone, they again made it canon that he would not stop until she was back with him. His Zelda. The one that rambles and excitedly tells Link that so much has happened.

Botw/totk Zelda is so so complex. And for that reason alone, she will have haters. But they don’t know or understand her. Not in any way that truly matters. Because those who do understand her and love her, well, it’s pretty clear that’s the way to go if Link’s main purpose and the entirety of totk tells us.

#I love her so much #sorry I have thoughts on her #I don’t know if this ramble makes sense atp #zelink #totk zelink #totk Zelda #botw zelink #loz botw #botw #link botw #the legend of zelda #botw link #zelda botw #zelink botw #the legend of zelda breath of the wild #loz totk spoilers #loz tears of the kingdom spoilers #loz totk #totk Link

[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

Bloody Beetle | Part Nine

Summary: the afterlife is quite what you expected it to be

Pairing: Taweret x reader (platonic)

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: it's the afterlife y'all... you dead...

A/N: please note as much as I did some research into identity disorders, it may not he 100% factual and is supposed to be taken in context of the story... as always spelling and grammar are not my strongest skills so please be kind :)

Part Eight | Series Masterlist

- - - - -

Floating. 

You're floating in dark nothingness. 

Your body weightless. 

Your mind empty. 

Just… nothing…

Then you hear something in the distance. 

A voice. 

A name being called. 

Your name. 

Closer.

Closer.

The voice gets louder, angrier, as it gets closer…

“Y/N!”

— — — — 

Your head slips from your hand as you jump awake from your position, leaning against your work desk. Donna, your boss, stands on the other side of the desk, looking down at you disapprovingly. 

“Is this what we pay you for? Sleeping on the job?” She tuts before continuing to rant at you. You ignore her, looking around the familiar museum inventory room as you try to shake away your sleep. Broken remnants of a realistic feeling dream flash in your mind, like a puzzle missing half the pieces. 

You had been in Egypt, that much is clear. But what were you doing there? Lots of people, unknown faces looking at you with hatred. Scales. A glowing purple light. A crocodile? 

You’ll have to tell Steven about this dream when you see him. Maybe he’ll understand it more than you do. Then you realise, he’s not here. 

“Is Steven not in today?” You ask suddenly, not really caring that you’ve interrupted whatever rant Donna was on. 

“Who’s that?” she looks at you blankly and you laugh. 

“Ste-ven.” You repeat clearly, emphasising each syllable. “Steven Grant? You know, the Egypt guy. Works with me down here like, all the time.”

“I don't know who you're talking about.”

“Steven!” You shout, getting frustrated now. 

“Don't matter how many times you say it!” Donna is getting more annoyed by the second. “There is no Steven that works here.”

“Is this some sort of joke?! I know you don't like him very much but even by your standards this is cruel!” 

“Okay, you need to calm down or soon you won’t be working here either!”.

“I’ll show you, look!” You grab your mobile and open the photos app. To your horror there’s not a single one of Steven to be found. “No! Where is it?! I took one just the other day… he was wearing one of those stupid pharaoh headdress things we sell to the kids. It was right here-”

“Y/N!” Donna snaps, snatching your phone and putting it down on the desk. “I don't know want to hear any more about your imaginary friend, alright? You’re wasting my time as well as your own! So unless you wanna be looking for a new job I suggest you drop it.”

You're about to argue back, but think better of it. Arguing with Donna is like hitting your head against a brick wall. 

“You’re right, sorry..." You say sheepishly, playing along. “I just got confused. I think I might be coming down with something.” 

“It’s alright.” Donna looks at you unconvinced but accepts it anyway. “Forget about it and get back to work.”

“Yes boss.” You say and she walks away, glancing back at you suspiciously before she leaves. 

As soon as she’s gone you pick your mobile back up off the desk to message Steven, but when you search your messages all the ones from him are gone. So you head to the contacts and scroll down to ’S’. Sarah, Shaun, Simon, Stuart… where’s Steven? You scroll up, thinking maybe he’s saved under ‘G’ for Grant. Nothing.

You consider for a moment calling the police. But what would you say? ‘My friend has disappeared, but no one remembers him and I have no evidence he ever existed?’ They’d either laugh at you or lock you up. Maybe you are going crazy… 

No. Steven was real! You remember him. The sound of his laugh as he would tell you a really crap joke he'd heard. The way his eyes would light up when someone asked him a question about Egyptian history. The smell of cologne whenever he bumped into you, which was more often than you’d think. He really was quite clumsy. That was one of the things you loved about him. And one of the things you had in common. 

You decide to go find J.B. Surely he’ll must remember Steven, even if he does always called him ‘Scotty’. If all else fails, you could at least get him to check security cameras. 

But as you step out from behind the desk, you don't notice the large box on the floor and trip over it. You manage to stop yourself falling by clinging on to the desk, but you send the box flying across the room, the contents spilling out everywhere. It's filled with action figures that you sell in the gift shop. You pick one up. 

At first glance you think it’s a mummy but then you notice, it’s a man. A man dressed all in white and wearing a white cape. You take another figure out, almost the same but this one wearing a white suit. 

You dig deeper into the box. It’s full of figures. Some the same as the two you’ve already got. Some with the skull of a bird and holding a crescent moon staff. A lady with dark curly hair. A crocodile... Then you find one that makes your blood run cold. A man, wearing a reddish brown outfit and sandals. He has shoulder length dirty blonde hair, and he’s holding a glowing purple cane. 

“Harrow?” You whisper, the name coming to you out of nowhere.

An image fills your mind; Harrow stood in front of you, plunging a dagger into your stomach.

You look down and realise your clothes are stained red with blood. Your heart and mind starts to race. Something isn’t right. You need to get out of here. 

You run to the door, swing them open and crash straight into someone. You look up and to your surprise see a tall hippopotamus stood smiling wildly down at you. 

You freeze as the two of you stare at each other for a moment. The hippo raises its hand in a waving gesture. 

“Hi!” A female voice. She sounds friendly enough.

“Uh… h-hi?” you stutter, trying to remain calm. 

“You're not screaming.” She says. You're unsure if this is a statement or a question. 

“Am I supposed to be..?”

“No, not at all. I’m just used to people screaming when they first see me. To be fair death can be quite traumatic as it is so I suppose to then come face to face with, well, me… must be quite startling.” She laughs. “You're handling this amazingly. Well done you.”

“Death?” You ask and her face drops.

“You didn’t know?” She says and you shake your head. 

“I thought it was just a bad dream.”

“Oh dear. I am very sorry, but I am afraid you are quite dead. Oh hang on! I have a thing I’m supposed to read…” She pulls a scroll out from her robe and unravels it before beginning to read. “Welcome gentle traveller to the realm of the Duat. I am Tawaret, goddess of women and children and I am here to guide you through your journey to the afterlife.”

“Wait wait wait, if I’m dead then why am I at the museum? Shouldn’t I be, like, in heaven or something?”

“Because the Duat’s true nature is impossible for the human mind to comprehend, you may perceive this realm as something more easily recognisable to you. Was this place special to you?”

You think back through all the happy memories you have here, in this room laughing with Steven.

“Yeah, I suppose it is.” You say with a smile. “But hang on, Donna was here. My boss. She was here earlier having a go at me as usual. How is that possible? Is she dead too?” 

“This place can appear as real as you want it to. Whatever would normally be here will be here, that includes people. But rest assured, she is very much still alive.”

“Then where’s Steven? He was always here with me, but Donna didn’t even know who he was!”

“Steven? Steven Grant?” She asks.

“You know him?” 

“I do. Goodness, how do I explain this?” She says, mostly to herself. “Steven Grant isn’t real.”

“Of course he is!”

“No dear, uh…” she pauses, thinking over her words. “Do you know a Marc Spector?” 

“Kind of. Not very well, but we’ve met.”

“Right! So… Steven is Marc.”

“I don't understand.” 

“Marc created Steven when he was young to help him escape the trauma he was going through. He may not have even realised that that’s what he did, but whenever life got too much for Marc he would become Steven instead.”

“No hang on, Steven told me that this Marc lives inside him. Are you saying it’s the other way around?” 

“Steven really believed he was who he was. He had no idea the truth.” She watches you for a moment. Watches as your brain ticks over everything and sadly the truth sets in. “I think deep down, somewhere, subconsciously a part of you knew. That’s why he’s not here. The Duat picked up on it.”

She was right. Ever since that night when Marc first spoke to you, a small part of you had wondered. Harrow had tried to tell you, in his own manipulative way. You just didn’t want to believe it; Steven wasn’t real. 

“I wish he was here.” You say sadly. Taweret puts a caring hand on your shoulder. 

“I know dear, this is a lot to take in. But as I said, you are handling this exceedingly well.” She smiles at you, holding out her hand. “Come, let me show you around.”

— — — — 

You follow Tawaret through the doors and to your surprise you're no longer in the museum. Instead you find yourself on a magnificent wooden boat sailing through sand.

“Where are we going?” You ask, staring out at the the amazing blend of purple, blue and gold that makes up the sky. It would take your breath away, if you weren’t already dead. 

“Hopefully to the Field of Reeds.”

“Hopefully?” 

“Yes, there’s just something I have to do…” she places her hand on your chest and pushes, reaching inside you and when she pulls her hand back out she’s holding your heart. You watch in shock as she away from you and places the heart on a scale. She takes a feather and places it on the other side of the scale. The scales swing a few times before settling in a balanced position. 

“Oh goody.” Taweret smiles. “I would have hated to have to throw you overboard.” 

“Excuse me what?”

“If they scales hadn’t balanced, you would not be permitted entry to the Field of Reeds. The dead would have dragged you down into the Duat where you would have remained forever frozen in sand.” She explains and you stare at her in horror. “But the scales are balanced, so no need to dwell on that.” 

You walk to the edge of the boat and look over at the sand below you. You can just about make out the shapes of human figures half buried in the sands, hands desperately reaching for something to grab onto. It sends a shiver down your spine. Taweret moves to stand beside you. 

“All these people had unbalanced scales?” You ask sadly.

“I’m afraid so.” 

“Do the scales ever get it wrong?” 

“That’s not possible.” Taweret says looking at you, she notices you look troubled. “Are you alright?”

“When Harrow judged me with Ammit’s scales, they were unbalanced.”

“Ammit is wrong. She judges based on things that might happen, what someone might do. We judge on what you have done." She turns to face you completely, putting her hands on your shoulder so you have to face her. She looks you in the face. "Believe me when I say, you are a good person Y/N Y/L/N.” 

“Thank you.” You say with teary eyes as the boat continues its journey. 

— — — — 

Eventually you arrive at the most beautiful place you have ever seen.

“Welcome to the Field of Reeds.” 

It’s indescribable. An endless view of golden warmth. Peace like you’ve never felt before. 

“It’s… I don't have the words…” 

“Enjoy it. You belong here.” 

You smile up at her. 

The peace doesn’t last long however, when suddenly you hear a familiar voice calling from a distance behind you. 

“Hey! Hey, hippo lady! You gotta take me back!”

You turn to where the voice is coming from. 

“Not this again.” Taweret sighs.

“Marc?!” You interrupt as you realise who is running toward you. He stops when he notices you. 

“Y/N? What- what are you doing here?” 

“Same as you.” You respond bluntly. “Harrow killed me.”

A range of emotions flash across Marc’s face. Anger and sadness being the mains ones. 

“I’m sorry.” He says simply, before turning his attention back to the hippopotamus next to you. 

“There’s nothing I can do Marc.” Taweret says before he can even ask. “Steven is gone.”

“What?” You look between Taweret and Marc in a panic, but Marc turns away from you. “What do you mean he’s gone?”

“The Duat has him.” Taweret explains. “When Marc died, the Duat split him and Steven into their own separate bodies in order to fairly judge their lives.”

“So Steven is one of those bodies in the sand?” You say in horror and she nods. “We can go back for him though? Right?!”

“It doesn’t work like that. If you leave here you can’t return.” She looks at Marc. “Please, enjoy your peace.”

Marc turns around angrily. 

“Peace?! There is no peace without Steven!”

“You don’t need him anymore Marc. You created Steven when you needed to cope with the worst parts of your life, but that’s over now.” She says, her voice gentle.

“So I get to go on to eternal peace, and he just…” Marc pauses. “Stays lost in the sand forever?”

A tear escapes down your cheek at the thought of Steven being one of those desperate figures you saw in the sand on the way here. Even though you now understand that Steven was only ever a personality created by Marc, he still felt real to you. You only really knew Steven. Your goofy, lovable, Egypt obsessed friend. 

“No.” Marc says suddenly. “I’m not good with that.” 

“Wait!” Taweret calls as Marc begins to walk off. “Think about this!” 

You watch him for a moment before turning to Taweret. She shakes her head at you, warning you. But you ignore her and run to catch up with him.

“What are you gonna do?” You ask. 

“I’m gonna get Steven back.” 

“Then I’m coming too.”

“Are you sure?” He stops and turns to you. It’s still so weird seeing Steven’s face but hearing Marc’s voice. “I can’t guarantee this will go well.” 

“He’d do it for it me.” You say and Marc nods.

The world around you starts to swirl. The golden sky turns dark and the reeds change to sand. Just ahead of you you spot him. Steven. Now one of the figures stuck in the sand. The two of you run over to him. His frozen hand is reaching out in front of him, a look of pain on his face. Marc crouches in front of him. 

“Steven. Looking pretty rough man.” He cries. “I don't know if you can hear me… From the moment you arrived, way back then, we were so young… You saved me. I survived because I knew I wasn’t alone. You were always there, alive, full of hope. I tried to protect that, and I failed. I couldn’t protect you.”

You feel a strange sensation in your feet and look down to see they’ve started to turn to ice, like Steven. Then you notice Marc’s hands have also started to change. 

“You didn’t abandon me.” He looks down at his frozen hand. “You didn’t abandon me. And although that field back there was looking pretty good, there’s no way in hell I’m gonna abandon you.” 

He tried to reach his hand up to hold Steven’s but his arm goes stiff. He looks at you and nods his head to gesture for you to come over. You crouch down beside him, looking into Steven’s terrified eyes.

“Hey Stevo. It’s Y/N. You know, Marc is right. You would never abandon the people you care about. How many times you stayed later than you needed to at work, just so I didn’t have to do inventory on my own.” You laugh as tears stream down your cheeks. “And I know you wouldn’t have left me with Harrow unless you had no choice. Because you are the best person I’ve ever met. You don't believe it, but you are. I should have told you that when we were alive. I should have told you how much you mean to me.” The feeling of your body quickly changing to ice spreading up your legs and arms. You manage to lift your hand to hold Steven’s.

Your body has completely changed now, only your head remains. You look at Marc. He reaches his hand up and places it over yours and Steven’s.

“You are the only real superpower I ever had.” He says to Steven as the ice takes over, freezing his head completely. 

You feel it creeping up the sides of your face. You fix your eyes on Steven and manage to whisper three little words as the last part of you becomes frozen in the sand.

“I love you.” 

— — — — 

The worst thing about being frozen in the Duat wasn’t actually the being frozen, but rather the fact that you were conscious the whole time. Forced to stare into the frozen eyes of the man you love, but unable to move or speak to him. 

All concept of time goes out the window. You have no idea how long you’ve been stuck like this, when suddenly you're aware of a rumbling sound and bright light shining to the side of you. As the light hits the side of your face its like warmth is being restored to your body. The ice melts away and you take a deep breath as life is restored to your body. 

You look over to see the giant ornate gates have opened, light pouring through them. You turn back to look at Steven, the ice is starting to melt from him.

“Steven…” you whisper and he looks at you, taking a big breath of air into his thawed body. 

“Y/N…” he smiles and hugs you before turning to a now unfrozen Marc. “Marc!” 

“Steven!” He says happily.

“You came back? What the hell’s wrong with you?!” Steven says, smiling as he helps Marc stand.

“Well I did a whole little speech there.” 

“It wasn’t that little.” Steven laughs, pulling Marc in for a hug. He turns to you, holding out his hand to help you stand. “I heard yours too.”

“I meant every word.” You say sincerely, looking into his eyes and he smiles as he gently places a hand on your cheek. 

“I love you too.” He whispers.

“Uh, guys.” Marc says from beside you. “As lovely as this moment is… we have a problem.”

You both turn to see what Marc is looking at. A giant sandstorm wave heading straight towards you. 

“Oh bollocks!” Steven shouts. “Come on, lets go!”

The three of you start to run, Marc struggling as his leg seems to be injured. Steven hooks one of Marc’s arms over his shoulder and you do the same on the other side.

“I’m slowing us down, just go!” Marc shouts.

“We’re not leaving you!” You reply, almost dragging him now. 

“Coming through!” You hear and turn around to see Taweret on her ship sailing towards you. “Osiris you old softie!” She calls as she crashes through the wave, slowing it down to give you time. “Now run!!” She shouts. 

“Hippo!!” Steven shouts, waving his hands in the air before Marc grabs him and pulls you all towards the gates. You run with all the strength you can muster and finally make it through the gates. 

— — — — 

“Where am I?” You ask aloud, glancing at the bright white nothingness around you. “Steven? Marc? Anyone?”

“Y/N Y/L/N.” A voice calls from everywhere at once.

“Hello?” You respond. 

“I am Osiris, god of the underworld.”

Part Ten

Taglist :  @sleepylunarwolf / @ahookedheroespureheart / @sleepyamaya / @spicydonut25 / @kult6 / @uncle-eggy / @malaanii/ @toracainz / @pinkiestwinkie / @galacticstxrdust / @mateihavenoidea / @xmariakx / @oscarissac2099 / @whycantwebefriendz / @parkeepingparker

(if you want to be added to the taglist please let me know!)

#moon knight x reader #moon knight #moon knight fanfic #moon knight fic #steven grant x reader #marc spector #marc spector x reader #steven grant #taweret #Taweret x reader

[faglaios]

id love to hear your denji thoughts

I HAVE SO MANYYYY HE MAKES ME SO SAD. Warnings for sexual assault talk

particularly just how tragic he is and framed as comedy (meant to be realized is tragic, but csm fans tend to have no reading comprehension💔) like ermmm when his FAMILY IS BEING HELD HOSTAGE? and he desperately offers sexual favors to ensure their safety like people seeing that and going “haha woah what!!” or “denji gay moments!” or whatever like yes I think he is bisexual but that is literally not a moment for evidence for that, he is desperate and willing to do anything to help his family and we KNOW his relationship with sexuality.

Denji is 16 at the start, he’s going through puberty, he’s horny. That’s not a bad thing and is actually really fun to explore! It’s a central part of his character that he just wanted to touch boobs and have sex and a girlfriend, but what ISNT silly is how that is directly what causes him to get groomed and assaulted over and over (groomed I use mostly just for makima, himeno is on the fence for it I think she just took advantage of him and then. Sexually assaulted him like twice) Denji’s had no family for the vast majority of his life and has had little contact with other people in a normal way, he’s had no way to process or experience desire whether it be sexual or romantic or just desire for things in general. He struggles (and I believe he’s not even conscious of it) to differentiate between these types of feelings because the only time he’s done that was with pochita! And it makes sense he wouldn’t wanna fuck his dog like. Duh.

But he’s so continuously taken advantage of and manipulated that even in recent chapters when he’s sorted through some things and has visibly REALIZED he needs to be treated better and with respect, you can see him revert back to those traumatic habits and responses because he’s desperate! And you can see he’s not fucking happy when these examples of reversion occur! He feels bad, but because characters are laughing at him or what he says “feels” (“feels” because tbh like it’s realistic when you think about it!) out of pocket and surprises the audience, it’s viewed as funny!

Literally my friend, when the chapter of him offering to tongue yoshida’s ass for a week to keep his family safe, was laughing! And that’s like ok initially I guess bc yeah it’s vulgar and sudden but it’s so sad! Chainsaw man has a funny name so “it’s a comedy,” or someone literally just tried telling me it’s a “tragic romcom” like!!! Csm is not a sad romantic comedy!! Denji is groomed, sexually assaulted, manipulated, taken advantage of, the list goes on!! None of his romantic encounters are ever (save for asa) just Kind Of Sad. Csm is the story of a victim over and over again and it’s explicit about that!! The comedy comes from silly moments that are semi frequent, but overall it’s a tragedy, like ohhhh my god denji makes me so fucking upset

#anyway those are off the top of my head<3 #vwampires #denji csm #csm #chainsaw man #shut up evan

[linearao3]

You know something I'm afraid to say out loud? I kinda feel like one of the biggest issues with writing soc fics that take place post ck is that Inejs plan to roam the seas and take down slavers makes no sense logistically? It's a beautiful and powerful image, but it's a wildly ineffective game plan unless she is okay with hundreds of innocent people dying for every handful of actual slavers. It's not like she can set up traffic stops and peacefully search every ship going by. The sea is vast and largely anonymous. It's just not realistic to target specific captains or ships. Even if it was, she'd need extremely precise conditions to overpower an enemy ship without risking the lives of the slaves onboard. I love a morally grey inej, but pirate captain inej isn't a story of her gaining autonomy or freedom, it's a story of her becoming as cold and ruthless as kaz.

I try to avoid flying to the metatextual answer with character issues, but I really do think this one boils down to: Leigh Bardugo is more at home with heroic narratives than with social narratives, plus I think she just likes pirates (cp, Nikolai). Because according to Rule of Wolves, it is working. You and I may not think that makes a lot of sense, but Bardugo sets the rules here, and according to her, Inej is bringing down evil capitalist overlords left and right, and instead of more springing up to take their place with more devious methods, apparently Kerch is just forgoing cheap labor. (Or anyway cheap labor by those means.) The author says it works, so it works.

But laying that aside, there are a couple issues to explore I think: Inej is a teenager, and doesn’t necessarily have the strongest grasp on how to fight systemic ills (and grown adults struggle daily with how best to help forced, coerced, and underpaid laborers). She’s thinking of what she would have wanted: someone to swoop in out of nowhere and strike off her chains before she got to Kerch. So that’s a large part of what guides her ambitions, I think, even before any bloodthirstiness or desire for vengeance — she wants to rewrite her own past, and if she can’t do it with her own story, she’ll do it with others’. (There is space here I think for thinking about how Inej frames the moment of her sale to Heleen as the moment after which she is corrupted, and about feelings she may have about who can and can’t be saved, but we’re talking about pirates here.)

The other question is, I think, how one goes about the pirate business. You don’t necessarily have to fire on every ship; most people don’t want to die and will surrender if they don’t like their odds. Most sailors are well aware how easy it is to die at sea! If she has a fancy battleship, and she’s up against leaky bathtubs, she might not have too much trouble being allowed to board and search without a fight. Now, this doesn’t solve the problems of (a) numbers, as in either trafficking voyages per day or ships per nautical square mile, or (b) identifying trafficking ships, and realistically, would the industry fight back by say, banding ships together into small fleets to outnumber her or give her too many targets to effectively work against in a single encounter? Yes, probably. But she might be able to save some people without too much bloodshed? Not, probably, a statistically significant amount. But she’s not going for numbers, or statistics, or a systemic solution; she’s going for a personal, psychological satisfaction of making the story end differently this time.

Or anyway that’s my reading! For whatever it’s worth!

#asks #anonymous

[navstuffs]

i saw youre taking requezts for ezio hehe, so maybe some writing with ezio admiring fem!reader while shes training??:)

Something in the way you move

Pairing: ACBrotherhood!Ezio x F!Reader

Summary: Ezio always got distracted when he saw you in action.

Warnings: some minor-violence, ezio is heart eyes to reader

Author's Note: heeey, yes, thank you for requesting with me! i won't lie i had a little hard time with this one (im not very good at describing fights), so i seriously hope you like this! thank you for your patience in waiting as well!

Ezio always got distracted when he saw you in action.

He didn't know if he was amazed or scared—or both.

You were one of the first recruits he saved. He didn't think you needed that much help; oh no, Ezio probably saved those soldiers from a more humiliating death. Despite lacking technical skills, you had brute strength. And more than that, Ezio felt your anger with every hit you gave.

He didn't see that on anybody else except, well, his younger self.

So he told himself that's where his fascination with you started: observing you get better each day. That's why when Ezio arrived on Tiber Island and heard sounds of struggle, he was hopeful it was you. You had improved so much in the last couple of months. And to his luck, there you were, facing an opponent.

He didn't know what he liked more: your concentrated gaze or stance, ready to pounce on your adversary. You always seemed to be daring them to fight with you. Or dance. Ezio didn't know much about dancing, except the way you fought was the closest thing he ever came to it.

He didn't really know what kind of beast he was creating.

When your adversary finally makes a move, Ezio has to hold back to not shake his head. You fool your opponent, dodging in the last second. Next, with your adversary's late reaction, you kick their inner tights, forcing them to the floor. Then you grab his arms and pull the hidden blades on his neck.

You help your adversary get up, tapping them on their back and starting again. Ezio could watch you for hours, both of you not realizing his presence, leaned against the wall observing, his eyes not leaving your form for one moment.

It was like admiring one of Leonardo's paintings but much more realistic since you were alive and moving. You were real. Ezio was so unfocused that he got startled when your adversary fell to the floor again, defeated.

"You know you should have blocked your left this time!" He hears you complain, helping your adversary up.

Ezio must have made some sort of noise because you finally see him, greeting him respectfully.

"Oh no, per favore, don't stop because of me!" Ezio says, shaking his hands.

You look half-nervous at your opponent, Antonio, knowing precisely what he will say when Ezio leaves: that Il Mentore seemed to be staring at you—a lot. Before, you would brush that off as a silly thing, a joke between Assassins. But now? Oh yeah, you noticed. You noticed Ezio's eyes on you every time he took you training. And that made you nervous.

Because it felt different from the others, he wasn't just observing you. He was admiring, distracted every time he saw you train. That always made your stomach drop when Ezio's stare was on you.

You told yourself it was due to impressing Il Mentore to make him proud. But you knew deep inside there was more than that. When Ezio finally leaves, you sigh, relieved, stopping the fight. Antonio giggles, and you lift your hand to warn him before he can open his mouth.

"I swear, Antonio if you say anything-"

"Well. I don't need to say it, right? It is obvious now. Il Mentore has eyes for you!"

"Stai Zitto!" You rush, looking back to make sure Ezio really left. Antonio gives giggles again, getting ready to attack. You roll your eyes, ignoring how your body felt warm and fuzzy.

"Prepare to get your ass kicked, bastardo."

Stai Zitto = Shut up

MASTERLIST | EZIO'S MASTERLIST

#ezio auditore x you #ezio auditore x reader #ezio x you #ezio x reader #ezio auditore da firenze x you #ezio auditore da firenze x reader #ezio auditore fanfics #assassins creed x reader #ezio auditore imagine #ezio auditore #im happy like this one turns out #and i hope you like it too anon #i promise you i did my best #ask #asks #request

[skepticbeliever-bookclub]

Hiya shippers & readers!

Just as we're feeling a fresh breath of life into our shipper souls thanks to the return of our boys going on fun dates, our book club raffle winner pitched a very familiar theme we hadn't had a chance to revisit in years. Casefic! We wanted them detecting; we wanted them navigating a mystery and with ten nominations pouring in, we found one that many of us had been saving for a special treat A Thread of Lavender by breathtaken.

This brilliantly crafted noir fic, set in the 1950's during the worst of the Lavender Scare, positions Ryan the PI, still so very much Ryan in all his endearing qualities and flaws, in a juxtaposition of trying to get his job done and wavering under the influence of his best friend and partner Shane. We as a book club agreed that-- with its very well-researched setting, plot execution and the author's unflinching look at what it was to be queer in this era and how that speaks to our experiences now--this particular casefic deserves a ribbon in the hall of fame of its genre.

Rating: M

Summary:

In the two years they’ve been in this business, Ryan’s heard countless husbands and wives tell the tale of their spouse’s infidelity, and this one’s textbook: the late nights at the office, the flimsy excuses. A receipt in his wallet from a downtown jewelry store, for a hundred dollar purchase he never told her about.

“I just need proof.” Miss Esposito is wringing her gloves in her lap, but her voice is clear and resolute, her dark eyes dry. “Then I can hang him out to dry.” For the first time since she walked in their door, she looks anxious. “Please—Ryan. Get me those pictures.”

Book Club Thoughts

I definitely felt like this one hit different in a number of ways and it could stand on its own as an original but I want to compliment [the author] deeply on their use of Ryan's quirks to imbue the plot with what we needed in a protagonist

one thing i love about [the author's] fic in general and this on especially is that they have no fear (at least that's apparent) in being realistic about writing how hard it was for queer people in this time period and piece and not shying away from bringing in alcoholism and other classic tropes of the genre

I'm both incredibly unfamiliar with the genre and the time period, but there's something so evocative and vivid about the prose, that it was very easy to feel the setting, very cinematic

yes i love an AU that is Seamless, where there are little easter eggs of irl for us to find but it's really different in key ways

It paints a picture in the mind both the glitz and glamour, and the desperation bubbling under its the surface, that characterized old Hollywood and the city that surrounded it. Efficiently creating atmosphere all without giving off the slightest hint of purple prose

i definitely think sometimes with the historical fic, especially the tinsworth of it all, can get a leeeeetle (or a lot) ooc so it's always a treat to have one that doesn't

overall i just got so absorbed in this world and every scene i pictured was in black and white. loved ryan's focus on Queers and that kind of like… fascination and confusion about it all. shane's stalwart beliefs and ryan's acceptance of it even when he didn't Get It. ryan's big brave hero moment and the vulnerability. augh. just a REALLY GOOD READ

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE FAQ, AND SEND US AN ASK! IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR FIC RECS, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR READS, NOMINEES AND BOOK CLUB REC LISTS!

#shyan #shyan fic #otp: we took an oath #skeptic believer #au detectives #case fic #read of the week #sbbookclub

[katsum50]

I have seen numerous TikTok’s this week hating Elain, wanting her to be evil and die, and I just don’t get it. Someone explain to me the Elain hate in this fandom, explain it to me like I’m five, because it makes no sense.

Is it just that so many women can’t fathom that a woman can be great without being a warrior? Is it that they can’t self insert with her? I don’t get it.

This character has been written to be liked, loved even. Her character arc has been one of the most fleshed out in the background since her one dimensional start in ACOTR.

She has gone from being someone who has things happen to her and ignoring most things, to becoming aware of others needs, to actively working to make the world a better place.

I mean it was Elain who convinced Nesta to let Feyre to use the house, to repay all she had done for them and help others. It was Elain who despite being scared and having a fiancé who hated Fae try to be welcoming to Rhys, Azriel, and Cassian.

I think one of my underrated, favorite Elain moments in ACOMAF is when she was so pleased Feyre and her friends would spend the night. It says she beamed. She wanted her sister there, wanted to make her comfortable.

Elain warned Feyre even though she was terrified, dragged from her home into Hybern.

I know people said she was useless at the beginning at ACOWAR, but everything had been taken from her and she was lost in visions she didn’t understand. Still she tried to warn them, tried to tell them. Once it was discovered what she was experiencing, she helped.

She didn’t have to go to Grayson and his father to plead for the mortals. She did. She helped Feyre find the Suriel, and during her rescue, she didn’t act helpless or do nothing. She fought back and help save the human girl.

Yes, she didn’t handle the fighting well, but can you blame her? When it came time to do what she must to save her sister. She didn’t hesitate. At the end of the book she wanted to help others and plant gardens. It doesn’t seem like much but it showed she was willing to heal and to spread life.

In ACOFS, Elain’s character was pretty much shown to be a kind, perceptive female, who cares about others. She spends her time helping around the house. She is kind to others as they are shopping. She bakes Feyre an amazing cake, wants to heal the breach between Nesta, and buys Azriel a thoughtful, humorous gift.

We can see that those in the IC do like her with their interactions in ACOFS and ACOSF. I know there are plenty that think she is too mean to Nesta, but their conversations and interactions are very realistic. She cares about Nesta, but doesn’t have to stand there and being abused right back. Neither are perfect, but they both have a right to be angry and hurt and deal with their trama as Elain points out.

There is nothing in the books that show Elain to be unlikeable or unwilling to help. She is figuring out her new life, and I am sure she still struggles with things, but nothing has been written to suggest she will go evil or want to hurt her family, blood or found.

So tell me how you can hate her or want her to go evil. Tell me how a character that stepped out of a shadow, killed the King Of Hybern, is friends with half wraiths, is blessed by the Cauldron with powers, for now has a mating bond with the son of a High Lord, has attracted the notice and affection (yes, he cares about her) of a shadowsinger and spymaster, lives in the home of the high lord and lady of night, and obviously has made contacts in the city, is boring and not worthy of a book?

The Elain hate makes no sense:

#elain archeron #pro elain #elriel

[eldritch-spouse]

Heya, hope u have nice, sunny day here👋

Should I say I'm blessed that I found ur blog? Prob yes cuz thanks to you, i got out of my artblock hole first time in three years 🛐 God is a woman truly, in Pinnie I trust- No jokes, thanks dearly. Let me throw some quick messy sketch on idea I got after crunching on some good stuff at your blog and by this morally prepare myself to throw some little drawings of ur ocs later lmao

Some visuals: https://ibb.co/album/LrrXvv

Looks like here's a strange new visitor, huh...

Meet Double Trouble!

First impression.

It's hard to tell that here's a monster in front of you – after all, "main" body looks 100% human! Ah, yes, for sure, Eve is true femme fatale with this charming looks of hers. It's no surprise she steals attention easily with this seductive eyes and lovely lips- And what about her long, luxurious hair? Perfection as it is!

Ah, but she looks kind of sick, you know? And it's not even about her deadly pale skin- Sometimes it seems like she's talking- even arguing with herself- And her hair moves strangely even without any wind from times to times. Sometimes she can even puke out very strange things... Hmm, have you ever seen her eating them, actually? Or just eating at all?

Of course, pretty ladies never walk alone – and in case of Eve, her guardian dog is glued to her... Well. Quite literally. Grghaath never delays his early introduction, opening his massive jaw on the back of her head just to slip in some comment every time he hears something intriguing without thinking twice. Or, for example, when he can sense some food nearby- And, well, with amounts he's consuming, here's no surprise Eve doesn't have to bother herself...

How he decide "what is food" is a different story tho. Pft, what a brute.

"I'm hungry, so hungry... Eve? Eve? Look, this thing looks delicious..."

"... Please, don't take him seriously, he is definitely not a brains in our duo."

What are they?

Joke of nature Very strange case of symbiosis between human and... Well, something non-human. Roughly speaking, they're closer to changeling in the matter of literally turning inside out if they feel the need to swap. For the most of the time, Grghaath hides inside Eve, letting her communicate with outside world; in cases of danger, they change, since in terms of raw power Grghaath is a clear winner. It's needless to say that their harmony and teamwork are impressive – no-no, what is truly shocking, that even after years of being in such unique alliance, sharing thoughts, etc., both of them saved their original personalities and clear lol minds. For now, they are like roommates, but with different sides of body... Bodymates? Side neighbours?? Inside-outsties??? 🤔🤔🤔

Grghaath looks like giant, constantly wriggling and moving mass of flesh with a lot of mouths full of sharp teeth (prob will remake it lol). Eye on his body belongs to Eve.

Eve looks like human mostly, no special features aside from long "scar" on her back and big mouth at the back of her head.

Both can use tendrils(?) masked as hair; both can talk with eachother in thoughts if needed, share senses/thoughts/memories/etc. Eve become much stronger after their fusion, Grghaath gained higher intelligence for those of his kind and brighter emotions.

Quick description.

Eve: maneater😏

Grghaath: maneater😧

Eve, as been said before, brains and beauty, face of the pair and the main reason both of them haven't gone insane honestly – mostly because of her incredible self-control. She has realistic outlook on life and strong personality, and she was already mature enough at the moment of fusion- This is why she successfully asserted dominance over her at that time new neighbor in a shortest time possible. Not a mothering type, but "cool elder sister with knowledge behind her back" type – smart and reliable one, doesn't afraid to take responsibility for her actions. Can be overly pushy and even suffocating tho-

Grghaath, well... He's not a baddest neighbour for sure. If you will ignore his bad eating habits, he's pretty chill dude! Can and will talk with people around him about some silly random shit. Usually mistaken for the some type of parasyte, which makes him so offended........ And leads to funny and emotional protests. Scarily fast learner! Will laugh it off if someone points it out. Very good hunter, adapts to every condition so quickly– well, yes... He doesn't like to get scolded if he gets catched for eating some lame loser. It's a need to be smart and fast enough. Still too animalistic to clean up his meals perfectly, so he still gets scolded :(

What's their motivation?

Grghaath wants to find truth. Both of them has no information about what in the goddamn world fused them nor who they were before their meeting, all their memories are foggy. Must say, it's not a "i want to get rid of her" thing, mostly just interest.

Eve doesn't have any strict plans for life, she goes where wind blows. For now she tries to find someone like them- well, like Grghaath. She knows that he feels lonely. Sometimes she wonders if it's better for them to be separated, so he can live normal live for his kind.

•••

Phew, this was exhausting- Anyways 😔🙏 hope it wasn't too bore for you lmao. Maybe I will polish this idea later. Only best wishes, I will come back with some sketches again soon-

Oooooooo-wow, that is a giant wall of text. Your general writing style reminds me of someone too. Hm 🤔.

I don't really know if this oc is connected to anything regarding my narratives or you just decided to show me them? In which case thank you, but I would really suggest you post this on your account because it's likely to get swallowed in a cluster of other asks here. And you deserve visibility, honestly.

I'm glad I broke that 3 year artblock that's one Hell of a fucking badge to wear! 💪👀

#unrelated⭐️

[battendownthewhatsit]

I am really intrigued by the big Plot Choice in OFMD S2!

Spoilers for OFMD S2 (and S1, I suppose) under the cut

--specifically, the way the show has set up Queen Zheng Yi Sao as the now- biggest *external* threat to the Revenge crew (the internal threats are arguably worse but Not The Point here!)

Because last season , the Major External Threat was The Fucking English Empire, with the Badminton brothers as their Dragon. Which meant simple villains who were easy to Boo-- BOOOOO the Empire! BOOOO the hypernormative bullies! This is a good easy Comic Bad Guy for our scrappy crew, overwhelming in power but morally in the clear wrong--they could just leave our crew alone (..to violently harass naval traffic, but like the victims in WWDITS, those aren't Real Characters here) , and they are even, both in the show and IRL, largely responsible for Stede and Blackbeard as pirates even existing. Plus it's easy to make them ridiculous losers. Excellent comic villains, no complaints intended by me, dunk on the British Empire forever.

But now, S2? The definite Big Threat going forward is going to be THE PIRATE QUEEN. Who is competent, and effective, and makes wonderful soup.

The Pirate Queen, who saved their lives and gave them every chance to fit in on her crew, mostly because she liked Olu. Because he was kind, and gentle, and she values that.

The Pirate Queen who's about a million times more disruptive to the social order, the overarching problem in the series, then Stede has ever dreamed of being. Who was, yes, a danger to the Revenge crew after the mutiny, but who was also willing to negotiate that, was doing so as they made their escape, and who had definitely earned the trust to make the conversation at least worth trying. Only they chose not to trust her, and made their escape, and considerably screwed her over in the bargain.

I don't for a moment think Zheng Yi Sao's going to lose all her trust in her crew and spiral like Blackbeard did; she's way too established and self assured for that. I don't even think she's going to make hunting the Revenge a big part of her usual working day (though pirate culture pretty much requires her to let it be known they're her enemies now). But they're definitely going to meet again, maybe several times, and this time it can't be as friends.

And , like with running out on Mary, that's totally on Stede. And I think that Stede is finally starting to really realize that his whole "dump people and run" maneuver is genuinely fucked up and hurts people-- he seems to feel really lousy about it even as he's doing it-- but he hasn't figured out a new maneuver yet (even though he's talked about other ways often enough! a very realistic hypocrisy..)

anyway something something about how last season was mostly about Stede finding the courage to Be Himself without apology, saying Goodbye to his old externally imposed roles (some goodbyes being more sword-based than others) , and it looks like this one is going to be about learning how to be True to Yourself while needing to Apologize Lots Actually; the way more complicated balancing act of needs and commitments with people who do have reasonable expectations him, instead of the easily-hateable and irrelevant Badmintons, who he could kill without guilt.

(I mean also it's gonna be very very funny. I hope Buttons changes shape several times and also bites more people. But there's gonna be a Plot and Themes and so on too, yk yk )

#OFMD Spoilers #man I don't wanna maintag this #I need a good non-maintag OFMD tag #help me out crew #ETA someday I'll get used to the MORE cut not working! someday I will!!!!

[rim-draws]

Faerûnian Writing Challenge

Day 7 + 8 | SFW

A heated argument + Everything will be ok, as long as we're together

How does a Barbarian process emotions?

It’s not a secret that Tav is the youngest of the group when it comes to actual years they’ve actually realistically lived. With the exception of Lae’zel who, technically, still have lived longer even if aged differently due to the complications of Astral Planes and what not.

They can live with being the youngest.

It’s good to be young, much to learn, much yet to experience. But being the youngest and leading a gang of travellers to save… the world???

“Why don’t we just… eat all the tadpoles and take over the Absolute?”

With so much at stake and so much that could be tempting for the young and reckless, how long can a mere person resist?

Tav’s voice seemed to echo in the vast silence of the makeshift camp.

They’re still on the road. This rest is just supposed to be a short one. Forever away are the first few camps they’ve set now. No more are they surrounded with soft chirps or steady streams to ground these silences into. Instead, it’s just silence. Eerily so.

“I… don’t see why not?” Astarion chimes in, even if a bit hesitant, as he addresses the group. “It’s a good idea, no? We’ll have all the powers we’ll ever need. No one can hurt us, no one can threaten us, erase or alter our memories, put bombs in our chests or bind us to convoluted contracts.”

“You both are hearing yourself, yes?” Wyll speaks slowly, eyes scanning, zeroing on Tav and their blank expression. “I tolerated the underhanded ways the goblin incident was handled and with the way we’ve been friendly with the Absolute up until this point because I believe we’re doing it for a cause, not so that we’ll be joining their side!”

“It doesn’t have to be their side.” Tav pushes, “We can be our own side. Not ‘good’, not ‘bad’. What even is good and bad, anyway? We’ll just be… us.” They push again. “You can imagine it, right? Having enough power, so much power that we won’t have to grovel, to steal, to lie, to beg for people to notice us. Even you, your father will be proud of you. Forever.”

“You are beginning to sound like them…” Wyll’s voice trails off for a moment. He steels himself, expression more serious than Tav had ever seen him before. “Even if we make my father proud of me, I know, in the depths of his mind, he is still deeply disappointed in me and even more as the days stretch on. That is not what I want.”

“Humans live for barely 100 years, it’s not like he has much left of it and he already makes you suffer all this time.”

“It’s short relative for you lot but it is a lot for us. We have to live those years, day in, day out. He will be trapped in his body like a personal jail cell forever.” Wyll shakes his head. “I don’t need that. I don’t want that. For anybody, much less my own father.”

“But surely you recognize the power we would gain? Look at what I could do! What Astarion could do! We all could be so much more!” Tav turns to Gale, grabbing his hands with only one of theirs,the other on his chest. “You understand, right? It surely can’t feel great to have found out all Mystra wants from you is for you to die. No, to kill yourself. Don’t you want revenge? Or to prove her wrong? That you are more than a mere wizard, some human toy she can use and then throw away once she’s bored?”

There is a subtle shift in Gale’s expression. He’s contemplating. Knowing how bad of an idea this is, he still contemplates. He still wants it. If everyone starts to have a single seed of doubt, it could blossom. And it could be catastrophic.

Wyll pushes between them, physically pulling them off of Gale. “Mystra did not tell him to kill himself. She wants him to sacrifice for the greater good.”

“And that’s better?”

“No! It’s not and it surely can’t be the only way nor the way at all. What you are suggesting is not good either! It will mean sacrificing the life and freedom of many for the advancements of the few who happen to be us. Nothing will change!”

“Change what? The status quo? What’s the point of changing the status quo if nothing changes?” Tav is getting louder. More defensive. Even they, themself haven’t figured out why.

“What do you mean ‘nothing changes’? We will release thousands of slaves! Potentially eliminate the birth of thousands illithids, strip power away from those who abuse them! You saved the tiefling from the goblin raid, cease the fighting between them and druids. We are alive right now on this cursed road because it’s those people who have provided us shelter! They are suffering, crying or mourning and lost because of the Absolute, the very power you want to overtake!”

Wyll is being patient. Wyll is being kind. Incredibly so. Tav might not understand much but they do understand this. Still, they stubbornly argue. “So? We just won’t be like them! We have you, the Blade of Frontiers who sacrificed his own free will and binds himself to a devil to save people! What's to say we’ll be corrupted?”

“We are all people. Anyone who is given unlimited power, vast resources that remain unchecked will be corrupted. You say we’ll have I to keep us in line but even now, you are against me. You’ve left me, who you claim as your voice to reason, for dead for days! Forgive my words but once you’ve gained the power of the Absolute’s, I don’t trust you won’t just kill me at a moment’s notice.”

Tav feels it coming. Like a wave of a sudden rush of emotions, those that they’ve been holding deep inside. They feel themself scream. Rage.

“But how else can we do this?! We struggle against every enemy! Every time we fight, it has been life or death!

I don’t want Gale to explode! I don’t want you to keep losing your life to a stupid contract! I don’t want Astarion to be trapped in the shadows forever! I don’t want Karlach to implode! I don’t want Shadowheart and Lae’zel to fight the people they grow up with!

I don’t want anyone to die! I don’t want to be alone again!”

Their blood boils. Their eyes glow. No different than how they rage in battle, in bars or random banter that goes too far. It’s familiar yet fundamentally different.

Their muscles flex as they grind their teeth. Tears follow the path of their cheeks down to their chin as they bare their dull fangs, hands curl in tight fists.

Astarion shushes softly. He pets the curl of Tav’s back - tensed and solid. “Now now darling, no need to worry your little head so much. We’ll find ways to keep our people alive. We made it this far, it can't be that hard.” His voice is teasing, like it often is. But his eyes are soft, even his touches are. Pale fingers on the spine that slowly softens.

“A weeping barbarian, a rare sight.” Gale touches their hand, patting it gently. He’s lost for words but Tav knows well enough what he’s trying to say, the sentiment he’s sending. The fists flex for a few moments before relaxing. Tav’s breathing grows heavy as they try to regulate.

“We’ll find another way. Astarion is resourceful, spawns like him can have means to be happy. Gale is a brilliant man, he’ll figure out how to best his orb condition without blowing himself up. Same goes for Karlach. And as for Shadowheart and Lae’zel, Hells, for all of us, we could always solve our problems together. Like we’re doing for Halsin, we’ll do for each other. Even after this all ends, perhaps, if the fates allow it, we can continue to travel together.” Wyll presses his forehead against Tav.

It’s hard to tell where their eyes are looking as the light of the rage blinds it. Perhaps they’re looking at Wyll, searching for the truth in his eyes, finding solace in his words. Perhaps they’re gazing downwards, watching the bright tears that drip down to the dark grounds below, counting them one by one, to be coaxed out of rage.

One never knows what they’ve gained until the fear of losing them becomes all too real.

Tav had never felt alone because they’ve never felt anything but. They’re too young to experience too much grief and lost, too young to have gotten used to it. Now, Tav isn’t alone anymore. Perhaps it’s a blessing, perhaps a curse. Now they know what it’s like to have something to lose, something to live for. Something to grieve, something to celebrate. And the people to do it with.

Even power, now, doesn’t seem to worth as much as this.

#BG3FicFeb #tav is having a moment #one can have sorrowful rage cant they ?? #nonbinary tav #bg3 tav #my tav #bg3 #bg3 writing #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 oc #bg3 fic #baldurs gate tav #wyll ravengard #bg3 wyll #astarion

[mae-i-scribble]

As a fan of manhwa in general for the life of me I will never understand the praise that Revolutionary Princess Eve/The Princess Imprints the Traitor gets because it is straight up one of the most racist plots I have seen in a hot minute save for like, the general nonexistence of melanin in anything manhwa related (technically not all of them but like, cmon yall know what im talking about). To me that’s what makes it more insidious? Like people can call out the blatantly racist bs but the moment its more casually interwoven into the narrative it’s praises all around. What is awful even further is that this manhwa presents itself as the exact opposite, our protagonists are on the side of good, undoing the system of slavery, and with some very minor tweakings, you would actually have a gorgeously done story about how to best inspire large scale societal change, to what lengths should we use violence to further our righteous goals, changing the system from within vs using external pressure of retribution/rebellion, the nuances that come from being in a privileged position but still genuinely doing their best to help the people around them, the struggles that it takes to actually unite a group of people even if you are part of an oppressed class, and more themes actually very much relevant to the story it is theoretically trying to tell. Instead we get a flaming pile of garbage because the author refuses to actually engage with the themes and world set up.

Surprisingly, the glaring issues pop up within the first 3 chapters. First and foremost being the reason why Mikael started this entire revolution. Mikael is the first to break out of the brainwashing as the “king” of the homunculi and leads the revolution to overthrow the monarchy that upheld this institution of slavery. It all makes perfect sense, of course he would want his freedom and autonomy and vengeance against the people who tortured him so, and also wants that for his fellow homunculi- except oh wait no he didnt do that for any of those realistic reasons silly. He wasn’t upset at being a slave or at the unjust and cruel treatment of those deemed lesser for no reason other than their identity as a homunculus. He was in *love* clearly. With the 7th princess who he has only had 1 conversation with. When he heard she was being sold off he just had to stage this revolution to make sure that wouldn’t happen. No other reason :)) (insert eye roll here). Like oh yes the slaves were perfectly fine being slaves I guess. Like this isnt explicity what the story is saying bc it goes out of its way to show you how miserable the homonculi are, but by having Mikael’s sole motivation be to like, get together with Eve eventually it makes him a wet cardboard character with no compelling motivation or backstory. It’s also just degrading the idea of slaves uprising and fighting for their rights, because nooo our love interest can’t have done anything for those reasons, that’s wrong. And that is such a fucked worldview to present. People shouldn’t fight for their right to exist as human beings and not property. Only when motivated by actual pure reasons such as love or non violent change is it the right course of action.

And coming back to the whole, Mikael has been in love with Eve the entire time thing which is fucking stupid to me because I hate love at first sight tropes. Logically, doesn’t it make for a far more compelling story to have them at odds by virtue of their positions and life experiences despite ultimately holding similar viewpoints and then have them find common ground in the new timeline where Eve is more proactive and they actually interact for more than just a longing stare? You can’t even argue he was in love with her for plot reason- he doesn’t need to be in love with her for this story to start. When Eve dies he’s the one who wants to try and bring her back, but who does he actually need to do the procedure? The sage, or Eve’s personal mentor. Literally. Just. Have. The. Sage. Turn. Back. Time. It would make perfect sense considering how close the two are and how unfairly Eve was assassinated when she had been doing her best for the homunculi. You could have Mikael honor her with a funeral, respectful as to what she meant as a royal who publicly was against the homunculi system and then have the Sage bust in the middle of the night and drag Mikael unknowingly into this spell because they’re the one that wants to give their precious student a second chance. It literally solves all your problems in one without reducing Mikael’s entire personality to just “in love.” It’s also a great way to introduce the Sage and make the reader wonder just how special Eve must be for someone to go to such lengths for her.

Furthering the romance talk, this manhwa is a romance, except its an incredibly disturbing one from start to finish. When Eve imprints Mikael his entire thought process is changed. This is quite literally mind control magic forcibly changing his opinion of her to favorable. They explicitly show that!! Multiple times!! He even sees her as beautiful because of the imprint and nothing else! And you cannot argue what are his true thoughts and what aren’t because the imprint works to actively change his thoughts unless he is consciously going against it. So logically we have to conclude that any emotion Mikael feels about her is constructed by the imprint or in the case of any positive ones, being drastically amplified. This is not love. This is not a romance. This is just mind control but we’re supposed to see it as romantic because our protagonist obviously cannot do anything wrong. Also, the imprint makes it so that little spark of personality we see in Mikael when we first meet him in the floating prison goes away completely. Our two protagonists never truly argue about anything after that point. It’s so,,,, stale. All of the conflicts we could have had between them to further the themes and their relationship just don’t exist because the author wants Mikael’s personality to be “simp” and Eve’s to be “perfect princess who never does anything truly wrong.” In a story dealing with such a direct allegory for the slave system and dealing with racist institutions not have those sort of furthering arguments is a massive blow to the story’s integrity. I can’t see it as anything smart despite the promise its idea shows because clearly the author isn’t going to actually follow up on anything. How could they when they can’t even give us the relationship between the two main characters without resorting to using mind control to mellow out one side’s feelings.

Ironically, out of everything in this mess Eve is by far the best written aspect of it. She very easily could be a white savior trope through and through, naively condemning Mikael’s actions on the basis that “violence is wrong UwU.” To some extent, she does fall into this because one of her major goals is to not have that revolution Mikael starts. However, it’s made more complex by Eve’s mindset. Eve doesn’t consider herself exempt from the homunculi’s scorn. She recognizes that her resistance while novel in itself never lead to results, so she effectively did nothing for the people she was trying to help. In the original timeline she fully believes that Mikael hates her for these exact reasons, and his kindness towards her is only a ploy for her to lower her guard. She also doesn’t deny her place as an inheritor of the very monarchy that began and enforces this systemic racism, she will always be connected to their misdeeds. To Eve, Mikael rising up to take down the emperor is a death sentence, because to kill off the imperial family in condemnation of their crimes means that she too will be executed. Eve wants to live just as much as she wants to help the homunculi, so of course she’s going to stay far far away from that path. Another aspect of it is that Eve is genuinely sad for the destruction caused by Mikael’s methods, because a lot of innocent people inevitably got caught up in the crossfire. More than that, Eve in this new timeline actually goes about trying to correct her mistakes in the past timeline. She plays the political game in order to put herself in a position where she can actually help the homunculi rather than just saying they deserve better treatment. And she does so without ever losing that perspective of “im sure i can’t be seen as some sort of good person to the homunculi because of who i am and the part i have unwillingly played in their suffering, but i will do everything in my power to make things better.” Sure, I realize it’s just there so it can be proven wrong eventually and have Eve realize she was adored all along but its really an excellent perspective to have without considering that.

However, even with the positives there are plenty of things that fall short. Without any proper conflict of ideologies, Eve’s mindset of changing the system from within by becoming crown princess and letting reform start there goes uncontested. It is upheld as the “right” choice because it is what leads her to her victories. In turn this utterly condemns any sort of violent response, even in the face of unspeakably cruel and inhuman treatment. Rising up to fight back is never right, see how much happier everyone is now that the nonviolent option was chosen? If the author had just made Mikael into a properly autonomous character with his own opinions it could have made for a very interesting juxtaposition of their worldviews. Eve could come to terms with her own implicit biases, and come to even understand why Mikael did the things he did. By having her just be right all the time it takes so much depth out of the story.

Having read spoilers for the ending of the novel out of curiosity, I was disgusted to find that not only does most of the royal family go unpunished, but both Rosie and the King are redeemed???? Which like okay, I’m not saying you can’t have redemptions, I’m not saying god awful characters cannot be redeemed. But I am saying that the half-hearted bullshit given to us by Revolutionary Princess Eve is downright disgraceful. Even ignoring that the entire royal family besides Eve willingly kept personal slaves also used as sex slaves, often throwing away the homunculi’s lives for enjoyment, the King is quite literally just garbage. He relishes in the power he holds over the homunculi, he resists change time and time again because losing that power and system of free labor would be devastating to him. He only cares about his children when they meet his standards, and then forgets about them when they aren’t doing anything that grabs his interest. Neither Eve nor Mikael have any reason to forgive or accept this man as a part of their lives and yet both of them do????? He never faces any real consequences for his actions or anything, just retires on in peace. The same thing goes for Rosie and what happens between her and her personal knight (slave) who she repeatedly raped and abused and yet somehow. SOMEHOW. the author has the fucking gall to make it a “oh well things are bad here but one day they’ll probably be together” sort of ending for those two???

All of this just goes to show that despite coming in strong with its promises of a racially allegorical story about breaking down a society’s racist systems, this manhwa never had the slightest intention of actually approaching the incredibly dark ideas it puts in the forefront. Nothing is followed through upon, nothing is rightfully challenged, our main characters hardly have arcs to speak of. In the end all we have left of those promises is an incredibly racist narrative that says violence is never the answer to face your abusers and slavers, our privileged protagonist is always in the right with her mindset on this very delicate situation, and any character from the enslaved class gets 1 personality trait and that is to love Eve. How anyone can appreciate this for anything other than the hot garbage it clearly is has a mind I cannot comprehend.

#princess imprints a traitor #revolutionary princess eve #manhwa #you may be asking who the fuck cares about this #but me #i care about this a great amount #i know that there are others out there who see the story how i do but the comments and shit are gonna be from people who like the story #but still when it is blatantly this fucking awful #it really makes you wonder #its not even like theres anything of merit if you were to ignore the racist elements #because the entire story is entrenched in them #or its about the fucking nonexistent romance #mae rambles

[doverstar]

Just babbling but- I always get annoyed when fanfics make the whole stranger gang the best of friends, who always hang out with each other, even far into the future. I understand a bond occurs in such bizarre circumstances, but I just can't see Max going to hang with Eddie or Eddie and Steve hanging out or etc. It just doesn't seem plausible in my mind. Like sure, I feel that each of them would be amicable and have a healthy respect, but for them all to be besties! I don't get it. What are your thoughts

I love the babbling! Hi!

I kind of understand where you're coming from. I don't think that the Hawkins teenagers exclusively hang out with each other, like - I don't think if the Byers still lived in Hawkins, that Jonathan and Nancy would be besties with Steve and Robin and Eddie right away. I think they'd have their moments, but they each have their own group of friends they spend time with. Steve and Robin probably hang out every day; they're practically siblings, but beyond that, I think it would take some time after all the adventures for the teenagers to realize that they're each other's Ride or Dies, social barriers or no. I think the kids will always be best friends. They were already incredibly close before El came into their lives, and trauma bonding is a big deal. And I think Steve will always be in those kids' lives, at least a little. Especially Dustin's. Dustin does not have a dad. Dustin does not have a brother. Dustin has his mother, her cat(s), and his friends. (I actually have so many thoughts about Dustin and Dustin's thoughts on dads/men, Dustin's relationships with both Steve and Eddie, etc.) I think Dustin and Steve's friendship is really special to both of them and they wouldn't let it fall apart no matter where Dustin goes after high school, no matter where Steve goes in the future. But my honest opinion is: Yes, they would be. They would be best friends. All of them. Eventually. And I'll tell you why:

Because they've all gone through some crazy, crazy stuff. The same crazy stuff. Together. No one else knows how it feels to deal with the Upside Down except this group. No one else knows about what happened with the Russians. No one else knows about Vecna, the demogorgon, the real reason Hawkins is cursed. Where Will Byers actually was that one time he went missing. I mean, they all already knew each other in a sense. The teens all went to the same high school. And as for the kids - they've been best friends for years. They knew of Steve Harrington before Nancy started dating him. Max gave him a goodbye note, too. Nancy used to dress up for D&D campaigns Mike hosted when she was younger - and she chose to dance with Dustin at the Snowball. The Byers adopted Eleven and made her Jane. That child would fight for any one of these people, and has several times now, because according to her, nothing is more important than her friends. Robin and Steve have become inseparable. Nancy and Steve are on good terms despite the breakup. And if Eddie had lived, he would be indebted to this group of people he never would've hung out with otherwise. Dustin and his merry band of misfits worked to save the world and clear Eddie's name. That means something. You don't just go your separate ways after that. Realistically, yeah, it would be amicable and healthy and respectful at first. But they've bled together (get out of my head, Erica). Chrissy can hang out with the cheer squad all she wants, but would one of those girls face down a swarm of demobats for her? Nancy lost Barb, and we don't see her with anyone else friend-wise. No one else would get it. Jonathan gets it. Steve gets it. Robin gets it. Eddie gets it. Mike and Dustin and Lucas and Will and Eleven and Max get it. When you go through stuff like that - now they're aware of each other. Now it's different. You cannot just go back to normal life after Upside Down trauma; we've seen that. Now if they need someone to talk to, if something scary happens, do you think they're gonna turn to their immediate group of friends from normal life? Eddie wouldn't be able to talk to Jeff or Gareth about nightmares of Vecna pinning Chrissy to his ceiling. Steve can't call up Tommy H. or any of his basketball groupies if he's having some kind of demogorgon-induced PTSD. If some new mystery happens in town, this group will immediately seek out one another. There's something about going through stuff like that that breaks down barriers. Why would you hang out with anyone else as much as you hang out with the people you were the most real with in times of crises? Eddie/Chrissy/Robin (newbies) would have discovered during the UD adventures that these people are not all that hard to get along with/different from them (Eddie with Chrissy, Eddie with Steve, Robin with Nancy, Nancy with Robin, Nancy with Jonathan, Jonathan with Nancy, Dustin with Steve, Steve with Dustin, Hopper with Mike, Mike with Hopper, it happens EVERY TIME). They would also have discovered that when the end of the world is literally happening, they can count on these people. That creates a kind of bond you can't get anywhere else. I think they'd become less like an ordinary group of friends and more like a little family. You have your regular friends, sure, but if you're lucky and have what a family is supposed to be, you know friends come and go but you always have your family. Whatever that family looks like. You are the most comfortable with them. With family, you end up hanging out even when you weren't planning on it. When something serious happens, people who feel like family (or are family) are the first people you go to. I think it would be like that for the Hawkins crew, even Eddie and Chrissy after a while. Maybe not right away, but gradually? Absolutely. Age differences and social statuses do not matter when they're together. They're family. They're best friends because they're family. That's my take, anyway!

#forgive me I got emotional #thinking about #yknow #the Party #asked #answered #ask doverstar #doverstar answers #anon #anonymous #steve #steve harrington #nancy #nancy wheeler #the party #hawkins heroes #fruity four #I guess #dustin #dustin henderson #jonathan #jonathan byers #will #will byers #mike #mike wheeler #lucas #lucas sinclair #max #max mayfield

[rolotouto]

Rolo character assassination (Part 2!)

Continuing on from where we left, Jeremiah arrives and Shirley explains to him what happened and how she wants to fulfill Lelouch’s wish. Jeremiah too is super chill about everything. Rolo doesn’t even show up again during these scenes. Suddenly, Ar, the main character from Genesic Re;Code, interrupts what he’s seen from whatever different plane of existence he’s at, which also has versions of Lelouch and Shirley there with him (sorry, I haven’t read the main plot and don’t know the details, but Ar is an observer of the Code Geass stories). They discuss how this isn’t how the events should be unfolding. Shirley thinks she’s the origin of the corruption, because she has two sets of memories within herself: the memories of having died after being shot in Ikebukuro, and memories where that didn’t happen (a meta reference to the difference between R2 and the movies, I assume). But she asks Ar to watch the entire story because she wants to know what this new different version of herself is going to do. So yes, this is 100% a Shirley-centric story which didn’t need a Rolo alt nor Daichuu voicing his lines. And in my opinion, her character isn’t well written either: her single motivation in life seems to be doing what Lelouch asked her to do. Doesn’t she have a mom who won’t want her to join the Black Knights and put herself in danger? Doesn’t she develop any trauma after Rolo attempts to murder her and she has to watch her friend/crush slowly die in her stead? You don’t just experience something like that without your vision of the world drastically changing and needing to process what happened for months or years afterwards. How is she not deeply depressed and scared? 

I don’t think it’s likely that the original writers are involved with this gacha game, but come on, couldn’t they find someone who at least cared about the psychology of these characters? This is the show where Turn 7 was entirely dedicated to depicting how Lelouch almost lost his will to live after reaching the conclusion that his sister didn’t need him. All those minutes spent on highlighting how fragile his self-esteem is and how he depends so much on receiving external encouragement weren’t “necessary” for the plot to move forward, but they had to be there because that’s just how Lelouch would react if you take his personality up to that point and the survivor guilt he carries with him into account.  Anyway, so moving onto BK!Shirley and BK!Rolo...

Shirley joins the Black Knights and during some battle Rolo saves her, but I’m skipping that part since they don’t have any interesting interactions. But then both have a longer conversation:

Shirley “Rolo, so this is where you were. Do you have a moment?”

Rolo “What is it?” Shouldn’t that be “Yes, miss Shirley *smiles while his eyes turn red*”? He’s forced to obey her, remember, scriptwriter?

Shirley “About the battle from before, why did you save me?”

Rolo “... That’s because... That’s because Brother’s Geass makes me...”

Shirley “Don’t lie. Lulu’s orders were to obey me, not to protect me.” 

Rolo “Then I’ll ask you instead. Why don’t you order me to die? I killed Brother with these hands. Don’t you hate me?” WHY would he care whether she hates him or not. He is the one who absolutely shouldn’t be able to forgive himself. PLEASE KILL YOURSELF, ROLO. If he has to remain alive, his only possible state of mind would be returning to the times when he felt nothing. Going back to seeing himself as a tool, but now even more convinced about his inability to become "human” than ever after destiny made him murder the only hope of being a normal person that he was desperately holding onto. A mute zombie who expresses no emotions. Not that that’s the way to make Rolo fans happy, but at least you’d recognize that the writers paid attention to what the realistic outcome of accidentally killing Lelouch would be like for Rolo. With this Genesic Re;Code character though, I want to be the one who yells “YOU IMPOSTER!” at him.

Shirley “I hated you. But I don’t anymore” I think she should hate him for intentionally trying to give her a painful death, rather than accidentally killing Lelouch.

Shirley “I’ve been thinking all this time about when Lulu died. Why did it turn out like that. What could have been done for Lulu not to die. What kind of thoughts did Lulu have. And among those things, I was curious about why Lulu gave you the Geass command to obey me. After all, if it was to protect me, there were other commands that he could have chosen. But Lulu didn’t do that. Do you know why?”

(The Japanese text says “There were other commands. But Lulu didn’t do that”, which, even though you can understand what she means from context, gramatically makes no sense. BK!Rolo’s Home lines also include one where he says “I don’t remember the amount of people I’ve killed. Excluding one person”, which are also sentences that don’t go together when you actually stop and read them out loud. It adds to the suspicion that all of this was written by someone who didn’t put much care into what they were doing...)

Rolo “That’s... to ensure the success of Uncage Protocol. To save Nunnally, isn’t it...?”

Shirley “That’s also one of the reasons. But I thought that it wasn’t just that. Lulu wanted you to live too. I’d say he wanted you to live in a world that has been turned peaceful.”

Yeah sure whatever, Shirley. I, the player, was there too when it happened and unfortunately Lelouch was completely indifferent towards Rolo. In fact, Rolo was completely indifferent towards Lelouch! Only Shirley was interacting with Lulu and crying for him and responding to his death with the determination to fulfill his wish and all of that. And as much as I do believe Lelouch cared about Rolo before Turn 19, it would be stupid and out of character of him to realize that he wants Rolo to be happy right when he saw him intending to murder Shirley and managing to cause his death. 

Rolo “He did? No way...”

Shirley “At least I believe so. That’s why I don’t want you to die”

Rolo “Shirley-san... I think the same. I don’t want you to die either. Because you, whom Brother protected with his life, are the only connection with Brother that I have left...” He really doesn’t feel one bit guilty that he shot him, huh. 

Shirley “I see. The fact that I’m alive is Rolo and Lulu’s connection. If that’s so, then I have to make sure I live and Uncage Protocol is a success.” Shirley trying to turn herself into proof that lulurolo is real?? What even is this conversation.

Rolo “Shirley-san...” Could you please give me permission to stop holding my wrist.

Shirley “I too have decided what it is that I have to do, Rolo. Please continue to give me your support” She says ‘korekara mo yoroshiku’, which is always hard to translate but can also be something like “let’s keep getting along”.

Rolo “Yes!” Wow. Creepy face. ------- To be continued! Sigh, I feel so uncomfortable seeing this Rolo and knowing that he’s forced to exist with the memory that he was the one to cause Lelouch’s death! The flashbacks to that moment, the endless rumination that he will forever be going through! NEVERMIND THAT, HE’S TOTALLY FINE!! Really, you can even keep these interactions between Rolo and Shirley intact if you just change a single detail: just don’t kill Lelouch! Make it so he's hospitalized but both Rolo and Shirley are hopeful that he will return to their lives. So Shirley decides to join the Black Knights to help him achieve his goals while he’s recovering. Now, Rolo has a reason to want to stay alive and help her in order to redeem himself for the moment when Lelouch is back. Also have Lelouch tell him something like “I told you to stop doing these things, Rolo...” before losing consciousness (not dying), so he doesn’t completely ignore Rolo and inspires him to reflect on his actions without having to Geass him. Wouldn’t the fans of all three of the characters prefer that?

#shirley fenette #shirley: i represent the bond between lulu and rolo (???) #rolo lamperouge #rolo wearing all the belts for no adequately explored reason #rip rolo's BK uniform shorts #code geass #code geass r2 #genesic re;code #translation

[sasodei-is-real]

I really need to talk to other Carol and Caryl fans ab this. I need your opinion on 10×18 Caryl

So. I recently started watching The Walking Dead. A long time ago I watched season 1, but I didn’t go further because I was busy with my diploma work, etc. And so started from the second season , I notice some hints of Carol and Darl's relationship. It didn't interest me much, because it was something like banal ones, like the scene on the tower "screw around" . But over time, as their relationship began to open up, I found that it's deeply written down how complex and emotional the relationship is. This really does not happen often, and it's not just about chemistry. It's about the level at which they have each other and how deeply they care about each other, how much they mean to each other. And I started to like caryl. But here I am at the tenth e.

So, a lot of mistakes that Carol did., but you can understand on her. This character went through hell. Lost everything. And broke. And naturally, her actions would have to be subject to certain consequences, including in relation to people's personal changes towards her. But I want to talk specifically about Deryl. I think it's a very possible and real moment when Carol begs him to say something and he just walks away. It's very strong and epic. He just talked to her about how much he wants to help her how much he believes that in his place she would stop him he literally shows with his whole appearance how he needs her, she promises. And still unable to stop . He told her during that conversation so many frank things that he did not tell anyone and would not tell anyone so openly. But that didn't help and she literally tried to blow up the cave and commit suicide

Carol feels guilty, she does absolutely everything to achieve at least something, at least some understanding between them, but Daryl is moving away from her more and more. Okay, that's understandable, because she really made a mistake. Even after he warned her. Moreover, I would say that in such a situation one could feel some kind of betrayal on her part, because in the cave he talked about how he wanted to be near her, and she promised to him. It can be understood. Next comes the scene with Carol begging him " pls do not hate me". And, I think, in this case, again, it is quite realistic and adequately suited to this situation.But his answer gives an understanding that he wants to save their relationship that this is not the end. He gave her no more, no less. But he could at least behave differently after this scene. He knows how much he is dear to her. knows that in this situation, she literally lost everything. And yes, in part - It's her fault, because she just didn't stop when he said that three times, if not more. But like, she's your closest person. And you don't just leave a person in such a state, but you make it worse. Moreover, this attitude changes in accordance with his change of mood.

But, okay. Then comes the moment where he says "you still have me". And here it seems to me that here the characters begin to behave like mature people. Yes, he left her even though he knew she was suffering, she was suicia0l. He also needed time. Yes, one of them has risen to the pinnacle of error. But now, after you gave her some hope, you need to accept this and sort it out microscopically, including clarifying relationships between the two of you, build it again so as not to lose. But no🤡

I'm watching episode 18 right now. And right at the beginning of the episode, when Carol wants to go hunting with him, he acts like he hasn't said anything to give her hope that things can be fixed between them. In fact, he simply does not take responsibility for his words and behaves as detached and cold as before those words. He is like a teenager who does his actions not based on responsibility and decisions made, but because of a change in mood.You've already taken two steps back. You supported her in front of Maggie. You gave her hope, you said she didn't lose you. And after all this, you again behave more coldly even than before. Literally emotional swing. Why did you have to do all this after you give hope to a person. And of course there's a lot between them to talk about, there's a situation that still needs to be cleared up, but he doesn't even do that. He does not say how angry he is, does not try to talk about what happened, he just gives her an emotional swing, ignoring her, looking askance at her. and Yes, it's okay to go back to what's bothering you, even after you've given the person hope, but not in this way. In the end, he says that he does not want to talk when Carol starts. WTF. A child who does not understand that the way he behaves affects other people. As if his head still does not fit that his mood can affect the mood of another person that he is so important to someone.This is not a good way to show that you are angry, not after saying that she still has you.

He does not want to go forward does not want to understand this, does not want to talk about it , but at the same time, with his whole appearance, he shows that his attitude has changed even after he said that she did not lose him. He does not follow his decisions and words, it all changes according to his mood. and Carol has no choice but to accept it.

After such a situation, there are two ways out: you renounce the relationship and do not give the hope to person that everything can be fixed if it is too much for you. and the second option after you've gone through the anger. If you don't want to lose this relationship, you let the person know that you're there for them and then try to figure out what happened. No matter what, he doesn't want to lose Carol. That's why he said she " You still have me" . But at the same time, he is not able to stick to this, he is not able to cope with it and figure it out, he just starts to behave as coldly as before, arranging an emotional swing.

They have too deep a relationship for the first option. And it's obvious that he doesn't want to lose her. That's why he said he could never hate her. but at the same time he is not mature enough for the second option.

What Carroll does is she feels guilty and tries to laugh it off, can't afford anything big, tries to defuse the situation even though it's hard. And he knows it, and he puts her in that position anyway. And he tries so pretentiously to show his displeasure that he even looks accusingly at how she butchers the fish. And Carol notices it. "Let's say that I'm doing everything wrong. I can butcher fish." And you know, it's okay to feel what Daryl feels. When you are so upset by the act of another person that you involuntarily begin to get angry every time. But it's not that he shouldn't feel it. It's about how he deals with those feelings. And he behaves like an immature schoolboy with a changeable mood. But Carroll always gives him a chance to speak out. This is the most important thing, to try to resolve what has arisen. But what does he do? Not just ignores, but seasons with even more bitterness. And it's just disgusting.

And now I got to their conversation after the flashbacks about Leia. Carroll tries to comfort him, tries to make sure he doesn't feel guilty about what happened. How does Daryl respond to this?) He tries to prick her. After every episode, I try to read the interviews and about this moment, Norman said that he feels guilty about what happened to Kony. And in fact, it really is part of his fault because he made everyone else go after Carol. And at that moment, he just dumps everything on Carol to stop feeling this guilt. The same could be said from Norman's interview. And you know, it's very ironic, because at this point he blames Carol for leaving with him because she felt guilty. And so I decided to put everything on him. Meanwhile, when the truth is that he himself had just tried to inject her in order to stop feeling guilty. In the end, Kang said that he just wanted her to make the same decision that He made after the story with Leah. Bad way.

Deral has been my favorite character since season 2. It has a complex history and a long development. It is partly understandable why he behaves in this way, but understanding does not exclude the fact that this still remains immature and infantile behavior. Quite a traumatized man and as the show says, "He was one of the survivors before this whole mess started." It's no secret that he went through a lot of shit as a kid. But since the episodes where he ran away with Beth, I have been haunted by the feeling for a very long time that he still remained at the age of his trauma. He was incapable of dealing with his feelings and fear and took it all out on Beth. It's like he's still that traumatized child. And this is a very common practice in psychology, when a traumatized person, without being rehabilitated, remains at the age of his trauma, he can develop emotionally, but there will be triggers and moments when he will behave like that same wounded child, or a teenager who is not able to behave in a situation appropriately.

But the fact that this scene happened after he made Carol feel like he was there for her just kills. This is terribly selfish. He said so many unnecessary things and you can see how much it hurt Carol. If he really thought about it, then he should have said it before he gave hope to her.

It is quite obvious that most of their problems and the reason why they cannot solve them now is due to the fact that both are used that they simply understand each other without words. But now is the time when each of them is going through something new. Ordinary understanding is not enough here, it is necessary for the other to be able to speak. They want it, but they're not used to it. That's what Carol meant when she said their luck had run out.

Then, when Daryl asked her to speak, she didn't know how. After, with his help, it turned out, but the pain did not go away. So it is now with Darrel. He can't talk to her right now. But first, he gives her hope, but again moves away from Carol. Leaving her with nothing. He behaves according to his emotions and his mood. There are two obvious facts: he's angry about everything that's going on, but he doesn't want to lose Carol. But the point is how he expresses these two facts in life. He doesn't want to lose Carol, so after letting his anger go, he says he can't hate her and that she still has him, he tried to support her. And then again he behaves with her as coldly as before all these words. After all, she remembers these words and she has no choice but to try to build at least some kind of bridge between them again, to try to get closer to him again. And he looks at her desperate attempts and does nothing but aggravate her condition. In the end, just because of his emotional swings, he says things to her that he shouldn't have said.

So. What the fuck. I'm sorry but Carol deserves more. Yes, she made a mistake, but even Kally was able to forgive her, and Donnie is her sister. Because, as she said herself, she understands why Carol acted the way she did. And it's normal not to understand a person, but you need to TRY to understand if you already chose this path. If you want to maintain a relationship, in order to get off the ground, do not hurt yourself or the other. But instead, he chooses not to lose her, to tie her to himself, to give some hope , while giving in to his emotions without thinking about the other person, absolutely not trying to understand and figure it out.

I'm very disappointed. I already caught the spoilers of season 11. I know that a spin-off was planned with them, I know that in the last episodes he will say that he loves her and they will reconcile. But now watching this series, I just do not understand what the hell. I'm just confused right now about the way daryl is behaving. Because for me it doesn't fit well with his character after his development.

And you know, you can talk for a very long time about why he behaves the way he does. Because of his lifeguard complex, because he may have felt betrayed by Carol, because he stopped understanding her, because there are so many parallels between Carol and Leah, the people he was trying to save, but he failed, or due to the fact that he feels guilty and cannot do anything about it. Because it's not just anger, there's already a reason why he's acting like this AFTER he gave her hope. He is losing her. In the interview at the end of the episode, was revealed that Darryl wants Carol to make the same decision he made. And Carol herself also said that it was not about Leah, or Connie, but about them. Kang in the interview says that he wants Carol to make the same decision that Darrol made - the decision to be with his family to stay there (that's why he blamed her for comeing with him), to understand where she belongs. This is indeed the case here we are talking about something much more, and in matters that they are not yet able to solve. But the way he tries to deal with it is just immature.

And I'm very interested in what other viewers think about this, especially fans of carol and caryll

#the walking dead #caryl #carol peletier #carol x daryl #daryl dixon #twd season 10