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#shows that my worth as a human being is super low and I only work as entertainment when people can't buy something to do that instead
katyspersonal · 7 months
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Cool.. Our rent price got raised. :') I did not know it was even possible to get even MORE poor than me and mom already were, but here we are. Guess I'll start surviving on literal bread and water at this rate.
#/vent#personal#no but when will things stop getting worse?#in moments like this I feel especially bitter thinking about that asshole that went to me like:#'wahh wahh katy i won enough money in the court to buy everything I want but it doesn't matter because I can't buy YOU uwu'#*ten days later* 'actually I don't want a friend/sister anymore can you please stay in your bum spot and simply be my-#-online friend and listen to me ramble about my interests without any regards to yours and show off how cool my life is to you like always?#like no I am not materialistic but when people make dramatic promises of this kind they better stick to them#'nooo but you MUST get out of russia!!!' bitch how? I can hardly afford enough food let alone travelling and living abroad#anyways yeah I am done using the guy that pretended to want a better life for us both and then turned tail as a core for venting#sorry it just makes me angry#not so much living in powerty and not being able to crawl out of debt and my life state no matter what#but more about a very consistent trend of having friends that one day get RICH and dump me as 'lower class' right after that happens#he is not the only one like that in my life he is just the most recent one#really speaks about how unlikeable I am if people lose interest in me as soon as they can buy happy things instead#shows that my worth as a human being is super low and I only work as entertainment when people can't buy something to do that instead#like videogames food travels objects books etc etc...#I am just below those things and less interesting than those things and I'll die early hahaha lol#hopes are that supernatural luck power that doesn't want me to escape easily will send me something to help. because yeah my situation-#-is B A D.
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joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh · 1 year
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The post I just reblogged made me want to talk more about this so.
I had an incredibly low general opinion of the Sonic movie prior to movie 2 coming out. You can find some of my old posts about it if you want more specifics, but the short version is that so little of that first movie actually feels like it’s about or related to the Sonic series in any way. The green hill scene at the start is great! Sonic’s motions are full of personality and the environment feels alive. And oh shit echidnas are here? That’s a different take on Sonic canon but it’s cool and has implications for this continuity specifically like that’s something to be excited for! And then it all just stops completely. Generic live action setting with a milquetoast police officer human for parents in the audience to relate to while their kids think about Sonic, a Sonic that’s basically himself in name only to begin with. Only thing he really shares with his game self is a tendency towards cracking jokes but even then said jokes have just been turned into pop culture references. Same deal for Eggman who, yeah, is just Jim Carrey being Jim Carrey, we all know this. First movie couldn’t even do the decency of trying to make him look like Eggman either so there’s that. The whole thing was just so lifeless, so afraid of actually being a movie about Sonic the Hedgehog, you know?
Needless to say I was extremely worried for movie 2 as well. Worried that it’d have the same exact problems but now with a Tails and Knuckles that don’t feel like themselves either. But you know what, credit where it’s due, they really did try a lot harder to make it feel like the games. Still don’t love its depiction of Sonic or his character arc here about learning to be a son? And yeah the human inclusions are still barely worth a shit at all. But they gave Eggman a redesign to make him somewhat feel more like his real self even if he’s still just Jim Carrey, Tails is here and they manage to do a decent job with him (plus he’s played by his actual game voice actress!) and they gave Knuckles an actually really great arc capitalising on traits he genuinely does have in the games that these movies are adapting! They expand on their own version of the echidna lore and shit too, bring in the Master Emerald even if it works mechanically different from the games. It’s not perfect but you can tell they’re actually trying to put their own spin on the story now instead of just doing by-the-books safe lame Hollywood shit. And then Super Sonic vs a Death Egg Robot too? Plus the Shadow tease? Like they’re a lot more confident that the Sonic aspects of the Sonic movie can pull people in now, and it’s great to see.
The problem, obviously, is that they’re still just not confident enough. The runtime is still dragged down with movie original human characters, and it’s arguably even worse for that than movie 1 given the wedding scene that, yeah, people can’t stand for a reason! Nobody cares to see this irrelevant side character that’s original to these movie have a “badass” moment where she just does kid-friendly action movie stuff because she’s mad at her fiance or whatever! Why am I watching this in a movie called Sonic the Hedgehog? Or the Uptown Funk dance sequence which like, do I even need to say anything? And the humour’s still just a bunch of lame pop culture references. None of it’s informed by the fact that it’s adapting Sonic the Hedgehog.
And the thing is like, yeah, they’ve kind of already dug their grave. We’re 2 movies in with a Knuckles spinoff show and a third movie on the way. At this point, they can’t ditch the setting. They can’t really ditch the human characters. They’re gonna remain these live action and CG hybrids where the setting is just regular normal United States of America. Maybe the jokes’ll get better! Maybe Sonic’ll start acting more like Sonic! Maybe they’ll make actual soundtracks that fit the series! Maybe we’ll have more game characters come in and be accurate to themselves and we’ll actually start having movies that feel like they’re trying to be Sonic the Hedgehog! But as it stands, the movies kinda just exist in a context so far removed from what I love about the series that it is hard to care.
And yeah I’ll fully admit. Lots of this is in fact informed by my reaction to the Mario movie stuff! Crazy! Thing is the Mario movie’s not even out yet and maybe it will suck and at the very least the voice cast is pretty cringe, primarily fucking Pratt, but you know what, those things aside? That movie’s so unafraid to just be Mario, you know? Everyone looks like they always have, the music sounds like it’s always sounded, the environments are pretty 1:1 with what the Super Mario series looks like to people. Like for all intents and purposes we’re getting exactly what Mario’s always been but just in theatres now. And if anything it’s probably a harder job to do that with Mario since as a series it’s really never been close to as story focused as Sonic games usually are! But they tried their damndest and we’re gonna get a movie where every single second is going to feel like Super Mario on a fundamental level. And I’m upset that Sonic wasn’t able to get that. Animated or not.
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bunnypopgal · 2 months
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Hello. It's been a few years since i made this blog and made my first post. I now deleted my first post bc i found it to be cringe and honestly really painful. i have grown a lot in these past years and have seemingly beat my hallucinations for now. i know that will most likely come back prob once i become a mother one day but i feel more prepared to beat them again.
Other than that i dumped and got dump by two partners, made and lost almost all my friends besides one. dont judge by like im sure many of us are im a sucker for the friends turned lovers trope and well ive been dating my best friend for almost going 2 years now. he has been super accepting, a wonderful partner and my biggest support thru it all so far. hes my only support system honestly.
i am deeply scared to make friends again after what my last friend did to me.. for years and i just let her. i cant really blame it on having low self worth either since i honestly really like myself and who i am but more so i didnt know HOW to be treated by others. let me be clear NOT how I treat others, no-no but HOW others SHOULD treat ME. isnt that nuts? you think that would be something we just have inside of us as humans (or otherwise) that we would just KNOW that. i dont FEEL like a doormat either but maybe i am. not with everyone, mind you. just like people ive grown to have developed a trusting bond in with respect packed in there like a mozzie stick, yum, ya know? i love em like chosen family and youre gonna body shame me for not being short for a woman, like what? you think i wouldve picked it out asap that chick SCREAMED pick me but i also saw her good qualities too which is why i wanted to be friends with her... i trusted her a lot. Oh well tho.
As much as it still hurts sometimes the fear is still there. i, as a woman also fear other woman. i know, i know. there is so many other wonderful women out there who would never treat me so badly but my brain is gone broken from so many traumatizing events over and over again. it irrational, i know it. its also isolating. i dont go out much at all but honestly blame the economy for that. i plan to be getting a part time job soon which you can also blame the economy for haha but also i want to meet people and have some kinda structure in my life again. hoping for friends right now is something im maybe not ready for honestly i think ill just start with talking to people again and let that be that. i hope to get some kind of a cleaning job so it will be a little to no talking to people depending on where im set up.
im just kinda scared to open myself up again to other people. online of course is different mainly besides the usual explanation but also for me, the internet is a black hole where NO ONE see the crap i shit out which includes my art i make sadly. i dont really try all like hard to make people see it anyways. i am still scared of people after all.
anyways today i have plans to hang out with my partner before he has to go to work. im hoping we can play palworld together again hehe. Other than that its house chores and back to drawing for me today. i just came out of another depressive episode recently so i have a few great messes to clean up. its a good thing i like cleaning, ya know when i dont feel like i wanna disappear. what can i say, its genetic. thanks, dad haha.
im planning to get back into my old hobbies too like live streaming. ive been live streaming all over the internet off and on since i was maybe 14. im 23 now so 10 years!!! WOWIE!! when i was growing up my family would joke around saying i need my own reality show haha. i do have a huge personality, ig but thats something im very comfortable and like about myself. bold and funny, i think!! streaming is a super relaxing thing to me. i talk to myself anyways and i always have. you dont stay this "sane" without talking to yourself to fight off the loneliness haha.
that reminds me recently my partner told me he found me to be a "increaser of morale, an inspiring person, you're motivating and you make being emotionally positive SO EASY." im still so stunned and very very VERY flattered he told me that! even if its not true im glad he feels that way bc thats a nice way to be. hes very very sweet to me.
well i could write forever right now honestly but i should probably go drink enough water to take out a house fire so i dont die of dehydration.
oh, if only. (JOKING)
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Finale for 2005! Again, the style shift was "toony/anime bad, pro = realism only" which was a trend at the time, however thats not true! Any style at ANY time is okay! Back then, I was pressured into thinking that I was only "worth it" if I tried for hyper realism AND did everything from memory, 0% references. ALSO NOT TRUE! Use photo/anatomy references no matter HOW GOOD or bad you are. Pro animators still use references, pro comic artists use references, STOP TELLING PEOPLE THAT REFERENCES ARE BAD. Stop telling yourself that too. All you're doing by beating yourself up over pulling up photos to study anatomy etc is creating low quality work and youre honestly wasting your efforts + not learning anything. You wont "magically figure it out". The human brain NEEDS a visual guide to understand how an object is constructed.
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Also stop telling yourself that if you study anatomy that you HAVE to draw realism. No! Doing studies doesnt mean you "cant have a cartoon style". You're using those to learn "how to assemble" a skeleton, muscles, how an animal/human moves, and from there you can run wild with stylized lineart and caracatures/exaggerations. You want an example of this?? LOOK UP ALL THE ANIMATIONS JAMES BAXTER HAS MADE! Look at the wide variety of styles he has drawn! (Spirit, several Disney characters, Steven Universe *to name a few*) Anatomy and lines of motion/joints is NOT equal to style. SU still moves like a real human despite being that "CalArts" style! Also look up animators like Aaron Blaise and look at the variety of things he has worked on or Don Bluth (who makes very toony exaggerated animals!). Side note: A lot of these big animators have free tutorials they post to their social medias/websites and also very affordable/cheap online "classes" that you can take. Its super cool that they take time to teach new generations how to create things 🧡
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Lastly- a reminder to NEVER use other people's drawings as your "anatomy" references. Every person draws things differently and even the "best"/most seasoned artist out there can still make mistakes. Everyone, including myself, will have something that they struggle with whether thats poses, perspective, lines of action, or just whatever. Anatomy comes from the physical real world. STYLE comes from the made up world. By using someone's art as your hard copy "anatomy reference", you will only repeat what flaws they have made. There are tooooons of stock photos on the internet these days. Use DeviantArt, use Shutterstock, there are just so many places to find stock photos of any kind! I even dump a lot of random photos on my DA for stock use. I upload higher quality stock photos to a site/app called Foap, but that doesnt mean that my lower resolution photos on DA arent good for drawing references! They just wouldnt be the best for photomanipulation or graphic design use. I really dont upload them with the intent of being useful for photo projects- I really post them because they're valuable drawing references. Head over to my linktree to find my links for those!
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"But what about drawing tutorials?" Tutorials are a guide to show you the technique for how to build something. They are designed to help you keep proportions and learn how to use basic shapes to break up photos. These are good resources to have on hand and to research when you need to learn how to put something together. Again, there are different kinds of resources that are all parts of how an illustration is made. Each type is useful for its specific topic. Stop thinking theyre all the same and stop telling yourself that "everything" resource is for "anatomy only". Hunt down the appropriate resources for whatever it is you need to do!
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"What about tracing? Does that help?"
Not really, no. Why? Because you arent doing the work. Its that simple. Tracing the lines of someone's finished art doesnt teach you how to draw something from the ground up. You didnt "make" anything- you just traced it. Guess what else can trace stuff and make an outline? A computer! There is no effort, no skill, no learning of any kind involved. Re-drawing (physically drawing from scratch) on the other hand DOES teach you how to physically create that thing. Just be sure to NOT post your redraw studies or claim them as your own art. While yes, you did draw that copy, it is still just that- a copy, a replica, a duplicate of the original. Only post things that you DID NOT copy from someone else UNLESS its one of those "Draw this in your style" challenges where the whole purpose is for you to copy what the artist drew. DTIYS contests are always announced as such and you will always see the person announcing who is hosting that challenge. The only other time you want to upload a "copy" is redraws of your old art and or screenshot redraws.
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Remember, if you want to take drawing commissions, NEVER copy another artist just to undersell them. What does this mean? If someone comes to you and says "can you draw this for me in so and so's style because you're cheaper than them" or says "can you copy this person's drawing but make it my character instead"- THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS NO! Tell them that if they want art by that artist, they need to buy from that artist. If they want to buy from YOU, then they will get YOUR style etc. Its not fair to copycat someone just because youre cheaper. Yes, it might make you popular, but your following/fan base/popularity isnt created off of your own hard work. Instead, you gained a following at the expense of somebody else and people are only there for your copies. "But copying people pays the bills"- yeah well I've got news for you... SO DOES MAKING YOUR OWN ART. Dont be "that person". Think of it like copying someone elses homework- you may have passed the class, sure, but you didnt learn anything and if someone asks you about it later, you wont know any of the answers because you never actually did any of the work yourself! "But its hard"- no duh. Life is hard. Work is hard. Learning is hard. Welcome to the real world where nothing is easy. Anybody remember that Magic Broom short on Fantasia? Mickey didnt want to do the chores, so he used magic to get the brooms to do the chores for him. The moral of that story was real life doesnt come with shortcuts and in the end, you will need to do that work anyway.
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Base Yandere Roxanne Wolf Headcanons: Have To Be The Best
[Hello My Sexy Readers, and welcome back to my Fnaf series of headcanons one shots and scenarios in this chapter we are going to be doing the base headcanons which most directly and specifically was rquested by freddy124227382 you were the first one to specifically ask for this (some also did vote for it but this one went out on another chapter and asked for base headcanons which did prompt me to do Roxanne headcanons base now) Remember in base headcanons I try to keep the reader gender neutral and such so dont flag me there and side not in the books of the FNAF franchise
Charlie Emily is made to be a fuctional human robot.
from the canon of type of robot she is she can (Eat, bleed, drink, most likely use the bathroom and anything a normal human can do) Also Chica in fnaf 1 was always be banging in the kitchen maybe getting into food, and in security breach actually has the urge to eat.
So it is not far off that Robot Dick and Robot Pussy could be a thing this is just my headcanon that yes you can have sex with the animatronics because of the facts that it could happen and in my stories and such it sometimes is a headcanons that animatronics having robotic sex parts just for the more you know NOW Onto Roxanne Wolf, please enjoy this!]
-Base Headcanons With Roxanne Wolf-
.Roxanne first us shows us she has confident in herself and who she is.
.Maybe a little vain and full of herself.
.And maybe a bit more egotistical
.She meets you and falls for you right away.
.She of course thinks she is the best for you, very much like how Gaston thinks he is best for Belle in beauty and the beast.
.But she differs from Gaston in which she is obsessed with you and has her own faults and issues.
.She first offs thinks you are the only one as good as her.
.Second because of that she is the only one who is worthy and good enough for you and how your the only one meant for her.
.She is very much the jealous type and very competitive with her rivals.
.She sees someone else getting close to you she either has to out do them or get rid of them or get you away from them.  
.She is not afraid to hurt anyone who is a threat to taking you away from her.
.Or if they are hurting you.
.It does not matter if they are human or machine she will not stand for it.
.She is actually a bit insecure and over compensates with being the best.
.So she will over do it as well for being the best for you.
.She has to be the best for you and cannot and will not be a failure.
.She is terrified you will find someone else you love more than her.
.And if she does fail at something with impressing you or getting alone time with you and so on.
.She will think, "Does (Name) still love me."
.The best thing to do would be to accept her love and work healthy coping skills with her.
.Yes she will still be super jealous and possessive
.But she can at least be not where her self worth is so low and she will be more secure that you will not leave her.
.If you accept her love she will be so happy and will be the jealous girlfriend at first of
.Where were you, Who were you with, what were you doing?
.This with attention and affection and validation will help tame this yandere.
.Still even with all this she is going to be ridiculously protective
.She may even become more protective
.And she will still be competitive but slightly less likely because in the end it does not matter cause she is going to go to her room with you
.As her possessive streak she will leave hickeys on places where people can see.
.Also making you wear Roxy merch to show you are her person.
.She is a life long commitment so once you are hers your hers for good. No backs out.
.Now if You turn her down.
.She will take this as she is not good enough and it can go one of two maybe three ways.
.She could end up thinking she is not good enough and start to overcompensate even more.
.Or She could get even more dangerous to everyone in her way killing everyone that is in the way blaming them that they are why your not with her.
.Or a mixture of both if she is not all way snap and starts killing people off you are precieved to be a threat without you knowing.
.Whatever it may be she will be the best for you no matter what the cost.
."I Am The Best For You...  You! Are! MINE!"
[YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Another chapter done, I hope you all enjoyed and stay sexy all my friends!]
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diavolosthots · 3 years
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Hello! I love your work! I was so happy when requests was open. Can i request the brothers reaction to MC with cut scars? Have a nice day!
This is a really tough topic for many so let me preface this by saying
!!!!THIS!!!!
Is the link to a post with several countries' national suicide hotlines. If YOU or ANYONE you know is going through something and needs help PLEASE reach out to someone. Don't internalize your pain. My own messages are also always open if you need to vent/rant.
Warning: mentions of self harm/cut scars, tw self harm
THE BROTHERS reacting to MC having scars from cutting
Lucifer:
As someone who pays a lot of attention to detail, it was hard not to notice, but at the same time, he doesn’t feel like it’s all his business. If they were fresh scars, he’d definitely question you. You’re way too important to him and he’s not going to let you continue to do something so long lasting without getting professional help. “You need to talk to me, MC. I care about you and I won’t let that go on any longer.” If, however, there’s no signs of recent ones and he deems them to be ‘old’, he’s going to subtly hint at them but hope you open up to him enough to tell him about your past worries. “Your arms/thighs/stomach are so gorgeous.. I believe they deserve extra love tonight.” Either, he’s here for all of you and he’ll make sure to show some extra love to those spots. 
Mammon:
Maybe it’s because he’s always around you or maybe it’s because he most definitely loves you, but it surprisingly doesn’t take him that long to notice, either, but his stomach turns every time he sees them. Not because he hates you for them! No, quite the opposite, actually. He hates whoever or whatever caused you to turn to such extremes. He’s quite blunt about it and would immediately question you about every. Single. One. Of course, to most this would be a super sensitive subject and they’d need time, but Mammon is extremely worried and he just can’t have you do something so ridiculous when he could just keep you safe and away with him. “Tell me, MC! I… ya can’t! Ya know how worried that makes me?!” And he doesn’t mean to be loud or harsh or anything, but in his mind, you’ve already contemplated the worst and he doesn’t want to think about the worst. He wants to help. 
Leviathan:
He’s noticed and he’s decided to not say anything. Not because he doesn’t care, but because he put himself in your shoes for just a moment and he isn’t sure that, if the roles were reversed, he’d want you to speak up about it. He thinks it would, if anything, just make him shy away more, so he opts for other things. He tries to be more physical and comforting, and also just a little bit more open with himself in the hopes that if he is open with his own life, you’d be more open with yours. “One time I purposefully ran against a wall because I felt dumb and it chipped my horn a bit.” He’s never admitted that to anyone and please don’t ever repeat it. “Do you.. Uh… hug? Yeah? Okay…..” and then his arms are around you and he’ll awkwardly pet you and tell you that he loves you, a lot. 
Satan:
Much like Lucifer, his attention to detail is immaculate and he’s quick to catch on, but also much like Leviathan, he doesn’t want to say anything right away. He does keep a VERY close eye on you though and later, when your relationship has been a little more established, he does mention it. “What happened here?” But he doesn’t sound pushy or anything, just a genuine question. Depending on your reaction, he might cradle you into his arms like a baby, or become super serious and ready to listen. Either way, he will get every little detail out of you whether you realize it or not and in the long run, you’ll be sure to thank him. No one should have to suffer alone and no one should suffer if they don’t deserve to. And you don’t. 
Asmodeus:
He feels… bad, but not in a pitying way. He feels bad in a way that screams “who hurt you that you think you need to hurt yourself? Why is your vision so blurred that you fail to see the beautiful, intelligent, and very kind human being behind it?” You know? He’s all about self love and self confidence and self care. He’d never outright point them out, or at least not at first, but he’s going to take some time to properly spoil you and take you to spas, to massages, shopping, out for lunch, do some photoshoots with you… you know, anything to make you realize that you are worthy and you deserve to be spoiled and seen as this amazing being that you ARE. And then, when he feels like you kind of started to believe him, only then will he bring it up and break down all the lies you’ve told yourself over time, building them back up with nothing but beautiful facts. 
Beelzebub:
He hates them. He loves you but he hates them. Obviously there’s a cause and although they’re not… bad in the sense that it would ruin the relationship for him, he is absolutely livid inside at the fact that someone or something could make you feel so low, even if that someone is yourself. He’ll make sure to point out things that remind you of him and compliment you a lot more. A simple “I love your hair today.” or “you smiled when we saw those flowers earlier…. Let’s get them.” means a lot to him and he hopes it means a lot to you. He won’t bother you too much about them but you can totally see him sneak some glances and wishing he could have been there when things weren’t too splendid to make you see that none of it was worth it. Whatever happened happened, though, and he still loves you regardless. 
Belphegor:
Probably takes a while to notice unless you point it out yourself. He’s always snuggled up in his cardigan so if you’re one of those people that’s always snuggled up in their clothes as well, he won’t even question it. But once he figures it out, he’ll just frown and be, admittedly, a little less than gentle in his ways of trying to get information from you. Chances are, you’ll break down, but you have to understand he’s not mad; he’s worried. After everything he’s done to you and then had to rebuild, seeing something like that is a punch in the gut. Obviously he’d never blame you but by God he’ll find every person or thing in your life that has ever contributed to this and eliminate them, no questions asked. He’s going to be your protector, sloth be damned. 
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hotdamnhunnam · 3 years
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Filthy Fucking Pet
A/N: Here’s the next requested fic from my Dirty Little Secret – Super Kinky List! In which Jax Teller owns and abuses you like an actual animal… this shit is mad intense lol and Jax is an absolute alpha male asshole. **Please note the warnings: This fic is all about the kinks, please do not read if this is not your thing!!**
Pairing: Jax Teller x F!Reader Warnings: smut, swearing, dom!Jax, extreme degradation/dehumanization (master/pet kink, sweat kink, foot worship, ass worship, Jax humiliates you to the max, realistically this is not at all a healthy relationship) Request: This Dirty Little Secret request (anon)
Word Count: ~2.6k
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**Please note warnings above**
Triggering content after ‘Keep reading’ cut…
Seriously, this shit is super savage and sick and twisted. You’re basically Jax Teller’s personal house pet. In addition to kinky stuff like rimming and the general vibe of extreme submission, this is also the first fic I’ve posted on tumblr that features foot worshiping (I swear I have no interest in feet irl really – as with pretty much all of the kinks in my kinkiest fics honestly, it’s just a theoretical fantasy that I have only for Charlie, and only in theory… since theoretically I have no limits with my sex god king…)
Anywhore, enough ado about nothing! 🙃 All of the kinks in this fic are mentioned in the above warnings, so please just be mindful of them before you jump in…
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You used to be human. But now... it feels as if you've never been.
From the day you and Jackson first met, way back when, you had fallen in love with the crown prince. Fallen to your knees to serve him as his bitch and that's all you have been ever since. Pleasing him is your business. You're his little whore, and his personal pet: nothing more, nothing less. 
Anything but human honestly. You're whatever Jax Teller wants you to be. His kinky sex kitten, his filthy fuckpig, or his damn dirty dog on a leash. It's the best. You don't speak, you don't eat—not human food, at least—you just serve at his feet. This is your whole existence. And God, you feel so fucking blessed.
You spend all your days in his house, day in and day out. The castle of the king of Charming. It's such a gift just to live under the same roof as him. Whenever he's not home, you miss him so badly it hurts. But you keep yourself busy by doing the housework. Constantly crawling on all fours, you use your grubby paws to scrub the floor, and sweep the dust off of his furniture. 
Then once you're done with all your chores, you kneel down by the front door, and wait desperately for your master. Just counting the seconds until he returns.
Every time that it happens, the moment you hear the smooth roar of the engine as his bike gets in... then his powerful footsteps approaching the entrance... your heart starts to beat harder, faster. On fire in the presence of Jax. There is always a butt plug stuck deep in your ass, with a big fluffy fake tail attached. You're otherwise naked except for your collar and tags. 
And today, as your master comes home after quite a long time far away, you are happier than you can take—your whole body quivers and quakes, and your tail starts to wag.
When Jax finally walks in, you gaze up at him with wide, worshipful eyes. He's so damn beautiful you could cry. You yelp and whimper a few times in greeting, to express how excited you are to be seeing your king. By now your human brain has certainly stopped working. Your hungry tongue hangs from your open mouth, breathing needy and loud, as subhuman growls and thick gobs of drool keep spilling out.
He smiles down at you as he enters, worn out from a long day of being Jax Teller, the baddest motherfucker ever. He must be exhausted, no doubt. 
But still his gorgeous grin is big and genuine, bright as the sun, his slicked hair such a brilliant blonde, eyes as deep and as blue as the ocean. Clearly pleased at the sight of your tail-wagging motion, a signal of your pure devotion. 
"Happy to see me?" he teases playfully, as if he has to ask. Typical Jax.
You nod gleefully in response to that. Your perfect master reaches down to pat your head, stroking your hair now as you purr for him, showing how much you adore him, as his faithful little pet. 
"That's a good slut," he coos. "Go on, you know what to do."
Lowering your face to the ground, as ever eager to go down, upon those words he speaks, you hurry to remove his shoes. Those famously white sneaks. Then tug his socks off with your teeth—damp with a long day's worth of sweat, getting you drunk on his intoxicating scent, the pure essence of Jackson—then press sloppy kisses all over his beautiful feet. Servicing him like this is everything you need.
Ugh, you've missed him so much... full of love and submission, arousal dripping from your crotch, you stuff his socks into your mouth both at once, then lift your face off of the floor and sit back on your heels in your usual kneeling position. Your paws are propped under your chin as you blink up at him. He knows just what you want.
"Look at you, cunt. You wanna play fetch?" he says, chuckling as you bob your dumb head eagerly up and down. It's so much fun when he rolls his sweaty socks into a ball and throws it all over the house, for you to chase around. Playing that game is such a privilege. "Hmm, I would... but I'm not in the mood. Master's too fucking tired. Too bad for you, bitch."
Aw. Too bad indeed. Wallowing in self-pity, you pout and hang your head in a deep bow, but you know better than to plead. He turns to walk away now, and you follow at his feet. Crawling as you are it's always hard to keep up with his speed.
He's yawning by the time you reach the master bedroom. Some nights he has more energy when he gets home. Sometimes he'd slam you up against the wall and fuck you hard in every hole, wild and savage as an animal, filling you with his thick creamy cum, so deliciously full... 
Apparently not tonight, though. You can't blame him, you know. You can't blame Jackson Teller for any damn thing, to be honest. Of course not. Because he is your fucking king. Whatever he does, he's your master, your god; everything about his whole existence is flawless.
You watch in rapture as he strips naked, carelessly flinging his kutte and the rest of his clothes to the floor, and flops facedown in bed to lay his weary head to rest. Fit for the king he is, his bed is big and plush and luxurious. At this late hour, he's too tired to even bother with a shower, you notice. Fuck yes—that's how you like it best. 
Hopefully he'll let you use your tongue to clean up all his glorious sweat. Then whenever he leaves next to take care of business, you'll still get to savor his scent in his absence, inhaling it off of the sheets and the mattress. Your thirsty mouth is watering just at the thought of it, as you scurry all over the bedroom to clean up his mess. 
Gathering up all the clothes that he scattered, you can't help but take a deep breath. Inhaling the essence of this sinfully sexy bastard. 
You indulge in a whiff, as you slobber and sniff—focusing on the pits of his shirt so damp and sweaty it's obscene, and the rich-smelling crotch of his jeans, soaking up all the musk of his cock and his balls and his ass which smells so good it hurts—and especially his underwear... before dutifully dropping them into the hamper, along with the socks that you brought from downstairs. Though you hate washing Jax's sweet scent off of anything, one of your chores, of course, is to take care of all the laundry for your master.
"Get over here, bitch. You should clean up after me faster," he scolds, dominant voice husky and low, somewhat muffled as his head is partially sunken into one of his deluxe pillows. "Did you just get distracted by sniffing my sweat? You're such a greedy, filthy fucking pet."
You instantly start whimpering in apology, overflowing with self-hatred as you hasten toward the foot of his bed. You would say sorry, in so many words, if you could, as you should. 
But you can't, given that you're not human. And your master knows that of course. All you want is to worship his body, and show him you're sorry, but you need permission before you can move from your place on the floor...
"Crawl up onto the bed," he commands, well assured you will follow his orders as fast as you can. "Go ahead, you pathetic whore. Make yourself useful and worship my back. Can't you see I'm exhausted and need to relax?"
Oh, how you love when he lets out his inner beast and treats you to the absolute most savage side of Jax.
Though you also love when he is soft, when he treats you with sweet talk and cuddles you up... this is the side of him you adore even more. His abuse is just what you live for.
"I want a full body massage," he orders, as you set to work on his muscular shoulders. "Yeah, use those paws. And that dirty mouth of yours... so dirty... mmm, that's it, lick all the sweat off my body. Desperate fucking dog."
You don't need him to tell you—that is exactly what you're dying to do—but it's so much better when he does. So damn hot. It's insane just how much you get off on his dirty talk.
And he keeps going on as you worship his perfect physique. While your hands rub and knead every inch, your mouth traces a line down the smooth divine curve of his spine, running down the black ink of the reaper design, wet lips puckering into passionate kisses all over his dewy skin, slurping up each new bead of fresh sweat as it dribbles and leaks. Every so often, his degrading words and his delicious groans of pleasure cut to cruel sadistic laughter, whenever he wants to humiliate you for being such a freak. 
That just makes you love him even more. You're his subhuman whore, reduced into a literal pig as the maddening scent and flavor of your master makes you fucking squirm, wriggling like a worm, every sound out of your throat a squeal or a squeak. His savage strength makes you so weak...
"Unghh God, you're such a fucking animal," he snarls as you salivate all over his sculpted muscles. "Get that worthless face lower down where you belong. Yeah, you know what you want. Suffocate in my asshole."
And that very instant, you do just as told. You wedge your whole damn head into the sacred space between his sweaty cheeks, diving in deep, digging for gold. It's salty and sweet and so so fucking hot. You don't even care whether you'll ever come up for air or not. He's everything you need and all you want to breathe. Your king Jax Teller is a motherfucking god...
When he growls and reaches back with both of his strong hands to push his palms against your skull and smash your face even deeper inside his crack, the pure aggression of the act gives you a goddamn heart attack. 
Before you can even recover from that, he suddenly shifts—you gasp for a split second as his magnificent body lifts.
But the next thing you know, he is squatting low over your mouth, then sitting the fuck down till your tongue is lodged deep in his tight sweaty hole and his big heavy balls are completely smothering your snout. 
Jax throws his head back with a guttural groan as he starts to grind, taking your mouth for a ride. You could die just from that fucking sound, from the taste, from the feel of his full body weight as he shudders and sighs, dominating your face. Degrading you just right. You could do this all night. Then he looks back down, bright blue gaze locking with your eyes, open wide, sex-crazed and lost in a mad loving daze.
Is this fucking real? Even as it happens, you honestly can't fathom how good it feels...
And there's no way that you wouldn't notice, in this position of pure bliss, your master's fucking enormous cock. While you drown in his ass, savoring your sweet feast, that massive piece of meat is throbbing right above you like a beast, hard as a rock. 
"Fuuuck, that's it—eat my ass, you good-for-nothing pig..." Jax explosively grunts as his hot sphincter squeezes and strangles your tongue. "Look what you're doing to my dick. You're gonna make me fucking cum. That what you want?"
Ohhh Godddd...
He goes on before you can respond. "Well, that's just what you're gonna get. Ughh—such a good little pet..." he praises as he begins pumping himself, the pink tip of his dick giving off the rich scent of his juices, each sweet drop that glistens, all glossy and wet. Some of his precum drips to your forehead.
But that's not where his full load is going to land. No, that's all gonna go down your dirty whore throat. Jax then clutches the top of your head with one hand, fingers rooting hard into your scalp, making you gulp and gasp, as you suck on his ass, while his other fist jacks off his perfect dick, faster and harder with each fucking stroke. He's so hot it's a joke.
"Shit—gonna cum—take it, bitch... take it all till you choke..." he moans, pulling his ass swiftly off of your slobbering lips and then pressing the tip of his cock onto your twitching tongue. Blessing you with a huge load of sweet white hot cum. By this point you're struck dumb.
You can feel your eyes roll to the back of your skull, as you savor his flavor and swallow him whole. You are so goddamn grateful. Jackson Teller is feeding your body, your heart and your soul. 
You're reminded right now of what you've always known: that you are his to own. He is more than human, so much more, all that you live for... and you are so much less and always have been. Falling in these roles just feels so fucking natural. He is a fucking god—everything you are not—and you're a fucking animal.
Once he is done using you as his subhuman cum dump, your master is gracious enough to let you clean him up. You wrap your lips around his flawless cock to lick and suck off every drop. Pressing French kisses all across his freshly drained balls and his perfect pink asshole. Hoping that your beloved master knows he's your entire world.
"Good girl," Jax sighs, as your face nestles in the space between his strong powerful thighs. "Bet you wish you could sleep with me here in this bed. But that would be wrong. Don't you know where you belong, you filthy little pet?"
Ah, yes—you could never forget. With a whimper of submissive bliss, you give your master one last kiss, right on the tip of his delicious dick. Admiring how even right after he came it’s still so stiff and throbbing and thick.
And then you climb off of his mattress and crawl into your tiny pet bed, set right by his nightstand. The spot where you're so blessed to sleep beside this divine god of a man. You curl yourself up nice and small, into a little ball, so you can fit. And all the while you're still squealing like a pig. You just can't help it.
The king of Charming huffs out one of his majestic snickers at the sound of you grunting and groveling, so low-down and pathetic. "Goodnight, pig."
Your heart flutters—so grateful and glad that he calls you that, just what you are to him, always will be... so fucking filthy... you know that he is pleased, and his pleasure is all that matters.
You already can't wait till the morning when he'll let you drink from his dick, hopefully. But till then you'll just sleep, knowing that all your dreams will be sweet, for you dream of one thing only: pleasing your master.
And you're living that dream, as unreal as it seems. Your real life is as good as it gets.
You'll go on forever loving every minute of living with Jax Teller—living for Jax Teller, now and forever—as his filthy fucking pet.
***************
… Sooo I know that was SUPER kinky shit, but I hope there are some filthy bitches who enjoyed it, and would love to hear if you did!! 😅❤️
– Main Masterlist
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alirhi · 3 years
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10 Sebastian roles as boyfriends
Because... I'm bored and I feel like it. 😂 Probably some spoilers for, like... everything? So yeah... That.
Putting it under here for easy scrolling:
10: Chase Collins
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Who doesn't love a goofball? In the first half of the movie, Chase is basically perfect. He's sweet, funny, not all caught up in his ego, and actually pays attention to what the girls around him are saying, not just to what he wants to hear. If not for the whole... it was all an act to get close to Caleb and try to steal his magic thing, Chase would actually be a damn good high school boyfriend. He's adorable and would be a fun date, but he's also only 18 so best not to start making long-term plans lol. Also, y'know... the whole psycho revenge/power grab thing.
9 Jack Benjamin
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Y'all. Y'all. Words cannot describe how much I love Jack. Pretty sure I've made this clear. As a person/character in general, he's absolutely in my Top 3 - not just of Sebastian's characters, but any character ever. ❤ But as a boyfriend? Boy's got baggage. It's what makes me so protective of him, but seeing as how he's trapped in the closet thanks to his overbearing homophobic family and the insane expectations heaped on him, as the show left him, he can't handle an honest relationship. He's too easily influenced by all the wrong people, poor babe.
8 Chris (Destroyer)
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On paper, undercover cop sounds cool and exciting, but even if you ignore the fact that he, y'know, dies... Chris got in too deep and kinda lost the mission, so to speak. Best case scenario, you're his sexy partner and in on it all with him and end up on the lam for the rest of your lives. Worst case, this man lies for a living, so can you even trust him? And... yeah. The whole dead thing. Chris is hot af but getting involved with him is a recipe for disaster.
7 Ben
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Min and Hathor have mercy, I love Ben! He's smart, he's snarky, he's caring and loyal... he's an absolute disaster. He's another one who seems allergic to honesty, until his lying and avoiding nearly kill his girlfriend. Not exactly relationship goals lol. Everything before totally was, though! Ben's adorable, and I love how he stayed up all night to protect his girlfriend (from a ghost/demon thing... with a baseball bat. I said he was smart, not perfect, okay? XD points for effort lol)
6 Mickey Henry
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I. LOVE. MICKEY. Oml I love Mickey. He's a spazz and - even more so than Ben - an absolute disaster of a human being, but I love him. Pros for dating Mickey Henry: he's fun, he's carefree, he'll cook for you even though he's kinda bad at it lol, he loves his son and wants to be a good dad, he wants his partner to be happy and to love life as much as he does. Cons, and the reason he's not higher on the list: He's a pushover; easily influenced by the toxic people in his life, and it gets him into a lot of trouble. Being easily influenced by toxic dumpster fire of a human being Chloe almost lost him the partial custody of his son that he barely even had. He's an absolute sweetheart, but he's a complete man-child, and dating him would often feel more like raising him.
5 Frank "Suffer Buddy"
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Come on! You know he and Mickey had to be back-to-back - they're practically the same character! 😂 Frank is Mickey... slightly more grown up. He's still a disaster, but he's respectful of boundaries, he's caring, he's funny in a dry, witty way that I just adore, and hoo lordy that man is a giver! 🥴🥵 Honestly, if he didn't smoke and didn't ditch Daphne in the middle of a party hours away from everything familiar to her surrounded by strangers to go do drugs, I'd call Frank perfect. He listened, he respected her wishes, he tried to keep some distance between them when he found out she'd gone on a date with his best friend (it failed utterly and brought us to the "damn that man's good with his mouth" portion of the movie lmao but still)... I don't have a whole lot of experience with men who actually give a shit, okay? So Frank is like a goddamn unicorn to me lmao. But that drug thing... That keeps him at the bottom of the Top 5 for me. Sorry, bb
4 Bucky
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I can already hear everyone on here raging at me for placing Bucky so low on this list, but hear me out: I love this man. I love all four iterations of this man. Flirty 40s Bucky was a doll (fun date, not commitment material). Post-POW camp 40s Bucky had a fire to him that set me on fire. The Winter Soldier can choke me any damn day. Unf. And TFATWS Bucky... Oh, lady above, 2023 Bucky is a gem! He's sweet, snarky, and broken. He feels utterly, wretchedly alone in the world, and everyone around him, including his only friend, is telling him to "man up" and "make amends" for shit that was never his fault to begin with, rather than helping him come to terms with all that he's suffered and all that he's survived. Bucky needs and deserves love. A relationship with him would be so solid, if he found the right person... But it would take a fuck ton of work. He needs someone strong, patient, and more stubborn than he is to prod him until he finds a better therapist and actually opens up, and to keep him on track because even good therapy comes with homework. He does have to "do the work," Sam was right about that much, but he was way off base with what that "work" is. Bucky needs help and understanding, and he would be an amazing boyfriend... if he found someone with the strength to help him weather his nightmares and flashbacks, and help pull him out of this PTSD pit he's been in since 1943.
3 Chris Beck
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Big brains turn me on, okay? 😂This man is an astronaut and a surgeon! Yes, please! Come here, you sexy genius! He's smart, he's funny - pretty sure Sebastian is incapable of playing anyone who's not delightfully snarky lol. He's pragmatic when he needs to be but there's also nothing he wouldn't do or risk for the ones he loves. This man is husband material and I cannot be convinced otherwise! So why isn't he #1? Cuz of the whole... spending years in space, thing. Super cool job and I'd be his biggest fan on the ground, but god damn, I would miss him while he's away!
2 TJ Hammond
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Look, I'm gender fluid and he's a little bit bi 😂😂😂 Let me have my fantasy, okay? TJ's definitely got a lot of shit to work through, but love brings out the best in him. Before that fucking closeted shitbag broke his heart and stomped on it for good measure, TJ was clean and sober for months, he was happy, he was playing piano again, he was pulling himself together. Not only would he be an amazing boyfriend, but his partner would get the extra joy of getting to watch their love and devotion to him be the thing that saves this beautiful man's life. It's not healthy overall to tie your self worth and will to live to a relationship, but if he found the right person who would be there for him through all of life's shit and stick it out, I think he'd be okay. Even after his lowest point and without the support of his family, TJ still had a dream and he still chased it. He's not just the sweetest person to ever grace our screens, but he's ambitious and business-savvy, too. Keep him off drugs and watch this man take over the world, I'm telling you!
So why is TJ only #2? Well, besides the fact that he's like 99% gay and I have no bits he'd be interested in lmao, there's also the fact that this guy owns my heart:
1 Will Franklyn
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And not just because we get to see him wet and mostly naked lol. Will is fucking perfect. I would die for this man... because he's already shown that he would die for his love. He almost fucking did, and they weren't even together yet! He's smart and very aware, he's a writer so we'd get to bond/geek out over books together, he's not all full of himself (self-deprecating humor ftw!) and he's willing to help a total stranger despite actual mortal peril, just because it's the right thing to do. Fierce, intelligent, sassy, strong-willed, and a flawless moral compass? YESYESYESYESYES! Forget boyfriend - let me MARRY this man! 😍🥰
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When I saw 'Romanians' mentioned in your last post I had a wtf moment cause I have only watched the movies and I don't think I've ever noticed their existence. Regardless, I just had to read the wiki page and it is hillarious to me cause coincidence or not they seem to be named after the psychopathic ruler 'Vlad the impaler' and his cousin 'Stefan the great'(he might have murdered more people than his cousin known as the impaler, but you know he is great). Also, what do you think of them? Sorry for the rant...
You have no idea what you’ve unleashed.
I love the Romanians because they are, hands down, the trashiest, weirdest, lamest, loser vampires in Twilight canon. 
Just, these two are so hilariously beautiful.
First off, while Meyer undoubtedly named them with Vlad Tepish and Stefan the Great in mind, the Romanians are actually much older. We don’t have exact dates, but we know the Romanians (then presumably the Dacians), held great power over their territory for a thousand years before the Volturi had truly established themselves. After the Volturi took on and won against Amun’s coven in Egypt (and took the grateful Demetri off Amun’s hands making Amun still bitter thousands of years later) they waged war against the Romanians and won. (Vlad and Stefan are still very bitter but give us the silver lining of “oh yeah, well, we’re only partly petrified. SO TAKE THAT STUPID VOLTURI!”)
Vlad, Stefan, and Vlad’s wife were the only survivors. The Romanians, being one of the most evil and trashy covens in Twilight, decided to take on Volterra by amassing an army of 100 vampires. Hilariously, they had poor timing, this is a decade after Aro acquired Jane and Alec. The entire army is defeated in a second, Vlad’s wife is murdered, and by 810 AD, it’s just Vlad and Stefan.
They’ve remained losers the Volturi don’t take seriously ever since. Every decade, Demetri pays them a visit to remind them that yes, the Volturi does remember them and can find them any time they want to. Even more hilariously, Vlad and Stefan take this very seriously, and are constantly on the run from the Volturi, never aware that the Volturi actually don’t care. At all. 
Point being, given these guys, first it’s entirely likely their original names are not Vlad and Stefan. We see many of the vampires of the ancient world periodically change their name. We have Chelsea and Demetri, who are canonically acknowledged as having done this. Given when and where they were born, we can assume Marcus and Caius were not originally Marcus and Caius. Similarly, we can assume Aro’s name was originally far longer as well.
None the less, it would be just like these two to name themselves after these Romanian human warlords, one of whom serves and the inspiration for the modern vampire myth in Europe. And then, insist, of course, that the human rulers were actually named after Vlad and Stefan, because the humans still worship them, you know.
They’re going to be back on top any day now, you’ll see. 
That’s another thing worth getting into. The Romanians are evil. I’m not exaggerating this, of all the vampires in Twilight, they are the most appalling (and this is including James, Maria and the southern war lords, Joham... well not Joham, he’s a special brand of evil). These guys had a thousand year reign of terror in Dacia. Humans were butchered seemingly by entire villages, they made humans their slaves and demanded worship and sacrifice. When the humans periodically tried to overthrow them, they slaughtered them all, presumably placed their heads on spikes, and used them to taunt those few surviving humans.
When they lost power, they made an army a hundred vampires strong, which given what we see of the newborns in Seattle (who were only around twenty and still far too large to control), probably wiped out several large settlements in eastern Europe. Didn’t matter, just as long as they got rid of the Volturi.
And they miss those glory days dearly.
They actively reminisce about in Breaking Dawn to an oblivious Bella, who is just so happy these very important and impressive Europeans are here to help her beautiful daughter and so impressed they they’ve been fighting the corrupt Volturi for thousands of years (which is another bit of hilarity we’ll get into). You know, when/if the Volturi fall, the Romanians will be the first in line to rape the women and enslave us all. Good times, good times.
But back to them being trash people.
Vlad and Stefan are utterly destitute, their entire coven is destroyed, and yet they still insist they’re a Big Fucking Deal. Not only that, but just their every action is beyond weird. They talk in unison like Fred and George Weasley, they’re these ridiculously tiny men dressed as stereotypical vampires, and they show up out of nowhere on your doorstep saying, “So, hear you’re starting an insurrection against Volterra, Carlisle, we want in” (While Carlisle, I’m sure, just dies a thousand times inside). 
They then talk to Bella all about how they fight the corruption of the Volturi. What is the corruption, you ask? Well, the Volturi drove them out of their kingdom and liberated the human slaves. Then they imposed this stupid law where you couldn’t eat humans in broad daylight. Then when the Romanians tried to invade Italy they killed them all.
The Romanians will expose the Volturi’s crimes here and now. They stand for justice, peace, and Renezel--Renpunz--Renesmee. (The Romanians decidedly do not come for Renesmee, they hear about Carlisle’s army through the vampire European rumor mill, which just shows how out of hand it all got because now Carlisle’s amassing an army to protect the immortal child his son made. They show 0 interest in Renesmee.)
They give me serious McPoyle vibes.
More, beautifully, everything they touch becomes tainted.
Laurent, another beautiful loser character, starts life as a French courtier in Versailles. When he’s turned into a vampire, he assumes the vampire world works like Versailles. It works nothing like Versailles.
He seeks out those vampires with the greatest power.
Well, vampires in general are cannibalistic homeless nomads who care nothing for power.
This brings him, beautifully, to the Romanians. They insist to Laurent they’re super cool and powerful, Laurent believes them, but either Laurent eventually clues in or realizes something’s not right here. So, he goes to seek out the real power, the Volturi.
Unfortunately, Laurent is a loser, the Volturi is not court, and Aro has no need for some lackey trying to get in his good graces. Plus, Laurent hung out willingly with Vlad and Stefan. And anyone who does that...
So, Aro goes, “Ew, no, leave.”
Laurent is convinced, even when canon rolls around and he’s sunk so low as to hang out with James and Victoria (also loser vampires), that Aro will call him back any day now.
Aro never does. Laurent is eaten by untrained sixteen-year-old shape shifters.
But yes, point being, I imagine that in this modern era the Romanians would have a Go Fund Me for purchasing the blow torches they’ll use to destroy the Volturi once and for all. They also have a YouTube channel which is unintentionally dungeon porn, in which they cover their heads in bags so as not to be recognized, and talk about the good old days in thick Romanian accents. It’s a very popular YouTube channel, nobody understands why they wear so much body glitter.
Oh, right, Bella.
Bella is so beautiful with these guys. So, in Breaking Dawn, Bella actually takes the Romanians seriously. They’re all I describe above and more, they’re not hiding it, they’re full McPoyle (including the taking over the world built). Jake even tells Bella he finds them weird as hell. Bella thinks they’re great.
No, really, she thinks they’re great.
They tell her how they enslaved all the people in their territory, demanded tithes, and would eagerly do so again as soon as they get the chance and she stares at them with wide eyes and thinks about how cool all these vampires who came for precious Renesmee are. (Which, funnily, they actually all came either for Carlisle, because he has a billion friends everywhere, or else as a power grab like the Romanians, or both in Amun’s case. It’s the weirdest, most beautiful, mixture of people.)
Bella has her moments, but loving the Romanians has got to be a top ten for her. My explanation is that she’s so high on vampirism and Renesmee that this is all just great for her. LIFE IS WONDERFUL!
EDIT: I could no longer abide my spelling mistakes, I also edited a bit for cleanliness.
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swanhookheart · 3 years
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Angry Grishaverse book review time!
After watching and LOVING s1 of Shadow and Bone, I read the trilogy! I was not impressed. 
Spoilers incoming for Grishaverse stuff, so if you don’t want those, don’t read on!
Watching Shadow and Bone this past weekend, I was hooked : Darklina, the lore behind the amplifiers, the Aleksander backstory… I was really impressed and hoped that this was it--that at last, I’d found a fantasy series that was going somewhere big, something I could really, thoroughly sink my teeth into. 
*Sigh* 
Then I read the books.
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The reader / viewer enters the Grishaverse associating darkness with pure evil. The Fold, described early on, is shown to be this bleak, awful, ruinous place where people go to be eaten alive by volcra and hope goes to die. We therefore, naturally, associate the Darkling--who possesses the power of shadow--with that evil from the off. I’m speaking as someone who only got into the Grishaverse last Saturday. My initial thoughts were, “oh, he’s being set up to be viewed as dark and scary; this is the expectation Bardugo wants us to have so that we’ll be blown away by some great twist later. Count me in!”
But that twist never came. He was set up as evil, and he stayed evil. Surprise, he’s the Black Heretic! Surprise, he’s an abomination effectively created by Morezova’s greed! Surprise, he’s ruthless and horrible and does cruel things! Except none of those things are actually surprising, given he was SET UP from the beginning to be viewed that way. He did bad things, walked a bad walk, and talked a bad talk. I kept thinking “ah, so he’s gonna get a sweeeet redemption arc,” and then he just never did. That element of the story was predictable to a nauseating degree, and that predictability made the entire universe feel a bit flat. If the reader saw more of his backstory, had more real, logical, sound justification for why he does the things he does (like in the show, where they at least tried to paint his actions as borne of some misplaced sense of servitude / protection for the Grisha or where we saw him actively struggling at points to grapple with the darkness inside him), then maybe the trilogy wouldn’t have been such a letdown. And yes, I know about his sacrifice or whatever later on. It’s not enough.
In villains, I and probably plenty of others like to see humanity. We want to empathize with our villains to a certain extent--to understand them just a little bit--so we can fully commit to hating them when they violate our trust. The Darkling didn’t have that human, redeeming quality, though--at least, not in the books. In the books, he was just a power-hungry jackass who simultaneously didn’t want to be alone and kept trying to kill his only opportunity not to be alone. His single-mindedness, his lack of human empathy, the simplicity with which he pursued this made him seem almost stupid to me as a reader. For someone who’s lived hundreds of years, he’s kind of an idiot when it comes to other people--which, itself, almost seems incongruous with his having lived for so long. If he’d maybe had more backstory or more in his story to justify his actions, maybe he’d feel like a better villain. But atm, all I’m doing is rolling my eyes with him. I couldn’t love him because he didn’t put in any work toward being a better person. Even in the end, he doesn’t actually do the work or repent. But I also can’t hate him because the source material hasn’t given me enough actual human qualities to hate or to feel betrayed. His character just… missed the mark for me. 
As did Mal’s. Fucking MAL, oh my GOD! This dude’s literal only personality trait was loving Alina. Cool, he could track--for Alina, mostly. He could fight--for Alina. “I am become a blade”? Sir, you got a whole-ass tattoo announcing that you’re an object in this woman’s service? No WAP is worth that, and I’m speaking as a very bisexual woman. My dude, it’s weird, it’s extra, it’s just too much. I’ll go back to the Darkling for two seconds to say that, ofc, his actions were painted as problematic and misogynistic and gross. But, like, the possessiveness Mal displays with Alina kinda feels on that same level? Why are we pretending he’s better when he actively tries to keep her low, keep her powerless, and keep her his? Again, dude got a tattoo of her sigil. He was fully prepared to be the leader of her guard even if she married Nikolai just for the opportunity for some sexytimes. I know that YA is about really intense emotion, the fire of teenage hormones and stuff, but that all just felt a bit toxic. The way that his entire life revolved around her while she tried to balance the role of saint, hero, orphan, and all the things she was just felt goofy and like a wildly unhealthy dynamic. 
Their whole relationship also felt really obvious, as I guess the Darkling being revealed as the trilogy’s big bad did. It was predictable, set up to be that way from the start. There were no surprises. It was Mal, and then it was still Mal, and in the end, it was also Mal. We weren’t really shown any of what made them so drawn to each other, we were just kind of told and expected to be fine with the intensity of it. But it read as being way too much for me, and god, it kept getting worse. Again, this one felt like low-hanging fruit--low effort, lazy writing. Nothing about it actually read to me as romantic, just as too much. They didn’t so much as fall in love as just start out that way, and reading that was somewhere between boring and uncomfortable. At least with the Darkling or hell--even Nikolai--we saw some of that chemistry unfold on the page. We were shown some of what made them work the way they did. There was something underpinning their relationship, and not just “oh, they’re supposed to be together”. I mean, after all JKR’s bullshit, I feel totally fine saying fuck authorial intent. If you can’t even be bothered to actually put your shit on the page, don’t ask me to blindly accept your version canon as gospel truth. 
We could have had Deckerstar vibes, Beauty and the Beast vibes, seen light and dark come together and surprise us by actually working well together. But no, we saw a special girl lose everything that made her special and settle for some mediocre fuckboy from her hometown. We get characters that actually have the potential to be dynamic and make for a good story, but she still ends up with this bland, vanilla, trick-ass bitch? It’s a major letdown when you’ve actually been exposed to decent fictional couples, tbh.
OOF! And the ending? Oh jesus fuck, that ending. Darkling just… dies. Just like that. I read three whole books for that? I know he comes back and dies again and all, but the whole trilogy felt like it was building up to something more, something deeper and greater and more profound. He was horrible for the things he did, sure, and he deserved defeat as long as he refused to waver from his power-hungry, destructive path. But his death brought about no closure. He and Alina never actually had the fight they needed to or reached an understanding with each other. Everything is left undone, unsaid, unexplored. The ending just felt super anticlimactic on the page, and so, the trilogy as a whole fell completely short of any mark I hoped it might hit.
Did I hope Darklina would be endgame? Sure. But I’d also have been A-okay with a tragic ending if it had been done right. Did I think it would have been a lot more interesting to see a redemption arc for Darkling than just… more of the same? Or maybe Mal develop a personality outside of Alina? Absolutely. There was so much potential, and it really feels like Bardugo squandered all of it. And for what? This was nearly as disappointing as the eighth season of Game of Thrones. I probably won’t be watching future seasons if they follow the books, but I guess I’m glad for the day or so of fleeting pleasure I got when I still had hope for a properly told story. 
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asset35-maya · 3 years
Text
CALYPSO 🐚 ☕️
Part 1 & Part 2
Part 3/3:
Nines froze as the human’s body melded to his. Gavin kept his eyes shut and his lips moving. Then what he’d been bracing for finally came.
Pain.
Sweet glorious pain, blossoming everywhere Nines gripped his body. Gavin was sure that his lips would bruise under the pressure of the reciprocal kiss… that his rib cage would shatter if Nines held him any tighter… that his lungs would burst if they didn’t fill with air soon…
A wolf-whistle broke through the stunned silence in the yard.
Gavin pulled back, light-headed from the rush of oxygen and drain of adrenaline. He didn’t fall though. Didn’t even move an inch. Strong arms and a heated gaze kept him pinned.
//
\\
“Of all the things in the world… why coffee?”
“I could ask you the same.”
Gavin tucked his head into the crook of Nines’ neck, cuddling closer.
“Hmm… I think weird working hours made me actually need the caffeine… but the bean snobbery just came with the rest of my superiority complexes.”
Nines laughed. It was more of an exhale than an actual laugh, but Gavin was thankful for it nonetheless.
“And you?”
Nines kissed his forehead, prolonging his answer as much as he could before finally relenting with a sigh.
“The reason you’re asking… is because running a café is just about the last thing you’d expect an android like me to be doing. And… that’s your answer. That’s exactly why I wanted it.”
“To subvert expectations…?”
“To not be the terrible thing I was meant to be.”
Gavin’s breath hitched at the depth of emotion in Nines’ voice. He didn’t dare look up to meet his eye and settled for pressing his lips to the razor-sharp jawline.
“I dunno what kinda code runs through you, but believe me when I say you don’t have it in you to be… terrible.”
Nines scoffed at that.
“How can you say that after all the shit you’ve seen me do.”
“I can say that after all the shit I’ve seen others do. Fifteen years on the job, remember? I can vouch that righteous anger is one of the least terrible things out there.”
When Nines didn’t respond, Gavin decided to move the ship out of uncharted waters. He propped himself up on an elbow and ran a hand down the android’s smooth chest.
“In fact, I think it’s downright sexy.”
That did the trick. Nines pressed Gavin into the mattress with a low growl and rolled over him, clamping his mouth over his throat. Their hips aligned and the conversation ended.
//
\\
“Ralph tried hard but the machine is not working. Ralph is stuck.”
“Move. Let me see.”
Gavin took the filter holder and disconnected it from the espresso machine with a firm tug. He leapt away in shock as water came rushing out. That was absolutely not supposed to happen.
“Er… I’ll get a mechanic friend to take a look later. Why don’t you go check on inventory?”
Ralph shuffled away with a thoroughly sceptical look in his eye. Gavin sighed openly once the android was out of earshot.
The café was in shambles.
The vandals may have gotten as good as they gave… but they’d left their mark. Even with insurance, there was no way such a new establishment could financially recover from a setback like that.
Nines said nothing but seethed with his usual brand of silent, impotent rage.
Unable to bear the slammed car doors and dismissive grunts any longer, Gavin had taken a solo day off to come down to the Calypso and see what could be done.
Not much, without a boatload of money, it seemed.
He sat down with a sigh and Ralph brought over a cup of coffee. Black. A pour-over. He set a bowl of runny eggs and a small basket of bread down on the table too.
Gavin looked up in surprise. Ralph shrugged.
“Nines is telling Ralph that you left without breakfast. Ralph’s equipment is all broken so Ralph just made something simple.”
Touched beyond words, Gavin motioned for Ralph to sit down with him instead of scurrying off into the shadows as per his usual habit.
He took a sip of the hand-poured drip coffee and broke a piece of the bread, dragging it through the eggs, European style. It was utterly homely and reminded of him of some bygone era that he’d needlessly bypassed. He looked up and met Ralph’s mildly unsettling stare.
“So… why the name Calypso? There’s nothing beach-themed or Caribbean about the place.”
“Nines chose it. After the Greek goddess.”
“Huh. And she was the goddess of coffee? Did they even have coffee back in those Hercules Orgy Olympics days?”
“She is a sea nymph. She detained the mythic hero Odysseus on her island for seven years.”
Gavin’s brows furrowed as he swallowed a mouthful of fresh bread.
“Did you bake this?”
“Yes. Ralph is baking daily. Ralph does it first thing in the morning at five. It is very calming to knead the dough and hear the birdsong.”
“It’s phcking delicious. Leavened perfectly. Now back to the name. This goddess nymph creature. She doesn’t sound very nice. She trapped this hero dude, right? Reminds me of my ex. Why name this pretty café after her?”
“Ralph can only imagine that Nines’ fascination with Calypso is the ambiguity of her nature. She can seduce and manipulate, but she can also heal. She is neither good nor evil.”
Gavin drained his coffee and sank back in his chair contemplatively.
“What do you think she is, Ralph?”
Ralph’s LED flickered and his eyes dipped to the table. He knew what Gavin was asking.
“Calypso is immortal. Calypso cannot help but fall in love with every sailor who lands on her shores. Calypso dreams of an eternal husband but lets Odysseus go when it’s clear he wishes to return to his wife. Well, maybe only when the Gods commands her to… but she releases him without harm!”
Gavin waited. Ralph’s head snapped up and he spoke in a short burst.
“Calypso is mythical. It does not matter what she is. Nines is real. Nines is good. Very good. Honest and honourable! Ralph will do anything for Nines!”
Gavin leaned back in his chair with the satisfied smile of an experienced police negotiator who’d gotten exactly where he wanted to.
//
\\
“What the hell is this? Where did you get so much money from?”
Nines’ amber LED cycled furiously as he took in the sight of the restored café. Ralph was humming to himself as he proudly polished the knobs of their repaired espresso machine.
Gavin led Nines by the hand to look at the repainted walls… the new furniture… the new crockery replacing what had been smashed…
“How…?”
“Oh I just embodied my inner Gen Z and tapped into the power of social justice.”
Nines looked thoroughly nonplussed.
“Crowdfunding, baby. I set up a link and Ralph told everyone on Twitter what happened to him and the café. Well, showed them, more like.”
Nines looked up at the ceiling and his LED slowly returned to a calm blue as he understood… but when he looked back down, his expression wasn’t any less troubled.
“Okay I just saw it. Edited footage from his optical units and a tearful testimonial. Ethically questionable, but clever.”
“Super effective. We overshot our target by a couple hundred bucks.”
“Hmm. People are kind.”
“Yes. They’ve actually done more for you. Look. Connor gave me this earlier today.”
Gavin reached into his jacket and produced an envelope. Nines’ eyes widened as he spotted the official seals of the Mayor’s office, the Manfred Estate and New Jericho.
“Someone started a petition… to let you back behind the helm of the Calypso. It really took off. I don’t know how you didn’t hear-”
“I muted any mentions of myself and the other RKs from showing up in my newsfeed.”
“Then this makes for a good surprise.”
Gavin gently pushed the envelope into the android’s hands and watched him open it with a precise fingernail flicked under the wax. He scanned the contents of the letter in a split second and let it fall through his fingers.
Without warning, he scooped Gavin up and set him down on a polished table for a deep kiss of even deeper gratitude. Ralph turned his back on them with a bashful giggle.
//
\\
“Baby.”
Nines didn’t respond.
“Hey baby?”
“Hmm...”
There was an intensity to the grumble that had Gavin second-guessing whether to persist. Being Nines’ lover didn’t exempt him from the consequences of asking stupid questions.
“Your thoughts are fucking loud. Just say whatever you want to.”
“Oh. Um… I was actually wondering… I mean, you don’t have to tell me… but like why… um…”
“Why haven’t I turned my badge in yet?”
“Yeah…”
Nines turned on his side and brushed the back of his hand over Gavin’s cheek. The intimate gesture sent a thrill through the human despite how much more intimate they’d just been in the recent past.
“Because I haven’t decided what to do next.”
Gavin’s brows knitted together.
“What do you mean? Aren’t you going to take back your business?”
Nines’ wan smile told him all he needed to know.
“Why?”
“It’s doing really well in Ralph’s hands. He’s capable. He’s creative. And I don’t think it’s fair for me to go back and get in his way all of a sudden.”
“He needs you.”
“He absolutely doesn’t. It’s his café. You helped him get back on his feet and he’s going to be fiiiiine without me.”
“Is it because you don’t wanna be her anymore?”
Nines scrunched his nose up in confusion.
“Who?”
“Calypso. The siren who trapped the Oddball.”
That earned Gavin a heartfelt laugh.
“Odysseus, Gavin.”
“Yeah. You were like Calypso and now you’re letting go of the coffeeshop because you figured it wasn’t meant to be!”
Nines frowned and pretended to check the human for a temperature. Gavin swatted his hands away with mock petulance.
“Fine, I’m probably way off the mark. You tell me what the deal is then!”
Arms snaked around his waist and pulled him flush against the android’s defined chest. Lips brushed the shell of his ear and when Nines spoke next, it was in the huskiest of undertones.
“I’m Odysseus. Not Calypso.”
The realisation was painfully obvious in hindsight.
“I’m the one who’s stuck on an endless journey home. I’ve faced a hundred artificial trials and tribulations. I’ve been a puppet at the hands of false gods. I answer existential questions to prove my self-worth every single day.”
Nines paused to gauge Gavin’s reaction. When he received none, he pressed a brief kiss to the human’s bare shoulder before continuing.
“It’s been a long journey. But not a pointless one. Every metaphorical island I’ve visited has granted me something. From literally running into Ralph in an old building… to defending our turf from other stray androids… getting ourselves off the street… setting up a café from scratch… being arrested on opening day… ending up on the police force with you…”
Gavin recognised that as his cue to squirm around in Nines’ arms and peck him on the lips.
“So who’s Cyclops?”
“What?”
“The story’s starting to come back to me now. Your boy Oddy fought a one-eyed monster on one of the islands he went to. Who’s the Cyclops in your story?”
Nines huffed another breathy laugh.
“Markus, probably. Connor is definitely Helios.”
“Who’s your wife?”
“Definitely not you.”
Gavin elbowed him in the ribs. An action that had more repercussions on him than Nines.
“So which island are you off to next?”
“I have no idea. But it doesn’t matter. I might already be home.”
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Obey Me: The Brothers Accidentally Trigger an Abused MC: Satan (4/7)
Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on abuse or mental health. I’m not portraying how one should respond to these situations, only how I think the characters might. Abuse and trauma in particular are very complex topics, and people respond in all sorts of ways to them, and sometimes it gets really bad on all sides.
I can only draw from my personal experiences as well as those of people who have shared their stories or who I’m close with. There’s no one narrative of abuse and how it affects someone, so what I’m familiar with might not be what you’re familiar with. Let’s try and all be respectful of each other.
Content Warnings: Heated arguments, reference to past abuse, parental abuse, trauma response, breaking down in tears, this is quintessential hurt/comfort y’all, buckle up
It’s Satan’s turn! The fun thing about Satan is he’s super in control of himself until he absolutely isn’t, and then it’s terrible for everyone involved.
Lucifer (X), Mammon (X), Leviathan (X), Satan (you are here), Asmodeus (X), Beelzebub (X), Belphegor (X)
That one there is Satan, the fourth eldest of us. At first glance, he may seem like a responsible demon with a good head on his shoulders, but looks can be deceiving. [...] He may flash you a pretty smile like that, but you had better be careful because it is all an act.
MC had been warned about the Avatar of Wrath the day they arrived in the Devildom. While his brothers wear their sins on their sleeves, Satan keeps his almost entirely under wraps. His anger comes out like steam from the edges of the lid covering a boiling pot, hissing quiet but heated remarks, only exploding into something more dangerous if disturbed. 
But as they spent more time with him, MC found it harder and harder to associate Lucifer’s warning with the demon in front of them. Yes, Satan could be prickly if provoked, and he certainly has a fair share of issues to work through, but he wears soft sweaters, and reads trashy romance novels he hides under the jackets of more sophisticated looking nonfiction titles, and would turn the House of Lamentation into a cat shelter if left unsupervised. And so that warning became as serious to them as Mammon’s pitiful mugging attempt when they first met all those months ago. 
An easy mistake.
As it’s so unusual for Satan to express his anger in an obvious manner, MC is very concerned when they see him storm off to his room surrounded by the flaming aura of barely-contained magic. They chase after him without thinking, wanting to comfort their friend. 
Satan’s room contains more than a room of its apparent size should. A small tower bedroom should not be able to hold the sprawling library it does, but the looming bookshelves stretch far into the darkness nonetheless. Despite this, the books still spill out from the shelves and form piles all over the room and even circle overhead in lazy loops. Though today, their master’s wrath propels them faster and faster, moving more erratically and occasionally crashing into furniture when they fall too low.
MC forgets to knock.
Satan’s head whips around, eyes blazing. 
The books move before he registers who’s standing in the doorway.
Years of practice throws their body low to the ground to avoid the projectiles, but he has more, he has more and he’s still mad, mad at me mad at me my fault my fault still more still more don’t move don’t move-
Footsteps, a voice, he’s yelling, he’s yelling, yelling at me I did it again no no no-
A hand reaches out to them.
“PLEASE DON’T-!” their scream rips out of their throat and Satan freezes.
MC’s eyes shine with tears, open wide and-
Staring.
At.
Him.
Like a monster.
Satan’s tail wraps around his leg tight enough to draw blood. “Well? What are you going to do, MC? Leave? Run away from the monster?” 
They’re shaking, but can’t move from their position on the floor. “GO ALREADY! Or a couple of measly books will be the least of your problems!” 
They scramble to their feet, barely upright as they half sprint, half tumble down the stairs.
A loud THUD echoes through the House of Lamentation as, for the first time in countless years, all of the books in Satan’s room fall to the floor, lifeless.
Until they burst into flames, and the spire hosting the Avatar of Wrath’s bedroom ignites in the roar of a viridian inferno.
It takes the careful spellwork of Lucifer, aided by a frantic Leviathan, to keep the fires sequestered to Satan’s tower. Even still, seeing the entire structure ablaze like that is terrifying for MC, both because of its unprecedented scale and the knowledge of who is causing it. 
The brothers, minus Satan, congregate outside the House of Lamentation in a semi circle of annoyance. Levi, Asmo, and Mammon quickly get into an argument about whose personal items are more valuable and worth saving in the event of a house-wide fire, while the twins grouse about being pulled away from their very important activities of raiding the fridge and napping, respectively. 
Both Lucifer and MC are not listening to them, for very different reasons. Their gazes are fixed on the burning tower, Lucifer a cool mask of stoicism and MC vacant and nearly unblinking. They stay like this for a long moment, as the bickering of the others settles into a hum of white noise. 
“MC.” They start upon hearing Lucifer’s voice.
“You saw him just before this.” 
A fit of blinking, ending with a sniff and a nod.
“I-I didn’t mean to- He looked so ups-set, I just…” 
“Stop.” They freeze as Lucifer lowers himself to their eye level. He holds out his hand towards their shoulder and then pulls it back, thinking better of it. “I am not blaming you. Satan’s lack of self control is not your fault.
“What concerns me right now is your wellbeing.”
“O-Oh. Well, it was pretty startling, but I wasn’t burned or anyth-”
“What did he say to you that prompted such a strong response?” Silence. “This,” Lucifer gestures broadly to MC, “is not because of the fire. Something happened before, that upset the both of you. What was it?”
“SAAATAAAAAAAAAAN!”
Oh, that’s just who he needs to deal with right now. 
A couple of choice curses flicker through Satan’s mind as he continues to sort through his books, cataloguing which ones were completely destroyed by the fire and which were unscathed or can be salvaged. He pulls out a charred book from a pile of ashes and dusts off the partially melted cover. It’s barely identifiable, but…
One of MC’s recommendations, a murder-mysterty from the human world. 
He drops it like it was still burning.
Lucifer navigates through the scorched shelves and piles of wreckage until he finds his brother, curled in on himself in a crouched position and shaking, surrounded by the remains of the knowledge he holds so dear.
His lecture dies in his throat.
“Satan-” The demon in question cuts him off.
“Get it over with.”
Lucifer says nothing.
“Go ahead!” Satan’s voice wavers as he speaks, unfolding from his pose just enough to challenge his brother. “Let me have it: I’ve tarnished Lord Diavolo’s oh-so-sacred reputation, I’ve ruined the exchange program, I have no self control, I-” He compresses back into himself. “I’ve terrified MC and they never want to speak to me again.”
“No,” Lucifer says. “For one, I think you understand well enough the consequences of your actions this time.” 
When this provokes no response, he continues, “...and MC does want to speak with you.”
The expression on Satan’s face when his head snaps up to make eye contact with Lucifer reminds him of when the Avatar of Wrath was first born, all raw emotion and alert, untrusting eyes. 
The conversation is painful, but very much needed. After hearing MC’s story, Satan is almost glad he just burned through the majority of his energy in that fire, as if he had even an ounce of it, he would dedicate it to tracking down and slaughtering MC’s loathsome parents. But for them, he pushes the feelings aside. For now.
He apologizes (many times) in words, but even after MC repeatedly tells him it’s okay and they understand, he doesn’t quite stop. His apologies manifest in actions instead: soft, concerned glances in MC’s direction when his brothers get into a spat; an outstretched hand and an offer to go on a walk when they’re feeling overwhelmed; book recommendations with recurring themes of overcoming trauma and not necessarily forgiving those who abused you. 
He also adds something new to his room: a little enchanted tablet by the doorway displaying an unusual “weather” report. Thanks to special sensors placed throughout Satan’s room, the tablet can pick up the level of magical activity in the area and display an appropriate warning. Since he knows how volatile he can be when in an especially bad mood, Satan explains that the monitor will say what he can’t. Since it also measures the velocity of the flying books, it doubles as a pretty good warning service for incoming projectiles as well, he adds sheepishly. 
“I know how hard it can be to forgive someone who’s hurt you, even accidentally. I’m so grateful you’ve given me a second chance, MC, and I fully intend on never letting it go to waste.”
Lucifer doesn’t address the final part of Satan’s remark. He doesn’t need to. His silence says enough.
Satan has done it. He’s turned away the only person who ever saw him as a unique person. The worst case scenario, the unthinkable nightmare, realized. 
He’s fine. More than fine. He throws himself into his studies, marks higher than ever. While his smiles have never reached his eyes, they barely appear on his face at all. His mask is a fragile apathy that quickly crumbles into irritation whenever someone notices it. With his mood more volatile than ever, even his brothers distance themselves, unsure of how to approach him. He only shows up during mealtimes, and barely at that. 
Sometimes smoke drifts out from the tower his room is in. No one acknowledges this.
He respects MC’s wishes, gives them space and time aplenty. He can wait. He deserves to wait.
He deserves this.
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catxsnow · 4 years
Text
TAKE THE BULLET B.W.
Request:  I saw your post about requests! Can you do a Batman x reader (from the animated movies if you do him) where the reader is apart of the JL and almost dies by jumping in front of a bullet during a mission with the team to save Bruce? Fluffy/angsty stuff. 
Warning: injury, angst, fluff
A/N: I’m so sorry it took this long! It’s been sitting in my WIP for ages and I just never got around to doing it until now 
Gif not mine
Word count: 2.3k 
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You knew the risks of being in the Justice League.
A constant target on your back, the willingness to lay down your life to protect the people of your world, even the on demand requirement of your presence when someone was endangering the world. The second that you joined the team, you lost your freedom to have a normal life.
When it came down to it, it was all worth it. Knowing that you saved hundreds, thousands, even millions of lives because you stood up against an evil greater than yourself. The nightmares that haunted your sleep because of the horrors that you saw. The pain you endured because you refused to give up. Everything was worth it.
Your whole life you had been the one to willingly put yourself through all this torture to save lives. It was engraved in you to make the world a better place, no one expected you to make a difference like this one. No one expected you to be a hero, one of the best at that.
For so long you were on your own. You had your friends in your civilian life but no one truly to understand what you had to endure as a superhero. That was until the Justice League formed. It was a rocky start - a bunch of people who didn't believe that they needed to be a part of something bigger.
While many of the heroes found it a burden to have people that relied on you, you found it a blessing. People to finally understand who you were, that accepted you for the person that you were, not some freak. This team meant everything to you, enough that you would give up your life for your teammates.
And that was exactly what you had done. It was a dangerous mission, everyone knew that. As prepared as everyone was, they weren't expecting you to take the bullet for Batman. You saw the blast coming while he was fighting off another monster. There wasn't enough time to get him out of the way and he had no idea that it was coming for him.
So, in a moments haste, you had put yourself between the blast and him. Batman might have driven you crazy half the time, but he was only human under that suit. He would have never survived the blast. You barely did and your suit was impenetrable.
Batman didn't make friends. He didn't stick around to get to know his teammates and he certainly wasn't chatty with anyone. You found him insufferable most of the time but that small part of you couldn't help but be intrigued by him. Batman acted as if he were Superman even though a bullet would stop him just as it would anyone else.
He was meticulous with everything he did. No matter the situation, he knew every detail about everything. Batman was cold hearted, except for the split second time that you got to see him smile.
The team watched in horror as you fell to the cement. Your suit was half disintegrated and your breathing shallow. The blast had almost killed you. Almost.
It was Hal that got you out of there, bringing you to safety and away from the fight that you could no longer be a part of. Everyone had seen you go down. As devastation filled them, so did determination. They couldn't lose this fight, not after what you had done for them all. Batman most of all.
Only when you were safe in the infamous Batcave did Hal leave your side again. At the moment, there was no better place for you. He knew the secret identity of Batman, he also knew that Bruce was going to want to be the one to help you. After that night, he owed you a life debt.
As much as Batman liked to make everyone think he was invincible, he was only human. Humans had a heart, and with that little move that you did, you had gotten right into his.
><
You woke up cold. The air was still and held a frosty bite to it. Your whole body ached and as you tried to move it flared even more though your nerves. An IV was stuck in your arm and you were no longer in your suit. It wasn't the new clothes or the medical supplies that got you curious, it was the location.
No one in the Justice League had been lucky enough to step foot in the Batcave. It always seemed like some sacred place that all your other teammates were afraid to step foot in. Their bad mojo rubbed off on you for the longest time as well. Batman's secret lair always seemed to spook you.
Sitting in there now, you didn't feel the same way. Aside from the cold and darkness, the place wasn't nearly as dramatic as you thought it was going to be. Large super computer, training area, the med bay that you were in, and a collection of memorabilia. Nothing like you expected it to look like.
"You're awake."
You nearly jumped at the voice. Batman stood to the side of you, his cowl off so you could see his face. It was the first time that he ever trusted you with his identity and least to say, you were shocked. Bruce Wayne hid under that cowl. Billionaire playboy by day, Gotham's hero at night.
Without the cowl on, he looked far less intimidating. Whether it was his piercing blue eyes or the fact that he was really just some human. You felt less of a need to cower away from him and more of a pull of attraction. He was handsome, extremely.
"How long was I out?" You asked. Your voice was hoarse and the cough that erupted in your chest only put you through more pain. It was going to take far longer for you to heal than you wished. However, seeing Bruce alive because of you was well worth the pain. You couldn't imagine Gotham without it's Dark Knight.
"Three days."
"Fuck," you muttered, laying back down to the pillow. Your eyes sealed shut in frustration at the lost time. "I take it the rest of the mission went well then."
"Minimal civilian causalities," Bruce told you. He took a step closer to you and reached for the bandages that crossed your stomach. Faint burn marks that would never fully heal laced your skin. They did as much as they could, but you would be left scarred forever. Just a reminder for Bruce that you nearly died for him.
Before he could touch the material, you had snatched his wrist. Your eyes were still shut when you did the action, but they popped open when you grabbed him. Bruce retracted without saying anything. He nearly complained as you pulled the IV out of your arm and swung your legs off the side of the hospital bed, but remained silent. You were a grown woman, you could decide if you felt healthy or not.  
"Thank you," Bruce found the only way to stop you in your tracks. Your hands gripped the side of the bed and he couldn't tell if it was because you were suddenly dizzy, or shocked by his words. It was both. Your head hung low and you didn't wish to gaze up at him. Memories of the searing pain you felt flooded you and seeing his face was only a reminder of it all.
You knew that taking that blast might of killed you. You knew that the second it hit you that you might not be waking up the next morning. Was it worth it? Saving someone as heartless as Batman? You weren't sure yet. You were alive and breathing, that was going to have to be good enough for now.
"I would be dead without you," he continued. You still didn't move. Bruce went down to his knee. One hand gently on you leg and the other balancing on his own. His touch caused you to flinch, catching him off guard. He felt the need to step away from you, to give you the space that you desired. "I'm sorry."
"I saved a teammate, Bruce," you used his real name. His narrowed slightly; he didn't think you recognized him. You showed no reaction as you saw who he really was, he just assumed you were as oblivious as Hal. "I'd like to think you would do the same but who fucking knows."
"I've dedicated my life to saving people do you really think that I wouldn't do the same for anyone else on the Justice League? For you?" Bruce grit his teeth. He stood up from his spot on the ground and towered above you once more. This sudden coldness that you were giving him was nothing that he expected when you woke up.
You were always so kind to everyone on the team - even him when he pushed you away so many times. After taking the risk of dying for him, he thought that you would be willing to show more kindness. Someone willing to die for another obviously enjoyed their presence . At least he thought so.
"I think that it's been months that we've been working together and it's only when I nearly die for you that you decide to show your face," you scoffed. "Then again why does it matter who's under the mask, you're still the same asshole either way." This time, you jumped off the bed and tried to walk past Bruce.
You never even made it two steps past him before he grabbed your wrist and stopped you. You tried to pull out of his grasp but it was no use, he was far too strong for you. Bruce tugged you back, nearly causing you to trip over your own feet as you did.
"I kept you alive, the least I deserve is a thank you," Bruce's voice lowered. If you were going to be cold to him, then he was going to be the same right back. "But then again, why does it matter? I'm still the same asshole anyways that could have let you die." He let go of your wrist, but his words only frustrated you more.
After taking the bullet for him, you thought he would be more willing to open up to you. To be himself while there was no one else around. It didn't take long to realize that he would never do that, or maybe this was him being himself. You would never know the truth. That was what angered you.
You wanted to argue with him, to yell at him for being such a soulless dick. However, Pain erupted though your entire body. Your knees buckled from below you as you held onto your wound. Bruce had caught you just before you hit the ground. He easily swooped you up and set you back down on the bed.
This time, you didn't argue as he lifted the bandage to see what kind of hell your skin was in underneath. Bruce worked in silence. He dabbed a clean cloth around the wound and sterilized it. The sting of alcohol made you bite your lip to hold back the hiss of pain. With more grace than you ever thought he had, he wrapped you with a new bandage.
As he tried to walk away, you were the one to stop him. You grasped his hand, far more delicately than he had grabbed you. He could easily snap out of your hold if he wanted to, yet he found himself stopping to turn back.
"I'm sorry," you apologized. He was right, Bruce did save your life. "I guess I just expected you to be... different without the mask on. I assumed we all were. Maybe in this life we're always hiding behind some sort of mask, even without realizing it."
"Sorry to disappoint."
"Bruce," you stopped him from walking away once more. "I just meant that I'm grateful for you to trust me with your identity. And that you saved me, you understand what it's like to be human under the suit. I know that trust doesn't come easy to you."
A silence fell between you. The intensity of his stare made you feel vulnerable. Cowl on or off, he was still the great Batman. A deadly weapon and a savior to Gotham. You hadn't meant to get upset. He was the last person on the team that you wanted to make angry - even more than Superman.
"Do you wanna get a drink?" Bruce suddenly asked. The corner of his lips tugged up and it was the most that you had seen him smile since that brief first time. You looked down at the over-sized clothes that you wore and then over to his Batsuit. Together, you looked to be quite the pair.
"I hope being a billionaire means you buy good whiskey," you agreed to his offer. Bruce pulled you up off the bed with the hand that had been resting in yours the whole time. You were thankful for his help. The wound you had surely would have taken you down once more if it wasn't for his support.
You stopped several steps in. Bruce looked down at you, worried about your wound. With a second of hesitation, you stood on your toes to kiss the corner of his lips. Your hand rest on his chest as your lips lingered on his skin. Your hand felt as if it was burning a whole through his chest.
He didn't expect this sudden act of affection, but he appreciated it nonetheless.  "If you'd let me, I'd like to get to know the real you - whatever version that may be," you offered. Bruce had trouble opening up to people, but maybe it would be easier with you.
"I'd like that."
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Text
Alright alright alright
You’ve all been asking for it, so here it is! 
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This will be (edit: HELLA) long and obviously spoiler-y, so everything is under a cut. 
Are you ready?
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Before we get to it, I want to mention that for the sake of keeping things organized, I will NOT be talking about my AU (@ask-whitepearl-and-steven​) in this post. I want to just analyze the show as a viewer and a fan first. I’ll make a seperate post for AU-thoughts a bit later.
Without further ado:
EP 1: LITTLE HOMESCHOOL
This is a great way to open up the episode and show the changes through the lens of someone who has been a bit out of it for a while (we are all Cherry Quartz, fresh from the hiatus, aren’t we?) but I’m sorry, this post still takes the cake:
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Okay, okay, back to the program.
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“That used to be a loaded question...“
Right off the bat, Steven is SO much more confident about saying that he’s... HIMSELF! What a good feeling. I’m very proud of our boy. 
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I love the name “Gemglyph” for the gem language! I’ll need to know who wrote these, though. And who the heck drew the diamonds? Hopefully it was BP. 
And I’m not the first one to point this out, but MORE ANIME REFERENCES!
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Which can be seen as either a reference to the Chill Low-Fi Hiphop Beats to Study To OR Whisper of the Heart. 
And absolutely no one cares but something that caught my eye is the fact that they have an EARTH FLAG at Little Homeschool! How cool is that!
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Earth 4ever!!! 
Off-note - I love how INVESTED they are in this conversation Pearl is having with Holo-Pearl.
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Peak entertainment. 
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I love Professor Amethyst and I love the random human who snuck in to apparently take lessons on Not Giving A Single Shit About Anything, Ever. 
And here we FINALLY are in the FUTURE
Where we FINALLY get Jasper as a functioning character
And 
She’s
SO DRAMATIC, I LOVE HER.
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This is literally SO funny like she... she was just... laying on top of her house... under a blanket..... FOr WHAT? To stand up dramatically and throw it off when Steven inevitably paid a visit? 
Is that just what she dOES? 
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“It’s FINE I don’t need any HELP, I’m FUNCTIONING, I’m just having a SELF CARE DAY OK”
Also I’m sorry but
Jasper: “It took forever to yank those puny green earthlings out of the ground.”
Steven: “You mean grass...?“
THIS. RIGHT HERE. is peak Jasper. 
It’s also curious how INVESTED Steven is in this:
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“I’m TRYING to give you [a purpose]!“
Why are you... trying to do that, though? Isn’t the whole idea for gems to surpass their ‘purpose’ and just kinda... do whatever? Isn’t Jasper just kinda... doing whatever? 
I mean, sure, it’s not useful to anyone, but she seems relatively happy. Aside from. You know. The whole laying on rocks under blankets until she’s disturbed thing and-- okay, you’re right, maybe an intervention would be healthy. 
I’m not gonna talk at length about the rest of the episode - although I think it’s really good, I don’t know what I can say about it that hasn’t already been said. Jasper is definitely poking Steven’s buttons and rephrasing a LOT of what WHITE has said to Pink: “You surround yourself with inferior gems because it makes you feel better.”
And Steven REACTS to this. The taunt WORKS.
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And yes, he gains some extra powers for it, but something tells me this AIN’T the only thing he will get. It feels like a two-edged sword. Like it’ll be his own downfall somehow....... maybe at the end of the series. 
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Ashes to ashes.... hole to hole.
And oh wow I thought they were gonna bond but LMAO
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“Consider your fight back there your first and ONLY lesson.“
Basically:
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I love you Jasper.
EP 2: GUIDANCE
I LOVE YOU AMETHYST.
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sHE’S doing SO much and she’s SO good at it!! Look at her!! Organizing stuff!!!! 
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RUBIES IN SUNGLASSES. IN SQUARE SUNGLASSES. 
I need 20. 
And I also need 20 of Larimar because holy shit that’s hilarious. 
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Larimar: “I want to hear the human screams forever.”
Steven: “Okay that’s kinda troubling.”
I love the reference to Monsters Inc here and I love the callback at the end of the episode when Larimar switches to Human Laughter to get her fill of that particular erm... need. 
And honestly the ensuing chaos is equally predictable and entertaining. 
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I’m SO glad to know that Rubies are just... Like That and that actually Navy is not a deviation from the norm but rather a different flavor of the chaotic energy all Rubies naturally seem to possess. 
Amethyst is also super relatable:
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“Ah yes, the fool comes crawling back. Come to beg for forgiveness, have you?”
In fact, the episode’s WHOLe HUMOUR is just very much My Brand
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“Sometimes you save all the people but the rollercoaster still crashes into the ocean...... and that’s okay.”
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Including the Running Gag that is Onion. Who... does not appear to have aged. At all. And that’s okay.
EP 3: ROSE BUDS
Okay where do I even begin with this one. Um.
I have to openly admit that I spent the majority of this episode wheezing with laughter. Let’s start with the Zoomans:
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Who are CLEARLY STILL SUPER SALTY AT GREG ABOUT REJECTING THEM??? Which is hilarious. 
And also this paradise is fascinating in and of itself. 
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But the next scene is basically where I started losing my shit.
Okay, okay, alright so. Uh. I have... a few questions.
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Like Why. WHY. Does she look. SO MUCH like Rose? 
Clearly Rose Quartz differ in coloring and etc. But She literally looks. Like THE Rose. VERY explicitly. 
So here’s several options here:
1) Pink made Rose Quartz way before any of the Rebellion happened and Pearl just basically pigeonholed her into THIS specific Rose Quartz appearance because she (???) had a crush? Or somehow saw this specific Rose, thought ‘hot, i can make my sympathetic Diamond wear this exact costume and that would be EXCELLENT fanservice for ME’
2) Pink didn’t have any Rose Quartz until the Rebellion, and thereafter quickly decided ‘I need these gems as an alibi, so we’re just gonna make them” and she and Pearl basically inclubated Rose Quartz like a pokemon trainer hatching for a Shiny until they got one that looked Exactly Like That. 
3) There was no Thinking involved because this is Pink we’re talking about, and it was all just a huge coincidence for the sake of this Very Hilariously Uncomfortable Episode. 
While we ruminate on that, let’s look at some Relatable Reactions.
And here we have the holy trinity of “I have just seen the clone of my deceased parent/parental figure/lover.”
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Featuring: Bonus ‘I’m Almost Over It’ Pearl
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Also, I need y’all to make this into a meme:
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For example:
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Anyway, alright, alright. 
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That relatable feel when your (hot) dead lesbian lover’s clone asks you if you’re okay after another one of the (less hot?) clones offers you a whole ass stick of butter to eat. 
And then you and your friends all hide in the bathroom to talk about your feelings:
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Okay, the rest of the episode gives me FEELINGS and I love how hard Steven is trying, so I’ll just close it off with:
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I LOVE THEM. Unironically, they are EVERYTHING I had hoped Rose Quartz would be. They’re SO MUCH like Rose herself - did she model her personality after them? Or are they just like her because she WAS like that, and they’re made from her essence? WHO KNOWS?! They’re adorable!
And the conflict between them and Steven is honestly so gooD! I don’t know if it’s completely relatable but I’m glad they ended up talking it out.
I wonder if we’ll ever see Her again... you know who I’m talkin’ about. 
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Her....
I’m madly in love with Rose, ok, I don’t need a callout post. Just leave me be.
EP 4:  VOLLEYBALL
Alright, alright, alright.
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OKAy,.... It’s fine. It’s FINE. I’m fINE. 
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Confirmed: 8000 years. That’s. UH. A LOT? That puts our timelines quite a ways back. We kind of estimated as much, but still, it’s so jarring to think about. And PP is VERY casual about it. 
She’s also VERY casual about the injury.
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“This is all Pink Diamond!”
It doesn’t seem like it bothers her to talk about it at all. She’s not even trying to keep it a secret. So I’m almost wondering - was there a connection to her being taken by White and the injury at all or not? 
She came to Steven to get healed - she clearly wants it gone. At the time she was injured, did Pink not even attempt to heal the injury? 
Follow up question: If she DID care, why didn’t she try to heal it?
Follow up to the follow up: Was it because she didn’t know she could? Or did she simply not have the time to (White removed her before she could)? 
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When Steven goes pink, she gasps - but makes no further comment. It’s presumably because she’s seen this happen before. She doesn’t try to move away, weirdly enough - she asks him if everything is alright. Perhaps the context is too different for it to be triggering for her. Perhaps there’s more layers to it? HMMM. 
What follows is, perhaps, the SALTIEST we’ve seen Pearl since Greg rolled around.
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“Did you come to compete?”
This is doubly curious to me because Crewniverse has previously explicitly stated that Pearl was NOT in love with Pink Diamond. She was in love with Rose. So if this is true, why would Pearl care about her place as Pink’s Pearl? She is supposed to be past all that, isn’t she? 
And yet as time goes on, the salinity grows exponentially. Alright, you two, I know you’re Pearls but tone it down with the sass. 
(Also, I’m sorry but I will NEVER call her Volleyball. That’s all. Bye.)
Also it’s worth noting that... PP is clearly VERY much in love with Pink.
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This is, perhaps, where the lack of a grudge plays into it. She’s completely enamoured.
Moreover, she’s VERY casual about how she talks here. This isn’t exactly how one talks of their Diamond. This is how people talk about their romantic partners. She calls Pink silly, calls her ‘funny’. That’s not exactly a term of respect - it’s way more intimate than that. 
Also, did anyone else notice how, although CG Pearl’s gem is usually shaded in teal, it’s in Pink in this episode? VEEEERY subtle, Crew.
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Also, we can’t quite see Pink Pearl’s expression fully here because her working eye isn’t visible, which makes it hard to get a read on things like
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“I’m older than you.“ Is she just saying it casually? Or is she fully aware that she’s poking fun at CG Pearl? 
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HI SHELL. ISN’T IT FUNNY HOW YOUR VOICE AND YOUR NAME ARE A SUBTLE NOD TO PORTAL, WHICH IS FORESHADOWING HOW BADLY THIS IS GONNA END. 
Meanwhile, Pearl continues to be in character.
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“No need to be overly... attached.”
And this has nothing to do with anything but
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she cute
Aaaand now it’s creepy again.
The rest of this is super important so let’s get to it:
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“Oh, no. Pink did this.”
“What did you say?”
“It’s a funny story, really. Once, Pink got tired of asking Yellow and Blue for her own colony, so she went straight to White. Of course, White told her she wasn’t fit to run one... and well! That set her off.”
“Set her off? What are you talking about?”
“You remember how she was! With her destructive powers, throwing tantrums left and right! She had a scream that could crack the walls. She didn’t mean to hurt me! (giggle) I just happened to be standing too close to her that time and--”
And then Steven interrupts. 
We get more CG Pearl arguing for how wrong this image of Pink is to her. What CG Pearl knew was a totally different (or, well, same, but VERY changed) Pink. 
But what we have to prove our point is Steven himself. He rolls into the EXACT same state as Pink presumably did - and begins to over-use his powers. 
(This isn’t the first time we have seen him use this attack.)
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The reactions from the Pearls are telling - this is clearly not Pink Pearl’s first rodeo with this type of Mood. 
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And it’s important to note that Steven clearly didn’t direct any attack AT them. He simply yelled - and the whole dang place literally started to crack. There’s weight to the argument that possibly, Pink really DIDN’T mean to hurt her Pearl - that she was just collateral damage. 
Which doesn’t make it any better, obviously. Even if Pink had no direct intention of hurting her Pearl (and there are theories that Pink purposefully hit or threw Pink Pearl or somehow physically acted directly to damage her, which I was skeptical of) the result of it is still the same.
If you raise your voice and yell, even if you’re just yelling because YOU are hurt/have feelings, you might still hurt the people around you. If you throw a tantrum, even if your direct goal was just to let off some steam without aiming to harm anyone, whoever gets in your way is still the victim. 
And this is all very much On Brand for Pink’s timeline as we know it. We already knew this about her - we KNEW she tended to throw tantrums (like in the flashback on Jungle Moon) and that she was childish. The fact that she accidentally hurt her Pearl in the process because she had no self-control at that period in her life comes as no surprise. 
(Although it’s important to mention that perhaps hurting her own Pearl WAS the breaking point during which she finally realized how her emotional outbursts could have negative consequences on those around her.)
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And this is a very beautiful message - even if Pink Pearl still doesn’t want to blame Pink for what was done to her (”But... she didn’t mean to!”) Pearl brings the point of it back around to her (”But you were still hurt!”) The point isn’t the person who did the hurting - the focus is on the victim and how they were affected. 
And the rest, I daresay, is history. 
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I like the fact that they managed to still bring it back around to the main message: 
It isn’t about just “Pink was bad”. It’s about how she did bad things. And there were multiple sides to her - multiple stages. And the Pearls who knew her knew different sides of her - the side that didn’t know how to be a good person, who was selfish and childish and unrestrained... and  the side that was, arguable, too restrained. Who hated her own past, her own character and her own mistakes so much that she would rather bury them and keep secrets from everyone. 
And neither of those things were good, and neither were healthy, but they are a GREAT contrast to a GREAT character arc that is, arguably, still being unearthed. And we have so much more context for it all now. 
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I, for one, can’t wait to see and discover more of Pink through Pink Pearl - no matter how ugly that side of her might be. I think it gives great perspective to her later growth. 
And if you ship the Pearls.. .well, I get why. 
Personally I’m not interested in it that way. Call me unromantic - I don’t think their relationship NEEDS to be shippy in order to be satisfyingly deep. I love the idea of them having a deep bond over this - a shared past, a shared experience, and gaining confidence through one another. 
Cheers and thanks for listening!
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delyth88 · 2 years
Text
Only a few more days of work and then I’m on holiday for the summer! It’s been another year, hasn’t it? Better than 2020 I suppose, but not by much.
I’ve not been on here much in the last few months, and this is largely due to Covid and staying with my parents for most of the lockdown.  I last posted about that when we were a month or so into it and at that point of wondering whether it was going to be actually be possible to eliminate it within New Zealand this time.  Well it turns out the answer was no.  So we’ve kinda gone and done a condensed highlights of 2020 and 2021 all in the last six months. Lol
The dreaded surprise PM press conference
Lockdown
WFH, social life by computer screen, masks, covid tests, queues for covid tests
Borders around Auckland, which feels super weird for a country that doesn’t actually have any land borders (and other parts of the country sorta, sometimes)
The return of the 1pm briefing! (The Jacinda and Ashley show! And… fanart?)
Obsessively watching the numbers each day
“Spread your legs”
People protesting lockdown (although to be fair very few, and the leaders mostly in it for political gain or bizarrely waving Trump flags wtf!)
Vaccine rollout starting
People protesting against vaccination
Vaccine buses (Shot Bro!)
Buying extra vaccines from other countries (thanks Spain!  Thanks Denmark!)
Saying goodbye to the elimination approach and therefore hello to a much longer lockdown
Regions competing to see who will get to 90% of over 12s vaccinated first
The Vaxathon (Bloomfield dancing)
Picnics in the park
Vaccine mandates
People protesting against vaccine mandates
Vaccine passes
Auckland hitting the 100 days in lockdown milestone (yay?)
And on the 3rd December a move to the new framework that aims to avoid the need for lockdowns (aka the traffic light system).
Tomorrow the border around Auckland will come down and we’ll be allowed to travel anywhere in the country (with proof of vaccination or a negative test – theoretically, but only enforced by spot check).  But I’m going to be taking it careful till Christmas because I’ll be seeing extended family and that includes people both elderly and too young to be vaccinated.
It’s been a weird time. And I’m lucky enough to be able to do my job from home. It’s still taken a toll – humans are not meant to be so isolated.  But it was worth it. We have high vaccination rates and low case numbers right now (as of today the new cases number was 80 - 51 in Auckland - and a total of 9,890 active cases in the country), and while we expect cases will go up once the border comes down, we’re as well placed as we can be, and I feel like we’ve got through this well enough that we can recover.  
Who knows what next year with throw at us - beyond Omicron, but I think we’re in a place where we should be able to handle it, if not perfectly, then well enough.  Vaccination continues over summer in the areas that have low rates, and we expect 5-11 year olds to start receiving theirs in the first few months of 2022.  While there was an odd kind of grief of saying goodbye to the elimination approach, we all knew it was only temporary.  Although I don’t think most of us though this pandemic would still be going so strongly nearly two years on.
Here’s to 2022 being slightly less crazy.  Maybe…?
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wild-west-wind · 3 years
Note
What are coywolves and are they really taking over?
Coywolves, or Eastern Coyotes (or more amusingly Woyotes) are wolf/coyote hybrids, and not really, but kinda.
So, before I dive in, note that I’m not a biologist, and I’m not from a place these hybrids exist, so if someone with real background in these animals wants to pop in I’d love to hear your input.
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Image: A male coyote wanders in a meadow on the lookout for prey. Moments later he succeeded in catching a small rodent.
So, let’s start big picture: Coyotes and wolves use similar landscape, and have for millennia. Where coyotes and wolves share range, coyotes tend to act as scavengers, and predators of small prey, while wolves are taking down large prey, ratting only when young, or in the spring when easy prey is scarce.
In areas where there is a fairly natural balance between coyotes and wolves, they do not get along. Wolves eat the vast majority of their prey, but are known to kill coyotes and leave them to rot over territorial concerns. Coyotes meanwhile tend to avoid wolves. In some areas they live in different locales, with coyotes preferring more open space than wolves, who are comfortable hunting in forest.
In areas where wolves have been extirpated, Coyotes, being fairly clever animals, begin to exploit larger prey, deer especially. Now generally Coyotes ‘packs’ tend to consist of monogamous pairs, with pups, but in such situations where large prey is available, coyotes have been known to form large, temporary packs to hunt it down.
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Image: A lone female black wolf stands in a green meadow in spring. She watches as bison (out of shot) snort at her, as she comes to understand she will not eat bison for dinner that night.
Now another step back: All canids are pretty closely related and many are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. In fact the last common ancestor between wolves and coyotes probably either came about due to, or just generally had, genetic exchange with Dholes!
So, where is this going?
So all through US history, and really up until very recently, it has been the goal of this nation to kill every wolf in its borders, and it was largely successful in doing so. Wolves are removed, and coyotes move in to try and exploit their niche. They do okay with smaller ungulates. Surprise! There are still some wolves around, and as they disperse they end up in coyote-rich habitat. Not having options, lone wolves and plentiful coyotes occasionally breed. You’ve now got a 50/50 coywolf.
The coywolves you hear about in the news are not 50/50 splits. Remember, Coyotes and Wolves don’t generally get along. Coyotes are more receptive of strange new canids than wolves, they’re less territorial (except while denning), more likely to join up with unrelated coyotes. As a result the coywolves you hear so much about are more like 65% coyote mixes (the rest being Eastern and Western Wolf, and Dog) hence the shift toward using “Eastern Coyote.”
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Image: An Eastern Coyote walks through the snow, shoulders low, looking over its shoulder toward the camera. (www.ForestWander.com via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-3.0))
The Eastern Coyote is only 10-20 lbs heavier than a Western Coyote on average, it’s not any more likely to cause folks harm (at least that I can find). What’s special about them is that they are well adapted to moving and hunting in forested areas, and they are less frightened of human noise, meaning that they are more comfortable than extremely skittish wolves living at the edges of towns.
The Eastern Coyote further shows little sign of recent hybridization. The initial cross probably occurred in the north east US or southeast Canada in the nineteen teens or twenties.
What’s even more interesting is that this is definitely not the first time such an event is happened! While there is argument about the exact genetic history of the Western Wolf, Eastern Wolf, southeastern Red Wolf, Mexican Wolf, and Coyote, there are signs of mixing all over their genetics. There are black coyotes carrying a gene they must have gotten from either domestic dogs or indirectly from wolves. Red Wolves show many coyote markers from ancient admixture, despite many (if not most) researchers considering them a separate species from other wolves and coyotes!
Ultimately the Coywolf/Woyote/Eastern Coyote is a byproduct of humans upsetting the natural world, and the amazing ability of our world to say “Yeah, no.” When disturbed, nature starts to course correct, and an animal that can fill a niche will rise to fill it.These animals exist because we created an opportune environment for them, they now number in the millions, and will probably continue to exist, diverging from all their ancestral species into something fascinatingly new!
Living with predators can be complicated, but it’s a step we all need to take. Overpopulation of herbivores, a direct result of centuries of bad wildlife policy eliminating wild predator populations, causes billions of dollars worth of damage every year, and has resulted in new, and worsening, diseases in those herbivores. Predators are a critical part of our ecosystems, and it’s time we make peace with that. If Eastern Coyotes can survive alongside us, I say let them “take over.” Keep your pets in at night, don’t leave food out accessible to them, and make peace with the fact that nature might not be healing, but it’s figuring out a way to work despite us, despite destruction, just as it always has.
Again I hope someone with a stronger biology background can step in to weigh in on this. I’m a Park Ranger, I live around Western Wolves and Coyotes, I’m familiar with them, but I’m not super clued in to the current work being done on them. I am not in my lane writing this up, and while I hope I did the issue justice I’m sure there are things I don’t fully understand, and subjects I have not done justice to.
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