Tumgik
#but coming to the horrific realization that he has to deal with things getting much worse
luobingmeis · 1 year
Text
once again the award for “technically not in my ranked list of favorite characters but by god do i think abt u a lot” goes to nie mingjue like. his grief. his rage. his resentment. him noticing meng yao in the sunshot campaign not bc of his fighting prowess but bc he is the only one who stays back to tend to the common people. the dichotomy of his black/white sense of righteousness vs the fact that he can be reasonable- and reasoned with. his death and the tragedy that he probably would have qi deviated anyway, but not that soon. speaking of his qi deviation, the way that completely accelerated his anger and the question of, if he wasn’t careening towards qi deviation, would things have gone differently. do u ever think abt how at some point he accepted that he was going to die and stopped caring abt saving himself and instead shifted gears to prepare nie huaisang for his death. bc i do!
15 notes · View notes
mysaintkitten · 18 days
Note
more free use/dumbification for tommy and robert please i beg!! ur so talented!
thank you so much !! and although this request asked for free use or dumbification, it’s mostly the latter. will definitely be writing more free use fics though !!
Nocturnal | Tommy Shelby x fem!reader
prompt: a late night run in with Tommy (lol)
WARNINGS: SMUT (18+ MDNI), sort of mean tommy, unprotected sex, dumbification
Tumblr media
Ada Shelby had been your closest friend for as long as you could remember. Everything you’d been through, good and bad, was made manageable with her by your side. The only thing you couldn’t stand was her brother, Tommy. Just the thought of him alone made you want to roll your eyes.
He was arrogant, stubborn, dominant, and worst of all: devilishly attractive. It drove you mad. How could such a gorgeous face be attached to such a vile man?
You’d even bicker occasionally over the smallest things before Ada would come between you and act as a mediator, because of course neither of you could push your pride down long enough to just end the conversation.
But, due to life simply being unpredictable, you had to distance yourself from Ada for about a year. You still stayed in touch, weekly letters updating each other about your lives and new experiences, but life had just become too hectic to make genuine plans.
Luckily though, things began to mellow out and eventually you and Ada were able to make plans to have a sleepover- just like old times.
The two of you spent the late night and early a.m’s chatting and giggling like school girls, until you noticed Ada’s faint snoring as you told a long elaborate story about a horrific professor you had to deal with. With that, you realized the night had come to a close.
Before you followed her in drifting to sleep, you decided to get a drink of water before bed. Tiredly, you left her bedroom and trudged towards the dimly lit room. As you stepped into the kitchen and reached for a glass from the cupboard, you quickly realized you weren’t alone.
“(Y/N)?” You hear a familiar male voice mutter from behind you, causing you to jump and nearly drop the glass out of your hand from being startled. You swiftly turn around on your feet, only to see Tommy sitting there. Of course he’s around the moment Ada’s asleep.
As he sees your face he chuckles and brings a cigarette up to his lips, “didn’t mean to scare you, love.”
“A bit late for that …” you mumble back while trying to relax your racing heart, “why are you up so late?”
Tommy raises his eyebrows and smirks before answering, “I could ask you the same question.”
“Me and Ada were talking, I wanted some water before bed,” you answer as you fill your glass up, “and you?”
“What were you two girls gabbing about? Makeup? Boys?” Tommy replies while ignoring the question you’d asked him, you shake your head and sigh. Tommy knows where your aspirations lie, he’s just trying to push your buttons.
“I don’t exactly have time for a boys right now, my focus is on university,” you clarify before taking a sip of water.
Tommy chuckles condescendingly as he hears you mention ‘university’, earning a confused glare from you as you take a step closer towards Tommy’s seat at the kitchen table.
“What’s funny?”
“Oh, nothing,” Tommy assured unconvincingly between inhales, “I just don’t think university is the best way for a young woman to spend her time.”
Your face contorts into visual disdain, it’s times like this where you wonder if he’s being obnoxious just to piss you off or if he’s truly just this annoying, “and where exactly do you think a young woman should be spending her time?”
��Women are happiest when they’re kept in their place,” Tommy explained flatly as he takes a drag of his cigarette, “doing housework in the day, and in bed taking her husband’s cock at night.”
You couldn’t help but scoff at his ignorant and blatantly misogynistic remarks, what kind of women has Tommy been around for him to genuinely believe this?
“I’m not sure what kind of ladies you’ve been seeing, Tommy, but most women I know have dreams, ambitions, goals,” you retort as you take another step closer towards Tommy with a foreign sense of confidence, “and they desire much more in life than being just some man’s personal come dump.”
He chuckles while putting out his cigarette, proceeding to stand to his feet and slowly make his way over to you,
“Thats what you all think,” Tommy states lowly as he walks closer and closer, “that you’re special and different, but really, you’re all the same. Once you get fucked so good you’re seeing stars, all those little dreams go out the window.”
You step backwards ploddingly as your cheeks burn, not knowing how to respond to Tommy’s crude comment. Suddenly, his face is mere inches away from yours.
“And judging by your little proclamation,” Tommy’s gaze drifts to your soft lips before locking eyes with you again, “you haven’t experienced that, love.”
You couldn’t define what you were feeling, frustration? Exhaustion? Arousal? Your body buzzed with inscrutable energy, and the rational part of your brain attempted to take over and de escalate the situation.
“I-I should just go to bed, Tommy …” you whine weakly as your eyes nervously dart around, suddenly finding Tommy’s stare and demeanour incredibly overwhelming. His dominance mixed with the masculine scent of whisky and tobacco made your heart flutter.
“Why don’t you just see what it’s like, hm?” Tommy purrs as he places his hands on your hips, you suck in a quick surprised breath- but you don’t push him away, “to get fucked so good you forget your own name …”
You didn’t know what came over you; maybe it was the fact that it had been so long since you’d been properly touched, or because part of you had some sort of attraction toward Tommy, but you found yourself wanting more.
Tommy notices your hesitance and tries to warm you up the best way he knows how by placing gentle kisses on your neck, causing your mouth to drop open with a small gasp. He smirks when you react exactly how he was expecting you to. As he continues to kiss, his left hand snakes down your back and grips your ass.
“What if Ada hears …” you whine back, feeling pitiful at how easily you gave into his advances. Tommy hums against your neck before pulling his head out and easing his hand up to the small of your back.
“She’s a heavy sleeper, we’ll be fine,” Tommy breathed as he feels his straining cock twitch in his pants. With his hands on your hips, he turns you around so your back is flush against the front of his body.
“Hold on to the counter,” Tommy coos into your ear as he grabs your wrist with his strong hands and placed them onto the counter in front of you, “and keep your mouth shut.”
You anxiously grip the counter, involuntarily noticing your equally high levels of lust and consternation. You tuck your bottom lip between your teeth when you feel Tommy’s hands begin to bunch up the back of your dress, appreciating the view of your ass with a low grunt. With his free hand, he hooks his finger into your panties and tugs them to the side, uncovering your holes for him.
Using the same hand, he runs his middle and ring finger between your folds while you already start to struggle staying quiet, he chuckles breathily as he feels your arousal spill onto his fingers.
“Do you always get this wet when men force themselves onto you?” Tommy groans as his fingers slide up towards your clit, rubbing small circles onto the sensitive nub from behind. Instead of answering, you can only moan for him while your core burns hotter with desire.
“Poor girl, so eager for cock she can’t even talk,”
With his hips pressed against your ass, he hastily yanks his pants down to free his member, it’s heat laying tantalizingly against your cheek. He grasps the base of his length and aligns it with your opening, forcing himself inside with one abrupt thrust.
You yelp unexpectedly at the fullness before biting your lip again, mumbling a few apologies as Tommy keeps his cock deep inside you before pulling out and slamming back into you.
With each thrust, the ability to stay quiet is growing more difficult. You continue to bite your lip so hard it may draw blood, but breathy whimpers still get punched out despite your best efforts.
“O-oh, fuck-“ you moan as you feel Tommy’s balls brush against your clit with every pump, taunting you with potential friction against your most intimate area.
Tommy changes his angle and slams into your spot head on with seasoned accuracy- clearly his various encounters with women have paid off.
“A-ah!” You sob loudly while your legs shake beneath you, nearly giving out if you weren’t currently white knuckling the countertop. Tommy groans against your neck, his hot breath sending chills down your spine.
“Quiet down, love,” Tommy growls into your ear as he clasps his hand over your mouth, his thrusts becoming deeper and more precise, “we wouldn’t want Ada hearing you.”
With a heavy hand silencing you, Tommy makes his thrusts harsher, almost painfully smashing into your cervix. He mumbles a few praises about how wet you are and how good you feel, your body buzzing from the approbation.
In the midst of ruining you, his hand slips away from your mouth and your needy whimpers can be heard along with Tommy’s heavy breaths. Not loud enough to disrupt Ada, but loud enough to be heard by anyone who could pass by the kitchen. The adrenaline and eroticism causes that intoxicating pressure to begin to build up inside you.
“What would she think, huh?” Tommy teases with a low groan, “seeing her astute friend become a filthy little dumb whore all for her big brother …”
“F-fuck-“ you cry out breathlessly as your sopping cunt flutters around his length, “‘s huge-“
Tommy laughs thinly while slamming into you, “too big for you, sweetheart? Can you feel it stretching out your cunt?”
“Y-yes, fuck-k!”
“(Y/N)?” Ada calls out tiredly from her room, “are you okay?”
Tommy halts his movements inside you, his tip pressing firmly against your spot. You let out a shaky pant before turning around slightly to peak at Tommy. He stares back at you with a cocked brow, silently commanding you to respond to her.
“I’m f-fine, sorry, just bumped my h-hip …” you stammer weakly, barely being able to think of an explanation let alone form a proper sentence while Tommy’s cock is still splitting you open.
Ada’s too tired to pry further, so she just takes you word for it. Once he knows the coast is clear, he slowly builds his thrusts up to that same deep, harsh pace.
“Only thing I told you to do was stay quiet, and you couldn’t even fuckin’ do that, have I fucked you stupid already?” Tommy scolds angrily as he locks a hand into your hair and yanks your head back towards him, the sting of the pull only pushing you closer to your orgasm.
“Uh-huh,” you mewl, the humiliation makes your cunt clench and weep around him greedily, your toes curling as your back arches against him.
“Maybe we should spend more time together, hm?” Tommy decides as he nips your earlobe from behind, licking the shell of your ear soon after, “you get to bitch and moan about how ambitious women are, and then I get to watch you go brainless on my cock. How’s that sound?”
You nod and whimper even though you’re ironically barely processing what he’s saying. Tommy can tell how wrecked you’ve become, and he doesn’t hesitate to relish in it.
“You were much too pretty for a career, anyway,” Tommy insisted as he felt his own orgasm begin to coil up inside him while his grasp on your scalp tightens, “the way your cunts gripping me right now … I think you were crafted for this, love …”
Your senses are overloaded with pleasure and you’re convinced you’ve never been fucked this good before. Sadly, just as Tommy expected.
“C-close,” you stutter as you feel yourself begin to tip over the edge while squeezing your eyes shut tightly. Tommy chuckles and continues the same pace, sneaking one of his hands to the front of your body and placing the pads of his fingers directly onto your clit. Not rubbing, just leaving his digits there with firm warm pressure.
“That’s it, don’t think. Just drench my cock, baby,” Tommy growls as he feels your channel flutter around him. And with a few more pumps, you’re coming around his length. You nearly shout out before Tommy covered your mouth again, not wanting to give Ada a reason to get up and check what was going on herself.
After seeing and feeling your orgasm take over you, Tommy feels the pressure within him begin to burst. And just at the last second, Tommy slides his length out and shoots ropes onto you ass, making sure to not get any on your dress. He can be a gentleman, sometimes.
Once you’ve both ridden out your highs, only then does Tommy release his grip on your hair, both of your bodies achy and sweaty with exertion. He backs himself up and tucks his softening cock back into his pants.
Shakily, you turn around to face him, earning a genuine smile from him as he sees your post-orgasm fucked out expression. Cheeks flushed and eyes still glossy, he could get used to seeing this.
“How about we have another talk in the morning?” Tommy asks in a tone that you can’t exactly read, but judging by his expression and body language- you believe he’s being authentic. And you couldn’t lie, the thought of another ‘talk’ with Tommy is dangerously tempting.
I hope I did this justice <\3 as much as I love dumbification I feel like I can’t write it properly :( I’m going to keep trying !! because if I’m anything it’s persistent lmao
375 notes · View notes
vamptastic · 2 years
Text
hate fathers day i am gonna lose it
#mom is sick so my dad is like fuming over it bc it's His Weekend#+ sister is being as Annoying 13 Year Old as usual n he keeps blowing up at her#anyway. if he screams at me again i'm going to stab him i think. i cannot deal w this.#oooh why do you hide in your room n never talk to me. maybe because if i say smth you don't like you scream and try to hit me#or call me degrading misogynistic insults#and i also do not like you as a human being who is not my father.#i get that days like this r meant to honor parents but it defeats the point for your parent who is 24/7 demanding undeserved honor#and respect#to now have a day where he can further justify the idea that he's entitled to respect regardless of how horrible he acts and is like#i just. god. i wish i could make him feel even an ounce of the hurt and frustration he has caused me my entire life#but it just rolls right on by him cos hes so fucking self absorbed that he has to be right and im just upset for no reason#or. idk. i mean idk how any parent can look at a crying child and not realize they fucked up in some way#esp when that child is 17 and you have therefore obviously done smth to warrant that reaction#i just. i wanna kill him. idk. or myself if only to make him upset. probably the first but whats the point cos id end up in jail anyway#i can't do anything but move on but he will literally never pay for any of this he'll probably live a much happier life than me#and just. leave me to bear all of his stress and rage. like he has always done. whatever.#i just think fathers day is like mildly cool if u have a good dad and one of the most horrific days of the year if you don't.#wish it wasn't a thing. u can honor your father any day of the year but this special opportunity for him to further justify all his abuse#only comes once!!#haha. parents. gotta have em! i guess.
1 note · View note
ewingstan · 10 months
Text
I've been thinking about how Worm differs from Ward in it's approach to action, and I'm realizing that my dissatisfaction with the latter isn't just "the powers got more complicated." Its that action scenes are being used in completely different ways for completely different ends in each text, but are being paced the same way.
In Worm, each fight was a scenario where a problem was set out that seemed unbeatable given what the protagonists had at their disposal. The satisfaction of the fight was seeing the problem being "solved" through clever and unexpected use of the protagonists abilities. We get this time and time again:
The Undersiders plan for dealing with a few wards at the bank heist, and they get the full team plus the Dallon sisters—how will they make it out of a fight we know they're not prepared for? Time to change things up and go on the offensive!
The villains unexpectedly run into Lung during the ABB crackdown, and we've seen how much trouble he gave Taylor last time. How can she fight someone who seemingly no-sells all her powers? Time to get creative with how she uses her bugs!
Taylor's great at attacking an enemy's weak spots, but now someone with no weak points is on her doorstep. How can she fight off not just one of the feared Slaughterhouse Nine, but the one seemingly most built to no-sell her abilities?
Butcher needs to be dealt with, but she's incredibly powerful and anyone who kills her ends up inhereting a host of problems. How do we deal with her and her team? Hey, who left this emotion-manipulator-in-a-face-worse-than-death lying around for us to use?
It's like watching a puzzle being solved. Here's a clearly defined problem, here's how it's especially hard for Taylor because of her limitations, here's how she uses her powers and surroundings in clever ways to come out on top. It also means that basically every fight advances Taylor's character in some way—for it to be convincing, the audience needs to clearly believe in the limitation, which since we're in Taylor's head so much usually means she needs to belive in the limitation. So when we see her overcome this limitation, we're seeing how we (and she) were wrong about her. We learn that Taylor's willing to take insane risks and be agressive in the bank heist, we learn she can take advantage of other parahuman's powers in brutal ways during the Lung fight, we learn how she can use bugs in fully unnatural ways and inspire people to help her in her fight with Mannequin, we learn that she's thriving in the scarred state of Brockton Bay to the extent of utilizing its spankin-new suicide zone to deal with enemies, etc. This is part of why I never had much of a problem with the all-battles-no-breaks pacing that characterizes so much of Worm: it was never just battles! Every fight advanced Taylor's character an incredible amount!
This is a pretty common genre of action, but it requires a few things: namely, a thorough understanding of an enemies abilities. Its only fun to see a character outsmart a powerset if we understand the powerset. And we need to see the way an enemy is a problem for a character's apparent limitations if we want to appreciate how they're overcome. There's a reason why JJBA villains spend so much time monologuing about their stands, or why Sanderson spends so much time establishing exactly how each magic system works. If an enemies powers were vague and unknowable, then deafeating them wouldn't seem clever and limitation-overcoming, it would seem lucky or brute-force. So, Worm has Taylor teamed up with miss-can-explain-everyone's-deal and has her go up against villains famous enough for their powerset to be common knowledge.
But Ward isn't built for this type of clever power-munchining in its action. It's less Jojo's and more Berzerk, with its protagonist defeating her enemies though indomitable power and horrific force rather than cool tactics. Furthermore, Ward is interested in exploring the fog of war and how it affects violent engagements. Victoria is constantly thrown into situations where she has little idea of her enemies powersets, and defeats them without having ever fully grasped their intricacies. And part of this is because the powers in Ward are too complicated to be wholly "got" through simple demonstration, but also because she isn't approaching each fight with the goal of countering the enemy's specific schtick. She's trained to have specific tactics against different broad types, and doesn't typically analyze her opponent past the point of categorizing them as a breaker or a changer. And it makes sense! That style of engagement is gonna be common for anyone who doesn't have a Tattletale! (Kenzie is not a Tattletale. Her specific brand of all-seeing doesn't extend to being able to quickly give the lowdown on a powerset. It does extend to giving a full view of a battlefield and enemy positions, which helps facilitate the more "military engagement" mode for narrating action that Ward adopts). And unlike Taylor's useless-at-first-brush yet endlessly adaptable powerset, Victoria's powers are a blunt hammer that is very good at giving every enemy the nail treatment. Her action scenes are like watching a kaleidescope being smashed to pieces; we're constantly watching someone plunge into a bizzare sitation and smash their way out of it without really understanding what "it" was.
And to be clear I think this low-information style of action can lead to really cool moments. All we get about Mama Mathers for a while is "she can see you when you think about her" and "this is enough to keep the whole compound in line," so the reader's left to speculate on the actual extent of her abilities. And so when she starts driving people into violent spasming fits all of a sudden during the Fallen raid, its shocking and intense! You really get the sense that existing in the world of Parahumans means being subject to countless horrible and unknowable dangers you can't plan around, and when it works, it rocks!
But it also means that when fight scenes can only go on for so long before they start to drag. There's less satisfaction to seeing an enemy defeated without the puzzle component, and there's less character narrative being advanced in each fight outside of "what is Victoria willing to fight for/against" or "how much is Victoria willing to treat this enemy like a nail." Ward needs breaks in its action in a way Worm didn't, and when fights go on for the same length as they did in Worm it feels like Wildbow's using pacing that worked in one area without realizing how it could only work in that area. It might also be why I appreciate the quieter moments of inter-team banter and therapy sessions Ward is full of (besides those moments being, on the whole, really goddamn good).
352 notes · View notes
cinnamonest · 1 year
Note
Cyno trying to fight off his sexual desires for darling... 🤭
This reminds me of the post I did for guilty sadist Kazuha... consider guilty sadist/rapist Cyno...
Cyno seems like the sort of boy who has absolutely zero history too, so the thing is, he's never really had to practice controlling these kinds of urges before. He's always been so busy with his responsibilities, he's sort of put the idea of romantic relationships to the side, with the idea that he'll get to it one day.
And, partially, he also knows deep down that he's avoiding it because he's intimidated by the thought. See, urges themselves aren't his only problem, the other issue is, for all his sternness and stoicism, he's horrifically awkward with anything of a romantic or, gods forbid, sexual nature. His face feels hot just thinking about it. Oh, and when he's super nervous, his face and voice get extra stern and serious-sounding, which comes off almost like being angry or irked, which does not work well for him.
The one time he tried to approach you and speak to you with specific intent, talk to you in a way that was unrelated to his role, he was so tense and focused and anxious that you stiffened up the moment he said your name, you asked if something was wrong. Then he panicked, and when he tried to explain himself (realizing how stupid it was to have walked over to you with no plan beyond a greeting), he ended up stumbling over his words, making up something about asking if you've seen someone else, keeping his shaky arms folded, and just when he thinks he's pulled off an interaction at least somewhat smoothly, his words of departure go over as-
Well, I'll see you arOUND—
-And he bites down hard at the voice crack, clearing his throat before trying to repeat himself as if nothing had happened, turning around and summoning his utmost willpower to walk away normally and not take off running. And then proceeded to lay in bed face-down for several hours, wallowing in frustration and humiliation.
It's a combination of those factors —a very odd, mismatched combination at that. The awkwardness over so much as a very simple interaction, yet at the same time, deep urges to do unspeakable things to you. He'd be fairly nervous about even doing something normal, and much more so the actual things he so deeply desires for.
Even if he could get over the feeling of guilt for the things he thinks about doing to you, all the depraved fantasies he's long since given up on trying to refrain from allowing his mind to conjure and instead now jerks off to several times a day, he'd still be so awkward, just thinking about it frustrates him.
However, said combination of factors is itself what makes it exponentially worse. It would be one thing if he was struggling to summon the balls to just talk to you and to start something normal, but that's not what he wants. He's self-aware of the fact that his urges are unusually violent and depraved.
He knows exactly where it started, too. He used to not have such depraved thoughts. Previously, he would have thought of himself as fairly normal in terms of tastes and urges, mostly using the occasional piece of adult material he's managed to get his hands on, books and prints that he keeps insistently hidden in a storage bin under the bed somewhere. All that was normal, nothing more than images of nudity with lewd posing.
But you just had to go and present an issue. It was so trivial, it's almost irritating that the inconvenience presents itself, forcing him to use valuable time to handle it. And it turned out to be a misunderstanding, too. Repeated absence, some professor claimed you hadn't showed up all semester, it led to a gradual increase of strikes to your conduct record and eventually, seeing as there were no bigger issues for him to handle that day, they sent him off to deal with something usually left to lower-ranked individuals. Turns out you'd registered for a different section of the same class, forgot to officially turn in the form to unregister from the former, and apparently fail to check your assigned mailbox at all. Admittedly, it was a bit irritating to have time wasted on something that was preventable, had you not been so airheaded, so his tone certainly reflected that.
—and in the future, *please* try to remember things like this.
I know! I know, I'm really sorry....
And if you'd checked your mail, you would have gotten all the letters the office has been sending you.
I know...
It was frustrating. At first, it was just pure irritation being taken out on you. But you just kept apologizing. Bowing your head, clasping your hands together.
I'm soooo sorry, I'll be more responsible in the future, I promise! S-so... please don't get me in trouble...
That was it. He can still hear those exact words in his head, exactly as you said them. The trepidation and nervousness in your voice. The way you bit your lip. The pleading look on your face.
A completely non-sensual interaction. Unpleasant, even. Something someone would have to be some kind of lust-obsessed pervert to find anything remotely sensual about, to think anything of beyond the plain, simple reality of the exchange and situation itself.
That's why it felt so bizarre, suddenly becoming aware of an increasing heartrate. The sudden sensation of heat across his body. A fuzzy, tingling sensation in his abdomen. And at first, he could have, albeit with some embarrassment, admitted to himself it was because yes, you did immediately strike him as pretty, and was ready to chastise himself for not having better control over himself, to let that influence him. In his conscious mind, he intended to merely tell you what you wanted to hear, that it was fine. After all, such a trivial misunderstanding would be unfair to hold against you, and he had every intention on just letting it go and taking any notes of the incident off your record. He was going to just tell you that it was all fine and to forget about it.
That's not what came out of his mouth, though.
I can't afford to have you making more unnecessary inconvenience in the future. You'd be more incentivized if you had some deduction of some kind.
No, really, I don't -- that's not necessary. I mean, it can't be that big of a deal, it's just a form...
It felt strange. Like it just came out of his mouth without thinking. He's normally not that much of a stickler, he's reasonable, and usually forgives first-time unintentional mistakes.
And now you're trivializing it?
N-no! No, I didn't mean it like that, I just...
To you, he comes off as irritated, but in truth his heart is beating so fast, there's this weird swelling feeling in his chest. That swelling feeling surges when your eyes widen and you start to apologize and stammer. The look of sudden panic on your face, the nervousness in your entire demeanor.
You're intimidated and nervous. The little things he says control and change your entire demeanor. Speaking harshly and coldly makes your panic worse. What happens is dependent on what he decides, and you're standing there pleading with desperation. And when he agrees, you sigh a huge breath of relief, thank him just as profusely as you were apologizing moments before.
You're very lucky I'm willing to strike this off your record entirely. Normally, I'd at least make a note of past negligence to fulfill academic responsibility.
I know, I know, thank you...
He thinks about that initial interaction a lot. For the rest of that day, it wouldn't leave his mind, even at night when he laid there, looking up at the ceiling. Unable to determine why he said all that. Drew out your suspense and worry.
But he's perceptive enough that he can figure it out, after some reflection. It just felt nice, to have that degree of control over you. Amusing, endearing even, how you reacted to it all, and a sort of exciting buzz at the awareness of having so much control over someone. That should be something he's fairly used to, but he's never felt this sensation when dealing with anyone else. It's usually just a responsibility that he doesn't have any particular emotions about.
And maybe, seeing your intimidation and dread and pleading was, in and of itself, entertaining. Pleasing. A sort of egotistical rush.
You now recognize him, smile and wave when you see him, despite the unpleasant nature of that situation. He's not at all resentful of you or anything for it. In fact, he's taken a sort of fascination with you since then... not that you'd really know, given it's all from a distance, aside from that one aforementioned time he fumbled the attempt to talk to you normally.
He can't look at you without feeling shameful about the thoughts that begin to sprout — as dumb and forgetful as you apparently may be, you're so sweet to him when you see him, and seem so kind and pure-spirited, and here he is wanting to do horrible things to you, it makes him feel so guilty and ashamed and he sulks for hours... usually before jerking off to the thoughts again, unable to resist the urge to do so. Admittedly, he's hoping that expressing the urges that way will make him more rational and less prone to impulse in real life.
More importantly, he can't look at you without stripping you down in his head. He hates that, keeps trying to chastise himself for it. It's the sort of behavior that's reserved for rapists and perverts, not people like him. But it just keeps happening. Every time he looks at you, he keeps imagining all the pieces coming off, tries to envision your skin, the curvature of your body. It usually serves as a preceding thought to far worse ones.
You're so nice, you've never done anything wrong to him. You have such a cute smile. Your heart is pure and sweet. That makes it so much worse, makes him feel a knot in his chest, whenever he tries to keep the fantasies wholesome and normal, if he can't fight them off entirely — only to fail at that too. It makes it so much worse that, no matter how much he tries to envision you smiling and moaning and encouraging him, once he gets hot and into a lust-crazed haze, it always drifts. Before he can even stop himself, the images become you whimpering and teary-eyed, looking scared, trembling. He sees your arms straining hard against restraints, feels your body squirm against his, hears little gasps and hisses of pain when he reaches down to bite your neck and digs his nails into your hips and so many other things, oh, so so so many other things he could do to you, things to make you squeal and squirm and clench and sniffle and beg and cry. He can hear it, a side to your voice he's never heard in reality, higher in pitch and strained, stop, stop, I'm sorry, please—
And the fantasy always breaks there, because once he gets to the part he can hear your voice in his head is always what pushes him over the edge. His eyes bolt open and his muscles tense as cum splatters onto his stomach, and he's left to lay there panting and staring up at the ceiling, wallowing, feeling like he's the worst person in the world.
It's getting harder. He starts to get jittery, like some sort of psychological itch that can't be scratched except for one specific way, one he can't do. He can't.
He can just barely justify it to himself with the notion that fantasizing helps. As long as he does this, he won't do anything to you. At least, that's his hope...
But splashing cold water on his face whenever he feels weird is getting less effective. He feels a sense of dread, worried about his own self and his own mind, when he finds himself spacing out and absent-mindedly wandering around, but just so happening to make a direct path for your residence. He feels a nagging sense of sickness when he gradually caves to one urge after another -- first following you around, then increasing the amount of time he spends doing so, then using the master key he's provided with to break into your room and lie on your bed and inhale your scent for over an hour, then to start stealing clothes out of your room. It makes him feel sick to his stomach, makes him feel shameful and dirty, but it's overridden by the haze of arousal and lust and desperation.
He knows it's getting worse, and that his self-control is rapidly waning. He comes to acknowledge that he's lying to himself when he reasons that doing this will satiate the desires, prevent him from doing something worse. That it will only accelerate it instead. That it's a matter of time and circumstance from this point forward, and that he's just a step away from going out of his way to create the right circumstances. That he's going to commit a crime, and not because it's the only way he could obtain the physical act itself, but because he wants to, because he wants it to be forceful and frightening and brutal. As much as he wishes he didn't want that, he knows his inner mind does, his body does, he wants that, craves it, needs it.
Maybe he could break into your room while you sleep. Put a hand over your mouth. Keep you in the dark, only whisper so you can't recognize his voice. Then you wouldn't know. Ah, but then, if he had that once, if he could experience that once, there's no way he'd be able to keep it at only once. There's no way he could just walk out and leave you there and live without ever getting to do it again. He has to do something, but there's nothing he can do that isn't a terrible idea for anything but the immediate few minutes it would take place.
What if he just... did it? Without even concealing his identity? Would you tell anyone? Would you not, because you'd think no one would believe you? Would you be too afraid of him to do that? Would you allow it over and over and over, to the point that you would just accept it as your fate? Would it eventually break your mind into accepting him, too?
He doesn't end up having to think it through, or plan it out, or even finally give up resistance to the urges enough to make an active effort to go through with it. No, he gets something much easier. So much so, so coincidental and perfect, it feels like some kind of joke, like it can't even be real, when he gets that knock on his door late at night, freezing up entirely when he sees your sheepish, apologetic face.
I'm so sorry sir, it's just... I locked myself out of my residence hall, I don't know anyone else I could go to this late... I thought maybe you have some kind of key that can get into the halls...?
For a moment, he doesn't respond, and you're almost afraid you've upset him. He stands there slowly blinking, expression blank, staring forward at you, completely still. The silence carries for just a few seconds, just enough to feel awkward, before he speaks — that is, lies on immediate impulse.
No, I don't. Sorry.
There's an odd dullness to his eyes, it almost makes you feel uneasy, but you deem it easily explicable as tiredness due to the late hour.
O-oh, alright, sorry to bother—
You can stay in here.
There's a few seconds of pause. He seems to recognize the somewhat surprised look on your face, and adds,
I have a chair I can sleep in. You shouldn't be outside so late at night. I'll allow you to stay here for the night. It's probably best for your safety.
The words come out of his mouth before he can think them through, impulsive, and hopefully not so instantaneously after you just barely finish your own words that it came across as odd. He can't really tell how he's coming across, too deep into a daze. He can't read the expression on your face either, as if his brain is short-circuited, unable to focus on or process anything. It takes another moment for him to realize he's still standing in the doorway, and takes a step back.
And you know it's strange, sure. But again, it's reasonable, it's late, he's tired. And he's extending such a kind gesture for someone he really doesn't know all that well, you'd feel bad for rejecting it, and thereby obligated to agree. It's only natural that unsavory ideas briefly cross your mind, but for someone like him, both in character and in position, you don't really worry about something like that, you trust him far more than you would a regular guy.
Thank you so much!
He doesn't even nod in acknowledgement, merely steps to the side as you make your way in. You're taking in the predictable neatness of the room around you as you listen to the click of him locking the door back up for the night, and then, the slow, heavy sound of each step taken from behind you drawing closer and closer, as you set down the things you had on you, a jacket and a bag. Your lips part and you inhale just before asking if it's okay to put them where you did, but a hand slams down onto your throat before you can speak.
388 notes · View notes
shoezuki · 2 months
Note
I dunno why but I feel like Gepard can handle liquor. Like Sampo has the gift of bein smart knowin his limits and what to drink and when, so he gives off the vibe of being able to handle a lot but he's not that heavyweight. He's jus big brain conman XD. Get enough in him n he'll go down like the rest.
But Geppie. Man's sippin vodka from the bottle and not even slurrin his words. When he was a trainee the older guards decided to prank him with a glass of absinthe n called it a weak alcohol only for him to get halfway and not even bat an eye, only stopped cuz it tasted like ass. Dude takes the path of preservation seriously. Even his liver is beyond destruction XD.
Which is why I find two situations very freakin funny, which I'd love your opinion on:
1) Sampo starts up a drinking competition with him. It's on one of his guardian mandated holidays, so Gepard doesn't have to be responsible, and Dove 3 in 1 won't leave him alone anyway, so he agrees. Partway thru Sampo realises he's losin but Gep insists on gettin the drinks so he can't even cheat his way to victory. Cue Gep having to drag a very drunk, incredibly flirty Sampo back to Natasha but he keeps running off. Even being drunk doesn't stop him from havin smoke bombs up the wazoo.
2) Sampo manages to cheat, scheme, girlboss his way to victory. He comes out on top but now has the problem of an incredibly drunk, dangerously curious Silvermane Captain who won't stop flooding him with the oddest of questions. "Why are your eyes so green? Is your hair natural? What happened to the rest of your shirt? Do you really enjoy crime or is it jus something you fell into?" Whi- okay that one was oddly specific and he doesn't have the capacity, as tispy as he is, to answer.
He really needs to get him back home, before he asks the wrong person the wrong question, but isn't cognitive enough to face being questioned by Bronya and would sooner die than face Serval. So he opts into takin him to one of his more obvious hideouts which poses 10 million problems in and of itself when he keeps freakin touching everything!
ANON YOURE RIGHT YOURE A FUCKING. GENIUS. I been thinkin bout this A LOT ACTUALLY prob cuz for some reason fandom seems to lean towards gepard bein a horrific lightweight (i mean i know Why the lightweight trope is very much seen as 'cute' and childlike n whatever but i digress). But tbhtbhtbh i agree w u 100% like.
Gepard is a Tank of a Man. Homie can handle anything. Mfer the living embodiment of preservation like dude could be like 'serval this drink sucks' and hes gulping down perfume, unaffected. Dudes prob ate weird shit out on the front lines n questionable rations. The stuff in his fridge is expired n hes jus shrugging and eating it anyways.
I think w sampo its like. He SEEMS like he can handle his liquor. And hes not bad w it. But hes an Actor. Mfer could be plastered and you wouldnt know. Dude could convince a breathalyzer that hes only a Little Tipsy. But theres a threshold for him where he jus Caves at some points. Like u said tho man is Always competent w bombs. Like drunken boxing but w daggers dude could be blown over by a gentle breeze but still kicks ass.
I imagine that gepard doesnt Usually drink in that he jus. Doesnt care much. But absolutely his drink of choice is the hard shit. He jus has whiskey w ice or vodka w tonic water like a freak. Maybe a white russian if hes feelin zesty. When his guards convince him to go to the bar n challenge him to take shots he shrugs n jus packs them back no big deal.
But oh my god like. The 2nd scenario. I imagine it in order like first sampo realizing gepard has an Inhuman tolerance n making it his missiom to get the good ol captain fucked up. N it takes a while but like. Gepard jus gets more... blunt. But in a strange soft questioning way where he asks the things he wonders bout but never says aloud. The kinda soul reads like 'sampo youre a criminal not because you need to be but because you enjoy the thrill and attention right?' N sampo is just like holy fuck. But its like his inhibitions are gone and hes so Curious about everything and everything. He hangs onto sampos every word n it drives sampo crazy
59 notes · View notes
qcoded · 1 year
Text
Small Analysis on Belos/Philip, and the many chances at Redemption he missed.
I think the reason why I loved the scene in Watching and Dreaming were The Collector hugged Belos while saying "I get it! You just need kindness and forgiveness, huh?" was because it encapsulated perfectly how many chances Belos didn't take to fucking redeem himself.
I think we all kinda know that if he was just self aware, and reflected on the shit he did for ONE damn second, maybe, just maybe he could have turned out way better than what ended up happening.
Analyzing his backstory and what we can decide actually happened with Caleb (mostly based on all the pictures that were released from Hollow Mind with additional ones), it's not like he was ever exempt from sympathy, don't get me wrong.
Can't really go into the reality that Caleb, being Philip's sole guardian, most likely abandoned him to go with Evelyn into the Boiling Isles (not with bad intentions but still) since THAT'S a whole 'nother can of worms, but like hey! It's fucking understandable, who wouldn't be hurt by that?
But at the same time, what Belos decided to do, it was all on his own accord.
It was all his own decisions tha he could have actually thought on but no! He was too stuck in his delusional beliefs.
Could have stopped anywhere. After he killed Caleb. After he was tricking and offing witches and demons. After the whole encounter with Luzura/Luz and Gertrude/Lilith. After the making of the Grimwalkers began. After instilling glyphs on witches.
There are probably more examples, but basically, Belos had so many damn chances.
But nope! Never took them.
And again, The Collector was so willing to forgive him, even after manipulating and using this kid for centuries on end. After all the horrific shit that Belos has done, there was still a sliver of hope for him to actually just think, 'What am I doing? '
Of course, that didn't happen. It was a 'Friendship is Magic, but gone wrong' and he attempted to kill The Collector once again.
You know what's the best part of this? That there's a scene that just adds onto what I'm saying perfectly.
Later on when Luz revived into the super cool form that is Titan!Luz, she ripped out Belos from the titan's curse. And when he reformed again, he turned into his Philip Wittebane look.
And he had the fucking audacity to blame that dark magic (presumably his curse) was the one who made him commit all those horrendous acts.
This would make pretty much be his very first, and only attempt towards redemption.
But the thing is, it's too late.
Belos threw out his very last chance at redemption with The Collector.
And now? He has nothing more but than to deal with the ultimate consequences that have been building up.
This is also why I'm not that mad that Belos wasn't shown to finally realize the severity of what he has done, or to feel all that built up guilt flow it.
It's because it shows amazingly how far up his ass he was in his beliefs that even when he was DYING, he was just too fucking stubborn.
The more ironic part, like I mentioned earlier, that 'dark magic' was pretty much just his curse. That I want to mention, is fucking SELF AFFLICTED. Belos was literally the one eating all those Palismen, which are the cause of the curse. He's quite literally blaming himself!
And even though he tried to claim that Luz somehow cured him, got quickly called out on his bullshit when the boiling rain revealed him to still be purely goop.
Till the last minute, he was trying to keep a facade that quite literally, crumbled.
TLDR; Belos ultimately gave up every chance to be a better person, and he pretty much got what was coming for him.
276 notes · View notes
cerealboxlore · 1 year
Note
hello jfkgldghsd
uh hi I'd like to inform you of the absolute brainrot you've instilled into me with your mind swap au. i wrote . a 400 something word bit of how i'd like to think it went down with bruce and billy and yeah !
thought i'd send it over :))
Being in the Captain's body was interesting if Bruce had to put a word on it. One moment he was punching a drone, the next everything felt off. He was bulky and in a color way too bright to be Batman. Captain Marvel also looked disoriented, though the look was obscured by Bruce's own cowl.
"Batman."
"Captain."
"That's. You're. I'm in your body." He sounded panicked (so strange coming out of Bruce's mouth in Bruce's voice) as he looked wildly around.
The fighting had mostly subsided around him. He motioned to Captain Marvel to follow him over to a dark-ish alleyway. They needed to figure out the situation in private.
Captain Marvel glanced around hurriedly, ensuring they were alone before ripping off the cowl. His movements were almost childlike in the way he was so frantic about everything. Bruce took a calming breath.
"What's your name?" (He knew, of course, but he needed to ground the Captain).
"Billy." Captain Marvel said sheepishly.
"Well, Billy. We're going to be stuck like this for a while. I suggest you give me your boss's phone number so you can call in sick to work."
"I don't. Work. Sorry." Billy looked down and caught sight of his face in a nearby puddle. "I'm. You're. Bruce Wayne."
"Indeed." Bruce's mind was working furiously. He didn't know much about the Captain's identity, simply that it existed somewhere in the world. "Your face doesn't turn up in many databases, you know."
Billy winced. "About that. I, uh, was gonna tell you but it didn't seem right." 
“What do you mean it didn’t seem right?” Bruce was curious now. His mind was grasping at anything he knew about the Captain, settling on one particular phrase he always seemed to say when he was truly desperate. 
It called down a bolt of lightning, after all. 
Billy stammered something while Bruce took a step back. His voice was barely a whisper, yet it seemed to echo through the alleyway. 
“Shazam!”
Lighting came down from the heavens, engulfing Bruce. The first thing that came to mind was how much it hurt. His body wanted to fold inwards, forcing itself to deal with the electricity taking every which way through his body. He seemed to be getting smaller as well, shrinking as the muscular body of the Captain gave way to a small boy, no older than 10.  
“What?”
“Surprise?”
UH HI HELLO CAN I INFORM YOU OF THE BRAIN ROT THIS HAS GIVEN ME???!
So so sorry that I couldn't respond sooner but know that I read this ask the moment I got it and have been brain rotting ever since with so much love!!! <3
Your little fic has fed me and given me life, mwah mwah I thank you!!
I'm literally over the moon with happiness over the knowledge that I gave someone brain rot and now they can give me brain rot in return. Sharing truly is caring *sob*
You wrote this with only 400+ words and yet you captured Bruce and Billy perfectly with their reactions and how they would respond to this situation. And that last description of the lightning hitting Bruce and the horrific realization of the transformation lightning actually being painful, omg. I'm a huge fan of the idea that for Billy, the lightning actually hurts and gives him lichtenberg scars every time/a large one down his spine as a reminder. That despite the whimsical nature of the hero, he goes through unbearable pain every day for the sake of everyone else. I like it! Picasso!
245 notes · View notes
Text
Well, I guess I’m continuing to make these now! Here’s the next part of my thoughts on every Magnus Archives episode! Now, last time I said that I was planning to write about episodes 21-40 in the next post, but as it turns out, the hyperfixation has set in and my thoughts are a LOT longer (so buckle up if you want to read this), and I also reached the tag limit. So, I’m only going to be covering episodes 21-30 here, and then I’ll write about episodes 31-40, and this 10 episode trend will probably continue for the rest of the posts, but that just means I’ll be able to put them out faster.
Also, unlike my first post, where I wrote all of my thoughts after finishing episode 20, all of these ones were written right after I finished the specific episode I talked about, so my thoughts are a lot more clearly documented. Finally, there’s a link to my masterpost, which will contain all the post’s detailing my thoughts on every episode before and after these ones.
Once again, no spoilers for future episodes please, and for anyone who hasn’t watched up to episode 30, spoilers are under the cut, so I recommend turning away until you’ve caught up. :)
- Episode 21, Freefall 🪂
Statement of Moira Kelly, regarding the disappearance of her son Robert.
WHAT THE FUCK??!! MARTIN??!! DAMN, I guess the horrors did get to him! Well, it’s nice to finally meet him, even if his first line was dropping shit on the ground. Either way, I get the vibe I’m in for a wild ride for this second half. ….What was I talking about? Oh yeah, the actual statement. Anyways this one upset me. Not only did it bring out my fear of heights pretty well, but the portrayal of a grieving mother who can’t comprehend what happened to her son was really heartbreaking. The line “The sky ate him” was kind of comedic at first, especially with Jon’s following reaction (love this guy btw, he’s such a loser), but then it became really horrific when I realized how it was just Moira desperately trying to make sense of the impossible horrors she just witnessed. The plot thread set up with Simon and Harriet Fairchild is also very interesting, and the whole sky thing kind of reminded me of Dominic’s visions in Ep. 4. Overall another one of many fantastic episodes, but HOLY SHIT I’M SCARED.
- Episode 22, Colony 🔦
Statement of Martin Blackwood, archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, London, regarding a close encounter with something he believes to have once been Jane Prentiss. Statement taken direct from subject.
….aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Ok let’s start from the top. Firstly, I’m really happy we finally got to meet Martin in this episode, and he’s great! Honestly he comes off as more dorky than stupid, and just comes off as a real sweetheart, so Jon’s distaste for him (outside of very different personalities), gets more mysterious. Though all things considered, after what he experienced, I don’t think that the bullying is his biggest worry anymore… Alexander J. Newall does a fantastic delivery, as much as I love Jon’s readings, you can really feel how terrified Martin is here (also “Blackwood” is a sick as fuck last name, and I related to him trailing off about spiders…) Outside of Martin himself, we have Jane Prentiss (or what remains of her) and…well, let’s just say that I don’t find the sex worms nearly as funny anymore. Jane and the worms inside her are absolutely terrifying, and while I would say I’m excited to learn more about her, I wouldn’t be complaining if the institute staff never had to deal with her again. Also the text episode made me, if you’ll excuse my language…squirm. Honestly, this might just be my favorite episode so far. The way that the plot threads from previous episodes connected here was extremely satisfying, and needless to say, I’m very excited and horrified to see where the show goes from here.
- Episode 23, Schwartzwald 🇩🇪
Statement of Albrecht von Closen, regarding a discovered tomb near his estate in the Black Forest.
Worst episode ever because Jon didn’t do a German accent, smh. Ok but in all seriousness, I really liked this one! It wasn’t the strongest in terms of complex themes in my opinion, but it had a great vibe, and was still very interesting, entertaining, and decently creepy. Having a “statement” written before the archives was founded is a really cool idea that’s executed perfectly here, and while we didn’t learn that much about Jonah Magnus, I still found it cool to get a first glimpse of the archives’ history. (Also, given the eye imagery that appears both in here and in other episodes, I can’t help but feel like Albrecht’s wording of Jonah having “good eyes” or something like that is a little weird…) And…now that we have the instance of something that isn’t a statement, but is important being in the archives, I absolutely agree with the idea that Gertrude Robinson organized these poorly on purpose, so that Jon would get the knowledge he needed to have. Regardless, this whole episode had the vibes of a classic ghost story, which while not as weird and off-putting as some of the other horror here, was still a nice change of pace overall. The descriptions of The Schwartzwald were really well done and added to the atmosphere, and I just like the fact that we have another historical episode, that’s also set outside of The UK. Also, the way that they played with the time period at the end was amazing, I already had my suspicions due to the eye imagery, but the reveal of Mary Keay (and therefore Gerard Wa- I mean Keay) being a descendant of Albrecht was still really cool. I also do wonder if the Arabic book was eventually found by Jurgen Leitner in the future…eh, food for thought. Lastly, I loved Martin jumping in out of nowhere, it was both funny, and a grim reminder about how fucked the archives supposedly are, yippee!
Wow, these are a lot longer than my previous thoughts. This, my sweet children, is a phenomenon called “brain rot”.
- Episode 24, Strange Music ����
Statement of Leanne Denikin, regarding an antique calliope organ she possessed briefly in August 2004.
Jon, honey, are we not going to elaborate on the fact that one of ✨the horrors✨is literally inside the institute? Like, HELLO? That’s not terrifying at all! Anwyays, this episode continues the trend of making me scared of things I’m not initially scared of, yippee! It had great vibes as well, the weird shit in the attic was made to be as creepy as possible. Initially, I didn’t find this one to be too scary, and figured it was going to go in the direction of “music makes people feel kind of weird”. AND THEN JOSHUA GETS KILLED AND TURNED INTO A DOLL HELLO??!!! Like, I know he was kind of a toxic boyfriend, but DAMN, whatever was behind the calliope and the dolls did NOT have to go that far. (Also until the end I thought he might be Joshua Gillepsie, and like, I don’t care how toxic he is, but you do not dump a guy who bested an evil coffin with his freezer.) Outside of that, It was really cool to meet Sasha! I like her voice, and the introduction was quite funny. (Also, even as someone who has lived in England for over two years, and has a family that is 90% British, nothing hurt more that Jon’s “Americans”.) Lastly, I have a theory, which I like to call “Ringmaster? More like cult leader.” Because I’M SORRY, but you cannot convince me that a CIRCUS, called THE CIRCUS OF THE OTHER, which possessed a HAUNTED CALLIOPE ORGAN, is anything but a cult. (Watch me when I’m inevitably wrong lmao.)
I guess now is a better time than any to say that I’m kind of wondering if there’s an in-universe reason for the music in the background? I mean, considering that the whole framing device is Jon recording these statements, I have to wonder if there’s a reason for the noise we hear, especially with the worms in Ep. 22 and the music in Ep. 24.
- Episode 25, Growing Dark ⛪️
Statement of Mark Bilham, regarding events culminating in his visit to Hither Green Chapel.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I LOVE BEING RIGHT!!! I saw the episode title and immediately assumed this would continue the lore of Episode 9, and I WAS SO RIGHT!!! (Also, I now just noticed that the PCOTDH’s symbol is a closed eye, while The Keay Family’s symbol is an open eye…my cult theory thickens…) Anyways, this was another very enjoyable episode! Firstly, even though it’s far from the first piece of media to do so, I though the way they portrayed a cult brainwashing someone when they’re most vulnerable was very well handled and pretty depressing. I also really enjoyed how the episode isn’t the most weird and paranormal on it’s own, but the knowledge of the connections to Ep. 9 makes us know that it DEFINITELY is, even when the characters in the story don’t. The episode was certainly very spooky, the description of the spinach and the dark church definitely got me. (Also my mom came into my room briefly and when she left she accidentally turned off the light and I nearly screamed.) There were also some really interesting plot threads set up here, like the chanting of the northern most human settlement in the world, the mention of “three hundred years waiting”, and I also wonder if “Mr. Pitch” is an alias for “Detective Rayner.” then…the ending. Holy shit. You know, maybe I DON’T need to know what happened to Gertrude….
Episode 26, A Distortion ☕️
Statement of Sasha James, assistant archivist at the Magnus Institute, London, regarding a series of paranormal sightings. Statement taken direct from subject.
I…what…I don’t even…we are so fucked. Ok, there’s a LOT going on here, but I’ll try my best to formulate my thoughts as clearly as possible. Firstly, this episode easily scared me the most so far, I agree with Jon when he says that the horrors being somewhat friendly is scarier than them being antagonistic, like HOLY SHIT this one was unnerving. But with that out of the way…uh…let’s talk about Sasha! She’s really cool, I like how her character gives us a lot more insight into what working in the archives is like for a fairly regular person (i say this because Jon is weird as fuck and Martin is too nice to be normal, and I mean that as kindly as possible). But…while I don’t necessarily doubt her status as the most level-headed person in the archives, I don’t think that’s saying much. Like, she saw a creepy guy with weird-ass hands who spoke in riddles and knew too much about her and her coworkers, and followed him into a dilapidated building, also she works at the council of ghost stories despite not liking horror. Like, no offense, I’m sure she’s overall an intelligent person, as are most people in the archives, but none of them are beating Joshua Gillepsie anytime soon (yes I’m still thinking about him.) But mentioning the guy with fucked up hands, WHO OR WHAT EVEN WAS THAT??!! I have very little ideas as to how this “Micheal” even connects to the greater picture. I know some people connected him to the mentions of the man with bones in his hands in Episode 8, but that honestly reminds me more of the Leitner in Episode 17. Outside of that, his name is quite interesting, I initially thought that he might be Micheal Crew, but given that Sasha doubts it being his real name, I have my suspicions (although it would give us a connection between this, the words in Episode 8, and The Boneturner’s Tale….hm….) However, I could absolutely see him being Micheal Keay, as he gives off enough ghost vibes to pass as him (and I’m assuming that if Gerard’s dead, Micheal is as well.) Also he is not described as having a Lichtenburg figure on him so…yeah. Lastly, we have the return of THE SEX WORMS. And as happy(?) as I am to see that The Magnus Archives, a podcast developed by RustyQuill.com, that is also licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, is continuing it’s message of staying abstinent, all things considered, that was absolutely terrifying. I just LOVE the knowledge that the worms are a hive-mind and that Jane might not be the source, I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. In conclusion, I am probably going to sleep with a fire extinguisher tonight, and I am very scared for what the next 14 episodes have in store for me.
Also I guess I’ll mention Tim (the archival assistant, not the dead guy) here because why not. So far I’m getting major bastard energy from people’s descriptions of him, which means I will either love or hate him. Also I found it very funny but also kind of sad that Jon said he only trusts Tim to not prank him in Episode 11, and then he pulled a prank shortly before this statement took place.
- Episode 27, A Sturdy Lock 🔑
Statement of Paul McKenzie, regarding repeated nocturnal intrusions into his home.
Ok, after everything that happened in the last episode, it was nice to get a short and sweet one here. Well, as sweet as an episode of a horror podcast can be. Overall, this one isn’t my favorite, I thought it was a little bit under the standards of creativity for the show as a whole, but that’s obviously not saying much, as it was still pretty damn good in its own right. I think it was definitely very effective with its storytelling, and credit where credit is due, it certainly brought out my fear of weird noises in the middle of the night. And even if I can’t personally resonate with this aspect of it, I do really appreciate how it tackled the idea of mental illness at old age, and while I’d be surprised if the statement wasn’t real, considering where the show seems to be going, it did a very good job at planting seeds of doubt in my mind. But still, it was genuinely pretty crushing how Paul had no proof throughout the entire thing, along with how the cops treated him. It really did make me thing about what would have happened if he hadn’t washed the blood off his hands. It still had a creepy atmosphere, and the reveals at the end were pretty interesting, I hope they show us Marcus’ statement soon enough. Also, the aspect of loneliness in this one did remind me a lot of what happened in Episode 13, so I wonder if there’s some connection there. (Also, I love how I’m 27 episodes in and Jon is STILL roasting Gertrude’s organizational skills.) So while this one isn’t the most interesting for me, I still enjoyed it, and it was nice to have a slightly lighter one after Episode 26. I hope Sasha had a good few days off, she deserves it.
- Episode 28, Skintight 📷
Statement of Melanie King, regarding events at the abandoned Cambridge Military Hospital during filming in January 2015. Statement taken direct from subject.
WHOA THAT WAS SO GOOD!!! Ok, I feel like I should start off with my thoughts on the basic premise, as while those episode is certainly…not the most humorous in its execution, the premise itself kind of is. I don’t know why, but I just thought the idea of there being an in-universe competitor was a really fun concept that was executed perfectly here. It kind of reminds me of something like Hatchetfield and Clivesdale (I don’t know how many people reading this will understand that, but there seems to be overlap between TMA fans and Hatchetfield fans, and also like, shut up, let me indulge in my hyperfixations.) The bickering between Melanie and Jon was great, as was Melanie herself, I’d love to see her again as I think she oddly brought a lot to the world of the series. Although I will say that, while it doesn’t make me like him any less, Jon’s reluctance to buy into statements is a lot more frustrating when there’s another person in the room. I also absolutely love the fact that there’s an in-universe spooky podcast mentioned by name, like, come one, that’s genuinely hilarious. But comedic value aside, this one was definitely pretty creepy. In a similar vain to what Episode 23 was doing, the whole “young people enter creepy abandoned building to film stuff and then get genuinely scared” concept felt evocative of other classic horror stories, and the way they spun it into the context of the show was great. The atmosphere was definitely very creepy as well, as I have mentioned, hospitals creep me the fuck out. And lastly…oh my god, THE CONNECTIONS. So, I’ll start off by saying that all of the skin shit reminded me of what happened in Episode 18 (which I hope is true because I think some connections to other things would make me like that episode more). But that pales in comparison to the fact that we have stuff on THE ANGLERFISH, HOLY FUCK THE ANGLERFISH. I’m SO glad that they didn’t throw it away just because it was in the pilot episode. In retrospect, I think that the story of Episode 1 isn’t quite my favorite. It doesn’t really have to be, as I think the main draw of the episode is getting a first look at the framing device and general vibe of the entire podcast, but the stories didn’t really grab me until Episode 2, which is still one of my favorites. But MAN, this episode really made me appreciate the setup at the beginning so much more, and the knowledge that the people who walked into the alley didn’t necessarily die, meaning that all of those names could potentially come back, is SO exciting to me. In fact, when you consider that Sarah was kind of going through what looked like a possession, I wonder if The Anglerfish is a figure of worship in a cult, if that theory is to be true. (Also I have relatives that live in the same area as Sarah so…maybe I should tell them to watch out for their neighbor lmao.) So yeah, this…this show is just really freaking good.
Note: I have discovered the Leitner rant, and therefore I have achieved true enlightenment.
- Episode 29, Cheating Death ♟️
Statement of Nathaniel Thorp, regarding his own mortality.
I should start off by saying that I love the episode title for this, like, it’s not even metaphorical, the guy literally cheated in a game against death. Well, anyways, the main thing that caught me about the episode was how it absolutely blindsided me. While I was right about the soldier being the same as the statement giver, which I think was supposed to be obvious, everything else in those last six or so minutes left me with a wide-open jaw. (Also, can I just say that I love how poetic this guy just…decided to be? Like, I just love it when the statements really show of personalities with the way they’re written, and it comes with a cool framing device.) Regardless, I initially assumed that it was going in a very traditional line. Nathaniel cheats death, becomes immortal, and regrets it in modern day because he’s lived longer that he really should have. That, combined with the fact that “Death” didn’t seem like the one of the more creative horror monsters in the show so far, had me so prepared to just write this one off as one of my least favorites (once again, not like that’s saying much.) And then the twist comes and HOLY SHIT I WAS WRONG. The idea of there basically being multiple grim reapers at the hands of some unknowable power, who have to gain successors to finally die themselves is absolutely terrifying and extremely clever. I tip my hat to you Rusty Quill, you did a great job at fooling me. Kind of funny considering how this is a story about being punished for your hubris (which seems to be a recurring theme???) I have a few other small thoughts as well. Firstly, I can’t help but shake the feeling that Nathaniel Thorp was an actual revolutionary war soldier, but I can’t find anything online other than the character from this episode. Also, the fact that his fate remains unknown makes me think he’ll show up again, as it seems weird to NOT end the story with confirmation of his death, given the themes. Secondly, a lot of the…less than pleasant imagery here definitely reminded me of Piecemeal and The Boneturner’s Tale. I don’t remember the story inside that Leitner very well, but I might check just in case there’s any parallels between it and this statement. (Update: Not really.) And finally, I was just a little bit intrigued by the fact that we learn no one who was working at the institute in 1972 works there anymore. It’s probably nothing, but given the mysteries surrounding Gertrude’s death, I’m just a little suspicious, both in general, and of Elias because he’s still around. Overall this episode went hard, I’m still kind of stunned by what it pulled off.
Jane Prentiss statement…save me…save me Jane Prentiss statement…
- Episode 30, Killing Floor 🍖
Statement of David Laylow, regarding his time working at an industrial abattoir near Dalton.
You know what, Jon is right, there’s a lot of meat in this show. Not that I’m complaining, I mean, it does fuel my obsession with connecting the dots between statements. Regardless, while this isn’t among my favorite episodes so far, I still had a good time with it. The reason it’s not one of my favorites is purely personal, as I don’t do too well with animal violence. Like, as much as I do really appreciate how viscerally Jonny Sims can describe the statements, I will admit that the opening minutes describing the slaughter house made me more uneasy than the actual horror, and not in a particularly fun way, but it was overall fine. Speaking of the actual horror, that was actually pretty good. The endless hallways lined with doors that lead to precarious situations also kind of tapped into a personal fear of mine, but in a more fun and digestible way. And while the idea of “imagine humans being slaughtered like animals” is something I’ve seen many a time before, it was still much more well executed than many other interpretations of the idea (*cough cough*, peta) and there were also plenty of other interesting themes and ideas, like how the episode touched on the inherent horror of working in a job as gruesome as the killing floor, being enslaved to said job, and the idea that maybe we’re all just walking sacks of meat in the end, and nothing more. As for some other thoughts, I was definitely creeped out by Tom Han, I’m not sure whether or not he’s someone who spreads ✨the horrors✨or someone affected by ✨the horrors✨, and his sudden disappearance was certainly…odd. On top of that, it’s admittedly haunting to know that there’s still creepy stuff going on at the slaughter house, and that this isn’t something that happened to David, and only David. Overall, a pretty good episode, I don’t have much to say about it, but it was a fun time overall.
Tim…save me…save me Tim…
Well, if you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! Genuinely means the world to me when there are people willing to listen to me ramble about my horrible (affectionate) interests lmao. I should have my thoughts on the final episodes of Season 1 out in due time, and while I’m sure it’s obvious, I’m absolutely hooked on this podcast. It absolutely has the potential to become one of my favorite things ever if the overarching plot becomes more involved and this is coming from someone who up until now, wasn’t all that gripped by podcasts. While I’m a little sad that I’m as late to the party as I am, then I remembered “oh yeah, I was in elementary school when this horrifying series came out”, and I’m also hopeful that I’ll be able to be around for The Magnus Protocol while it’s airing (I know it premieres in like a week but still.) Anyways, thanks for reading and hopefully you’ll be around for my thoughts on the next batch :)
40 notes · View notes
concreteburialplot · 11 months
Text
Intertwined // 01
Tumblr media
01 - It Helps Too
pairing: noah x nicholas
summary/masterlist: here | crossposted: ao3
word count: 1.6k
cw; night terrors, mentions of medical emergencies, crying, sad boys lol, 18+ MDNI
a/n: don’t be mean for no reason & let others enjoy things thnx :)
Tumblr media
NICHOLAS
I wake to shrill screams coming from the ground beside the bed. I rub my eyes as my sleepy consciousness is still trying make sense of what’s happening. Then it clicks and I scramble to the edge of the bed to peer down to where Noah is supposed to be sleeping.
The sight I’m met with is horrifying to say the least. He’s screaming at the top of his lungs like a banshee and his body is moving in an alarming way, but his eyes are closed.
“Noah.” I urgently pat his shoulder to wake him, but it seems useless, he’s not even reacting to me. I hop out of bed and click on the lamp on my bedside table.
“Noah.” I drop to my knees beside his makeshift blanket-bed. “Noah!” I take hold of his shoulders and shake my best friend trying rip him from sleep.
His screams remind me of the kind you only hear in horror movies, full of pure terror. No matter how hard I shake him, his teary eyes won’t crack open. His body is thrashing violently in a way I’ve only ever seen on TV when people have seizures.
Is this a seizure? Do people normally scream when they have seizures? 
Of course something like this would happen when my family is away for the weekend. My mom would know what to do.
But she’s not here and I have no idea how the fuck to deal with this… whatever this is.
Do I call 911? What am I supposed to tell them? My friend is screaming and crying and won’t wake up?
“Noah!” I shout trying to be louder than his own yells and yank on his arm so hard I think it might fall off. Still nothing.
“Fuck.” I grumble assessing my options, but Noah’s convulsing is making everything so much worse. I decide the flailing is the first thing I need to get under control. So, I hop on top of him, a knee at each side of his hips, grab hold of his wrists and pin them to the carpet. “Noah!” The weak muscles in his toothpick arms are working overtime to break free from my grasp and his legs resemble someone who’s running a marathon. “NOAH!”
Mid-scream Noah’s eyes shoot open and is immediately visibly confused by his own yelling. His eyes blink to adjust to the light of lamp above him. His chest is rising and falling rapidly, and tears are still streaming down his pale face. He seems to be analyzing the entire situation, first the room, then himself, then finally me. His brows furrow up at me, “What’s going on?” He asks slowly, putting a perplexed pause between each word.
“Um…I’m not really sure.” I reply quietly, my own heart racing from the panic. “I think you were having a nightmare?” I quickly but carefully pull my hands away from him when I realize that I’m still restraining his arms.
There’s a brief pause where he’s trying to put the pieces together in his mind, but he must’ve stumbled across a terrible answer because dams suddenly break in his eyes. His hands immediately hide his face from me.
I’ve only ever seen Noah cry a handful of times before and each time has been horrific.
I pull off of him and gently hold his arm, “Hey, what’s wrong? Was it the dream?”
He doesn’t really give me an answer and just continues to sob into his hands. Seeing him this way makes my insides twist into pretzels, I want to save him from whatever torment he’s going through.
“How can I help Noah? I want to help.” I say a bit more confidently because maybe if I sound sterner, he’ll actually answer me.
He says nothing but flips away from me, using his pillow to partially cry into. I hate seeing him like this and I’m not just going to go back to sleep when he’s on the floor next to me sobbing.
So, I do the only thing I can think of. I use every bit of strength in my body to lift him up by his arm. I’m shorter than him but he’s rail thin and lighter than he looks. He fights me by trying to yank his arm away from me, but I’m stronger than that and get him somewhat upright. There’s no more fight left in his body when I hook my own arms underneath his armpits and he lets me manhandle him into my bed.
Breathlessly I flop over him to the other side of the bed. He’s already curled into himself away from me and wailing into the pillow closest to him. I’m not quite sure what he’s crying about but I know he’s got an arsenal of things to choose from.
I feel awkward, like I’m intruding on something in my own room. But I know I can’t just lay here doing nothing while he’s sobbing next to me.
I turn towards him and reach out to rub his arm. He tenses beneath my touch for half a second before his hand goes to squeeze mine hard. My thumb gives his fingers a reassuring rub and don’t dare move my hand from his grasp.
With my free hand, I go to do something that always soothes me. I gently run my fingers through Noah’s brunette hair, tucking it behind his ear and smoothing it out. He nearly purrs at the touches and it noticeably calms his cries. I try to take my hand from his hold and he’s hesitant but ultimately lets go. I begin to gather all the stray pieces of his hair and rake through his long hair with both hands. My fingers smoothly glide through his shoulder length locks.
Noah’s cries finally die down and the only noise in the room comes from the gentle rain hitting my window. “I’m sorry about your dream.”
He says nothing but readjusts his head to give me more access to his hair.
My eyes glance over to the small pile of duffle bags in the corner of my room. “Was it about the move?” I ask cautiously.
“I don’t really wanna talk about it.” He says sternly but still soft. I nod as if he can see me from behind. He sniffles and wipes his nose on the back of his arm.
“Is this helping?” I question genuinely. I don’t think it would do much good for either of us for me to continue if it’s not helpful. Soothing him like this feels somehow both comforting yet uncomfortable at the same time.
He pauses, “I think so.” Another quiet sniffle. “Yes. It helps.” He confirms.
“Cool.” I’m not sure why I said that, this is definitely not the place to use the word cool.
Thankfully he ignores it. “I’m sorry if I woke you up.” He states meekly and wraps his arms around his frail body.
I tug the fluffy duvet over us but making sure to tuck him in a bit. “It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you for… helping me.” He drags out the words like he’s not sure what exactly he should be thanking me for.
“Sure.” Three of my fingers split his hair into three parts and I start overlapping each piece over each other into a messy, uneven braid. “It’s not my best work, but it’s something.” I tuck the braid onto the front of his shoulder for him to be able to touch.
His fingers go to feel the braid’s ridges between his fingers and a tiny smile forms on his lips, “I like it. It helps too.”
It helps too
I don’t know why but his comment fills my chest with pride and coats my cheeks with rosy warmth.
“I like it too. I’m happy to help.” That reply seems to narrow and shallow for the situation at hand but it’s all I have to offer.
He yawns, obviously exhausted since his sleep was anything but restful. “Um,” He starts, then plays with the braid a bit. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?” He asks referencing the bed.
“Oh, yeah sure. That’s why I brought you up here.” I suddenly realize how close I am to him and scooch back. “I can, um, sleep on the floor.” I go to jump over him, but he catches my arm and grips it firmly.
“I want you to– Can you stay?” He asks, looking up at me with puffy brown eyes. “It helps.” He repeats from earlier.
It helps
“It helps?” I question.
“Yeah. You help.” He clarifies.
My heart swells in my chest so unexpectedly that it almost makes me dizzy.
It’s got to be from the lack of sleep.
He takes notice of my hesitation and grows impatient. “Please?” His chocolate eyes are large, round and glossy - how am I supposed to say no to them?
“Oh, uh, yeah sure.” I nod and take note of how my voice inadvertently pitched higher than normal.
I return to my original spot beside Noah, lying flat on my back staring at the popcorn ceiling. Noah leans forward and clicks the lamp off, leaving the only light in the room be from the bright moon outside my window. He reaches behind himself and searches for my hand by patting around the duvet. I catch his roaming hand and he holds it partially by just our palms, no interlacing fingers.
So, I let my hand be an anchor for him. He needs someone and I’m here to help. I’m his best friend, that’s what friends do, they help.
It doesn’t take long for soft, small sleepy noises to come from Noah. The room is cold and suddenly darker than I remember it being moments ago. While I could pull my hand from his now that he’s asleep, I don’t want to.
It’s dark and chilly and maybe I like the anchor of his hand too.
Tumblr media
Next Chapter -> 02 - No Judging*
Tumblr media
tag list; @ladyveronikawrites [comment if you'd like to be tagged?]
a/n; thank you so much for all the love on my other series Virality. i was very hesitant to post that one originally but since it's been so well received it's let me branch out, hence Intertwined.
I hope you guys like this one, please lmk if you do💘
58 notes · View notes
ruinedsam · 14 days
Note
Gadreel!Sam but Sam is still seeing Hallucifer so Gadreel has to deal with the constant presence of the angel who tricked him and led to Gadreel being imprisoned for millennia. And if it really is a part of Lucifer’s Grace as well? Ooh boy, not only is Sam going through it, but Gadreel knows this is actually part of his most despised angel and Gadreel cannot do anything about this because it’s never ever going away, he can’t tear Lucifer’s Grace out of Sam because his body would literally combust and his soul will be dragged back to the Cage. And Hallucifer is still willing to throw hands over this upstart possessing his vessel while Gadreel, who up until then hadn’t really displayed any actual emotions regarding Sam, has decided he and Sam will be best friends as two people screwed over by Lucifer and Sam will be his emotional support vessel and he’ll be Sam’s emotional support parasitic angel when it comes to Lucifer. I also think Gadreel should be the person on Sam’s side when it all comes out that Dean tricked him into saying yes, and we get an explicit parallel to Lucifer getting Gadreel to let him into the Garden; Gadreel, literally the angel responsible for Sam’s current situation, comes over to Sam and says he understands how Sam feels, it’s like when Gadreel realized what Lucifer did as the Serpent. But back to Hallucifer, I think it would be neat for Gadreel to constantly be around this guy and in contrast to how Lucifer is mostly not-hostile to Sam nowadays or is always trying to convince Sam that “no really, Lucifer is his real family so how about we give this vessel thing another go,” Lucifer actively despises Gadreel so we get scenes of Lucifer near sympathetic to Sam and bizarrely making comments about how at least he never memory-wiped Sam during his possession (which Gadreel of course wipes Sam’s memory of) and let Sam be aware of what was happening (and planned on making Sam feel his brother’s bones break at his hands but semantics) and then scenes of Lucifer all but hissing at Gadreel and acting like he want to rip him apart. Imagine being Gadreel, you want to be redeemed so badly you’re even willing to possess the Boy with Demon Blood and unlike most of your kind, you feel kinda bad for the guy because you too have made a decision you thought was good only to learn you’d been manipulated and the world is 10 times worse as a result so really you’re the absolute best option as an angel to heal him, only to discover the guy is constantly seeing the angel who led to your imprisonment and whom he has a weird dynamic with that is “you tortured me and are the reason for pretty much everything that went wrong in my life, but I see you all the time so I have to adjust or I will break beyond repair,” and this angel hates your guts and wants you dead for having the utter audacity of possessing his true vessel while he is in the Cage. The existential crisis of knowing even the most hated angel hates you
OMG YES!!!! Make that tangled dynamic between Gadreel, Sam and Lucifer more complicated and twisted!! 
Gadreel wanting to hide from the other angels who are after him because he let Lucifer in the garden only to end up in a vessel where a part of Lucifer is still residing! Something something about how you can’t escape from (the mistakes of) your past...
Gadreel and Hallucifer having a pissing match over who wronged Sam more even though they both violated him in horrific ways <3333 Truly delicious 👀👀I always wanted Lucifer and Sam to talk about Gadreel in S12/13 because I was SURE Lucifer would be like “at least I didn’t trick you :/”
18 notes · View notes
heraldofcrow · 6 months
Note
10, 18, 23, 44, 49 forrr Sephiroth!
(Me and you share some love for white-haired main villain who has a very special circumstance of birth and is trying to stand up against his destiny, take control over the planet and end up fighting blonde protagonist who is their completely opposite but they are so similar… But mine is from FF9 xD)
FAREEHA YOU INDULGE ME TOO MUCH, THANK YOU!! You know I am holding back so much from writing essays on my beloved, loll. I need to stay CALMMM <3
Also, are you talking about Kuja?? Omg, I actually kinda know him! They did a FF9 crossover on the FF7 Ever Crisis game recently and they made a reference to him via Sephiroth actually. A very toned down reference though, haha. Sephiroth is still good and just a kid in Ever Crisis.
Anyway, if you want some of these asks on YOUR blorbo, just say the word!
Now for my incoherent ramblings!
~
10: Best moment on screen (or in the book)
This is so hard to say because he has so many. He can just show up and everybody gets awe-struck, but I suppose I would have to choose Nibelheim because it’s just the most iconic and establishes his villain role in the story going forward.
Tumblr media
I mean, it’s THE scene…the scene where we see this famous war hero that everyone looked up to and loved completely lose his mind and set everything on fire lol.
I love it because I just get the ultimate “Fuck humanity” vibe from his downfall. It’s pure rage exploding from one person and the one person that really should NOT have snapped because of how dangerous he is. It’s terrifying and sad and perfect. I love this moment. I love villains that turn against mankind in general because of a horrific experience with humans. It’s very…human…hmmm…
This could only maybe be topped if the full remake version of him ascending into a seraphim-like, Biblically accurate angel looks as cool as I imagine it will. Can’t wait to see him wipe out the solar system in 4k <3
18: What they’d go to see a therapist about
EVERYTHING LMAO.
Ok, let’s just say somehow Seph didn’t snap in Nibelheim and lose his mind, instead being strangely calm and reasonable, thus deciding to go to fucking therapy. 💀
He’d have to go for his entire existence for one. His problems started from the moment he was conceived and even before, because um…his birth was an extremely twisted and violating experiment even as a concept. He’d have to come to terms with the fact that his own parents injected him with the cells of some fucking eldritch alien abomination while he was still in the womb so that he could serve some higher purpose after his birth. So yeah. He’d probably want to talk about that.
Then he’d have to deal with everything else like: serious mommy issues, Hojo, his mom, Hojo, Shinra in general, Jenova, Hojo, being raised as a child soldier, not knowing what it was like to have a hometown or normal life, not knowing what having fun was or how to socialize at all until he was like…14, Hojo’s A+ parenting, Shinra’s A+ childrearing, fucked up brainwashing and conditioning, war PTSD from when he was like…literally still a kid, Hojo being his dad, whatever happened with Gast, lifelong dehumanization via propaganda and military rearing, lifelong lack of autonomy, whatever terrible thing that is definitely going to happen in The First Solider, being sent to commit genocide as a kid, possible bloodguilt, severe psychological trauma, his only two friends bailing on him, Angeal’s death, his entire relationship with Genesis and what happened with them (I love my bois but their communication skills need some serious work xD), Hojo, human experimentation, the fact that he was the weaponized pawn of a cold, industrial, genocidal, tyrannical, warmongering organization his entire life without fully realizing it because they were really good at lying and manipulation, and finally….mommy issues and Hojo.
This is just all the canon stuff I can think of. If any more of the fan speculation gets proven right, it’s gonna get worse lmao.
23: If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?
Tumblr media
and also probably
Tumblr media
sdfghjuikfghsj sorry lmao.
That would probably be post-insanity Sephiroth. Sane Sephiroth is just a melancholy sweetheart, so probably something like sage and vanilla because errrr…something-something sweet + slightly bitter + herbal symbolism my beloved + green and silver-white.
(CRIME BRULÈE LMAOOO I NEED THAT CANDLE)
44: Their happiest memory
Aww ;-;
I am trying to answer these all according to canon or at least what seems implied within canon, so I think it’s technically being with Angeal and Genesis.
Tumblr media
This playful spar scene is very important, and it’s one of the only times Seph seems genuinely really happy pre-insanity. Later, when he and Zack are on a mission, he literally just stops randomly to talk about it all cheerfully. I mean, having fun with friends was a pretty foreign concept to him, it seems—so actually having the opportunity with his buddies looked like it meant a lot.
49: Favorite toy as a child
I’m sorry to say, but I remember seeing in one of the game guides that Sephiroth was in battle or at least training for it from before he was ten years old, and considering that he was raised to be a soldier, I don’t think he had any other toys besides weapons, hehe. I mean, in Ever Crisis, he is a young teen and has a scene where he experiences “having fun” for the first time. It’s a big moment for him, so I don’t think playing or toys were concepts he knew or understood as a kid. Maybe he had a few favorite swords though!
Had he been a normal kid….hmmm….well he is part alien and has a black wing…maybe he’d like a stuffed birb toy…ONE WITH BLACK WINGS. HA!
No, that’s just my crow propaganda smh, I’ll shush—
Ok, wow I really need to shut up dghsjk—THANK YOU FOR SPOILING ME FAREEHA! <3
22 notes · View notes
Text
4x01 Review
Walker has returned and it's better than ever. Like all good premiere episodes, "The Quiet" set up a lot for us to expect this season and I can't tell y'all how excited I am to see what comes next. But first, there's a birthday boy to celebrate!
The bulk of the episode covers Cordell's birthday celebration. Five months after the return of the Jackal and a horrific break-in at the bungalow, Geri is looking to make it a day to remember, especially after everything he did for her birthday. Initially, this plan includes a family trip to a Lonestar Steak Eating challenge that Cordell has been looking forward to since he was but a wee 16 year-old. But major unexpected events, including a break in the Jackal case and Cassie bringing a huge drug case to their doorstep forces the celebration to be more local.
August suggests getting some steaks and hosting their own competition and everyone jumps on it. Geri takes over decorating, Abby makes the sides, and Bonham handles the steaks. Everyone else just has to keep the party a secret, which they do very well, even when roping Cassie in to deliver him to the party. While Cordell was happy to insist he didn't need such a big celebration, he was more than happy to chow down on his steak. Even if he didn't win, the party was definitely something he needed and Geri is right to be proud of her work- even if it did get interrupted by work.
All this winds down into a more serious discussion about where Cordell's head is at looking at the next year of his life. While Geri wanted to focus on the positives of an empty nest (like perhaps more of what they got up to at the beginning of the episode and maybe more time just for them), she listened to Cordell's concerns about his kids growing up and leaving him behind with just "the quiet". He loves his children for who they are, but he also loves the distraction they bring from the heaviness of his work. Not having them to come home to in the near future is something he doesn't know how to deal with, something he came to realize when August asked to leave the birthday party. While that wasn't where I thought the conversation was going, it was one that needed to be had and I think it was a really solid moment for Cordell and Geri's relationship and that's a big part of why I finally felt the ship this episode.
The other big thing this episode was Cassie's return to Ranger HQ. We discover her 8-week summer camp trip with the FBI to Tampa turned into a 5-month investigation with near radio silence from her to back home. While Cordell and Trey are a little salty about being abandoned by her for Tessa Graves, they're excited to have her back and more than happy to help when she drops a case in their laps- even if it does tamp down on the birthday celebration.
While Cordell's feelings on Cassie's new career are likely dampened by his upcoming empty nest, he is happy that she's pursuing a new opportunity with the FBI- if that's what she really wants to do.
Though Cassie spent most of the episode assuring everyone she wasn't really being swayed one way or the other, it wasn't hard to see that she'd found her place in the FBI, leading an investigation despite not being a full special agent and successfully getting her guys. James did offer her a more local opportunity to make the big changes she was so committed to making with the FBI, but we'll have to see what that opportunity is and if she'll take it.
Trey's interactions with Cassie were extremely awkward this episode. It's clear he was looking forward to her coming back much sooner than she did- or at least being able to talk to her while she was gone. Maybe him holding onto her is why his current attempts at a love life aren't going so well. But, at the very least, it's good to see them back in action as friends.
One of the more serious plots that returned in this episode was the ongoing Jackal investigation. We learn that the Jackal has been quiet since he took his last victim, but that Detective Luna found a lead in a motel room. When Trey checked it out, they found evidence that the Jackal was there, and he left behind a pile of his calling card- jackal teeth (hence the name). This is proof that Hollis was not going to be his final victim- a fact Kelly recognizes all too well when she sees the evidence for herself. She begs Cordell and Trey to keep this a secret from James and Cordell is happy to agree; they both know how bad things got all those years ago and neither of them are ready to relive that.
While Trey is willing to go along with it, he does wonder if the situation is really that serious. After all, he's only ever known James to be a cool, collected leader. Would a serial killer case really be enough to spin him out? When he asks Cordell, we get a flashback to a time during the initial Jackal investigation. James was drinking while looking at evidence and he hadn't been home in days. Desperate to get him to take a break, Cordell brought Kelly to the office to talk to him. James was less than happy about this impromptu intervention and things got physical, scaring everyone involved- especially James. But he still wasn't ready to give up, not yet.
Seeing James like that was shocking; that man is definitely not the captain we've come to know and love. Which begs the question- how close to that will we get when the secret investigation is finally revealed?
Another subplot of the season that was dropped this episode is how Stella is dealing with the aftermath of the break-in. Based on the state of her dorm room and how distant she's been from the family, it's easy to tell she's not doing very well. It's bad enough that she had to go through something like that, but we find out during her meeting with the investigator's that she's lied to them and to Liam about knowing Witt prior to the break-in.
Which begs the question of why? Why lie about that? Surely it wouldn't affect Stella badly to say that she'd met him at a college party a few weeks before. If anything, it might help the investigation. But, if my theory is right about Sadie working with/for Witt and his cohorts, a connection like that could put her in danger, so it's possible that that was her idea, just like not calling the police was her idea and Stella went along with it out of panic.
Speaking of Sadie, where is she in all this? We can gather from Stella asking about Sadie's "counsel" that the two girls haven't been speaking, but we didn't see anyone else showing concern, not even Geri. Was this distance encouraged because of the investigation or has enough time passed since she left that everyone is okay with it?
Big questions aside, it was really nice seeing Liam's support of Stella in this episode. She's nowhere near okay, and he somewhat understands why. Here's hoping he can keep helping her like this in future episodes.
A small but noticeable plot dropped in this episode is August drifting away from his family. Based on dialogue, he's been spending more time with his friends than his family and even dipped out of his father's birthday party early. Though his reasons aren't quite as dramatic as Stella's, it's a distance everyone is feeling to different degrees. I can only imagine this gap is going to get bigger as August attempts to fulfill his military dreams.
can't wait for next episode!
All in all, this was an excellent start to a new season and I am so excited to see what happens next and I have so many questions! Where is Sadie? How long are Trey and Cordell going to be able to keep their Jackal investigation a secret? How will James handle it when he finds out? Will Stella be forced to tell the truth about her and Sadie's connection to Witt? Will Cassie stay on past season 4? Will Cordell ever be able to live out his steak eating competition dreams?
See y'all next episode!
17 notes · View notes
Text
𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 - Steven Grant
this has been sitting in my drafts for months, but i finally got the motivation to finish it lmao. Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate! Gobble gobble bitches🦃
Warnings: mentions of The Blip, implied PTSD, a slight sprinkle of angst, and fluff. that's it, I think
word count | 4.3K🤙🏻
Tumblr media
You never took the bus. In all your years of living in London, you had only ridden the bus a handful of times. You usually ride your bike most places, especially to work. Eco friendly, your friend called it, not that you really cared. But it just so happens, that your bike was stolen. So, your hand was forced.
You worked at a bookstore, and you liked it well enough. After being Blipped for five years, your parents decided to give you their store, they were getting old and couldn’t take care of it as much as they could before; plus, they thought it would make you happy and get your mind off being dusted out of existence for so long. And it did, to a certain extent. You were happy surrounded by books, but all the years you missed out on was still nagging at the back of your mind. Your therapist said it would get better with time. But other than the feeling that something horrific could happen at any given moment constantly plaguing your mind, you were content with life; but there was one thing still missing.
You weren’t the best at dating, never had been. Every time you thought you found “the one” or just a genuinely good person, they’d come with a serious hamartia that they were hiding, one that you usually would find out a good couple months into a relationship. But then again, you were also very picky as your parents would say, but you just had standards. You’d think living in such a big city would give you a few good options at least. But alas, you were probably doomed to live the rest of your life in solitude.
You didn’t really notice at first, often stuck in your own little world, but you finally realized that you saw the same man on your bus almost every day on your way to work. It wasn’t that big of a deal, if only he wasn’t so handsome. You never considered yourself to be much of a shallow person, knowing that personality is what really counts, but you couldn’t help yourself to gawk when this man wasn’t looking. Maybe it was his shy and disheveled demeanor that intrigued you, or maybe it was that you were being so utterly vain that his strong jawline and dark brown eyes awakened some primal force within you that drew you to him. But considering how horrid you are at making the first move, you’d never know.
Your silly little crush didn’t go away. It didn’t help that your bookstore was right across the street from the museum he worked at. You felt like a stalker, knowing where he worked and eventually learning his name when he forgot to take his name tag off one night. Steven. It suited him. You thought about visiting the museum once, but that would definitely be stalkerish behavior, but anyone was allowed into museums, right? It wouldn’t be weird if he were to visit your bookshop. Then again, if some dude were staring at you every time you got onto the bus and suddenly paid a visit, you would probably call 999. 
Yeah, you decided against it.
It wasn’t until one early morning that forced you to confront this crush. Steven entered the bus with dark circles under his eyes, more pronounced than usual. He looked like he could’ve fallen over any given moment, he looked like he hadn’t slept in ages. You tried not to tense up when he took a seat next to you, your heart threatening to beat out of your chest. You prayed you could act like a normal human being until the bus ride was over. But then, almost half way to work, he did something you never would’ve expected. He leaned his head on your shoulder.
Your eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets. It only took a couple seconds to realize that he didn’t do it on purpose, poor thing fell asleep and his head naturally lolled to the side, where your shoulder just so happened to be. You had no idea what to do. Do you wake him up? He’s just a stranger, this is weird and he definitely should not be doing this. But he looked so peaceful, and he did look like he had gotten absolutely no sleep. But would he think it would be weird if he knew you just let him sleep on you? You hoped no one else could see how panicked you looked.
You felt your face heat up as you ultimately decided to let the exhausted man remain situated against your shoulder, the bus ride was almost over anyway. You felt your nails dig into your palms, trying to focus on anything but the warm feeling that radiated throughout your body. As the bus rolled to a stop, you gently nudged the sleeping man until he sat straight up with wide eyes, clearly disoriented. He looked at you in confusion before uttering a quick apology before he made his quick escape from the awkward situation. You didn’t blame him, but you did feel a little embarrassed yourself, even though you probably had no reason to be.
You thought about that bus ride all day, your brain fogged over and distracted from your work, the bells that sounded off any time someone would enter the store being the only reality check that would snap you back from your racing mind. A part of you just wanted to buy another bike, never take the bus ever again, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to afford it, not now at least. Maybe you could just walk all the miles back to your flat…in the dark…without the proper means to protect yourself…yeah, awkward situations were more appealing than the threat of getting jumped in an alleyway.
You hoped Steven wouldn’t be on the nightly bus ride home like he usually was, only occasionally he would work late, but that just wasn’t in the works for you. How lucky. Apparently it was a busy night, people coming and going, it was a Friday to be fair. But there were no empty seats as he boarded the bus, being the last person, only one was empty, one next to you. You felt like a regular old Mary Sue. And you could tell by his expression that he was panicked, clearly not forgetting what happened that morning.
You wore a tight lipped smile as he walked towards you, the bus suddenly moving jolting him a bit forwards with a stumble, but he quickly tried to brush it off with suave. “Uh, is this seat taken?” The man asked timidly, his hand slightly shaking as he pointed to the spot next to you.
Obviously not. “No, go ahead.” You smiled, more genuinely that time, feeling that familiar heat rise up to your face as he settled next to you.
“Cheers.” He nervously smiled back, hugging his satchel close to his chest.
You couldn’t help but smirk as you noticed his eyes already started to droop shut, the man wearing exhaustion like it was second nature. It also made you a little sad. “Hope you get some sleep tonight, maybe you won’t fall asleep on me again in the morning.” You chuckled, not being able to resist teasing him slightly.
“Oh, goodness.” The man cringed at himself, turning to face you with a guilty expression. “I’m so sorry about that, miss. I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s okay!” You cut him off with a giggle. “You don’t have to apologize, I get it. I’m not a morning person either. Sorry if me not waking you up right away was weird, I just didn’t have the heart to when you looked so tired.” If you weren’t blushing already, you most certainly were now.
“Ah, it’s not weird. I appreciate it actually. Your shoulder was very comfortable.”
“Jeez, how awful is your bed if you think this boney shoulder is anywhere close to being comfortable?” You laughed softly, a shy smile stretching across his face. “I’m Y/n, by the way. Thought you should know considering I already know yours.” You gently flicked the name tag that was still pinned to his jacket. “Nice to meet you, Steven.”
The next morning you were greeted with Steven’s smiling face, that nervousness behind it making it more endearing. You didn’t hesitate to take a seat next to him, feeling more confident now that you’ve actually had a conversation with the man. So far, he seemed sweet, shy but sweet. He definitely seemed worth your interest, you wanted to get to know him. Hopefully he felt the same.
“A gift shop-ist? I don’t think that’s a word.” You chuckled. “Why not just a salesperson?”
Steven shrugged. “Doesn’t sound that much more appealing, now, does it? Well, what do you do? Where do you work?”
“I own the bookstore right across the street from the museum. So, I guess that makes me a bookstore-ist.” You giggled at your own joke, Steven letting out a small amused snort making you feel better about it.
“Oh, a bookworm, are you?”
“Yeah, I guess. I’ve always liked reading. The store was my parents, but they passed the baton over to me. I like it.”
“Huh, I’ll have to check it out sometime.”
“And I’ll have to check out the museum. Don’t know much about Egyptian history, but maybe you’ll be my tour guide?”
“If my boss doesn’t get on my arse about it. Well, eh, it doesn't matter. I’ll be happy to take time out of my super busy schedule to teach you all about all the pharaohs and gods and anything else that won’t bore you to death.” He grinned.
“Well, with you teaching me I’m sure I’ll never get bored.” You were thankful the bus finally arrived, the somewhat intense eye contact the two of you shared was getting a bit much for you to handle. “Well, see you later!” You waved as you started to walk to your workplace, Steven replying with a cute little “laters gators.”
It didn’t take too long before you and Steven got close, well, you thought so anyway. The two of you would always sit or stand next to each other on the bus each morning and night. Sometimes, you’d even visit each other’s place of work. You learned each other’s coffee orders, so you’d sometimes surprise each other with coffee. The first time you did it, Steven wore the cutest flustered expression on his face. So far, you two were friendly. Just friendly. You knew you wanted more, you just didn’t know if he felt the same, or even how to bring it up. You’d been out of the game for so long you didn’t even think you remembered how to kiss a person. You didn’t want to embarrass yourself or get rejected, you didn’t know if you could handle that.
Talking to your sibling about it, they just told you to get over the stupid fear and just ask the man out. Of course, it was easy for them to say, they were more outgoing and fearless. For once, you wish you could’ve turned off your introvertedness and anxiety. You got good vibes from Steven, he seemed perfect. Too perfect. And your track record showed that perfect meant they were less than perfect. You were a bit of a pessimist, you hated that about yourself, but it’s probably what had saved you from one too many toxic relationships. On the surface, Steven looked like he’d never even hurt a fly. You wondered what was underneath that timid exterior. But maybe there wasn’t, only time would tell.
It was a cold dreary morning when your feelings started to spiral out of control. You seemed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, feeling sour for no particular reason. Just one of those days, you supposed. You had trouble hiding your mood on your face, Steven seemed to notice it immediately as soon as you boarded the bus. He had asked you what was the matter, but you just brushed him off by saying the weather dampened your spirit. Later, he had brought you a hot cup of coffee on his break, saying that days like these needed some warmth, which in turn made you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. You encouraged him to look around, knowing that he enjoyed reading as well. It was hard to concentrate on working when he was walking about with an awestruck expression, gently running his fingers over the spines of the various books that lined the shelves. “Do you have any books about Egypt?” Steven called out from across the room.
“Yeah, some. On aisle 6, along with other history books.” You pointed out, smiling to yourself as Steven walked to the designated aisle with a skip in his step. He asked about a specific author, wondering if their new book was in stock, clearly anxious to read it. “No, sorry.” You frowned sympathetically after looking it up in inventory. “I can see if it’s available somewhere else?”
Steven shook his head. “That’s alright. Wouldn’t expect it to be anywhere, the author isn't very well known and there's probably not many copies out there. But thanks for looking.”
And that’s when you got the idea. You weren’t good with words, but you loved buying people gifts. When the holidays rolled around, you were an expert at gift giving, you pride yourself on it. Maybe you could express your feelings by buying him this book he wanted so much. It was a bit pricey, being scarce and all, but you could afford it and you wanted to see the smile on Steven’s face, if just for a moment. Before you could think about it any longer, you clicked the purchase button.
And oh man, was it a long anxious wait for the book to arrive. You had to order it from a different country, so obviously it was going to take a while. But you were impatient, and you counted the seconds until you heard the sweet shrill sound of your doorbell ringing, excitement bubbling up in your chest as you opened the door to find the package exactly where you expected to find it. You hoped Steven would be as happy as you were, and you didn’t even want the book for yourself.
You were disappointed when you didn’t see Steven on the bus the next morning. He probably just slept in again. You were so anxious to give the book to him, but then you didn’t see him all day, which was unusual. He usually paid you a visit at least once on his break. Then another day went by…then another. A whole week passed and you started to get worried. He wouldn’t answer your texts or calls, you even went to his work to ask for him but he hadn’t been in. You never pegged him as someone who would just up and disappear. But then again, how could you know that? You were practically just coffee buddies. Guess you got the book for nothing…
It was another week before Steven started showing up again, but you made a point not to even make eye contact with him, not even when he greeted you warmly as he sat next to you like nothing ever happened. From the corner of your eye, you could see his downcast and confused expression and you almost took pity on him. Almost. You probably should’ve seen it coming, there was always some fatal flaw about most people, your blinding crush on Steven made you forget. It was probably for the best, you only would’ve gotten hurt. Terrible timing though, you were at a point where you really needed a friend to talk to.
That constant feeling that something bad was going to happen at any given moment was proved correct. Thankfully, it wasn’t half the universe getting blipped out of existence, but it was almost just as mysterious and frightening. One night, the sky completely changed. It looked like a Van Goph painting, but instead of it making you feel a sense of peace and comfort like viewing the painting normally did, it terrified you. Seeing the sky warp out of focus, it brought on some severe panic attacks. What did this mean? What was happening and what consequences would it have on the world? It plagued your mind. But even after getting Blipped, you never really talked about it with anyone, not even your family. You just kept all these feelings bottled inside, not wanting to burden anyone with your problems. With every new supernatural phenomena, you felt all these feelings begging to come to the surface. You couldn’t have that, you had responsibilities. But with Steven...he seemed like the type of person that you could actually talk to, if it weren’t for him ghosting you. You’d just have to keep it all inside a bit longer.
Stepping off the bus without a word to Steven made you feel hollow, cold without the coffee he usually would bring you as you both make jokes and bitched about the morning weather typically being foggy and/or rainy. It was one of those mornings, and it just made you feel worse. It was also a slow day, barely anyone coming into your store which was unusual, especially on a rainy day. You felt sluggish, not interacting with anyone made you feel like a lifeless zombie. You just wanted a customer, just one. But as soon as Steven walked in, you immediately regretted that sentiment.
You could instantly sense Steven’s nervousness as he walked up to your counter, hands fidgeting with one another and keeping his gaze fixed anywhere but you. “Hiya.” He spoke softly, an unconvincing smile on his lips.
“How can I help you today, sir?” Your bluntness made him blink in shock, obviously not expecting you to be so cold. You were being petty and you hated it, but you couldn’t help yourself. It was an annoying habit to be passive aggressive, and seeing the deepening frown on Steven’s face just made you feel worse.
He sighed. “Look, I-” He stuttered, “I know you’re probably wondering why I disappeared. And I know you might be upset-”
“Might?” You scoffed, biting your lip, trying not to let your emotions get the better of you. “We talked every day, Steven. And then all of a sudden, you’re gone. Without a word or reason why. So, yeah, sorry if I can’t help being a bit upset.” You chuckled bitterly, sighing sadly when you saw him shrinking away from your words. “And…I was worried. I thought that, I guess that I’d never see you again.”
“You were really worried? About me?”
“I mean, yeah. You’re, like, my only friend.” You blushed.
“Oh, wow, really?” He chuckled in disbelief.
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s just…man, you could do so much better than me. I’m just this ball of anxiety. I don’t know how being friends with someone like me could be very nice.”
You frowned, saddened by his lack of self confidence. “Come on, Steven. Don’t be so hard on yourself. But you did seriously worry me. Where did you go? What even happened?” Steven looked up at you with wide eyes, fidgeting with the ends of his jacket. He looked like he was having a conversation with himself, his gaze becoming blank and unfocused, then looking back at you like he had forgotten you were even standing there. It didn’t make you hopeful that you were going to get an answer, and the realization made you deflate with a sigh. “You’re not gonna tell me.” You stated.
Steven gave you a sympathetic frown, his eyes already pleading for forgiveness without having to say anything. “I would, truly, I would. But I’m sorry, I can’t. It’s…complicated.”
You shook your head, trying to ignore your throat tightening and your already stinging eyes. You wore a tight lipped smile, taking a deep breath and meeting his gaze once more. “You don’t have to apologize. You don’t owe me anything, it’s not like you’re my boyfriend or anything.” You chuckled bitterly, quietly excusing yourself to the bathroom before Steven had a chance to say anything else.
You hated crying, for any reason; and you especially didn’t like crying because of someone else, it wasn’t worth it. But you couldn’t stop the tears from flowing as soon as you closed and locked the door to the store’s bathroom. You covered your mouth to muffle the inevitably whimpers and squeaks that escaped your lips. You prayed that Steven couldn’t hear you, if he was even still in the store. Probably not, you felt like you must’ve scared him off. But to your surprise, you froze in place when you saw him still at your register. You quickly noticed the item in his hands and your heart felt like it was going to implode.
Neatly wrapped in Egyptian themed wrapping paper, a sandy white texture decorated with gold hieroglyphics with a simple post-it note on top that read ‘Steven’, the book that you went through hell to get for the man but never ended up giving to him. A desperate attempt to get him to realize your growing feelings for him. The gesture felt silly now, you certainly felt silly as Steven looked at you expectantly. “Sorry, it’s just…it had my name on it.” He explained with a slight stutter. You cursed yourself for not just leaving it at home where it would be safe from prying eyes. Maybe you should’ve chosen a more subtle paper so that it wouldn’t stand out as much as the gold. “I didn’t want to open it without your permission.” Ever the gentleman, huh?
Despite not being in the friendliest mood and still recovering from your quick cry in the bathroom, you shrugged and motioned for him to go ahead and open it. If only he hadn’t found it, then you could’ve just given it away or something and never have to think about it again. That would’ve been easier.
You waited with bated breath as Steven gently unwrapped the gift, careful not to tear the paper too much, as if it cost more than seven pounds. You almost didn’t want to look at him as the actual book started to peek through, the title flashing in white bold font smack dab in the center of the cover. It was only when the wrapping paper was completely off did you steal a glance at Steven’s face.
Your heart pounded as Steven's face immediately lit up with pure happiness, a wide grin spreading across his face and his bright eyes glancing back and forth between you and the book. "It's the book I wanted..." He said in disbelief. "You...bought this for me?" He stuttered.
You shrugged. "Yeah, who else would it be for? There's no one else I know obsessed with Egyptian history."
"You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to."
There was a deafening silence for a moment where Steven just looked at you with an expression you could only describe as awe, like you just hung the moon and stars and how lucky he must've been to be in your presence. But of course, your insecurities told you that wasn't the case, it would never be that case.
"Thank you..." He whispered, so softly you had to strain to hear it. "This means a lot to me, really. I'll pay you back."
"No." You said immediately. "No, Steven. It was a gift. I didn't get this for you and expected anything in return."
Steven sighed, placing the book down gently on the counter, taking a step closer to you. "Look, I-...I'm not good at not being my awkward self, especially in front of such a beautiful person. I never wanted you to be angry with me. I have a lot of secrets, and I know that doesn't sound like the type of person you'd want to spend your time with. But if you let me...I'd love to take you out. And maybe we could get close enough where I can tell you all those secrets. But I understand if you never wanna talk to me again..."
You were blushing fiercely, your cheeks heating up you could practically feel your blood boiling just beneath your skin. You never expected Steven to be so bold, even though it didn't exactly sound that bold with his stuttering and slight waver in his voice. But it flustered you all the same. You rarely ever met someone and wanted to know all their secrets, but he made it sound so alluring. Tantalizing, like learning more and more about him was some incredible journey you had the opportunity to venture on. Him disappearing for a while and not telling you why was one thing, but you could sense another red flag in that speech of his somewhere. But the way he was looking at you, his pleading eyes, those big brown enchanting eyes that you wanted to get lost in. You didn't have the heart to say anything but yes.
"You really want to go out with me?" You voiced almost breathlessly.
Steven smiled wide. "Of course I do, darling. Since the first time we had a conversation, you made me feel like I could have something in my life other than chaos. You made...you make me feel at peace."
You chuckled bashfully, practically putty in his hands already. "How chaotic could the life of a gift shop-ist be?"
"Go out on a date with me and I'll tell you. What do you say?"
"Yes." You smiled. "I say yes."
Tumblr media
jeez, finally took a break from posting only smut lmao. i miss steven, my baby boy🥺
157 notes · View notes
mcbenson25 · 1 year
Text
More Than He Bargained For Part 7
A/N: Hellooo from the ether here of trying to come back from a bad time. I've been wanting to come back to this for a month now after almost a year hiatus and here it finally is! Hope you all enjoy this!
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Final Part
------------------------
"He's a crony."
"Anachronism."
"That's what I said."
You glanced back and forth between Rory and Professor Stein, feeling a sense of bewilderment and uncertainty wash over you.
Anachronism?
Sara seemed to have read your mind. "Lately we've been dealing with anachronisms," she let out a tired sigh, "It's people and things displaced throughout time."
Oh great.
This day just kept getting better and better.
Iris scowled, already annoyed, as she asked, "OK but why would Nazis from 1945 want to crash my wedding?"
Sarah blew a frustrated breath through her lips and shrugged. Who knows?
Rory, on the other hand, regarded Iris with a serious expression. "Crab legs," he said with mischievous smile, "they were absolutely delicious." Iris rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile and you giggled.
Alex glanced up thoughtfully, "Iris has a point, though," she began to walk in the middle of the room trying to piece together what little information they had, "If they were out of time, they would've targeted the military or law enforcement."
You nodded in agreement, recognizing the logic in it. After all, most troublemakers were drawn to places where they could obtain something valuable in return, rather than a random wedding.
"Tommy was plucked five years ago and put into Prometheus Wardrobe?" Felicity asked skeptically. "That doesn't make any sense."
None of this made any sense. You glanced over to the other side of the room at Harry who had seemingly zoned off.
"It does if we're not dealing with anachronisms," Caitlyn chimed in.
That could only mean one thing.
"Visitors from another Earth?" You and Barry asked in unison.
"Jinx," you said out of habit and Barry gave you a goofy smile.
Jefferson appeared puzzled as he looked at the two of you. "Woah. There are more than one?"
Kara nodded as she crossed her arms. "There are 52, actually."
Wonderful. You knew there were more Earths out there, Harry had mentioned a thing or two before but 52? That was a lot to grasp.
With an exasperated sigh, Professor Stein paused briefly before speaking: "Though I'm hard pressed to think of one where Nazi are ascendant."
"I can."
You jumped, not realizing Harry had moved right next to you and was now leaning on the door frame. He offered you a sheepish smile. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."
You felt your cheeks flush as you struggled to process the fact that he was standing so close to you. "It's okay."
He lifted his gaze back to the rest of the room, his gentle smile replaced with an expression of seriousness. "There's a 53rd Earth," he paused, "It's called Earth-X."
------------------
As you watched the video on the screen, your eyes widened in disbelief. You couldn't wrap your head around what you were seeing - an alternate reality where the Nazis had emerged victorious, and the world was engulfed in darkness and despair. The scale of devastation was almost too much to bear as you looked away. Harry noticed your uneasiness and gently placed a hand on your shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. You turned to look at him, and as your eyes met, he gave you a small, reassuring smile.
"It doesn't have a designation," he waited until everyone had looked away from the screen before speaking again, knowing that they needed a moment to process what they had just seen, "It's a place so awful, so horrific, no sane person would ever travel there." His hand left your shoulder and found its way to yours, fingers lightly brushing against each other. You laced your hand with his as he continued to speak. "It's basically our Earth- same history, same timeline- with one crucial and critical difference."
"So let me hypothesize," Professor Stein sighing before continuing, "The Nazis developed the atomic bomb before the United States did, and they were more than happy to use it."
Harry gave your hand a squeeze, "Yes. The Nazis won the war, and New York, London, Moscow Paris- all obliterated." He let go of your hand as he used them to explain. "The SS set up outposts not only throughout Europe but also throughout the Americas and Hitler continued his brutal reign, aided by Prime Ministers and Presidents sympathetic to him until his death in 1994."
"Now they're not just happy ruling one Earth," you heard Felicity said but your focus had shifted back to Harry who's hand had rejoined it place with yours and he was intently listening to Felicity. His cheeks were still tinted red, whether from you or the long winded talked he had just given, and he had loosened up his suit, unbuttoning the two top buttons of his dress shirt. Only he could still look good even whe-
Kara's urgent voice shattered your thoughts, "We have to find them!" Harry caught your gaze, arching an eyebrow when he realized you hadn't been paying attention. Your flushed cheeks and widened eyes betrayed where your focus had really been. He gave you a cheeky smile and you looked away, embarrassed. How could have been doing, whatever that was, instead of listening to how the hell you were going to take down the freaking Nazis that had just invaded this Earth?
You shook your head, as if to banish the inappropriate thought that had just occupied your mind. Barry's determined voice cut through your thoughts, "Let's get to work on finding our new friends from Earth X." With a deep breath, you and Harry locked eyes, silently agreeing to set aside any distractions and focus on the mission at hand. You both nodded, ready to track down these scumbags.
----------------
Hellooooo. I apologize for taking so freaking long to make this it's just been a rough year and a lot of self doubt but I'm trying to get back into the groove of things. This is a short chapter but I promise the next one will be long and full of exciting events between the beloved reader (you!) and harry and Eobard! I wanted to just get a little bit out there as a good start. Feel free to comment or message me with any thoughts, ideas, opinions. I love you all and thank you so much for being there for me!
Taglist: @khayrrilrainxwells @kirareaper13 @i-dont-care-lol @cursedfaechild @lovepeaceorelse @roryjames82 @brianllama
70 notes · View notes
kitsunefaux · 7 months
Note
Hey!! Anon cause I'm shy, but I'm a big fan of your writing! Ive left some guest kudos on your fics and am always waiting patiently for the next update! I was wondering if you had any recommendations for fics since you seem like the type to have good taste... I'd love to read more stuff that reminds me of your work!
Hey! Thank you! I definitely do have some recommendations I’d like to share. These are in no particular order.
Ryou-centric (and/or tendershipping)
Corruption by firetrap
After seeing the pharaoh off to the underworld, Ryou comes home to find that his own spirit hadn’t left like he thought.
The Last Puzzle by tenderwulf
11 years after the Ceremonial Duel, Atem and Bakura inexplicably find themselves back in Domino. When they meet their previous hosts, they realize how much things have changed: Yuugi, the now world-renowned King of Games, is going through a marriage crisis, Ryou is struggling to balance studies, work, and his brittle mental health, and Malik... well, Malik is living his best life—and his own yami is nowhere to be seen.
They soon realize they all have to work together in order to solve the mystery of the yamis' return: some to make sure that they stay, and some to make sure that they don't.
Haunted by Ehtar
Ever since receiving a strange artifact from his father, Ryou Bakura’s life has changed. He gains the friends he’s always wanted, and the bullies are disappearing. At night, though, he dreams of the life of a thief in ancient Egypt. A young boy who was the sole survivor of his village’s slaughter, who must turn to thievery and worse in order to survive on his own.
Ryou knows that something is wrong when his friends begin to fall to the same malady as the bullies, that something is wrong with him. It’s not until he makes some new friends in Domino City, including a boy who has an artifact similar to his own, that he realizes he harbors the soul of that thief within himself – that he’s been possessed for years by the spirit of a killer.
He should rid himself of the evil spirit, save himself and those around him. The only trouble is, now he doesn’t know where one of their souls begins and the other ends. After so long, he’s not even sure he would reject the spirit if he could. After all, no one knows him so well as the spirit that haunts him.
Cornered by YadonushiRyou
Life is different for Private Investigator Ryou after a too close encounter with a maniacal killer. Ryou has to deal with physical and mental scars, navigating through life only to find that he can’t forget Bakura as easily as he would have liked. His partner Malik tries to help him along the way, but things between them are much different than they used to be, causing tension in their close relationship. Meanwhile, time is running out when it seems the killer on the loose has already chosen his next victim.
An Unwhole Half by SheIsHoldingACat
The problem with being one half of a whole is that the other half has to agree. The problem comes when the other half wants it all to itself.
Or:,
Ryou wishes he had the bond with his spirit that Yugi has. He wishes it was possible.
Philosophy of a Knife by crushedmary
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Ryou learns this the hard way when he becomes the vessel for Zorc's power.
A canon rewrite where Bakura wins.
Other Yugioh
Gratitude by Resuri
Amir is an assassin. His job is easy. Someone give him a target, he kills them, and he gets paid for it. Not to mention he is really good at it. However, never could he had imagined his job would have him to be acknowledged by the most beautiful and horrific creature he ever saw.
But, hey, Ryou just wants to thank him for the meals!
Our Scars remind Us that the Past was Real by Sesshy380
Imagine waking up, and everyone is trying to convince you that the things you 'remember’ never happened, and that those 'memories’ exist only in YOUR head. The Thief King doesn’t have to imagine…because that’s exactly what happened.
-or-
The Thief King get’s a second chance at life.
Martyrs by SheIsHoldingACat
the history of the shadow games extends three-thousand years, to Ancient Egypt...
~
A rewrite of the events of Memory World, with emphasis on moral greyness, political intrigue, and the premise that Thief King Bakura was entirely justified
These are a few of the fics I really like. Thank you for your ask!
@resuri-art @worldendercharles @tenderwulf @crush3dmary @sesshy380 @millenniumringg
24 notes · View notes