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a-not-so-clean-blog · 3 months

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Nu carnival dealing with a transphobic family friend/ customer (ftm reader)

Warnings: transphobia. Spicy♦️ for Morvay.

Scene:

Your boyfriend decides to visit you at your job because he misses you and doesn't get to see you enough. Just a little visit to see how you're doing. He comes in and takes a seat in the corner of the cafe to wait for you to come over when you get a free minute. What he didn't expect to see was what looked like a family friend to be harassing you and actively misgendering you. Not to mention the invasive questions she has the gall to ask you…

Yakumo

Do you not hear the awful things this person is calling you? Girl? She? WIFE!? No no no, why aren't you correcting her? No sooner does the question run through his mind does he notice the tired and worn down look on your face. Like you've been through this a thousand times before and you're just waiting for it to be over again.

Anxiety be damned, he approaches the table as confidently as he could. Back straight but his fingers were laced together.

“Excuse me, you're making him uncomfortable.” His voice was quiet yet firm.

“Oh sweetie, no it's fine I know her mother.” She tried to wave him off, totally dismissing his presence.

“You're being rude. You should apologize to him.” They go back and forth like this for a minute before he gets really upset. So he turns his back to her and faces you directly. “I love you so much and you deserve so much better. When you're done working I'm going to make your favorite meal and we will cuddle until you feel better, okay?” His words are soft and caring. You know he wants nothing more than to take you out of this situation but knows he can't make a scene at your job.

When you get home he will do everything he can to remind you how masculine and perfect you are to him. He feels regret and wishes he could have done more in the moment, but also didn't want to get you in trouble at work or with your family.

Edmond

It takes him a moment to figure out what he's going to say. He is still cautious about having people know he is in a relationship with you, just for security reasons. So he can't just say “stop calling my boyfriend a girl.”. Ultimately he marches up to the table, stares the woman down, and in no uncertain terms tells her that her behavior is unacceptable.

“He has corrected you twice and you are actively disrespecting him by ignoring his claims.”

“If someone as bigoted as you frequents this establishment I can't imagine how much longer this shop will last.” As if on cue your manager rushes out to see what the fuss is about. Having an incident with the leader of the guards would be terrible for the cafe's reputation. After Edmond explained what happened your manager sided with him and basically gave her an ultimatum.

“Respect my employees or get out.”

She tried for a minute to get other patrons of the store to side with her but anybody who looked at the situation and saw Edmund standing there with his arms crossed knew better than to get involved. Unfortunately, instead of apologizing she simply left the store muttering curse words under her breath.

Olivine

He is probably the most polite of everyone here. He will ask the table if he can sit with them (of course they say yes because who's going to say no to Father Olivine). His heart breaks when he hears her nonsense tangent about “The great God of Klein made such a beautiful girl but she's wasting it by dressing like a man.”

It's so satisfying watching Olivine preach about how the God of Klein values individuals and makes their hearts perfect. “If his heart is a man's, then who are we to deny the great God of Klein’s judgment?” Everything she says to justify her transphobia he politely and lovingly shuts her down. “Those kinds of ideas are corrupting. Please, I think you should visit the temple and reflect on your own judgments.”

It's amazing watching her excuses be chipped away by someone who genuinely wants the best for people.

Quincy

He probably won't be quick to swoop in and “save you”. Honestly, he just wanted to hang out in your cafe while you worked. But now his day is ruined because somebody is upsetting his boyfriend, and clearly not respecting you no matter how many times you tried correcting them.

He quietly walks up behind you, his large frame casting a shadow over both you and the woman.

“See. That's what a real man looks like. Sweetie you could never compare so stop pretending.” The sickly sweet tone in her voice, the false compassion and pity left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He puts his hand on your shoulder and squeezes harder than intended. “This is what a real man looks like.” His voice was colder than any tone he's ever used around you before. You could feel the chill in your veins despite not being on the receiving end. You could see she was feeling the same effect you were, but much worse.

She stuttered as she tried to defend her transphobic views. Quincy stayed eerily silent until she was done spewing her bull shit. She took his silence as acceptance and by the end of her justification she gained a shit eating grin.

“If I ever hear you say that nonsense again I'm going to feed you to the bears in the wood territory.” Her face went pale as she realized he was not joking. Slowly she nodded her head, not wanting to make any sudden movements. Topper squeaked angrily at her and without another word Quincy returned to his seat. You could feel the warmth of his hand lingering on your shoulder even after he walked away, and the woman kept sneaking glances at him throughout her visit just to make sure he hadn't gotten up to do anything.

You know he didn't mean that threat seriously…right?

Kuya

He spent the better part of an hour watching you work before this family friend came in, just enjoying people watching and keeping an eye on you. That was until this family ‘friend’ came and started talking to you. Sitting just far enough away to make it difficult to hear what she was saying. Difficult, but he could still hear the pointed ‘she’s and ’her’s she spat. He didn't really care at first, not until he noticed you getting visibly uncomfortable. Normally he takes great pleasure in watching you squirm but this was different. This made him fume in a way he didn't know he could feel. Now isn't the time to think of his own feelings though, now was the time to make them stop.

He called you away from her table and asked you to make him something really quick. Probably something simple like a sandwich, but something that'll take you just enough time to get back so he can work. The moment you are out of the main dining area and in the kitchen he gets up and gingerly sits across the table from the surprised woman.

“I have something I think you should know~” He said in his normal sing-songy voice, curling his finger so she'll lean over the table for him. Slowly and clearly he whispers something in her ear, making sure she understood every word before leaning back in his seat to marvel at the appalled and horrified look on her face.

By the time you came back only a minute later she was gone and Kuya was back lazing in his seat, a sly smile on his face.

Blade

Sweet boy doesn't understand what the person is saying is malicious. It just turns into a back and forth of “darling is a boy” and “no she's a girl.” with both sides escalating until your manager skurries over to make them stop. When she stands up aggressively Blade almost goes into full protection mode.

You and your manager shift your focus from her to him. Blade doesn't stand down until you are holding him back and your manager kicking her out of the store.

When he comes back to his senses all he sees is you hugging him and he is happy as a clam. He doesn't even realize he almost went on a murder spree. Your manager is very tired and lets you go home early with Blade, just so he doesn't have to worry about Blade making another scene.

Garu

He hears everything that she's saying to you. Every nasty use of the wrong pronouns just made his fur prickle. His first instinct is to approach and get between you two but you've scolded him before about getting in the way of your job. His ears are pinned back against his head as he stares at the two of you.

He was patient enough to wait for you to be done taking her order. As soon as you leave her table he calls you over. “Are you okay? Why didn't you say anything? Do you need help?” His bombardment of questions hit you like a flood. His eyes were wide as he stared at you, practically staring into your soul. As you two were standing so close he could clearly smell the anxiety wafting off of you. He wanted to get rid of that smell, wanted the woman who caused it to go away, he just wanted to see you smile.

“It's okay Garu. She'll leave soon and I'll be fine.” You gave him a soft smile. His kindness always tugged at your heart.

“But she's upsetting my boyfriend!” He raised his voice a little as he was getting upset again. Not to the point of yelling but definitely to the point where she could hear you. It wasn't intentional but her face went red anyway. You gave him a quick kiss before thanking him and returning to your work.

She didn't bother you the rest of the time.

Karu

If you don't try to correct her misgendering you he will be confused but can wait to ask you about it later. However when you correct her and she blatantly starts calling you a girl more. He's on his feet ready to bite at a moment's notice.

“Shut up you hag. He told you he's a boy so now you're just being dumb!”

“Who are you calling dumb you little freak!?”

It does not take long for a full fledged brawl to break out between the two of them. You grab Karu by the arms and try your best to pull them off while other onlookers jump in and try to pull the woman away. Once the two are separated profanities are the only thing you can hear being screamed across the room. Both of them are kicked out of the cafe but she needs stitches and Karu successfully “defended your honor” so at least he's satisfied. You are put on clean up duty for the mess your boyfriend made, but secretly it did make you happy knowing just how far he'll go to make you feel seen.

Dante

Her face lit up when she saw Dante staring at you. Dante, the perfect specimen of a man. Smart, strong, handsome, and most importantly powerful. “Oh! Sun lord, don't you think she would make such a good wife!” She points at you, you are clearly upset and uncomfortable and it makes his blood boil.

“Absolutely not.” Her expression immediately fell at his words but she gained a wicked smile when she thought of a response.

“Oh dear, it's because she's so masculine. I keep telling her it's really unattractive and she won't ever find a good-” Dante's hot glare was enough to shut her up for a moment. The way he straightened his back and lifted his chin just to further look down on her gave you goosebumps.

“Let me be clear on one thing. He would make an awful wife, but is an exceptional boyfriend.” The woman was immediately shot down and put in her place. You're relatives that were sitting at the table awkwardly look away like they don't know anyone in this building. It's hard to tell what felt better, the butterflies in your stomach or the sweet taste of justice.

Rei

It's very simple actually. The solution to this problem is to buy a cup of coffee, go over to the table, and dump the hot coffee on the a-hole who insisted on misgendering you.

“Oops I didn't see you there. I must be as blind as you are.” And the entire time he maintained eye contact with her just daring her to say something. She, of course, starts screaming and throwing a tantrum. A string of “how dare you!” and “don't you know who I am!” came out with her shrill screeching.

He just shrugged and replied “I don't care who you are but anyone who disrespects my boyfriend like that means nothing to me. Frankly you're worse than scum and should be disgusted with yourself, but I know your type has no self awareness anyway.”

Eiden

He knows her type, he's dealt with them plenty of times in his world. He hates how she is talking about you, misgendering you and acting like you aren't even there. He's getting mad but he knows better than to make a scene in front of your family. So the next best thing to do is correct her.

He walks up beside you and puts an arm over your shoulder casually. “Oh? There's a pretty girl around here, where?”

She rolls her eyes when she looks at him. “You're leaning on her.”

Eiden looks to you then back to her, his eyes wide in fake bewilderment. “Ma'am are you feeling well? This is my boyfriend. He's very handsome, but pretty is not a word I would use to describe him.”

“Well she was born a girl so she's a girl.”

“Ah, so that explains why you're such a big baby!”

It's hard to hold back your laughter as her face turned bright red. For every other stupid transphobic comment she tried to make Eiden had a witty comment ready to shut her up.

“Well, gender is what's in her pants.”

“I was in his pants last night, so I guess I'm his gender.” Now your face went bright red as you lightly punched him in the arm which only made him laugh. His laugh was contagious, and the look on her face was satisfying.

Even the red hot glare she shot at you after a bit of your laugh slipped out didn't bother you anymore because Eiden was waiting to make her look a fool if she even tried to say something else about you.

Aster

He's not normally one to make a big scene so he doesn't move to confront her until after you've gone back to the kitchen to place her tables order.

“Hi, I couldn't help but notice your super cute top! That’s a Devilicious brand shirt right?”

Her face brightened when someone recognized her expensive brand of clothes. “Yes it is! I shop there all the time.” She bragged.

“What shop do you go to?”

“The one in water territory is my favorite, it has the best shirts but not as many shoes.”

“Hmmm good to know. I'm their supplier so I'm going to have them ban you from the store. I don't need bigots tarnishing my brand's name.” The way her face fell from pompous to petrified made Asters chest fill with pride. She scrambled to try and defend herself.

“What do you mean bigot?! I'm a good person.”

“Weren't you just calling that man a girl? He even corrected you.”

“No, no, you don't understand. I know her family and she is a girl.” When you came out you could see the sweat on her brow.

“Well he's my boyfriend and I don't care what his family lets you get away with calling him. Enjoy getting your Devilicious second hand.” He laughed as he walked past you and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you at home treasure.” And he was gone, leaving her in her booth on the verge of a crisis.

“What did I miss?”

Morvay

Oh he can feel his blood boiling every time she insults you like that. Not to mention nobody else at the table is even trying to defend you! Unacceptable.

He comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist, and buries his face into your neck. He's practically spooning you while standing up. “Mmmm when is my husband going to give me the attention I need?” he whines into your ear.

“Babe I'm done in an hour, please be patient.” Embarrassed, you try to wiggle out of his grasp but he doesn't budge. Instead he nudges his head deeper into your neck. You almost squeak when his lips brush against your soft spot.

“But I don't want to wait that long to suck your dick!” He loudly whines so the whole restaurant can hear. The sound that followed was defining. You firmly ushered him back to his table, begging him to behave until you aren't in public. He sighs wistfully but agrees.

His plan worked though. Anytime the jerk tried to misgender you the entire store of eavesdroppers gave her a collective confused look and she was socially forced to correct herself. No matter what she would try to say people are going to believe Morvays very personal claim over hers.

#Nu carnival Yakumo #nu carnival Edmond #nu carnival olivine #nu carnival Quincy #nu carnival Kuya #nu carnival Garu #nu carnival Dante #nu carnival Rei #nu carnival Aster #nu carnival Morvay #nu carnival Eiden #nu carnival x reader #nu carnival #tw transphobia #a degenerate writes #this is almost 3k words! im am proud but my brain hurts #♦️#x ftm reader #x ftm

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bitimdrake · 1 year

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Very unpopular opinion: I don't like Alfred. I can't handle the hypocrisy of canon and fanon treating him like he's some sort of angle while ignoring the bad stuff he's done and how he's an enabler, and that disconnect has him on the bottom of my ranking.

ohoho spicy. most unpopular opinions around here are still at least very popular among a small subgroup, but this is tasty, anon.

And you know what? I get it.

Alfred's an odd character narratively. He was surely never intended to be an enabler. He was a sort of "only sane man" snarky side character here to contrast with our lead, Batman, and point out all the ridiculous things Bruce did, but never have any true power to stop them.

Except. He does. Alfred's close relationship with Bruce, who values both his presence and his opinion, gives him a lot of power--and any modern version of the character, who was not just around since Bruce's childhood but very likely raised him for half of it, has even more.

So we ended up with this guy who is (Doylist) a side character and can't actually affect the story that much, but whose whole shtick is dryly pointing it stupid ideas and bad behavior. Which (Watsonian) leads to a man who is explicitly aware of all the bad stuff being done around him, and makes witty little comments, but doesn't actually do anything to stop it. And rarely even tries!

imo, Being an enabler is a core part of Alfred's characterization.

Which is one thing, and can be kinda entertaining, when what he's enabling is "man dresses like a bat to fight crime". Alfred, who pretends to be above it all and find it silly, but deep down believes in Batman despite himself and is just as crazy as the actual vigilantes? Lots of room to play.

But when what he's enabling is, say, his son-figure emotionally abusing his own kids, or putting overly high expectations on them, or kicking them out of the house...then it's a whole lot darker.

A lot of the fanon that turns Alfred into a perfect angel also turns Bruce into a good dad, avoiding that particular pitfall. But instead he gets treated as always knowing everything and always being liked by everyone, which (is boring as hell and) sends us right back to the "why isn't he doing anything??" problem whenever there is an issue that he is shown to definitely know about and know a perfect solution to, and yet...declines to solve it for some reason.

In the end, idk if I have a super strong opinion on Alfred overall. There are small ways to make him better or worse. But I do have a strong opinion that, damn, he is absofuckinglutely not perfect.

(Also, separately, you are so right about a disconnect being the most annoying thing about many characters. Most of my least favorite fictional characters are the ones who were blatantly favored by their creators and act stupidly/cruelly/whatever, but somehow get treated as the coolest and smartest anyway. Plus, who among us hasn't started to resent a character we were previously neutral about because of annoying fans?)

#*#ask #anon #*dc #dc #alfred pennyworth #batfam #i guess this is tangentially a part of the discussion on #batman's c+ parenting

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thejujvtsupost · 1 month

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Collar Crimes -> Pouring Rain

It’s technically not April (when i originally planned to write this) but life happens. I’m thinking the next one is gonna be how they met but lmk if you guys want something else. 💗

Notes: some of reader’s insecurities come out, Suguru’s a sweetheart, talks of violence and very light gore.

“Sweetheart?”

“‘M sorry! I’ll come back later- uh I’ll see you at home!”

(On a completely unrelated note, calling you sweetheart in front of everyone made your cheeks flush and heart flutter just the tiniest bit.)

This would be the first time you’ve interrupted his business. You should have knocked and now, on top of the humiliation of dripping water everywhere, you embarrassed yourself.

It was rare for you to go to Suguru‘s office, and certainly not unattended and unprompted. His building was closer to your evening class on campus than the penthouse and you were shivering and cold and completely soaked from the pouring rain.

Well, the rain wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t dark or for the car that drove by and drenched you.

“Leave.”

You flinched at his tone and bit your lip to stop it from trembling. You couldn’t let yourself cry in front of everyone and make it worse, you screwed up more than enough. Your head was already down and you were on your way out the door as fast as you could but you were blocked by the bodies of the other men leaving the room.

Oh. He meant the people he was meeting with, to your relief. Maybe he wasn’t too mad then?

“Not you bunny, c’mere. What happened? You must be freezing.” Warm arms wrapped around your shivering frame and held you close uncaring if he got wet too, a kiss to your forehead helped calm your anxiety from your interruption.

“I’m sorry for barging in, no one was out at the desk to tell me you were busy so I thought it was okay. I didn’t know- ” you were guided to the desk and onto the surface while he looked for something in the closet— a change of clothes.

“I don’t care about that, you’re always my first priority so never apologize. Why are you wet, sweetheart? I thought you had your seven pm class.”

“I did, but its raining so hard and my phone died so I couldn’t call anyone for a ride and my friends already left and I didn’t have an umbrella and I figured I’d just walk and try to be quick but then a car splashed me and I was so cold and tired and-” you took a big breath to calm down and stop rambling, “It was too much- dark too, and this was closer than going straight home.” You still felt bad for interrupting his meeting, but the warmer you got the less you regretted it.

Suguru closed the blinds to his office hummed in sympathy. (he never liked those damn friends of yours, they never valued you enough in his opinion and the fact that they left you there without even offering a ride only proved that) and started helping you out of the wet clothes clinging to your skin before placing them in a plastic bag to take home later. “You have my clothes here?”

He smiled, “You know I’m always prepared, but I figured they’d come in handy at some point. It’s just an outfit or two in a go bag for emergencies.” Your heart swelled, he was always so thoughtful when it came to you . “I got a few blankets and pillow too after you fell asleep here the first time, if you’re interested. I have to stay a few more hours but if you would rather go home I can have someone drive you.”

You shook your head, “I’d like to stay please, if it’s not a bother.”

“Of course it isn’t, why else do you think I have the blankets and pillow, bunny? You’re my bunny, you always have a place next to me.”

The tears started rolling, he wiped them away with large, warm tattooed hands and hugged you tightly to his chest. “Sorry, just been a rough day and I’m emotional.”

“I know, but you did a good thing by coming here. I’m proud of you for thinking of yourself instead of trying to get home on your own. Especially in the dark. You hate it, and s‘not safe for you out there.”

You were trying really hard, with your boyfriend’s help, to work on the part of you that felt less than and like a burden at times. It was difficult to unlearn the way you felt about yourself for years and years growing up but you were making great progress.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to hear what you’re doing for work? Isn’t it confidential?”

He just gave you a look and helped you slide on some socks.

“You should warm up soon, but how about a rest on the couch during my meeting for a little while, yeah? I’ll keep our voices down.”

You nodded and allowed him to wrap you in one of the soft blankets he spoke of before. “Wait here a second. I’ll keep it as brief as I can.”

“So we’re looking at about 50k in damages…”

Whatever they were saying didn’t really matter to you. They kept their voices low to not disturb you for the most part.

A newer member raised his voice once Suguru corrected him immediately. “Quiet down or I’ll cut your tongue out.” And there weren’t any other incidents.

prev <- index -> •

🏷️: @annoyingstrawberryballoon @missgab

#collar crimes series #yakuza! geto #reader insert #no use of y/n #geto suguru #geto x you #mob geto #jjk x reader #jujustsu kaisen x reader #getou suguru x reader #jujutsu kaisen

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chirpsythismorning · 2 years

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It would appear I am indeed one of the very few optimistic (delusional?) Bylers left.

Not saying that if you feel hopeless and need to move on, that you can't. A lot of you have been through this before with other shows. Again and again. You’re tired and fed-up and you have every right to be.

Technically, Season 5 won't be out for another 2+ years anyways, which means the best thing for everyone regardless is to get whatever we need off our chests now and then to just go on a hiatus for the foreseeable future.

When it comes to how I feel about Vol. 2, there were definitely at least a few good moments. If this season has anything going for it, it’s the emotional value. This is without a doubt the most I’ve cried ever while watching the show. One scene in particular that had me on the floor was the scene with Will and El reuniting and hugging. And of course the scene with Will and Mike in the van (DAMN YOU NOAH SCHNAPP FOR MAKING ME SOB SO HARD ALL DAY THAT I GOT A MIGRAINE!)

But yes, I am a Byler. So you could say I was a bit disappointed in that department.

And yet still, I think my take on the later part of season 4 is much different from the majority.

Because personally, I don’t think that what played out in Vol. 2 means that Byler is dead. If anything, I believe it to be more endgame than I did before (well, at least in comparison to pre-s4. There’s no denying pre-Vol. 2 confidence levels remain unmatched. Truly the best era for the Byler fandom to date).

I think my main issue is, like so many of us on here, I thought it was guaranteed we would get to see Mike become aware of Will’s feelings.

Alas, we did not.

And to be totally clear, without this revelation, Byler can’t go anywhere.

Neither forwards, nor technically backwards.

This means the baiting game is not over. Which as bad as it sounds, is why I’m still so optimistic…

Now, if they had made Will’s feelings obvious to Mike, or even the fact that Will is gay as being obvious to Mike, but STILL had Mike behave the way he did in Vol. 2, now THAT would have sucked. It would have been canon rejection on Mike’s end.

But we didn’t even get rejection from Mike.

Instead, we got Will coming off as a hardcore M*leven shipper in Mike's eyes, all while the audience was getting the exact opposite interpretation of this situation; that Will is helplessly in love with Mike.

Will is able to voice the extent of his love, albeit through advice to Mike about his own situation with El, in a way that no one else on the show has been able to. Most of the other characters need a bunch of bystanders to make them realize their feelings and push them in that direction. But Will, he doesn’t need someone holding his hand along the way, telling him what the right thing to do or say is. His love isn’t something he needs to really think about in order to understand it. It just is.

(Which is SO fucking ironic when you think about how Mike always needs help with figuring out his feelings for El and even sounds like he’s reading off a script when he’s trying to explain himself to her. Whereas with Will, s2 monologue teas, it’s the most natural thing Mike’s ever done. Unscripted, straight from the heart… And both Vol. 1-2 continued to drive home this concept, so maybe jot that down..)

It’s just that, unfortunately, in Will’s eyes, Mike will never return this love, which means his only option is to let Mike go. If supporting Mike and El’s relationship means putting himself dead last in every respect, so that his best friend and his sister can be happy, Will is going to do just that.

But as far as Mike knows, Will holds no romantic feelings for him. I mean after all, Will is guiding Mike literally every step of the way to confessing his love to El, and that doesn't sound like the behavior of someone who’s in love with you, now does it?

So why would Mike, throw everything on the line, including the survival of their family and friends in Hawkins by not simply just telling his gf he loves her? All while El is right there loving him and needing his love to fight (presumably), with Will beside him literally rooting for him to do just that? This is very obviously the only option in Mike’s eyes.

Which is ironic, because in a way, I think that Mike has truly never seen him and Will as an option, just like Will, but for an entirely different reason.

Mike views his feelings for Will as childish, something he will grow out of, or at least should have by now.

“We’re not kids anymore. What did you think, really? That we were never going to get girlfriends? That we were just going to sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives?”

If Mike can’t love El, then how can he possibly love any women? She’s special. She’s a superhero. He HAS to love her, right? It’s the best option he could ever possibly have. Well, at least considering…

But what happens when suddenly, he comes to the realization that him and Will ARE an option? And that the only thing ever stopping them was himself and his inability to just be honest with everyone and himself?

I think the truth is, there’s a reason that they’re holding off on this revelation for Mike.

It will be a catalyst. It will change everything.

Now, how exactly do you think Mike is going to react to this? The fact that Will was in love with him this whole time and he had no idea?

Honestly, I think he’s going to react horribly, but not for the reason everyone assumes.

Because I would argue that, if Mike was going to react badly with disgust or even just let Will down nicely to confirm it’s indeed unrequited, then the Duffer’s would have just given this revelation up by now. But they haven’t.

Once Mike finds out that Will is (probably always will be) in love with him, and that instead of telling him, Will used his love to help Mike get closer to El, even when Mike himself was having doubts over and over? That Will went as far as to lie about the painting he worked so hard on for Mike in order to rekindle their dying friendship, to instead insinuate it was commission from El, to give Mike that final push he needed to even have the courage to tell El he loved her? That all the moments like this that they shared as of late, was really just Will talking about himself? That the only reason he was able to tell El he loved her in the first place, was because he was so moved by Will’s love for him??

This is going to break Mike.

And let’s be real here, two episodes would not have done this revelation justice.

So now, just knowing the direction they went for Vol. 2, as well as coming to terms with it, I have reached the conclusion that, despite how bleak things seem now, ‘maybe all of this is happening for a reason’ (s2 Mike Wheeler, we miss u).

Which brings me to the other most important piece of the puzzle, which is that, arguably, El needs to be the one who ends things once and for all.

The general audience has been given the impression El is head over heels in love with Mike, and so of course they were rooting for Mike to get on with it and just tell her he loved her.

But that’s the interesting part. He finally did tell her, but her reaction in the aftermath was not something a lot of fans expected.

It seems that she’s distancing herself from Mike, a fact that Will acknowledges to Mike later at Hopper’s cabin, with Mike genuinely confused because he thought he did the one thing he had to do.

He told her he loved her. Which makes everything alright now, right?

But maybe it doesn’t.

Maybe the reminder we got, of that speech from Max to El, about how she didn’t need Mike or Hopper or ANY man to know her worth, was foreshadowing for what honestly needs to happen in order for El to really process and realize her own true feelings about Mike.

Because, although I do believe El genuinely thought she loved Mike, is it possible that Mike was not only having doubts about saying it because of the reasons he argued, or even because of some repressed feelings for Will, but also because El hadn’t given him what he needed to truly believe she loved him.

Mike, like a lot of people, doesn’t need to hear “I love you” to believe that someone loves him.

“I didn’t say it.”

“You didn’t have to.”

He wants something more meaningful, or more specifically, something along the lines of the speech Will gave to him in the van.

Will’s confession disguised as El’s, was what Mike needed to finally say I love you to El...

Something I think we also got caught up in, is this idea that the Duffer’s were just going to drop M*leven and throw in Byler, with everything else going on, while they still have a whole ass season to promote for another 3+ years, and to their mostly 80’s loving homophobic audience. If Byler is going to happen, it’s going to be the definition of slow-burn and endgame. That’s literally the only way.

This puzzle is complex, which sucks if you want all the answers now, because we’re just not going to get them. If they give up all their moves, then what is the point of telling the story at all?

Other pieces of the puzzle include things that arguably still need to happen before Byler can, even regardless of the constraints they have as show-runners who run the biggest show on Netflix’s dying platform.

Things like Will and El’s love for each other as brother and sister. Considering all the fans that said Will hates El because he didn’t stand up to her bullies or that he’s a home-wrecker who just wants to get with her boyfriend, is why I do think they needed to debunk these insinuations within the narrative. And boy oh boy did they deliver on that front. Will is the most selfless son of a bitch on the planet, who loves his best friend and his sister so much. They made that very clear. And you can see that despite a few homophobes here and there, the general audience's reaction to Will in Vol 2 is sympathy and to Mike it's confusion and betrayal...

Hmm, making El realize she doesn't even love Mike, after making Will's unrequited feelings for Mike more clear, after making Mike behave like an IDIOT this entire time juggling these two relationships, only for him to become aware of whats going on, and to clearly be in love with Will?

Sounds like a good way to set up Byler to an audience that might not have humored it before...

And like I said, with how important I do think it was for this to happen in order for them to go the Byler route, is why I don’t necessarily see this approach as a bad thing. We even got the Will and El hug in 4x08, which maybe it’s just because Noah and Millie are so close, but I would easily rank that on my top most well-earned moments in the whole show.

We NEEDED that. Especially in terms of what is likely to come in season 5 with Byler endgame...

Also, yes the Will angst sucked and it's just trauma porn at this point. I’m not going to deny that fully. I agree with pretty much all of the criticism in regards to how they chose to do certain things when they didn't necessarily have to, but I also simultaneously am able to understand that it again, maybe this is all happening for a reason. If they are indeed going to have Will play a big role in the final season, than them forgetting his birthday, Mike being oblivious and all this other shit he's been through combined, sets up a really arc for him next season, not even necessarily a villain one, but all of this pain has the potential to lead to a happy ending. And I'm being full serious.

Like we have Finn Wolfhard saying the ending of Stranger Things will be like the ending of Schitt’s Creek??? That it will end at it's highest point. The last episode of Schitt’s Creek is literally a happily ever after gay wedding, there's no other way to interpret that…

We also know that a lot of ideas for the last seasons were planned from the beginning, with David Harbour saying that he knew the ending way back in s2 and that it's beautiful and has been the intended plan all along. That there's easter eggs that will have us going 'WOW this is what we've been watching the whole time'? That it's wonderful?

If you’re the level of Byler truther that believes they were somewhat planned all along from the beginning, then you would also know that if they plan a happy ending for Mike and Will, then they would have no problem killing us this painfully in the beginning of the end, because they know we’ll be the ones cheering on by the actual end, and it'll be the homophobes who are pissed and stuck with this result forever as endgame.

I’m just saying, don’t be surprised when s5 gets closer and we actually see them promoting Byler… like a lot. And we actually start getting in canon hints at scenes with El herself even trying to get them together.

Groveling Mike Wheeler era?

Will finding a potential new love interest and Mike pining/jealous?

Come ONNN! You guys are way more delusional than you’re giving yourselves credit for and I urge you to join me!!!

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666herescared · 22 days

Text

Imaginary Shadow Dad)Ch.12: How do you Manage?

—☆—

Hello! Sorry for the wait.My computer broke, and I was having trouble figuring out how to handle this one because of the massive difference, that is, Macaque watched Wukong mourn him for over a thousand (Give or take) YEARS!

I think I’ve got something brewing. Let’s hope it meets your expectations!

—☆—

Wukong honestly didn’t think this was real. After all, the largest shrine on Flower Fruit Mountain was dedicated to mourning his presumably dead lover. Especially since he’d kept it private so long. At most, he thought he’d be talking to a ghost, though much more likely was that the years of delusion had caught up to him.

Okay, maybe that’s not the right word. The Monkey King knew his lover was dead, and he understood that. The thing is that he’d been mourning for so damn long and still hadn’t accepted it. In fact, he still wore the wedding ring on his tail. His nightmares were meant for him alone, and his guilt ran deeper than the blood in his veins. If Mihou was alive, why did it still seem so hopeless?

Returning to the mountain, Sun Wukong looked around his cave for any signs of further hallucinations or whatever that voice was, and he finally heard it, on the wall to his right.

“Long time no see, Monkey King. Or, well, long time since you saw me.” the voice of his lover said with venom in his tone, causing Wukong to whip around and glare at the shadow on the wall.

Ah, great. Well, eyes of truth confirmed it. Not a hallucination. “Well then, I guess you never learned manners. It’s pretty cruel to take on the form of someone’s dead lover,” he claimed, staring down this presumed imposter with just as much poison in his voice.

That seemed to piss him off. “Oh no, I’m very real Wukong. But I’m not here for a fight-” then OF COURSE, Wukong had to interrupt.

“Yeah, right. Heh. I watched him die to my own damned hand, and to be honest? Still pretty broken up about it. So if you value your life, you’ll stop pretending to be him.” The king stretched himself taller to present a more threatening air, demeanor and furious expression only assisting with that. “Not listening, are you? Trust me Wukong, I already know-” “Stop pretending you know me. Call me Wukong one more time, and I’ll bash your head in.” The disrespect of this stranger!

Not gonna let him talk, is he?

“Wukong, if you actually list-ened!-” Macaque’s voice pitched higher when Wukong punched right into the shadows, then both froze for a moment.

The Monkey King would never get used to the shadow realm’s stasis. The feeling of his hand and only his hand having the blood stop flowing, while still not causing damage, was a strange experience to be sure, but his focus was on something else. That familiar fabric beneath his grip with those same stitches he’d memorized so long ago. So distant yet so vivid.. He - gently as he could - pulled his hand from the shadows, activating gold vision once more to check. He gasped at what his power revealed - familiar ears left with marks from their battles, one eyebrow split by a ghastly scar and the eye below a misty white, instead of the pale gold he always remembered - with fangs bared in a way he didn’t even see that fateful day. - “M-Mihou-” A punch was thrown as his former lover, who was apparently alive, stumbled out of the shadows with gritted teeth. He snapped his fingers and his two loyal sons appeared behind the king, holding him in place. Wukong could’ve overpowered them had he not been distracted by the sight of a man he thought was dead standing over him. “I’m not here to fight, Wukong, but not to reconcile either. I’m here, because you decided my son would be the perfect successor, and I want you to pick someone else.”

That snapped Wukong out of it. Pick someone else? What?! “I can’t just remove my magic from the kid, Macaque! He might literally die! Not to mention that he’d be a sitting duck against the demon bull family without it!”

“Are you doubting that my powers alone could protect my son?” the shadow wielder sneered.

“Oh fucking- You’re ignoring my other point entirely!” the sage responded angrily, pulling against the clones holding him, yet still avoiding using too much power.

“What? That removing magic will kill my kid? I fucking doubt it!” the darker monkey claimed in response.

“Okay then, Mr. Semi-Omniscient. Why not check for yourself?!” Wukong snarked angrily.

“Fine then!” Macaque’s top set of ears twitched, then the annoyance on his face faded to dread, and he paled to a concerning degree.

Wukong looked apprehensive, but kept up a brave face. “So? What’d you hear?”

After a moment of silence, Liu’er’s expression hardened again into a more thoughtful glare. “There’s really no safe way to prevent this..”

The Monkey King looked to the ground, soft remorse on his face. “Mihou-”

“Don’t fucking call me that! I-.. I need to think,” the Warrior muttered, snapping his fingers to get his sons to join him at his side instead of holding Wukong.

Now though, without anything to do, the Monkey King felt… awkward. “So…” He started after a while. “I can see you’re not wearing your ring anymore,” he said, looking somewhat somberly at the bare spot on Macaque’s tail. That certainly got a reaction. Not a good one though. “Yeah, well, someone crushed it onto my tail so hard that it would’ve rotted off if I left it on! Wonder who that was..,” the shadow wielder snapped at first, turning to look at Wukong again, yet his expression softened at the sight of Wukong’s own tail. Just a little. Barely noticeable. “I can see you're still wearing yours.”

“Heh, well… I guess I'm kinda sentimental,” the King said, voice quivering in a way only the Six-Eared trio in front of him could notice. One of the strange, skull faced clones, perked up and said something in an unfamiliar tongue. Macaque seemed to understand it though, because he muttered, “Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Thanks, Savage.”

“Savage”, huh? What a dorky name!

“Alright, Wukong.” The sage perked up when attention was turned to him again. “We need to agree not to fight, because either of our deaths would hurt the kid, and I don’t want him getting hurt in the crossfire,” the darker monkey began. The hero nodded in agreement. “Good. Now listen closely, ‘cause I’m only gonna say this once; My sons are the only things that matter to me anymore, so you’re gonna keep my youngest safe, and if he ever gets hurt because you weren’t there, I’m going to trap you in my lantern for the rest of your immortal life.”

Of course, the threatening tone didn’t work on the king, even when he knew he was being serious. “So, like… do I not get any days off or anything?” Wukong asked with a small chuckle.

The darker monkey in front of him growled and stood back up straight. “No. He’s dealt with enough abandonment in his life. I’m not letting you make this a repeat of how my life fell apart.” The sage gave a soft eye roll and a scoff, which was enough to piss off Macaque again. Noticing this, Wukong defended himself. “Oh- C’mon, Macaque! I don’t want that to happen either! You must have heard me groveling at your shrine, almost every day, for over a thousand years!”

“I wouldn’t call it groveling. What sort of king grovels at the feet of someone they killed?” The shadow wielder’s voice came out sharp, and venomous.

“Uhh~ This one, apparently. Even though technically you didn’t die!” Wukong snarked with a smirk. One of the skull faced clones - Wukong couldn’t tell which - squinted at the sky and tapped Macaque’s shoulder, though the dark primate was far too pissed off to acknowledge it.

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” he snapped, ignoring the concerned chitters Savage was supplying.

“Uh- No, actually. Now that I know you aren’t dead, I’m pretty sure all the immortalities I gave you had something to do with you surviving that.” Wukong sassed as Savage was getting a little louder.

“HA! As if! All that would’ve done was prolong my suffering! I got myself out of that forest after you turned your back on everything we’d built!” Macaque exclaimed. fur in front of Savage’s ears moved back, revealing the slits that laid underneath as they hissed - then Rumble interrupted, leaping between the immortals and creating a massive shadow arrow that pointed up at the hole in the roof of the cave. It appeared to be sunset-.. Shit.

“Wait… He was right outside when we left!” Wukong shouted frantically.

“What the- How is it taking him so long? Did he fall in the lava at the flaming mountains?! Oh no- WUKONG! GO GET HIM!” The shadow wielder demanded, pointing towards the cave entrance.

“What?! He’s your cub!” the king rebutted.

“It’s been ten years since he last saw me! I’m not gonna knock his life further off balance!” “Wait- So you abandoned him? Pot calling kettle-”

“Right back at‘cha!”

“Monkey King?” Mk’s voice came from down the hall.

The six-eared monkeys immediately fell back into the shadows, leaving the king on his own. Peeking around the corner, Wukong could see what had taken the cub so long. He gasped at the cuteness.

The little white Monkeys were curiously patting and pulling at Mk’s invisible limbs and climbing all over him to try and figure him out. The Monkey King’s new apprentice was begrudgingly letting them do so while still trying to walk. It was so dang… adorable! “That’s just about the cutest dang thing I ever saw!” the sage whispered giddily, looking around the corner of his little cottage at the young boy. “We’ll talk about this later.” He whispered to his shadow, before backflipping from the ground up onto the roof of his shack. “You looking for someone, bud?” the ruler asked with a knowing smirk.

“Monkey King!” the young monkey exclaimed, running over to the shack and startling the little monkeys off of him. The king was almost startled by the sudden movement himself, but quickly recognized his speed as an effect of having the magic of two mystic monkeys in his body. That's gonna take some getting used to.

“Sup, bud? So… where's my staff?” the king asked, looking around playfully, before looking back and noticing the panic on his young admirer's expression.

“I’m so sorry, Monkey King! I was trying to get it to you, but there was this whole thing with the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan, also their son, but he wasn't there when she took-” Mk started, rambling and starting to blush when he brought up Redson.

He was freaking out. Wukong wasn't prepared to handle this, so he tried to put the boy’s mind at ease. “Hehe, calm down kid! I already know. Seee… I've been kinda watching you.”

“Huh?” the boy snapped out of it and gave a confused look, before gasping dramatically. “Wait- That was you?!”

The king couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the young monkey's face. “Oh~ The look on your face! You're perfect!” he cackled, though he felt the glare on his back.

Mk looked confused and tilted his head up at Wukong, squinting slightly. “Perfect for what?”

Oh man, the kid was gonna love this. Wukong did a triple flip over Mk's head, crossing his arms as he landed. “To be my…” he started, halfway turning around and pointing at the boy. “-successor!”

Mk looked at him with disbelief for a moment, before shaking it off and starting to pace. “Oh great! I'm dreaming again! Can my brain stop taunting me, please?”

“Uh~ kid? If you'd like I could slap you, but I don't wanna hurt you on acci–dent..” Monkey King tried to keep up the facade, but he looked like he saw a ghost, staring at the headband his successor wore. Huh.. Macaque kept that? For over 3,000 years?

Mk looked confused and placed a hand on his headband self-consciously. “What? What is it?”

The king snapped out of it and shook his head a bit. “Uh~ C-Can I see that headband for a moment, bud?” he asked tensely, reaching one hand out.

The boy in front of him looked suspicious, but untied it and placed it in his hand, letting his hair fall into its long and messy natural appearance. He could trust the Monkey King with it, right?

The sage was gentle with the band of fabric, then looked at the embroidery and gave a soft sob that one could mistake for a cough. It was like he was holding his memories in his hands.. He handed it back with a soft smile. “Thanks, kid..”

Mk smiled and took it back. “Of course, Monkey King!” he grinned. He was happy to help, “Now; what are we gonna do about the giant evil bull king who's RAVAGING my home, and probably KILLING my friends!?” -but he also had some basic logic.

Ah, right. “Pfft, c'mon! You can handle it!” Wukong brushed it off, falling back onto his cloud as it formed behind his back. “Consider it a trial,” he claimed, before spotting the glare of the shadows, and adding, “Tell you what; If you take more than~ thirty minutes to win, I'll come and save ya’, alright? You'll be fine,” he assured him, glancing at Macaque a couple times to gauge if that sated him. The glare was there, but it'd softened.

“Well- How would I even get back?! How- How can you just trust me to figure it out?” the boy asked with a squirlish look, gesticulating wildly. Small flickers of purple and gold magic slipped along his body, but were calmed when the Monkey King placed his hands on Mk’s shoulders, steadying him. That much uncontrolled magic.. Hm.

“Kid. I’d never tell you to do anything you can’t do. If I say you can beat DBK, you can beat DBK. Just believe in yourself! Even a smidge, can make all the difference,” he said with a soft smile. “And as for that other thing.. You’re not scared of heights, are you?” the sage suggested ominously with a more mischievous grin.

A moment later, Wukong hopped onto his cloud and offered Mk a hand to get on behind him. “Now remember, you have thirty minutes to beat him before I come to help. You succeed-.. I dunno, I’ll give you one of my first merch items! That sound good?”

The kid was nervous until the reward was mentioned. Then he got excited. “REALLY?! Like, the Monkey King original first edition plush?!” the fanboy exclaimed cheerfully.

“Sure, if that’s the one you want. I honestly expected you to be more of an action figure kid, but that’s good too,” the king responded cheerfully, before zipping the cloud forward with no warning. Mk, startled, grabbed the ruler’s shoulders and shut his eyes tight. Within a single minute they had reached the battle, and Wukong was picking Mk up and placing him on the ground. The king patted his head twice and said in his native language, “Good luck, little monkey. Here's hoping it goes well!” before zipping off. Macaque was psychically bugging him again.

The boy was stunned by the sudden speed for a moment longer before a massive crash sounded behind him and he finally spotted Mei, who was in full dragon form and beating the shit out of Redson. He perked up, phantom tails flicking cheerfully. “Jie Jie!”

She was startled and looked over, eyes lighting up in recognition. She threw the Demon Bull Prince into the air and slapped him away with her tail, before turning her full attention to Mk. “Di Di! You’re okay!” she said happily, hopping into the air and doing a somersault as she shapeshifted back to human form. She landed with a grin and bounced up to her brother to give him a big ol’ hug. “I was so worried!” “I’m fine, Jie Jie,” the little monkey claimed with a smile.

“Xiao Houzi! Did you find the Monkey King?!” his Ba Ba called from the ground, always one to gather information.

“I did, Ba Ba!” he replied.

“Then where the heck is he?!” Dadsy called up as well, almost sounding pissed. “He said he’d give me the original plushie if I could do it! He’ll be here in like half an hour!” Mk called down with a grin. Pigsy face-palmed while Tang stimmed, a nervous and conflicted look on his face. After all, that plushie’s worth a fortune! But he didn’t want his son to get hurt. Mei, ever the enabler of Mk’s stupid decisions, immediately called her bike and grabbed Mk’s helmet from its saddle bag to put it on his head. “We’ll be backing you up, Monkey Man!” she said with a grin, hopping down from the building with a backflip. The Monkey Kid smiled down at his big sister for a moment, before hopping aboard the dragon-cycle. Mei had given him one or two lessons in her free time, so he knew the basics, but he didn’t expect how different it was when actually going fast. His turns were tight. He worried he might tip the bike over by going quite so fast. Then DBK noticed him. Ah, shit.

DBK scowled. It was that pest his brother called a son. He’d have to stop him without killing him. Such a pain.

Going quick, and hearing the Demon Bull King saying something, Mk ignored it and tried to think of an attack he could use. His balance was thrown off, but he managed to right himself, though his panic was causing his magic to grow restless. The wild flickers of magic seemed to blend in his eyes, causing purple and yellow to swirl as the world turned gold and lightning zapped from his eyes. He swore to himself, skidded to a stop, and covered his zapping eyes, only to peek through his fingers and spot the furnace burning in DBK’s chest, which held the staff in its center. He absently spotted the indignation on the king’s face from having the little monkey just skid past him instead of attacking. A plan began to form in his mind as he once more ignored the Bull King’s insults and began driving. An attack was thrown at the ground in front of him (DBK must be a poor shot) and Mk managed to tilt the bike up and drive right along his hand and up his arm. The ruler noticed the plan brewing in the boy’s mind and went to try and snuff it out by plucking him off.

The Little Monkey just launched himself off of the bike and right towards the furnace on his chest, meanwhile the bike tipped over to the other side and was caught by Mei. The Demon Bull King looked shocked and almost angered as Mk launched into the furnace. The young boy gripped the staff, yet quickly felt stiff, hard, rock surrounding him. With a gasp, he pulled on the staff harshly.

Before all went black.

—

After checking her bike for damage, Mei noticed how everything had gotten quiet. She looked around, worriedly, soon spotting how everyone, even their opponents, had frozen in shock and dread. What happened? She felt a sinking feeling in her gut and looked up at the hole in DBK’s chest. She’d figured it out.

Tears fell from her face as she dropped her bike and ran back to get a better view. Oh no.. Oh, gods no! “DI DI!” She gave a terrified, blood curdling yell. Her baby brother, the smaller, sweeter, more sensitive boy she loved so much, had gotten killed in the furnace!.

She growled harshly as she shapeshifted slowly, grunting in pain at the exertion it took to shift so often within a day. She didn’t care at the moment. The bastard that killed her little brother was standing right front of her, standing still as though in shock. She lunged at him and threw him towards a nearby building, snapping her friends and foes out of their stupor.

Encouraged, she moved to strike again, but then DBK gasped and bent over in pain, clutching his chest. She watched as a strange stone egg fell from the hole in the furnace. It shifted, it cracked, and it seemed to throw itself into the air. She stepped back in shock and lost her focus, shifting back to a mostly human form. Sandy had managed to get over there in time to catch her, and still got to watch as the Monkey king’s staff cut through the stone shell and burst it, revealing Mk bathed in golden light so bright and purple shadows so dark that they should’ve overpowered one another. He rested the staff across his shoulders as the light formed a circlet across his forehead and the shadows formed six dark ears, three on each side. With a cackle of pure delight, the boy rushed DBK with the staff, jumping up to strike him upside the chin, and growing the staff to jab at his face. Launched backwards by his attack, the boy narrowly dodged the laser that was fired at him from his enemy’s arm as he fell to the ground, then used the staff to bounce back up to DBK’s level.

Although daunting, DBK’s size made him hard to miss, and he was repeatedly attacked by the nimble kid. Said kid then landed back on the ground and cut off a large part of a nearby building, intent on using it as a hammerhead which he swung down at DBK. The demon wasn’t about to be taken down so easily, however. He fired his laser, shattering the building into dust, before landing a brutal punch and sending the boy flying into the ground nearby.

Skidding across the pavement was painful, but not quite as much as DBK’s next taunt. “Even with that old fool’s staff, you can’t defeat me! My brother should be disappointed in you.” His brother. Macaque. The six-eared Macaque. It wasn’t hard to deduce.

Mk wasn’t a fool, he’d long since figured out that Liu’er was his Shadow Dad. If the visual and magical similarities weren’t enough, the fact that a gift from him said Liu’er Mihou on it was. He’d just denied letting it sink in. Now though? With a hulking monstrosity destroying the city, and taunting him with the prospect of his first real parent being disappointed?..

He felt pain; The thought was one of his own. An intrusive one he hated. He felt anger; He didn’t appreciate DBK calling his Shadow Dad “brother”, and he didn’t deserve to know a name his father never even told his own son. He felt release; He didn’t have to rely on Shadow Dad’s opinion of him anymore. He’d never make him proud if he was so quick to abandon a child. He felt rage; Why should he care what Shadow Dad thinks?! That bastard didn’t even care enough to stick around! He didn’t even tell his son his real name! Did he really think so little to believe he’d never find out?

He grit his teeth as he picked up the staff with a brutal grip, standing back up, fully enveloped with a dark aura. “And who told you I care what your brother thinks?” He whipped around to throw another strike at DBK. This wasn’t just business anymore; this was personal. As though on instinct he slammed the Ruyi Jingu Bang into the Demon Bull King’s face, spines made of shadow running along the length of it to stab and slash at the ruler’s skin. Mk didn’t even notice.

“Insolent brat!” DBK exclaimed, launching another laser shot at the boy, only to find he’d seemingly disappeared.

“Missing someone?” His voice was layered with echoes of the void and it was a chilling sound, even for his allies. He jammed the staff straight into the Bull King’s back, slamming the beast into the ground. A swing at the demon king’s side was countered by a laser shot, though Mk just darted around it.

The ruler stood and sent another shot at the boy, though the odd purple lightning in his eyes decided to deflect it, causing the young adult to yelp in pain. It felt like his eyes were burning, though he just channeled that pain into more determination. He would finish this fight. Not for Monkey King. Not for Shadow Dad. Just for him and his city. He would finish this fight.

He slammed his staff into the ground, causing blocks of it to change shape. Earth turned into a metal mech of enormous size, shaped like a monkey. Yes. His choice of final attack was a video game reference. “You wanted me to fight you?” he started, pulling out a larger version of the staff from his mech’s ear. “Well, I’ll fight you then.” He launched into the sky and grew the staff even larger. “It’s time for you and your family to be brought to justice!” he exclaimed, readying a final blow. “Here comes Monkey Kid!”

He slammed the ginormous staff down hard, creating a crater in the earth and shaking the ground. As he shrunk the staff back to a manageable size and lowered to earth again, he wondered if he knocked anything out of orbit with that attack. He spotted a shocking amount of cuts on DBK’s form as he watched the king attempt to stand. Huh. Guess he must’ve knocked him into something sharp.

“Im…possible..” the ruler tried to claim.

Mk snickered. “Nothing is impossible if you just believe in yourself. You, my friend, just got M.K.O-ed!” The corny line was delivered with his voice back to it’s normal state.

Red Son shoved some rubble off of himself and looked down into the crater. He almost looked shocked that it was his father who wound up so harmed. “Do-Do you think this is over, Noodle Boy?! Well, it isn’t! Get out of that dorky mech and fight me, you coward!” the prince exclaimed, before fainting and falling into the crater next to his father. Mk snickered at the sight and reached down, only to be stopped by Princess Iron Fan’s winds.

“We know when we’ve been bested,” she grit her teeth as she showed her face. “But this won’t be the last you see of us, Noodle Boy,” she trailed off into maniacal laughter as her winds carried her and her family to safety.

“Whu- Hey! No fair! You can’t just run away when I’m just about to win!” Mk exclaimed in annoyance and disappointment.

“Mk!” Mei called from the ground. The boy in question peeked out of his cockpit to see what she needed. “You totally kicked DBK’s butt! Without us, the City would be toast!” She didn’t seem to realize that the city was already kinda destroyed.

Nor did Mk, honestly. “Hehe, yeah.” He hopped out of the mech and landed in front of his sister, who immediately hugged him tightly.

“Now don’t scare me like that ever again! I thought you were dead, twice today!” the dragon girl exclaimed, holding him close, then Sandy picked both up into a group hug.

“You did it, little man!” the gentle giant said in an almost soothing tone.

“Xiao Houzi!” Mr.Tang exclaimed as he ran over and reached his arms out for a hug, at which point Sandy put the young adults back on the ground. He immediately gave one of his soft yet sturdy hugs and held his son close in his arms with a sigh of relief.

“Aww, did I really scare you that much?” the boy asked, before both he and his Ba Ba got lifted into a tight hug.

“Yes! Never do that again, dang it!” Pigsy exclaimed as he squeezed his family in a bone-popping hug. “Okay! Okay, I’ll try!” Mk replied through mirthful giggles, managing to free an arm to hug his dad as well. It might not last with the Demon Bull King walking around, but they were safe for now, and at this point, Mk’d earned that dang Monkey King plush!

Macaque smiled at his son as he celebrated, before lowering into the dark and finding his Brother once more. He took a deep breath, and exclaimed,

“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!” This was gonna be a long night.

—☆—

SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I didn’t even realize how bad it was getting!

I just wanted this to be perfect. I’m so sorry.

I hope you all enjoyed anyway, and as always,

Have fun, and happy scrolling!

Prev- Chapter 11 and Next- (Coming Soon!)

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starrynight0612 · 2 years

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It's still early but the first three episodes alone give me so much hope. There was a lot of rage at Louis for no longer being a white, slave plantation owner and instead a black man who owns a brothel and various other businesses in New Orleans. I don't know the reasons for the change but I mean it's not that hard to figure out a dozen reasons why they wouldn't have gone the original route from the books. But what Interview With the Vampire is doing really well and so many people fail at is actually adapting the story to suit the change. So many people put POC in their stories for diversity's sake but do absolutely nothing with the character that you might as well still have a white character that just looks black. And then so many authors or creators act like they should be given a damn ribbon for just even mentioning a POC in their book thinking that's what it means to be inclusive.

But IWTV readapted everything while still keeping a lot of the source material and fleshed it out. Made it make sense. In the books, Lestat is my favorite character but in the TV show, it's Louis. It's understandable why a black man who suffered so much racism and intolerance wanted to feel powerful. Was seduced by the promise Lestat was offering him. The best storytelling knows that you need characters you will root for even if they are a monster. Episode 3 was perfect. I wanted the alderman to die too. I cheered when Louis told him he could reload the gun. Felt a smug satisfaction when I saw him pitched to the fence referencing Louis' earlier statement to Lestat at the beginning of the episode. Felt anger and heartbreak when Louis saw all the destruction wrought on by his decision and knew how useless he must feel because killing one white man can't kill the racist institutions and attitudes in place. Other facets too like the tension between Louis and Lestat who as a vampire is indifferent to all of humanity's struggle and doesn't bother himself with things he deems as trivial like race and therefore is unable to understand the plight of a black man in America. And there are just so many other little things in the show if you look. It's all being handled so well and adding depth to the material that makes this so far one of the best adaptations of a book that I've ever seen and it's only 3 episodes in!

This is just race by the way. I haven't even gotten into the added oppression of being a gay man during those times. I had been waiting for someone in the show to outright demean their relationship and that made the alderman's death just even sweeter. Trust me it hasn't escaped my attention that Lestat is still given more respect than Louis because even though he may sleep with men he's still white and to the rich, white men that still holds more value to them.

#i have thoughts people #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv spoilers #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #and i will not congratulate these creators for doing what so many fail at but instead just say about damn time #diversity #inclusion #iwtv #interview with the vampire

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one-coming-is-enough · 8 months

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Hey Jesus. Any advice for writing a resume? I'm trying to get a new job so I want to have a good one.

Actually, yeah. I do have some advice. I've been looking over resumes for a minute because, uh, Heaven always needs new employees.

Be specific about numbers and achievements. "I collected and processed a total of 700,000 damned souls during all 7 years of the Black Plague project in Europe" is a lot better than "I followed up on deliverables to produce a quality product."

Jargon is super obnoxious, but it shows people that you can communicate in the preferred terms of your field. Brush up on industry terms and know how to use them, and be able to define them in your own words. I know what people mean when they say "The white light at the center of the universe that is the Source of all love, knowledge, and energy," but if you can just say "Pleroma" I know that I don't have to waste my breath explaining basic concepts to you. We can use three syllables instead of struggling to communicate.

Don't be shy about your personal skills or hobbies or volunteer projects, but put them in their own section as certifications or special projects or skills or something. If you can translate "Dungeons and Dragons" to "Weekly team strategy and problem-solving training exercise meetings" you can figure this part out.

Have a cover letter template that you can tailor to an individual company's needs. Work on a few paragraphs that you can plug stuff into, then put where you need to add details in brackets. Always include one if there's space. Writing a cover letter from scratch every time you apply to something is a giant pain if you're doing mass applications.

Err on the side of professionalism whenever possible. Proofread exhaustively and check with a style guide. Have an email that's basically your name for work. Keep it to one page. Make it look a little snappy, but only a little. Put things in their own section in ways that show you know how to use a word processing program for more than just typing (well-justified columns, for example). Extremely professional font. Different industries and companies might have slightly different standards for things, but whatever you do don't skimp on the effort and small details. Do NOT put in the random stuff you like unless you're sure it will increase your potential value to the company.

Good luck! You're going to need it if you're asking Jesus Christ for help with your resume, frankly. I had one job, carpenter, and as I believe you know I was not very good at it. I have never had to apply for a single job in my life.

(I'm always happy to help with whatever I can, but frankly I've been expecting a lot more theological questions.)

#good omens rp #resume #jobsearch #jobseekers

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georgiapeach30513 · 2 years

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I wanna know what game Natasha is playing in You Were The One? Does she have a secret thing for Court? Is she jealous of 12? Inquiring minds want to know

So Natasha in a way does think she’s protecting Twelve. She believes that Twelve has no idea what she’s getting into, when in fact she does. Lloyd has told her every evil deed he’s done. That open dialogue just wasn’t for her, he meant it. He tells her everything. The difference between Six and Lloyd is Lloyd knows that neither deserve Twelve, but she chose him, so he’s going to protect that. Six believes he should be with her, despite what he deserves. Natasha wants to know everything.

You Were the One, Part 11

Summary: Natasha still isn’t done

Pairings: Natasha X Twelve, Natasha X Six, Twelve X Lloyd

Rating: mild

Warnings: language, mentions of being followed, mentions of oral sex, 18+ ONLY

Word Count: 1.1K

Series Masterlist

Straightening up your arm, you turn and glare at Natasha, “Romanoff, you shouldn’t come up behind someone that has a gun in her hand.”

With a smirk she walks in the booth beside you, but her body continues to face yours. “What do you want?”

“Why are you so hostile? I figured since you and Lloyd…”

“This conversation is over,” you can see her out of the corner of your eye, as you clean up your space. Returning everything you spin to look at her. “How dare you sit outside his place. I’m not with Six anymore.”

“Are you single?”

“As a matter of fact, I’m not. Did Six ask you to spy on me or is this of your own accord?” she shrugs her shoulders, and you’re over this. “I should have known. Partners until the bitter end. You know, I’ve wondered if you were in love with him. If you had extra curricular activities together, you seem very involved in making me feel I made a mistake.”

“I haven’t,” her smug look draining off her face. “And I’m not in love with him.”

“I hope you know, I valued our friendship. You were the first person to talk to me at the agency. And I hope you know the only one who has given a damn about me after the miscarriage has been Lloyd. Hell, other than him, only Fitzroy asked me how I was doing, and it’s his fucking job. You should have checked in on me. But instead you had to give me some sob story about what happened to Six twenty years ago. I had a miscarriage two months ago, and you never even checked up on me. Do you know what Lloyd did, while he was gone? I had something delivered every day that he was away. Cookies, macarons, flowers, a book, a movie, and you couldn’t even ask me how I was.”

You see it in her eyes that she realizes what a shitty person she had been. And none of it was lies. Sometimes you wondered if Nat ever looked at herself and figured out what she did wrong, or if it was always calling others out.

“That’s what I thought,” you deadpan, spinning on your heels to walk away.

“Did you ever think about why Lloyd’s doing all this?” you stop at the door, but refuse to look at her. “He wanted you as a partner because he wants to go private. He knows your value in this field.”

“He just knows my value. And he cares about me. He loves me,” spinning back around to look at her, you walk closer. A deep desire to spit on her. “You don’t know when to quit. You’ve got it in your head he’s private, what if he is? You telling me you haven’t done your own private missions. You can’t afford that home, cars, and motorcycles on your salary.”

“That was the past. And he’s dragging you down with him.”

“And what was Six doing? I didn’t understand what I deserved when I was with him. Did you even watch the way that Lloyd looks at me? The way he cares for me? Sex with Six was a chore. We’d have a discussion, and he’d get all loving to end the conversation. It’s always been his play. And I can’t get enough of Lloyd. I’m not continuing to have this same tired conversation with you. Six and I are over. And so are you and I.”

“Wait,” she pouts at you, “I’m trying to protect you. You don’t know Lloyd.”

“Maybe it’s you that doesn’t know Lloyd. Quit following him. It’s weird that you sit outside, we’re sleeping or fucking. Maybe that’s what you need. Try Six, I heard he’s emotionally unavailable,” you don’t care to hear anything more. Even if Natasha was working to help you, she was going about it completely wrong.

She was too defensive about Six. Too adamant to make Lloyd the bad guy, and never once considered you’re feelings in all of this. No one did, except the one person that everyone seemed to think was the monster.

“Feet off my desk, Romanoff,” Six cuts his eyes over at his partner, and she begrudgingly drops them to the floor. “Well?”

“They’re definitely dating.��

“Son of a bitch,” he grunts slamming a fist on his desk. “And you’re sure.”

“My eyes saw, but she confirmed it,” silence settles between them, and Natasha clears her throat. Her dainty fingers tap along his desk, until he glares over at her. “This is stupid.”

“Excuse me?”

“This. She knew I was out there. Pretty sure she would know that you’re driving around. Let it go. She seems happy,” he rests his chin on his hand, and wonders if there was anything left to do. Surely you and Lloyd couldn’t be that serious.

“You can’t outsmart her. If you had put as much work in your relationship, it would be you she was going to bed with. I’m not doing it again. She called me out for the fool I’ve been. I’ve been so worried about making you look good, I made myself look like shit. I’ll never be able to make it up to her. It’s over. She’s happy. Just remember that.”

Natasha stands to leave, but stops in the doorway to watch him. He was turning to darker methods to get what he thinks he wants, but she knows it’s a fool’s game, and she’s done playing. She can’t offer you an apology, so instead, she tells herself she’ll let you live your life as you see fit. It always seemed to work for you up until this moment.

As you walk to your office, you get a quick jolt when Lloyd pulls you in to his hard body. Slamming your body against his chest, and you let out an airy giggle, “Lloyd, not here.”

He doesn’t give you a chance to look at him, as he backs you into his office. Those dark eyes glaring at the man he’s wanted to do nothing, but tell him how stupid he was for nearly a year. His mouth turns up in a sneer, and he blows Six an arrogant kiss. Lloyd still hasn’t had a talk about him hanging outside of his place. He’ll deal with that when you’re not around.

Closing the door behind you, you lean up to give him a soft kiss. A kiss that turns more needy when he gives your lower lip a nibble, “Lloyd, not here.”

“You’re just saying that because if we continue, I’m going to have you leaned over that desk.”

“Exactly. I’ll take you up on that offer one day. I was actually going to ask, what you wanted for dinner,” you give him a little pout and he returns with a chaste peck to your lips.

“Nope, we’re going out on a date. I don’t want to stay holed up at home. I gotta show you off.”

“Aw, but then we can’t look up at the stars naked.”

His eyes widen when you lift up your eyebrow, you were trouble. “Okay, new plan. We get take out. No clean up. Naked star gazing. But only if you sit on my face with both of us looking at the sky, and I’ll make you see stars alright.”

“Lloyd!”

“So is that a yes or a no?”

Masterlist

Taglist: @tis-thedamn-season @marveloustaylortot @pono-pura-vida @peaches1958 @bookwormchick91 @whimsyplaty92 @bambamwolf87 @curlycarley @infatuatedjanes @8oopsiedaisy8 @spider-thot0115 @tryingtosurvivestuff @sstan-hoe @xcaptain-winterx @buckysteveloki-me @sgtjaamesbaarnes @writing-for-marvel @alwaysclassyeagle @mrsharringtonmunson @jlc3276 @elrw24 @kattreffic @lettersandsodas @saucy-sassy-sparkly @crazyunsexycool @randomagnes0210

#you were the one #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x sierra six #lloyd hansen #lloyd hansen x reader #lloyd hansen x fem!reader #lloyd hansen x y/n #lloyd hansen x you #lloyd hansen fic #lloyd hansen fics #lloyd hansen fanfiction #the gray man #the gray man fanfiction #chris evans #chris evans character

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theerurishipper · 10 months

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I’m dying to hear your thoughts on Luka. That boy is brimming with untapped potential and I’m so angry the writers don’t do anything with him

Ah, Luka. The character whose sole purpose is to be the rival love interest. Who has no purpose and not much characterization and exists just to be Marinette’s emotional support whenever Chat Noir isn’t available to her. Who contributes almost nothing to the story really.

… I actually really love him a lot.

I know, my description of his role is very critical, but I actually do love Luka. To be quite honest though, I didn’t like him when he was first introduced, but then I came back to this show after a few years, and I actually started to love him. So I’ll get the negatives out of the way first.

He did deserve better writing. And they did try a little to make him interesting, but most of what I find interesting about Luka from the show is more implied than outright stated or explored. They tried to give him something with the whole “Jagged Stone is his dad thing,” but it really went nowhere. They tried to give him something with him knowing Ladybug and Chat Noir’s identities, but that went nowhere too. The show is allergic to letting Luka do anything outside be Marinette’s emotional support ex-boyfriend. He goes from boyfriend to wingman real fast, and spends the rest of his time wingmanning Marinette and just ends up joining the rest of the class aboard the SS Adrienette.

There were so many good things that could have been done with him, and that is what ticks me off the most. With the whole “lying about knowing Ladybug and Chat Noir’s identities” thing, it looked like they were setting up an arc for him where he would have to grapple with his values and question himself, which I thought would be great for a character who seems to have everything figured out and under control. Homeboy clearly has abandonment issues from being abandoned by his father. It was established that he hated how people kept secrets from him about his father and he does get sad when it seems like someone (Marinette) doesn’t want to be around him anymore. It does explain why he values honesty and trust so deeply, and having him be challenged that way could make for some great development and could be a better way to explore his deal.

Maybe they could explore the way being honest and being supportive of someone clash in this scenario and make him question it, and have him grapple with how to reconcile these two things that are both important to him. Maybe they could let him self-reflect/introspect because of this conflict and this challenge to his worldview could make him confront his own issues. Maybe they could use this conflict to get to the root of why he values these things so much. Maybe they could explore the fact that he’s always being everyone else’s emotional support and rarely expecting the same thing in return because of his fear of being abandoned (it’s not because of that in the show but damn it that’s how it should be). Maybe they could give him an arc where he figures out what truly matters to him and what he really wants. Maybe it could be about him realizing that he is sacrificing his own values and desires to be there for someone else, and how he doesn’t have to do that. How he doesn’t have to be endlessly supportive and can prioritize the things he values.

But they didn’t do it. Instead, they shittily wrote him out of the story and brought him back with no consequence and no conflict at all. And now he’s part of the team and doesn’t have to worry about lying to his friends because they didn’t really care all that much that he knows their identities. He doesn’t have any trust issues, or any issue at all, really, with the father who abandoned him for years. No, in less than a few episodes, they are interacting like Jagged has always been there with him his whole life. The show won’t let Luka have anything. Just like Adrien, he is reduced to being Marinette’s emotional support. It is less egregious than Adrien’s treatment by the writers because Luka doesn’t have enough screentime to get as screwed over as Adrien does, but it’s still there.

Actually, one thing I wish is that his relationship with Adrien could be explored more. I think they have a lot in common (cough cough daddy issues) and they are also very different in a lot of ways, so it could be an interesting dynamic. I'd have loved to see them get closer, but the show just... skipped over that, so.

But that aside, let me end this on a positive note and go over why I love Luka so much. And part of it is because I think he had so much potential to be such a great character and I find the things that are implied about his character intriguing, but other than that… he’s just so chill. Like, every character is so full of drama and emotional stuff, but not Luka. He’s got everything sorted out, he’s in his element. He’s calm and nice and sweet and he just… does his thing. He just helps everyone work out their shit. He’s just got those chill vibes, like… he’s very soothing to me when he appears. This show has something or the other happening all the time, but I know I can just relax whenever Luka shows up. It’s just nice to see someone who is not immersed in drama and is just living life, and that makes his personality very refreshing. I would like to see him be developed and explored, but that doesn’t mean this aspect of him has to go away. Both is good.

Also, I love his subtle sass (hah!) that rears its head every now and then. “Stop making up stories.” Banger. He says it like it is and I love it.

I hope that answers your question though. Thank you for your ask!

#MLB #Miraculous Ladybug #Luka Couffaine #Viperion #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Ladybug #Chat Noir #Meta #My meta #Asks

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sakkiichi · 10 months

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hello, i'd like to request a matchup! i'm in my 20s, significant other/male matchup please

my friend's description:

she can look intimidating at first sight but once you get to know her, she can give the deepest conversations, intellectual topics and the best listener when you need someone to talk to instead of advices. She is quite lazy to go somewhere but can spend hours in department stores. She never judges someone and open-minded to any opinions but is very loyal to her own beliefs and is very prideful. She expects decent-level respect from everyone which can be stressful to herself. In terms of relationship, she needs someone who is quick-witted, observative and needs to know their ways to make someone talk their feelings.

random facts: i look bored/sleepy/angry normally, rbf in definition.. but im super timid and people pleasing, avoidant attachment, quick to drown in my head/thoughts, get quiet and dismissive when sad/angry, and the most important aspect of a person for me is their emotional depth and respect.

thank you sm!

hello, dear nonnie ! thank you for the info you sent <3 i hope you like your matchup ! i apologize too for the wait…

i’m publishing the ask since you didn’t sign it and i have no way to identify you otherwise, hope that’s alright with you.

your genshin impact match is someone who, much like you, looks intimidating the first time you lay eyes upon him. his smarts are definitely a good quality in him; though, at times, it can lead into him being less than good with feelings, bordering on harsh. In a parallel to your listening over advising trait, he’s the type to provide solid facts and practical solutions rather than comfort. If you are looking for someone quick-witted, who can hold intellectual conversations, he’s definitely your man.

well, can you guess who fits this description…?

✧ ALHAITHAM

What you deem to look intimidating at first sight, is, in no way, a setback for the scribe. I mean, take a look at him, he’s not the softest looking either, and yet, he cares (in his own way).

Your ability to be a good listener is something Alhaitham really needs. Even if he won’t express it at all, it is not frequently when he can lay his burdens on anyone else, often tending to shoulder them by himself. In addition, your tendency to listen over providing advice is something that really can favor our beloved former acting grand sage; he has the means to figure out his troubles himself, but, albeit not the best at making it obvious, he’d really appreciate and value the warmth of his lover by his side in his most trying times.

Don’t worry if you’re lazy to go out, Alhaitham isn’t the most adamant when it comes to outings, nor is he fond of crowds.

However, that smile of yours, when you browse through department stores, all sparkly eyed and radiating joy… he could stare at you forever, like this…

—

Bags keep accumulating on the scribe’s strong arms.

For once, he can’t say ‘no’.

But did he really want to ever deny you, when sunshine itself seems to cling to your frame as you run from one place to the other?

From bookstores you spent hours perusing, giving your lover the puppy eyes every time a tome was too high up for you to reach; to shops filled from floor to ceiling with plushies, to the most crowded clothing stores, the subtle smile on Alhaitham’s lips doesn’t waver.

“Alhaitham! Look, look! Isn’t this bag super pretty? It matches your eyes!” You excitedly wave, holding a turquoise handbag with golden accents for him to see.

His jade-like stare, however, is paying little attention to the object in your hands, favoring instead the crescent outlined in your lips.

Now, Alhaitham has always considered himself in control of his impulses, but right now, you’re making it pretty damn hard.

If it weren’t for the several bags he’s carrying, he’d wrap his arms around you and kiss you breathless right here, right now.

He loves you too much, though, so he’ll humor you.

“Hmm you’re quite right, darling.” He states, gaze sharp, set on the hue of the accessory you’re holding. “I do think it goes very well with the shade of your skin and hair, don’t you think so?” Your boyfriend smirks, aquamarine stare glinting behind the silver edged waves of his soft looking strands.

“Huh, you really think so?” You prompt, a grin tugging at the corner of your lips. Stepping closer to him, you run a hand over his abdomen, stopping with your palm flat over his chest. “In that case, I’ll really have to get it, no?” You practically purr into his ear.

“As long as you’re happy,” the scribe lets out, voice low, managing to balance your new acquisitions and take your chin in between his fingers at the same time, his lips teasingly brushing yours.

As you stand there, frozen and smiley, he takes the new bag from you, paying for it while you dreamily stare at him from a distance.

You can’t wait to start discussing the new books you got today with him later tonight.

And well, your lover can’t wait to kiss you properly later, no people and intense lights around.

—

You being loyal to what you believe in and prideful are attributes Alhaitham really admires from you. Even if at times he can be a bit stubborn, both your personalities can easily reach agreements through debate, due to your open minded nature, which brings us to the next point.

You mention you’d like someone who is quick-witted, so fear not, Alhaitham is plenty quick-witted. With him, no argument is boring, both you and him exposing your facts and reasoning, rather that rising your voices.

He is very observant too, and even though, he is not the best at expressing his own emotions, he can tell when you’re starting to feel uncomfortable or hurt, resulting in him backing off and putting your feelings first.

For that same reason, in moments when you drown in your thoughts, or get detached because you feel angry, sad or frustrated, Alhaitham knows without you having to express it verbally. In these instances, it is not rare for him to just sit by your side, book in hand, as he wraps an arm around you. If you lean into his touch, your head resting on his broad chest, he’ll take that as an indication to run his hands through your hair, soothing the whipping waves of your rage or despair.

If emotional depth and respect are aspects you value in a partner, well, Alhaitham is definitely a complex individual in that sense. As aforementioned, he may not be the most adamant at making it known, but he definitely has an elaborate set of morals and emotions very few are privy to. In rare moments, however, when it’s just you and him, you get to see his more tender side; even his more explosive feelings if you ever got into a dangerous situation.

Considering everything, I do believe you and Alhaitham would make a really nice couple, with lots of interesting conversations by candlelight, as the stars of Sumeru’s distant skies pass over you, bearing witness to the facts on romance you write through hands intertwined and gazes scanning the same page.

✧ RUNNER UP: NEUVILLETTE

You and Fontaine’s chief of justice share some traits in common: looking serious, but being softer than your appearances suggest. You, having a timid temperament and a tendency to people pleasing; him, being sensitive but not fully knowing how to express it.

This man is the epitome of respect. A true gentleman, he’s totally the kind to open doors for you, carry your back, be sure you’re walking on the inner side of the sidewalk, while keeping a protective arm lingering at the small of your back.

If you seek someone with a depth to their character, there’s definitely a lot to unpack when it comes to Neuvillette. He is mysterious, highly intelligent, and way more softhearted than his imposing aura suggests. Just please, hold him softly while you figure out the puzzles of his soul.

I can envision deep philosophical conversations between you and him as well, be it on justice, the latest discoveries on Fontaine’s technology or simply a new mystery novel you’ve picked up, discussing who’s the culprit and trying to piece together the yet to be unveiled facts.

#genshin impact matchup #genshin impact matchups #astronetwrk #alhaitham x reader #neuvillette x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact x you #alhaitham x you #neuvillette x you #genshin matchups

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venusimi · 1 year

Text

Love from a thousand years ago : PT. 1

SUMMARY: Leviathan falls in love with a mermaid, and yet when he finally finds peace... It's been taken from him. PAIRINGS: Leviathan x GN!MC FEATURING: The brothers, side characters TAGS: Reincarnation, major(?) character death, past character death, major character injuries, and slight ooc

CHAPTERS <<<<

When he was younger, he ran away far into the human realm. Into their ocean where no demon or angel could find him. (They can still find him but he finds the idea that his abilities to swim better than an average demon/angel can bring him somewhere only he can reach). It was midnight when you saw him sat on a rock after his swimming, you thought it was normal for humans to breathe as long as he did underwater but now you're starting to doubt he is normal... Do humans have a horn and tail?

You decide to linger a bit longer but alas, the shiny pearls and jewels on your body shine under the light of the moon. Your tail glistening with golds and silvers wrapping around it, utterly beautiful you were. The strange man found himself looking at you and your unnatural colored eyes, or maybe it's your unnatural lower half. But humans do love to color their hair and play dress up, right? But what would a fragile human be doing in the middle of the ocean dressed up in a mermaid outfit?

He doesn't speak and neither do you, your tail moves a little and his body shivers as the wind blows. You couldn't figure out how long it has been since you started staring, you know you shouldn't linger any longer. Your master said you mustn't be seen by humans, but... He's not human, is he?

"Humans are greedy, mc. They are cruel and will take anything they see of value. You shine under any light my darling. You are not safe."

Your master's words ring in your ears and your eyes widen, you mustn't stay, he will kill you. He will take away your tail and the jewels on your skin. He will gouge your eyes to sell in exchange for a lifetime worth of money. You can't, you really mustn't stay.

"Hey-" ah, his voice was soft and gentle. You felt bewitched. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Ah whatever. Your master's words be damned. You decide it was okay to get closer, so you jump off the rock you sat on and swam your way towards the shore. You could vaguely see how he sits upright to look at your glistening body from under the water, you knew he was only staring because of your golds and silvers.

You pop your head out of the water and took a closer look at him. His face was red and his face looked sweaty. His eyes kept darting up and down from your chest with a frantic look on his face, "Do you like the gold necklace? Or is it my pearls? These are rare pearls that I harvested on my own, it's so beautiful." Your eyes never leaving his. He couldn't speak at your boldness.

You wondered if he could speak. "Hey, can you speak? I know you can" Your tail wagging behind you. (Maybe this is why your master had compared you to a dog...) You began to yearn for the water, but you ignored it. He's much more interesting right now. You began to grow impatient as his silence stretches longer than it should be.

Growing agitated, you speak to him, "Hey-" "...Wh-what are you?" He says nervously meeting your eyes then to your tail. Your lower half was fish, it should be legs. Even demons and angels have legs yet you do not. Instead it's fish! How odd?

"What am I..? Well, humans have referred to creatures like us as mermaids. Half human, half fish. We live deep underwater and solemnly go up but when I do it's only to go to my master's place... Ah! I'm rambling! I'm sorry!" You shy away from him, you were beginning to overshare like you usually do. Instead of revolting in disgust, he holds your hands. It was sweaty and shaken.

"D-don't worry! Uhm... I think you're cool... I'm not human myself and neither are my brothers." You perk up at the mention of brothers. He has brothers? You think it's amazing that he has others that are like him so you tell him just that.

He giggles, "I'm a demon! I have 2 older brothers and 4 younger brothers. We are avatars of sins, I'm the avatar of envy, Leviathan! What's... what's your name..?" His eyes become soft and the shaking of his hands is lower now, he was relaxed and so were you. Did he enjoy your company as much as you did? Hopefully.

"My... name? No one's ever asked before. All they did was try and take the jewels on my body..." You felt awful and awkward telling him that but it's the truth, is it not?

"Oh... I promise you, I'm not that kind of person! I'm just a useless shut in otaku that everyone definitely hates..." He says with a sad look in his eyes, and yet you feel that he is accustomed to this pain.

"Levi! Don't say that! I do not know you, but what I do know is that you are definitely more than a 'useless shut in otaku' as you'd say..." You were firm with your belief, if your master took you in even after learning that you have no use and that your enchanting abilities are weak, then surely, eveyone isn't useless!

"Everyone has a purpose! Even if you think you don't have any, your purpose is to find a purpose! And once you do find it... You can fulfill that purpose instead." you had told him with so much sparkle in your eyes that it felt so blinding. You were so close to him, and yet, you still felt so far and foreign. You adjusted yourself to sit in front of him but only leaving your fin in the water to avoid quicker dehydration.

He sat silently a few inches away from you. You look back at him with gentle eyes that no creature had ever given him, it had always been anything else other than gentle. He stares back at you, less nervous than before but still nervous. You signaled to sit beside you, he eventually follows. He looks at you, then he notices that your eyes are staring at something he could not see. Something that isn't even there.

You two sat there in silence for what seemed like hours. He decides to follow your line of sight, but alas, his eyes are not that of a mermaid. "...Uhm.. What are you looking at? I-I just noticed you were looking at something but... nothing's there, s-so I started thinking maybe it's the fact you're a mermaid that you can see something a demon like me cannot..."

You look at him with shock, then you giggle. "I am but a mermaid. I needn't any special abilities to see things far beyond anyone's eyes." You spoke in riddles, he doesn't understand anything you say and sometimes you don't even speak any human language.

"I see that you do not understand... Do you ever wonder what life is like beyond yours? Beyond ours? I often do. I often think, what would it be to be someone I'm not? Then I think that anything is possible. Especially with humans... My master achieved immortality and he is merely human. Humans have created things that can destroy countries, and created things that are capable of exploring the unknown. They are brave and intelligent creatures. 'The smartest mammals in all of life on Earth' said my master. So, it is not impossible to think that humans have been able to achieve more than what meets the eye. They've cured incurable illnesses. They've opened their minds to something new. So, Levi, I am not looking at anything physical. I am looking at things humanity has done. I'm looking at everything they are capable of doing. They are terrifying, intelligent, and most of all... They are dangerous. They will find ways to kill and contain anything they deem as a threat to protect themselves."

Leviathan sits unmoving, he had not once thought this highly of humans. Yet why do you speak of them so highly but your eyes speak only fear? You do not speak in riddle, nay, you are a riddle. A puzzle that Leviathan cannot solve.

You laugh at his further confusion, "You will know someday." Then you jump back into the water swimming deep into the water.

Ah...

What was that?

He needed to go home now. His brothers will worry, and Mammon will start yelling at him not to worry Lucifer... Things are very hectic at home... He doesn't want to go home.

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thotsforvillainrights · 1 year

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Happy anniversary!

Which got me craving form some mla headcanon

What would they be like in when their wedding anniversary comes up?

(You can make one for yourself too! If you man doesn’t mind?)

(Thank you! I wish I had gotten to this one sooner ahhh! Anyway, as much as I want to I think I'll write this for everyone else this time instead of myself. Although the temptation was really strong lol)

~MLA Wedding Anniversary~

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up

-Redestro: He's definitely got everything planned out way ahead of time so you never need to worry about him forgetting your anniversary. This goes double for any other special day, holiday, or birthday on your calendar. He's a very caring and attentive lover and if he were to ever even forget for just a moment, then he'd be sulking on himself for the rest of the year. He's ready and willing to let you pick your activity for the day whether that be a private flight out to somewhere you want to really visit, or just a regular old day at the house with each other. Don't make any mistake thinking he's going to always be like this though! He also likes to take initiative and plan certain dates out so that you know he's wanting to be involved and not just passive about what you do together.

-Trumpet: The type of guy to buy you something and then give it to you immediately afterwards. Seriously...Trumpet has bought a lot of stuff for you anniversary and each time he ends up giving it all to you before the day even gets there. The others like to tease him about how hard it was when he had to hide the proposal from you haha! Anyway, he's my headcanon for a romantic and sappy man. He loves being cheesy and he loves it even more when you give it right back to him. He's going to be slightly annoying and all in your face during this day more than any other so be prepared for that as well. He just can't help himself when it comes to you.

-Geten: Isn't like this all the time, but definitely forgot back when you had your first anniversary. Depending on how chill you are is how long you were upset at him about it for. He's probably not the best at buying you things as gifts. If you tell him you like one specific thing then he'll continue to get you that one thing for a very VERY long time. This may be cool if you're that type of person, but if you're not then...good luck I suppose. Aside from this, he has a harder time expressing to you how he feels about you. It's a surprise he was even able to make his own vows at the wedding (although you suspect Chitose, Koku, and Rikiya had a hand to play in it). Even so, he's still very much in love with you.

-Curious: Usually tries to buy you things all the time as her love language. On your anniversary she holds off on buying things and actually tries to make stuff instead. It helps her to also feel better since she doesn't have much time these days to do anything dealing with hobbies or creativity. One year in particular she spent an entire night before your anniversary teaching herself how to make homemade candles just so she could gift you one over dinner the next day. She figures it's the small things that really mean the most and hopefully in your eyes, it's true.

-Skeptic: Like Geten, isn't very romantic. It's a big shock still to everyone (and to himself) that he was able to land a wife/husband/spouse like you. Hell, it's a shock he was able to get into a relationship in the first place. I like to think of him as someone that values their own private space, and their time even more so. However, he'd be lost without you now that he has you in his life. That's why (even if it damn near kills him) he manages to at least attempt some grand romantic gesture. This could be anything from taking you to your favorite place, to gathering hand picked roses for your bouquet. He loves you and you mean a lot to him. That's why he puts in so much effort. Be sure to let him know how you feel. It can really make him feel appreciated after everything is said and done. If you're lucky then you might even get one of his rare, gentle smiles.

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #mla #meta liberation army #redestro #rikiya yotsubashi #koku hanabata #trumpet bnha #bnha geten #chitose kizuki #curious bnha #tomoyasu chikazoku #skeptic bnha #headcanon

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chidoroki · 8 months

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182 Days of TPN - Day 181

Chapter 181: "Beyond Destiny"

I keep thinking how Alex mentioned last chapter that he can only call for help during the spring and of the one panel that showed the snow melting and flowers blooming by the time we reached the scene where he takes Emma to the city, which leads me to believe it's actually early 2050 instead of late 2049. I know I'm in the minority thinking that since this chapter clearly states it's been two years since Emma disappeared, but I personally don't believe they meant that timeskip literally.

Referencing the search she, Don & Ayshe went on is a nice callback, but with both situations having their parallels, why couldn't ya think of this idea sooner sweetie?? Ah well, at least this leads everyone in the right direction in the end. Regardless of any of that, I love Gilda's outfit here.

Sigh. This arc had so much potential to give so many more characters some spotlight and we get crumbs.

I am politely asking the world once more to please let my boy say "fuck." You can't tell me Ray hasn't been swearing like a sailor with how frustrating these last two years have been for him. Also, seeing Phil using the WM pen raises more questions, such as who's pen did that originally belong to? My first bet would've bene that it Yuugo's, as he's really the only one we've seen with a pen aside from Emma (who still has hers), but with how chaotic life at the shelter was moments before it blew up, I have my doubts he would've even thought to give the pen away to Ray or one of the other kids for safekeeping. It would've been a pretty big hint towards him and Lucas not returning as well so I can understand why such a scene was left out, if it happened at all. Anyways, with Norman on the other end of the conversation with Phil, it's obvious he somehow has a pen of his own but how he acquired such pen doesn't seem that surprising to me, since Norman was actually shown to have one in season two and I can easily believe it was another gift from Smee or another supporter. If not, Norman seems like the type who would be able to create another pen just like the original, which could result in the one Phil's group is using, if it isn't actually Yuugo's. Other that than, seeing how the pens are still fully functional (and assuming they're both originals from the demon world and not newly made), I'm going back to my own question I had last chapter about whether or not Emma and Alex have ever tried using the pen she has in her possession. Surely they could've figured something out about Emma's past if they just looked through it.. unless demon god thought that far ahead and deleted all information off said pen.

I know it's the same moment as the previous chapter where Phil's group gets close to Emma without realizing it but it still makes me so anxious! I'd absolutely be yelling at my screen had this encounter been animated.

Now they're teasing me on purpose. Just let them meet, damn it! AAhhh.. at least Ray's looking handsome, even though he's completely worn out.

Oh how very convenient for the necklace to somehow fall off her neck and be found right in front of where she eventually reunites with her family. This necklace also looks like the kind that you just slip on over your head, as there doesn't seem to be a visible clasp anywhere on the chain, so how it managed to go up and over her head without her noticing is some sorta demon witchcraft right there. Look at how that thing is glowing! It's sentient I tell ya. I do like how much Emma values the necklace though despite not having any memory as to why it's so special to her.

Speaking of keepsakes, I'm also very fond that Ray still uses his scarf. More importantly though, this panel is such a relief! I'm so relieved the reunion takes place rather quickly in the chapter so it gives the characters more time to figure out the situation and sort out their feelings. And I may be wrong about this, but it kinda looks like Emma is raising her eyebrow at the sight of all these people suddenly surrounding her with such surprised faces. Hold on tight honey, it's about to get even weirder for you.

And this first panel is darn heartbreaking, for her family and us readers. They probably dreamed of this moment for so long, to finally reunite with Emma and live together again, but they certaintly never imagined her to react like this. Safe to say that our girl was taken off guard by this encounter as well. Here Emma was, expecting a chill day out shipping with her adoptive father and now she's getting hugged outta nowhere by a bunch of strangers. Poor girl looks seriously stunlocked.

I am so incredibly proud of my boy for figuring out that this girl is indeed their Emma. I'm sure anyone could've looked at the necklace in her hands and made the assumption this was her, but the way Ray was able to piece everything together about what exactly happened to Emma and what the real reward was amazes me to no end. He looks so angry and full of regret in that second panel before he reveals the truth too, almost as if he's a bit hesitant to let the words out of his mouth, but he knows this is absolutely something everyone needs to hear and unfortunately for Ray, no one is better at delivering hard truths than him. Once he reveals to everyone the true price of the reward, he looks completely crushed and I seriously need to go and hug him pretty please! I'm certain Ray has been constantly thinking up many possibilities of what the reward could've been over the last two years, but this reveal has gotta be something he never expected. Or perhaps it was, considering he realized it so quickly, but I doubt he'd be happy to be correct in this moment anyway. I can't imagine what Emma must be feeling hearing all this crazy stuff either.

Okay but what if she just said no here instead? Would demon god actually changed His mind or am I being too hopeful? Emma's optimism might be rubbing off on me, but I just want her happy! I don't like that sad look in her eyes or the slight pause she takes before finally answering Him.

She's such a damn sweetheart, I'll literally never get over how big her heart is and how much she loves and cares for everyone, especially over herself. I can imagine the sad tone in her voice for the first couple speech bubbles, but then she'll lighten up as she rambles on about the better future that's on the horizon and will be so grateful she's able to grant such wonderful lives for everyone she holds dear.

It goes without saying but Emma's family doesn't take the news of her memory loss too well. While I am glad that a majority of them were present to hear about the real reward (given how important it was) and that everyone eventually celebrates Emma agreeing to live with them at the end of the chapter, a part of me wishes the initial group who found her was a bit smaller? All the attention is completely overwhelming her and I can't blame her for shoving them aside for freaking out so badly. If it was Ray, Norman, Phil and a couple others from GF who found her first, they could've broken the news to her gently (once Ray figured it out) and then fill in the rest of their family one by one, if Emma still decided to join them in the end.

Phil is so good at picking up on major details, whether it be GF's secret or Emma's anxiety. And then ya got Norman who is just totally relieved to see her again. I had forgot to mention this during ch179, but another reason losing Emma hit him so hard was because he had just reunited with her a couple weeks prior to their arrival in the human world. Norman spent all that time planning his escape in Lambda and ways that would allow him to reconnect with Emma, Ray, and the rest of their family and he finally had a moment of peace when they all arrived at the paradise hideout to feel that hole in his heart being full again. Then you had all that drama at the demon capital that pitted them against each other for a little bit until they reconciled and fought together during the GF raid. He had to be so happy once they finally obtained freedom and to live by each other's side without fear of being separated again, until they split up once more without any indication how long it would last or if a life without Emma was gonna be Norman's new normal. So of course he breaks out into happy tears here because all that matters to him is that she's real and in front of him again.

Hearing him tell her how thankful he is that she's healthy, eating well and injury free is a great parallel to his speech in ch30 right before he gets shipped out, only instead of saying their goodbyes at the end, they can introduce themselves and start all over. I gotta wonder what Alex thinks of all these kids suddenly surrounding his adoptive daughter, though I pretty positive he's chill with it since we do see him a bit later sitting back and watching all their happy faces.

Although it's a real convenient way to tie up loose ends about what's been happening with their family these past couple years, I'm still thankful we get a little insight about everyone's dreams and progress they've made. Naturally I wish could've seen so much more of everyone, but I'll take what we can get. Poor Emma has gotta be so confused on what Norman is talking about though.

This boy is trying is absolute hardest to not breakdown in front of her. It reminds me of how he comforted Emma the night after Conny's shipment despite him being just as frightened to learn the house's secret as she was.

Okay but props to our girl though for sticking around and at least hearing them out. If a bunch of strangers came up to me and started sharing their life stories with me, you can bet I'd make a move to run the first chance I get.

It's crazy how seeing a panel of our favorite girl cry such big tears can make me so happy but aaahh, I'm so thankful that the love she has for her family is powerful enough that it overrides her dumb amnesia. Demon god can be a bastard and take away her memories but he can't do shit about her strong feelings! Also, I always liked how her tears land on the necklace, considering it resembles the dragon's eye, it makes it look like as if it's crying as well.

It took me until now to remember that several pages of this chapter were redrawn since I remember that one fantasy scene of the boys finding her on that beach.. but no way in hell am I gonna go back and rework this to accommodate those changes. I've been writing this post out for far too long already. The sun is no longer up.

It's because of the inner monologue from the previous pages that leads me to believe it's also Emma who declares "screw destiny" here and I will literally never accept anything different because I love that phrase for her. That's the very reason I went nuts during s2ep10 when she shouts "I don't give a damn about that destiny!" at Peter. (Dub had her fire back with "Well I don't give a damn what you say!" if anyone was curious, which is equally good in my book.)

Favorite panel/moment:

Oh, there's.. so many. There would've been more but I did already chat about some favorite moments already, such as Ray's smart mind recognizing Emma and the real reward, along with her expressing how much she's always wanted to meet her family regardless of meeting everyone for the first time. As for the rest however, of course we're starting with Ray's lost family members assisting him with locating Emma. Seeing Conny, Yuugo and Isabella appear one last time was such a welcomed surprise and I could absolutely ramble about them more, but I should really keep the rest of this short considering how long this darn post is turning out to be. I'll place the original review here though for funsies. I will mention something I only thought of recently though, and that's how I think the "Over here, Ray" is actually in Emma's voice instead of Conny, Yuugo & Isabella's like I originally believed. While I do love the idea of Ray thinking fondly about all the people he failed to save, no one compares to Emma and that girl has probably been living rent free in his head the past two years. It would also makes sense as to why he would later comment about how hearing her voice could've been his imagination since he's thinking of her so frequently all the time, as we clearly see as he sprints off chasing that voice.

Eeehehe, Ayshe may not have been around for the reunion but her absence is definitely forgiven with this small panel! I would die for more content about these two and how their complicated acquaintanceship changed over the years, even if only barely. Norman still has to be on his guard around her and I love the idea of her lowkey threatening him often enough so he'll never feel relaxed. So glad all her dogs were able to cross over as well considering the new promise really only affected the cattle children. Rest in peace Vincent!

One of the most important reveals is my boy Chris FINALLY waking up!! It still really sucks how he was knocked out for almost half the story but oohhh I'm so incredible thrilled that he's okay. Poor guy has so much drama to catch up on though. I'm sure once he heard about Emma's disappearance he would've offered to help look for her, but since he wasn't shown anywhere else during the chapter, it makes me believe that his awakening was fairly recent and he's possibly still recovering. I'm fine if that's the case considering he gets to join in all the fun during the epilogue.

Everyone delighted beyond belief to hear that Emma missed them and her adorable face when they return the sentiment. Ah, Ray also looks fantastic. Love that smile on him as he's crying tears of pure joy.

Though I very much prefer the redrawn version of the final page where it includes more of the family joining in the celebration, having Emma accept their offer and wishing to live together will all of them definitely makes for a wholesome ending.

End of volume 20. But one day remains.

#the promised neverland #tpn manga #182daysoftpn #chidoroki used chatter

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dyrewrites · 5 months

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Find the Word Tag

@hyba got me, thank you ^.^

I am leaving it OPEN! Your words, should you choose to search for them, are; warm, sharp, sky and blood

---

My words are night, touch, window and weight

Taken from Pale Blood. >.>

Night

Delmas was outside a bloodbank—Dolor’s only bloodbank—seething in the dim of a smog-black sky with his still-blinking netlink firmly hidden in the pocket of his duster. “Halfnight ain’t my shift, Bosch,”He’d sneered into the device a mere hour prior, but his boss didn’t relent. Instead he reminded him of the cab waiting outside and the creds that paid for it—and the clothes on his back, and the apartment he seemed to value so highly just then. So Delmas traded warm blankets and worn sheets for filthy streets and choking smog.

Touch

Odea huffed at every one, or puffed rather, directly through their collected lights as she had no desires to tempt—flesh, though integral to the magic she so rarely tasted then, held no sway over her...as she cared little for touch. With the sultry tones of Savor, her favorite netstar, singing from her netlink—glittering among the many other rings and charms decorating her ear—work was what mattered. All else be damned. But, damned or not, else intruded.

Window

“Seriously, Ron, where are you? I’ve had a shitty start this halfnight and I need some answers before I lose my mind.” She was right outside the freezer. If he wanted to—which he decidedly did not—he could peek out the window in the door and see her standing there. “I was kidding about your ears. I won’t feed any part of you to my cats, I would never. I don’t know where you’ve been.” Ron laughed, it was short and more of a squawk but it was enough and Odea’s round face filled the window, fogging up her glasses as she spoke in a warbling singsong, “I see you.” Her voice slipped too easily through the thick glass. It tickled chill fingers up his arms and burrowed into his ears and Ron wanted to run. But he was in a freezer. There was nowhere to go save under a shelf of blood bags or into one of the empty boxes meant for them. No matter how limber his dead limbs had proven to be, he knew damn well there was no way he’d be able to squeeze into a box that small. So Ron sighed…and opened the door.

Weight (long one...cuz i wanna >.>)

Not once during their moaning bliss did Den bother to question if the room was paid for, but hearing it begged repeating, “The room’s paid up?” Laying his head on his, Delmas mumbled, “Mm-hm.” “And when did you have time for that?” Den’s voice threatened to hitch. Delmas’ remained calm, and sleepy, “before the dancin’.” While Den snipped, “Someone’s awfully confident.” “Not really, jus’ figured, halfnight that bad, gotta be in for somethin’ amazin’…and there you were,” Delmas yawned again before adding, “kismet.” Den did not swoon, but one could mistake the sound he made for one, “I’m the something amazing?” Rubbing his hair into a bigger mess, Delmas nodded, “that you are.” But his next yawn marked those his last words as soft snoring took over and Den squished beneath the full weight of the giant fang—weight that crashed against his muscles as it joined the lingering ache of their acrobatic meeting. And soon he, too, drifted into sleep, with a smile at his luck—kismet, his thoughts sang—that the fang who saved his ass happened to have such a cute one of his own.

#writeblr #snippet #novel #writing #writing community #pale blood #word find tag #tag game

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avithenaftali · 2 years

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Thinking yet again of Elizabeth Wilson’s portrayal of Dr. Pinder-Schloss in the Addams Family movie.

Not just because she's one of best and yet most overlooked things about the film. But also just how adeptly Wilson vanishes into the role of a mother figure who could honestly have been written by Diana Wynne Jones herself. It literally holds the whole film together and give Fester his depth, and (as a result) also gives the film its emotional heart.

And then, as I wrote this, I realized that in Addams Family Fester Addams really follows the same fundamental character arc as like 20+ different characters in various DWJ novels.

I wrote once about how DWJ’s cardinal sin in her books is selfishness. And oh, I do not mean 'learning to value oneself or stand up for oneself’ when I say selfishness, because my god that is not selfishness. What is selfishness is: prioritizing and seeking one's own welfare or advantage at the expense of or in disregard of others.

And DWJ’s antagonists are, with few exceptions, selfish in one of two ways:

1. the ruthless Chesney way, that sees other people as tools or parts to use in their own goals, and then uses them like that (this is also, for example, the Witch of the Waste, or Orm Pender, or the Them, or Kankedrin, or the Lee cousins, or the Duchess who is literally described as seeing other people as nothing but literal puppets, etc)

2. Or (more insidiously) the selfish antagonist is:

someone close to the character (such as their sister [Charmed Life], their mother [multiple books], their aunt [Black Maria], their lover [Dogsbody], their uncle [Lives], etc I could go on)

who is selfish in a way that is not obvious to the character at first

and who often abuses their position of intimacy with (or responsibility toward) the character in order to co-opt the character in some way, and to build a definition for the character—which the character accepts initially—and which is both self-serving and false

and it is a definition (which the character has accepted, and believes about themselves at first) which does absolutely nothing to help the character, but does plenty to help the antagonist in seeking their own self-absorbed advantage

and a key part of the narrative, and the character’s arc, is realizing this, and seeing what a betrayal it was to have someone so close to them abuse that position of trust/responsibility to use them like this

and an equally key part of that same arc is for the character, then, to forge their own self-definition in a way that stands up for themselves, and cannot be co-opted by others, and allows them to push back!

And like, even in books where that’s not the main driving narrative, you’ll still get bits and pieces of that dynamic appearing on the sides, and with less central characters.

To mention Nick Mallory as a fun side-character example: his whole internal arc in Deep Secret is that everyone else assumes he is so selfish that, when he’s put in the position of having to make an altruistic wish to save his cousin Marie’s life... everyone assumes he wasn’t able to do it, and that he made a selfish wish instead! They assume he let Marie die—that’s how selfish everyone thinks he is! And then we learn that he did, in fact, make the altruistic wish, because Marie doesn’t only mean a lot to him as a person, but also she’s been his model for learning how to be a better and less selfish person. Someone, in fact, who is near the opposite of his own terrible mother, who Nick realizes he is in danger of becoming very similar to! It is in fact a fear of his, which he literally encounters on the Road To Babylon! I mean to say, this stuff is often pretty damn explicit in the text. (And his wildly self-serving mother naturally turns out to be the key antagonist of Deep Secret. Because of course she is. DWJ wrote her own mother into about half her novels. Freud would have rejoiced.)

Finding one’s inner stubbornness and self-worth, or crafting one’s own inner strong self-definition of who you are and how you matter, is one of DWJ’s most consistent character arcs. It’s an arc she gives to characters sometimes even when their distorted self-definition is formed more from their own misunderstanding than an outside antagonist (aka, as with Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle, or Gair in Power of Three, or Moril in Cart & Cwidder). And her second most common character arc is probably when a character recognizes their own capacity for selfishness and discovers they’re appalled by it, and that they do not want to be that person. (Which is, for example, what Christopher from Lives goes through explicitly, or Howard in Archer’s Goon.)

The lowest point for Polly in Fire and Hemlock is when she act as possessive and selfish as both Laurel and Ivy, and uses the black arts to spy on Tom and treats him like something she can command, something she can ‘own’. Treats him, for a moment, like how Laurel treats him. Polly nearly destroys everything as a result of doing that. It is the catastrophic event her own mind flinches from remembering—it is the very last part of her suppressed memory that she is able to recall.

You could point me at pretty much any of DWJ’s novels and I could tell you how selfishness and self-definition are operating in tandem there. Also, I’d be happy to do it because I do really enjoy chatting about & picking apart DWJ’s books (well, the ones written before 2004) and I can do it ad nauseam.

And yet, for all that I’ve thought about DWJ’s writing, I’d never thought to connect this one particular thing that DWJ did so often with Dr. Pinder-Schloss, who is one of my favorite character in the Addams Family movies.

The two Addams Family movies are my most often revisited childhood films. And sure, absolutely, I am as much a fan of Joan Cusack’s scenery-chewing villain in Addams Family Values as anyone else. But I’d always had an odd little space in my head where Elizabeth Wilson’s Dr. Pinder-Schloss lived rent-free.

Dr. Pinder-Schloss and, I suppose, Aunt Maria, and Phyllis, and Gwendolyn, and Laurel, and Ivy, and all the rest.

#maybe one day I'll actually write up these DWJ thoughts as proper essays or blog posts or something instead of as spontaneous rambles #diana wynne jones #addams family #the addams family #elizabeth wilson #my post

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