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melminli · 4 months

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teachers pet - by melanie martinez

pairing: young coriolanus snow x fem. reader

summery - if i'm so special, why am i secret?

word count: 2k+

contains: student coryo (academy is basically a uni), teacher reader, age gap (coryo is in his early twenties while the reader is somewhere in her thirties), teacher x student relationships, dark themes, cheating (reader is married), mommy issues, manipulating, blackmailing

The life of a nerd didn't look as bad as it was portrayed in movies or books. However, it must be said that Coriolanus Snow had neither the stereotypical look nor behavior of a nerd, which may have been the reason why he was hardly treated like one. He had only the best, the good grades of a model student, the popularity of a popular student, and the good looks of a young man his age.

Cute girls queued up to get a chance with him since he seemed like a dream. In a world full of boys, he was a gentleman, a young man with a secure future. Some of his classmates would joke that he would be the future president of Panem, although they always had a slightly confident undertone while saying that. To be honest, no one would be surprised if he would be someday.

"Come on, Coriolanus! Let's go for a drink, you're never coming with us!" Complained the voice of some side character. "I'm sure you have a good chance with most of the girls in the bar - or boys. Whatever you like, I don't judge." He joked, and Clemensia hit him on the shoulder with her fist to warn him to take it down a notch.

She spoke in his place. "Leave him be. He's not into that sort of thing. I'm sure he'd rather spend his time doing more productive things." A slight grin stretched across her features. "Maybe you should try that sometime. Perhaps then you wouldn't fail half the subjects."

Festus interrupted the conversation as he walked past the group. "Come on, Clemmie. Leave the poor guy alone. We're students. It's normal to go partying every now and then." His eyes looked somewhat defiantly at Coriolanus. "You only live once. There's no need to waste it."

Alcoholics and drug addicts use the same excuse, stupid idiot. Coriolanus had enough of this whole interaction. It was time to wrap it up. "Of course, and everyone is free to live this life the way they want." He said with a falsely charming smile when he finally got a chance to speak. "I'm afraid I don't have much time either, I'm already in demand elsewhere."

Unfortunately for him, Arachne couldn't hold her tongue and had to carry on the conversation. "And so late on a Wednesday, too? Don't tell me our teacher's pet is in trouble. Has Mrs. Lola finally realized that you're just trying to get better grades with your flirting, and she doesn't actually have a chance with the pretty boy?" She joked as she mentioned the older woman who was getting closer to retirement with each passing year.

But her comment didn't make the intended person bitter, but Festus, who had to grit his teeth in annoyance. "Can't believe that shit works. I complimented her the other day, and she gave me a look like she was cursing me and the rest of my bloodline." He sighed. "I don't even want kids."

Coriolanus was getting impatient. If at least Sejanus was here, he could cover for him enough to leave, but no, they didn't share every damn course there was. He couldn't believe that this bothered him somehow. "No. Actually, I have asked to speak with Mrs. Rosey regarding her assigned homework." He announced, mentioning your name.

His pretty literature teacher. The only woman he wanted.

The eyes of the person who had started the whole thing in the first place lit up briefly. Coriolanus didn't bother to remember his name. "Oh, she's that one young teacher, isn't she?" He asked. The title wasn't really that hard to get since most of the teachers at the academy were dinosaurs. "She's pretty hot, I regret dropping literature man, but at the end of the day it's just an unnecessary course that requires extra work."

Okay, now Coriolanus was not only annoyed but also angry and had to stop himself from looking too passionate. "Right, see you tomorrow." He quickly said goodbye and paid no further attention to what the others were saying as he made his way to the teachers' lounge. He quickly fixed his tie and hair before knocking on the door. Fortunately, he didn't meet anyone else in the corridors who wasted his time unnecessarily. His patience was getting thin, and he didn't think he had enough of it to make him exchange more false smiles and words.

"Come in..." He heard your muffled voice call through the door before he slowly opened it, and his eyes immediately turned to your table. You, too, looked up from the papers in front of you and met his figure as you turned your chair to the side. "Mr. Snow, you said you had a question about the assignment I gave you."

There was a step between you two, but your voice still felt close. Maybe it was because you two were the only ones in the room since it was pretty late. Now that Coriolanus was looking down at your figure, you looked quite exhausted and seemed barely able to keep your eyes open. Judging by your desk, you were in the middle of correcting last week's quiz, but he doubted that was the only thing you were working on. Your usually well-groomed appearance was a little more disheveled. There were strands of hair peeking out from various places, and the first few buttons of your shirt were undone. "You never called me." Was all he said as he watched you avoid his gaze.

Your tongue licked over your dry lips as you searched for the right words. "I don't think that has anything to do with the assignment." You replied. Maybe my mistake was, hoping he had a question in the first place. "I'm not going to talk about other matters, I'm busy." You tried to explain to him.

Coriolanus laughed in disbelief. He placed his coat and bag on the chair next to him before leaning back against your table. "Oh, please. I can understand you wanting to keep our special time a secret, but don't try to deny it." He spat out, placing his hand on the papers to stop you from continuing to work on it. "Do you regret the things we shared, huh? Don't lie to me."

You met his gaze after you sighed. "Look, Mr. Snow. I'm sure you'll understand me when I tell you that you should rather concentrate on your studies, don't you think?"

His jaw tightened further as you continued to skillfully evade his questions. As if you didn't care at all, as if you didn't care about him. He was fully aware that what he was getting into was something short-term, but he still wouldn't allow you to throw him away as easily as trash. "Oh, so it's Mr. Snow now? What happened to Coryo."

You stood up so you could speak to him at eye level. Coriolanus has always been a bit more clingy with you. You expected no less, and yet it didn't make this whole procedure any less difficult. "Look, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I'm married, and you know that." You tried to work through the situation. You grabbed his arms to comfort him with your touch. "There are so many young girls out there who want you. I'm so much older than you, and I'm also your teacher. From the beginning, this was something that wouldn't last."

He shook his head. "I don't care about them. It's you I want, please. Only you." He begged, and this time, he was the one who grabbed your arms to stop you from leaving, from leaving him. Coriolanus could see in your eyes how his desperation couldn't convince you, and he wished it would. Not only because he wanted to, but also so that he wouldn't have to resort to other methods, but you left him no other choice. "It would be a scandal if the whole thing came out, don't you think?"

You just sighed tiredly when he didn't let you go. "Sweetie..."

He softened a little at the pet name, but that didn't stop him. "No, you can't just use me until you're satisfied and then dispose of me. I will tell everyone and you know that as a teacher you will be in a position where people will accuse you of taking advantage of me." He explained as he pushed you between him and the desk while he watched the look of irritation on your face. His one hand came up to gently stroke your cheek, but his true intentions were visible through the strong grip on your arm. "And of course, you can try to tell the truth or try to defend yourself, but you know who they're more likely to believe."

He hadn't only pushed your body in a corner anymore. "So what? We're going to keep doing this until you're satisfied and let me go." You asked, seeing no long-lasting result.

That was your mistake. It hadn't been long since you'd been married, so Coriolanus was aware that you hadn't changed your surname. He liked that about you. He liked the sound of Rosey, and he too wanted to hold you like a little pretty rose in his grasp. "Yes. Except I won't let you go. Ever." he said with a slightly dreamy look.

You dared to disagree. "Mr. Snow - " you began, but changed your tone when you saw him grimace angrily and tighten his grip on your arm. " - Coryo, look. You're a smart boy, and yes, I enjoyed our time together, but it's not right that - "

" - I love you, and if it's wrong, then I don't want to be right. Why can't you understand that already? I know I'm young, but I'm not naive, so don't talk to me like I am." He spat out in annoyance and finally reached the end of his patience. His eyes glanced briefly next to you at the table where the sheets of paper were now messely scattered around. It seemed you were in the process of correcting his. how convenient. his hand grabbed it and held it in front of you. "Let's play a little game. If I pass this quiz, you'll give me something I want."

Your eyes didn't move from his. You knew you had to play along whether you wanted to or not, and you didn't seem to get far with values and morals. You doubted you would do it at all with him. "And what do you want?" You asked him simply.

He leaned closer to you. "A kiss."

You met his eyes and took the paper from his hand without even glancing at it. "You passed." You confirmed and pulled him into a soft kiss.

This is how he liked you. When you touched him tenderly like now and stroked his hair lovingly. Coriolanus only felt like this with you. Do you think he wouldn't have tried to get away from you? He did, first with several girls who just wanted him to give and give and he hated that they just took from him and thought it was enough if they just stood pretty next to him or leaned back and spread their legs. Hated them, and so he tried women who were older than him and then women who had the same color eyes as you, some who smiled like you and then some whose voice was similar to yours. He liked those the most because with them, he could just close his eyes and imagine it was you.

Then he finally got tired of just imagining it, and once he had a taste of what might be, there was no going back to his old ways.

"I love you." He finally said as you ended the kiss and he leaned his forehead against yours while his hands wrapped around yours. "Don't ever think about leaving me again and don't make me out to be crazy for wanting you."

What am I supposed to do with you, little snowflake, now that you don't melt away? "All right, Coryo, I won't." You just replied and saw no point in arguing with him anymore. You knew him well enough to know how possessive and dominant he could get. However, you liked him more when he was dependent on you and sought your approval. "But be good and a little nicer to me, will you?" You said and squeezed his hands. "Because if I wanted some stupid man who was full of himself, I'd go to my husband."

He nodded quickly, giving in easily now that it was clear that he had you. "Of course, anything you want. I'll do anything you want." He spoke and took your hand in his up to place a kiss on it. "All you have to do is ask for it."

Coriolanus would take care of your useless husband. You wouldn't need him when you were going to marry him soon.

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octoberclidan · 10 months

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Let It Out

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Note: this wasn't requested, this is just purely self indulgent. It's basically just my thoughts right now but in a world where Dean's there. I'm feeling kind of sad and just needed some Dean comfort, so this all came out in the space of an hour or so. There are most likely mistakes, but it did its job and I feel better now so I don't really care 🤷‍♀️

Masterlist

Story

[Y/N] sat at one of the tables in the bunker's library, she had a selection of the library's books on vampires laid out in front of her. Sam and Dean were out on a vampire hunt, but she'd decided to stay back this time. The Winchesters were the best hunters she'd ever heard of, and they'd taken her in not too long ago. She had been a hunter nearly all her life too, and she was good, just maybe not as good or as well known as the brothers. For the most part, [Y/N] was happy with her life. She was good at what she did, she saved lives, made the world a better place one monster at a time. Other hunters always complimented her when they worked together, she was knowledgeable, people looked to her for advice and valued her opinion on hunts. She lived with her two best friends, who she held very close to her heart. She loved staying up late researching with Sam, and she loved having Scooby Doo marathons with Dean. She lived in a warded, almost impenetrable bunker filled with all sorts of secrets, the answers to any supernatural question within her reach. Objectively, she had it pretty good.

However, she'd been struggling a little bit recently. Nothing that would make the boys notice, she wasn't really one to talk about her feelings, much like Dean in that regard. Just... little things. She wasn't anyone's first choice. Dean would always choose Sam, Sam would always choose Dean. Everyone she knew had their own person; someone who they'd choose over anyone else, someone they loved the most, someone they cared for the most, someone they couldn't live without. No one she knew had her in that position. [Y/N] didn't really have anyone in that position either. As she sat at the table, books at the ready in case one of the boys needed something, she wondered about who she would choose if she had to. Not even in a life or death situation, but say if they both called her at the same time. Would she really choose one over the other every time? Would she always answer Dean first, or always answer Sam first? Would it make a difference? She wasn't even sure if she really cared anymore.

Apart from that, she also felt a bit not needed recently too. She knew Sam wouldn't need to call her to ask her about vampire lore, he'd killed hundreds of them at this stage. Dean, having nearly become a vampire himself at one stage, obviously didn't need lore help on a vamp hunt either. He knew how to chop heads off. They didn't need her out there either, the two of them were more than enough to take down what sounded like a small nest themselves. She actually felt a little bit stupid, sitting there with the books out, phone sitting on the table after she'd double checked it wasn't on mute. They weren't going to need her for this. She hadn't received a notification at all since the previous night when Dean had sent her a quick 'made it to the motel, be back in a few days' text. She'd sent the boys a text earlier that day to tell them to let her know if they needed anything. They'd both read it. They hadn't responded. Of course they didn't need anything, not from her, they were the Winchesters.

She sat there staring at the old pages from the book she had open right in front of her, not taking anything in, just letting these thoughts go round and round in her head. It wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to justify feeling sad. She had everything she needed, nothing bad had happened. No one had said anything mean to her. She had no right feeling sorry for herself about not being Dean Winchester's number one priority. Still, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to different scenarios. What if she decided to just up and leave? Live on the road like she used to, go on solo hunts or meet up with a different hunter in every city. Would the boys ask her to come back? Or would they just wish her well, an 'it was nice having you, call us any time' sort of deal? She wasn't family, she wasn't like Cas, or Bobby. She wasn't even like Jody or Donna, she hadn't known them that long. She'd only ended up living in the bunker because she didn't have a place of her own, and Sam had suggested she take a room there after they'd gone on a few hunts together. The domesticity of her relationship with the boys was only out of convenience. The movie nights, late night celebrations at the bar, research days, game nights, long drives... they'd all go on whether or not she was there.

It was 2am when she realised her eyes were slightly stinging, dry from her blank staring, slightly aching from her effort to not give in to the sadness and start crying. Her back felt a bit stiff from sitting in the hard chair for hours too. She grabbed the book right in front of her and migrated to the couch in the back of the library, moving almost in autopilot, the self pitying thoughts still occupying most of her mind. She lay down on her back for a few minutes, trying to stretch out and relieve some of the tension she'd built up over the course of the day. With a sigh, she rolled over to her side and propped her head up with her elbow, leaning on the armrest. She had the book open in front of her on the couch, and she lazily flicked through the pages, still not really taking anything in. The tiredness had taken over and her eyes had been long closed by the time her phone buzzed from the table.

***

"No answer?" Dean asked from the drivers side, and Sam shook his head. "Try calling her, we're gonna be passing the diner in about five minutes".

"Right, yeah I'll call her now". Sam lifted his phone up to his ear and waited, but it rang out, a familiar voice telling him to leave a message. "Nope, nothing".

"That's not like her, what time is it? 1? 2?" Dean began tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he stopped at a traffic light.

"Just after 1pm, yeah. Maybe she's out and didn't bring her phone?"

"She never goes anywhere without her phone Sammy".

"Well maybe she's in the shower or something? Let's just stop in the diner anyway and pick up lunch, she always orders the same thing, we'll just get that". Sam watched as Dean's focus was glued to the traffic light, clearly ready to go as soon as it turned green. "Or if you're anxious about getting back, we can skip the diner". Sam tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice as he suggested this. He'd been looking forward to some food all day, having left their motel very early that morning. Dean had texted [Y/N] to tell her they'd finished up the hunt and were on their way home several hours ago, but she hadn't read it yet. Their plan was to stop in their favourite local diner on the way back and get some hot food for lunch, and Sam had texted [Y/N] to ask if she wanted anything, but she hadn't responded to him either, hadn't even read his text.

"I think we should just get back, you can go back out for food if you want". Dean floored it the second the light turned green, pushing Sam back into his seat. He looked at the determination in his brother's face and knew there was no point arguing. Dean hadn't said anything, but Sam knew how he felt about [Y/N]. She might not have noticed it, but Sam always caught Dean's lingering glances, the longing in his eyes as he listened to [Y/N]'s stories, the blush on his cheeks when she complimented him on something. Sam didn't know if they'd ever spoken to each other about something more than friendship, but secretly he shipped them. He knew [Y/N] would be good for Dean, she brought out a lighter side of him. He was more comfortable in his own skin around her, he was more enthusiastic about taking a break from hunting when she was there to spend time with, he was more likely to open up to her when something was on his mind. Sam was actually planning on asking [Y/N] about Dean, he wanted to see if he could get something started with them and he knew he'd probably have a better chance if he started with [Y/N].

"Yeah okay, sure". Sam pressed his hand onto his stomach to muffle the grumbling coming from it, and stared out the window as he watched the bunker come into view. As soon as Dean parked the car, he was out and taking two steps at a time down the bunker's staircase, immediately searching for [Y/N]. He went straight to her room, but the door was open and she wasn't in there. He checked the kitchen but she wasn't there either, and she wasn't in the Dean Cave. He called her name out as he wandered around the bunker, but there was no response. Working up into a bit of a panic, finally, he walked through to the library, noting the spread of books on the table. A soft snore brought his attention to the couch, where she was curled up, sleeping on top of an open book. His shoulders dropped in relief to see that she was okay.

He quietly walked over and crouched down in front of her, carefully slipping the book out from under her head. He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, trying to see if she had a temperature. It wasn't like [Y/N] to be sleeping on the couch in the middle of the day, especially when she hadn't answered her phone from the morning either. His hand on her head stirred her, and her eyes fluttered open, slowly focusing on his face. "Hey Sweetheart". He gave her a smile and moved his hand from her forehead down to push her hair out of her face. "You feeling okay?" He kept his voice low, not wanting to disturb her any more than he had to. If it was Sam laying there, he would've thrown something at him or poked him. He had a soft spot for [Y/N] though, he couldn't help it, he felt a need to be gentle with her. She slowly shook her head and looked away from him. "You wanna tell me what's wrong?" He asked but she shook her head again. "What time did you go to sleep at?" She shrugged.

"You didn't need me". She mumbled, glancing at the books on the table, and Dean watched as a tear trickled down her cheek, instantly causing his heart to ache.

"Sweetheart, there was only one vampire, I didn't even need Sam there. We were in and out in twenty minutes, that's why we're back so early".

"Only one?" She sniffed, still not making eye contact with him.

"Yeah, only one. Not the brightest either". He chuckled lightly.

"Oh, okay". She whispered.

"I need you, you know that". He tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "Is that why you didn't want to come on the case? You don't feel needed?". She bit her lip, trying to hide the fact that it was quivering, and nodded her head. "Okay. Come on, sit up for me". Dean gripped her shoulders and pulled her up into a sitting position before sitting down next to her. "I'm not Sam, so you know I'm not great at this sort of thing, but uh, do you wanna talk about it? About how you're feeling I mean". He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she shook her head. "That's okay, that's cool". He wasn't quite sure what to do other than just sit there with her, so that's what he did. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Dean noticed that she was starting to lean into him, her head resting on his shoulder, and her breathing quite shaky. He knew she was crying, and he couldn't take it.

"Okay, come here". He took his arm back from around her shoulders and pushed himself off the couch, kneeling back down in front of her. Before she had a chance to ask what he was doing, he gently grabbed her waist and pulled her forward on the couch, her legs making room for him between them as he enveloped her in a hug. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, and he placed one of his hands on the back of her head, pushing it into his neck while he kept his other hand tight around her waist. "Let it out, I'm here".

She wasn't waiting for his permission, but as soon as he gave the command she lost all control and began to sob, her body shaking as she grabbed fistfulls of the back of his flannel, clinging to him. He just held her and ran his hands up and down her back. "You're okay, you're okay". He whispered into her ear as he brought a hand up to stroke her hair. "You mean the world to me, you make everything better, let me make you feel better too". He kissed her temple and pulled back slightly to look at her face once her shaking calmed down a bit and she'd caught her breath. "You tired?" He whispered and she nodded. "Okay, let's go". She didn't have time to react before he'd hooked his arms under her thighs and stood up with her, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. He kept his hands under her thighs as he began to walk, carrying her out of the library. She leaned her chin on his shoulder, her cheek pressed against the warmth of his neck, feeling the slight tickle of his stubble as he walked. She watched the library disappear behind them as he made his way towards the bedrooms, a small bubble of excitement taking over from the sadness as she watched him skip her room and push open the door to his.

[Y/N] had been in Dean's room before, but she'd never been in his bed. For all of his boasting about having the best bed in the bunker, he'd never shared it with anyone and had never let anyone try it. He reached down with her still in his arms to pull the covers back before laying her down, the softness of the memory foam instantly making her understand why he talked about his bed so much. She turned onto her side and she breathed in, calmed by the scent of his shampoo in the pillow. She looked up to him as he turned away to kick off his boots, and she watched in silence as he shrugged off his flannel and pushed his jeans down, leaving him in his boxers. It must have been an easy twenty minutes with the vampire, she couldn't see any new marks on him as she admired his back.

Dean turned back to the bed and sat down on the edge facing her. "Is this okay?" He asked as he looked to the space in the bed beside her. They'd only ever shared a bed once before, on a hunt when the motel only had one room left with two beds and no couch. Sam had taken one bed and had left Dean and [Y/N] to share the other. They'd both been a bit self conscious about it and had kept a distance between them, or as much a distance as the motel bed allowed. It was a bit awkward in the morning when they'd woken up face to face. Sharing a bed now was a choice, it was intimate, it was more than a hug or a shoulder to cry on. When she nodded, Dean lay down beside her and pulled the covers over both of them before pulling her over into his chest. "Wrap your arms around me". He murmured into the top of her head after gently kissing her hairline. She did as he said, and he shifted them so she was completely on top of him, her legs either side of his waist. He began to lightly massage the back of her neck with one hand while stroking her back with the other.

She'd stopped crying, and she gave herself permission to relax on Dean. She'd never felt so cared for before, so surrounded by affection. Dean's chest was warm, and even more comfortable than the memory foam mattress beneath them. She felt needed in this moment, like he wasn't doing this just for her. She felt like he was holding on to her like he needed it too, and he did. She felt safe, secure, and more than anything, wanted. They both knew that in this moment, their friendship had changed. It was no longer just friendship. They knew they'd have to talk about it in the morning, but for now, the two of them just enjoyed each other, holding onto one another until they drifted off to sleep.

The end

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ineffable-endearments · 8 months

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Exactly what are the different exactlies?

During this season, it's pretty clear that Aziraphale and Crowley both adore each other and humanity and want very much to be together. It's also pretty clear that, even before Heaven came and made Aziraphale an offer he probably couldn't refuse, he and Crowley weren't quite on the same page regarding...well, just what they are.

What the heck? How can their feelings be so mutual and so out of sync?

Well, I always said Aziraphale was the collectivist and Crowley was the individualist, and Season 2 has only made me more certain of it. These sound like such boring and dry concepts, but they get to the heart of even their most extreme issues - for example, Aziraphale's denial about Heaven as a dangerous place originates with his incredibly deep-seated need to believe in and belong to a collective.

At his worst, Aziraphale can subsume Crowley - jumping so enthusiastically on the "our car" bandwagon that he changed a bunch of things about the Bentley is an excellent example of how he was basically ready to assimilate Crowley into his own identity. And, of course, had he actually brought Crowley back to Heaven, that, too, would have taken away everything that makes Crowley himself. This is Aziraphale being a "rebound mess," feeling at loose ends because he's lost his sense of belonging with Heaven and wants Crowley to meet all these newly-dangling emotional needs.

But at his best, Aziraphale helps connect Crowley to others and to the world. He's usually the one introducing individual humans to Crowley. He gives Crowley excuses to be helpful, both to him and to others. He pulls Crowley into fun, more pleasurable human activities, like eating oysters at Petronius's and watching Shakespeare plays, when Crowley is having trouble seeing anything but work. At the end of both seasons, Aziraphale has been the one who insisted on actively pushing for a greater cause.

Of course Aziraphale was drawn back into Heaven. Whether you're considering his weakest points, like his need for approval from anyone he believes has authority, or his strongest, like his genuine wish for things to be Better For Everyone, he leans into collectives.

At his worst, Crowley can isolate Aziraphale. Aziraphale is sort of Crowley's one major interpersonal commitment, and while Aziraphale enjoys this, it does create a lopsided situation where they're each focused on different things. And Crowley loves humans conceptually, but because he wants to avoid the pain of getting attached to mortals, he is pretty quick to let his connections to humans go. While influencing Aziraphale away from Heaven is a good thing, Crowley doesn't have another very strong community to influence Aziraphale toward.

But at his best, Crowley has helped Aziraphale develop himself outside of the corrupt institution that has tried so hard to crush every ounce of conscience and individuality out of him. Many of the Earthly pleasures that Aziraphale tries to draw Crowley toward are things that Crowley introduced him to in the first place! Crowley's individualism encourages Aziraphale to try things that he's been conditioned not to try, and then Aziraphale's instinct for getting attached to things he enjoys can take over.

Of course Crowley has to think of himself and Aziraphale as an isolated unit. That's a clear-eyed view of what they really are in the world of immortal beings.

Now, I've argued before that Heaven is all about the Collective and Hell is all about hard-scrabble individualism. We have these two Sides, one of which demands its angels give up all individuality and follow the group at all costs, and the other of which demands its demons constantly fight for their own survival with a desperate scarcity of space and resources.

It's through time on Earth and the things they admire about each other that Crowley and Aziraphale have become different from Heaven and Hell, respectively. Aziraphale is thrilled to have discovered himself, someone who exists outside of Heaven. Crowley, meanwhile, is thrilled to connect with someone else in a gentle, intimate way that Hell would never allow. But Aziraphale still has that need to Belong baked in, and Crowley will always need to be his own boss with his own priorities.

Fortunately, there is a "side" that is really very good at creating smaller, more intimate groups within larger societies, fulfilling both needs, and that is Humanity.

#good omens #go s2 #good omens 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #go s2 spoilers

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ms-scarletwings · 2 months

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Irken Zim’s 8 biggest fans

For funsies! As we are well aware, this guy has a lot of gut-haters and censurers across the galaxy. Over his long years of life, he’s gained a proud infamy from every corner of the Irken empire, all the way to the fringes beyond, and the number of critics snapping at his heels only grows with every adventure. Whole civilizations sit at their seat’s edge waiting for this invader’s downfall, but what of those who defy all odds, expectations, maybe even logic? Even devils somehow find worshippers, even criminals get fan mail, and even Invader Zim has someone rooting for him within the 4th wall. Weirdly quite a handful of them, actually, let’s recount.

8. Table Headed Service Drone Bob

It’s humorous, how odd circumstance can make for strange advocacy. The show’s universe operates on the rule of funny, and Bob just so happened to be in the right place and time to comedically become the only Irken alive with something to gain from Zim’s success, and so much to lose for his failure. The sheer unfairness of what the Tallest put him through along with Zim serving some hope for a miracle ticket out of his low standing seemed to snap something in him, even if just for an episode. It would make sense for anyone in his position to have a much more dampened love for their society and leaders, to the point where cheering on its greatest enemy would be preferable than another moment of being a doormat. An underdog rooting for an underdog, even if for purely selfish and coincidental reasons.

7. The Judgementia Control brains

Even more deliciously ironic, isn’t it- That Zim’s praise was be sung once from the very bottom rung of Irken society and then again from the highest spike? What better to follow up poor Bobby than another victim of astronomical circumstance, or rather, three victims together? The nutshell recap of “The Trial’s” plot climax spells out the tragedy of, what is basically Irk’s highest court officials, to become he first ever victims of Zim’s malignant code becoming a contagion. They’ve joined the Fanclub, even if against their will, and all the better for Zim this time to have support from such a high place, seeing that it literally saved his hide in this instance.

6. Dib Membrane

Yeah, that’s freaking right. He’s on the list. You think being a hype man and a mortal rival are mutually exclusive? You either haven’t been watching enough DBZ or you haven’t been watching enough Hellsing and should fix that. Anyway, and I’m speaking within the actual canon dynamic of these two… it is very important to Zim that Dib is perceived as a formidable opponent to bluster his own ego, and vise versa. Dib is not in any self-serving position to accept what an actual mess Zim’s operation is, even though he has more evidence of the alien’s horrible tactics, nonsense plans, failures, etc. than anyone else on the planet. Gaz can see Zim for exactly what he is and why fighting him doesn’t have to be this 24/7 urgent priority. Dib refuses to get that because stopping Zim’s pop-up schemes only keeps the score tied for them. They’ve both been at this long enough to get incredibly frustrated with the lack of progression regarding the big picture goals, taking over the world, and exposing a live alien to the world, respectively. I don’t think he has to keep describing this space goblin as some ultra-cunning master of villainy, or GIR as this nefarious minion because that’s what he actually thinks of them, but because if he admits otherwise, that’s not a great reflection of his own merit for the obvious reasons. Just the presentation of another dimension’s version of himself succeeding against Zim before him causes a spiral of self doubt, just as it can bring Zim to a minor panic watching other invaders leaving him in the dust. Dib wants this guy to be a challenge worth the victory lap when he finally gets what he’s been fighting so hard for.

When Zim is getting on some truly idiotic antics, Dib doesn’t actually revel in his disorganized stupidity, but meets it with a baffled or annoyed disappointment. Like me watching a character I thought was super badass suddenly do something that reveals them to just be utterly lame. Too often he almost comes off like he is critiquing Zim’s performance as a villain rather than,, you know, the fact that Zim is a villain in the first place. It more than once has led to accidentally giving the guy new ideas or pointers on how to do his own job better once in a while. If I were in Dib’s place I would under NO circumstances be giving Zim advice or corrections on what he’s doing “badly” when it comes to the invader thing, but, whatever makes you feel cool & smart, you little dork. There’s also the whole “Dib’s hatred for Zim belies his geeky fixation with aliens broadly” angle I’ve mentioned here or there before, and don’t mind to again. Studying/stalking Zim is only partially about defeating him. His curiosity over Irken tech, biology, etc. is still coming from a place of genuine scientific passion, as literally all of us know. And of course, on occasion the two make for unlikely allies against much bigger shared enemies.

5. Minimoose

Oh come on, how much could I even have to say about this moose-weapon? He has two fathers and is fully aware that Zim is one of them. Assuming we all here know about the cute Florpus quote; no need to recap the whole existence of the lil guy.

4. Invader Skoodge

Now this guy… this guy ain’t right. Exactly here, at this (I say with love) loser of an invader, we reach two tipping points when it comes to Zim-affinity. One, the tipping point where Zim ceases to ask for and ceases to appreciate the toadying. Two, the point where I actually kind of struggle to find any rational explanation for the toady’s behavior. Like I’ve tried and I genuinely don’t know how to put together how Skoodge keeps jumping into this position other than ‘it’s that funny’ or some weird familiarity from smeethood factor. All of the invaders know what Zim has done and what he’s capable of. He’s a consistent terrorist of his own kin and defamed as the greatest disgrace to the Empire. The two options for how to feel about Zim as any random Irken soldier are fear, and/or loathing. If Skoodge were just neutral or indifferent of Zim, that’d be pretty freaking odd. But Skoodge interacts with Zim on the level of at least a lukewarm acquaintance, readily even deferring to his command, despite the fact that he nearly dies every single time he does so. He survives miles of being chased by a monster on Hobo-13, he makes it to the finish line, and his first reaction is to let Zim know he’s made it in one piece. He decides to lay low and slack off after getting fired (into the blighted surface of Blorch) and out of the entire universe to choose from, he decides to go hole up at Zim’s place and stay conveniently out of the way for some time. Dude finally shows himself in the unfinished scripts, and it’s to motherfucking help Zim troll around with Dib. I’m up at night wondering what is going on in Skoodge’s head because he’s n o t an idiot. He’s a real invader in all other respects, just as competent and nationalistic as the rest of them. Easily suggestible, yes, but not stupid. There’s basically no way for him to be ignorant of the big lie the Tallest sold Zim, yet he chooses not to utter a peep on the matter. Pity? A bizarre sense of solidarity?? A delusional one sided friendship??? Don’t look at me like I know other than the fact that he’s on our protag’s team, in spirit. The wannabe Irwin to Zim’s Billy, essentially.

3. Keef

So yeah of all things to blow Skoodge’s unhealthy attachment clean out of the water, we stumbled into this freak of a human child. Keef is a loyal compadre to a fault. A huge, creepy fault. Kid was originally supposed to make a return as well, wherein he was no less of a stubborn stalker than already proven once. And extra points for the irrational selflessness. Even while demonstrating an understanding of what Zim did in Dark Harvest, possibly even with the memory of that whole squirrel incident, he still wishes nothing but for the ability to put a smile on his green friend’s face.

2. The Amoeboid Cult

And when none thought that the scary conviction Zim garnered on Earth could be his biggest fans, you find this little ditty in the comics, and it starts turning into an irresponsible god analogy fairly quick. The short recap is that following a crash on a strange planet, the Voot Runner starts leaking fluids that inadvertently spark abiogenesis, which results in the creation of a rapidly evolving race of blob-things. Seizing an opportunity, Zim at first demands their followership, and then shortly after gets fed up with it as he did the previous fanatic on the list. Nonetheless, the cell people continue to reproduce and age thousands of years their time in the span of a couple minutes, never losing that zeal for their unintentional creator, even going so far as to repair the cruiser despite Zim’s rejection of them. Out of what little they gathered about him during his short visit, they correctly learned he’s a destructive god who planned to abandon them as soon as he could. Their last wish as a civilization? For this god to also obliterate them, as final treat. Such was their devotion that it even left Zim himself completely baffled for a moment when its full depth was revealed.

1. GIR

You watch this show, right? Yeah? Henchman and sidekick number one? Chaotic thing this whole fandom can’t decide to perceive as an adoptive child or a talking pet? He may not be as competent in pleasing Zim’s wishes as minimoose, or as focused, but his heart and loyalty are ultimately with their intended master, unconditionally and for as long as this setting has continued.

#invader zim #iz #iz analysis #scarlet talks about things #long post

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anonymoushouseplantfan · 5 months

Text

Steph the Alter Nerd is reading Omid’s new book.

Following the live read:

I joined late so Steph was already reading. She was starting the Sophie section. Seriously, why pick on Sophie who just puts her head down and focuses on work? That’s strikes me as unnecessarily vile.

Omid apparently thinks Charles hasn’t modernized the monarchy. Dude is an environmental icon and we now have a blended family in BP. That may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you can’t deny that it’s modern.

Apparently Omid writes pages and pages about Charles’ “leaky pen” incident. It’s just a pen, Omid. Omid thinks this means Charles may not be up to the job, lololol. I’m dying. Mind you, Omid worships Harry who stripped in Vegas, wore a Nazi uniform, and called his fellow soldiers names. But yes, the leaky pen is far more significant than all that, somehow.

Really boring part about government stuff. Charles negotiates and reaches compromises with the government and that’s apparently bad? Also, Charles didn’t know what to expect after he became King??? Lolololol.

Charles lost sympathy for the Harkles after the documentary. Well, duh. We all did, Omid. That documentary was a huge own goal.

He blames the Royal Family for the documentary’s melodrama? Seriously? Who was crying on Oprah? Who was crying in a rented Vancouver mansion with her head wrapped in a towel? Who dropped hot, salty tears on her Hermes blanket? That’s the person responsible for the melodrama.

Anne supposedly kicked them out of Frogmore. I suspect this is fanfiction, but I love it. I want it to be true. This is my headcanon now.

And I do thin fanfiction is the right term for this book. The BRF is super popular right now so the book thesis itself (that the BRF is in trouble) is pretty fantastical.

This book seems very, very boring. Omid seems to be desperately trying to argue that Charles’ first year went badly, but that’s just not reality. Omid used to be better at spinning than this.

Make the Royals Great Again? Uh, that was done in 2011. Everything we are seeing now was planted way back then, down to Kate’s leafy crown. There’s a general lack of both self-awareness and historical awareness in this book. Omid writes like someone who first became a “royal reporter” in 2016…which is exactly what he is. Too bad, because I do think there’s an interesting analysis that could be made regarding 2023 and it’s place in royal pr. That’s above Omid’s pay grade though.

Lol, Omid discusses UK politics and it’s every bit as much of a disaster as one would expect. Stick to gossip, Omid.

Ok, Steph’s hydrating, so let’s step back for a minute and recall what this book was supposed to be. This was to be “Finding Freedom 2.0,” a chronicle of the Harkle post-Megxit success story. The publishers clearly didn’t like that and they made Omid write a book about the family as a whole. That’s because there was no Harkle success story and the publisher didn’t think another Harkle book would sell. Unfortunately, Omid is a Harkle specialist. He can’t write a book about the family (let alone successfully argue for its imminent demise). He simply doesn’t know enough.

Back to Steph. We’re now in Harry’s military service? Er, why? We jumped from 2023 to 2016 and now to the Afghanistan War?

I agree with Steph that Omid’s trying to associate the royals with MAGA and I can’t even articulate how stupid that is. Completely different countries, completely different cultures, completely different iconography. Just doesn’t work.

Now we’re at the Coronation Concert? The royals are in trouble because Elton wasn’t at the concert! Lolololol. The Harkle bubble is out of this world. Basically, if their inner circle wasn’t centered (Oprah, Elton, Omid, etc…), it’s because of a MAGA conspiracy that will bring the royals down.

Something, something throne. Charles looked awkward again. Constitutional crisis!

I feel like I’m grading student briefs. There’s a way to argue this and there is evidence you can cite for this argument, but this isn’t it. You shouldn’t write pages and pages about a leaky pen and then minimize the bags of charity money as “perception.” You should start with the bags of charity money then use the leaky pen to bolster the “perception” argument.

Another disagreement with the government. Aargh! That should be lumped together with the other arguments with the government. Or it shouldn’t be mentioned at all. You’re arguing that Charles is and old-fashioned idiot who is not a good king, so why make him look like someone who is aware of current social issues and engaged with his government?

Racism. Finally! No wait, it’s boring.

Charles had an affair with Camilla. Lol, that’s not exactly news, love. The time jumping is driving me nuts.

Took a break to let the dog out and now we’re in Andrew’s interview. Of course we are.

Will exiled Andrew. I hope this is true. Wait, that’s the famous “power struggle”? Andrew??? I don’t think that’s a power struggle. That’s just Charles passing the buck.

Oh, lord. More Andrew. That’s it. I’m going to bed. I’ll tune back tomorrow.

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animeyanderelover · 1 year

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What about platonic yandere Rachel and Vincent Phantomhive if they survive au? With reader who isekai'd from our world that miss her family?

I added their children in here too.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, delusion, manipulation, guilt-tripping, sabotage, clinginess, imprisonment

Isekai reader

🍓 🌓 Rachel's kindness is what saved you on that day where her husband and her children found you. A day where both her asthma and the asthma of her youngest child were better and the whole family was able to go outside. Strays and homeless aren't uncommon to be seen in the darkest streets of London or begging somewhere for money but it's the first time for both of their boys to see someone homeless. You're just sitting in one of the corners, ragged clothes hugging your form as you just sit there with dull and lifeless eyes. The youngest son sees you and approaches you with his childish curiosity, pities you. Vincent, slightly alarmed, is quick to follow him just in case. When his son asks you why you're sitting outside like this, he quickly hushes him and apologizes for the insensible question of his child. You just stare at him with a stoic expression before you look away. It's truly a pitiful sight to behold.

🍓 🌓 Pitiful enough to soften Rachel's heart as she realizes how young you are. She isn't able to go outside that much due to her health so she doesn't see how hard the life of people tends to be. She asks her husband if they can invite you for just one meal and her youngest son agrees as he also wants to do something good for you. Vincent and Ciel hesitate for a while but in the end can't reject the pleads of those two. You just trail quietly behind the family, don't speak much when Rachel and her son try to talk to you. Rachel respects that though, she doesn't know what you've gone through after all. You stop shortly before you arrive in front of their mansion, look at the place in a mix of awe and horror. You turn to them and ask them flabbergasted why they would let you inside, they've basically picked you up on the streets. Vincent reminds you coldly that this is only one time only to be interrupted by his wife who tells you kindly that she wants to help you at least a bit.

🍓 🌓 The servants look at you in shock but quickly comply when they hear what the wish of their mistress is. You are given a new set of clothes and are pushed to take a bath since you reek. Well, you haven't been able to take a good bath in quite a while. In the meantime Vincent questions Rachel if she's going to invite every homeless person over now but she is vehement to insist that she knows that she can't help every person who suffers. But she just couldn't ignore you, you looked so frail and lost. When you are led to the dining room, you grow slightly nervous to be in the presence of those people. Rachel compliments you for looking fine now that you wear fresh clothes and are cleaned. The meal you have is better than everything you've had since you've arrived here but despite that you mind your table manners since you're in the presence of nobles in here. You surprise Vincent a bit with that since you're far more mannered than he initially thought you'd be.

🍓 🌓 What really ends up shocking him is your educational level and your insight on certain things. You keep quiet throughout the whole meal, are far too ashamed to even look at this family. It isn't until Vincent and Ciel start a insightful conversation about something that perks your interest. All it really takes is one comment from you in regards of their conversation that suddenly earns you the earl's attention. You quickly apologize, terribly ashamed and embarrassed that you just butted into their conversation like this. But instead Vincent encourages you to join the discussion they have and even if you are more careful with your answers, he can clearly sense that you are smarter than you might let on. You know more than the basics in things like maths and physics and prove to have an educational level which not everyone has. Not to mention that you seem to be very insightful. It surprises him to discover just how knowledgeable you are.

🍓 🌓 The meal takes longer than intended which is mainly because your answers and guesses push Vincent to chat with you longer and the whole family joins in at one point. You definitely have their curiosity now which embarrasses and flatters you all together. When you've finally gotten to the end of it, you stand up and bow deeply, thank them for their hospitality and that you'll leave now. Instead Vincent tells you to stay here for a while longer since he wants to discuss something with Rachel. The children are sent to bed by the servants whilst you are led into a huge room where you sit down on the couch and just wait awkwardly. You feel terribly out of place. The couple returns after a while and before Vincent can even start to explain, Rachel asks you if you'd like to work for them. You just stare at both of them surprised and then your gaze turns to the earl. Didn't he tell you that you would leave as soon as the dinner would be over?

🍓 🌓 Vincent then explains to you that he wouldn't just take any stranger into his house and he'll certainly make sure that Rachel won't take every homeless person in. The only reason he's offering you such a position is because he thinks your knowledge would be wasted in the streets. He has a distinct feeling that you're special and he intends to trust his intuition on this one. You mull over their offer for a while with Rachel awaiting your answer eagerly. You don't have anywhere to go anyways and you have no idea if you can ever return. You should at least make sure that you have a roof over your head and can take care of your own life by having a job and earning money. Considering all of that makes your answer obvious. You agree and within the same night you're given a bed and a room which you have to share with some of the other maids. You're happy though that you finally can enjoy the comfort of a mattress, a pillow and a blanket again.

🍓 🌓 At first some of the servants are unsure how to feel about you since you're still someone who came from the streets. Vincent asks you sooner than expected about what exactly happened in your past, something Rachel chastises him for since he shouldn't push you. You have probably led a bad life so far. He should be more sensible and give you a bit more time. You just stare at him for a while and he can see in your eyes that you're reliving some bad memories right now. The only thing you tell both of them then is that you're entire family is gone and that you'll never be able to see them again. You ask Rachel after that if you can leave and she excuses you, apologizes to you for having to recall such sad memories. Vincent could dig deeper but knows that he probably should let it be, he has seen the pain in your eyes. He's still a bit curious to know where exactly you were taught so much.

🍓 🌓 Luckily you manage to blend in quickly with the rest of the servants who soon accept you. They see how hard you work and when they catch glimpses of your educational knowledge they understand why their earl offered you this place. You are always ready to help and are quick and willing to learn new tasks you apparently haven't done before. Rachel asks you almost every time how you're doing and if you've grown used to this place yet and her youngest son seems always eager to talk with you for a bit. Vincent and Ciel like to chat with you since you surprise them sometimes with your wisedom, especially Vincent is fascinated with your answers and predictions you sometimes make. Everything is almost good but Rachel gets told that you often just stay in your room, that you suffer often nightmares at night and that some of them have caught you silently crying somewhere before. Your past still makes you suffer greatly apparently.

🍓 🌓 Rachel seeks you out, worried for you although you tell her that she shouldn't concern herself too much with you. It's true that you miss your family but you can't do anything about it since they're gone now. She still tells you that you can always come to her if you need to talk with someone. You're touched by her kindness, know that you can most likely never tell her the truth about what really happened though. The whole family is rather fond of you at one point though. You become pretty much Rachel's personal maid at one point and she spends much time with you when she's bedridden due to her condition. Vincent often asks you about your opinions on certain topics since he trusts your advices since you always consider things from a different perspective than him and sometimes seem to know how a certain situation will end. Ciel likes talking with you too due to your occasional humor and knowledge and his younger brother is really clingy and you often look out for those two when their parents are busy. Both don't mind a bit though and actually come sometimes running to you when they have a problem.

🍓 🌓 You don't talk much about your past and the little pieces of knowledge the household has lets most assume that your family was better of than the average citizen but died in a tragic accident and that that is the reason why you are so knowledgeable and have ended up on the streets. Something doesn't sit right with Vincent though. He has tried to do his research on you but couldn't find anything. There is no family with your last name you admitted accidentally to him at one point, there is no history with a family of that name who died for some reason. There is no family at all with that name in London. He doesn't believe your family to be the average citizens, the deepness of your education must mean that one of your family members must have been a teacher, a doctor or just richer. Then there is something else that arouses his suspicion at times. The way you behave and talk is rather eccentric at times, certain words sometimes leave your lips that he's never heard and your predictions, when you share them with him, are spot-on at times. As if you know what was going to happen.

🍓 🌓 Ciel sometimes also tells him that you tell his younger brother and him weird things at times when you're somewhere else with your thoughts and always try to cover it up afterwards. Son and father both feel like there is something you keep hidden from them and both want to know what that is. They can agree on the fact that whatever you keep a secret won't harm them though, you would never do something to hurt them. They just want to know because whatever it is you tell no one is a weight pulling on your heart. The distant and sad look at times, that one time Ciel and his brother caught you crying and your silent and sometimes downright depressing behavior. They can't bear to see you like this, they care too much.

🍓 🌓 By now your lifestyle has undergone a little change as the Phantomhive family might have grown a bit too attached to you. You have been working less and less in the kitchen or cleaned the house. Instead you spend a lot of time with Rachel and her husband, read stories to the youngest boy and are even allowed to help the twins with their education since you know enough to teach them. Ciel's younger brother also demands your presence a lot since he has asthma too and is often too sick to go outside which upsets him. So he wants you to play with him or read him some stories. Most of your meals are taken together with the family even though this isn't something that should happen considering that you're just a plain servant. You tell them so too but they just laugh it off and tell you that they want you to enjoy your food together with them. You even get your own private room instead of sharing a room with the other maidens.

🍓 🌓 Vincent doesn't want to threaten you even if he could do that with ease. You've become a part of his family, of their family by now. He knows that everyone feels the same way too so he can't force you to tell him. Not to mention that Rachek would never fully forgive you if he would use force against you. Instead him and Ciel try to coax you into telling them what your full story is. You know that they care for you so much after all, you can always come to them if it becomes too much for you alone to carry. Rachel and the youngest son are not informed about their plan for now though since both are much more purer and kinder. Rachel and her youngest are really clingy with you and especially the little one is often right next to you and hides behind you when he feels shy. Rachel gushes over both of you since you two are so adorable together, feels happier than ever with you as the lovely addition to this family. She often tells you that she views you like her own family too to let you know that she loves and cares for you.

🍓 🌓 You find yourself at times overwhelmed with all the affection that is thrown your way and the way Vincent and Rachel dote on you and their children. There is guilt embracing your heart too since you can't shake off the feeling that you're betraying your own family because of this situation. They aren't dead, just in a world so far away from where you are right now and this guilt gets the better of you at times when you abruptly try to distance yourself from the Phantomhive family to feel like you're loyal to your own. You can't do that for too long though since Vincent will order for the servants to get you if he realizes that you try to avoid them. He doesn't want Rachel and his youngest son to know since they'd be heartbroken and reminds you of that in a chiding tone too. He knows you could never be the cause of happiness for those two. Weirdly enough he sees right through you and even asks you if you isolate yourself because you can't let go of your own family. You give him a terrified and exposed look.

🍓 🌓 Vincent and Ciel are both slightly unhappy with your emotional inability to accept them as your new family. From the ways you act your family is either dead or will most likely never return to you so there shouldn't be a problem. Emotions have never been rational though and both are aware of that. At times you do seem truly happy though, feel like you really are part of their family and nothing brings Rachel greater joy than seeing the happy smile on your face when you interact with her youngest or joke around with Ciel. She wants you to always be like this but knows it's selfish from her to ask this of you, especially since you lost your real family which still affects you at times. She tells Vincent her dream nevertheless and he promises her that you just need time to recover. He will make sure that her dream will become a reality.

🍓 🌓 Months pass by where you still don't tell anyone about your past and grow more torn apart between what you used to have and still want and what you have now and have learned to treasure. Your guilt holds you back from truly acknowledging the Phantomhive family as your new family in this world and your heart breaks every time when the youngest son tells you that you're like an older sibling to him and that he loves you a lot or when Rachel gives you a gentle hug and smiles at you with this fond look of hers. It fills you with guilt and the emotional gaslighting that Vincent and sometimes even Ciel do to convince you to tell them only hurts you more. Until one night, after another nightmare of yours, the guilt kills you and you go straight to the chambers of Rachel and Vincent. Both are still tired when they wake up and see you standing there but as soon as they notice your tears and the sobs you try to hold back, both are awake. They both know that you most likely had another nightmare but this is the first time you've sought them out after one.

🍓 🌓 You slump down on the bed next to you, still distraught after your nightmare and both of them try their best to comfort you. Rachel embraces you with her warmth and Vincent caresses your hair. Both wait for you to tell them what has happened and you sob out that they probably won't believe you anyways if you tell them everything now. Rachel cradles your face in her hands carefully and promises to you that they'll believe you and the look in her eyes is what finally breaks you. Everything just spills out of you as you tell them that you came originally from another country but were somehow transported into this world and you have no way to come back home, don't know of any at least. Both of them share a short glance with each other and they know exactly what each other is thinking. They both believe you. Rachel because she knows you would never lie to her and Vincent because he is very good in telling whether someone is lying to him or not. He doesn't believe that you're lying to him and somehow everything makes perfect sense to him now. Your weird words and how you know so much. Both comfort you for the rest of the night.

🍓 🌓 The parents decide to tell their children nothing for now although they'll have to do that at one point. Ciel most likely suspects that something is going on and approaches his father who just tells him that he has to wait for a bit but promises to him that he'll definitely be told soon what has happened. Rachel grows more paranoid now that she knows the truth and it leads her to suffer under insecurities. It must be torture for you to know that your real family searches for you and hopes for you to return to them without knowing that you're stuck in a completely different world. She starts doubting if she can really make you happy and Vincent has to comfort her when she's distraught like this. She's more clingy and affects her youngest son too. He doesn't know what's going on but realizes that his mother is terrified for you which makes him more clingy and terrified too. He suddenly constantly wants to be with you and his mother since she'a afraid to leave you alone so he grows afraid too as soon as he can't find you.

🍓 🌓 Vincent is slightly disturbed. As fascinating as it might be to know that there are more worlds than the human eye will ever be able to see, he's a bit unsure. You've told Rachel and him that you don't think that you'll ever be able to return to your own world but there is no guarantee for that. You didn't know after all what triggered you to be sent to his world in the first place. There's no guarantee that the same won't happen again. It's frustrating since it's one of the few times where he is unable to control the situation and the lack of information makes it all even worse. It's ridiculous but the only thing he can do now is hoping that you truly will never return. He knows that this is selfish but Vincent is a egotistic man to begin with. His wife and children love you and he does too, he won't lose a precious family member. They're your new family after all, they can make you happy. Enough for you to stop being often so sad about your family in your original world.

#yandere black butler #yandere kuroshitsuji #yandere rachel #yandere rachel phantomhive #yandere vincent #yandere vincent phantomhive #yandere real ciel #yandere ciel #yandere ciel phantomhive #platonic yandere

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yourlocaltreesimp · 3 months

Text

Whatever you make of me

some word vomit i came up with. Special dedication to @trippygalaxy! Enjoy your SR!Link. Not proofread, im going to bed, this took hours

Tw: Kidnapping, mention of murder

｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

You’d always known Link to be kind. From the earliest days of your childhood you’d known him to be the definition of kind. He’d run errands for his grandfather, look after injured animals and even stood up to your childhood bullies on a few occasions. Point of the matter was, Link was a good willed person. Someone you could trust, and have on many occasions, with your life. Someone you would spend time, and currently are, walking to the edges of the world to ensure his safety.

He’s changed on some levels, sure, but he’s proven he’s still Link. He’s grown to be taller than you now, he’s let his hair get longer, he no longer trusts people with the same open heart, but you can tell that ultimately he’s the same person. He never pushed past your boundaries, he still lets you braid his hair, he still regards you with the same crooked smile as always. He’s just Link.

You were worried first upon seeing the Realm, it’s softly glowing gem off putting. There was something new about the scruffy farm boy you grew up with that you couldn’t place. Something aside from the obvious. There was more about him than there always was, something you couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about. You felt as if the era you knew him was coming to a close, as if watching him leave for his adventure was seeing him out of your life. So against better judgement, you followed after him.

It’s been months since then, though it didn’t really feel like it. You learned a lot since as well. Swords didn’t feel unfamiliar in your hands, you learned the basics of healing and even met a few spirits. Learning to fight was the hardest of the three, surprisingly. Between having the spirits of heroes since passed trying their hardest to pretend you’re capable of fighting alongside Link and the man himself making your heart rate double whenever he’s within a two metre range of you, learning how to sword fight was difficult. And yet you learned. You learned how to manage the weight of the sword and your body, you learned when to swing and when to dodge, you learned responsibility and respect for your blade. You learned to fight.

You also had to learn collateral for after the fight. What herbs numb, which others will actually heal. You were reckless on your own when you didn’t know how to use your blade, but Link did and somehow managed twice the bruising. But it allowed a methodical chore that bought you some time alone when it was needed. You’d take your journal of herbs and head off into the treeline, throwing an explanation to Link over your shoulder. And that’d be it. And you’d usually return an hour or so later, flowers and herbs in hand. And usually Wild and you would joke and share stories as you prepped the herbs into elixirs.

But the longer you struggled against the rope blinding you to the pillar, the more you realised that may not be the case. You may not make it back to Link. You may not see your village again.

Link has always known you to be courageous. Despite himself being the literal hero of courage, he often found himself looking toward you. From the earliest days of your childhood, he can recall the never dying fire within you. That determination to fight in whatever you’d set your mind toward, you had a grit to you that he found admirable. Alluring, even.

He’s aware now more so than ever that there are people who’d fight to take your place at his side. People who’d give up every bit of themselves to be with him. But seeing you grow around your own will of betterment made him realise how unique you really were. He really didn’t have anyone as much as he had you. Or, At least, He didn’t want to have anyone else as much as he wanted to have you. You were the one to see past the circumstances that shifted him of kilter, and yet you accepted the whole for what it was. You changed to adapt and yet stayed much the same.

He admits that while the both of you could’ve done anything and spent your time with anyone else, he’s glad he got to live with you. It was privilege, or perhaps payment for the life he was given. In any case, it’s not like he’d ever admit it wholly.

Maybe some small part of his heart could understand it of himself, but it’d never be something he’d speak out into the world. He wouldn’t dare so much as write such vulnerability into existence. It was something for years he’s wrestled down, a hunger he’s learned to manage. He’d never force himself upon your side, he’d come at your every beck and call, but he’d never even dream of being the source of your discomfort. He only wished to bring you the love you brought upon him. Such a feeling he told himself he could not acknowledge. Such a feeling that could drive a man to madness if they were not careful. Such a feeling would to him if he were not careful.

It had been hours since you’d told him you were leaving to forage, and with not much more aside from your scream, you were gone.

He could feel him pushing at himself, pushing for him to find you, to help you. And yet he was effectively helpless. It took him nearly a week to track down the solitary fort you were presumed to be in -of course that was always presuming that they hadn’t moved your location since then and that you were still alive.

His sword felt oddly light in his hands as he trekked through the entry to the fort. His memories from there are hazed, mixed and muddled together until he can’t make much sense of them. Such a thing tends to happen when he taps into too much of the realm’s power. He embraces his soul, it guides him through the movements, cutting down body after body with little genuine regard for the consequences. All he cares about is getting to you, making sure that you were safe as he should have been able to ensure. He failed in keeping you safe once, but you would be again by the end of the night.

Seeing your slumped body tied to the support pillar was a mixed sight. He was endlessly relieved that you were alive, sure. But if there was so much as a single scratch on your skin, he could not guarantee the lives of anyone in the building. It was as if, at that moment, there was no filter to him. There was no better judgement telling him to stop as he cut you free from your bindings. There was no second guessing as he stole the breath from your lips with his own. He drank you in after so long of being starved by your absence. There really wasn’t any replacing you, the sentiment was incorrect down to the principle.

Seeing Link again, there was something different. Not odd or bad, just something about him that you couldn’t place. The blood was the most glaring, you’d have to double check him for injuries when you both were out of here.

Rather, it was his behaviour that struck you as off. He fell to his knees and desperately cut you free of the rope, hardly giving you a moment to process before he kissed you. It was uncoordinated and a little messy, but it was made up for in giddy enthusiasm.

He pulled back, his eyes glowing -no short of the word- as they searched you over. They fixated on your rope burns before he pressed tender kisses there too and lifted you up bridal style, not so much as a murmur passed between the two of you. There was something off about Link, but you suppose nothing really changed.

#legend of zelda #link x reader #link x you #yandere link x reader #sacred realm #sr!link #sr!linkxreader #loz sacred realm

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honey-minded-hivemind · 6 months

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Okay, this is probably the only au for X-Men Evolution I'll make that isn't a reboot/reimagining. This idea, which I'm sure plenty of people have had, is this:

What if someone from our world/a darker version of our world ended up in the show?

Somehow the reader, who is from what I will call Earth 2020, ends up in X-Men Evolution, possibly dying on Earth 2020 and somehow being dropped into the series proper. And for the reader, they're a mix of emotions, but one stands out the most: Sheer, utter PANIC. They're likely dead, aren't anywhere they've been before, don't have any papers or documents, and are in a world set in 2000 where superpowers are real and adults try to kill kids on a near daily basis. Bby is going through a panic attack as they check what's with them, finding that the good news is they had all their saved money with them in their satchel, but nothing else of much use besides a calligraphy pen, pepper spray, and a ticket with a date that hasn't even happened in this world.

Reader knows they could try to get involved, could pretty much do whatever they wanted, help or hurt or anything they want with the knowledge they have... But... they'd rather do the right thing. They compile notes, writing down every major event of the series for both the X-Men and Brotherhood, warning them about things like Apocalypse, Sentinels, Hydra, Weapon X being back in commission, pointing out the things that should be avoided, such as brainwashing your daughter, tossing children off of cliffs, threatening a bunch of teenagers, manipulating everyone, etc. ... but reader also mentions ways they can change the worst of it from happening and begging them to help Laura and the Morlocks. And then adds final notes, the bad things that could happen throughout the next twenty years, from 9/11, the wars in Europe and the Middle East, the pandemic of Covid, the wildfires in North America and Australia, terrorist attacks in different parts of the globe, tsunamis and hurricanes and tornadoes, pretty much every disaster, they list it, when it was supposed to happen, and pleads to stop it, or alert someone who could... By the time reader is done writing down every disaster and crisis that they remember, they have piles of notes, even some with theories. And finally, the reader sends the notes, praying for the best. Then they promptly go to hide out in some small town far away from everything, because they fear what happens if someone finds out how they know everything and where they're from... If it doesn't end well for other people, who's to say it would end well for reader?

The X-Men and Brotherhood get the notes, and are more or less shocked, because what they have is about twenty years worth of disasters listed, with notes about what specifically happens regarding them. But, for some reason, they decide to listen, wondering if perhaps the writer of the notes was like Destiny, a mutant who could see the future... And somehow, things go better. Less tossing kids around and off of things, helping the Morlocks find a safer place to live, freeing Laura, and destroying the Sentinels before they are finished, it all happens, and everyone is relieved to know that they've avoided whatever was supposed to happen. Yet... where is the person who warned them? So begins the search for reader...

And reader ends up in Bayville, somehow. Apparently they're now in the foster system, developed a mutation (they wonder how that's possible, how would that work, they aren't from that world- ) and so far have been doing their best to get by. It helped that they lived through what was basically a dystopian world, since they know useful tricks for their survival, and with a mutation, hopefully that can keep them alive for just a bit longer.. They end up in the highschool, having to do everything in their power not to feel tense and have a break down. They're in the town where everyone else is in, they only have themself to rely on, and they have too much knowledge of everything around them, plus an ability that could alert others of them. They're glad they helped, elated even, but... anxiety still worms its way inside them. They don't know how to deal with their own thoughts and the world around them, every bit of knowledge sending them spiraling. Because if someone finds out it was them... then what? When do people ever take things like that well, that someone knew, that they're from a whole other world, and that they haven't done much else to do anything? Reader stays alert and tired, but keeps going. Besides all the crushing fear and loneliness, the 2000s are a lot better than 2020: lower cost of living, lower prices on food, less gun violence, less rioting, less noise...

Then, I guess with the help of Caliban or Jean, maybe even Xavier, the reader is discovered. And the two groups have to take a minute. The person who wrote the notes... is some scrawny teenager who trembles whenever someone talks to them, and jumps at the slightest noise? It's confusing. They were expecting someone older, maybe a time traveler, not... whoever this is. And the moment any of them try to approach, the kid just gets wide eyes and tries to get lost, avoiding anyone in the school like the plague. But, they finally are able to corner them and talk... And what they find is... terrifying.

From what they're able to find out from the reader, who's trembling like a leaf and trying not to cry, they're not from around there, they saw things happen, bad things, and thought if they gave a warning, it might help. And what Jean and/or Xavier can read from their mind is downright nightmarish, images of violence and memories of hate, of people hurting them, of destroying others, of a world filled with violence ad wars and plagues running rampant, anything and everything seemingly out to end their survival... Even how they ended up there, a hazy, near-forgotten memory of water and silt in their lungs and the world fading to black, a hand holding forcing them under... And all they can feel for them is sympathy, empathy in some cases, horror at what absolute H*ll they lived through... They offer aid, thanking them for helping them...

And the reader is just... relieved, that no one wants them dead. Hoping that this world truly doesn't want them dead, that they can breathe and not fear for their life...

The characters are glad that the reader is on their side, and isn't some evil genius bent on the destruction of mutants... but it isn't easy to know that the person who helped them lived in a world that sounded and looked like H*ll, and then eventually died, in one of the worst ways to go... And they can't help but feel a little protective of them, a little worried. Sure, their new ally is also a mutant, but they also barely know anything about their powers or how to handle normalcy, used to fighting for themself among peers... Not to mention that their new friend had to explain the reasons they kept a calligraphy pen with them, and the reason scared them, because who knew a fancy ink pen could be so dangerous-

Over time, they all grow to be platonic yandere-ish, if not fully platonic yandere. Reader helped them, it's only fair they repay that kindness. And they don't have to worry about them going back to the h*llscape they called home. It's not like they were going to let them go back, even if they could. Best to not think too deep on leaving, though. They aren't leaving, ever...

(I've been wondering about this idea for awhile now, and I plan to make a playlist for this au, simply because why not? Expect plenty of Panic! At The Disco, and a song from Lemon Demon😊💛🧡)

Bonus:

Reader, staring at the handful of adults for the Brotherhood: For Best Parent of the Brotherhood, at least in the original timeline, I think?, I nominate... Lance

Adults: What? Why him? He's a teenager!

Reader: Well, originally, Mr. Lehnsherr seems to only showed up when he wants something, instead of being there to help his kids, let alone everyone else, and leaves the kids on their own, Mystique had threatened them, left them on their own with no supervision, and tried to toss children off of cliffs, and Mr. Victor doesn't have kids as far as I know, but if he is related to Mr. Logan, I'm not sure he had been a good parent or brother or whatever he is, due to capturing him for the person who put a control chip in his head, and also trying to kill him. So, that leaves the other acolytes. Who are never here. And also tried to kill the kids. Yeah, so, that leaves the actual Broterhood teens. And the only one who has acted anywhere near enough to keeping them alive and taking care of the group's needs is... Lance. So, by default, if not by actual execution, the winner of Best Brotherhood Parent is Lance. Good job👍

Adult Brotherhood Members: Wait, we did WHAT?!

Acolytes: Thank heavens we aren't parents

Erik: I did WHAT to Wanda?!

Mystique: I tricked my own daughter, and lost both her and Kurt?!

...

Victor: Wait, I'm Logan's what now?!

Reader: That might only be a theory, I'm not sure...

One DNA test later...

Test: positive

Victor:😳☹👀

Reader: Well... in my defense, I only thought it was a theory... Um... Should I say sorry, or congratulations?

Extra Bonus:

Reader, presenting each character with a gift: This is hand-made, so I did my best. I'm sorry if you don't like it🎁

Everyone: It can't be that bad opens their gifts

Everyone:

Reader: Do you like it? I'm not the best at this stuff, but, I did read three different books a few months ago... And spent the last three weeks working on these...

Everyone, holding an oddly-made crocheted scarf with their theme/colors: trying not to cry Its... nice puts it on🧣😭

Also them: Don't ever leave, please🥺☹

Reader: Um... I wasn't planning on it

Everyone: Good... because we aren't joking. If you leave, we will find you

Reader, realizing that maybe something might have just changed: Um... that's... sweet... worrying now if they're in danger😟

Everyone: 😊🥰😍💖

#honeycomb thoughts #platonic yandere marvel #yandere platonic marvel #platonic yandere marvel x reader #platonic yandere xmen #yandere x-men #platonic yandere #platonic yandere x reader #platonic yandere xmen evolution #xmen evolution #Earth 2020

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warrioreowynofrohan · 11 months

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@potatoobsessed999 oh eyyy you read the scholomance books! talk to me about the scholomance books!!!

Oh, lots of thoughts!

I’ve only read the first and third ones (and read the TVtropes entry for the second), but I enjoyed them a lot! The biggest thing that sticks out to me as a very intentional theme is that, unlike most action-oriented stories, they’re not really about the protagonist defeating a main villain or groups of villains: instead, the antagonist is the status quo, the structure of society and people’s acceptance of that structure. It’s not about defeating the bad people because, essentially, everyone is the bad people, and everyone is the good people: the third book in particular focuses on both the willingness of ordinary people to do and accept horrific things and their willingness to do better when they’re shown an alternative and pushed towards it.

One of the things that the series solidified for me is the idea that ‘there is no alternative’ is the voice of evil. People will do and accept terribly evil things so long as they’re convinced that these things are the only option, or that every other possible option is worse. El’s mother stands out as the character who defies this: she will not live in an enclave, even for the sake of her infant daughter’s safety, knowing what they are built on. She will do and sacrifice anything for her daughter except going against her conscience. This makes her bargain/petition - even though she could not know and did not intend its consequences - appropriate to the story, because it’s flowing from a place of sincerity: an alternative to the evil of the current system is what she cares about most, because it’s basically the only chance for her daughter to live in a decent world. (I was going to compare the low-level use of malia to the carbon economy - pretty sure I did get that comparison off tvtropes - which is funny because if anyone in the wealthy parts of the world is managing to live a carbon-neutral life, it would be El’s mom.)

El’s fascinating because she’s such a cranky jerk while at the same time having such strong principles underneath that, and especially in the earlier parts of the first book is such a great unreliable narrator. She’s not liked, but she’s also terrible at recognizing when people are genuinely being nice to her, and tends to attribute pragmatic or self-interested motives to people who are actually being kind. She starts getting over this over the course of the book, but even in The Golden Enclaves she takes a while to realize that a woman who is willing to cross the world for her is actually her friend. The funny connection is that she also deliberately attributes selfish and hostile motives to herself that don’t line up with her actions - again, mainly in the first book. It’s like she’s deliberately trying to be more cynical than she really is.

I don’t know how much of this is from tvtropes and how much from the books that I read, but there’s a bit where one if the enclaver kids says that the Scholomance isn’t that dangerous and El just boggles, because she and the other non-enclavers are being attacked on basically a daily basis, and I thought that was a solid understanding of how privilege works: all the things you just don’t notice or think about because they’re not part of your life, to the point where it’s strange and confusing to realize that these are things other people deal with every day.

Oh, one more thing. It seems like one of the things that pushes El to be a good person is that, due to the nature of her powers, she can’t make small moral compromises (e.g., regarding use of malia): she can stick to the straight and narrow, or she can topple off a cliff. So much of the rest of the series is about where the choice to make small, apparently harmless or unavoidable moral compromises leads to making bigger and bigger ones (the mals exist because of low-level malia use worldwide, which leads to more low-level malia use to fight off the mals, leading to even more mals, leading to the enclaves with their horrific secret). While El’s dark power is stated as being important in the books in order for her to have the firepower to deal with mawmouths and other mals, I think it’s also a key element in who she becomes, because the path of the ‘lesser evil’ has been effectively closed off to her; she can choose good, or she can choose the ‘greater evil’, and she’s confronted with needing to reject the choice of the ‘greater evil’ nearly every day. This - and her mother, who raised her as someone who would reject evil - is what gives her the foundation to become the hero she does.

#the scholomance #el higgins #naomi novik

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hetaologist · 23 days

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APH America "Ethnography" and Headcanons (SFW)

The United States of America, Alfred F. Jones, Mr. Stars and Stripes, 'Merica, Pretty Boy, um... or just simply America.

Here is a list of data I have gathered from this country and oh boy, what an interesting specimen we have here....

Ethnography

You will find this find this mythological creature at your local Walmart superstore during the evening hours on a weekday, sporting flannel loungewear pants (The plaid kind), a cotton t-shirt that definitely has been worn no less than two (2) times, Old Navy $1 flip flops, and a gray jacket.

When asked about his late night runs to the popular supermarket chain, his answer is just simply:

"There's nothing else to do and no where to go."

America's Cart Inventory for March 22nd:

One (1) package of "Mega Stuf Chocolate Oreos" for $5.97, One (1) 6-Pack of "Starbucks Frappuccino Chilled Coffee Drinks" in Caramel Flavor for $7.98, One (1) Family Sized Bag of "Flaming Hot Cheetos" for $5.94, One (1) "Furby Interactive Toy" for $39.19, and One (1) Stick of " Axe Apollo Men's Deodorant Stick" for $4.97. Total of purchase was $64.05 before tax.

When questioned about the "Furby Interactive Toy", he replies:

"Yeah dude, there's this thing I wanna make that's called a "Long Furby". Wanna come by my place and check it out?"

I agreed to the invination as it would give me a better look into his living space and lifestyle. He's very friendly person.

Living Space (Home):

Oh dear god, why did I agree to come here?

House is a what you would expect from a typical American college student such as:

"Saturdays Are For The Boys" banner flag, Marvel and DC posters, a very unsettling looking blue leather couch that looks like it has been through hell and back, random dumbbells and untouched exercise equipment, every game console from the 1972 "The Magnavox Odyssey" to the PS5, action figures from various popular TV shows and comics, an old KFC bucket with half eaten chicken on the coffee table and a shelf with a huge vinyl record and CD collection.

Conclusion: What a fucking gross nerd.

America offers a cold can of Coca-Cola, I accept it.

He shows me a very long light blue "Long Furby" from his collection, further proving how much of a dork he was.

When asked what kind of music he liked (in regards to his music collection), he replies:

"That's hard to answer, it changes every week. Because of my diverse music, I pretty much like everything. One week I could be listening to 1980's classic rock, 2000's techno-pop, Bluegrass Country, 1990's Hip Hop or anything. But, if I had to give you this week's favorite artist, it would have to be Taylor Swift and Doja Cat."

"Interesting..." I replied.

I have recorded enough data for today (the smell was bothering me) and left his home to do further extensive research.

Headcanons:

America has a deep love for cars and trucks, he can be seen working on his vintage 1968 Dodge Charger R/T called 'Thunderbird' (an absolute speed demon that can reach at top speeds of muthafuckin' 156 mph), and his enormous 2019 Ford F-150 'Big John' that he loves to drive to world meetings because he is a total stud muffin showoff.

Oh yeah, he defiantly modded 'Big John' horns with airblasters. So when he parks his car and he sees other nations come out of their vehicles, he pounds on that horn and scares the living shit out of them.

He totally does 2 am donuts in the Thunderbird the front of Walmart parking lots with his brother Canada to freak him out.

Other than seeing him work on his cars while listening to "Waking Up in Vegas by Katy Perry" on the radio, he's in his room sorting out his action figure and comic book collection.

Damn, what what a geek.

He has an eBay account where he buys, trades and auctions his collection as his interests constantly change.

If you think him being a geek, dork and a nerd is gonna save him from getting a basic ass Stanley cup, you're wrong.

He has a navy blue one that he takes to meetings and he would get dirty looks from the other nations.

"Goddamn it America, you do not need that much coffee."

"Fuck you, you scone sucking twink. It's not coffee, it's the Panera Super Charged Lemonade mixed with Redbull."

"I beg your fucking pardon..."

He gave Canada a red one for his birthday that he also takes with him to meetings.

"Canada, mon ami~. That better not be that merde American drinks that makes your heart explode."

"No, it's Tim Hortons iced coffee."

"Well.. that's better than what America drinks..."

#hetalia headcanons #hetalia axis powers #hetalia oc #hws #hetalia world stars #hetalia america #aph america

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misc-obeyme · 10 months

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Okay I finally have something to say about Lesson 17. Not because I didn't initially but man my thoughts were all over the place.

Spoilers below as always.

First: Solomon because what!

Let me begin by saying that I am not here to discuss whether or not anything that either Asmo or Solomon have done in regards to each other is "right" or not. They're fictional characters, as far as I know they've both always been morally grey, and there is more than enough discussion about this elsewhere. If someone wants to know my opinion, feel free to ask, but if that's what you're looking for, it isn't going to be in this post.

That being said!

Why is Solomon telling us this story about his pact with Asmo again? I mean, he already told us about it several lessons ago. Not only that, but he tells it differently. The first time he says he met Asmo in his hometown, but this time he says it was just some town after a festival. The stories aren't the same. So either he's just too drunk this time around and he's misremembering things or he lied to us the first time.

Either way, the fact that they have made him bring it up so much means it has to be relevant to the story in general. I mean, that's Storytelling 101. If you keep bringing something up in your story, you have to do something with it. That's Chekhov's gun, you know?

If the purpose is for us to notice that his story has changed, then maybe my theory about past!Solomon is more true than I thought? It might even just be a completely different Solomon from a different branch of time.

Because I noticed something else - Solomon is the only character whose outfit changes regularly throughout the story. (Aside from the latest one where everybody wears their RAD uniforms.)

He starts out in what they call his casual outfit - it's the sorcerer one with the cape. But then he switches to what they used to call his human world outfit - the one with the trench coat and fancy necklaces. He stays that way for several lessons, then switches back again. He switches back and forth between them one more time throughout the lessons we have. And he's wearing the human world outfit the first time he tells us about Asmo and the casual sorcerer outfit the second time when he's drunk.

This might not mean anything at all, but it just seems like we may be dealing with rotating Solomons.

ANYWAY. Every time a new lesson comes out I say I'm not going to analyze it too much because my theories always get out of control. And yet here I am doing the very thing I say I won't do!

Pfff. I can't help it, this game has taken over my brain.

It also seems a little out of character for Solomon to straight up get drunk because MC was gone for one day. Like this is the guy who spent most of his life alone and all that? Hmmm. It was pretty funny when he was hungover the next day though.

Second: RAPHAEL

WHAT DID THAT ANGEL JUST SAY?!

They want the brothers to go BACK?!

Listen here, I am not okay with this development. I hope they're not gearing up for a season 2 about a war in the past. I want to go back to the present already. I want to know the truth about who Nightbringer is. I want to know what the HELL is going on! I wanted all this story line to wrap up in one season! But we're already on lesson 17, I feel like we're no closer to knowing who Nightbringer is and NOW the Celestial Realm has basically declared war on the Devildom?

I mean, there's no way the bros would actually go back. Not after everything they've been through. Though I could see Lucifer trying to take on the responsibility all by himself somehow. All I know is that MC better pull out their OP abilities and fix this before the end of lesson 20, thanks.

Okay, that's all I had to say, I'm gonna get back to writing some fluffy fics now lol.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me nightbringer #obey me nightbringer lesson 17 #obey me nightbringer spoilers #obey me nightbringer lesson 17 spoilers #obey me nightbringer theories #obey me solomon #obey me raphael #what is even happening anymore #misc rambles

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pixeljade · 2 months

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With photomatt's new pinned post I think this illustrates not only the problem with this whole situation even better, but with the general idea "Allies" have toward their allyship regarding. Well, literally any marginalized group, but I'll speak on transphobia since thats the topic du jour and also something I can speak on.

And that's that a lot of "Allies" believe they are allies not because of their actions but because of their beliefs. Photomatt has done *NOTHING* to prove his ACTIONS arent transphobic, here, he has only listed his beliefs as if those are evidence of his allyship. Its the social media equivalent of putting up one of these signs.

Which, like, its fine. But "allyship" it does not make: breakdown the origins of the term ally. An ally is someone you turn to for aid in battle. And if that someone has nothing to give you but kind words? Do they count as an ally in battle, or just some useless bystander who watches as you get slaughtered?

Matt is one step worse, though. He's the one providing the tools for the slaughter. He (and others) may read this and roll their eyes at this, saying its an exaggeration, but its not. The suicide rate for trans women right now is ALARMING, and it comes from being bullied relentlessly, especially in online spaces! And make no mistake, the moderation system most social medias use, this one included, are being abused by these bullies and bigots to drive trans people to suicide.

And the thing is, we now KNOW this has been brought up to Matt multiple times by queer staff. He's apparently ignored it. Back to the ally in battle metaphor: this now makes him someone who has been told time and time again his tools are being abused for ideals he supposedly does not hold, and he has ignored. He's basically a Tony Stark Iron Man 1 figure, selling tools of slaughter and claiming its "defense", only now figuring out that these tools are used for slaughter of innocents, even though he's been told by others for ages--only caring now because they are being directed at him.

He isnt actually doing what Tony Stark did though. Hes not as charming or as talented as to build a method of aiding the world (which, lets be real, was always a rich person fantasy in that movie anyways). He's said when he returns from sabbatical he may reassess moderation on the site, but it sounds like he's also considering just...pulling out investment. Pulling the plug on Tumblr altogether, and considering it a "toxic" place. All because the same harassment us trans people face CONSTANTLY is finally being directed at him.

I do genuinely hope he does do the right thing, which WOULD be to reassess the moderation process with queer people (and folks of every other marginalized community, I have not forgotten how many black folks have been purged by the site!) In the room, and LISTEN to them. But his pinned post doesnt give me hope. It tells me he'd much rather you ignore his actions, or lack thereof, and that he instead wants you to judge him solely on his beliefs. "I may do nothing to save you," it says, "but look at my lawn sign telling you my beliefs". And that slaughter continues.

#photomatt

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randomshyperson · 2 years

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Rulers of The Multiverse - Wanda Maximoff x Reader - Final Chapter

Summary: Strange’s faulty spell will cause a series of unexpected events, from your reunion with the love of your life in another world to the appearance of a child capable of traveling across the multiverse. This story follows the journey of a very tired Guardian alongside mischievous America Chavez and Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: (+18) explicit language and sexual content, violence, a lot of magic, found family, mentions of abusive past and trauma, mind control, use of illicit substances, mostly top!reader, soulmates analogies. | Words: 9.703k

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--//--

Chapter Seventeen - The Guardian and The Scarlet Witch

You decided to stay a few more days in this world. Besides the help that the Mutants and the Resistance needed, you still had to read a few dozen pages in the Book of the Vishanti regarding the oath - and when you did, you ended up discovering tens of new things that Oshtur had made information about - and besides that, the rest with no travel was well appreciated.

America was happy with this world since it had hundreds of people with the most diverse abilities, all with experience in not knowing how to control powers, who had various advice and tips for her.

You fixed up the van and left it parked at the Resistance Base - which had basically turned the Scarlet Witch Temple into a war museum mixed with a base of operations - and tried to help in any way you could for the next few days.

You and Wanda were dancing around each other. There was a delightful tension between the two of you, as well as intense confidentiality, but there were no confessions or labels. You just fell into a daily routine with work and honestly, you think you deserve congratulations for having a gorgeous woman like Wanda around you and being able to formulate decent sentences at all.

Wanda followed you in your study sessions. You eventually discovered that everything worked better when you both worked together - the magics talked to each other - and you were trying to find that point of balance that Oshtur wrote about for your oath.

The first weekend in that world, Erik invited you all to his farm for lunch, and well, Wanda was tense as the date arrived.

"Everything will be fine, Wands." You told her, hands around her waist and chin on her shoulder, staring at her through the reflection from the mirror in front of you both.

You were not in the Van but in one of the rooms that the Resistance people got for you. The castle was all restored now: The mutants would have used the stones, but you and Wanda found some transcripts on the wall that only needed to be read by the two of you together for the whole temple to restore itself - Wreckage turning to shiny marble - and in a few minutes, the entire place looked magically out of a fairy tale. Wanda still blushed every time she got a mutant leaving a flower or gift at the foot of the Scarlet Witch's statue or approaching her in the corridors to thank her for everything. You and America thought it was adorable.

"I know, I just..." She starts but gives a frustrated sigh. "It's weird, isn't it?"

"Having lunch with your family variants on another world? Absolutely." You retort with a smile making her laugh as well. She spins her body to place her hands on your shoulder.

"I guess I'm afraid of getting attached." She confesses small, and you swallow dryly, bringing your hands to her face.

"Wanda, it's your family." You tell her gently, your fingers caressing her cheeks. "You can love them in all universes, even if you're not going to stay." You let her know, while she slides her hands to your waist. You kiss her mouth for a full moment until the tension leaves her shoulders, and she sighs. "Relax, my love. If it's too much, we'll leave any time you need us to."

Wanda smiles, squeezing tighter as you kiss her forehead. You look at her next, ready to make a joke to ease her mood when she speaks.

"I love you." She confesses, eyes studying your reaction, but you only manage to kiss her afterward, earning a surprised sigh in return. Wanda is beginning to reciprocate - assuming you're not ready to say it back yet and deciding to ignore the bitter feeling in her stomach - when you break the kiss with a relieved laugh.

"You love me?" You repeat happily, making Wanda blush heavily, but smile as well. She nods and you kiss her again, and again. "I love you too, Wanda." You say and are laughing with relief and joy. And you repeat it again, again, and again, kissing her between the confessions and Wanda thinks her chest is going to explode with happiness, being able to guess that you feel the same way.

America knocks on the open door - a corner smile and an arched eyebrow as she finds you two kissing - and you break apart but Wanda holds you tightly in her arms.

"We're going to be late if you two keep making out." Warns the child, and you and Wanda exchange embarrassed giggles.

"We'll be out in a second." The redhead tells her. "Why don't you go wait in the car?"

The girl holds up a warning finger, muttering for you two not to go back to kissing but as soon as she leaves the room that is exactly what you do. You and Wanda exchange contented giggles in between kisses until you work up the courage to let go.

“Come on, let’s not leave our kid waiting.” You tell her sweetly, missing the way the redhead blushes because you’re turning to the exit.

—----

You watched Wanda trying to learn how to fish from a distance, more precisely from the upstairs bedroom window.

Erik's farm was simple but very beautiful. Besides the main house, it also had a barn and a hen house. The large lake around it was the best part. So far, everything had gone very well with everyone. After lunch, Wanda - who was much more comfortable with her twin brother and father now - accepted the invitation to sit next to them on the deck, and you smiled as you could hear the sound of her laughter even from inside the house.

America and you decided to give the three of them some time alone, and this was because Erik had another younger daughter - the almost intimidating Lorna Dane - who was at this moment showing the curious Chavez her collection of records and cassette tapes.

Lorna is a teenager, a few years older than America, and she was a little wary of meeting another version of her sister, but with a bit of conversation, she seemed to be growing into it.

"[...] I've got some Radiohead and Nirvana in those, but there's only David Bowie in this one." Explained the green-haired girl to America, who was practically jumping with excitement, holding all the tapes that Lorna handed her like they were gold. "You can listen to as many as you want and give it back to me when you're done."

America hesitated, and looked at you - sitting in the balcony window with a mug of Witch Mead that Erik served to everyone and you loved, and the attention outside on Pietro teaching Wanda how to correctly place the worm lures - before looking at Lorna again.

"I can't borrow it, sorry. We don't... stay in one place for very long." She said to the other, and Lorna blinked in surprise.

But seeing the other's somewhat crestfallen expression as she holds out her hands to return the tapes, Lorna smiles, moving her hand to push America's hand back.

"Tell you what, let's listen to a few now until you decide which one you like best." She says. "And when you choose, you can keep it. It'll be like a gift, so you don't forget about this universe."

"Really? Thank you!" Chavez celebrates, hugging Lorna for a moment and attracting your attention by the noise. You watch the scene with a smile on your face, and just as Chavez sits in front of a radio to listen to the tapes, you mutter that you're going downstairs to return the mug.

Eventually, you decide to take care of the lunch dishes, and just a few minutes later, the older Maximoff is walking into the kitchen looking for some beers.

“Hey, Y/N.”

"Hey, you didn't have to." Pietro says as soon as he spots you washing the dishes, but you just shrug, smiling at him before your attention briefly turns back to the kitchen window, from where you can now see Erik and Wanda sitting side by side, seemingly talking to each other.

"It's no bother." You mutter as the other goes to the refrigerator. "Are they getting along?"

Pietro looks toward the direction of the window as well and murmurs in agreement as he understands what you were referring to. Then he leans against the counter and opens a can.

"Wanda was a little insecure because apparently, things didn't go so well between her and her father in her universe." He says, and you frown slightly, making a mental note to ask Wanda about that later, but don't turn your face to him, busy with the dishes. "I don't know what happened exactly, but this version of Dad made mistakes too. He wanted to tell her that no matter in the world, family is what matters most, and I got the impression that they needed a few minutes alone. Just for Wanda to hear that at least once from him, you know?"

"Of course, Pietro." You say turning your face to smile at him. "You can help me dry the dishes while they talk." You suggest and he chuckles softly, nodding in agreement as he leaves the can of beer on the counter and moves to grab a rag.

—-----

Erik insisted that you stay for dinner too, so only a few hours later you all left the farm. Wanda said goodbye to her family with lingering hugs, but with understated promises to return.

Little America had a tape player in her pocket.

You went back to the Temple of the Scarlet Witch, and while Chavez went back to her own room, you followed Wanda through the restored and empty corridors to the statue's courtyard - which now contained several wreaths of flowers and gifts, and designs and names in tribute - and joined her on the parapet.

"Are you all right, my love?" You asked a moment later because Wanda was quiet and distracted, but she just took her eyes off the landscape to you, a smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, why?" She retorts, and you laugh half-heartedly, shrugging your shoulders and bumping them in amusement to hers.

"You just seem a little dreamy, I suppose." You say, and she murmurs in understanding. "How are you feeling about today, Wands?"

She smiles, turning her gaze back to the landscape. "I feel good, very good actually. " She says with a chuckle. "I needed that, Y/N. Just... to see my brother again, talk to him, have a chance to, I don't know, say goodbye." She explains swallowing dryly, and you nod, moving one of your hands to meet hers on the edge, and Wanda smiles at the touch. She looks back up at you. "And talking to Erik was important, too. Before, in the fight, the witch showed me something, a memory I was blocking out from my childhood. It was with Erik, the day he left me at my aunt and uncle's house. I guess you were right, no matter the universe, we are always children of the same people."

"I'm sorry, I wish I was wrong about that one." You say sincerely, causing Wanda to smile and raise a hand to your cheek.

"It's okay, dorogoya." She says caressing your skin, and smiling as you lean into her touch. "It's not easy to deduce that my parents are gone like my uncles, and this Erik didn't have much of a way to help me with that. He just wanted me to be sure that any version of him, would love his children very deeply. And I think we have that in common." She murmured with a sad smile, making you swallow dryly. "But he told me other things too. About family."

"Yeah?" You encourage her to speak, leaning on the balcony, and moving your hands to her waist to hold her closer, and Wanda smiles as she puts her hands on your shoulders. She sighs softly before speaking.

"He asked me about us, Y/N." Wanda says almost shyly, her cheeks turning up a soft shade of pink that quickens your heart.

"Did you tell him we are multiverse wives?" You joke half breathlessly, blushing also at the look Wanda gives you despite the giggle.

"Actually, Erik asked me what we were because he said that if I ever wished to stay here, his door would always be open. That if I wanted to, this world could be my home. " She explains and you raise a surprised eyebrow, but Wanda swallows dryly. "I said I couldn't because I already have a home and it's not a place."

“Wands.” You gasp in surprise, melting against her. Your face must be burning, but Wanda is looking at you with so much love in her eyes that you can't help but smile as big as hers.

"You are my home, detka. You and America are my family, and I only want and need to stay with you two." She declares, and you nod, moving close to kiss her softly, your chest warm with happiness. Wanda smiles into the kiss, and it is only when she breaks off and wipes your face that you realize you're crying.

"Sorry, I have a sweet spot for love statements under stars." You joke tearfully, making Wanda laugh with tears in her eyes as well. She kisses your tears, then your mouth, sweetly and slowly. "I love you, Wanda Maximoff. You are my home too." You whisper breathlessly, holding her cheeks and looking into her eyes. "I'll go wherever you go and stay wherever you need me to stay. I swear I will take care of you and love you here and in any world. You have my heart and my soul, and I love you endlessly and forever."

You confess with all the sincerity of your heart, letting your love for Wanda show in every single word. The redhead sighs deeply, but before she can say anything, she notices something and frowns.

"Detka, your eyes are glowing." She warns with curiosity and surprise, and you blink in confusion, but feel a fluttering sensation throughout your body, as if every cell is vibrating.

And it's not the only thing that started vibrating - All the walls of the courtyard shudder, the runes on the walls lit bright as gold. The statue of the Scarlet Witch shifted, arms lowering as if to hold something. - And Wanda went to turn her face to look but you raise a hand to the red glow on her head, which formed her crown, and suddenly you knew exactly what is happening.

"My love, it is my oath." You clarified to her, half out of breath because of the magic circulating in you now. "Come here, let's end it together."

You led her by the hand to the statue, noting the lit runes behind the figure. When you were close enough, you realized that the marble witch's hand had a slot in it.

"What am I supposed to do?" Wanda asks you, surprised at the whole thing, and you smile at her, holding both her hands.

"You just watch." You say, offering her a mischievous look before letting go and beginning to kneel. Wanda's eyes widen in surprise, her cheeks half pink, but you smile at her, clearing your throat and lifting your face to her once you are on your knees.

You have a feeling you should do it like that, so you declare the words in Romani, or Sokovian - surprising the witch in front of you even more as you begin to speak - and with each phrase about devotion and loyalty, you feel your magic grow stronger. And you can watch with your own eyes as Wanda's attire emerges with the crown, and the shape of a sword appears on the Scarlet Witch statue that she holds on the ground, and the runes flutter.

"[...] I swear fealty to you, Wanda Maximoff, my Scarlet Witch, my wife, my family. I vow to treat your needs as mine own, to serve and protect you in this and any world for as long as I live." You completed in Sokovian, and you were in a slightly hoarse voice, which matched Wanda's tear-filled eyes.

You lean in a little, whispering, "I think you have to say you accept my oath." and getting a giggle from the other, who takes a deep breath.

"I make your words and your oath my own. I promise to watch over and protect you in this world and every other. So stand on your feet, my Guardian of Order, and come kiss your wife." She states and you give a tearful laugh, wasting no time in getting up and advancing against her, kissing her with intensity.

As you do so, you feel the magic transform, dressing you in something soft and warm, but you are more busy with Wanda's lips. And your hands wrap around her waist, lifting her into the air and spinning her around, making her laugh into the kiss and tighten her arms around you.

Once you put her down again, not letting go and resting your forehead on hers, Wanda opens her eyes first and smiles as soon as she notices the outfit.

"It suits you." She compliments you and you open your eyes curiously, stepping back a little to check it out. The medieval padded armor you are wearing is really quite beautiful, the fabric is dark gold with some white details, and runes knitted on the ends. The boots are soft, you shift the weight of your feet to confirm.

You get excited about your new clothes, and Wanda has fun spinning you around, trying to see every detail - and not only of yours, but also of her dress which seemed to gain new protective runes - and in between these moments of looking around, you busy yourself checking the marble sword on the statue and Wanda uses your distraction to pull your hood over your head in playfulness, only to be surprised when the item glows softly, and in the blink of an eye, your armor emerges around your body, the white sword on your back.

You give an impressed laugh. "Cool trick."

"Probably useful in a fight." She mutters, and you nod in agreement. You catch her looking you up and down next, and you are about to make a dirty joke when someone arrives on the patio.

"Are you guys in some kind of ritual?" America asks in a mix of amusement and curiosity, making you both laugh softly.

"Something like that." You reply. "But we're done here, kiddo. What are you up to?"

She shrugs, sighing a little as she approaches, also interested in seeing your new clothes.

But she looked a little pensive, and Wanda nudged her gently.

"What's making you so glum, little Chavez?" The witch asked, and America played with the buttons on your vest as she murmured:

"I'm just kind of going to miss this world. Mutants are cool, and I was enjoying training my powers with them."

You and Wanda exchange a look for about three seconds, but it's enough to make a decision - your connection seeming even more intense than before.

"Well, we're not leaving at this moment." You begin. "What if we did the following: You learn to control your portals better with your amazing new friends."

"And we'll leave when you're ready to lead the way." Wanda completes by putting a hand on your shoulder and looking at America as well.

America's eyes sparkle in excitement.

"Really?"

"Really." You and Wanda confirm together, and the girl jumps up contentedly, hugging you both tightly, and making you laugh softly.

"Thank you, thank you! You two are the best moms in the world!" She exclaims excitedly, and you and Wanda hesitate together, but America doesn't even notice, letting go to start babbling about the mutants she met, and how cool Pietro and Lorna were. And as the two of you follow her inside, you notice Wanda's expression and kiss her cheek.

"I know, darling." You whispered to her, sliding your hand over hers and smiling to see her try to hide her tears of happiness.

—------

Days turned into weeks as America learned to control her powers. Her interaction with other children made you and Wanda realize something very important: America never went to school.

So while you were in that world, besides you and Wanda using your magic to alter the van and turn it into a house that didn't respect any laws of physics but excited America enough - Wanda made a joke about having her own version of The Burrow from Harry Potter, and was really quite indignant when you commented that you had no idea what that was - and once you had visited all the magical rooms of the new house, which could be returned to its original state by car with a wave, you and Wanda decided to educate America at home, at least with basic concepts so that she wouldn't be behind if she ever decided she wanted to go to high school.

You and Wanda were growing stronger in your powers by the second. Now that you were a sworn guardian, you were full of energy and it was even visible in the house itself, which seemed to come up with a new room or object every day. Wanda was learning to strengthen her mind with your help, succeeding in never hearing the voices of Chthon or any demons again. She had a lot more to catch up with within magical education, having never studied before, but you had no problem reviewing basic concepts with her, her excited smile was rewarding enough.

It took America almost three full months to get her powers under control in a way that she was ready to move on to the next universe. She was also growing powerful - you all found out that her strength was increasing when she was playing darts with Lorna and when she threw, the object went through the wall. And super-speed showed up in a random run with Pietro to the kitchen for ice cream. - And of course, Chavez loved spending time with the mutants, having fun with these abilities, but you and Wanda were beginning to consider a special school for all that energy.

So when America confirmed that she was ready to move if you both wanted, being able to conjure portals of any size, and with a little concentration, being able to choose the universe she wanted to go to, as well as being almost certain that she could return the old ones, you and Wanda decided that you would like to look for a world where she could get a superhero education - which by the way, was the best news in the world for little America.

After saying goodbye to her family - with whom she had grown very close over the past few weeks - Wanda helped you collect the house in its van format again, and America conjured a portal in the road for the car to go through.

You spent a few weeks traveling, now, America not getting as tired as before with frequent use of her powers - even though you and Wanda insisted she take breaks - and it was only in the fifth universe since you started that you discovered something promising.

You were a little hesitant to see Charles Xavier walking toward where the van was parked for you all to have breakfast together outside, but the man seemed quite pleased to see you.

"It is an honor to finally meet the Rulers of the Multiverse, welcome to Earth M-775, it is an honor to welcome you all."

He greeted - the portal he used to arrive disappearing behind him - and the man moved to shake your hand.

This universe was far more advanced than yours had ever been in Multiverse issues. He commented that there was an intelligence - The Watcher - that kept them informed about everything. And it was exactly where people like America could get the education and training they needed.

The Dawn Institute was a boarding school for gifted youngsters - You made a comment about Charles never ceasing to be a teacher of Mutants, but although he laughed, he commented that the Institute was much more than just a school for young mutants. - The place was not on this earth, but in a protected dimension, like In Between Realms, and the students had their curriculum planned according to the nature of their abilities. America, for example, was to receive training in the field of quantum physics, while young wizards studied magical nature.

You and Wanda returned to the van with an Institute flyer in hand and sat down at the table with America to make a decision.

"[...] I know you liked all the activities, but dear, you have to remember that it is a full-time school. That would mean you would be away all year." Wanda reminds her as tenderly as she can, and you nod in agreement, looking at America as she does.

“If you think you're ready for this, we'll trust your decision." You add, and America sighs softly.

It takes a moment, but she says, "I will miss you, but I need this." And you and Wanda smile proudly at her, moving to hug her.

The school and that world provided all sorts of equipment for you to keep in touch, and when Charles took you to see the place and to leave America, and you saw the amazing facilities, you joked that you would like to stay too.

With America's departure for school, you and Wanda assumed that you would have to stay on the same Earth for some time. However, when you returned to Van, you found a letter on the table.

"Dear Moms,

I will be away for a while, but that does not mean that your adventure has to stop. I know, for example, that you haven't even had a chance to go on a real date yet. And I also know that Wanda needs to study magic as much as I do. So I asked Van for a way to help, and well, check out the panel.

I love you both, and I will miss you.

Until next summer,

America Chavez."

Wanda was busy wiping away tears, and you kissed her on the cheek before going to check the front of the car. You smiled when you found a new button with a star symbol on it, knowing immediately that America had found a way to lend her powers to the car.

"Our daughter is a very intelligent girl, Miss Maximoff." You say to Wanda who smiles proudly, hugging the letter against her chest. "Come here, baby." You say embracing her.

You and Wanda fall into an amazing routine after that. America keeps in touch by a strange kind of computer, but it works and allows video calls. You drive more often than Wanda because she has a lot of studying to do and likes to read beside you in the armchair. You eventually realize that the title Rulers of the Multiverse, can change to Destroyers or Guardians according to the type of world and its magical nature, but you and Wanda try to support each other in everything.

When she finishes all your books and is practicing some rune forms next to you in the passenger seat - her fingers forming scarlet images in the air - you comment:

"Wands, I think we need to try something else."

She turns her eyes from the pages to you. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we send America to a place where she learns properly about her powers. I think you need the same."

Wanda raises an eyebrow. "But I like your books..."

You giggle, holding out one of your hands for hers. "Of course you do. But my books are about sorcery, dear. You're a witch, Wanda. You need to learn witchcraft."

"Do you want to send me somewhere?" Wanda asks half hesitantly, and you laugh again, shaking your head.

"No way, I'll be too lonely without you." You retort with a smile. "Unless you wanted to go to a school like the one in your wizard's book..."

"Harry Potter." She clarifies with a chuckle, moving closer to kiss your cheek. "No, I don't want to go away from you." She assures making you smile.

"Good. Then we can keep my original idea." You say taking your eyes off the road a moment. "We can look for witches on our travels, get books on witchcraft and ritualistic magic, all kinds of stuff that sorcerers don't study."

"Sounds good to me." Wanda retorts with a sweet smile, exchanging a glance with you before turning her attention back to the book.

You stand in silence for a few minutes until you remember something else, and call out to her, receiving a distracted hum in return.

"I had an idea last night. What if, in each universe we went to, I took you out on the customs of those worlds?" You suggest with slightly reddened cheeks, keeping your gaze on the road. "That way, we'd have a dozen first dates."

Wanda bit back a smile at your shy tone, taking her eyes off the book.

"Detka, that sounds aman-." She started but choked softly, and you looked at her immediately, with curiosity that turned to concern as Wanda closed the book and pushed it away, taking off her belt and rushing off to the bathroom suddenly. You quickly started to park the van on the side of the road and as you stood up and reached for the bathroom, you heard her vomiting.

"Wanda, are you okay there, baby?" You asked worriedly, moving to help her with her hair. Wanda tried to push you gently, muttering something about being disgusting but you gave a little laugh, assuring her it was no problem at all.

She stayed like that for a few long minutes, and when her nausea finally passed, you took her outside for some air, getting her some water as well.

"I'm fine, detka, it was probably the excessive practice." She answers your questions about her condition, embracing you for a moment.

In the first days, you believe it. But about four universes later, when Wanda has a whole bookshelf full of witchcraft books now that she's not being able to practice properly because of the frequency of her sickness, you were growing really worried.

Right now, you are standing by the bathroom door, waiting for Wanda to come out. It is about two o'clock in the morning, and the van is parked on an isolated road in a world where the earth orbits Saturn - visible in the sky - and you wake up the very second Wanda rushes out of bed to vomit.

As soon as she opens the door, you stare at her.

"I'm taking you to the doctor." That's what you declare, but Wanda sighs.

"Babe..."

"End of conversation, I'm worried about you." You insist, moving away to look for the interdimensional phone Charles gave you. "Let's find a magical doctor, I'm sure Xavier knows some and..."

"Y/N!" Wanda interrupts getting your attention and you look at her with concern. But Wanda sighs, reaching up to take your hands and have you sit down in a chair. "I'm going to say something and you're going to promise not to freak out, okay?"

"But..." You start but from the look on Wanda's face, you sigh slightly. "All right."

She takes a deep breath as if to build courage, and continues holding your hands. "At first I thought it had something to do with our training because it was intense and all. But I don't think it is. Dorogoya, I haven't had my period in a few weeks."

You frown in confusion. "Wanda, I don't have a dick-"

She interrupts you with a short laugh, "It wouldn't be the first time we've made magic babies." She argues but you laugh incredulously.

"Wanda, that was different." You say. "We're inside the Hex, I don't even think I saw my Wanda pregnant, and your children even grew from babies to kids in a week. It wasn't real, that's just impossible." You retort stubbornly, but Wanda licks her lips.

"Moya lyubov, think about it, okay?" She insists tenderly. "We are both the most powerful witch and sorceresses in the universe, we can conjure anything with our minds. Creating life is what the guardian and the scarlet witch can do together, and you and I, we do a lot of, delightful and intense but unprotected sex." You blink in surprise, stubbornness fading from your chest as you realize that the odds are actually quite high. And just as you begin to turn pale, Wanda quickly places her hands on your face. "Hey, hey, baby, it's okay, we're gonna be okay."

"Wanda, I can't do this." You murmur to her with emotion in your voice, surprising her a little. "I can't go through the whole fake babies thing again, okay? I just can't. So please, let's go see a doctor. I need to be sure this is really happening."

Wanda nods quickly, moving to hug you, and you sigh deeply as you pass your arms around her, managing to relax a little.

The confirmation that Wanda is indeed, very much and truly pregnant, comes when you return to Charles' universe, and she goes through a dozen tests - magical and otherwise - to confirm the two little people growing inside her for a few weeks now.

You almost faint.

Instead, you hug and lift Wanda in the air, spinning her around and making her laugh between the kiss you share.

"My god, we're going to be moms again." You gasp still with your hands on her waist. "Do you think you will be...?"

"I don't know." She says already knowing you're asking about the twins "But I'm going to love them anyway."

You nod in agreement, kissing her again. "I love you, Wanda."

"I love you too, sweetheart." She retorts smiling before kissing you again.

With the news of the pregnancy, you and Wanda pause your travels, deciding to return the Van to its home state, and find the perfect location in west-central Sokovia - which was never destroyed on Charles' Earth and was somehow a country north of the Republic of Transia.

"Wait, does that mean I have to get a job?" You joke, getting a laugh from Wanda.

But Charles Xavier seems quite interested in making your joke come true. And as Rulers of the Multiverse, apparently work is what there is no shortage of for you and Wanda.

She tends to focus more on her studies, and rest as her belly grows, while you see no problem in helping the professor with his papers.

America comes home in the summer and on holidays, and as soon as she finds out the news, she is somehow much more excited than you and Wanda. She is the one who helps the house form the babies' room - various decorations of stars and planets on the walls - before she goes back to school.

The babies are born at the Sokovian Maternity Hospital in Novi Grad, and Wanda is having a very hard time stopping crying.

"They are beautiful, my love, you did so well." You whisper before kissing her forehead, and Wanda sobs softly. "Which one of those is Tommy?"

She moves the right arm that holds the smaller one, and you smile as you reach out to cup his face. "Dorogoya, how is that possible...they're my boys, how-"

"Shh, it's okay." You interrupt by kissing her forehead again. "They're home now, honey. For real, now."

Falling into a routine with the boys was easier than you ever thought. Wanda loved her children equally but had to admit that she seemed to have a special connection with little Billy - who had a strong magical signature like her - and was quite attached to his mommy.

You, on the other hand, spent much more time with Tommy. And it was as the boys grew up, and interacted with their older sister, that you and Wanda realized that America was not growing up as it should.

"Mr.Baker, my counselor listed this as Superhuman Longevity, and said it means that in addition to a longer lifespan, I don't age at the normal speed of a human being." Explained the girl standing next to her two younger brothers, who also had their height marked on the wall behind her. While Tommy and Billy were already 5 years old, America didn't grow or change at all and looked to be at most 16 yet. "Don't make that face! It's a good thing, I guess."

You and Wanda exchanged hesitant glances. But then Wanda sighed.

"At least we don't have to worry about her starting to drive yet." She said making you laugh and America grunt softly.

—---

Your life on Earth M-775 was really comfortable and peaceful. Tommy and Billy were home-schooled until they were old enough for the Dawn Institute, and while they studied, you and Wanda went back to work.

It turned out that no matter what your title - Rulers, Destroyers, Guardians - your magic was much appreciated and needed. You had met The Watcher when the boys were babies, but it wasn't until Wanda returned to work, sixteen years later, that he actually delivered jobs that needed the Guardian and the Scarlet Witch, from destroyed worlds to fallen monster wars.

You fell breathless to the ground, rolling after a blow with your sword that sliced a level 6 demon with wings through the middle - the creature crumbling - and you bowed slightly, a cocky smile on your lips that made your wife roll her eyes with a giggle.

"Don't think too highly of yourself." She warned as she approached, the small electronic recording equipment in her hands. "I did all the work of keeping them in control."

"That's because you are the most amazing and unique Queen of Chaos." You complimented, moving closer, and kissing her cheek for a giggle. "My wife is so cool."

Wanda blushed, rolling her eyes and pushing you gently.

"You're just saying that so I flatter you too." She retorts, but you chuckle, slipping your hands around her waist, kissing her cheek several times until she laughs. "Fine, I think you're an incredible warrior."

"Hmmm, Maximoff, you're a such flirt." You joke getting another embarrassed giggle before she mumbles that you guys were working, but you only let her go when she kisses you properly.

That same year, the twins turn 16, and well, they have an incredible birthday gift request.

"We just think it would be cool to get to know the world you came from." Billy starts from his seat at the table, while you and Wanda are walking around with the party supplies you are putting together for them.

"And we know that our deal is that inter-dimensional travel is only when we’re eighteen when we've had the proper training as America, but it would just be a family outing." Tommy completes, and you and Wanda exchange thoughtful glances.

The thing is that you and Wanda never went back to her universe, nor to yours. It's not like you had anything to go back to there anyway. You just moved on.

Wanda swallowed dryly, leaving her forks on the tables.

"I don't think there's anything to go back there for, kids." She commented. "It's been years since we left, and we had nothing to stay for. But I if you wish to know..."

"That's fine with me." You complete by offering a soft smile to Wanda, who responds.

"They said yes?" America suddenly arrives in the backyard through a portal, and you and Wanda raise an eyebrow at her, who laughs awkwardly. "Sorry..."

"You three are such little devils." You comment grumpily, receiving giggles in return.

"But I brought presents!" America tries and gets her brothers excited enough with otherworldly objects. She's about 23 now - the age seems to flow randomly, and the twins are betting with the day they'll outgrow her - and she graduated from the Dawn Institute some time ago. Since she began studying at Sotomayor University, an extra-dimensional college, she has been traveling between worlds more often, and whenever she returns home, she brings gifts for her mothers and brothers. It doesn't surprise you that she has inspired the twins to ask permission to travel in the multiverse as well.

Once the party was over, and the children went to their rooms, you and Wanda took care of the dishes.

"Are you sure about this, my love?" You asked her as you dried the dishes she washed, and Wanda sighed softly.

"Actually, I was going to ask you the same thing." She returned with a small smile. "I had no place to go back to in my world, but in yours, you were a fugitive. Are you sure you want to go there again?"

You shrug, wiping a glass. "I paid my sentence long ago, Wands. And now I'm a sworn guardian too, so I don't have to worry about that. I guess I was more interested in knowing if you'll be okay with seeing your friends again."

"My friends are here, Y/N." Wanda retorts with a chuckle. "My father and brother are on Earth-012S. But also, on all the other worlds we've seen them on. I'll go wherever you go dear, nothing has changed."

You smiled in a corner, moving closer to kiss your cheek. "I love you, darling."

"I love you too." She says back, and you kissed her on the mouth this time, enjoying the soft sigh she let out.

So many years and kissing Wanda still feels like the first time. As intense as ever. She spins her body around and moves her hands to your neck, making you shudder and break the kiss due to the temperature because of the water and soap. And though Wanda laughs too, she kisses you again with more intensity and you grunt softly as you feel her bite your lip before sliding her tongue against yours, her hand on your neck moving up to the back of your neck to ruffle your hair.

You've been with Wanda in so many ways now. Right here in this kitchen, on your knees, on the side, against the counter, sink, on the floor. And your heart speeds up just the same when you feel her slide a hand to the buckle of your belt, and a wave of arousal rush through your body with the soft moan she lets escape when you move your hands to her ass, squeezing the flesh and forcing her against your hips.

Usually, when in the house. you two are patient, taking your time to worship each other's bodies - and you can be as loud as you wish - but the children are upstairs, and you've both been so busy with work and organizing the twins' party the last few days that Wanda doesn't realize how much she needed you to touch her until she feels your body against hers.

So your plans to slowly work your way down - fingers lifting her dress while your mouth kisses the sensitive spots on her neck - are interrupted with a whimper from Wanda and a gentle tug on your hair that makes you grunt as you look at her.

"I need you now, detka, please." She practically begged, and you kissed her jaw.

"How do you want me, Wanda?" You questioned out of breath, fingers scratching her tight and making her shiver.

"On your knees." She responded equally affected, and you just hum in understanding, wasting no time in obeying. Wanda bit her lip as she watched, her body vibrating in anticipation at the image of you falling to your knees for her, one hand guiding her right leg over your shoulder, as your mouth kissed her thigh and up, making her shudder. She didn't need to beg any further, you did exactly what she needed.

Soft kisses made their way up to her covered intimacy, getting a sigh from both of you, and before she could get impatient with the teasing over her cunt, you were pushing her panties to the side and plunging your tongue inside her. Wanda choked on a groan, earning a raised eyebrow of warning over the noise, and had to let go of the sink she was gripping tightly to cover her mouth.

The sounds became increasingly difficult to hold as you danced your tongue inside her cunt, collecting her wetness and spreading it between her folds, drawing patterns and going as deep as you could, nose pressed hard on her swollen clit. You always fuck her so well, and Wanda wasn't surprised at how quickly her climax was approaching, her legs shaking and the knot in her abdomen ready to explode.

You could feel the way she was clenching, and it only took you to add a bit more of speed in the thrusts of your tongue that Wanda came in with a muffled whimper, her back arched slightly and her knuckles turning white as she hold the sink as she spilled in your mouth. You moaned in satisfaction for her taste, licking her clean until you made your way up, dominating the kiss easily as Wanda was recovering from her orgasm.

"Better, baby?" You tease, receiving an affected chuckle from her. As soon as Wanda manages to reciprocate your kiss again, she moves her hands under your shirt, scratching your back and making you sigh. Now, after the oath and so many years of training and acquired knowledge, the tattoo doesn't affect you the same, you got used to the connection spell. But your wife does, and that's more than enough to make you moan against her tongue.

"I need more, my love." Wanda warns breathlessly, kissing your jaw. "Take me upstairs." She asks and you're holding her by the waist the next second.

—--------

Your universe was the first one you went to when summer came.

Billy and Tommy were very excited, and America bought them a new video camera, which they used to record basically the entire trip.

You were right before - Now as a sworn guardian, you were no longer a criminal. You didn't look for anyone, but you could see from the television ads and street billboards that that world was doing well.

As your earth used to have problems with universe travelers, and you didn't want your family at risk, you guys just took some pictures and left that world without wasting time.

In Wanda's universe, you decided to visit more tourist spots and stopped at a cafeteria for the kids to have lunch.

While they were ordering food, you went to the van to pee and were surprised by a portal outside when you were making your way back to the restaurant.

Your immediate reaction was to look out the dinner window - Wanda and the children were entertained with food and conversation - and you sighed softly before looking at the magic behind you.

Wong stumbled out with a mixed expression of concern and weariness.

"Finally Miss Y/N, I was beginning to worry where you would have ended up." That's what he spoke, making you laugh in confusion and surprise as Stephen Strange walked out next. The two of them seemed almost relieved to see you.

"After all these years you were still waiting for me?" You question with surprise and receive two confused looks.

"Years? It's only been a few hours since you disappeared." Strange retorts.

"Exactly, we didn't want to take any precipitated action, figuring that as the guardian you would have enough power and knowledge to confront Wanda." Wong adds. "We were going to wait at least two days, but as soon as we received the magical signal from your signature, we came to check. I imagine everything went well..?"

"Mom, who are these?" Tommy cut in suddenly, probably having used his speed to appear there so quickly, and you hesitated softly. Strange and Wong frowned.

"T-these are some friends of this world's Kamar Taj, sweetie." You half-heartedly replied, and let out a nervous chuckle. "Strange, Wong, this is Tommy, my middle son."

Strange looked up at the restaurant window, where Wanda had just raised her gaze to you all outside with curiosity, and sighed.

"Miss L/N, I think we have a lot of catching up to do."

You laugh softly, messing up Tommy's hair lightly. "Yeah, I think that too, Stephen."

The vacation trip had to be postponed. Earth 616A was almost 17 years behind M-775, which meant that although you, Wanda and America had been away all that time, for Strange and Wong it had only been a little over six hours since you had left the Kamar Taj of that world.

You and Wanda had a lot to tell, and Strange was still a little suspicious of Billy and Tommy.

"How did that happen?" he asked looking at the kids outside, meeting the temple with other masters. You gave a little chuckle.

"You know Strange, when two people love each other very deeply..." You started but Wanda patted you gently on the arm, biting back a giggle. "It's ancient magic, probably. Order and Chaos when put together give the ability to create life, like the ancient gods could too, you know? Basic creationism, Stephen."

He rolled his eyes but sighed in defeat. "I guess I can say I'm happy for you guys." He comments shrugging his shoulders.

Wong made a suspicious expression. "Still, the last time we saw each other, you were fighting. And now you're married."

"Technically, I sort of was already married-" You mutter but Wanda gives a chuckle, pushing your face gently to stop you from mocking the warlocks.

"Yes, Wong, we were fighting because I was over darkhold's domain." She starts to explain. "That has been settled, a long time ago in fact. I don't even have the book anymore, and we learned together how to strengthen the mind."

"So you two have been ruling the multiverse together all this time?" Wong asks and you and Wanda hesitate with soft laughter.

"Well... " You begin, scratching at the back of your head.

"No?" Wanda completes with her arms crossed. With the expression of the supreme mage, she sighs. "We started a family, Wong. Y/N worked from home, to keep me company. We built a house, too. We did some traveling and had a job with an interdimensional intelligence but that's about it."

"We didn't take over any government seats or authority or anything like that." You complete by shrugging.

Wong runs a hand across his face.

"Look, it's not for me to say what you guys have to do with your lives, but maybe, now that your kids are grown, it would be a good opportunity to at least check on your destiny."

You put your hands in your pockets before stating simply, "Wanda is my destiny." and making her smile shyly, before looping an arm around her waist.

"And you are mine, dorogoya." She retorts meekly, kissing you for a moment.

"The Multiverse is in the hand of Juliet and Juliet? We're doomed." Stephen wryly mocks aloud, and Wong sighs loudly.

"Ladies, that's... lovely. But a Guardian and a Scarlet Witch exist to bring balance to the cosmos." Wong says seriously. "If you are here, with complete forges, it is because you will be needed. I fear the kind of enemy we are about to face."

You exchange a hesitant glance with Wanda, before turning your attention back to Wong.

"Our family is our priority, Supreme." You declare, but Strange clears his throat.

"We don't know what we're up against. What if it is something that threatens not only this world, but the one you live in?" he argues making you and Wanda both swallow dryly. "It may seem easier now to look the other way, but what if we're talking about a war in the multiverse? All worlds would be affected. Your family would be in danger too. And as rulers of the multiverse, you have a duty to interfere."

You lock your jaw, ready to argue that your only duty is to your family when Wanda squeezes your waist gently.

"We need to visit Wundagore." She says and you sigh softly, knowing that she has already made her decision.

In all the worlds you have visited so far, Wundagore never looked like this one. It was always the place where the Temple of the Scarlet Witch, shrines or even a Mosque stood. But in this world, it was a castle.

Wong led you to the top but didn't go up, waving goodbye to give you and Wanda some time alone. You and Wanda flew to the structure on the ice, and as soon as you entered, you were greeted by gigantic demons.

Before you could even think of attacking, they were kneeling down.

"That will never stop being weird." Murmurs your wife to you, getting a soft laugh.

You proceeded to explore around. It was like the other Darkhold registration sites - structure covered in dark magic in every brick - but unlike all the others you visited, you noticed other designs on the wall.

"Wands, I think this is-"

"Billy." She completed in surprise at your side as soon as she noticed where your hand was on the wall. She swallowed dryly before looking at you. "What does that mean, darling?"

"I don't know, Wands. But look, I'm here too." You say pointing to a structure at the back of the room - the only statue beside Wanda's - on the other wall. "Maybe the pose could be a good thing." You try, seeing the sculpted Knight on their knees, the face bowed as well.

"I think Chthon was hoping for the submission of Order to Chaos, actually." Wanda mutters pointing to the transcripts at the top. "He teaches the Scarlet Witch to demand control or to annihilate."

You sigh softly. "Good thing you control me easily, huh, babe?" You try to banter to lighten the mood, but Wanda gives you a gentle pinch.

"Focus." She urges, though her cheeks have turned pink.

Wanda guides you inside, and this is how you discover that this is not a tomb, nor a temple. It is a castle with a throne.

"Do you think it can rebuild itself like the others?" You ask curiously, looking around, but Wanda is distracted by the seat assigned to her. She walks over to the chair, tracing her fingers through the runes written on the dark marble, and sighs softly.

"Watcher spells, dear." She says to you. "I imagine for me to be able to see around the cosmos."

You sigh softly, looking around and pointing to the runes you recognize. "And I suppose those are the doors to the worlds you wish to visit." You say, and Wanda, reading the transport spells on some of the rocks, nods in agreement.

She hugs her own body, pensive. You approach her immediately, bringing your hands to her arms.

"Hey, what do you think of this?" You ask tenderly.

"Which part?" She retorts with a short laugh. "Demons at the entrance, a statue of our son, or the throne?"

"Everything." You reply with a laugh equal to hers, stroking her arms to calm her. "Wanda, we don't need-"

"Yes we do, Y/N." She interrupts with a slightly tired expression, but her tone is as gentle as she can manage. Wanda lets go of her arms to bring her hands to your cheeks. "We can't turn our backs on our destiny, sweetheart."

You swallow dryly, looking at your wife for a moment. Her hair was no longer red some years ago, it was now dark blonde, the long faded dye gave way to bleached strands, and as the weeks passed, the brown strands grew in together. Wanda's eyes have not changed. If possible, they seem to get greener and deeper every time you look at her.

"Wanda, I'm scared." You confess to her in a whisper, hands finding her neck. "I love you, our family, our life. And I feel that... I feel that this could risk everything we've built together. And I'm terrified of the possibility of losing you."

Wanda swallows dryly, moving her hands to your cheeks.

"I know, detka, I'm scared too." She says in the same tone, fingers caressing your skin. "But we have to do this, my love. For our family, any version of it. We can't turn our backs on our friends either."

You sniffle softly, nodding and resting your forehead against hers. You both breathe deeply, just in each other's company.

"I think the kids will love living in a castle." You joke managing to make Wanda laugh softly before stealing a few kisses from her.

"I love you." She says between them making you smile.

When you let go, the two of you continue to explore the place, determined to get to know everything before you even think about bringing the children here. And soon, you and Wanda realize that yes, the structures can also be restored with the spells on the walls.

It's only when you are standing around a completely restored castle of dark, gleaming marble that you decide to return to the Kamar Taj.

Wanda takes one last look at the statue of the scarlet witch and seeing her hesitation, you slide your hands together before raising them, kissing the back of hers and making her smile as she looks at you.

"Are you ready, my darling?" You ask her, and Wanda sighs lightly, moving a little closer and looking down at your joined hands before meeting your eyes.

"Don't let go of me." She asks and you smile, stepping forward to deposit a kiss on her forehead.

"Never." You assure, squeezing her hand gently. She smiles back, and in the next moment, you step through a portal together.

--//--//--

A/N-> So, last chapter folks!! I hope you enjoyed the journey, and yes, I know the ending is kind of open and there's this long time span (sixteen fucking years) but two reasons for that; I want to find out what happened to Wanda in canon, how she's going to come back and live with the boys and that sort of thing, so that someday I can write either a second season or new stories. And second (and this one probably won't happen but let's pretend it will) these years make room for drabbles or special one-shots about their adventures in the multiverse. Either way, story ended with a beautiful and lovely happy ending to warm our hearts.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda x reader #Rulers of The Multiverse #elizabeth olsen x reader #wanda maximoff #marvel imagines #wanda x you #wanda maximoff imagines #wanda maximoff x yn

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gaysindistress · 6 months

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Things that I think would happen if Bucky dated an Egyptian!reader

Based on this request from @aesthetic0cherryblossom

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

1. Bucky has always been fascinated with Ancient Egypt

American Egyptomania is what they call the time of renewed interest in the culture of ancient Egypt that happened in America in the late 19th century and early 20th. Like I mentioned in my first Arab reader headcanon list, with Bucky being from Brooklyn it’s likely that he experienced more diversity than most. Also with how social he was, I genuinely believe that he would’ve experienced more than Steve. Anyways his exposure to ancient Egypt would have come from the many museums in New York that were a part of Egyptomania however his knowledge about “modern” Egypt would have stemmed from his interest in the first world war. Egypt had a significant but forgotten role in the war and with his dad dying during basic training, I can see him having a special interest in it and thus learning more about Egypt.

Now, fast forward to 2023 a form of self-care for Bucky would be going to museums and essentially re-learning everything that he spent years reading about as a kid. And we know that he was a reader because he read the Hobbit when it first came out in 1937. It didn’t become mainstream until almost 3 decades later in the 60s so that would lead me to believe that he read literally everything that he could.

Back on track now, these museum trips are a way for him to catch up, as well as feel connected to who he was before.

Since he is tied to D.C. thanks to his government mandated therapy, he goes to the Smithsonian more than any other ones. He loves the Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt exhibit more than anything, and he visits it all of the time.

Once again, this is where you come in. You two didn’t meet at the museum but instead literally ran into each other as he was leaving therapy. He was in a terrible mood and ran straight into you, spilling your coffee all over your white shirt. He felt awful and apologized profusely but you weren’t concerned.

“I don’t even like this shirt anyways,” you told him with a smile that made him swoon.

After that, he’d see you every week after his appointment and he slowly started to look forward to Dr. Raynor. She made a comment about it which he quickly shut her down saying that “maybe our sessions are helping or maybe I just want to get out of here.” She reminded him that she could extend his court mandated appointments if she thought it necessary.

Finally he worked up the courage to ask you out and offered to buy you a new shirt. You accepted and told him that lunch would be a better replacement. He let you pick the place and you took him to Fava Pot, the only good Egyptian restaurant aside from your kitchen.

The two of you talked for hours about everything and nothing at all. Slowly the topic of you being Egyptian came out and it took everything in him to not lose his shit. Before he could stop himself, he told you all about how he’d loved Ancient Egypt growing up and how he’d go to the Smithsonian almost weekly to look at the exhibits. At first you did say a word but then the giggles erupted for you, causing everyone to look at your table. You grabbed his arm and drug him out of the restaurant without a word about why and the poor guy was so confused.

You finally explained that you would give him a real tour and alas your weekly museum dates were born.

2. Your culture is hard for him to grasp at first.

Important note for this hc": there is a very old and heated debate about whether or not Egyptians are Arab. While I’m Arab, I’m not Egyptian and not at all qualified to even touch that debate. With that being said, the cultural differences were specifically requested so my hope is that this section comes across as neutral in regards to that debate. If it doesn’t or i get something wrong, please correct me. Everyone deserves accurate representation.

As I said in my first Arab!reader list, there is a lot of misinformation about the Middle East and North Africa which makes research very difficult. The above debate is a prime example of this. Bucky tries really hard to do as much research as he can on his own so that he can surprise (and impress) you but ultimately has to ask you. He takes it as a personal hit that he can’t do everything in his power to understand you better because you’ve done that for him. However you remind him that he’s an Avenger and literally has biographies written about him.

“Rouhi, no one is expecting you to be a walking encyclopedia. Let me help,” you said in a gentle tone one night when he was getting frustrated with whatever show he was watching.

“That defeats the purpose of me learning about your culture. I should be able to do it on my own,” he threw back from the couch where he’s laying with the cat that he definitely didn’t want on his chest.

“You can do a lot of other things on your own. You’re a big boy, you’re 107! This, however, is difficult for anyone and I’m more than willing to help.”

He glared at you for calling him that and for pointing at his age but his gaze softened when you dropped onto the ground next to him with a plate of food. After that, in addition to your Arabic lessons, the two of you play trivia so he can learn more. It’s really you quizzing him on flashcards and every one he gets right, he gets a kiss. The arrangement works out in both of your favors really.

3. The more serious your relationship gets, the more Egyptian traditions/norms he incorporates into your life.

This starts out with little things like taking his shoes off when he walks in. With time he’ll start adding more things like visiting your family as often as you can as a couple and bringing some sort of gift, usually sweets or the chocolates that your dad loves. During dinner, he’ll make sure to get a second plate and leave a small amount leftover. He’ll change how he compliments you by making an effort to compliment specific things like how your hair looks that day or how he likes when you wear black. He’ll also start showing gratitude when you compliment him by responding to a compliment on the same thing. For example, if you tell him how good he looks that day, he’ll tell you that you look radiant. If you’re Muslim, he’ll add “Allah Yen’im ‘alik” which is how you wish someone Allah’s blessings (from my understanding).

Eventually he acts more Egyptian than you when you’re with your family and your mom will not let you forget it. She’s always telling you that Bucky is such a good man and how he’d be the perfect son in law. Those conversations are usually followed by her asking when you’re going to get married and looking him dead in the eyes to make her point clear; hurry up and propose. Ever the charmer, he’s able to rely on that Brooklyn sweetheart that lives inside of him and move the conversation to something else. Of course, your mom knows what he’s doing but she’ll allow it because she can feel the proposal in her bones (and it never hurts to have that brilliant smile directed at you.)

#bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fic #marvel imagine #egyptian #Egyptian reader #Bucky x Egyptian reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes reader insert #marvel

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halogenwarrior · 6 months

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Ok, one thing I see a lot of discussion and criticism about on Tumblr is the trope of “person who wants to fight an injustice/change the status quo for the better, who then does inexplicably bad things to show keeping the status quo is good”. And I think this is an interesting topic for analysis, but everyone seems fuzzy about what exactly the trope being complained about is, exactly. By some definitions of it, it is something that I very much hate and get annoyed by to, but by others it seems to go as far as “any story in which the people fighting the status quo are not every one of them unambiguous good guys is propaganda for the status quo”, which is a take very lacking in nuance. This is so common and so hated on the site they even made a whole tournament about it (@copaganda-clobberfest I would love you to see this post). While I love a story in which the main characters heroically fight to change oppressive norms in the world that seem unchangeable, it’s certainly not the only way you can tell a good story without having uncomfortable political subtext. In the end, I think a lot of the confusion comes from the fact that the trope being discussed is really three separate tropes that are being used interchangeably, so here is a breakdown of all three of them, whether they are inherently bad in in their implications and, if not, what framing would make them better. Ok so here we go.

Status quo-defending heroes vs. villains with a good cause

This is the “purest form” of the trope, one I think everyone can agree counts as it. In this version, the villain(s) kick the plot into motion by trying to fix an injustice or oppressive norm in their society, and the heroes fight against them to defend the status quo. To make the villain not sympathetic despite having a sympathetic cause, they either commit atrocities that aren’t logical to advance their goal or they turn out to be hypocrites who don’t really believe in the cause.

Now, most of the time this is a bad thing in my opinion and I hate it, but even here the “badness” of it isn’t inherent to the set-up I described in itself, but is a result of how it’s usually framed. For one, the injustice is usually framed as only being relevant in the context of it being a motivation for the villains, with little input from anyone besides the villains who were affected by whatever the problem in society is. Because there is no one else besides the evil person/group who is fighting the injustice, it is then often framed as though the cruelty or hypocrisy of that person or group isn’t just an indictment on them, but on the very idea of fixing society. Like Pokemon Black and White concluding in the ending that because the revolutionary movement’s leader was a hypocrite that didn’t really care for the cause, the cause itself can be dismissed and anyone who wasn’t a hypocrite and thus dismissible was only manipulated into believing it’s a problem. Or in the worst cases, the fact that a group was excessively violent in fighting back proves that they really deserved to be outcast in the first place. I had a conversation about this with @bonefall regarding the Warriors (cat book series) arc A Vision of Shadows – basically, the rhetoric of “don’t be xenophobic towards rogues, they are just cats trying to survive” is only put into the mouth of the rogues themselves and the Clan cats duped into following them due to their disillusionment with Clan life. In the end, the rogues turn out to be horrible, and because there is no other voice of anti-xenophobia besides those portrayed negatively, the implication is not just that this group of cats are bad actors due to their actions alone, but had legitimate points in their believes. The point instead is that rogues are bad so the xenophobia was justified all along. And finally, the part of the framing where the implications of the existence of the injustice is ignored for the heroes of the story. The fact that the problem in society exists and the heroes, despite often considerable power and influence, don’t even think much about it let alone do anything to ameliorate it, does not interfere at all with them being framed as ideal heroes. If they are framed as flaws, it is not for their inaction but for unrelated things.

To be clear, it’s these three things in the framing that make the trope bad. I don’t think that having someone professing to fight injustice either using clearly unnecessary cruelty or being a hypocrite is inherently bad or propagandistic writing. These things happen in real life! History is full of people being irrationally cruel/cruel in ways we can see with the benefit of hindsight are unjustified, including those who are trying to change the status quo. Seemingly random atrocities committed by a side of a conflict with a “good” goal absolutely do happen! This is not to say biased tellings of history and propaganda that make people changing the status quo look worse and less rational than they really are don’t exist, but the existence of propaganda doesn’t mean no such things ever happened in reality, that is getting into denialism territory. And people hypocritically claiming to fight injustice for their own personal goals is also a perfectly realistic plotline. Like Japan in World War II pointing to their region of the world being a victim of imperialism to justify their own imperialism, or any number of colonialists pointing to a genuinely morally bad practice of the people they are colonizing to justify themselves (even as they prove disingenuous by wanting to get rid of anything that is too unlike their own culture). And yes, sometimes such “bad actors” end up becoming the leaders and people with the most powers to enact change in society out of all the people with similar goals (though unlike in some of this fiction, that doesn’t mean that other people opposed to the injustice just stop existing). Deprived of the problematic framing, these stories can actually be interesting. What do you do if you are the resident of a fictional state that has a cruel aspect of it you are trying to fight against, but it so happens that the state that colonized yours used abolishing that practice as one of their justifications for imperialism and doing many horrible things? How do you fight that aspect of your society without being labeled as the same as the colonizers? T(I remember an article I read in a sociology class I took about social movements about just this that really stuck with me, contrasting the abolition of foot bonding with the persistence of female genital mutilation and how Christian missionaries and colonialism played into both). That could be a much more interesting setup than just having the villains being the only ones who point out the problem with a society.

And just as another note, while I do think that sometimes this sort of plot is intentionally motivated by trying to discredit the belief of the story’s villains (like the Pokemon example I gave earlier, which I definitely think was written to address criticisms of the franchise but using a trick to not fairly address them), but I think more often it’s just a result of unthinkingly plugging into a “standard formula” of heroes and villains for a story. Someone starts out with the assumption that heroes protect their society and world from threats, and then they have to create a threat that will be a villain. But they think sympathetic villains make the story more interesting and more realistic than just evil ones, so they give the villain a sympathetic cause. However, since they only thought of the problem with society in the context of a villain motive, the problem with society is divorced from the rest of the story, the logical implications are never followed through on; heroes never think about the injustice outside the context of the villain, and are not portrayed as flawed for it, side characters might have a passingly negative opinion of the injustice at worst and are never seen actively fighting it parallel to the villains. The authors will then either not realize the characters in the plug n’ play hero and villain story they created don’t really correspond to their roles and create a story where the moral framework is completely wrong, or realize and “course correct” by making the villain do something out of character. In general, I feel this is why it is best to develop your cast as characters first, and then once you have the story and characters and motivations much more, start thinking about who, if anyone, you would “side with”, and who, if anyone, could be labeled “heroic” or “villainous”. Deciding “good guys and bad guys” before you develop them as characters can lead to all sorts of issues of the moral framing not matching the characters’ actions.

I will also note that there are some versions of this trope where the heroes do, in fact, even after a story they spend fighting for the status quo, recognize the villain’s point and try to implement the changes they wanted at the end, i.e the Black Panther movie. While this avoids the framing problems I outlined above, I get why this is disliked as well – it seems to give a message that it’s ok to repress the people who are actually putting their whole lives into advocating for change, and trust the people in power who never before showed any interest in fighting injustice to have a change of heart and reform things. A “fix” for this kind of plot would be probably be including characters who are dedicated and going to great lengths to achieve the change and are not portrayed as villains (even if they have less power to influence things than the villains), rather than having the heroes who were never invested in change in the first place be the only ones.

Villains fight for the status quo, but negatively portrayed anti status-quo characters also exist

This trope is less often bad for a story in my opinion than the first one, but nonetheless there are some framings of it that can have uncomfortable implications. In this, the main villains are fighting to keep the status quo, and the heroic main characters are either trying to fight them or a neutral third party. However, characters fighting the status quo who are portrayed as overly cruel or hypocritical also exist. On the face of it, there is nothing wrong with this – wouldn’t it be naïve to assume that no one fighting for a good cause would ever do anything wrong? But there are three ways this can be portrayed badly (if a story avoids all three I think this is a completely fine setup for a story.

The first is the “both sides are equally bad” framing. This usually involves a neutral hero. In this version, the oppressed and oppressor sides are portrayed as exactly symmetrical, paralleled with each other, and shown as equally bad in every way. The issue with this is again, not in the actions of the side fighting the status quo (like I said it’s perfectly realistic for such people to be unnecessarily extreme in violence), but in the framing that ignores the fact that, by virtue of one side having all the power and the other side reacting to that, it is inherently not a symmetrical conflict. While I agree that this is a bad framing, I do think people are still overly harsh on framings like this due to the primarily American userbase of sites like this, which leads to fictional conflicts always being assumed to be specifically metaphors for American groups or groups that are familiar to the average American audience member. Often, if a story shows members of a group to which bigotry/hate crimes/genocide is committed against to have been in power at some point and done bad things to their current oppressor when they were in power, it is decried as propaganda because the most well-known-to-Americans cases, African-Americans in the US and Jewish people in the Holocaust, were never at any point in power, so therefore the stories are either interpreted as saying one of these two groups is responsible for their own oppression or that, if one was to grant that group equality, they would respond with oppression and genocide towards their former oppressors. But I don’t think these stories are inherently problematic because not every story is a metaphor for things familiar to Americans! There are situations in history that do resemble what I just described (members of a group in power do something bad with that power, and that’s later used as an excuse for bigoted actions by another group), it’s not unrealistic to happen just because that isn’t what happened in the USA.

The second is the “political people are dangerous” framing. In this case, though both heroes and villains fight the status quo, (which again, isn’t inherently bad), but consistently anyone with a defined political motivation falls on the villain side, while heroes are plodding around fighting vaguely for personal revenge or something vague. This article https://newsocialist.org.uk/outlaw-kings-rebel-chic/ explains better than I can just what is wrong with that framing, but suffice it to say that it’s always seemed completely backwards to me; in an imagined revolution, I would feel far more comfortable trusting someone who was defined goals of the system they want to put in the old system’s place than someone who just wants to smash the bad guy and get revenge, who knows what happens afterward.

The third is the “absurdly high standards for going too far” framing. This is where there are both heroic and villainous characters fighting the status quo, but the standards of ethical conduct for who is framed as villainous are unfairly weighted against those fighting the status quo. For example, not just people who go above and beyond in their cruelty are condemned, but anyone who uses violence in any context. The standards are so high here that it makes it seem impossible for a character to do anything to react to their horrible circumstances that would be effectual at all without being condemned as a villain. For example, in the third Wings of Fire arc, where the narrative seems to focus more on how you should only kill the leaders of the oppressive HiveWings and trying to understand and empathize with them than the actual act of stopping the injustice, and despite this focus on targeting the leaders still treated a group being threatened with genocide trying to use mind control on the leader of the group alone to prevent said genocide as making a horrible mistake they had to atone for. Or, even if the status quo fighters are extreme in their cruelty and should be framed as wrong, they are also framed as one-dimensional, unsympathetic monsters, often while the actual oppressors are afforded nuance and sympathy. I think this is also what people’s issue with Avatar the Last Airbender is – in spite of the main plot being the heroes trying to overthrow an oppressive empire’s status quo, and the two negatively-portrayed rebels genuinely harming civilians unnecessarily, Hama is portrayed as wrong not just for hurting civilians but for using bloodbending itself (even to free herself from prison), and Jet Li is portrayed less sympathetically than similarly traumatized and wronged teenagers fighting for the main villains. Now this isn’t a condemnation of any nonviolent movement being portrayed positively – I think a very good story could be made out of the struggles, failures and successes of a nonviolent, but disruptive and far from passive, movement in a realistic world. Most of the hate for pacifist characters seems to come from not the pacifism itself but the use of deus ex machina and contrived circumstances in their worlds to make sure they always win and never have to make compromises (i.e criticism of Steven Universe, Undertale, or Avatar the Last Airbender again).

Villains disrupt status quo, but villains’ goal is worse than status quo

I sometimes see these types of stories get lumped in with the other two tropes in blanket discussions of the tendency for stories to frame fighting the status quo as bad. This is when the story does fit the formula of “heroes defend status quo, villains fight it”, but the villains are not fighting for an ideal that would be good and noble, were they not murdering tons of people or being hypocritical about it. No, here everyone agrees their goal would be worse than the status quo. They want to take over the world and enslave everyone, or destroy the whole world, or sometimes they are fantasy fascists who take the preexisting bigotry in the setting to extremes rather than aiming to fight it.

Now, there is totally a place for stories like this in the world, and I often enjoy them as much as stories about changing the world for the better; sometimes it’s good to hear a story about finding good things that already exist in the world, seeing they are worth protecting, and fighting for them. But sometimes these stories can fall into one of the same traps as the first trope. Not the parts about the villains being the only context in which fighting an injustice is brought up, since in this case the villains aren’t fighting an injustice. But the part about an injustice existing in the world, and the heroes solely being focused on fighting the villain and not fighting the injustice to the point that it seems they are callous and accepting of that injustice, and yet they are not framed as flawed and wrong for it. The world they are protecting is flawed, and yet these supposed paragons care only for the protecting and not for the fixing, even though the protecting is certainly something good that has to be done. This is the problem that Harry Potter (whose villains fall nicely into the “fantasy fascist” category I mentioned earlier) falls into.

So does avoiding this mean that, if you want to write a story about protecting something good in the world, you have to make your setting a utopia? I really don’t think so. You can definitely write a story where the main characters’ main goal is fighting the existential threat to their society/world because that’s the emergency happening right now, but clearly also make an effort to fix the problems with their society. But another interesting thing you could do is writing the “problematic” framing but purposefully. The heroes fighting the horrible threat to the world are uncaring, or at least not as caring as they should be, about the injustices of their society, and this is framed deliberately as a flaw on their part. They might have many virtues and lovable traits, and you root for them because they are fighting something far worse and they are justified in doing that, but they are also intentionally very flawed people in their outlook. Add in characters who are part of a group being oppressed by that society, and the choice they have to make between fighting the threat because it must be fought, but for the sake of a society that will be ungrateful and never care about their contribution and keep being horrible, or resigning from it all in protest to keep their principles but thus neglecting to stand against something monstrous. There are just so many interesting and not problematic ways to frame a story beyond “everyone fighting the status quo is good, everyone supporting it is bad!” Even though, as I said, I love stories like that and I’d love to see more of them.

#warrior cats #wc #pokemon #pokemon black and white #avatar the last airbender #wings of fire #black panther #mcu #harry potter #anti harry potter

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