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sunnyskiesscareme · 4 months

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My Heart’s Racing, and it isn’t the Exercise

Luke Hughes x reader

Summary: Luke Hughes has a gym crush, and his brother wants a sister in law

Warnings: there’s a reference to like… dropping a weight on his head to induce memory loss, you’ll understand if you read it 😭 other than that, nothing!! (Unless u include Luke embarrassing himself but that’s just cuz he’s a cutie patootie)

Notes: I’m so sorry I’ve barely posted!! Uni is kicking my ass. Still, I appreciate all the support on my previous fics!! Y’all are so kind!! Also, a lil reference to the readers job as a hairdresser

Luke was sure that if y/n wasn’t here, he’d cry.

He had explicitly told his brother that he needed to be at the gym within 10am-11:30am, and no later. He hadn’t told him why, exactly, but he thought he made himself pretty clear anyhow. It wasn’t like Jack to be late to anything, but Jack had expressed that he believed you couldn’t be late to the gym in the first place. To him, it was a personal pleasure. Luke would have agreed if it weren’t for the girl with the strict schedule, who went everyday, at the same time, with no exceptions.

He couldn’t explain that to Jack without the certainty of him telling the whole Devil’s team about his little crush, and suddenly the chirping would go beyond anything he’d ever live down. So instead, when Jack would roll his eyes at his brother with a comment about being uptight, Luke would bite back with a reminder that Jack had assigned certain coats to certain hooks in the entrance way. Surely, Luke was not the uptight one in that apartment.

Jack had only hurried things up when his brother threatened to leave without him, jingling his keys and walking to the door with exaggerated stomps. Still, they had only left the house at 10:41, and for reasons unbeknownst to Jack, Luke had refused to switch to the gym nearest their building. It was 10:53 when they got there, and Luke ignored his brothers scolds for his crooked parking job, rushing to check who was at the girl’s favourite machine. It was then that Luke realized he had never learned her name. Had she ever even had a full conversation with him?

She was there, in all of her beauty, but Luke didn’t crack a smile. Instead, he walked over to the chest press for his warmup as if he had never seen her. His sudden stop-and-stare session did not go unnoticed by his brother, who not so subtly squinted his eyes in her direction, trying to find what had his little brother so dazed. His eyes flickered to the dejected look on his face, back to the girl, and then to the foot that Luke was subconsciously tapping. A knowing grin grew on Jack's face before he wiped it off with the back of his hand, wringing his wrist out in an act of preparation for his dead-lift warmup. He halted when he began to pass by Luke, stomping his foot on the ground exaggeratingly as he turned to his brother.

"Luke, Luke," Jack said, bending down to reach ear level with him. "You see that girl over there? The one on the, uh, the walking thingy?"

"The elliptical." Luke corrected, a little bit too fast. He’d learned the name of the machine a while ago, just in case he needed it one day.

"Yeah, whatever. She's real pretty, huh?"

Luke's eyes met Jack's so fast it hurt, and he blinked a couple of times to make the room stop spinning. His knuckles turned white at the grip he had on the bars of the machine, despite having paused the lifting to speak to his brother. "What- why?"

"I think I’m gonna ask her out."

"No!" Luke yelped, and those in the gym who weren't wearing headphones or struggling to breathe with the intensity of their workout glanced over at him curiously. His cheeks burned bright red, and Jack had to repress a smirk. "She’s," he shook his head, "She's not even your type."

“What? Of course she is. You don’t think she’s pretty?”

“She’s-!” Luke started, chest puffed up and eyes wide as he went to defend the girl. That was, until the smile on his brothers face looked a little bit too evil to be classified as adoring, and Luke squinted his eyes at him. “What are you trying to do here?”

Jack let out a girlish giggle and gave him a smack to his knee. “I think you think she’s pretty!”

“Shut up!” He wacked his brother right back.

“I think you’ve beaten me to her!”

“Jack, stop.” Luke begged, gripping his brothers wrist strongly enough for Jack to wince, his eyes wide as saucers.

Jack snickered, wringing out his wrist. He glanced back at the girl, whose machine beeped as she finished her cool down. “C’mon! She’s done. Go talk to her!”

“What? No!” Luke refused, his voice much quieter and harsher than his brothers. “No, she’s leaving anyway.”

Jack glanced at the girl again, who had finally stepped off of the machine and stood in front of a window. Her silhouette was black as she tipped her head towards the ceiling to chug down some water. He looked back at Luke. “I don’t think so… looks like she’s just having a drink before her next workout.”

“No.” Luke shook his head, certainty in his movements. “It’s 11:30. This is when she leaves.”

Luke seemed to have not realized the weight his words held before he said them, and quickly made himself busy with his machine before Jack’s head jerked foreword, his jaw dropped far enough that if he had dared to look, Luke would be able to count all of his teeth.

“Woah, woah, wait a minute!” He said, stepping in front of his little brother so that he had no casual excuse for avoiding his gaze. “Is this why you’ve been whining every day about when we get here?”

Luke cringed, ending his first rep early to stick an earbud in his ear. “I’m working out. Can’t hear ya.”

“Oh my god!” Jack gaped, yanking the earbud back out. “This is why I have to go to a gym 15 minutes away from my apartment- that has a gym in the building?”

“It’s only 10, don’t be such a baby.” Luke groaned, seeing no point in trying to hide his little secret any longer.

“Oh my god. Luke, I’m being serious right now, if you don’t go talk to her- I will.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I would.”

Luke’s eyes worriedly flicked back to where she stood before, but let out a breath when she wasn’t there anymore. He didn’t know wether it was of relief or disappointment, but he forced himself not to dwell on the weird feeling in his chest. “She’s… She’s gone anyways.”

Jacks head whipped to the window and then back to his brother so fast that Luke was surprised he wasn’t in pain. He quickly promised himself he’d give him pain if he looked at him like that any longer- his brows slightly furrowed, eyes more pitiful than annoyed. Jack let out a soft huff. “Next time then.”

---

Jack was ready before Luke was the next morning, bouncing on the balls of his feet on the mat in front of the door. Luke walked sluggishly, something he hadn’t done since he had first seen her. He was sure this would be the last day at her gym- certain he’d be too humiliated to return.

“Could you wipe that look off your face, please?” Luke asked, annoyed.

His grin only grew, flashing his recently fixed straight white teeth. “Why would I? Todays the day- Lukey Boy is getting a girlfriend!”

Luke rolled his eyes.

The 10 minute car ride was mostly silent. To Jack, it had felt like the longest ride he’d ever taken, even with all of the complaints he’d given about the length of the drive in the past. This was most certainly the worst of them all. To Luke, it had been the shortest. He’d listed multiple plans for certain scenarios in his head, noting that if he really needed to, there were weights near the elliptical she used that he could drop on his head if he needed to forget he’d ever seen her. Maybe his brother would feel bad enough to never bring it up again. He planned to run a few fast miles on a treadmill beforehand, so that he could build up some adrenaline, and blame his red face on the exercise.

Jack walked in with a pep in his step, only stopping when his brother suddenly grabbed his wrist. His face was white and his eyes wide, and Jack had never seen him so scared to talk to a girl before. “She’s gonna think I’m a creep.”

“No she won’t! Just… don’t be a creep, and you’ll be fine.”

Luke releases his brothers wrist to run a stressed hand down his face. “I hate you.”

“Luke, it’s gonna be fine, I’m telling you.” Jack tried to reason. He sent him a funny smile, “Plus, you’re in the NHL. what girl would say no to that?”

Luke didn’t laugh, and Jack licked his lip awkwardly. “Buddy, just do it. There’s no use comforting you now- she hasn’t even rejected you yet!”

“Yet!”

“No!” Jack gripped Luke’s shoulders tightly. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Now go. Now. It’s time.”

Luke almost tripped, his feet too nervous to react to the push his brother gave him. He prayed that it was too bright outside to see the reflection in the window her machine overlooked, and that she didn’t see any of that. He stood awkwardly a safe distance away from her, looking back at his brother who gave him a not-so-subtle thumbs up.

She was changing the song coming through her headphones when she felt the presence of someone next to her. She turned, startled when someone was actually there. He was tall, but had a young, sweet face. His hair was long enough for him to have to push behind his ear and she could imagine him hating it. Most people with curly or wavy hair did, she had learned from work, but his was her favourite texture to cut and work with. She’d recognized him well. He seemed to have a similar schedule to her, and she had used him as proof to her friends that she wasn’t uptight. He was too handsome to look at, she had decided one day. She couldn’t afford a gym crush, not when she was doing so well with her gym streak. It would complicate things. She flicked an earbud out, giving him a friendly, but curious smile.

“Hi.” He said, the word breathy.

“Hi.” She said back with a slight chuckle. “Did you need something?”

“Oh! Sorry, uh,” she didn’t notice Jack watching them, cringing at the way his brother stuttered. “I was wondering… if I could use that machine.”

She blinked at him, eyes flickering to the 3 other ellipticals lining the large window, still and unused. She nodded anyway. “Uh, yeah! Sure!” She said, stepping off and beside the guy, who looked much taller from the new angle. “Are, are the other ones not working?”

“Uh-“

“Nope!” She jumped at the loud voice behind her, looking right in time for her to miss how Jack stepped on the machines cord, unplugging it. He smacked his hand on the buttons exaggeratedly, proving to her that it wouldn’t turn on.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I’ve been hogging the only working one, haven’t I?”

“No, no! You’re okay. Uh, I just, um-“

“My brother thinks you’re pretty!” Jack blurted out, cutting off his stuttering.

Luke looked mortified, shoulders curling in on himself. Y/n reddened, her lips unintentionally curling up into a giddy smile. “Oh! Thank you!” She let out a nervous chuckle. “Um, you’re his brother?”

“I’m so sorry.” He said instead of answering, and she hoped he didn’t look so sick because his brother lied.

“Don’t be! I’m,” she let out another nervous chuckle, “I’m very flattered.”

“You should let him buy you a smoothie from the drink bar.” Jack suggested, grinning wildly. Y/n felt brave under his enthusiasm.

“Jack!” Luke pleaded, fists balled up.

“He doesn’t have to pay.” She said, and she smiled awkwardly at their intense gazes. “Uh, I mean… are you thirsty?”

“You want to get a smoothie with me?”

“Well, sure! Only if you tell me your name though.” She giggled

He looked at her, his gaping lips turning up into a smile. “Luke.”

Luke had never loved his brother more. He hadn’t listened as he came up with some excuse for leaving the two of them alone. Something about already having water or having to get his workout in while he could, Luke assumed. He didn’t really care. He had imagined a million ways his day could go, and he had somehow lived the one he didn’t think would ever happen. He smiled at her, panicking when she began to reach for the pack she had around her waist. “I’ll pay!”

She looked back up at him. “Wow! A cute boy calls me pretty and buys me a smoothie in one day? This isn’t what I imagined would happen when I walked into the gym today.” She giggled, walking with him.

“Yeah… neither did I.”

#sunnyspouts #luke hughes x reader #luke hughes imagine #luke hughes #luke hughes x y/n #luke hughes x you #luke Hughes x fem!reader #nhl x reader #jack hughes x reader #jack hughes #nhl imagine #nhl players

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breakandbuildfiction · 3 months

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My rant about Danny Phantom and DPxDC tropes

This is just going to be a listing and rant about some of the Danny Phantom and DPxDC story and prompt trends I tend to see around Tumblr. I want to make it clear that I don’t care if you like the things I don’t like or dislike the things I do. Everyone is entitled to their own tastes so long as they don’t harm others and that includes headcannons and fanfics. So don’t be a dick.

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Danny is the Ghost King: I admit I really like this one, but I also admit it doesn’t make a ton of sense.

I like OP Danny, I think it’s fun and it fits how several of his enemies can easily be called gods or have global-level powers— Vortex with his storms and Ember with her mind control/power siphoning being key examples— and having him basically be the leader of an entire infinite dimension filled with several godlike beings makes him come off as super badass.

On the other hand, this headcanon typically leans into Danny getting the job via Right Of Conquest against Pariah Dark. The thing is, Pariah wasn’t a recognized ruler. He was a tyrant and conqueror that few if any actually wanted to follow. He didn’t have ‘divine right’ or the willing submission of his subjects. He was the Ghost King because he had the power and desire to force his will against the rest of the Realms. Hell, he was so hated that a cabal of super-powerful/ancient spirits deposed him and locked him away for hundreds/thousands/millions of years and NO ONE other than Vlad tried to free him! So Danny beating him shouldn’t suddenly make him a legitimate ruler.

That all said if you go with the less used reasoning that the Ghost Zone NEEDS to have a single ruler for whatever reason and Danny beating the previous singular ruler/being one of the few ghosts/spirits who have the power and fame required for the position I have no problem with the idea.

Danny is Dani’s dad: Another thing I like, but also another thing that gets messy when you think about it.

Cloning as I understand it basically gives you a genetic twin, not a genetic child. So even with Dani’s genes being modified somehow she’d read more like Danny’s sister than his daughter. So unless you want to throw in that Vlad used some third party’s genes to help stabilize her, Dani is not genetically Danny’s kid.

Ignoring genetics and sticking to emotions and such, emotionally and mentally Danny is a teenager and Dani is somewhere between 8 and 12, way too close of an age difference for Danny to really take on a paternal role for Dani. And even if you say that Dani is mentally younger due to her being force grown it would still leave Danny as a very young teenage parent of a preteen and Dani in a very weird state as her physical and mental development would be at gross odds with how she can filter information.

If you deage Dani to a toddler however and have Danny be AT LEAST 16, things could make more sense as far as them seeing each other as parent and child go.

Danny gives off Uncanny Valley vibes: This has no basis in canon, be it for full ghosts or Halfas or anything else. That said, I love this idea and have no further notes.

Danny is an engineering genius: This is one that comes up pretty sporadically, and I guess it MIGHT have some basis in canon if you stretch some things, but it’s not something that was ever explicitly stated or even heavily implied. I still like it though and think it’s really fun when used for things other than just saying Danny is smart.

Tucker is a master hacker: I get where this is coming from and I understand the vibes, plus it has more of a basis than Danny being an engineering genius, but this also doesn’t really have any real basis in canon. The only ‘hacking’ that he really does is against Skulker and that involves the ghost first assimilating Tucker’s PDA, giving him a back door into Skulker’s systems to do one specific thing. So while fun in some cases, I don’t like it when it gets blown out of proportion and having Tucker being on par with the likes of Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon, or Cyborg as a computer genius. He is smart and he is a programmer, but he’s not a super genius.

Everyone is Liminal: I don’t know who popularized this idea, but I don’t like it. The idea that just being around ectoplasm makes someone liminal sounds like something that the Fenton parents would have been at least vaguely aware of if they were already smart enough to wear hazmat suits for protection when working with ectoplasm, so if they knew it would make people basically proto ghosts/ensure they would become ghosts, they sure as hell wouldn’t have set up shop in a city.

Not only that but we already know that the GIW is willing to use heavy artillery and lethal force on people they think MIGHT be under the influence of a ghost or could be ghostly themselves. So if a whole town was showing up as being so ‘ecto-contaminated’ that they are not even registering as fully human anymore you KNOW they’d start coming in to commit genocide.

The GIW isn’t a legal government body/their actions have violated their purview: Admittedly this one isn’t very common, but I HAVE seen it used a few times, so I’m going to talk about it.

First, I really like this because it avoids the trap of just saying ‘Oh the government is inherently evil and wants nothing more than to commit war crimes and genocide’, so big points there. Beyond that though I also just think it makes sense. I mean the US Government has a LOT of departments and I can see them having a small agency dedicated to keeping track of ‘supposedly’ paranormal shit for one reason or another, but I can’t see them getting a lot of funding— like the amount of discretionary funds needed to buy out all of Fentonworks— without them having to bring up the evidence before Congress and the Senate. From there there would definitely be ethical concerns regarding their actions, legislation would be introduced en-mass, and it would cause a national if not international uproar.

So for the GIW to work they’d either need to be a whole sale corrupt and rouge agency taking money from third parties— like Vlad— and going way beyond whatever authority they might have been legitimately granted to do most of the shit they end up doing, or they were never a government body to begin with but a special interest group funded and staffed by fanatics from around the world and are committing several additional crimes in addition to war crimes by impersinating a government agency.

The Anti-Ecto Acts: I honestly can’t remember if these are canon in some form or not, but I see them brought up a lot so I’m talking about them either way.

These make NO SENSE.

Getting something like this through Congress and the Senate would be INSANELY difficult even if you had evidence of an immediate threat. You can say ‘they hid it in another bill’ all you like but that kind of thing is way harder than you think. Even minor bills about laws and regulations that are just being put through for renewal get read over to make sure things aren’t slipped into them. And bigger, more complex laws take months if not YEARS to get passed and end up getting combed over with a fine comb. There would be no way these Acts could be passed without it being a major event that would be dragged out and debated for ages seeing as it’s literally about declaring a complex species non-sentient and opening them for no-holds-barred scientific experimentation and termination. Religious concerns would be brought up, ethical bodies would be formed and disbanded every day, calls would be made for third-party research, and more than a few people would demand that diplomacy be tried.

And if you tie this into DPxDC it makes even LESS sense as it would be against several laws, acts, and clauses that are meant to protect metahumans– please note that metahuman does not just mean having the metagene in DC, it means having extra-human abilities and powers including magic or alien blood.

Sam and Tucker have powers: I mean, there were entire episodes dedicated to Tucker being jealous about Danny having power and Sam pushing Danny to use his powers for social and/or political causes, but I can get behind the idea of the trio all having powers. So long as Sam and Tucker’s powers aren’t based around ghosts at least.

A big point of Danny Phantom’s story is that ghosts were super rare and believed to not exist before the start of the show and that Danny and Vlad’s powers are unheard-of anomalies caused by the Doctors Fentons’ experiments and creations so having other people get ghost powers in more ‘natural’ ways really undermines that and isn’t supported by canon at all. Yes Tucker was being used to resurrect a Pharaoh or something and Sam was the favored puppet of Undergrowth, but that doesn’t mean they would KEEP their powers after the ghosts giving them to them were removed from play. We see this in the episode where a bunch of Casper students get infected by ghost bugs, they got powers while infected and they lost them when the ghosts were removed. Beyond that we also have the time Jazz was almost sacrificed by Johnny to get Kitty back into the living world, she never got any powers from that despite being infused with Kitty’s power and essence and when said essence was removed she returned to a fully mortal human teenager with no powers.

Make Sam a witch or give Tucker nanite implants or something and I have no problem with this idea.

Danny becomes the Ancient of Space: I’ve already said that I like OP Danny, but I don’t think this title makes sense.

Yes I like giving Danny space powers and/or an eldritch space form, but I don’t like calling Danny the Ancient of Space because we don’t know how a ghost gets that title. Giving him this title seems to stem heavily from Space being the equal of Time which is Clockwork’s domain, but the thing is Clockwork isn’t called the Ancient of Time, he’s called the Master of Time. So I just generally feel like calling Danny the Master of Space fits better even if Ancient of Space sounds cooler.

Now onto more DPxDC exclusive stuff–

Jason is a Halfa/a developing Halfa: This is another one of those things where I just think goes too hard against the lore of Danny Phantom to make sense. Just dying and coming back to life does not make someone a Halfa, even if they don’t come back as fully alive. Not only that but it takes a LOT of ectoplasm and power to make a Halfa with Vlad and Danny being blasted with an opening portal and Dani being specifically grown from the DNA and ectoplasm of an existing Halfa. It just feels like its cheapening the existence of Hafas if they could have been created at any point in history using natural resources or general necromancy magic.

The Lazarus Pits are just rancid Ectoplasm: This just doesn’t work in my mind. Yes they are both green and are connected to death, but they don’t function or act anything like each other. Ectoplasm has shown no indication that it can be used to heal wounds or that it can be used to resurrect the dead outside of the creation of Hafas. The Lazarus pits have showcased no ability to be used as an energy source or for the waters to be in any state other than liquid, though it is a highly flammable substance in some interpretations while Ectoplasm can apparently be volatile enough to explode if not properly treated and filtered.

This idea also just cheapens both the Pits and Ectoplasm in different ways, with the Pits making it so Ectoplasm isn’t nearly as rare or tied to ghostly phenomena in the mortal world as we were lead to believe and Ectoplasm being readily available post-Fenton Portal activation making the constant search and hoarding of the Pits kind of useless. That and the Fentons apparently have Ectoplasm filters that I’m guessing could at least partially purify the Pits.

Backtracking a bit to the Jason is a Hafa/developing Halfa thing, a common way for that to be implemented is by saying the Pits are rancid Ectoplasm and he’s got a stunted Core. Well if that was the case than Ra’s Al Ghul would be just as far along as a Halfa as Jason if not being a fully fledged one himself at this point because while he might not have stayed dead as long as Jason in a single stretch– depending on how you look at the timeline of Jason’s revival– he did definitely spend more communicative time being dead over the centuries he’s been alive.

And finally, we know what rancid/corrupted Ectoplasm does to a person. It gives them Ecto-Acne. Which at best puts you in the hospital for years before giving you superpowers and usually would just slowly and painfully kill you.

Danny goes to Gotham: This one really just depends on WHY he goes to Gotham. Like, there’s nothing wrong with having a character go to a new city as the basis for a crossover, but I feel like it should make sense at least you know? And to be fair, most of the posts I’ve seen that talk about Danny going to Gotham do in fact make sense. So yeah, solid trope.

Danny and Damien are Twins: I have no problem with this in a vacuum, but I think people take it too far and ignore things like basic logic. Namely, the fact that for them to be secret twins then you have to acknowledge their looks. If they are fraternal twins then there is no real issue here, but if they are supposed to look super alike or even be capable of being mistaken for each other then there is the minor issue of their ethnicities.

No one ever suspects that Danny isn’t Jack Fenton’s son, and since both Jack and Maddie Fenton are caucasian, that means that Danny looks fully caucasian. Meanwhile, Damien is at very least one-quarter Arabic through his mother– I can’t recall if Talia is one hundred percent Arabic or not but I know Ra’s is– and is often depicted as having at least a dusky skin tone. So if you want them to be identical twins you’d have to say that both Damien and Danny appear to be completely white ethnically.

Maddie Fenton is a former member of the League of Assassins: Two issues with this: One, the League isn’t exactly big on letting people walk away from it, and Maddie isn’t exactly trying to hide from them. And two, we have seen Maddie’s canonical biological sister so unless both of them got away– which is even less likely than one person being allowed to leave– and only Alicia is smart enough to stay low-key, this one doesn’t make much sense.

Danny is dating Jason Todd: I get it, Jason is the second hottest Batfam member and he has some surface level similarities with their temporary white streaks and dead guy themes. But outside of that this one just doesn’t make sense. At least not to me.

For hobbies/civilian life, Jason is semi-canonically and very heavily fan-canonly a literature nerd. Danny hates his English class. Danny is often depicted as liking rock music and video games in his downtime, Jason… I don’t know his music taste is, but he is a neat and tidy book nerd.

For vigilante/hero life, Jason is extremely violent and open to using lethal options to the point where he has attempted to kill at least one of his brothers in nearly every timeline and is a mass murderer/serial killer with a higher body count than some of Batman’s rogues. Danny won’t even keep his worst enemies like Skulker trapped in the Fenton Thermos long-term and never even tries to injure potentially dangerous humans like the Guys In White.

These two personalities aren’t a case of being mix and matched, they are very strongly opposed to each other on a philosophical level and a moral level.

Danny is dating Tim Drake: Again, I get where this comes from, and to be fair it makes a bit more sense than Danny X Jason in so far as Tim not being a violent bipolar and him actually seeming to share some hobbies with Danny, but it still doesn’t work in my mind. That stuff that Vlad did to cause Danny to call him a fruitloop? Tim has done almost all of it. He’s a stalker, he clones people when he can’t have the real version, he has used his resources to fuck with people– though Tim’s actions in that sense aren’t nearly as bad as Vlad’s–, he has gone batshit crazy in grief before… need I go on?

So yeah, as much as I like the idea of neurotic sleep-deprived heroes falling into each other’s arms, this doesn’t work. Tim is too fucked up for Danny to want to get involved with. It would be too much like Maddie deciding to give Vlad a shot.

Danny is dating Cassandra Cain: Not as popular as Danny X Jason or Danny X Tim, but I’ve seen a couple of these.

This has some of the same problems as Danny X Jason in that they don’t seem to have any real hobbies in common, but it has the advantage in that their temperaments and personalities are at least somewhat more in line with each other. They both really like and really don’t like fighting, they both have issues with their parents who want them to follow in their footsteps while also being open to killing them, they latch onto friend groups as family, are both anti-killing despite being super lethal living weapons, they tend to be pretty chill out of combat situations to the point where they can even be blase about pretty crazy shit, et cetera. But they don’t have many if any overlapping interests… then again, most people tend to say that Cass and Stephanie are pretty close friends, and I think that is canon in some timelines, and as I will be talking about soon Danny and Steph have a fair bit in common so… yeah.

This one has some really good fanfics running for it though, such as ‘lex luthor's ascent from supervillainy to fatherhood’ by Halfgone over on AO3. A fic that I highly recommend.

Danny is dating Stephanie Brown: Even rarer than Danny X Cass as far as I have been able to see, but it’s also the one that makes the most sense in my eyes. The same snarky attitude, love of puns and messing with the people they are fight, they both have issues with their parents, they fight for things that their fathers’ are completely opposed to, and depending on the DC timeline and your stance on Danny being Dani’s father both are teenaged parents.

They also don’t, as far as I can tell, have anything that makes them opposed to each other. So while this one doesn’t have a ton of civilian weight behind it, it also doesn’t have anything against it. A solid choice despite not being very popular.

I still prefer Danny X Cass or Danny X Raven though.

Danny is gay/bi: I have no problem with this. Let me say that again, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS. I think that as a fictional character being used in fanfiction things like sexuality can be altered in whatever way the writer desires– it’s different when it’s a canon continuation of an existing work, but fanfiction is anything goes– but dear gods people PLEASE pick better dating options for Danny. I know that people think Jason Todd and Tim Drake are hot and fun characters, and they are, but as I already ranted about they are NOT good dating options for Danny.

Personally, I think Cyborg works better, or some incarnations of Conner Kent.

Danny has been to Krypton: For most timelines used this requires some time travel along with the intergalactic travel, but I find this one to be very fun. Be it just Danny having visited Krypton and having some stories about the place, maybe some souvenirs, or Danny accidentally/on purpose being revered as a god of the planet. It’s a fun addition or starting point to a story.

Kryptonite is Ecto-Candy: This makes no sense and I don’t like it enough to ignore that. Krypton blew up in the mortal universe within the last fifty years according to most canon timelines and even if the ENTIRE planet became Kryptonite– which it might have to be honest, I’m not sure about that– and 50% of it fell into the Infinite Realms– which makes no sense statistically even with natural portals being a thing– that still isn’t a lot of mass for an INFINITE dimension, plus the timeline would make it a relatively very recent thing to ghosts. And that’s ignoring the fact that Kryptonite is not in any way, shape, or form the same thing as Ectoplasm no matter how you split it outside of that one issue that says Kryptonite is the crystalized screams of horror and pain of everyone who died on Krypton.

Danny is a Martian Manhunter Fanboy: No real notes here. It fits, makes sense, and is often used in a fun way.

Danny hates rich people: This one is funny sure, but it doesn’t make sense. Sam is rich. Danny was rich for a bit. Ghost King Danny is beyond rich. Danny is often written in fanfics to be friends with the likes of Pandora and Dorthea who are both rich. Really he just doesn’t like Vlad because of who he is, it has nothing to do with him being rich.

The Justice League abandoned Amity Park: I don’t like this one. It just doesn’t seem like something the Justice League would do. They have too many heroes that specialize in the paranormal and Batman sure as hell wouldn’t let something like an interdimensional portal remain open without being super on top of it and studying it in case of a worst-case scenario like what happened in Reign Storm.

I’ve seen variants of this where the reasoning is that John Constantine labeled it a no go zone to avoid the possibility of a superhero getting possessed and used as a meat suit to cause mass destruction and chaos, which does make more sense, but if that were the case then the JLD would be aware of the situation and would at the very least check in on some of the bigger events like when Undergrowth attacked, Vortex’s whole deal– particularly when his storm covered the entire world except for Amity park– Pariah Dark’s invasion/abduction, when Fright Knight attacked, and when Clockwork showed up and Dark Danny followed suit.

So really this idea just seems like a way to include shallow drama where Danny hates the Justice League or other heroes in general and feels upset that he, as an untrained teenager, was left to defend his town all by himself… just like Static Shock tends to do.

The Justice League thinks Danny is Immortal and hundreds/thousands of years old: No real notes here either. Danny has time traveled in canon, there are a lot of fanon things involving him doing it even more, and I can definitely see him playing into the bit to avoid being treated like a kid who needs to listen to his elders ala Billy Batson as Shazam.

Clockwork is Chronos: This requires a LOT of hoops being jumped through and a lot of ignoring of the mythology of Chronos himself, but they are both super powerful time deities so… I see where it comes from at least. And it allows for stuff like saying Danny and Wonder Woman are family.

______________

There are a lot more tropes and such that I’ve seen here and on dedicated fanfic sites in the Danny Phantom and DPxDC fandoms, but this is already an incredibly long post so I’m going to end things here. If anyone has anything they want to add or comments they want to give, feel free to leave them! Just don’t be a dick and don’t PM me anonymously with insults and threats. I’ll just report and block you.

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vampirzina · 3 months

Note

I really liked your Johnny Cage Sister! Reader post with Kung Lao and Bi-han. Maybe you could do a part two where they actually confess? Maybe kiss? 👀

Btw I love your writing sm!! Keep up the good work! :]

✮ ┆cage’s sister!reader (w. Bi Han & Kung Lao) hcs

╰ ‘fessing up

tw: gn pronouns (mostly you/your), sfw, mdni, short hcs and blurb, friends to lovers, johnny cage mentions

note: thank you SO much!! it makes my heart swell to hear you love my work! here’s your part two anon. it’s a little long

masterlist : hollywood & cityline divider

With Bi Han, it was kind of in the spur of the moment. Bi Han knows you know and it’s been flat since you let him know that you did, but as frustrating as this is for him because it’s inert, he didn’t want to jump to conclusions just because you didn’t explicitly agree or repulse at the idea. He didn’t say it outright, but it was close enough for you who were waiting on him to make a move (regardless of Johnny who outright disproved); you just didn’t think it’d be after an argument between the two of you, when he’d come to you again.

ᯓ★

You made your irritation very clear, forgetting the notion of subtlety for cordiality. You found that a simple lower helped keep further headaches (Johnny) far away from you, all further sores but the one you were mad at.

Bi Han kept his distance for long enough, it seems, and he’d waited until he got you alone and away from prying eyes (again, Johnny) to address the previous indignation towards you—you’d gotten hurt, and instead of focusing on if you’re okay, he chastised and warned you to be careful.

Yes, he did still tend to your injuries… But that’s not the point, you think.

Maybe it’s your swollen ego, but you didn’t take that as an order, rather just a suggestion. And knowing Bi Han for this long, it’s sparked an argument. You could stomp, roll your eyes and suck your teeth all you wanted, but you couldn’t pierce the fortified ice.

You left him standing there and you’ve both been scowling at innocent people since. That was hours ago. Now, at three in the morning you stare him down, who stands in your doorway. Your eyelids close in a long blink. “Do you know what time it is?”

“I don’t care about the time,” Bi Han flatly replied, but there were hints of the leftover tension from the last time you two talked. “I’ve been standing here for long enough. Let me in.”

“If it gets you to go away faster,” you step aside anyway as you mumble, uncaring for whether or not he heard you. It’s three in the morning. “What do you want? Don’t you have snow to make?”

“It’s not snow, it’s ice. And you act as if you’re so busy that you can’t spare a wink of sleep,” at least Bi Han’s acknowledging of your previous state. “I don’t appreciate your sarcasm.”

“Don’t really care. You also didn’t answer my question. Big fat ‘eff for you, unless you want to fix that?” you saunter and skirt around him as you find a seat on the couch of your house. “Or you did you just want to badger me about nothing? Or couldn’t sleep?”

“It did not feel right to.”

This piqued your interest now; the last bits of sleep flew away from the surprise. Bi Han? Lose sleep over something? …You piece it together, and when you finally realize what this had to do with you, you blink for the umpteenth time. “Alright. So the sky must be falling, then?”

“[Reader].”

“Well!” you hold your arms up to keep Bi Han from chewing you where you sit, before folding them again. “Okay, let me just not—okay. But you’re actually losing sleep over this?”

“I did not want my words to be taken the wrong way,” Bi Han started, stepping closer to you once, twice. “Fine, maybe you can hold your own. But the chance that you could die will still linger for as long as you are imprudent. I am worried about you in ways that exceed the boundaries of our relationship, but it only comes out as frustration because you are too stubborn.”

“…What?” was all you could say to his profession, but in seeing his reaction, you shook your head in apology. “Sorry—god—it’s just the way you said that, it really just sounds like you want permission to worry about me.”

“Do not jest with me,” Bi Han warned.

“I’m not! I’m just calling it how it is,” you swore, facing him now with your hands resting on the armrest. “Because what if I wanted you to worry about me more?”

Bi Han’s hardened eyes seemed to twist into slightly wide eyes that bore into you, as if to ask you if you’re serious.

“I’ve thought about what Johnny told me, and its ironic but I can practically feel the heat radiating off of you and you tell me to hush when I bring it up,” you recall, breaking eye contact for a moment to. “I thought on it since. All of this worrying is really cute, you’re not bad yourself, so why not?”

Bi Han’s hands choke his biceps as his arms havent moved from their folded stance since he got here. He hates your overt casualness, but such feeling is overcast by the unknown feeling of kindling warmth in his chest. To you, it looks like he’s in doubt. You rise to your knees on the cushions and curl your index at him—Bi Han’s muscles listen before his head.

You crane your head up just a little further, and balmy lips come to kiss the corner of his mouth. It’s a quick kiss, nothing too fancy, but it has him melting. It’s a bold move, you know, as you reach a hand to pick at his stiff frame, maybe in a gesture to dispel awkwardness. Has your eyes ever been this beautiful?

In what is supposed to be a serious moment, his brown eyes don’t move from your face as fingers that mimic a spider to crawl up the side of his bicep flick his nose—boop. You make the respective sound. Bi Han is still completely unmoving.

“No more sparring dates now, ‘kay? Getting sick of those.”

───

Kung Lao confessed in the sweetest way. Thanks to Raiden pointing out the little things that Kung Lao initially glossed over, he would’ve never thought to just confess and end the waiting. Kung Lao would’ve preferred if you confessed to him, but it’s not like his pride would be hurt by just doing it himself instead at this point. In his head, he’s already got you (he knows that now, again, thanks to Raiden), so all that’s left?

ᯓ★

“The MVP… Me. I’m the MVP,” Kung Lao muttered to himself, his fingers chasing his eyes that skim over the minute details of his uniform through the reflection in the shallow pond. To the other side of him; he so conveniently parked right by a patch of flowers.

You were supposed to be here any minute now.

Kung Lao had been methodically stringing along all morning the moment he knew you’d come by last night: he would send Raiden for you, under the guise that he (Kung Lao) had been looking for you. In the time it took you to find him, he’d hype himself up and unlike the last time, not embarrass himself.

However, he’s skipped class for this. He may get in trouble later, but this is the only way Johnny couldn’t come bumbling in to stop him. The rewards are bigger than the consequences.

From the corner of his eyes, he sees you.

You wave your arm, the already-small smile on your lips growing as he looks at you. Kung Lao turns to you now and, meeting you in the middle, grins back.

“Man, are you hard to find. What’re you doing all the way over here?” you beam, your fist coming up to nudge him. “And aren’t you supposed to be training? Johnny and the others are… Liu Kang offered to teach me, but you know...”

“Yeah, not your style, you said,” Kung Lao finished for you, his eyes flickering over your face. “But if I offered, would you?”

“Depends,” you lick your lips, attempting to hold eye contact that he could not seem to keep. “Can you? Be a teacher, I mean.”

“Of course I can. Johnny just gets lucky sometimes and gets the upper hand, but doesn’t mean I’d be a bad teacher,” he squinted playfully at you. Kung Lao watched as you mimicked him, tilting your head in skepticism. Then, you laugh. He suddenly feels… Conscious. Like his chest is hollow and there’s butterflies living in it.

You settle. “Anyway, Raiden told me you were looking for me?”

It takes Kung Lao a moment to realize that you’re talking again, no less asking him a question. He lets out a quiet yet exuberant ‘oh’, “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Ask me something?”

“Yeah,” Kung Lao affirmed, but as soon as he did, he couldn’t fix his mouth to continue.

In a rush to save his face in the silence, he looked around the scenery a little less than haphazardly—Kung Lao, in posthaste, went up to the patch of flowers and took off his hat. You watch him nimbly slice the bright white flowers, and bring them to you.

It’s then that you realize what’s going on.

“Man, I thought without Johnny in the way I’d be able to just say it,” he started again in a huff, holding the flowers. You reach out to cup the fist that’s practically strangling the flowers. His fists loosen. Kung Lao looks from the gesture to you—you’re already looking at him.

“If this is what I think it is, you don’t have to say it, if you want,” you said, simpering at him for a moment before a hand comes to your heart to soothe the way it’s beating out of your chest. “Is this why you skipped? That’s so… Gods, it makes my heart feel funny.”

“That’s ‘cause you like me back,” Kung Lao guessed into the air, glimmering brown eyes finding yours even when you turn away. “Right?”

“You��re so dumb. Of course,” you sigh out.

Kung Lao, who’s gone pink, cheers—for himself, and for you—he didn’t have to tumble over words because you already knew. He lets you have the flowers, but you have to think quickly before they’re crushed between you and him. Kung Lao pulls you in and giddily rubs your back before he’d hold you by your face.

The excitement soon simmered into a smile.

Your eyes aren’t looking at Kung Lao’s anymore, but at his lips; you’ve been dying to for longer than this moment. When he catches on, the thumb that lie right under your eye swatches there. Then, he closes the gap.

You hum into the kiss, your arms moving from his abdomen to his neck. Kung Lao draws you closer, deeper, his hands sliding across the width of your back to wrap around you. It’s you who broke for air.

“[Reader]?”

You swiftly turn to look over your shoulder as a smug Kung Lao looks forth at a gasping Johnny.

“Motherf—”

───

BONUS

Johnny looked out to the fiery sunset at the porches edge, his elbows rested on his knees. You sat not too far from him, your eyes narrowed in contentment of the sight.

Your brother sulked for hours about betrayal, but the more he went on about it, the more he seemed to grow passive about it—in other words, it sorted itself out.

“You know what, can I ask you something?” he rubbed his hands together before clasping them, and when you hum in acknowledgement, he continued. “Are you happy?”

You took a moment to think on what he meant, and then you figured he must still be on it. “Yeah… I am. I will be.”

Johnny Cage lifted from his position to look at you fully. You did seem satisfied with yourself, even when you turned to return the eye contact. He couldn’t help but let out a quick winded laugh at you. “So if you’re happy, then so am I. I mean, life’s too short for this crap, [Reader]. There’s so much more things to worry about, and you’re a grown adult.”

“Exactly,” you agreed. “I won’t act this way when you eventually find someone again, though. Hopefully I’ll be too busy getting ahead with him.”

“Shit, I hope so too,” Johnny reclined back on his hands, going quiet for a moment to look out into the scene again. Then, face contorted in seriousness, he swiveled his head to look at you again. “It’s cliche, but if he does anything to hurt you, I’m kicking his ass. I promise you.”

“Oh, I believe you, Johnny,” you chuckled. “But you say that as if I’d just let them?”

“I don’t mean it that way, but you get the idea,” he exhaled, his face although softening, still wears a soft scowl. “Just so you know that I mean it, ‘cause you like to act like I don’t and then get shocked when I do.”

“Sure, sure,” you nod along. However, it comes out incredibly fake. It sets Johnny off.

The two of you begin to bicker, and in bickering you miss the beauty in the sun setting on your home.

@𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐀೨

info

#mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat x you #mk1 x reader #bi han x reader #bi han x you #bi han hcs #kung lao x reader #kung lao x you #kung lao hcs #johnny cage hcs #vampirzina

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operationslipperypuppet · 3 months

Text

to expand lightly on my theory post regarding some of what might be afoot this season (devised and parsed through in collaboration with @stone-stars)

the actions against cassandra and kristen are a revenge plot, orchestrated by a combination of sol, galicaea, and helio. they each have their own vendettas contributing to this. sol has beef with kristen due to the “wholeheartedly reject all offers” scene, where he does turn on her first. he also was incapacitated in freshman year because she let aguefort into his domain. i imagine a sun god isn’t super pleased that there were 4 months of endless night. he also might not like cassandra due to who she used to be. helio once chose kristen and continued to supply her with spells despite her rejection of him and his teachings. she refused to spend any time with him and literally punched him in the face. he’s got some baggage there, for sure. galicaea experienced the first time kristen and cassandra connected, her attempt at convincing kristen was disrupted by the goddess eventually known as cassandra. her followers were responsible for killing the initial version of cassandra. her followers are now facing a revival due to tracker’s pilgrimage (kristen’s ex) and she’s just petty enough to blame kristen for that. plus, her snooty self hated her wolfy side. this revival would arguably make the snootier elves double down on that hatred. as above, so below.

the goings on against fig and the establishment of her cool new horrible luck are probably coming from a devil. the pride armor vision showed that it had ties to that sort of thing. and devils are lawful. fig is not. her ascension into the seat of the bottomless pit was on a technicality and the people who presided over it immediately hated that it happened. she’s been busy (she’s a mortal teen attempting to save the world) and has neglected her hellish domain on a similar level to her father, who lost his job about it. the lawful operatives running hell would not take kindly to that. so they could (would) reach out to her in a moment of her weakness and hand off a curse, as punishment. because hell is also about punishment.

now, i’m sure you’re thinking: why are these in the same post? easy. because i think they’re connected.

the rage stones that were corrupting cassandra and the mages were similar to what happened to ragh’s mom, as zac figured out. lydia is in a medically prolonged state of rage to keep the devil in her chest at bay. (there are some discrepancies over whether it’s a devil or a demon. but i trust ragh to know those minor details over arthur “i forgot to tell lydia i was doing this” aguefort). if something kept back by a prolonged state of rage was given leave to attempt its influence on something (on the astral plane, no less, where rules are almost always different), perhaps its influence would be rage inducing. and, just as she was taken over by one of these stones, kalina, who knew about lydia’s status in sophomore year since she did try to kill lydia, called out “ragh barkrock!”, bringing up another clear and direct connection.

the nightmare king sided with demons during the blood wars. the devils trapped the nightmare king in the forest (this is why arianwen needed gorthalax and why fig’s promotion was vital to their success). the devils would probably want to fight back. the gods we’ve met would probably dislike the imbalance that comes from establishing a new god, especially one who is a riff on one they already destroyed (cassandra establishes that she is not the same goddess she was before her sister killed her. but there have to be similarities. and maybe galicaea doesn’t know that).

the first time we meet our beloved garthy o’brien, they talk about how devils (they say fiends but are explicitly talking about devils and not demons) and celestials and gods are not simply opposed. they’re part of a system that balances out all its parts. angels fall. devils could rise. they work together as part of a bigger system.

so. so. if two specific mortals and their merry band of idiot friends are in direct opposition to some of the most powerful and petty entities in the universe, would they not want to perhaps join forces to attempt to take them down? especially if it could come from freeing one (“important”) devil from decades of being trapped, restoring balance further?

bonus here is the idea that bill seacaster’s goal in hell is to “kill the devil himself”, and perhaps he’s getting too close for comfort and balance must be maintained somehow. and what better way to distract him than by threatening his son?

plus, we know cassandra’s “i thought you were dead” wasn’t directed at kalina or the nightmare king. but maybe, in her brief time back as a god, she noticed the absence of a particular devil. and thought they might have died, when they were actually just trapped.

all that being said, it’s a fun theory to me and maybe we’re completely wrong. but everything we thought about more made it make more sense, which is a wild experience.

#dimension 20 #fantasy high #fantasy high junior year #fantasy high junior year spoilers #fhjy

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xximpressions · 4 months

Text

The Duchess (7)

Anthony Bridgerton x Duchess!reader

Series Summary: After coming into a title you did not expect, you have a chance encounter with a handsome rescuer.

Chapter Summary: You arrive at Clyvedon

Word Count: 1,404

A/N: Happy New Year!!!

Bridgerton Masterlist

Previous | Next

____________________________________________________________

It never did occur to you how effortless your first few days at Clyvedon felt.

Though you were initially anxious upon your arrival to the lavish estate, the unexpectedly warm welcome you received from the Duke and his wife helped to alleviate such worries.

And the rest of the Bridgerton clan was also paramount in reducing such anxieties since the enthusiasm from a certain child could only be met with your own sincerity while also forcing you to put aside any lingering hesitance you subconsciously felt about being an imposing guest.

“Oh Duchess! I am so very glad you are here to stay with us!”

Exclaimed the young lady you were quickly becoming fond of.

“And I am so very glad to be here with you all, Miss Hyacinth! The honor is truly mine.”

You said with a curtsey and a smile following your arrival in the foyer.

“I am afraid,” interceded the Viscount, “that I must cut such a happy reunion short since I am sure the Duchess would like to get settled in her accommodations before dinner after such a tiresome journey here.”

“Indeed!” Echoed his eldest sister as she turned to direct her housekeeper.

“Mrs.Coulson, will you see her Grace to her room and ensure that she has everything she needs for her stay?”

While the older woman confirmed the necessary final arrangements with her house mistress, you took the chance to inconspicuously lean toward the Viscount in order to quietly whisper,

“It was my understanding that we had agreed to do away with such titles, did we not?”

Though he had to momentarily pause in order to tame his humored grin at your playful question, his amused hushed reply only came seconds later.

“Well, since my family happens to already be aware of the admiration I have for you, I thought it might be a bit impertinent to make it any more obvious.”

Looking at you from the corner of his eyes and directing a teasing smirk your way, he coyly finished by asking,

“Was that not correct of me, my Lady?”

Because you failed to contain the elated grin at his words, Anthony was able to catch a glimpse of the appreciation your external expression displayed at his sincere comment while you felt the internal blooming warmth of joy begin to spread within your chest at the honor of hearing yourself be referred to as such.

However, before either of you could dwell on your conversation any longer, you were being approached by the housekeeper.

“If you will come with me, your Grace, then I can show you to your room.”

With a nod and a thank you, you began to follow the woman named Mrs.Coulson.

As you took your leave from the foyer and the rest of those present began to disperse, the Lady of the house made sure to announce,

“Dinner will be in an hour, so we will all meet in the drawing room once everyone has finished changing.”

And with that final piece of information, you made your way up the stairs behind your guide.

Initially, the main emotion you felt at Aubrey Hall had been perplexion given the first time you had been seated for dinner with them at one of their country estates.

Because you had been raised by an elderly aunt all your life, most of the family meals you had any memory of essentially consisted of you sitting at different ends of a very long table in silence with your guardian since her frigidly cold demeanor made it explicitly clear that any words from you were not at all wanted, nor would they be at all appreciated.

So, because you had never dined in any other manner with the last of your kin, you suppose your mind had just assumed that all families conducted their meals in such a fashion.

Therefore, you found yourself pleasantly surprised during your first night at Aubrey Hall when it became more than obvious that the coldness you were unconsciously expecting simply did not exist in such genuine warmth.

Even when the inevitable sibling squabbles broke out between youngest and eldest alike, there was never any doubting the affection that clearly accompanied every insult.

Seeing the surprise on your face at such familiarity being allowed at the table, Lady Bridgerton commented with a touch of sheepishness,

“I know it may seem unfashionable, your Grace, but what can I say? We like each other!”

She finished with a shrug as well as a joyful and unapologetic smile that only grew more amused when her son-in-law, the Duke, followed up her statement by teasingly interjecting from his place at the head of the table,

“Most of the time.”

With a humourous smirk aimed at Lady Bridgerton as if speaking from a place of experience.

From that dinner onward, any lingering anxieties you had about being an imposing guest seemed to have vanished since the Basset’s and Bridgerton’s alike made it clear that your presence was not only welcomed, but it was undoubtedly wanted and thoroughly enjoyed each day that you were there.

By the end of your first week at the country estate you had happily fallen into the routine of being sociable with those that were present in the house.

In fact, it was actually becoming a bit of a tradition that after Lady Bridgerton escorted her younger children to bed following dinner, the remaining young adults would gather in the drawing room for a few drinks and some lighthearted conversation.

And on this particular evening, a full week after your original arrival, the drawing room was occupied by merely yourself sat on one couch, the Lord and Lady of the house sat across from you on the other, as well as Lord Bridgerton who was happily seated next to you.

And with the almost inaudible roar of the fireplace filling the dimly lit room, there was a very cozy atmosphere surrounding your group.

Currently, you all were struggling to hold in your laughter at the outburst Anthony had and was continuing to make after jumping up from the couch you shared with him.

When you had asked the Duchess how it was she found herself married to a Duke, you did not think any of you expected the Viscount to shoot up upon learning what fact truly brought his best friend and sister together as a couple.

“A ruse??” he exclaimed once more to everyone’s further amusement.

“Hastings?! You mean to tell me that I could have killed you for a ruse?!?” Anthony bewilderedly repeated with emphasis.

Having to hold back your tickled surprise after he sprung up with such a statement, the Duke only chose to reply to his friend with a teasing nonchalance.

“Oh please, Bridgerton. You have always been a terrible shot, so my life was never really in any danger.”

His accompanying smirk also let everyone know that all had truly been forgiven between the two.

Buzzing with intrigue as Anthony gave an indignant, but humored huff while returning to his seat, you could not help saying to the other Duchess in the room,

“What an exciting way to get betrothed! My own betrothal was more of a legal agreement than a proposal, and even then, it was my aunt who did the signing.” You finished with a chuckle that came out more weak than content.

The minute shift in the jovial mood at the reminder of the poor treatment you had received in your life from people you thought you could trust made you try to lift it again by happily continuing with saying,

“But alas! I am glad to hear it was love that brought you two together and not obligation.”

You said with a kind smile.

However, after the thought passed in the other Duchess’ head that your statement was not exactly true, a devious idea began to form in her mind as she replied by saying,

“Well, if you think about it, a thought-out ruse has already helped one debutante avoid an unsuitable suitor…so who is to say the same strategy could not work again?”

She questioned the room with a certain coyness while aiming a specifically delicate smile at her brother across the way to emphasize exactly where she was going with this.

And who was the Viscount to say no to such a brilliant idea that had already been proven to work once before?

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#anthony bridgerton x reader #anthony bridgerton imagine #anthony bridgerton #anthony bridgerton fanfiction #anthony bridgerton fanfic #anthony bridgerton x black!reader #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton fanfic #bridgerton fanfiction

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evstostuff · 8 months

Note

You can write about y/n giving Charles a blowjob and then someone catches them just in time

Forbidden Fruit

Paring: Sainz Reader x Charles Leclerc

Warning: 18+, language, in public, male receiving, female masturbation, no sex, mention of violence.

Word count: 1,383

Note: Hiiii sorry this took a while. Once I got into writing this, it all came flowing to me. I hope you like it!!

Charles watched you like a hawk.

His green orbs scowled at any man, daring them to even try and get close to you. Each man ran the opposite direction once they felt the fiery gaze of the Monegasque.

Charles’ attitude was if he couldn’t have you, no one could. You were his team mates younger, innocent sister. Carlos had already made it explicitly clear that you were off limits the first time he caught him staring far too long at the luscious curve of his sisters ass.

“I swear to god Charles, if you touch my sister I will make you regret being alive.” Carlos’ words ran through his head.

Charles gulped the remainder of his drink as you approached him.

Gorgeous as ever, dress clinging to ever single curve of your body, Charles eyed every inch of you.

He was quickly snapped out of his lustful gaze by a harsh shove.

“What is your problem Leclerc?” You crossed your arms over your chest, causing your cleavages to be more prominent.

Charles’ eyes darted to the swells of your breasts before dragging them away to focus on your sharp features.

“What do you mean?” He questioned.

“What I mean is that every single male that has paid the slight bit of attention to me, all of a sudden runs away the minute they look over to this booth, which is where you have been for the past hour.”

You took a deep breath as you locked eyes with the monegasque.

“So I will ask you again, what is your problem Leclerc?” You poked your finger to his chest, feeling the heavy thuds of his heart.

Charles gulped as you swiped your tongue over your bottom lip, leaving it glossy and kissable.

His eyes darted around the room, checking who was around.

No Carlos.

Softly, Charles moved a few strands of your hair behind your ear and away from your neck. He brought his lips closer to you.

“You really want to know what my problem is?” His voice was deep and commanding.

You nodded your head, hyper aware of Charles warm breath hitting the sensitive skin on your neck.

“They want what is mine.”

You gulped as Charles gently ran his fingers down your neck and over your collar bone.

“Charles..” You whispered.

“I am not yours.”

“Answer me this then Y/N, how wet is your pussy for me right now?” His hand wrapped around your neck, causing you to gasp.

He was right, you were desperate for Charles. Just being in his presence had you clenching your thighs together.

“Answer me Y/N.” His grip tightened as he forced you to look at him.

“I’m so fucking wet for you Charles.” Your purred.

Charles’ eyes darkened with lust, they were no longer the bright crystal green that you were so used to.

Without another word Charles grabbed your wrist and dragged you through the club. You followed him through the twists and turns of the hallways. The music faded the further you were led away from the main room but the bass still rumbled through your body.

Charles dropped your wrist and turned to you, eyes dark and unrecognisable.

“Y/N.” He whispered as he stepped towards you.

You took a step back, hitting the wall.

“Charles.” You whispered back eyes locked on his.

The tension radiating around you. Your body was on fire. Desire rushing through your veins as you watched the man in front of you devour you with his eyes.

Charles stepped forward again and caged you against the wall. His body flush against you so you could feel how hard he was under his jeans.

You moaned at the friction.

“Fuck I wanna hear more.” Charles groaned.

Charles grabbed the back of your thigh and wrapped your leg round his waist. The rough material of his jeans rubbed against the thin lace that covered your pussy.

“Charles.” You moaned.

“Jesus Y/N you are going to be the death of me.” Charles sighed.

Charles’ words went straight to your core. You were desperate for him to the point you truly had no control over yourself. You pushed yourself off the wall and shoved Charles back against it.

“Let me show you how true what you just said is.”

You made quick work of undoing the buckle of his belt and dipped your hand into his boxers to feel him completely solid for you. Slowly, you ran your fingers up his length, to the tip which was leaking pre-cum. Charles’ hips bucked into your hand as a small whimper escaped his lips.

As you continued to pump him, you ghosted your lips over his, along his jawline and to his ear.

“How badly do you want to cum in my mouth?”

Your lips grazed his neck, as Charles slowly became putty in your hands. His pulse throbbing against his delicate skin.

“So fucking badly.” Charles moaned.

You took Charles’ member fully out of his boxers and sunk to your knees.

In that moment you were lost in the euphoria he was causing without even touching you, a moan slipped from your lips at the sight in front of you. He was the perfect mixture of length and girth. Your mind was running wild with the thought of him being inside you and how good he’d make you feel.

You ran your tongue along the underside of his cock and around the tip to collect the leaking pre-cum.

The sight above you was heavenly. Charles’ head tipped back, eyes screwed shut in pleasure and his thick neck tense as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down with his deep breathes. Without hesitation you wrapped your lips around his member and sunk him further down your throat. You bobbed your head up and down with little resistance from your throat. Charles was a mess. Sweat glistened across his brow as he watched you suck his soul out from within him.

Sensing Charles was watching you, you fluttered open your eyes an looked up at him through your eyelashes. Something snapped inside of you. You gripped hold of Charles thigh as you guided your free hand down to your core. It was soaked, leaking through the pretty lace.

Your fingers found your clit causing a moan to erupt from the back of your throat. The vibration caused Charles’ eyes to open and hips to buck.

“You tell me you’re not mine but here you are pleasuring yourself whilst sucking my cock.” Charles smirked down at you.

His hands wrapped your locks into a makeshift ponytail.

“Be a good girl and make yourself cum.” His grip tightened in your hair as he guided your mouth up and down his cock so you could concentrate on getting yourself off.

It didn’t take much until you felt the familiar coil form. Moans fell from your mouth around Charles’ cock as you reached closer to your high.

“Let go for me Y/N.” Charles moaned.

The coil snapped. Pleasure washed over your body as you grabbed onto Charles’ thigh for dear life. Your moans rippled through Charles’ cock and throughout his body. The sight of you cock drunk and orgasming sent Charles over the edge. His grip harshened in your hair.

“Fuck Y/N I’m gonna cum.” Charles groaned as he tipped his head back in ecstasy.

You sucked Charles dry of his cum. The milky warm fluid hitting the back of your throat. You swallowed as much as you could and rose to your feet.

Both of you readjusted yourself and looked at each other.

Charles reached out and swiped his thumb at the corner of your mouth. He gently tapped it on your bottom lip, signalling for you to open up. You did as you were told and sucked his thumb clean of his cum that had leaked out of your mouth.

“You look so beautiful sucking my cock and playing with yourself.” Charles held your face as he gazed into your eyes, thinking about how he was a dead man walking now he had lost all restraint.

“What the fuck did you just say about my sister Leclerc.” Carlos’ voice boomed down the corridor.

“You are a deadman.” That was the last thing Charles heard as Carlos’ fist collided with his face.

#charles leclerc #charles leclerc smut #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc one shot #charles leclerc imagines #formula one smut #formula one imagine #formula 1 #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 smut #carlos sainz jr #f1 #f1 imagine #f1 smut #f1 imagines #f1 x reader #formula one

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writing-for-life · 4 months

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When Desire Stops Being The Villain

I’m currently re-reading (for the felt 100th time, and I might not even be far off 🤣) “Brief Lives”, both for a meta I have in the making and also for the sequel to my fic.

And we are so often talking about how deliberate Dream (and by extension Neil Gaiman) is in the choice of his words. And as I said, I’ve read Brief Lives so many times, but this time, I’ve done it specifically with the conceptual sibling relationships in mind, and I’d just like to draw attention to this panel:

Dream very explicitly says, “I have no desire to do this, my sister.”

Very often (and probably also deliberately due to a) who he is and b) the strained sibling-relationship), he will choose words like “wish” instead. But here, he speaks of the absence of desire.

And you cannot tell me that’s not a deliberate choice of words. If we look at this conceptually, and think about how Desire wants to lead him into his downfall, we see a very notable change throughout the whole arc of Brief Lives:

They warned him at the beginning not to go with Delirium (“tell the little gleet to buzz off”)

They told Tiffany that they tried to talk sense into him, but he wouldn’t listen (that whole thing about not having the sense to come in from the rain)

After Dream killed Orpheus, Despair tells Desire it’s not their doing (and there’s also significance here that they meet in Despair’s realm, not the Threshold). And they admit they should feel elated he spilled family blood, but that they don’t. That they thought it’s what they wanted, but they didn’t. That they’re scared.

And then they proceed to float in an eyeball to basically mourn (and what and whom they think about is set up to be a bit ambiguous, but it truly isn’t).

But back to the panel:

Desire is not there. They are not part of the plan to spill family blood anymore, like they were with Rose (which also isn’t straightforward; I wrote about this before in a roundabout way).

They are not part of Dream’s final descent. The final nails in the coffin all come from Dream himself (and are mirrored, as we all know, in his relationships to Delirium, Destiny and Destruction at this point. Despair and Death are obviously in there to, but more after the fact, so to speak). Well, to be frank, they always did.

But the one either being notably absent or actively trying to prevent Dream giving in to Delirium (see what I did there?), seeking Destruction or talking to Orpheus is the supposedly least likely candidate. The one we so often think would want Dream to do all these things so it leads to his demise.

I’m not saying that the others don’t have their moments. Both Destiny and Destruction do in a roundabout way, but conceptually, they just aren’t particularly helpful for someone in Dream’s state of mind. And of course Del with her moment of clarity when she gets him up from falling to his knees in Destiny’s garden. But there is more metaphor than you can shake a stick at in that one, too, and conceptually, the message is not straightforward. Because it gives us a lot to think about if Delirium, clear or not, gets you back on your feet after you buckle under the weight of what you are supposedly… destined to do, but that just as an aside.

Desire’s and Dream’s relationship is so complex (as are all the sibling relationships), and I’d just like to encourage everyone to have the occasional stab at reading all these bits through a slightly different lens, and understanding that their relationship is not just straightforward hate.

It’s incredibly tragic, and I feel inclined to say for both.

#the sandman #dream of the endless #desire of the endless #sandman comics #sandman #sandman meta #morpheus #brief lives #sandman bookclub #delirium of the endless #orpheus sandman #sandman spoilers #brief lives spoilers #the sandman comics spoilers

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saraanzu · 11 months

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bsd speculation: what’s up with this girl in bram’s flashback from 107.5, and what can we learn about her from dracula?

(prefacing this with some rambling… actual analysis starts after the readmore)

107.5 came out the same day as the s5 trailer and it was right after an exciting mersault chapter which is the vastly more popular pov and it was a whopping 9 pages - it was bound to be disliked. I won’t pretend a 9-page chapter isn’t disappointing (no idea why recent chapters have been so short - I hope they get a bit longer again when s5 is done airing?) and I think it’s fine to prefer the mersault storyline but I’ve also seen some god-awful takes about this chapter.

aya and bram aren’t side characters! they have been core to bsd’s plot ever since their introductions (in aya’s case, her re-introduction) and you can dislike them all you want but it’s objectively incorrect to claim they aren’t important to the story.

I also don’t agree with the take that 107.5 didn’t further the plot at all - obviously not a lot can happen in, again, 9 pages (that’s 1/3 the length of 107!) but aya deciding to remove bram’s sword and him actually encouraging her to do it even when he doesn’t believe it’s possible and previously told her not to is a huge turning point in the story! 107.5 certainly isn’t a favorite of mine but I will say we’ve had (slightly) longer chapters in recent months that had more exposition and setup with less plot.

I’ve seen some people worry that, because bram pictures someone who looks like aya in what’s presumably a wedding dress, bram and aya’s relationship is going in a creepy direction. I want to make it clear that no matter who this flashback girl is, even if she’s bram’s dead lover and/or aya in a previous life, I highly highly doubt that anything weird is going to happen between bram and aya. their relationship hasn’t been set up like that at all, in fact bram has parallels with aya’s father and he explicitly sees her as a child (more on that later) (look. bsd is not above using some Weird Tropes. in particular, the tanizakis and mori come to mind (and in mori’s case, it doesn’t even really function as a reference to the irl author - vitas sexualis has nothing to do with pedophillia!) but it’s important to mention that, while I wish those tropes weren’t in bsd at all because they’re unnecessary and add nothing of value to the characters, they are ultimately gags and nothing more. they don’t really set a precedent for how weird asagiri is willing to get when it comes to legitimately serious plot points.)

okay! got it all out of my system here’s the actual post

part 1: the dress

personally, when I first read 107.5, I didn’t think this girl was in a wedding dress. my initial assumption was “this must be bram’s daughter, she’s wearing some sort of tiara and bram was a nobleman”. but looking at it again, it does resemble one, and we should consider how bram’s backstory might reference dracula.

“the brides of dracula” are three seductive vampire ladies who live in count dracula’s castle and attempt to feed on jonathan harker early on in the book before being stopped by dracula, who chastises them for trying to eat harker and feeds them a human baby instead.

while they are known as dracula’s brides in pop culture and are often portrayed as such in movie adaptations, they go unnamed in the original novel and their relation to dracula is unclear. from what we see of them they refer to each other as “sisters”, although perhaps not in the literal sense. two of them have dark hair and are described as having similar facial features to dracula while the third is blonde, which may imply the third is dracula’s wife and the other two are his daughters. I imagine they’re pretty vague and mysterious on purpose, they could be dracula’s wives/sisters/daughters, or even just some vampire ladies crashing at his house.

however, I don’t think we should disregard details exclusive to adaptations of dracula and only focus on the original book when thinking about bsd. film adaptations of the book are actually more influential on dracula’s perception in pop-culture than the book itself, so it’s not unlikely that asagiri would reference elements that appeared in adaptations but not the novel.

so, because of “the brides of dracula”, I think it’s quite possible this girl is indeed a bride. she does look a bit young for it, but I’ve seen others say they think she looks older than aya, so I guess that’s subjective (and people would get married younger in bram’s time I suppose).

that doesn’t mean she has to be bram’s bride - again, the “brides” in the original novel have no explicit relation to dracula and could easily be his daughters or sisters, and I really do think her being his daughter instead makes more sense thematically.

part 2: her relation to bram

I believe bram subtly parallels aya’s father in a few ways. aya’s dad is verbally and physically abusive, and he berates aya for not being good at traditionally feminine activities. he doesn’t see her for what she is, a child, and instead expects her to be a perfect traditional woman.

right before we see this flashback, bram is surprised by aya’s age, and comments that she is “too young to even use a spinning wheel” (also a traditionally feminine activity). both of them question aya’s desire/ability to be an ally of justice but for different reasons: aya’s father finds it unladylike while bram finds it too big a task for a little girl (he is also sleepy)

I didn’t understand the point of this scene’s inclusion before, but in retrospect I think it serves as foreshadowing for bram’s flashback and demonstrates how he and aya’s father both associate aya with dead people, but this causes them to treat her differently.

aya will never live up to her father’s expectations because she can’t compete with his idealized memories of the dead. her own accomplishments are irrelevant in his eyes because she isn’t enough like the wife and daughter he lost. I suspect his grief is part of the reason he’s so horrible to her in the first place.

it’s the opposite case with bram. in his eyes aya does compare to someone who he remembers fondly, and the end of 107.5 implies that’s the very reason he’s okay with aya pulling the sword out.

I don’t necessarily see bram as a father figure to aya (to me he’s more of a weird creature who’s sort of grown fond of her after being unwillingly dragged around… but hey, who says that can’t be a dad?) but I do think it’s possible that this mystery girl was bram’s daughter in the past because of how he parallels aya’s father.

(note: she has normal human ears rather than pointy ones, but bram was turned into a vampire by his ability and wasn’t bitten or born as one, so I don’t know if he’d necessarily pass down his vampirism to his children. he also may have developed his ability after becoming a father, or his daughter could even be adopted).

part 3: her relation to aya

the most common idea I’ve seen to explain the resemblance between these two is that aya is a reincarnation of this flashback girl. introducing reincarnation out of nowhere seems a bit random even for bsd, but surprisingly this theory does have some basis.

in the movie bram stoker’s dracula (1992), the character mina harker, jonathan’s fiancé, is a reincarnation of dracula’s long-dead lover, elisabeta. dracula recognizes her as a reincarnation due to their resemblance and mina agrees to assist him, still harboring feelings and memories from her past life. it’s fairly common for dracula adaptations to portray dracula and/or mina as having romantic feelings for each other, but this isn’t really the case in the novel, and elisabeta is entirely an invention of this particular movie.

so, aya being a reincarnation of a girl bram once knew could work as a reference to this. I did say previously that I think it’s possible asagiri will reference adaptations of dracula and not just the novel, but I’m not so sure he would make something specific to one particular adaptation a major part of bram’s backstory.

personally, I’m partial to the idea that aya’s ability will be introduced soon, and her resemblance to this flashback girl may have something to do with it. (the ability idea and reincarnation idea aren’t inherently contradictory, aya’s ability could very well be reincarnation)

this theory by @jo-dieeee suggests that aya’s ability is called mirror, due to the discussion of mirrors in 107.5 and the book above.

mirror: the fiction and essays of koda aya isn’t actually a book written by irl koda, nor is it just a collection of her stories. it was written by ann sherif and discusses koda’s life and works, including some translations of her short stories in the second part. however, the existence of this book and aya emphasizing mirrors in 107.5 is quite an interesting coincidence! whether or not it’s called mirror, I’m fairly confident an ability reveal is coming up.

it’s also worth bringing up that aya’s resemblance to this mystery firl might not have a supernatural explanation at all. it could easily be an artistic choice simply made to indicate that bram is reminiscing about someone who aya reminds him of. I’m not too into the reincarnation idea myself.

#I’m assuming the panel is a flashback and not bram’s imagination of the future because the caption at the end of the chapter says “remember”#hoping to start making meta posts like this more often… it’s difficult for me to put my thoughts like this into words though #I wrote this post over the course of a week hence why it’s two weeks late #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #aya koda #bram stoker #aya bsd #bram bsd #talk tag #jo’s meta

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elementroar · 5 days

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A.B.A is an experimental clone of the real Dr. Paracelsus (fan-theory)

(I made the distinction in the title but to be clear - I mean Paracelsus her creator, not Paracelsus we all know and love but the one A.B.A renamed him after. To differentiate, I'm referring to them as Dr. Paracelsus)

So, this might not be common knowledge watching Guilty Gear from the outside, but there's actually two Asukas currently 'active' in STRIVE - the original Asuka R. Kreutz and his clone Asuka R♯. In fact, it's the clone that's the main playable character, and the arcade mode is from the clone's perspective as he is his own character separate from the real Asuka.

Asuka R# was created based on Asuka admiring the construction of the Valentine sisters, and the "Frasco specimen" and creating his own clone based on that research. The 'Frasco specimen' is currently assumed to be referring to A.B.A (and was potentially a teaser for A.B.A's eventual inclusion into the game at that point in time).

Asuka (R#): No? Well, I beg to differ. Otherwise… I might never learn why you created me. Asuka: …Um, well… About that. The Valentine sisters, formed by the Universal Will, were perfect beings. I hadn’t seen such immaculate synthetic life since the Frasco specimen. Asuka (R#): So you wanted to try it for yourself. At least you're honest... if ethically bankrupt. Asuka: Let me guess... Do you resent me? Asuka (R#): No need to worry about that. Unless you resent yourself. Now, why don’t we kill a little more time?

What if I tell you there aren't just multiple examples of artificial lifeforms like A.B.A that are all clones of someone, but even in the current official Guilty Gear World entry for 'Homunculus', it's explicitly mentioned there are multiple homunculi in the world and that A.B.A could have 'siblings'?

All the Valentine sisters are clones of the original Aria Hale. So everyone here is technically, on some level, genetically the same person:

And R# is also a near identical clone of Asuka, down to possessing the same memories and experiences but programmed by Asuka to be more socially active than he really is, and also to lack a moral compass (which doesn't seem like a good idea but ok).

So if A.B.A is a similar experiment to the two examples we know, then it follows she is likely an experiment into synthetic clones as well.

And then there's the official entry under "Homunculus" in the offiical Guilty Gear World database (link goes to the online wiki copy of the entry).

That's right, there's confirmation there's multiple homunculi out there, with it explicitly hinted that A.B.A is simply the only one to appear in the games "so far". And either they are going to be unique homunculi, or possibly 'clones' of/like A.B.A that vary like the Valentine sisters do.

And this may be a superficial design coincidence, but original Asuka's eyes are golden while his clone R#'s eyes are green, and quite a similar if not the exact same shade as A.B.A's

But note that the original Aria's eye color was green, and her four clones all have very different eye colors (Elphelt's seems close but hers is actually light blue). It prolly does mean that even when making a near-identical clone like Asuka did with R#, the clone's eye color being different is one of the main differences that appear.

And this leads back to my previous theory that Dr. Paracelsus could be revealed to actually be a woman, and that A.B.A is her genetic clone. As the name 'Paracelsus' is actually a made-up name that's a portmanteau of the words 'para' (meaning 'beyond') and the name 'Celsus' and just meant 'beyond Celsus' and was the historical alchemist's way of dissing another alchemist called Celsus. So there's no inherent gender related to the name 'Paracelsus', and can be a nickname for a woman alchemist/scientist.

This would also help explain all the perfectly sized shorts that A.B.A found around Frasco in the first place to wear. They could belong to her 'mother' who would be exactly the same size as her.

I'm rooting for a future introduction of an older woman scientist that gets to be revealed as A.B.A's creator, because I think the visual would be so cool. Cos her 'mother' would be her but aged normally. And can you imagine if Dr. Paracelsus treats Paracelsus as her son-in-law!?

#a.b.a guilty gear #aba guilty gear #paracelsus guilty gear #asuka r kreutz #jack o valentine #guilty gear strive #ggst #my post

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marches45 · 1 month

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Progress Report #4’s preview clip and how Ashley fit into Andrew’s decision-making

Progress Report #4 showed how Andrew and Julia began dating in high school. Rumors were spreading about Andrew and Ashley, and we can take a pretty good guess what they were about. While Julia told him that the school knows it’s just unfounded gossip, Andrew wasn’t satisfied with just that, or else he wouldn’t do what he did next.

He was the one to make the first move, but leading up to it, he didn’t signal any romantic interest in her and, in fact, nearly revealed that Julia’s ostensible friendship with Ashley, which he had requested Julia to initiate alongside her best friend (and the siblings’ manslaughter victim) Nina in their preteen days, only meant anything to him rather than to Ashley. Julia had caught on to Ashley’s disdain for her and believed she was hated until Andrew’s comment otherwise reassured her that Ashley considered her a friend. What Andrew did do was pick up on her interest in him and throw her a bone. His motive was pretty self-serving, of course.

Andrew is cautious. After fleeing the apartment with Ashley, he would check newspapers to see if there was anything written about what they’d done in their escape. Finding nothing over and over wouldn’t really quiet his worries of eventually getting caught and facing consequences. So Julia telling him that the rumors weren’t believed wouldn’t be enough to quiet his mind. He would have to do something that incontrovertibly proved they weren’t worth considering. So that’s what he did. But right before popping the question of Julia’s availability after school, he sighed behind her back as she anxiously walked away.

It’s clear that his most proximal cause to date Julia was to fend off any social consequences resulting from rumors by permanently silencing them, like he permanently silenced multiple people who posed a serious threat to his sister. But it took me a while of digesting the report content to see that he was thinking about her too when making his choice. I think he wanted to take the heat off of Ashley just as much as himself and self-justified with a thought like this: I’m sorry, Leyley, but it’s what’s best. You won’t like it, I know, but I’m doing it for you. No one’s gonna spread rumors about you on my watch! I shared this idea with a fellow fan in Discord (she’s Ashley fr fr), and what sold its plausibility for her was the sigh he let out before making his move. It was reminiscent of his reaction after killing for Ashley or otherwise bailing her out of a mess in ways he’d have no real problem with if they had no risk of consequences. I also think the idea works with how Andrew functions as Ashley’s parent and only true family. Parents often make decisions for their kids’ own good that are difficult to like or appreciate due to limited perspective on the kids’ part and reasoning not communicated (well) on the parents’.

In fact, the more I thought about it, the more obvious it felt in hindsight, and the less I could believe that he wouldn’t account for her in his thought process. Andrew may treat Ashley as a scapegoat, but he doesn’t throw her under the bus for no reason. When referring to her in her absence, he has, as of yet, never explicitly pointed the finger at her for things he did, and even made excuses for her actions. To the extent that his resistance to blaming her behind her back fails when he starts the path to Decay by admitting he wants to accept his mother’s olive branch, the blame shifting avoids being explicit in his dialogue. More, when he did try to dodge accountability for inaction (the break-up, for example), he failed to appease the other party. Bro can’t get Ashley out of his thoughts, so how could he think of a way to escape the rumors without taking her with him? He may have gotten his mom’s looks and talent for deceit, but not her disregard and apathy for his sister. Maybe she’ll come to really appreciate his efforts when she isn’t…well, you know what those rumors say. But you didn’t hear them from me.

youtube

#the coffin of andy and leyley #andrew graves #ashley graves #tcoaal #coffincest #tcoaal julia #julia tcoaal #Kit9 Studio #character analysis #kit9 #nemlei

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chaifootsteps · 5 months

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Armchair Psychology Anon here. (Not a real pysch, just see patterns)

It's so funny because I keep seeing Viv like tweets where her stans are saying "who tf keeps saying Charlie isn't the main character she had more screentime than the male ones omg get over yourselves 🙄"

That new poster has... 6 male characters. And 3 of them are women. And it's implied Vaggie is going to die and Niffty is a side character.

It's because Charlie is probably a self insert for Viv when it comes down to her father (Lucifer). She clearly loves writing father-daughter relationships and not mother-daughter ones. You could even argue that Charlie singing: "have you ever wanted something that was so clear in your mind that you could taste it?" That gives me 'Viv is literally writing about wanting to be "friends" with big name celebs, Broadway actors, to be more famous, and to get the Broadway show' she's apparently always dreamed about.

I also believe parts of Stolas are Viv's self insert (particularly him being rich and sad, and how she keeps liking tweets defending him. As if Blitz has any actual power in the situation.)

Also side note, I'm glad someone mentioned Moxxie's little speech in CHERUBS about killing a rich authoritarian capitalist. Cuz apparently Viv felt uncomfortable with that and now Fizz and Blitz are clearly defending the highly elite and rich. (Blitz isn't now, but I'm sure he will in the future like Fizz.)

But I also believe Stolas is supposed to be her dad (her admitting her father flirted with women in front of Viv and her sisters/ which by the way is NOT healthy or normal. I'm sorry Viv, but as someone who has a father who would either cry or brag to me about how many women he's fucked (both when I was a minor and an adult), it's a really a fucked up thing of your father to do. And having Stolas flirt with Blitz in front of his underage daughter so explicitly, and reading a book on "Imps in the Sheets" at the dinner table in front of her, is pretty gross too, not gonna lie.)

Moxxie's mom? Dead.

Blitz's mom? Dead.

Octavia's mom? Huge abusive bitch.

Charlie's mom? Implied to be a cold bitch.

Amanda Palmer has a great read on creativity, where when you take personal things of yours and put it in a blender. The more ingredients you use, the harder it is to see what the real stuff is and what's the fictional things.

I'd say Viv is about at a 3-4, where it's very obvious what is real in her writing and what's fake.

Goddamn, what did Viv's mother do to her to make her hate her?

Like, okay I understand that writing is difficult when you feel like you're lying. I find it very difficult to write any healthy parental relationships because both my parents suck and I don't speak to them anymore.

But, you really need to put variety in your writing. Stop making things really obvious to the point where I think you need a therapist. (And she obviously does.)

And if by some chance you are seeing a therapist, Viv, see a different one. One that isn't just going to tell you everything you want to hear.

#Anonymous #vivziepop critical #viv stuff #actual blog post #Armchair Psychology Anon

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darkmasterofcupcakes · 25 days

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I think Abel at least always knew that Adam named Vaggie.

Do you use my suggestion that Abel usually call her Maria? If yes, there's serious potential for wholesome because he does that explicitly because he know Vaggie is a name that draw a decent number of mockery, and this help set up why Abel accept her as his sister when the reveal is done.

Though I'm pretty sure Abel and Seth definitely confronted not only their parents but Lute and Sera , because that should have been revealed to them earlier and not by Cain.

The way you describe Cain make me wonder, did he felt awful about how he revealed the connection? Because I can visualize teenage Vaggie crying before storming out of the party, and considering that Cain had known her since she was a baby, the characterization of CWF Human Cain make me think he likely felt awful once he realize he shattered the world of his teenage half-sister, especially since there's no ways Cain wouldn't have asked his mother on the matter, so by the point of the birthday party, even if he doesn't like this fact, he definitely would have known for a few years at least that his mother had no intentions to return with his father even before Adam and Lute first slept together.

He definitely did know that Adam named her. He couldn't help but ask about her name, because it was rather...unique, and was just told that Lute let Adam pick her name to thank him for helping her out when she first got pregnant, both by letting her stay with him for a while, and then convincing Sera to both find her a job and let her live with her until Lute could get a place of her own.

The truth is that what Abel calls her - Maria - was actually what Lute planned to make the baby's first name, once she came to the realization that she really wanted to keep and raise the baby for herself. But when Adam showed up at the hospital and pointed out that the staff wouldn't even let him into the NICU to see their daughter, much less hold her, because Lute refused to name him as the father on the birth certificate, she allowed Adam to choose the baby's name, and she'd make Maria the middle name instead.

Of course, when she saw what he put for the name, she immediately made it clear that she wasn't pronouncing it the way she knew Adam intended - but Adam was fine with that as long as she didn't take back the promise to let him chose the name. And that's how Vaggie got her name in this version of events.

Abel and Seth absolutely confront basically all the adults who actively covered up the truth once they knew. Seth partly does so on Vaggie's behalf, because due to them being so close growing up, he was pretty much always aware of how much it kind of bothered her that she just....didn't have a dad at all.

In this AU, Cain does feel pretty awful for how he revealed the truth to Vaggie, even if he tries his best to downplay how bad he feels about it. He is still kind of an asshole in general, but even he feels bad when he sees just how much him just blurting out to everyone the fact that Adam was her father - and so many of the adults they were closest to knew and just never told them - pretty much completely shattered Vaggie's whole life. Especially when he found out about her effectively becoming a bit of a runaway, refusing to go home for a while and trying to avoid Lute as much as she could.

#Hazbin Hotel #Vaggie #Lute #Adam #Abel #Cain #Seth #Hazbin Vaggie #Hazbin Lute #Hazbin Adam #Hazbin Cain #Hazbin Abel #Hazbin Seth #Vaggie is a Guitarspear Baby AU #Cradle Will Fall #Human AU

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obsessivelollipoplalala · 7 months

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Queen + Adam Lambert in Philadelphia on October 18, 2023

Well, that was one of the best experiences of my life! These are my thoughts (pictures and videos will go in separate posts):

I loved how much the entire thing really was a production. It wasn't simply people standing there and playing/singing songs, you could tell every aspect of the show was well-thought-out with set pieces, costume changes, and basically a light show.

I sat in a section on the side that was pretty close to the stage. When they were performing on the main stage, I was able to see everyone pretty clearly, and Spike turned to us and told us to clap sometimes. When Brian and Adam went down the catwalk, their backs were to us. That meant Brian’s back was to us during LOML, but I got a clear view of the whole arena lit up with everyone’s phones. It was beautiful, and the people around us were commenting on how moving it was, too.

Let’s expand upon that: My sister isn’t even in the fandom, but even she said how beautiful LOML was, and how the whole show feels like an homage to Freddie even during the parts when he’s not explicitly mentioned. She said she had a cheesy moment where she was standing there while Adam sang “Who Wants to Live Forever” (which had beautiful rainbow lights), and she thought of Freddie and said to herself, “This is what it means for someone to live forever.” It really is. You really feel like you’re part of this experience of keeping Queen and Freddie alive, and people are so fucking stupid to accuse Brian and Roger of merely cashing in. Even my sister said they have enough money for 3 lifetimes, and are obviously doing it because they love it. Anyway, LOML was genuinely a moving experience, hearing Brian sing and to look out into a sea of lights, and towards the very end of the show, they played Freddie’s vocal call-and-response with the crowd from Wembley, and I did get emotional seeing how Freddie still had a crowd eating out of the palm of his hand +30 years after his death. It made me really wish he was still here.

Adam: You know, I didn’t dislike Adam before this, but my sister and I agreed that we have a newfound respect for him. He’s an incredible performer. When you actually hear him sing live for 2 hours, you realize what Brian means when he talks about Adam’s voice being a gift and everything. His voice was so strong and clear, not a single sour or weak note. These are notoriously difficult songs to sing, but he really nailed them. Adam is also a really charming, likable performer, too. He has fantastic energy and often comes off as very playful. He was delightfully campy as he applied powder and perfume in “Killer Queen.” You can tell he’s having the time of his life, and he took a moment to talk to the audience and say how lucky he is to be in his 10th year of performing with them. Also, his outfits were amazing. He wore glittery boots that looked 12 feet high lol

Brian and Roger: I always knew they were incredible musicians, but god, actually seeing them perform really drives it home. You do have this moment like, “…Damn, they’re really up there playing all of that.” My eyes kept going back and forth between watching Brian on stage, and watching the quick and intricate movements of his fingers up on the screen.

Brian was wonderful during LOML, despite his back being to us. His voice was warm, and he told us to sing the song to everyone we’ve lost. “‘39” was fun. I loved his solo section. He was way up on a pedestal with a screen to make it look like he was standing on an asteroid, and bright, colorful planets descended from the ceiling and floated around him as he played a calmer melody. It was so lovely. Again, my sister isn’t in the fandom but after the show, she commented that while Roger doesn’t seem like a bad guy, there’s just something approachable, likable, and nice about how Brian came across on stage :’)

Roger was still great, too. I really don’t know where the fuck he finds the energy to still be that good at the drums in his 70s, and even though I don’t like “I’m in Love With My Car” as a song, it’s still objectively impressive to watch him sing and drum for it at the same time. With him and Brian, I can’t comprehend how they’re still doing this. I feel exhausted just from standing there and watching them lmao, but they’ve still got it in their mid 70s. You can tell this is just what they were born to do, and tbh watching how completely they throw themselves into a performance, and picturing them doing that night after night for several months on end on and off for like 15 years……yeah, I see why they had so many personal issues and their domestic lives fell apart lol. I’m not even trying to be mean, I just think something’s gotta give when you’re doing that kind of work, and that’s not even mentioning any harmful aspect of the rock ‘n’ roll party culture. Anyway, the point is that it’s crazy that they’re still able to do this and give it their all, and I’m so happy I got to see them do their thing.

Finally, Brian came out in a Philadelphia Phillies T-shirt during the encore, and my sister and I screamed lol

10/10. What a night. I think Freddie would be so proud to see his work not only being carried on, but how Brian and Roger (and their team, of course) are still adding things to the production to keep it all fresh and give it their 110%.

#Queen #Queen band #queen + adam lambert #brian may #roger taylor #adam lambert

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atopvisenyashill · 4 months

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thinking about this aegon tries to marry badly to avoid the dance au

he marries ynys sand, base born daughter of prince olyvar nymeros martell and lady gwenys wyl. raised by her mother in wyl. ynys is a warrior, she reveres wylla of wyl, and she’s a few years older than aegon (which he feels is the perfect touch to her unsuitableness).

qoren is Not In On It but he knows about it. this is an even more detached version of the vulture king’s war and he makes it clear that if they get caught doing something shady He Will Not Help.

helaena is in on this plan the entire time, and they figure it’s likely she and aemond are going to be married to each other immediately after they pull this goofy ass stunt, but aegon figures they’re better suited, and plus he has helaena to help him manage aemond’s temper.

i was trying to think of how he’d realistically get away from home long enough to get hitched, and i know he has a dragon, but that’s not exactly subtle is it, so i would think he needs a Kingsguard on his side so he can be like “oh yeah i’m going flying, he’s gonna meet me at this castle” and then just lie about what castle they’re heading to. this is how arryk cargyll becomes aegon’s personal guard & develops several ulcers.

viserys is initially PISSED because he’s having flashbacks to daemon running off with mysaria, rhaenyra is PERPLEXED by this move, otto insists helaena and aemond are married to each other immediately to curb any ~rebelliousness~ and no one can get Aegon out of the marriage because ynys has a letter signed by all the dornish marcher lords and qoren that they witnessed the bedding and arryk says they shared a bed on the road too. viserys is two seconds away from pulling another "i'm going to put a heavily pregnant woman on a ship to see if she miscarries and then start getting banishment happy" but Rhaenyra and Daemon convince him this is a good thing because it'll distract from The Rhaenyra Had Brown Haired Babies Of It All

aegon's first child by ynys HAS to be valyrian looking just to keep everyone on their toes. to make sure he's being INCREDIBLY unfit for the throne, aegon tells ynys she can name the kids whatever she wants - the less valyrian sounding the name, the better. so their first child has their father's silver hair and purple eyes, but their mother's slightly darker skin tone, and is named nymeria/nymeros targaryen.

POINT ONE: “acceptable bastards” have noble blood on both sides and i don’t think aegon could marry lower than that without otto being able to press her into the faith or just like, off her if it comes to it, before anyone can hear about the marriage. and anyone lower than that might not have the resources to defend themselves from behavior like that, and she would need to.

i remembered wylla of wyl being a warrior maid, and i thought it would be nice if she revered wylla, so one of her parents could from wyl, which works with the dornish marches background perfectly. i went through a couple scenarios and looked at some other noble born bastards that rise high and most of them had at least one parent from a great house, so that means one parent is a martell. i thought it would be simplest if she just grew up in wyl.

POINT TWO: that also puts some distance between her and qoren, and since qoren explicitly doesn’t want to get involved with dragon nonsense, i think there needs to be some distance between them for him to go “fine go marry a targaryen but keep whatever this is confined and lowkey because i will not back you up in public.”

also, since i put all that work into my dornish timeline, i just worked something out from there! qoren is around rhaenyra’s age, so not old enough to have a bastard old enough for aegon to marry. that means ynys sand has to be his half sister. i decided gwenys was a widow who never had any kids, had a hot and heavy affair with the married olyvar nymeros martell, and they decided she should just keep the baby at wyl. (she got remarried when ynys was around 4 and had a true born girl a year after, and they’re close they’re just like, Different. ynys got all of gwenys’ go get ‘em attitude).

POINT THREE: helaena being a dreamer is too precious to me, i think it’s great and hilarious if viserys was a dreamer and then had not one but TWO kids who were also dreamers but never noticed because he ignored them so much. i desire that shitty dad carnally. anyways. i think it’s logical to assume that if aegon pulls a stunt like this, everyone is going to start insisting helaena and aemond are married right now so that a) neither of them can also do some crazy shit like this and b) they can start having proper valyrian babies to counteract Aegon trying to plug up the family tree. I’m not saying anyone is factoring Aegon out of the family tree but I do think some people are going to go “well let’s get some back ups in motion in case Aegon decides to get crazy again.” I think Helaena would be fine with this idea; she has grown up probably assuming she was going to marry a brother anyway and they’re only a year apart.

(i came up with an excuse to age them up closer to show ages that i thought could be semi plausible which is just aegon trying to put off getting married by asking if they can wait until helaena comes of age, and since helaena thinks this is fine, and aegon pulls the “well rhaenyra got to wait” card, viserys just shrugs and agrees while alicent is sitting there like “is something happening right now. are my children conspiring.” so in my mind by the time they enact this plan, aegon is around 19, helaena is around 16, and aemond is about 15. also ynys would be like 26. hot, i love a woman getting married over the age of 13.

this could work without the pause though - i can just shrink the gap by making ynes 18 or 19. helaena is the age she was when she married aegon in canon (13), and aemond is 12, which means they’d likely wait a year before marrying him to helaena at least. um. it’s not fun but it has been done in this series before, with aemond’s daddy to boot).

POINT FOUR: firstly, every fanfic i’ve read where aegon has some sort of dragon dream has him sour on criston. idk if this is bc the writer dislikes him or because it makes sense aegon would distrust him (as in, sees him as power grabbing on the level of otto and daemon) BUT i do think if he’s keeping this from his mother he’s not gonna tell criston. i thought arryk was a good choice because i imagine aegon (esp show aegon) would appreciate someone so loyal they would be willing to go out in a double murder with their twin brother, over the other two green kingsguard who are Fine but probably watching maelor get ripped to death in a dragon dream turned aegon off a bit.

POINT FIVE: Listen, Viserys hates an argument so if people are being calm and going "look at me, i'm not arguing i'm perfectly rational" he's more likely to listen. see: eventually sending money to daemon in the stepstones. he also does Not care about what aegon does that much, so long as he's a proper dragon rider and Stays Out Of The Way. so if aegon is otherwise behaving, and helaena's feelings aren't hurt, and aemond is happy to marry helaena, and rhaenyra and daemon are both like "this is fine actually" and otto gives up and decides to focus on getting aemond married to helaena while he figures out how to deal with this, viserys will probably chill out and go "well they were married in sight of gods and men, nothing to do about it"

POINT SIX: Saera just saying Maegor's name was enough to make Jaehaerys throw a fit, and Aerion invoking it is part of why they pass his son up in favor of Egg, so I can see Aegon trying to go for some wild names. I also think he'd get Helaena into this, ask her to convince Aemond to name their first born Saera, Viserra, or Maegor. I don't know if Aemond would go for that? He's certainly insane enough but he's a momma's boy and Alicent might talk him out of it.

#this is all i have so far lasjdflkjd #canon divergent au #aegon the usurper #dorne #getting on my soap box #anon awakened somethjng in me aksjdjd #i even have a fancast for his wife #dreamer aegon au

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geekthefreakout · 1 year

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Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was great, y'all: A Review

Spoiler Free: This movie was utterly sincere, and that was refreshing as anything. No meta-humor, no self-referential nonsense that would make it feel like it was embarrassed to be what it was. The characters were great and stand-out. The party as a whole struck the perfect balance that made it feel as chaotic as an actual DnD campaign would be. The humor hits pretty much all of the time, with several laugh-out-loud moments and many more little chuckles and smiles.

The story is simple, but feels true to a campaign as well. You have the main quest and the side quests. The rules around magic are fairly well defined. Their are a couple of elements regarding character arcs and story that could have been tweaked or added in that might have made it feel more complete or satisfying, but nothing huge. I found it to be emotionally satisfying, at the very least.

You can tell that there was a lot of love put into this movie. The cast are all having the time of their lives, and it's important (to me) to note that the VFX team never skimp on any character/species detail. The halflings are appropriately proportioned to the world and people around them. The tiefling (though a little tame looking for a tiefling) maintains having a tail in every scene, without them making a big deal about the fact that she has one.

This is a great movie for DnD fans. If you are not familiar with Dungeons and Dragons or TTRPGs in general, however, I still don't feel you will be missing much. It's an adventure fantasy, and a very accessible one at that, with found family and the power of self-respect and love driving its core.

8.5/10 for me.

Spoilers under the cut- and it's LONG, so be ready for that.

SPOILER TIME BABYYYYYY. This will be a breakdown of the movie's plot with my own insights- sometimes I will use DnD terminology as in my head I was imagining each roll of the dice. Scroll down to the end if you just want to see what I would have changed about the movie.

The way we are introduced to our two primary main characters, Edgin and Holga, is very fun. We meet them in a prison as they acquire a burly new cellmate, who they each deal with in ways that make it very clear who and what they are- Edgin being a smooth-talking, rakish Bard with a devil-may-care attitude, and Holga is a blunt yet loyal Barbarian with a love of potatoes who was exiled from her clan for falling in love with an outsider. We quickly segue into their escape from prison at their pardon-hearing, where we get to learn their back story: Edgin was once an honorable man and a Harper (an order who fights against evil while asking for nothing in return) who lost his wife to a Red Wizard attack and decided to cast aside his oath and honor both to become a thief.

He has a daughter who survived that attack, and Holga has helped him to raise her. Refreshingly, there is absolutely zero sexual or romantic tension between Edgin and Holga, who he refers to explicitly as being like a sister to him. They wound up in jail when on a quest to rob a vault which contained a Tablet of Reawakening, which Edgin planned to use to return his wife to life. They were betrayed by the witch Sofina (played with maximum menace by Daisy Head), who captured them in a time stop. Edgin entrusted the tablet and care of his daughter to his friend and party-member, Forge the rogue and con.

They escape on the wings of an unfortunate judge named Jonathan, who is an Aarakorca, despite the fact that Edgin totally passed the charisma check and the panel of judges were actually swayed to approve the pardon. This is when I knew I would love this movie.

Holga and Edgin set out to reunite with Kira (Chloe Coleman, who does great but is noticeably much lighter skinned than the actresses who played her as a baby and toddler), Edgin's daughter. Their daughter, really. They find her with Forge (played with delightful charm and sliminess by Hugh Grant), who has risen to become Lord of Neverwinter. She is angry with Edgin for abandoning her, because it turns out the Forge has been feeding her quite a different story for what the primary objective of that fateful quest was: she thinks they went after a Tablet of Riches. Edwig tries to explain himself, but Kira (who is happy enough to see Holga, at least) won't listen, saying that the bigger problem is that Edwig keeps speaking like it wasn't his fault. Forge, still in league with Sofina, has betrayed them, and secretly sends them to be executed, at which point Holga does that which Barbarians do so well and they escape, now with a new mission: to take down Forge and Sofina and rescue Kira from their clutches.

They set out to build their party, first picking up their friend Simon the Sorcerer (played adorably by Justice Smith), a half-elf whose self-doubt and bumbling ways often inhibit his ability to do more than cantrips reliably. He was also betrayed by Forge, but managed to escape and has been in hiding. He helps lead them to their next party member, a Tiefling Druid named Doric (awesome job, Sophia Lillis), who is also a wildshape. She distrusts humans, who have always let her down, but is loyal to the wood elves who took her in and whose lands have been under attack by Forge. Simon explains that he had once attempted to court her, but she said that his lack of self-esteem just made her sad. Thankfully, this romantic subplot, should it count as that, takes up very little space in the narrative, which is part of why it works so well.

Using Doric's wildshape abilities, they are able to learn that Forge has revived a kind of gladiatorial game intended to bring the city (and the city's riches) together, and that the vault which presumably holds the Tablet of Reawakening is protected by magic that is far too powerful for Simon to counter without the Helm of Disjunction. We also get more glimpses of Sofina's power here- she is able to sense Doric and nearly captures and kills her on a fast-paced chase through the city where Doric changes from fly to mouse to cat to bird to deer in order to escape. Finally, the viewers get to see (though the party doesn't) that Sofina isn't just a witch- she is a Red Wizard and Thayan too, and she plans to turn Neverwinter's people into members of the Red Wizard's undead army.

Simon doesn't think think that taking down Sofina is possible, as he wasn't able to match her magic before and doesn't feel that he's improved. He insists that magic cannot be used to solve every problem, his own magic least of all. Attuning to the Helm alone might take them years, even if they do manage to find it. Edwig insists that Simon is underestimating himself, and advises him not to tell the party of his doubts to keep up morale.

After an amusing diversion to Holga's ex-husband, Marlamin the Halfling (played by Bradley Cooper) and then to a sacred burial ground of her people to discover the fate of the Helm (DnD magic rules are used to great effect here), the party learns that they must seek out a Thayan named Xenk Yendar (played by a hilariously sincere and smoking hot Rege-Jean Page), a renowned Paladin that everyone except a disgruntled Edgin has heard of. Xenk runs a vibe check on Edgin, and apparently detects a Good alignment. He agrees to help them get the Helm, on the condition that Edgin swears to redistribute the wealth in Forge's vault to the people of Neverwinter and that he holds on to the Harper book- a book which Edgin had thrown onto his wife's funeral pyre after he forsook his vows as one. "You may have forsaken your oath, but your oath has not forsaken you." Xenk says to a stubborn Edgin.

We also learn that Xenk escaped the Red Wizard's take over of the Thayan's by the skin of his teeth as a child and lost his parents to it. This flashback helps the viewer (and the party, though they don't quite figure it out until later) what Sofina is planning for Neverwinter- releasing the red blight of death (honestly I cannot remember the real name, but it's an evil red cloud that turns people into red wizard zombies). We see here that the Blight has an area of effect, and that managing to get just outside of it is what saved Xenk from his parents' fate.

While retrieving the Helm, the party runs in with Sofina's cronies. Xenk takes them out in a fantastic display of badassery, but it cannot last long- it takes more power than what Xenk has to kill that which is already dead, and they begin to rise. However, they quickly cease being the primary threat, as their chaos has awoken a dragon. Hilariously, this is not the dragon seen in so much of the promotional material, but rather a very pudgy one, who still manages to wreak quite a bit of destruction with its large body and fire breath. Here we get to see some uses of the Hither-Thither staff, which Holga had believed was a walking stick she'd taken for her ex-husband. It allows Simon to open portals, as long as the destination is within 500 meters and a place that he can see. Edgin's brains are put to good use as well, as the party escapes the dragon with the helm.

At this point, Xenk leaves the party despite many requests for him to stay because he is much more capable than they are, telling them that it is not his quest, but theirs. There is a very funny moment as they watch him walk away, where Edgin notes that he walks in an unnaturally straight line and wonders if he will alter it to go around a rock in his path. He doesn't- he walks straight over the rock. That's paladin symbolism for you. Simon attempts to attune to the Helm while the party takes a break on the beach, but finds he is consistently repelled by a vision of his ancestor, who was a great Wizard and tells Simon that he is not worthy of wielding the helm's power. Edgin urges him to keep trying, but after several attempts where the Helm literally blasts itself off of him, Simon turns on Edgin and rants that he told him from the outset that he couldn't do it and that it wouldn't work, but Edgin refused to listen, and that Edgin is doing what he always does- making plans that don't work and then blaming other people for it. While Holga takes this in stride, Doric and Simon are both very angry. I was afraid for a moment that this would be one of those times where they split the party for Drama, a trope that I *hate*... but I needn't have worried.

Edgin then makes a compelling speech about how they are all failing in some way, and that they have to keep failing, because the moment that they fail and give up is when they really fail. He gives several examples about the rest of the party, and when Simon presses him about his own failures, he calls himself the King of Failures. He's failed as a father, as a husband, as a leader. He reveals that the Red Wizards that killed his wife were only able to find her because of a treasure he took while he was a Harper, not knowing that the treasures had tracking spells on them. It was his fault that his wife was killed in the first place. But Edgin can't give up, he says, because if he does then it will have all been for nothing. He then sits down to think of a new plan. Charisma check passes, because the party rallies behind him.

The party plans to use the Hither-Thither staff to get into the vault, figuring that if they leave a portal open on a piece of treasure, it will go into the vault and they will be able to get in that way. Edgin also suggests that they take the Helm as well and that Simon try again, saying that he actually does believe Simon can do it, because when it's do or die he always comes through. "You're at your strongest when you think you're at your weakest" he tells Simon.

They get into the citadel with a great scene wherein Edgin seems to distract the guards with a song on his lute- an excellent use of your bard and a chance for Chris Pine to show off his vocal charming chops. It turns out to be an illusion cast by Simon, however, who looses hold of it as he gets his foot stuck in a pothole. The way the illusion starts to skip like a broken record and then distort in disturbingly cartoonish ways is done very well by the actors and the VFX team, and certainly got a laugh in the theater.

After running through Plan C (which is the same as Plan A, but plan A has a stink on it) and Plan D (the same as plan B, but plan B has a stink on it), the party almost succeeds, but Sofina and Forge outwit them. Anyone who has ever played DnD or any TTRPG for that matter will be very familiar with how these plans come together, fall apart, and then come together again. The portal doesn't let Doric into the vault, but under the arena, where the treasures are being loaded onto a boat. She is knocked out and captured.

Simon manages to get to the vault and, faced with death should he fail, he puts on the helm and stands up to the vision of his ancestor, saying that he IS worthy of the power and he's sick of being told he is not. The vision turns into one of Simon himself and congratulates him- he has attuned successfully. He uses the Helm to cancel out the magic on the vault and to repel the guards attacking him, only to find that the vault is empty. He and Holga are captured.

Edgin finds Kira and explains to her that Forge has been lying, that he wants her to come away with him. He makes a pretty perfect apology, acknowledging that the Tablet of Reawakening was about getting back his wife rather than Kira's mom, as Kira had never known her. Unfortunately, this apology is wasted, as he is actually talking to a disguised Sofina, who captures him. Forge assures him that Kira is safe and will continue to be, as Forge really does care for her as if she were his own, but that Edgin has to die. Edgin asks that rather than being executed, the party be allowed to participate in the games that will be beginning shortly, to give them a chance. Forge is reluctant, saying that it would be kinder to just kill them now, but Sofina insists on granting that request, presumably so that she can take them into her undead army when she unleashes the blight.

The party enters the maze in the arena where the games are taking place, with Simon and Doric inhibited by magic-suppressing cuffs. They face monsters and other traps, but with each of them playing to their strengths and with Doric managing to lose her cuff, they make it to the center. Edgin finally makes a successful Detect Trap and recognizes that they won't be safe there, and Doric is able to get them out with some clever shape shifting and modest risk taking.

Combining their information, the party realizes both what Sofina is planning and what Forge is planning. Forge doesn't intend to stay in Neverwinter- he plans to let Sofina do her evil thing while he makes off with Kira and the treasure, which is why it was stored at the docks under the arena rather than in the vault. Interestingly enough, Sofina is completely aware of this, but has no interest in stopping him. In fact, she is so annoyed by him that she just wants him to get on his boat and leave. This is a rare example of two villains who have completely different motivations and goals, but whose plans align just enough to have them work together. There is no betrayal between them-- they each act exactly as the other expects them to, and they aren't bothered by it. The only problem is that it leads to there being two climaxes, and one is more rushed than the other.

The party is able to stop Forge at his boat, where he immediately threatens Kira's life if the party doesn't give him his treasure. This speeds Kira along to realizing that he has been the bad guy and to forgiving her father. They overpower Forge and seem to be making a getaway when they notice the signs of Sofina beginning the Blight. Edgin remembers his promise to Xenk, and has Simon use the Hither-Thither spell to send all the treasure on the boat to come spilling out of a hot air balloon, thus redistributing it to the people and sending the citizens of Neverwinter out of the arena to catch the falling treasure, and therefore outside of the Blight's area of effect. Forge regains access to the boat just in time to see all of his loot falling away from it, leaving him in despair.

That's the first climax, and at this point everyone's character arcs are mostly resolved. Simon is more confident, Kira is happy to be with Holga and Edgin again, and Edgin kept his promise. They have thwarted Sofina's plans. But, Sofina's still alive and kicking and we haven't had that boss battle yet, so time for Climax #2!

As Sofina rages, Edgin tells Kira to use a pendant that Holga had stolen for her when she was younger to stay invisible, hidden, and safe during the fight. Sofina rains fire down on the party, but Simon has Taken a Level in Badass and is able to match her for a short time. Doric transforms into an Owlbear to act as the Hulk of the group, and Holga proves herself proficient with several weapons. Edgin, who isn't much of a fighter, does get a few hits in with his lute (love that for him, though). It's a fast-paced fight, with every member of the party contributing, and which thankfully DOESN'T adhere to DnD rules (combat system not good for narrative storytelling). However, Sofina goes down pretty easily. For just a moment, it looks like all is lost as Sofina uses her time-stop, which Simon says he is still unable to counter... except it's all fine. Kira (little rogue in training that she is), manages to slap a magic-suppressing cuff onto Sofina while she's invisible, because as it turns out Simon WAS able to counter the time-stop. Owlbear!Doric then Hulksmashes Sofina to death (I murmured "puny god" to myself in the theater) and the day is saved... except that Holga has been mortally wounded.

If you're like my brother and I, you probably called back when they first confirmed that the Tablet of Reawakening still existed that one of the party was going to die and that they would use the Tablet (one use only) on that party member rather than on Edgin's wife. You might have even called it being Holga, which I did around the time that she mentions having dreamed of being buried in a sacred burial ground with her tribesmen, despite having been exiled. It's very predictable- but that's not always a bad thing.

Edgin and Holga sing a drinking song as she dies, with Kira sobbing and holding her, saying that she needs her. Holga tells them not to mourn, because she's happy to die a hero- that's her character arc, minimal though it has been. Edgin pulls out the tablet and reminds his daughter that they can only use it once- and of course she nods, because to her Holga is the mother she's known. The tablet returns her to life, and everyone is happy and it's very heartwarming.

From there, it's a quick wrap-up. The former Lord of Neverwinter, who was kept in a coma by Sofina, wakes up and grants legal protection to Doric's people and their lands. The party all receive medals. Doric acknowledges that humans are not all bad, and also agrees to let Simon have another shot at courting her now that he's got more confidence. Forge, holding on to the one piece of treasure he hadn't lost, is captured by Xenk, and we end on him trying to convince the same judges at the same prison Edgin and Holga were at in the beginning that all turned out for the best, and he's done a lot of reflection and so should really be pardoned.

He does NOT pass the charisma check. And that's it, really, aside from a funny mid-credits tag.

So, I think I went over most of the things that I loved already. Here is WHAT I WOULD CHANGE:

I think Forge turning on Kira happened very quickly and didn't fully make sense, outside of being a vehicle for getting her to trust her dad again very quickly. I would have preferred for Kira to be more of a character with more agency. To this end, I would have had her use her invisibility pendant (which she has the whole time and says that she often uses to sneak around the castle) earlier. She could have realized that Sofina was a Red Wizard, or overheard some pieces of the puzzle that may not have clarified everything for her, but at least sewn the seeds of doubt. That, or had her flat out not believe that Holga and Edgin would leave her a second time, even if she is still angry at Edgin.

I might also try and consolidate the climaxes a bit more- while I think Forge was a fun villain, thwarting him and Sofina so separately makes the fight with Sofina seem a little extraneous, though the movie's fast pacing helps with this.

Doric is mostly a static character- she's a lot of fun and I enjoy her, but she doesn't really have much of an arc. She has a goal when she joins the party, and at the end of the movie that goal is achieved.

Holga's arc gets less attention than it should- she doesn't really change throughout the movie either. I would have liked to see either someone for her tribe or her ex-husband there at the end when everyone was getting their awards, so that she could have made good on showing them what she was worth. (That said, I thought it was great that there weren't any bad feelings between her and Marlamin, who has moved on from her but genuinely wishes her happiness).

Finally, my brother noted (though I myself didn't really have this problem) that Simon's Badass Level Up at the 11th hour felt disengenous, because it's one thing to say that he has trouble with big magic because of his poor self-esteem, and quite another for him to suddenly be able to match Sofina's might. His spells are not as impressive as hers, but he does hold his own, with the party also serving as distractions to her.

And... that's the review. Hope you liked it.

#dungeons and dragons #dnd movie #honor among thieves #dnd honor among thieves #movie review #dnd movie spoilers #edgin the bard #xenk yendar #simon aumar #edgin darvis #holga kilgore #doric the druid #sofina the red wizard #chris pine #michelle rodriguez #justice smith #sophia lillis

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