#can someone actually supervise what their kids are watching. please

[give-grian-rights]

im not saying this in a clutch-your-pearls way im saying it in a what-the-hell-im-wheezing way. but the fact that incest werewolf lovestory writer Aphmau has a toybrand and sells fruitsnacks is baffling to me. who did this. who allows this to happen. have they watched like any of her videos

those parents dont even know about the humantrafficking catgirl , ,,

#to be fair the kids buying this probably wouldnt know about the humantrafficking cat girl either since that was diaries s1 but still #i love diaries and have fond memories of mystreet even if it sucks. but like my god #can someone actually supervise what their kids are watching. please #aphmau #what do i tag this as #mika-posts

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not watching over my friend's toddler?

Some context, I (26F) have a friend (35M) who has four kids, ranging from 2 to 13. With the exception of the eldest, these are not well-behaved kids--I have had to repeatedly enforce boundaries like "no jumping on people without permission" and "do not hide behind my car when I'm getting ready to leave" and "I need to go now, please give me back my purse right now". They're not mean kids, but their mom is often run ragged and their dad is just not present enough to enforce boundaries and rules. I've 'officially' babysat (for free) several times, which I don't mind. I do enjoy spending time with them in moderation.

The problem is the unofficial babysitting. At any event where the kids appear, the parents do very little watching over them. I've intervened to enforce boundaries when other (adult) friends are getting uncomfortable but are hesitant to firmly say no to these kids--after waiting to see if the parents will do anything about it. I've been dragged along as supervision when a subset of kids wants to do X thing but their mom clearly wants to spend some time sitting down with the toddler. During multiple parties, I've kept an eye out for the toddler, who can move pretty fast and has an unerring scent for trouble (I've had to halt them from leaving too far from the venue, climbing down stairs, and once from tumbling into a lake). This is not something I've been asked to do, but I'm pretty anxious about a toddler wandering away with both his parents unaware.

I understand that, as an adult, you're generally more aware of dangers and within your community and social circle, it's polite to ease the burden by sharing and keeping an eye out for children getting up to dangerous things. However, it is grating to be running after these kids when their parents seem utterly unconcerned. I'm also aware that I'm younger than this couple and don't have children yet and that there's definitely a lessening of vigilance in a lot of parents of multiple children of the sort "it's okay, they'll be fine, no need to worry".

A while ago, I was on a date with my boyfriend when we run into my friend with his younger kids. Actually, we run into the kids first, who are playing on the stairs. The kids will absolutely cling and not let go if you show them the slightest bit of attention, so we just said hi and moved on our way to avoid the trap. My friend was talking to someone and not really watching his kids. The kids soon disappeared down the stairs, leaving only the toddler behind. The toddler began making for the stairs (railing is open enough to crawl through) but I kept walking with my boyfriend. Suddenly, we hear my friend yell and go running for the stairs to grab the toddler, who was in the process of crawling through the railing.

My boyfriend was upset because he thinks we should've intervened and that it would've been our faults if the toddler had fallen. I countered saying that their dad was nominally supervising them and it wasn't our responsibility to be constantly babysitting. AITA?

(Further info, which we only found out afterwards: the stairs had a wide ledge on the other side of the railing, presumably toddler was trying to get on the ledge. Still dangerous, but they weren't going to immediately fall if they'd crawled through the railing.)

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[roseyrays]

Hi can you please make a request about housewardens with mc who is like little girl aka memory from identity v. Identity v is a mobile horror game like dead by deadlight. Of course PLATONIC!! little girl! Mc loves to draw, play dolls and always calls the housewardens and the rest of the boys onii chan. She's also shy around people.

🌻- OUR LITTLE SISTER featuring a little girl/memory!reader

dorm leaders | headcanon | platonic

warnings: includes overblot spoilers! and possibly ooc

notes: so being completely honest, i’ve never played idv before so i did my research so bare with me 🫠

🌹- Riddle Rosehearts

a child? what is a child doing here?? he has so many questions

when he heard that crowley is gonna let you stay in NRC he’s worried

you’re a child alone with no one who can take care of you (kinda)

he noticed how shy you are when you don’t really respond to anything, you just nod at whatever he’s asking you

whenever someone is teasing you ESPECIALLY when it’s someone from his dorm it will be off with their head

after his overblot he is very scared on what you will think of him now

but you actually warmed up to him and see him as a big brother

you would always mention your hobbies with him

you mentioned that you love drawings and dolls

so he decided to give a some more dolls to play with and some paper and pens for drawing

he’s the best big brother anyone could ever ask for

🦁 - Leona Kingscholar

he saw you in person during the entrance ceremony

and he met you in the botanical garden

you were a lot shy when you first met him but you needed adult supervision so you decided to stick around him

leona dislikes children though (that’s a lie, he does care for children he just doesn’t really like them that much)

he realized how sweet you were to everyone and him

after overblot, even though he did some terrible things you were still kind to him

which surprised him

now he takes care of you and boom you have leona as a big brother now

he secretly loves it when he sees you playing with cheka

will buy you crayons and papers for you to draw with

(big brother lion we stan)

you once called him "big bro" and he was definitely trying to hide a smile

buys you dolls and drawing stuff with his money

(ruggie is fuming)

🐙 - Azul Ashengrotto

concerned that there’s child with no guardian in the school

would try to keep you away from floyd

(you actually wanna play with floyd cuz bro is great w/ kids)

makes you eat at the mostro lounge because he doesn’t like you eating cafeteria food (especially w/the long ass lines)

after his overblot he was terrified to face you because he would think that you would hate him

but ofc you don’t

you guys created a small bond and you actually got used to him

you called him cute when you saw his childhood photos

he was embarrassed

he buys you stuff that you love <3

🦦 - Kalim Al Asim

found you adorable!

he has like 30+ siblings, so he definitely loves taking care of kids

but the issue is he isn’t very good at it

jamil has to help him (like always)

anyways when you told him about your interests, he immediately buys you tons of dolls and art stuff!!

he let’s you play with his hair

wants you to meet his siblings because he found adopted a new friend sibling for them!

you also get along with jamil very well and nicely

he cooks for the both of you

after jamil’s overblot though like the others he (jamil) is scared of what you will think of him

but as expected you did not hate him which he’s very thankful for

so technically jamil is babysitting two kids

🦚 - Vil Schoenheit

why is there a child here?

concerned

surprised

shocked

anywayssysys

rook is very delighted to see a child, he found you adorable and saw you as a sister while vil, very worried for your safety as well cause a child with no guardian?? dangerous

so he decided to take you to pomefiore dorm

he loves your cute doll

and will send rook to buy you some art supplies

during the vdc he makes you watch their practices because children easily get entertained right?

ok but like imagine a scenario when you guys meet Neige and he took one glance at you and immediately calling you “cute" and "adorable" cuz you are and once Vil sees you vibing to Neige’s song, he tries not to get jealous

after his overblot though

he finally let’s you interact with Neige for a bit jist fir a little bit

he acts like father lol

spoiling you with gifts and stuff

💀 - Idia Shroud

doesn’t really mind tbh

i mean he has ortho and he’s a little robot kid

he met you in person for the time when ortho decided to let you in the ignihyde dorm

he noticed how shy you are around people and he gets it

he himself is shy too

doesn’t really say it to you but he sees you as a sibling

pre overblot btw

when he saw you with rook and epel in styx, he was shocked

also worried for your safety cuz that is not a place for children

after his overblot

he was so nervous and sweaty on what you think of him

he was scared, he thinks he was gonna lose another sibling

but to his surprise and to no one elses

you forgave him

and called him big brother

he cried

so now you, idia and ortho are technically siblings now

they adopted you and you cannot decline that

🐉 - Malleus Draconia

he wasn’t there during the entrance ceremony or whatever you call it

but lilia was and you know he has an eye on adopting lost children

surprised to see lilia with a child in his arms

but at the same not (i think)

noticed you were a lot shy around people

so he (m.d) decided to make the dorm more lively

like adding more green fireflies and (very dark) but beautiful roses

after being settled in and being comfortable

you told him about your hobbies

asked lilia to buy dolls and drawing supplies for you

ofc lilia agreed, he loves making children happy

loves to watch you draw

he sent a letter to his grandma about you

something like “i would like to introduce you to the new addition of the draconia family"

that was after you called him big brother

he was happy :) he cried happy tears

and lilia is your father and silver & croc nut are your brothers

what a happy family

a/n: SORRY THIS TOOK A LOOONG TIME BUT I HOPED YOU LIKE IT ANON

#❥ my work #❥ platonic #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #azul ashengrotto #azul ashengrotto x reader #kalim al asim #kalim al asim x reader #vil schoenheit #vil schoenheit x reader #idia shroud #idia shroud x reader #malleus draconia #malleus draconia x reader #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twst #idv little girl #idv memory #identify v #female reader #child reader

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 叛逆者/The Rebel.

The Rebel is a 2021 period drama set during the 1930s and '40s as seen (mostly) from Shanghai by a patriotic young man who just keeps getting injured, ow, that poor baby.

It's a fairly realistic spy drama, by which I mean, there's not a bunch of cute costume changes or fun fake identities. Instead, this is a story about people who live entire other lives for years, keeping their true allegiances under wraps, doing what they can to help their side while sweating out what they can’t. It's way more John le Carré than Ian Fleming -- no James Bond flashiness or gizmos, all George Smiley subterfuge and paperwork. Actual spycraft is tough, kids!

Full disclaimer up front: This show is not a happy fun good time. It's a fascinating, gripping, tense piece of work about a thirteen-year period of history where a whole lot of miserable things were happening. The body count is frighteningly high. Be very careful about which characters you get attached to. Exactly one man has plot armor, so God help the rest of them.

However, if you're up for a quality drama with a serious tone that's so full of HISTORY! it's bursting at the seams, I have five reasons you should give this one a shot:

1. Starring the veins in Zhu Yilong's forehead

Do you feel like watching a beautiful man have a terrible day for 43 episodes straight?

This show is absolutely a Zhu Yilong vehicle. The rest of the cast is great (and more on them later), but he's the star -- and the show just loves to beat him up, both emotionally and physically. His character, Lin Nansheng, exists in a Murphy's-Law situation where if anything bad can happen to him, it will. If you like seeing this gorgeous gentleman in distress, this show has you covered.

Someone please care him.

2. Daddy Issues

Chen Moqun is a bad, bad man. He's a bastard in his first scene, and he's a bastard in his last. He is loyal to exactly one thing, and that is his own survival. He will ally with anyone and fuck anyone over if it means he gets to live another day.

He is also scaldingly hot in his bastardry.

Chen Moqun is the spymaster who pulls Lin Nansheng out of the regular military ranks and into the world of the intelligence services, despite Lin Nansheng's lack of experience in the field. This means that Lin Nansheng is Chen Moqun's little golden boy -- and that means Chen Moqun feels justified in making Lin Nansheng do whatever the hell he wants, and in getting all up in Lin Nansheng's business when he doesn't do it perfectly.

I know there are several of you out there whose tails just started wagging. Good, you've got it.

Alas that he is not in nearly as much of the series as his top billing suggests he would be. He's a major figure in the early arcs, but pretty soon after, Circumstances relocate him to somewhere Lin Nansheng isn't -- and because Lin Nansheng is our POV character, Chen Moqun all but vanishes from the show. He reappears later, but as a much less prominent figure. Still a self-serving bastard, though! Don't worry about that.

I like Chen Moqun as a character for a lot of reasons. He's slimy, but he's effective. He's smart, but he's not a supervillain. He's the kind of competent bastard that it's very fun to watch the good guys outwit. He kind of has to leave the narrative, because he's so sharp that much of the plot would be impossible under his supervision; he gets replaced by [spoiler], whose general incompetence makes him dangerous in a very different way, but who is so self-absorbed that he can't see when he's being played. Pulling the wool over Chen Moqun's eyes is a much nastier business.

At the same time, though, he's a coward. He'll sell out anything and anyone to save his own skin. His lack of inner conviction eventually reduces him to something pathetic, leaving him at the mercy of people he once abused, Lin Nansheng included. ...Ah, your tails are wagging harder now, I see.

Now, for those of you who are not into a Bad Daddy dynamic, may I sell you on how Lin Nansheng also has two Good Daddies?

Honestly, if this show had not been laboring under the weight of [gestures to the state of Chinese media and culture], I'm pretty sure they would have made at least one of these two Older Lifelong Bachelors textually gay. I'm just saying, throw-yourself-into-the-cause-style patriotism is a great cover for never marrying and being cagey about your entire personal life.

Also, I know their super-secret espionage meetups on park benches aren't intended to look like dudes cruising, but come on.

3. A startlingly good love story???

And I say "startlingly" because the love story comes in multiple stages, and I haaaaaate the first one. Fortunately, so does the show!

When Lin Nansheng and Zhu Yizhen start off their romance, she's a wealthy college schoolgirl (which comes off as more than a little creepy, since Tong Yao is clearly in her late thirties) and he's a TA at her school -- except she's actually a student activist working for the Communists, and he's a member of the KMT sent to seduce her and infiltrate her cell. It goes exactly as badly as you'd expect! And when it was clear it was over for good, I breathed a sigh of relief. I liked them both as individual characters, but as a romantic pairing, the amount of malicious deception involved really wasn't doing it for me, to say nothing of how I dislike teacher/student as a trope. (Also, they really have no chemistry together, but whatever, I'm used to c-drama hets by now.) Well, I thought, thank goodness all that's over and we'll never have to come back to it!

But here's the thing: They come together again later under different circumstances, and oh, that's some good stuff. She gets a haircut, he gets to be himself, and the two of them have to learn how to work together even when they can't entirely trust one another.

That amount of deception is great, because that's not lies -- it's opsec. They are both withholding colossal amounts of information from one another, and each one of them knows the other's doing it, even if they don't know what information is being withheld. They both want to know what the other person knows, but they also know that person would die before giving up their secrets.

This does lead to a number of points where you're hollering JUST TELL HIM/HER at the screen, which can get a little frustrating. But, like, you get it. They've got reasons for not sharing information, and grim little reason number one is, the bad guys can't torture out of you what you don't know.

This is not a romance drama; this is a drama that happens to have a complicated romance stitched all the way through it. Sometimes it's the main focus, but much of the time it's a side note. The two of them go years at a time without interacting. They each spend a fair amount of time believing the other is dead. When they do get to work together, they're great partners. When they're separated or at odds, they don't collapse.

I said earlier that Lin Nansheng is the POV character, which is mostly true. However, we do get a not-small amount of the story told from Zhu Yizhen's POV when he's not around, which goes a long way toward making her an actual person and not just an accessory to his story -- and that goes a long way toward making this romance something between equals, and not just a case where a nice guy feels real bad about how much he fucked over the girl he liked.

I'd say that if you're looking for a drama where the love story is a central point of interest, or for a drama without any love story at all, you'll be happier elsewhere. However, if you're a Goldilocks who enjoys a fraught love story when it's there but doesn't miss it when it's gone, this may strike a good balance for you!

This pair is also about as much as the show gets in terms of textual, onscreen romance. Howerver, there are also a number of couples in this show who have to pretend to be married, if that's a trope that does it for you. And speaking of those...

4. My Fair Lady

Lan Xinjie turned out to be maybe my favorite character in the show, which surprised the hell out of me, considering how she was introduced as a pretty throwaway character: Oh, look, a pretty and sophisticated woman at the dance hall, she can use her refined and wordly ways to make The Virgin Lin Nansheng sweat, it's great.

But then she comes back. In fact, she keeps exiting the narrative and then showing up again a couple episodes later! Her continued involvement with these spy boys keeps both ruining her life and saving it. Every time you think she's gotten out, circumstances pull her back into Lin Nansheng's catastrophe orbit, making her maybe the most tragic character in a series full of them.

Here's a thing that impressed me about the drama: Lan Xinjie is a sex worker, but the show never shits on her for that. The show presents what she's doing as negative, but mostly because she doesn't particularly enjoy doing it. She keeps doing it, though, because sometimes it's the best way for her to make money, and sometimes it's the only way for her to make money.

The thing is, Lan Xinjie herself never talks about what she's doing like it's some tragic fate. It's a job. She has to play nice with jackass men from all over the world, and she can do it because men fall all over a pretty girl like her. Whenever Lin Nansheng makes a sad face about it, she basically rolls her eyes at him. She has a very solid grasp of the way the world works, and she's going to do what she needs to do to keep herself and her loved ones alive.

Now: Lan Xinjie definitely functions in the narrative as a contrast to how Good and Pure Communist Girl-Next-Door Zhu Yizhen is. Lan Xinjie is a little too much of a Fallen Woman, so she's never going to threaten Zhu Yizhen's position as the main love interest. However, it would have been so easy to go all in on slut-shaming Lan Xinjie to make that contrast even starker, and the show does not do that. It does not judge her for her choices, in part because it understands that women like her very often doesn't have any.

On top of all of this, Zhu Zhu can act her damn face off. There are story beats that could have been melodramatic and unintentionally comic, but she sells them and makes them devastating. Arguably the best scenes in the entire show are when she and Zhu Yilong are working together, because the two of them consistently turn in stellar performances. This show is not exactly a font of subtlety (see my next point), but both of them manage to play their roles with restraint and dignity that make their moments together shine.

I won't spoil where exactly this goes, but to me, the complicated relationship between Lin Nansheng and Lan Xinjie is one of the highlights of the show. It's a lot of guilt and obligation intertwined with genuine affection, and because it can't be The Love Story, it winds up being a very fraught, intimate friendship that lasts through the best and worst parts of both of their lives.

Also, everything she wears is stunning. Marry me, Miss Lan.

5. Makes you feel real smart!

Hey, nerds! Do you like history? Because boy oh boy, is this a show about history!

It's so much a show about history, in fact, that it occasionally has to break into little documentary-style interludes, where you get to watch pictures of actual historical footage while one of the cast members narrates a small summary of what's going on with the geopolitical situation at that moment. Everyone in the main cast is fictional, but there are plenty of real names dropped all over the place. You aren't expected to know everything already, but you're definitely expected to keep up.

I will admit that I don't know the ins and outs of that historical period well enough to fact-check a lot of the particulars, so I can't swear to the accuracy of its various smaller moves. I do know enough about it to know, though, that this story is a little biased.

And by that I mean: This show is propaganda through and through. It’s all about how well the Righteous Communists did in their battle first against the Terrible Japanese, then against the Wicked KMT (the non-Communist Nationalists). Characters give stirring declarations of their principles at a rate of about one every other episode. There’s a whole scene where two dudes sit on a park bench and talk animatedly about what a great and prescient writer Mao was. Be prepared to be serenaded by a number of (what I assume are) stirring Communist anthems.

This all has zero emotional resonance to me. There were several points I could tell it was making references to events and people and speeches that are surely real historical things, but I lack most of the cultural competency that I’d need to recognize them without explanation. The climactic moment of Lin Nansheng’s joining the Communists (this is not a spoiler, you know it’s coming from the get-go) mostly seemed goofy to me, especially with the closed-fist salute that looks like you’re about to punch yourself in the head.

See what I mean?

All of which is to say: The propaganda did not bother me, because I mostly found it abstract and funny. And for heaven's sake, I'm from the US; I learned how to laugh my way through unsubtle pro-government propaganda watching Saturday morning cartoons.

However, I can imagine people closer to these cultures and events having MUCH stronger reactions. If this is you, yeah, be careful.

What's kind of sad (and by sad I mean funny) is how much the blatant Communism! Fuck Yeah! just turns the show into the "How do you do, fellow kids?" of propaganda. If it had just told the story, it honestly would have done a better job of making the Communists seem like the cool underdogs against the overpowering forces of authoritarian jackassery. But when you have someone all but turn to the camera damn near every episode to make sure you, the viewer, know how good and noble and smart its brave communist characters are, it sure spoils the effect.

I honestly don't know enough about the production team to know how accidental or intentional this was. Is it possible the drama is actually subtly lampooning these hyper-patriotic tropes? Sure, maybe! Is it possible that it actually believes this cringe with all its heart? Could be! Is it maybe neutral on matters of personal belief but playing up this version of history to get the show approved by party censors during the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CCP? Ah, yeah, that's the most likely one. Believe what you want about its motivations. Those who are inclined to be moved by its ideologies probably will be. The rest of us, probably the opposite.

All that said: I actually think it's useful and good to hear obviously biased takes on historical events, especially from unfamiliar and non-western perspectives. This is because all takes on historical events are biased, and it's dangerous and stupid to pretend they're not! Looking at how someone tells a story is as instructive as looking at the story they tell. If you go into the Rebel with that in mind, it adds a meta-layer of interest that I (a historian) find fascinating.

Ready to watch, comrade?

This one's an iQiyi exclusive -- and it's not a VIP exclusive, so if you're willing to put up with some ads, you can watch it all for free.

This is a show I'm probably never going to watch all the way through again, on account of how heavy it is. However, it is also a show I'm very glad I watched, because I find myself thinking about it a lot. Even when it's being hokey and jingoistic, it never stops being interesting. It's just a well-made drama that contains multitudes.

And, of course, one of those is this beautiful man's beautiful face.

#the rebel #叛逆者 #lin nansheng #i made this #rec post

[spacesquidlings]

The Babysitter Is A Vampire Chapter 2: Tea Time Drama

Summary: Now that he's been introduced to the chaotic children he's been tasked with watching, Astarion quickly learns he's got his work cut out for him. Things are not going to be a simple tea party.

Pairing: Astarion x Female Tav (Aspen)

Warnings: None

Previous Chapter

*******************************************

Astarion quickly learned that he was quite talented at being a tea party guest. So talented, in fact, that perhaps he had missed his true life’s calling.

Cadence, Willow, and Aisling had hurried around, collecting mismatched cups and spoons and plates, arranging them on a low table that had been shoved into a corner of the room. They tossed everything around haphazardly, with Willow coming back around to straighten up all the dishes and to arrange everyone’s beloved toys around the table.

Astarion did little but supervise, at first. At least until Willow came up to him, jumping up on her toes until she snagged his hand to grab his attention.

“What is it, my dear?”

“We need snacks,” she said, her face somber but for the dance of light in her eyes. “And we need the tea!”

He turned to Aspen, her hair a mess from a toddler chucking a bowl of sticky fruit at her. He hesitated, not wanting to burden her further, but she only smiled, coming closer to slip her hand into his.

“What is it, my love?” She asked, wiping her forehead with her free hand as fruit juice trickled down from her scalp.

It would have been embarrassing to admit what was churning in his mind had he been with anyone else. But Aspen was always gentle with him, always patient. He knew that he could be honest with her, that he could show her every part of himself, no matter how broken or incompetent or bloodstained he was.

“They wanted to host a tea party,” he said, by way of explanation. “But we seem to be missing the key ingredient here.”

She nodded, a smile like a crescent moon curving across her lips. “Ah, I see.”

“And I don’t actually know…” He trailed off, looking down to where their hands were intertwined before continuing. “I don’t know how to make tea.”

“That’s no problem.” Aspen squeezed his hand, bringing it to her lips to scatter kisses over his knuckles, the inside of his wrist. “I can make it for you.”

“And treats!”

They both started, looking down to find Willow still standing close by, her expression borderline mischievous.

Aspen tapped her cheek, feigning thought, smiling wider. “And what kind of treats would you like?”

“Cookies! And cake! And uh…” She trailed off, her face growing somber once more. “And my favourite is pie. Please.”

Aspen chuckled, bobbing her head. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you,” Astarion murmured, squeezing her hand in return. “For helping me. I don’t think I’m much good at this.”

“I’d do anything for you,” she breathed, kissing his hand again. He would have liked it if she’d kissed his lips, but he supposed this was neither the time or place. “And for someone who’s never really dealt with children, you are doing a marvellous job.”

He arched a brow. “I’m pretty sure they almost staged a coup.”

She shrugged. “That’s just regular kid stuff.”

He would have liked to speak with her longer, to listen to the gentle rise and fall of her voice, a lullaby that was forever soothing his anxieties when she was near. But one of the toddlers was wailing, and Willow was tugging at his free hand again, asking him to come and play.

“I love you,” Aspen said, giving his hand one last squeeze before letting it go. “I’m just going to put the last of the little ones to bed, and then I’ll get the treats, alright?”

“Alright.” He did his best to smile, although he wished the smaller children did not take up so much of Aspen’s time. He wanted to hear more of her praise, wanted her to beam at him, at how well he was handling everything. “Don’t miss me too much.”

She shot him a wry smile before scooping up the wailing child and disappearing from the room.

Astarion would be lying if he said his heart did not ache, that he did not already miss her now that she was gone. He had teased her, but the truth was that he missed her terribly, that he was no better than a lovesick fool counting down the moments until his lover’s return.

Not that he could dwell on how he wished she would return soon, not with the children clamouring to begin playing, even while they were devoid of snacks. So he let himself be directed to a spot between Willow and a large stuffed bear that he thought might have been named Oak, although he wasn’t entirely sure. Every time the twins started trying to name all the toys they confused each other, and the conversion quickly devolved into bickering until Ellie started reciting one of her stories.

Glory stood abruptly, shaking her tea cup. “I would like to make toast!”

“Toast is for breakfast!” Ellie shouted, frowning.

“Not toast,” Glory muttered, stomping her foot. “I have something to say!”

“Well why didn’t you just say that!”

“I suspect we’ll be here all night if someone doesn’t stop those two,” Astarion muttered, twirling his empty teacup around his finger. Beside him, Willow giggled, covering her face when he looked over at her.

“And what do you find so funny?” He teased, flipping his cup over and leaning closer. “What are you laughing at, little one?”

She shook her head furiously. “Nothing!”

“That sounds like something!”

She snickered again, peeking up at him from between her fingers. “You’re silly.”

He didn’t know why her comment made him so pleased, and yet it did. He beamed, he couldn’t stop himself from beaming, as he leaned back in his seat. “Thank you, I happen to be quite hilarious.”

She giggled again, although she was no longer hiding herself. “Rigel thinks you’re silly, too.”

“That is the highest of compliments from Rigel.” He didn’t think he could smile wider, and yet he did, the clamour of the other children melting away for a moment.

“He likes you.”

“He’s quite a good judge of character, then.”

“And,” she added, her voice dropping to a whisper. “He really likes Miss Aspen, too!”

“Oh my.” Astarion held a hand to his lips, feigning surprise. “Well that is so wonderful to hear. I really like Miss Aspen, too.”

“Do you think she’d like him?”

Astarion lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I think we should ask her when she brings the snacks.”

“Hey! Hey, look at me!”

Astarion turned his attention to Rose, who had stood now, too. She had her hands planted on her hips, a wide smile on her face. “I’m gonna sing!”

He blinked, unsure whether this was standard protocol at a tea party. “Alright, go ahead then, my dear.”

She cleared her throat, launching into an off-key version of a song that Astarion had never heard of before.

Glory, her toast forgotten in the mayhem that was Ellie, slumped back in her seat with a huff. “Can someone pass me the muffins? I need to give one to Glitter.”

“That’s you!” Aisling cried, waving a hand at Astarion. “You’ve got the muffins!”

He frowned, looking down at empty air. “I do?”

“Yes!” She sounded beyond exasperated with him. “Gimme the muffins, I’ll give them to Glory!”

Astarion bit the inside of his cheek, trying to stop himself from laughing as he mimed picking up a plate, passing it to Aisling. “This one?”

“Yes, this one.” She was perhaps the most exasperated child he had ever met, and she rolled her eyes theatrically before passing the “plate” to Glory.

An idea struck Astarion then, and he grinned as he leaned over the table. “Be careful! You’re dropping the muffins.”

Glory gasped, playing along immediately. “Aisling! You dropped the muffins! I can’t give those to Glitter!”

Glitter, a soft pink stuffed bear, seemed to have a look of disdain on her fluffy face, and it did little to help the laughter bubbling in the back of Astarion’s throat.

“I didn’t drop any muffins!” Aisling cried, jabbing a finger at Astarion. “It was him!”

He lifted his hands, palms out. “I was careful, it couldn’t have been me!”

“I saw you!” Willow cried, chiming in. “I saw you drop them, Aisling!”

Glory gasped, leaning down only to hold her hand up, holding what Astarion assumed was an invisible muffin. It looked more like an orange to him, but he wouldn’t call her out on it now that he’d begun to sow his chaos. “Look at this! You dropped it! It was you!”

“No, I swear!”

Astarion leaned across the table, closest to Ellie. “You know what I think we ought to do?”

Ellie stared at him wide-eyed, shaking her head.

He mimicked pushing a plate of some unknown pastry towards the girl. “I think we ought to throw these at Aisling.”

Ellie gasped, but her eyes glittered with mischief. “What would Aisling say?”

“She lied about dropping the muffins, didn’t she?” He clicked his tongue, pulling his bottom lip out into a pout. “Now poor Glitter won’t have her favourite muffin.”

Another gasp came from the child, more scandalized this time. “Dats right! And if Glitter can’t have muffins, then none of us can!”

Astarion would be lying if he said he wasn’t smiling a little as Ellie pretended to pick up an imaginary pastry, shouting to get Aisling’s attention.

“Dis is for Glitter!”

Aisling blinked, looking aghast. She had obviously not been hit by a real pastry, but she looked horrified all the same. “What did you do?”

“I threw a cookie at you!”

Aisling scowled. “No you did not. Those are cupcakes.”

Astarion pretended to lift a cookie from the plate, miming taking a bite. “I don’t know, it feels like a cookie to me.”

He almost felt a little bad as Aisling fumed, her cheeks turning red. “Maybe they’re cookies made of cupcakes!”

“Oh that’s a new recipe, you’ll have to show me how to make them,” he quipped.

Marie dropped her head, lines forming on her brow. “What’s happening?”

“We’re attacking Aisling!” Ellie announced, leaping to her feet. “For dropping all of Glitter’s favourite muffins!”

Glory was on her feet next, lifting her cup and pretend dumping it on Aisling. “For Glitter!”

“We shouldn’t be wasting the food,” Cadence whined, although she was drowned out by the whoops of the rest of the children as they all leapt to their feet.

“Take that!” Aisling shrieked, lobbing something right at Glory.

One of the twins, Rose he was pretty sure, picked up her tea cup and threw the invisible liquid right at Cadence. “Ha! Dats for beating me at mermaids!”

Although she had been against their game at the start, Cadence got into it quickly, pretending to splutter before tossing her cup’s invisible contents right back at Rose. “Got ya!”

“No you didn’t! You missed!”

“Oh no, there’s cake in my hair!”

“You almost hit Glitter!”

“Don’t throw cookies at Lucy, you’ll make her cry!”

Astarion didn’t even have to participate any longer, instead sitting back as the chaos unfolded. It was a bizarre sight, the children that had seemed so serious and somber when he’d first met them, now with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. 

Glory and Aisling were no longer at odds, instead teaming up to pretend to make more food before tossing them at anyone who got too close. 

Marie was stacking pillows on top of her chair like she was trying to build a fort, although she kept pretending to get hit by food and threw herself to the floor every few minutes with a shout of feigned agony.

“‘Scuse me…”

Astarion looked down to see Willow still pressed close, her wolf clutched in her arms. “What is it, darling?”

“Can you keep Rigel safe for me?” She whispered, holding her wolf up. “He’s scared of flying things.”

He nodded, delicately taking the wolf and settling it in his lap. “I’ll keep him very safe.”

“Thank you!”

Willow didn’t give him a second look before she launched towards Cadence, waving her teacup as she shouted about throwing doughnuts at Rose.

He patted the stuffed wolf, surveying his work as the children laughed, screaming as they pretend to get hit with the flying confections, throwing themselves to the ground before crawling back up with renewed vigor.

“And what do we have here?”

Astarion turned to see Aspen had returned, steam curling from the spout of a brown teapot cradled in her hands.

“Oh, hello my darling,” Astarion said, his focus snagging on her as she came up to their little party.

“We’re playing!” Willow squealed, running up to her. “Do you wanna play with us?”

Aspen set the teapot down, humming in thought. “Hmm, I’m not sure. What game are you playing?”

“Tea party,” Glory announced, her face flushed as she heaved deep breaths.

“Crazy tea party,” Cadence amended.

“Oh my,” Aspen said. “I don’t know, that sounds pretty crazy. And pretty loud.”

“We were just having fun, Miss Aspen,” Willow whined, slumping onto a pile of pillows that had collapsed from Marie’s attempt at a fort.

“I know,” she said, her smile soft. “But you know, everyone has to be quiet now. The littlest ones are all upstairs sleeping.

Glory heaved a deep sigh, pouting. “But we’re playing!”

“I know. And you can keep playing, but you have to do it quietly, okay?”

Around the table, all the girls gave sullen nods, staring down at their overturned cups and plates and chairs.

“Alright. Now then, would you all like some snacks.”

Like embers to dry kindling, their faces erupted into light and smiles as “yes please” echoed through the room.

She grinned wider. “I’ll be right back, then.”

Another moment later and Aspen returned with brown packages piled high in her arms. Forgetting all about their violent tea party, the children flocked around Aspen as she settled everything on the table, trying to peek over her shoulder into the packages.

“What are all those, Miss Aspen?” It was Cadence who asked it, leaning so far over her shoulder it looked like she might slip and fall forward onto her face.

“Well this is cookies,” Aspen began, unpackaging the first box to reveal a pile of cookies. They were smothered with orchid pink and sunshine yellow frosting, drowning in sprinkles in the shapes of stars and hearts.

The girls squealed, and even Astarion could hardly contain his delight at the sight. These cookies looked fresh, the frosting melting away at the edges, and he wondered what Aspen had done to get them.

Next was a package of little cakes, intricate designs curling across their frosted sides and tops. Coral flowers and golden suns, emerald fish and azure waves. Edible gold had been dusted across the cakes, making them shimmer in the wan light.

“There’s one for each of you,” she sang, cheeks flushed with pride. Her lips were pulled back in a grin, their rose-petal shade telling him she had been biting them ferociously before she’d returned, and again he was left wondering what exactly she had done to gather these treats.

“And finally…” She trailed off, throwing open the top of the final package with a flourish.

Nestled inside was a collection of little tarts, hearts and stars carved over their golden crusts, deep red and purple filling seeping out.

Even Astarion’s mouth was watering at the smell, imagining how it would feel if he bit into it, imagining the flakey crust, the tart berries on his tongue.

“Little pies!” Willow shrieked, staring down into the package in wonder. “They’re so pretty!”

“You said pie was your favourite,” Aspen said, her soft smile making Astarion feel warm, making him feel like he was melting as surely as the frosting was. “I’m only sorry I couldn’t get a bigger one for you.”

“They’re perfect!”

She spun around suddenly, launching herself into Aspen’s arms. “Thank you! Thank you Miss Aspen!”

Aspen laughed, and his heart soared, caught like the gossamer wings of butterflies in a breeze. He couldn’t understand it, the why of his joy, but in the moment he didn’t bother to consider it. He only savoured her smile and the warmth that grew in his heart like flowers blooming in the spring. He was allowed to be happy, to have no reason for it, to delight in his partner’s smile and laughter.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said, smoothing back Willow’s hair. “Why don’t we get your plates organized, and everyone can enjoy their snack and tea.”

A chorus of delighted shouts rang out, almost immediately followed by hushed sorry’s as Aspen tapped her pointer finger to her lips.

Astarion worked alongside her, doling out the treats at the children’s request, settling them on plates while she poured steaming, amber tea into their little cups.

It was only once the children were all settled, chattering about whatever nonsense was delighting them at the moment, did Astarion slump back into an abandoned seat, fatigue reaching across the edges of his mind.

Aspen came up beside him, her brow creased with worry. “Are you okay, my love?”

He leaned his head against her leg, sighing as she settled her hand on his head. “I’m alright, just a bit tired.”

“They’re quite a handful, aren’t they?”

He nodded, that inexplicable warmth and tightness in his chest only growing more taut. “They’re quite hilarious, though.”

She hummed. “As are you, my love. You looked like you were having lots of fun playing tea party.”

“You know,” he said, contentment washing over him as she ran her fingers through his hair. “I think I would have made a fabulous tea party host in another life.”

“You are just brimming with all sorts of surprising skills,” she teased.

“And that’s why you love me so, isn’t it?”

She smirked. “Among other things. But I wouldn’t care if you were a talentless fool, I would still love you.”

“Now why would you say something like that?”

“Because,” she sang, drawing out the word slowly. “I love you, and you’ll always be you, Astarion. I love you for your heart, not the things you can do.”

He felt his eyes burning, and he pressed his face fully against her thigh, hoping to staunch the tears before they fell.

He had never before thought himself a crier, and yet sometimes she would say things with such softness, with such adoration, that he did not know what to do with the emotion that brimmed within him. All he could do was cry, her hands stroking his hair, his back, holding him until the tears slowed and turned to salt on his cheeks.

“It’s a rotten thing, you know,” he muttered, not sure if she could hear him. “After all these years.”

“Not to me. It’s yours, and I will love it even after I draw my final breath.”

He took a shuddering breath, closing his eyes. “You really need to stop being so nice to me, it’s turning me soft.”

She snorted, stroking his hair. “I think that’s one request I will not be able to fulfill for you, my love.”

He did not say it, but he was glad for it. That there was always kindness and patience for him in her smile, waiting in her arms.

Not that he needed to say it, anyways. He was sure she already knew; that he savoured the gentleness she showed him.

“I don’t mind if you’re a little soft,” she said, her voice a caress. “It means you’re all the better to cuddle with.”

“Darling, if you want to cuddle all you have to do is ask.” He peeked up from his hiding place, watching her from beneath the fringe of his lashes. “I’d be happy to oblige.”

Laughing, Aspen pried herself free from his grip, only to lean down and drop a kiss to his head. “I will take you up on that, you know.”

“I hope you do.” He tried to sound sultry, giving her a lazy smile as she drew away. But it was hard when his hope was genuine, when he truly wanted to just be wrapped in her arms, to rest while listening to the steady beat of her heart.

“Miss Aspen!”

Returning to the present chaos he found Willow had come up to them, her stuffed wolf clutched in her arms. She had her focus fixed entirely on Aspen, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she stared up at her.

“What is it, love?”

Willow held up her stuffed wolf, wiggling him for Aspen to see. “This is Rigel!”

“Hello, Rigel. How lovely to meet you.”

Willow giggled as Aspen reached out to shake Rigel’s paw. “Do you like him?”

“I think he’s wonderful. He looks very handsome.”

Another giggle, Willow’s hair falling over her face like a curtain as she ducked her head. “He says thank you.”

“Thank you for introducing us!” She gave another pat to the stuffed wolf’s head. “It’s made my day.”

“Miss Aspen, you’re silly.” And with that, Willow ran off, waving before either of them could get a word in edgewise.

“Do you think she meant that as a compliment?” Aspen asked, turning to Astarion with a quirked brow. “I can’t tell if it was.”

Grinning as he tipped his head back, he reached up to brush his knuckles across her cheek. “I think it is the highest of compliments from her.”

“She was clinging to you an awful lot today,” she said, her voice lilting. “It seems like she’s grown fond of you.”

He looked away so she could not see the warmth flooding his cheeks. “Well of course she has. I’m quite easy to adore.”

“Astarion.”

Still he would not look at her, would not meet her eyes. How could he explain the fondness he felt in return, to the small elven child with her somber eyes and her matted stuffed wolf? 

“Yes, my sweet?”

“Why won’t you look at me?”

He cleared his throat, fixing his attention on a scratch on the wall, where the wallpaper had been shredded. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She hummed, making it clear she did not believe him in the least.

“Fine, be that way.”

The sound of rustling clothing told him that she was moving to stand, preparing to go. But this was the first time they had been able to share more than a few moments together since they had entered the house, and he was loath to let her go already.

“Wait.” He was reaching for her hand without realizing it, snagging it so she could not move away. “Don’t go. I only…”

Aspen knelt beside him, smoothing his mussed hair from his face. “What is it, my love?”

“I was only joking around, I didn’t want you to go.” He sighed, melting a little as her fingers continued to flit through his hair. “I don’t know what I’m feeling right now.”

“That’s okay,” she murmured, tingles blooming beneath her touch whenever her fingers grazed his brow. “You don’t have to know.”

“Yes, but…” He trailed off, words failing him. He had found more often than not his words were constantly failing him, now that he was no longer following the roguish script he had created when trying to charm people. Being genuine and honest was difficult, and even more trying was being honest about how he felt, was putting words to the tangled emotions that lay in the shadowed parts of his heart.

“It’s alright not to know.” Her hand fell away, and for a moment she rested her head on his lap, looking up at him with such contentment and love that his eyes burned once more. “You don’t need to. You can take as much time as you need to understand what you’re feeling.”

How someone could be so patient, he did not understand. He had seen her grow restless with so many things, unable to lie in wait for enemies to approach, not bothering to strategize for more than a few moments before charging into a dungeon none of them knew. Even just waiting for her food to be cool enough to eat, so impatient she squirmed, struggling to take bites that burned her tongue and had her guzzling water before she took another bite of what surely tasted like wildfire.

And yet with him she was always patient, always gentle and kind. Her touch soft, her words and her eyes warm. She was what sunshine felt like on his skin, brushing against him, seeping into the marrow of his bones, so even his undead heart was warm, even the blood that congealed in his cold veins burned.

A part of him worried that she was putting aside too much of what she wanted, making herself small so that she could fill the empty spaces of her soul with him. But she was honest with him, and how she felt came to her lips easily, and she wasn’t particularly adept at keeping secrets. It didn’t take much to get her to unveil whatever she tried squirreling away inside her heart.

It was only self doubt that made him question whether he was taking up too much space, making him feel like he was spoiling things, ruining things.

He was no monster, not in her eyes. And if she saw someone who could be good, if she saw someone who deserved the love she spoiled him with, then he would believe her. There was, after all, no one he trusted more than her.

“Thank you, my darling.” His words came out raspier than he had intended, his voice cracking.

She gave him another contented smile, her eyes falling closed. “I love you, and I’ll always be here with you.”

He ran the pads of his fingers over her brow, relishing in the warmth of her skin seeping into his. “And I with you, my love.”

She hummed softly, a song she often sang to him at dawn, the watery morning light seeping across the sky, turning it grey before the gold of the sun set the world ablaze. She would sing to him, running her fingers through his hair before she fell asleep, and he would hold her close until dusk turned everything to flame and it was safe for him to walk into the world once more.

“Astarion,” she breathed, her eyes still closed, lashes fanning out over the curve of her cheek. “Can I ask something of you?”

His heart ached, wishing he could give her everything she desired. But he could do this at least, he could answer a question for her. “What is it my darling?”

Now her eyes did open, mischief hidden within them. “Could you keep playing with my hair? That feels very nice.”

His hand had been hovering over her hair, but now he drew it away, wiggling his fingers to taunt her. “Hmm, I’m not sure about that, my darling. I’ve done so much today already.”

With a huff, she sat up, lips pulling into a spectacular pout. “Perhaps I will just go.”

Before she could fully stand he reached out to snag her arm, drawing her close and coaxing her back into his lap. “I didn’t say no, darling. Only that I’ve done a lot today.”

She hummed, one brow quirked as her eyes danced. “You’re awfully benevolent.”

“I am,” he agreed, smirking. “I’m terribly benevolent, and kind. And I’m quite beautiful, too.”

Her eyes were already closed again, a lazy smile on her lips. “Oh the most beautiful.”

He was certainly beautiful, but in this moment she was the one who was most beautiful by far.

“I’m so glad we’re in agreement.”

She cracked one eye open, finding his. “You’re terribly sweet, too. You’re making my teeth ache.”

Bringing his hand down to her cheek, he stroked the corner of her lips. “Darling, I’d do anything for this pretty smile.”

Had they been alone they would have been able to stay like that all night, perhaps into the day too. The warmth of her skin seeped into the spaces between his bones, into his marrow, across nerves until his hands tingled as they had when he’d first reached towards the sun, when the tadpole had still been buried in his brain and it had given him the freedom to stand in the light.

They were, however, not alone. Would likely not be alone for hours yet.

A shout erupted, drawing them from their reverie. Aspen sat up quickly, climbing to her feet as Willow fell onto the floor, head tipped back as she wailed.

“What’s happened?” Aspen ran over to her, kneeling down as she continued to sob, her cheeks turning ruddy from crying.

“Aisling spilled her tea!” Ellie cried, jabbing a finger at the little girl in question.

“Snitch!” She shouted back, but she looked terrified.

“Where did she spill it?” Astarion was on his feet now too, coming towards them and the mess that the room had begun in the few moments he hadn’t been paying attention.

Willow was blubbering, rubbing her eyes as snot dripped down her face. She was incoherent, and he couldn’t make out what she was saying.

Beside her, Aspen tried to calm her down, drawing her close for a cuddle as she sobbed. “It’s okay, it’s all okay.”

“It’s not okay!” her voice cracked, splintering like dried kindling.

It was only when one of the other children lifted up a sopping wet Rigel, stained amber from the tea, did it all make sense.

“Oh no,” Aspen murmured, eyes widening when she saw the poor toy. “Is it because Rigel was hurt?”

Willow gave a dejected nod as another sob bubbled from her mouth. “He’s hurt!”

Sighing, Astarion crouched beside Aisling, her countenance white as a sheet. “Did you mean to spill it?”

There were tears in her eyes, the tip of her nose turning red. “No! No, it was an accident!”

Her bottom lip was quivering now too, and Astarion patted her head, unsure of what to do next. It had been so long since he had been a child, he didn’t know how he was supposed to respond. He didn’t think this sort of issue required a timeout or a punishment, but how did they fix what had sent Willow into hysterics?

Aisling stared at Astarion, looking a little baffled. She was no longer crying through, which he considered a win. “What are you doing?”

“Comforting you?”

She giggled then, scrubbing her face. “You’re weird.”

He sniffed, narrowing his eyes. “You’re weird.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

Aisling giggled again, and Astarion struggled to keep his expression as one of petulance. It was relief that he felt, relief and satisfaction that he was able to calm her down and slow the flow of her tears.

Once she had calmed completely he dropped his hand, resting it on his knee. Willow was still crying, although it sounded like it was starting to slow, more quiet whimpers than wracking sobs. He tried to think of what to do now, what to say. Everything had been an accident, but Willow was still distressed, and in her mind Rigel had been hurt.

He tried to think about what he would do, and when that drew a blank he thought about what his friends would do, what Aspen would do. If this had been him, if he had hurt someone unintentionally.

What would she say to him? What would she do?

“I know you didn’t mean to spill tea on Willow’s toy,” he started, speaking slowly as he thought through his words, as he kept his tone gentle and even. “But you still spilled tea all over Willow’s toy, and you’re going to have to apologize.”

Aisling stared at him with watery eyes, and, like freezing water sluicing over him, fear washed through his mind as he worried that he had said something wrong, that he had made things worse.

Tension coiled in his chest, pulling his heart taut as seconds ticked by, Willow’s sniffles the only sound in the room. Aisling continued to stare at him, no longer looking on the verge of tears, but not looking like she was preparing to apologize either.

He drew breath, trying to figure out what else he could say so she did not cry anymore, but the words died on his tongue as she gave a sullen nod.

“Okay.” Her voice was raspy as she turned to Willow, grabbing at the hem of her shirt. “Willow?”

Still clutching Aspen, Willow turned her tear-stained face to Aisling, bottom lip trembling. Her fingers dug into Aspen’s shoulder in a way that must have been painful, sniffling sadly.

“I’m sorry,” Aisling said, ducking her head. “I’m really sorry.”

Willow said nothing, but new tears streaked down her cheeks, gathering at her jaw before tumbling into her lap.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

Willow sniffled, eyes staring down at where Rigel lay, tea soaking into his matted fur. “He’s ruined.”

“Oh, that’s not true,” Aspen murmured, smoothing back Willow’s hair. “He’s not ruined.”

“He’s dying!”

Aisling flinched as Willow burst into another bout of tears. “Willow, don’t cry!”

That seemed to do the exact opposite, and she cried all the harder, burying her face in Aspen’s shoulder, smearing snot across her shirt.

The tension in Astarion’s heart grew more taut, his blood seeming to boil, urging him to do something. He felt almost frantic, wishing he could find a way to calm the child’s tears. Not because it was annoying, but because she was sad. She was so horribly sad, her most cherished thing in the world drowning in spilled tea.

He stood, moving closer to Aspen so he could take a better look at the wolf. Amber liquid had pooled beneath it, seeping out from the stained plush. He lifted it gently, lukewarm tea dripping down his hands and wrists.

“Darling, I think Rigel can be saved.” He crouched down beside Aspen so he could show Willow her toy. “I think we can work a little magic to save him, and then he’ll be good as new.”

Her tears subsided, although she still frowned as she dug the heel of her hand into her eye. “He can?”

He nodded, hoping the smile he gave was reassuring. “He can, darling. He’ll be ready for you before you go to sleep.”

It was like a switch being flicked, her tear-stained face lighting up with hope like the sun emerging after a storm. “Really?”

“Of course, dear,” he smiled, feeling more confident now that she was no longer crying. “He’ll be all better in no time.”

She whipped around to stare up at Aspen, beaming. “He’s gonna live!”

“He is! He’s going to be okay!” Aspen giggled, wiping away the tears from Willow’s cheeks. “But before that, I think you have something to say to your friend.”

She turned to Aisling, frozen still as a statue. “She apologized, and you weren’t very nice to her.”

Willow huffed, looking angry for the first time since Astarion had met her. “She hurt him.”

“Yes, but it was an accident.” Aspen kept her voice kind, but she was firm as she chided her. “She didn’t mean to hurt him, or to make you sad. She’s trying to make things better.”

Willow sulked, looking away. “But I’m mad.”

“You can be mad, but she’s trying to make things right. Do you think you can forgive her?”

Willow shook her head viciously, looking like she was on the verge of tears once more. “No! Never! I hate her!”

Aisling flinched, shoulders coming up to her ears. “I didn’t- I didn’t mean to-”

“I hate you!”

Astarion stepped between the two girls then, blocking them both from view. “Hey. That’s enough.”

He was surprised at the firmness of his tone, and even more surprised by how he had stepped in before anything escalated, stopping both children in their tracks.

“We don’t need to be making any hasty declarations right now,” he said. “It’s getting late. Willow, why don’t you go with Aspen to clean up. Aisling, come with me and we can fix up Rigel. The rest of you…”

He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He’d been too focused on the two fires that were calming the two girls down and needing to clean Rigel. The other children had completely slipped his mind.

“The rest of you can clean up everything and start getting ready for bed,” Aspen finished. “Stack the boxes of treats on the table, put all your plates and cups on the table, and then head to your rooms for the night, okay?”

A murmured chorus of “okays” echoed through the room, followed by the sound of shuffling as the children began to clean up, restoring some measure of order to the room.

Aspen hefted Willow into her arms, cooing softly as she tried to staunch the last of her tears. “Why don’t we go take a bath? I know that always helps me to relax.”

The sound of footsteps fading as they climbed the stairs, Astarion turned to Aisling, who still stood clutching her shirt, watching him with wide eyes.

“I really didn’t mean it.”

He smiled, bending down to ruffle her hair. “I know you didn’t, kid. But let’s go clean up this wolf, and maybe then Willow will forgive you.”

Next chapter

#astarion bg3 #astarion ancunin #astarion baldur's gate 3 #bg3 astarion #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion x tav #astarion x oc #astarion x reader #astarion x female tav #honey the sweeter the sun

[phoenixyfriend]

Secrets

We can do author reveals for @spreadyourwingsexchange now! Mine was written for PaxDuane (@callacabforme)

Read on AO3

Relationships:

Jaster Mereel/Mace Windu, The Daughter | Winged Goddess/Jango Fett, Jango Fett & Jaster Mereel, Depa Billaba & Jango Fett, Depa Billaba & Mace Windu

Characters:

Jaster Mereel, Jango Fett, Mace Windu, Depa Billaba, The Daughter | Winged Goddess, Morai (Star Wars)

Additional Tags:

Time Travel, Romance, Hard of Hearing Jaster Mereel, Asexual Depa Billaba, POV Outsider, POV Multiple, Dreamsharing, Age Difference, (But all are consenting adults)

Summary:

Jaster worries Mace teaches Depa watches Jango lives

-------------------------

Jaster first notices something’s changed when Jango is fourteen. The shift in personality is sudden, but the kid is well into his teenage years and picking up more responsibility, even if it’s under supervision, so… maybe it’s normal.

Jaster keeps an eye on him, sure, but if it’s important, Jango will come to him, right? He’s basically an adult now, he can handle some things himself. Maybe it’s girl problems. Or boy problems. Or something.

He hopes that, if it is a crush, it’s not on Montross. Jango keeps staring at Jaster’s second, and it’s with a curiously blank look that Jaster can’t figure out. It could just as easily be… uh…

Actually, a crush on someone twice his age who is definitely going to reject him might actually be the best option. Well, no, the best option would be that Jango wants to learn a skill that Montross has and other people don’t, but both are still better than, say, Jango suspecting Montross of something, or Montross actually having done something, to Jango, that Jaster hasn’t noticed.

So really, Jaster is… it’s just Jango being a teenager, right?

He’ll keep an eye on it.

Jango will come to him when he’s ready.

--

So.

Montross betrayed them.

Jaster hadn’t seen it coming. Jango had. That might be the only reason Jaster’s alive right now.

There were worse reasons for Jango to have focused on Montross as he had, but not many. Not many at all.

“Are you alright?” Jaster asks, clapping a hand on Jango’s shoulder. Jango twitches under the gesture, looking away from the empty space he’d fixated on. There’s something in his eyes that Jaster would have called unfamiliar a few months ago, but knows too well now. Jango’s always had eyes that are too old for his age, but it’s been more, this past while.

“I’m fine,” Jango says, in that rough and stilted way he’d picked up from… somewhere.

Jaster has the right to worry. He just doesn’t know what it is that he’s worried about, entirely. “Ready to tell me how you knew about Montross?”

Jango’s eyes flick away for a moment, and then back to Jaster. “I’d prefer not to.”

“Ad’ika—”

“I’m not a child,” Jango says, fast and odd and Jaster is begging the stars to tell him what it is that’s changed his son so much.

“You’re my child,” Jaster says.

The look Jango gives him is indecipherable, searching and sad and something that Jaster doesn’t have nearly enough information to really read. “I know. It’s just uncomfortable to hear.”

“Jango—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Jango says, firm and final and frustratingly distant. “Please respect that, buir.”

There is no answer he can give that he hasn’t already. “Alright, I’ll leave it for now. Just… you’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

His son looks away from him, and hesitates. He fixes his stare on nothing, ready to just go back to zoning out as he had been, and says, “yes, sir.”

“Right,” Jaster says, and they both know that he isn’t buying it. He sighs, pats Jango on the shoulder again, and heads for the door. “Get some rest, son.”

“Will do.”

--

The first time Jaster sees The Habit, he thinks it’s something else entirely.

He passes by the door to Jango’s room, and pauses at the sound of a single, agitated voice. The door is open just a crack, enough for the voice to escape, and Jaster steps back to look through it. The room is lit, and Jango is alone.

The boy is pacing, gesturing as he speaks and pausing every little bit. Jaster only sees flashes of this, because he doesn’t want to risk opening the door or invading Jango’s privacy even more, and Jango’s pacing is taking him all over the room. There isn’t an answering voice, and Jaster can’t see a comm from this angle, or even hear the low buzz of a response.

Jaster’s hearing is kind of a mess, though. He’s been in the vicinity of too many explosions for his eardrums to still be in top condition, and he doesn’t bother with the aides unless he’s doing diplomatic work. He’s sure as hell not wearing them in his own home if he doesn’t have to.

Would be nice to have them now, to figure out what the heck is going on with his son.

Jaster catches snippets of what’s being said, but between the lack of visual help and the fact that Jango’s speaking away from the door as often as not, it’s not much.

Jango doesn’t seem distressed, he decides. He’s probably either talking to someone on a comm that’s out of Jaster’s narrow line of sight into the room, or practicing an argument of some sort. Either way, he’s fine. Probably.

Jaster leaves him to it.

--

It happens again. This time, the door is fully open, and Jaster sees him argue with thin air, dropping names he’s never heard, like Kenobi and Boba and Windu and Tyranus. He seems to circle back to the same spot with his gaze, high up against the wall, and addresses it as ‘ma’am.’

Jaster knocks on the door, this time. It’s open, after all. Jango starts with surprise, and turns to face him. “Buir?”

“Heard you talking,” Jaster says. “Figured if it was loud enough for me to hear, then there was something wrong.”

Jango looks away, a flush rising in his cheeks. “It’s nothing.”

“Who were you arguing with?” Jaster prompts.

“It wasn’t an argument,” Jango says, too quick to be true. He won’t meet Jaster’s eyes. “And it’s… nobody, really. I’m just trying to get my thoughts in order.”

“Practicing for a debate?”

Jango snorts. “Something like that.”

“With…?” Jaster tries.

His son winces, looking away. “The New Mando types, mostly.”

Jaster frowns. “We’re on good terms with Adonai.”

This earns him a shrug. “I have concerns on some things I’ve heard. It might not come to anything, but it’s better to work out how to phrase things ahead of time, isn’t it? If I have to speak?”

Jango is not a good public speaker. Jaster is passable, at least, but Jango is… a work in progress.

“Practice is good,” Jaster tells him. “Maybe close your door next time, though. Keeps people from worrying.”

“Will do, sir.”

Jaster can’t help but ruffle Jango’s hair when he passes him, narrowly avoiding the offended squawk he gets for the act. It’s childish, especially considering how grown up Jango’s been behaving, and the return to something even slightly resembling acting his age is reassuring.

--

The way that Jango fights is controlled, but often uncertain. It often seems like he doesn’t quite know how to manage his own body, as if the size of it surprises him every other day. Jaster keeps an eye on it, but Jango had a growth spurt pretty recently, and that should probably be enough of an explanation, right?

Sure, Jango’s mistakes seem more like someone who’s adjusting to a smaller reach than they’re used to, not a longer one, but that’s… that’s…

It’s fine, right? Jango’s spending a lot of time practicing his forms, which is good, and he’s keeping up with his studies, doing well, even, and he’s been shining in missions and strategy sessions, keeping his calm when he argues for a tactic or insists on gathering more information or whatever it is this time. Jango’s fine.

Jaster watches him test the weight of a practice sword, swinging it in a set of forms that look more Jedi than anything, but still decidedly Mandalorian, and still testing and hesitant and almost as if he were… trying to reverse engineer lightsaber forms.

Jango’s never met a Jedi. Jaster would know.

Even Jaster’s only ever met two. Jedi are rare, especially outside the Core.

With a stifled noise, Jango takes on an odd jump, awkward and high and decidedly not designed with armor in mind, and lands surprisingly well. Jaster looks at the sharp grin and the confident way his son rises to his feet, the kind of competent that Jaster should be proud of, should be happy with, should support in all ways.

And he worries.

--

Jaster makes a habit of passing by Jango’s rooms when they have downtime. He’s not hovering, and he’s certainly not suspicious of his own son, but he’s… a parent. Right. He’s a parent, and this is normal for an unsure parent who wants to figure out what their child is going through without prying too much.

Jango has many one-sided conversations. He never has them in public, certainly, and he definitely doesn’t seem to be noticing or reacting to things that aren’t there, but Jaster starts thinking more and more that it’s something to look out for. It’s never big things, not really, but there are moments where Jango just… isn’t right.

It’s been six months, maybe more, when Jaster does roundup after a mission and finds that Jango is at the very edge of the meadow they’d landed the gunship in, right at the treeline, and holding a conversation with a convor.

People have conversations with animals all the time, Jaster thinks, just a touch desperately. One of their medics has a tooka that she talks too like a baby, every day. One of his snipers carries around a snake whenever they’re off duty, wearing it like a scarf and asking it ‘do you believe this shit?’ whenever something even slightly inconvenient happens. Myles wrestles with his father’s akk dog every time he visits home, with the ever popular ‘who’s a good girl’ dropping from his mouth as easily as kisses for the mutt. That slicer that joined up a few months back treats zir carnivorous rabbit as a coding partner, explaining problems in the program until the process of talking it through has led zir to an epiphany.

It's normal to talk to animals. Loads of people do it.

Sure, Jango seems like he’s having more of a business negotiation than a pet conversation with the bird, but it’s still normal, right?

Even if the convor, seemingly wild, nods to something, waits for Jango to raise his arm, and then delicately hops on.

Jango talks to the bird in quiet murmurs for another half hour before they part ways, and Jaster doesn’t know what to think of it.

--

So his kid is weird, practicing arguments and reinventing lightsaber forms and talking to animals, all normal things done in a decidedly odd way. It’s fine. Jango can be as weird as he wants, so long as he’s being safe, or as safe as a mercenary can be, and working towards being happy. He’s got an injury right now, a large cut that needed stitches and cracked ribs that needed taping, but he’s fine. Jaster almost even believes it.

And then someone shows him a security feed from the galley, something people barely ever look at, even on duty, and it’s Jango. He’s having a meal, alone, in the early hours of the day cycle. Nightmares, maybe, or just an awkwardly shifted internal clock. It’s normal.

It’s normal, it’s all so normal, until he tries to reach for a bowl, stops with a wince as he strains his stitches, and instead floats the dish down.

“So,” the soldier says, low and slow, “did you know?”

“Not this,” Jaster says. He wonders how much of the last months—almost a year now, if he’s being honest with himself—can be explained by this. “Don’t tell anyone. I’ll handle this.”

“As Mand’alor, or as a father?” the soldier asks.

“As a father,” Jaster says, “and if that doesn’t work… we’ll see.”

(Continue on AO3)

#star wars #the clone wars #sw legends #Jango Fett #Jaster Mereel #Depa Billaba #Daughter #Daughter of Mortis #The Winged Goddess #Morai #phoenix files

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 episode 19 Pretension

(Spoiler warning. As this is once again not in order)

-Marinette and Adrien trying to fit as much time together as possible is f*** cute

-Oh s*** Argos is watching them.

-Marinette rushing up to tell Adrien she is done settling for 4 minute dates “oh hi Kagami “

-No Marinette, Gabriel is shit. You are incorrect.

-Kagami said she was inspired by Marinette. Cute

-Gorilla is the only G I respect.

-Gabriel seems to be getting worse and they trying to use Kwami magic to fix him,

-You drag his ass Roarr.

-Nathalie stop helping the man, let him die.

-Tomoe there just mocking him basically.

-“Get your kid under control.”

-so Marinette joins Adrien to meet his father.

-So confirmed Gabriel can only cook pancakes. My man needs to learn about nutrition.

-Gabriel commanding Adrien to go up stairs. Adrien obeying but not wanting to

-No cap, Adrien looked like he was in agony. Like he was trying to get back down but couldn’t.

-THE PANCAKE SPEECH, damn Gabe that’s cold.

-Though Gabriel is right about Fashion. It’s about crafting impossible standards.

-“I Create people” we get it Adrien is a sentimonster.

-I can give you the World but give up on my son. Such a fanfic trope but it’s exactly what i wanted

-But he is wrong if he thinks he can interfere with Marinette and Adrien’s love

-Marinette dashed like a pro to Adrien

-So he was Literally at the door just stuck?

-The Adrienette was cute.

-G knew to move out of an Alpha’s way

-YO MARI! ROAST HIS ASS!

-Someone please make a video of Marinette doing Riley’s F*** you speech in the fundraiser to that roast

-Mari held it together until out of view, respect

-Kagami stood up to her mom, but Tomoe ain’t having that

-

She is sort of right, but this is a tactic of control so… f*** you tomoe.

-Argos said “fuck that noise,”

-Argos just kidnapped Kagami after he crashed the car!

-Tomoe Blinging up!!!

-Ohh Ikari gozan got an upgrade, now she is riding the horse dog thing

-oh she gave herself super smell to track Argos, clever

-let’s see, Bee, Chicken, Mouse, and Horse. Damn that’s a solid combo

-Kagami gets put down and he IMMEDIATELY GOES TO STRIKE HIM WITH A CHAIR!

-You know what I realized… Felix is a kid. He is doing what a kid would do with super powers and no supervision. He doesn’t have a moral compass so he really doesn’t grasp what he did is wrong… it’s actually kind of funny how naive he is.

-“You can’t kidnap people!” “You’re right, I won’t do it again. I just got mad your mom was being mean to you.” Ohh that’s adorable.

-Marinette in shock at what she did

-Tikki was like “Yas Queen slay”

-Adrien gushing about his GF, then realizing he gotta fight akuma.

-Everyone there to save Kagami

-Chat noir thinking Tomoe has a point.

-“We technically all want to save Kagami.”

-“Akuma under monarch is bad. Can’t risk it.”

-oh no she got his scent!

-Kagami is right, she can take care of herself (yeets Argos)

-Tomoe really ruined that by trying to shoot her daughter too.

-Kagami reeling from that.

-“You never met my father, he was 1000x worse?”

-Is every rich person a s*** parent? Wait no, Amelie is nice. But that’s an exception not a rule

-Felix is still Felix, screwing with Tomoe

-Kagami is like “Why not make a sentimonster.”

-“I’m anti-Slavery” Felix saying the right things

-Felix showing he’s a better parent then most people in the show.

-Kagami is sick of being called a prisoner and defends Felix. That’s cute

-Ladynoir we’re not expecting Feligami either

-Ladybug deciding to help them out

-Kagami cutting the string is symbolic of her cutting the strings of control

-I’m convinced the most romantic place in Paris is the sewer

-“It was your pretension that failed us.” Gabriel salty

-She forced her to give back the crest. Wait… Omg. Welp guess it’s Slavery

-“enjoy your time with her son, make memories with Marinette. For when we move to london next year.”

-Did he Adrien just Snarl at his father!

-Nathalie is this close to beating Gabriel’s ass. Do it Nathalie. Just do it

-Adrien didn’t tell Marinette about london. Plagg is right.

-Plagg is a mood

-Bonus scene!

-Felix got the real ring and gave it to Kagami in the movie theater… I ship it

_____________________________________________

So on one hand… I hate the sentimonster bulls*** that’s all but confirmed… on the other hand Marinette’s speech was badass af.

I thought the feligami would be forced but it actually felt natural. I liked the episode

The Adrienette was good and I really hope they do SOMETHING that allows Adrien to break free.

8,5/10

#gale reviews #ml reviews #ml pretension #ml pretension spoilers #ml spoilers #miraculous ladybug

[heliads]

Tom Peter Parker x male Kryptonian reader

During infinity war - endgame please 💞

Reader being one of the first people to notice the attack about to go on so he’s with the team in Wakanda but he’s been worried ab peter, and when they blip Peters the last thing on his mind - them reuniting during the final battle and it being cute

masterlist

You are boarding a bus for a school field trip when something in the back of your head screams for you to go. You freeze up halfway up the stairs, causing someone following you too closely to almost run into you. You glance around, but can’t see anything wrong. That doesn’t mean that there’s no danger, though, only that it isn’t yet upon you.

The kid behind you swats your backpack and tells you to move. Instead, you shove past them and head back down the bus stairs. The sensation that something is wrong keeps building, and you know for a fact that this is something you need to check out yourself. The last time you got a feeling like this, the Avengers were in grave danger.

Needless to say, this isn’t something you can ignore. The teacher supervising your bus for the field trip tries to stop you, but you mutter something about forgetting that you had a doctor’s appointment scheduled later that day and take off before they can do anything. You glance back once before you disappear around a corner, and the teacher is sighing and directing the bus to close its doors.

That’s good– whatever’s coming, you don’t want anyone looking for you. You’ll be preoccupied with other matters for now, even if a trip to the Museum of Modern Art had actually sounded pretty cool. You were interested in this field trip for the same reason that it’s ridiculous that you would ever need to go to the doctor:  you’re not human.

Contrary to what most of your classmates think, you were not born on Earth. Your home planet, Krypton, exploded when you were just a baby. Your parents had barely enough time to send you away before the entire planet went to hell, and by some twist of fate, you ended up here.

It was hard to fit in with the rest of the kids. That was partially because of any kid’s new school jitters, but also because you’ve got abilities that most students don’t. That includes fun things like super strength, super speed, and flight, just to name a few. Your adoptive parents from Earth had to teach you early on how to hide the things that made you stand out, all so you wouldn’t get caught by the rest of your classmates.

Well, your adoptive parents and S.H.I.E.L.D., in all honesty. It didn’t take long for the spy organization to stumble upon you, and of course they’d never let someone as powerful as you go if they could avoid it. You don’t mind it, though. S.H.I.E.L.D. gave you a job with the Avengers when you were older, and it lets you help the people who need it most. You think that’s what your birth parents and everyone who died on Krypton would have wanted for you. You represent a dead race; you might as well represent it well.

So no, Avenging wasn’t the worst summer job a bored teenage boy could have. To make matters better, it let you meet your boyfriend. Peter Parker’s a damn special kid, even without his status as Spider-Man. You’re glad to have him around, both in your regular life and as an Avenger. Most days you don’t know what you’d do without him around.

You wonder if he’s sensing this weird phenomenon right now. Peter’s got reflexes like yours, a sort of knack for when things are going wrong. He ended up on a different bus than you, so hopefully he’s watching out for his friends, too. At the moment, you have to watch out for yourself.

You grab your phone and call one of the most important numbers saved to it. Steve Rogers picks up pretty quickly. You’re not supposed to be able to contact him, especially since he went undercover following the fallout from the Sokovia Accords, but the two of you have had each other’s backs for a while. You’ve got similar moral codes, and when you need help, you can always count on him.

You speak as you rush further from the buses, still searching in vain for some sign of whatever’s giving you trouble. “Something’s wrong. I don’t know what, though. I just get the feeling that we’re about to be attacked.”

Steve sighs, the sound crackling into static over your phone. “Yeah, we got that. Aliens.”

You grimace, forgetting for a moment that he can’t see the expression. “Again? They’re giving us extraterrestrials a bad name.”

“Sorry, kid,” Steve chuckles, “it’ll have to be up to you to be the resident nice UFO. Wanda and Vision were just attacked by some otherworldly soldiers. Nat, Sam, and I had their backs, but the situation needs to be handled anyway.”

You nod. “Can I meet you somewhere?”

“We’d be more than happy to have you on our side,” Steve says. “If you meet us near the Wakandan border, we can pick you up.”

“See you in a few minutes,” you tell him, then hang up.

Before you head over, there’s one last thing you need to take care of, and that’s your boyfriend. You fire off a quick text to Peter:  problems with the day job. stay alert. i’m headed to wakanda to meet w cap.

He’ll know what you mean, or he can guess. The ‘day job’ is your code word for Avengers business. You’ve both used it for a while now. Peter responds soon enough:  gotcha. be safe.

you too, you tell him, then turn off your phone to preserve battery. You duck into an alley, then wait until no one’s watching and quickly take to the sky. You’re able to fly faster than any plane, so Steve having a leg up on you doesn’t matter much. After a few minutes, you’re slowing down near the Wakandan border. You find Steve’s ship soon enough, and then you’re inside the border and marveling at the nation passing by below you.

Although you’ve heard much about Wakanda, you’ve never had a chance to visit yourself. You wish that you could slow down to admire the landscape, but time is of the essence. Steve fills you in as you fly further towards the capital city. 

Apparently some guy named Thanos is after six Infinity Stones, one of which is currently stuck in Vision’s head. You’re all headed to Wakanda in the hopes of removing it without needing to kill Vision before Thanos arrives at Earth. The guy’s goal is to kill half of the universe’s population, which really isn’t something you like.

Soon enough, you’re waiting anxiously with some of the other Avengers while you watch Shuri begin the process of removing the stone. She’s clearly moving as quickly as she can, but the operation is quite involved. This isn’t going to be an easy fix, no matter how much you’d like it to be one.

Still, you can’t help but hope she’d hurry even more. Armies are amassing on the other side of the Wakandan border, and although T’Challa has pledged the help of his soldiers in the defense of the planet, there are so many enemy fighters that you have no idea how you’ll be able to hold out forever. All you have to do is protect Shuri and Vision long enough to get out the stone and destroy it before Thanos can get to it, but even that seems difficult.

To make matters worse, Peter’s in danger, too. He texted you a while later saying that he’d also left the field trip, having picked up on some trouble of his own. Last you heard, he was fighting aliens in New York with Tony and Bruce, along with some wizard guy named Dr. Strange, but even the presence of the other Avengers isn’t a guarantee of his safety.

As you stand on a hill overlooking what you have no doubt will soon be your battlefield, you can’t help but feel tension locking up your joints. 

By your side, Steve glances at you, evidently picking up on your sense of unease. “Everything alright over there?”

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” you admit, “it’s Peter.”

Steve nods understandingly. “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” you say, “I can’t hear his heartbeat. I don’t think he’s dead, but he’s too far away from me to pick up on him anymore. It was like he was rising into the air, but I can’t sense him anymore. I think he might be somewhere in space.”

Steve whistles under his breath. “Maybe he and some of the others are after the Stones as well. Here’s to hoping that they succeed if we don’t.”

You nod. “I just wish I knew if he was alright.”

Steve puts a hand on your shoulder. “Look, Peter’s a tough kid, he’ll be fine. If you’re going to worry about anyone,” he adds, looking past you at the waves of enemy soldiers crouching just beyond the Wakandan border, “worry about us. We’ve got an army on our hands that needs to be dealt with.”

He’s not wrong. Thanos’ army finds a way to push through the barriers, and then they’re all pouring through and you’re charging down towards them. You fight as you know best, as hard as you can. Every battle with the Avengers feels like the fight of your lives, but somehow, it registers in the back of your head that this is far more serious than anything before it. This could literally be the end of days if Thanos manages to get his hands on all of the Infinity Stones before you can destroy them. This is what matters most.

Despite this urgent need, despite all of you fighting as hard as you can, it doesn’t work. You take down ten soldiers and twenty take their place. It’s as if the enemy fighters are one endless horde. No matter how long the battle wages, they don’t ever seem to tire, nor do their numbers drop.

By contrast, your team is staggering. You can’t stop seeing fallen Wakandan soldiers on the ground, and slowly, you and the other Avengers are forced further towards the trees. Out of desperation, Wanda joins the fight, but then Vision is left unprotected. He takes to the battlefield as well, and then Thanos appears, and you feel like you might be sick to your stomach.

The logic racing through your head is terrifying. If Thanos is here, and, judging by the stones glimmering in his massive gauntlet, he’s only missing the one in Vision’s head. That means he managed to secure all of the rest, and that means wherever Peter is, he, Tony, and Bruce failed in their quest to slow Thanos down.

You have no idea if Peter is still alive. Your boyfriend isn’t the type of guy to back down from a fight, which you love about him, but also could spell his end. The only thing you can do is win this fight and go find him afterwards, but even this is impossible.

Before you know it, Thanos is descending upon you, and despite you trying everything, every maneuver you’ve ever learned, he manages to get past you. He has to use the power of the Infinity Stones, and it takes him time and effort, but he still does it. You end up crumpled on the ground, watching as he plucks the final Infinity Stone from Vision’s head. Not even Thor’s arrival makes a difference. Thanos snaps his fingers with an axe buried in his chest, and then it is all over.

Death is easy, actually. You thought it would hurt more, but Thanos had injured you enough that the loss of pain was a relief. Bucky goes first, disappearing into a cloud of ash. Steve turns to you, hand outstretched, but you can’t take it.

“Peter,” you croak out, “Find Peter. Find–”

You can’t manage anything after that. It’s dark.

And then– and then it’s light.

You open your eyes and you’re back on the ground. Nothing hurts, but you’re not dead, you’re healed. Bucky’s leaning over you, offering a hand and telling you that it’s time to go. You accept his offer of help and stand up, watching more people materialize around you. There’s a massive glowing ring of sparks looming overhead. Someone tells you that you all have to go through it to get ready for the final fight, and you do so without question.

On the other side, you find yourself in a new battlefield. It’s dusty and destroyed, but still Earth, you think. Thanos has a new army, but when you look left and right, hundreds of people are running out of similar portals as yours. You’ve got yourself a legion too, and you’d bet on yours way more.

Steve begins the charge somewhere at the front, and you launch yourself into the battle with renewed vengeance. You have no idea how he managed to bring all of you back, but you’re not letting this second chance slip away from you again.

In the middle of all the fighting, though, you’re looking for someone. You can see a silhouette swinging through the chaos, which fills you with an indescribable amount of relief, but every time you try to meet him, he’s swinging somewhere else. You’re just about to give up on trying to find him until after the battle, and then you touch down briefly on the ground and he’s right there behind you, yanking off his mask so you can see his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

“Y/N,” he breathes, and he’s running to you, practically tripping over his own feet in his haste to make it to your side.

You embrace him like a dying man. Maybe you are. It’s the closest you’ve ever felt to being a human. “Peter,” you say, “Peter, I thought you were dead.”

“I was,” he grins, “you were too, remember? We got totally dusted.”

“We’re back, though,” you say, mussing up his hair.

“We are,” he laughs, and kisses you.

You are still standing in the middle of a raging war, but for once– for once the voice in the back of your head tells you something good. It tells you that you are going to win, and you believe it. How could you not? It sounds exactly like Peter, and he would never lie to you.

marvel tag list: @namoreno,  @mayfieldss, @rogueanschel, @mycosmicparadise, @ellobruv, @callsign-scully, @with-inked-solace, @sher-lokid7, @amortensie, @23victoria, @watchreadfangirlrepeat, @gods-fools-heroes, @w1shes43, @deafsuperhero, @fadedver

#peter parker #peter parker imagines #peter parker x reader #peter parker oneshot #spiderman #spiderman imagines #spiderman x reader #spiderman oneshot #marvel #marvel imagines #marvel x reader #marvel oneshot #mcu #mcu imagines #mcu x reader #mcu oneshot #avengers #avengers imagines #avengers x reader #avengers oneshot #tom holland spiderman #tom holland spiderman imagines #tom holland spiderman x reader #tom holland spiderman oneshot

[2af-afterdark]

I was wondering what if MC got pregnant?

And I was like OMG their gonna be a father

And I looked at it at a realistic point of view ,none of them who take responsibility for the child except maybe for Mammon but what if it’s a time he gets bored of MC and abandons them

Beelzebub knowing him is even enough to know that he just leave after the reveal ,And you won’t hear from him again

Idk much about Leviathan if he will accept or he’s shitting himself and good luck trying to get that coffin open 👍

I’d be Hella scared to reveal to Satan that I was pregnant ,Don’t know if the man with the flip off and go full on rage

These are demons ,morals don’t apply to them,

And this hell after all…🥲

I am actually going to go against the grain and say they would be loving (if flawed) dads. Specifically, because family is considered super important in old school religious mythos. It's a sign of importance to have well-raised children and that blood connection can start entire wars. Dont get me wrong. They are terrible caretakers for someone who's pregnant, but they are damn decent dads (by hell standards).

Satan is... well, nothing changes. His partner is growing another life? He is so blasé about it. It's just another living thing, no big deal. He is high-key upset about the change in sexual intimacy as the pregnancy goes on. But fuck yeah! He's gonna have a kid? That's his and everyone better respect that baby bump! He is a man of contradictions.

As a dad: He will beat the living shit out of anyone that messes with his kids, then he will let the the kid get in a few punches for practice. That kid will have zero emotional regulation, for good and bad. He will watch the kid, but he's not changing his plans to do it. That means he's taking the kid to the bar and on the battlefield. It's good for them, or so he claims.

Mammon is suddenly a little to protective. He basically would have MC on lockdown and getting them anything they ask for when they ask for it. He'd be so fucking excited and be loving that belly, especially later in the pregnancy (the sex never stops). He thanks MC all the time for having his child.

As a dad: He is carrying his kid on his shoulders. Everything in the world is his, but that child is doubly his. That also means he can share everything in the world with his kid... well, almost anything. It's still his. That little hellion has full reign of his kingdom without supervision (MC is not pleased, but it's the demon way).

Beelzebub decides it's time for MC to start wandering with him. There is no way he's leaving his pregnant partner all alone when he can hold and appreciate them instead, but he refuses to stop traveling. Is every location safe? Fuck no! But he likes having them around.

As a dad: He is the most absentee of the parents (since a very young child cannot travel so freely). He still visits often and comes home with so many gifts so his kid can see where dad has been. Final child raising decisions are made by MC since he is not around as much. His kid gets used to it, even if they wish he was there more... baby doesn't hang in Avisos either (because mafia). Maybe when he's older...

Leviathan definitely had a panic attack and went unresponsive for a while. Not even into the coffin. Unresponsive. How does one pregantè? He will be the worst caretaker and helper for the pregnancy because he'll be fluctuating between happiness and horror. He is so glad to see his baby growing big and strong, but I genuinely think he'd see pregnancy as... unsavory (the thing lives inside of you and steals your body's nutrients? He has a few horror terrors that do that! Wtf!)

As a dad: He has an entire kingdom eager to wait hand and foot on this child (and the person carrying that child). He's actually jealous of how easy his kid has it and how much attention they get from MC. Can you imagine how the nobles refer to the child as "little prince(ss)"? Leviathan still goes into his coffin when it gets to be too much to deal with, but sometimes he may bring the kid with him. He will protect the kid from the horrors, don't worry. The horrors like the kid

#❖ nonie #love letters ❤️ #talkin' whb #cw pregnancy

[papaya-047]

hey! could i please request prefect!ron where he blows off his duties to spend time with you but ends up tending to a first year. i can just imagine him being so good with kids omgg😩

p.s your last ron post was the most perfect <3

I love this idea! <3

“No peaking.” Ron blocked the entrance preventing you from looking inside. 

“I just want to see how the decorations are going,” you pouted at his actions. 

“No, it's supposed to be a surprise,” 

“I guess I just thought that my favourite prefect would bend the rules and let his favourite student see the decor for the dance. Please?” you pleaded. To which Ron simply shook his head. “Oh, come on, Ron!”

“No, it’s a part of my duty to only let the decorators inside.” 

“It’s also a part of your duty to supervise the actual decorating. And yet you're outside with me.”

Ron ran his tongue on the inside of his cheek and smirked before removing his arm from the entrance and placing it around your shoulder. “You're a smartmouth, you know that?” he guided you away from the hall, and you held onto the hand hanging off you as you walked. 

“And you love me for it.” Ron shook his head with a laugh. 

You continued to wander around the halls of the school together; Ron told you about his latest interaction in DADA. But before he could finish his story, Ron stopped in his tracks. You asked if everything was okay before he started searching around the hallway. 

When you turned the corner, there was a young girl, a first year, sniffling to herself. Ron bent down to meet her height, “Hello, what’s you’re name?” 

The girl whipped her face on the sleeve of her uniform, “Margaret.”

“Well, Margaret, I’m Ron.”

“I know, you’re in the Gryffindor house,” she was clearly trying to cover the fact that she had been crying. 

“Could you tell me what's wrong?” 

“A few boys in your house are making fun of me. That my glasses make me look like a nerd or something,” her eyes welled up, and Ron placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” she nodded, “my best friend wears glasses, and he has saved so many people.”

The girls faced scrunch, “Harry Potter?”

“Exactly. Do you think any of those boys think Harry’s a nerd?” she shook her head. “I have another friend who I would definitely call a nerd, but her smarts save us constantly. Wearing glasses doesn’t make you a nerd, and being a nerd isn’t such a bad thing. Plus, I think those glasses make you look beautiful.” the girl smiled as she whipped away her tears. 

Maybe it was the way he treated his younger sister, but you never took Ron as someone who would be so patient with kids. This lazy rule breaker with a constant bedhead managed to constantly surprise you, and seeing him look up at you with such clear pride in his actions made you melt. 

“Oh Margaret, meet my girl,” he said, standing up and nudging you towards the girl. 

“It’s nice to meet you. Would you care to join us on our walk?” you asked. Margaret looped an arm through yours before launching into the latest gossip in her first-year class. You dropped her off, and you smiled as you watched your boyfriend wave away his new friend. 

“Okay, that was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” ever clueless Ron just hummed in response. You laughed at him not realizing what you meant. “So I guess once you slap that badge on, you get 6th sense, like a prefect-tingle.”

“Why would you call it a tingle,” he laughed as he pulled you next to him by your waist. 

“Well, what do you call it?”

“Anything other than tingle.”

#my writing #asks #blurbs #ron weasley #ron weasley x reader #ron weasly imagine #ron weasley fluff #ron weasley blurb #ron weasley x y/n #ron weasley x you #harry potter imagine #harry potter

[thegeminisage]

tng update time and oooooh am i ever mad about it. tonight we watched "hero worship" and "violations."

hero worship: i wanted to like this episode. but, firstly, it's just yet more evidence why children should not be on starships. this has been bothering me the entire time i've watched this fucking show. i hope there aren't any kids on voyager or whatever because this is literally fucking killing me

secondly, i felt really weird about everyone just...going along with this kid's idea that he was an android. i feel like there's a way to be lenient of his trauma without reinforcing the delusion or whatever sorry ik that's not how you're supposed to say it. it just didn't seem like solid therapeutical practice is all. i will admit there was also some secondhand embarrassment watching this kid's impersonation of data but i think it COULD have been cute (which seems to be what they were going for) with a better execution

i DEFINITELY think data's interactions with him should have been supervised too, not because i don't love and trust data wholly but because he has this way of missing certain emotional cues. and while that isn't a problem in day-to-day life, like, that's just the way he is and i resent anyone who would make him feel like it's a bad way to be/there's something wrong with him because he is PERFECT the way he is!!! for someone who is so vulnerable i think that data could accidentally do harm where it isn't intended (almost did a couple of times!), and data wouldn't be happy about that either because of course it would never be his intention. like i LOVE episodes where we just throw data into the deep end and let him figure it out, i love watching him go, but this is a child whose entire family/ship just DIED HORRIBLY who thinks he is responsible for the event. im not saying dont let data be his buddy data deserves so many buddies im just saying give data some INSTRUCTIONS at least. for both their sakes

anyway it was mid at best. it had a few good moments but ultimately not enough to salvage it for me

violations:

okay wait hold on i feel like i need to start a brand new text block for violations. you're only allowed 4000 characters per paragraph and i have stuff to say. i have Things To Get Off My Chest. please picture steam pouring from my fucking ears right now

actually forget the bullet list i don't need a bullet list this is not a normal liveblog Post. do you know every day i see threads on r*ddit and sometimes even tags here on tunglr dot edu about how people don't like tos because it's sexist. thats all well and fine and good. tos IS sexist. ARE WE SAYING TNG IS BETTER?????

tasha yar and the rape gangs. the naked time: 2! where both women got turned into insatiable sex object. deanna's impromptu and nonconsensual pregnancy. tasha's impregnantion by rape and her death at the hands of her rapist. that time they filmed deanna's feet. beverly crusher for all of season 1 having absolutely no personality outside of being a mother. lwaxana troi getting gang raped by ferengi for laughs. genuinely uhura on tos in the fucking 1960s got treated better than deanna troi on tng in the 1990s. yes tos has extremely bad moments sexism wise. JUSTICE for janice fucking rand. but truly how can you be as sexist against women when they aen't there. meanwhile, tng has women in every goddamn episode and all it takes is for one bad writer to

actually you know what is so funny. gene roddenberry and two women are credited with writing this episode. ALL of them are going to hell, gene roddenberry especially. i hate hate hate HATE his rape fetish. justice for janice rand AND tasha yar AND DEANNA TROI!

the thing about this episode is, it could have been good. there were good parts about it. for example: worf's joke about being probed. they knew what they were doing and it was hilarious. deanna getting to talk about her overbearing mother. riker's little speech to deanna when she was in the coma with literal tears in his eyes and this is a WHOLE separate rant but

my problem with tng is that you don't see them care about each other. we're TOLD that they care about each other. they SAY, "oh, x is worried about [character who's in danger this week]." but we almost never SEE them act it out. every once in awhile riker gets weirdly protective of picard, and worf seems kind of protective of everyone which i like, and picard also does a good righteous rage on behalf of others, but i don't usually get to SEE it. like when wesley goes missing or whatever he and his mom don't always immediately rush into each others arms on their reunion. when deanna passes out you don't always see riker abandon what he's doing and rush to her side. nobody asks "are you okay?" with genuine concern. and even when we DO get for example geordi driving himself crazy wondering what went wrong over data's fake death we don't get any follow-through - there's no reunion between geordi and data at the end the way there would be for kirk and spock.

BUT RIKER AT THE HOSPITAL BED. ohhh i was eating. it was so good. he wasn't even saying anything of merit but just the SIGHT of her passed out like that had him almost in tears. riker, who is the epitome of good humor and dealing with space horrors with laughter. IN TEARS. it was so good. a true show instead of tell moment. and in THIS fucking episode

my issue is: they had three on screen rape scenes. the first rape scene was extremely long. like they couldn't show anything explicit because this is 90s tv but it was VERY VERY LONG so it hardly seems to matter. and THAT was bad enough. but then they made us watch it AGAIN when he planted his dad's face in the memory and A THIRD TIME when he was like "ugh she's being so sweet to me even though i raped her i can't NOT rape her again." like at least that time she was able to hit him and get away but it feels like a hollow victory when he's already gotten away with it TWICE, AND!!! when worf had to come in and save her anyway at the end.

it was doubly horrible that he got away with the crime SO WELL that nobody suspected him - like, picard is out here asking deanna to let him into her mind a second time and she GOT RAPED. A SECOND TIME. deanna is like oh yeah you can come in! and it could have been a compelling mystery and plot twist to be like OH IT'S THE DAD but really it's the son except we SAW HIM DO IT the first time. there wasn't even any mystery to solve or anyone to suspect, he wasn't misdirecting US, we just got to watch him successfully misdirect this poor stupid naive trusting WOMAN

also, the thing about deanna's attack being a rape scene while riker's was someone dying under his command and beverly's was IDing her husband's dead body is that for riker and bev these are REAL THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO THEM. deanna never got raped by riker. like, he wouldn't do that and they wouldn't still be as close and comfortable with one another if he had. (i am mad on his behalf TWICE now that they left it open whether or not he committed that particular crime when every other piece of evidence says he wouldn't. the guy is not a closet serial rapist and leaving the endings open to be edgy is extremely poor form.) like, they literally JUST made deanna's attack a rape scene to sexualize her and feed roddenberry's fetish and HE'S DEAD. HE WAS DEAD WHEN THIS AIRED. HE CAN'T JERK OFF TO IT ANYMORE

they didn't even explain why that guy kept leaving people in comas. deanna i get because he was stalking her and wanted to fuck her but why riker? why beverly? that made it MORE suspicious. why all those other people on the other planets? was he raping every single one of them? how did he plan to keep going after he'd framed his dad for his crimes?

and it COULD HAVE BEEN GOOD. beverly's thing with IDing her husband's body was fun and terrifying. deanna could have gotten a memory that spoke to character development instead of being sexualized like this. in fact i think it was lowkey a pussy move not to deal with any of riker's close encounters because of the two of them riker is the one who has actually been raped! "someone died under my command" is generic and lame. but the way the telepathy worked was cool, the plot twist could have been cool, you could have felt real betrayal from liking this dude if he hadn't been all evil smiles from the beginning. and they dropped the ball SO HARD. and i could forgive them for doing that! i have given tng so many benefits of the doubt! BUT THREE RAPE SCENES IN 45 MINUTES?

the worst part is, there was no emotional resolution. they had that guy say the word rape out loud and then the credits rolled. deanna and riker didn't speak one word to each other. she was never like, i know you didn't actually rape me like that's not what happened. no one was like, beverly go have a hot drink and call your son. there's NO EMOTIONAL FOLLOWTHROUGH ON THIS SHOW. tos was guilty of that sometimes too but this level of it is fucking unreal

tng enjoyers im sorry for my meanie posts earlier. love who you love etc etc. i'm just. baffled. HOW IS THIS BETTER THAN TOS. at least what happened to janice rand (and uhura one time) was over quickly and didn't replay three FUCKING times!!! "tos is too/more sexist" I AM TURNING MY BRAIN INSIDE OUT TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THIS FUCKING STATEMENT

#truly put the women back on the top shelf until you can treat them like they deserve. back to the boys club im begging you #sorry. i'm done now #personal #star trek blogging #tng lb #rape tw #uhhhh normally i say what we're watching tomorrow but i forgot already. and also idc <3 #justice for deanna fucking troi.

[mysteryshoptls]

R Jack Howl Gala Couture Personal Story

"I'll drag them all down!"

[Pomefiore Dorm – Ballroom]

Vil: You're finally getting the basics. From here on out, we'll switch to one-on-one, more precise walking lessons.

Vil: I'll work with Silver. Jack, Rook will supervise you.

Jack: Eh, Rook-senpai? When did he get here…?

Vil: The success of the show is the main priority of this mission. That is why I have brought someone who has an eye I can trust.

Vil: Don't you dare slack off just because I am not watching you. I will not forgive you if you waste my Vice Dorm Leader's time.

Jack: Yessir! I'll definitely learn it all, at any cost!

Rook: Très bien! It's wonderful how motivated you are. Now, let's begin quickly!

Jack: Thank you!!

Jack: How was that, Rook-senpai?

Rook: Good. I can see that you are gaining confidence with every lesson. That was quite the dignified walk!

Rook: However, you are focused too heavily on your feet's movements that you're looking down. You need to raise your head and appeal to the audience.

Jack: A-Appeal to the audience? Even if you say somethin' like that, I ain't gonna get it at all.

Jack: If that's the case… I just gotta train harder until I get it! I'll do it one more time, so please tell me what you think!

Rook: No, let us take a break here.

Jack: A break? There’s no time to rest. I know… I know that I'm holding everyone else back.

Jack: I need to work harder than anyone else and do this fashion show performance, or else…

Jack: To both Leona-senpai, who believed I could do this, as well as Silver-senpai and Ortho, who'll be with me in the show, I'll just drag them all down!

Rook: Your enthusiasm is fantastic. However, it may be counterproductive if you push yourself too hard.

Jack: It'll be fine. I normally train this hard…

Vil: Listen to Rook's orders and take a rest, Jack.

Jack: Vil-senpai? Weren't you watching over Silver-senpai's practice…?

Vil: We are also breaking for the moment. Silver is outside grabbing a breath of fresh air.

Vil: I value your willingness to keep pushing, but that is also one of your main faults.

Vil: If you were to continue practicing to exhaustion and end up drained on the day of the gala, it will be extremely aggravating.

Jack: But…

Vil: Come to think of it… It's always been like this.

Vil: I told you not to practice for the marathon because there was a snowstorm outside, but you did not listen.

Vil: "It might snow during the actual marathon too, so this practice’ll prepare me for it!", you said. And in the end, you fell sick the day before the marathon. And then there was…

Jack: I-I get it! I'll take a break! So please don't tell any more embarrassing stories of when I was a kid.

Rook: Fufufu. Nice, Vil. You seem to know exactly what to do to calm Jack down.

Rook: But this is a great opportunity, since we're taking a break, why don't you tell us some more? I'd love to hear about both of your childhoods.

Jack: Uh… I mean, we only went to the same school for about a year or two. There's not much to tell.

Vil: Oh, really? There were plenty of entertaining stories, if I recall.

Vil: You would say, "I'm not interested in kid's games" and refuse to play tag with your friends. Instead, you'd just train your muscles.

Jack: Uh, I don't really remember that much, but… But wait, what's so funny about that?

Vil: Of course it's funny. To an outsider, that "muscle training" simply looked like "tree climbing," after all.

Rook: Oho, that sounds just like Jack-kun. Please, tell me more!

Jack: Urgh… Oh, I remember one. If it's about Vil-senpai…

Jack: This one time, we were playing all day in a huge snowstorm. You made a huge snow sculpture then, didn't you?

Vil: Ah… Yes, that did happen, didn't it? How nostalgic.

Rook: That's a charming memory. What did you make?

Vil: I made a throne that I could actually sit on. Of course, I also made sure to add all the proper embellishments to it.

Jack: Rook-senpai, he may be speaking of it so pridefully, but I was the one who made most of it.

Jack: You don't know just how much I suffered tryin’ to make all that freshly fallen snow hard enough to sit on...

Vil: Well, I concocted the design, didn't I? And of course, I helped with the decorations.

Rook: Hm, yet another story that sounds "just like" you two. I can clearly imagine it.

Jack: What else… Well, we also took extracurricular lessons on skiing and snowboarding at school together.

Vil: It was my first time, so I learned from Jack, who had experience with it.

Jack: Yeah, but you mastered it real quick, so I really only was able to help for a short while.

Vil: I'd been training my core, so it seems that I was already quite proficient in sports like skiing or snowboarding where you need that sense of balance.

Vil: …Similarly, I'd think someone like you who also trains his core should be able to master something simple like walking properly...

Vil: Rook, how do you think Jack is doing?

Rook: Yes, he's doing fantastically. His reflexes are top notch, and his hardworking spirit makes him quite malleable.

Rook: He's still struggling a bit, but with a little more practice, his walking should be flawless.

Rook: His facial expression is also quite stunning with how commanding and wild it is. I'm sure the faefolk will be mesmerized by it.

Jack: R-Really? It doesn't really feel like it…

Rook: Well, it is difficult to see your own improvements. In fact, you have been progressing quite well, Jack.

Rook: Actually. How about as a status report, you show Vil your walking?

Rook: I am sure that your actions will support my words.

Jack: Got it. Then, here I go.

Jack: …How was that?

Vil: Not bad. After a few more lessons, you may be able to join Silver to finish practicing with him.

Jack: You serious!? I mean, it's not like I think that you'd give empty compliments or anything…

Jack: And it felt like I was a bit more relaxed when walking this time than compared to before.

Jack: Maybe it was because we took a small breather that I was able to relax some tension…

Jack: Thank you, Rook-senpai.

Rook: No, no, thank you. I enjoyed hearing your fascinating stories.

Jack: Alright… I'll keep doing my best, and give you guys a show as good as Silver-senpai and Ortho would.

Jack: Please keep me going strong, both of you!

Requested by Anonymous.

#twisted wonderland #twst #jack howl #vil schoenheit #rook hunt #twst jack #twst vil #twst rook #twst translation #twst fairy gala

[phoenixkaptain]

Was unceremoniously reminded of my affection for Total Drama, specifically Island, which I watched a lot of as a kid, and World Tour, which I watched like three episodes of.

I really liked the show as a kid. I was so upset when Leshawna lost. I got actually physically ill at some points. I thought Cody was the worst because the secondhand embarrassment from him made me want to curl up in a deep hole and bury myself. I thought Noah was gay.

I don’t remember much from World Tour. I remember a few commercials. And Tyler taking a guy’s sock off with his teeth. And that. Is it.

As an adult, I have an even weaker stomach (seriously, I tried to watch a video and they showed one clip and I actually almost threw up. I had to turn the whole thing off. My younger self had an iron stomach, honestly) and my sense of humour has evolved so that I find all of the jokes I found funny as a kid even funnier. And now I can appreciate the psychological manipulation. And the sarcasm. I didn’t really understand sarcasm as a kid.

(I still don’t know if Alejandro really actually fell on purpose, or if he was just lying in the confessional. Like, I feel like I should know? But I just don’t? I kind of believe him when he said it was on purpose.. Am I falling for his manipulations too? What is this?)

Anyway I also feel like the oldest fan of this series on the entire site. I’m almost 23. I feel like the humour is targeted more towards people my age, especially since it came out in my childhood when those types of jokes were prevalent, but I don’t know anymore?? I can’t go into the tags without feeling ancient. I can’t go into the tags without seeing a bunch of ship hate the likes of 2012 Tumblr, like, guys, c’mon. It’s an animated reality show. At least two characters are engulfed in magma/lava and are just fine. Why are you complaining about ships??

I feel like I’m fifteen again and seeing people tell others to kill themselves over their blorbos. I just can’t take this show all that seriously, you know? Noah literally is the picture of a stereotypical gay man, and they still gave him a girlfriend. That shit is hilarious. The two finalists for the first season were the absolute unlikeliest choices. Heather and Courtney both somehow managed to stay on the show for more than one episode. The show is a train wreck, I love it but I just can’t take any of it serious enough to send people death threats over.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’ve become a tired old woman. I just don’t have the energy to hate on random people because they have different opinions than mine. I wish I had the energy of some of these whippersnappers. I wish someone would come out and reassure me that they also like the show and are over 20 years old. I feel like the only adult in a daycare, someone please give these children some adult supervision. I came on this website to swear like a fucking sailor and have a damn good time, not to babysit a bunch of people who can’t even tell reality from fiction.

#the inane ramblings of a madman #i’m so tired of this fanbase #what’s up with these people?? #i’m usually so good #at picking and choosing people to follow #but half the ship tags are filled with bullshit #i absolutely love the characters and their dynamics #shipping in this fandom should be so much fun because of how much potential the characters have #but there’s so much vitriol??? #calm down people #it’s a poorly animated canadian tv show #please stop screaming #i just want to ship my weird shit in peace #i’m not gonna tag the franchise #this might make it in anyway hell if i understand tumblr’s algorithym #but i just wrote this to vent my frustrations #i don’t want to shove my opinions down people’s throats #i just want to have a good time #and think about how funny giving noah a gf was #i mean sure i guess he could be bi #but a show that runs on stereotypes as much as td #doesn’t seem like the type of show to have bi rep y’know #aside from cody and alejandro #i don’t make the rules i just point them out #long post

[lea-andres]

May I humbley ask for Kid!Bean AU headcannons? It interests me and I would like to hear more about it! Say yes or I’ll throw a Vavok idea at you

I LOST EVERYTHING I WROTE INITIALLY NOOOOOOOO 😭😭😭

Okay, fuck it, I'm mad at Tumblr now, so you're getting the abridged version. *Flips a table*

TL;DR: Bean's been bumped down to Charmy/Cream/Marine's age group in this AU. Bark found him abandoned as a baby and adopted him. Fang's the drunk, irresponsible uncle. Bean got separated from Bark and Fang during a robot fight once, and was found by Tangle and Jewel. They worked hard to reunite Bean with his dad and uncle. Instant sparks between Bark and Jewel, which everyone including Bean notices, and he bullies the two into a relationship by pretty much adopting Jewel as his mom on the spot. 😂😂😂

So, you're caught up now, here's the headcanons:

-This was a suggestion from someone else (I've sadly forgotten who. 😭 If you guys remember who, please remind me!), But Bean has a teddy bear Fang's convinced is possessed. If it gets destroyed or lost, it'll turn back up a couple hours later unscathed. No one else thinks this is a big deal, but the thing creeps Fang the fuck out.

-Jewel is pretty much the only person Bark trusts 100% to watch Bean. Fang and Tangle let him get up to chaotic shit he shouldn't and Whisper will let him shoot her Wispon if he behaves himself, which also makes Bark quite nervous. The only time he will relax 100% with Bean out of his sight is when he's in Jewel's care.

-For being thrust into the 'Mom' role completely out of nowhere, Jewel takes it in stride. She's always got a room prepared for Bean in case he needs to stay the night at her place, and she reassures Bark constantly that she can watch him anytime a sitter's needed. Once she and Bark actually get together, she insists he and Bean should move in with her, saying a stable home life in a safe small town would be better for the kid than being on the move constantly.

-Fang pretends he's totally not invested in the BugBear romance, but guess who pulled Jewel aside to make sure she heard the (definitely embellished lol) sob story of how Bark found baby Bean abandoned in the snow of cold and harsh North Island? He DOES find Bean's blunt matchmaking attempts absolutely hilarious though, and usually doesn't do much more than just kick back with a drink and watch the awkwardness that ensues.

-This is less of a headcanon, and more of a fun fact: This AU is the debut of Patience the BugBear. After a few years of officially being together, Bark and Jewel start bouncing around the idea of having a second kid. They keep putting it off though out of fear they'd make Bean feel like he's being replaced or that he'd fear they'd love their biological child more than him (neither being true, of course, they both love Bean to pieces!). Once they do work up the courage to run the idea by Bean to see how he reacts, he just hears that he'd get to be a big brother and has NO OTHER THOUGHTS EVER. 😂 But anyway, Patience debuted here, and we all just loved her so much she spread to... *checks notes* ...All of my other AUs except the movie verse one. 😂😂😂 (And she's NOT going in the movie verse AU, guys! I'm not interested in exploring that AU to the point where next gen would start popping up... Although Grandma Brenda is a hilarious idea... No one tempt me, I've already tried and failed to ban Bark and Whisper from my movie verse AU. 😭😭😭)

-Bean gets playdates with Charmy (HEAVILY SUPERVISED) and Cream (not AS supervised, but still VERY supervised). They also get roped into the matchmaking scheme, and focus on their efforts on getting Jewel to crack.

-Marine and Bean have not met yet. Bark and Jewel want to keep it that way, from what they've heard about the raccoon. (No, they don't hate Marine, they just clearly see how that combo can go badly.)

-I believe it was @stillafanofsonic who headed the idea that kid!Bean is an absolute TYRANT to Shadow. He drives the poor guy into fits of rage constantly. Rouge and Omega miss all the torture and mind games, and are convinced Bean's the sweetest baby boy ever, infuriating Shadow further. Sadly, Shadow and Fang COULD join forces on the possessed teddy bear front... If Fang didn't get into 'prove your the alpha dog' moods and pick fights with Shadow constantly. 🙄😂 (Which is a constant in ALL my AUs. Fang takes Shadow being the 'Ultimate Lifeform' as a personal challenge, and will try to pick fights with him. This usually ends with someone, usually Bark, having to scrape Fang's stupid carcass off the pavement.)

-This is the only AU where we have an explanation for Bean's "enjoyment" of Hallmark movies. Rouge got him hooked on them to fuck with poor Bark and Jewel. It's unclear if she did this because she wants to see them get together or if it's just to watch the world burn. 😈

-kid!Bean is 1000% this kind of energy always:

This is immediately followed by Bark and Jewel jumping in to coddle the little guy and check him for injuries. (Meanwhile Fang's floating around in the background going "Guys, he's fine! He'd be screaming if he wasn't." 😂) They're both a little helicoptery (Bark's worse than Jewel, but she's also pretty bad), but it's fine. 😂

Okay, that still got long even with it being the abridged version because SOMEONE (Tumblr) DELETED THE ORIGINAL VERSION!

Now hit me with a Vavok idea anyway. 😂😈

#kid!bean au #bean the dynamite #bark the polar bear #jewel the beetle #bugbear #fang the sniper

[nayialovecat]

The Ink Demonth 2022 - Day 29 Home

When you ask: What is home to Nayia, I'll answer in one word: family. Family is of great value to me, and I also count my close friends as family. You can be in a totally bad place - but when you are in there with someone who is important to you, everything else doesn't matter.

That's why I chose this scene for the Home theme. Please, meet Simon and Marie, as well as their little daughter Eliza - the first ink (non-demonic) child born in the Workshop! Well, I've mentioned many times that Sammy has my character. And if so, he also shares with me his love for children and the will to have them. And if so, he was very sorry that no one else in the Workshop cannot have children - and persuaded Bendy to a little "experiment". Why did he have to persuade Bendy? Well, I'd like to remind you that Ink People don't have most internal organs... which means that it is rather difficult to create conditions in their bodies that are appropriate for pregnancy, or even more so to give birth to a child. Have any of you watched "Alien"? The birth of a baby in an inky world looks a lot like the birth of a little Alien - except not through the chest, but more through the lumbar region. Without the close supervision of someone who controls the ink (khe, khe, Bendy), giving a birth in the Workshop would be fatal every time. So do you still remember the picture from Timing? I promised you that I would explain why Simon interrupted Sammy at the most inopportune moment. You've probably already guessed what happened then, right? It can be said that for both families that day was unforgettable...

This picture was ready for a long time - I just had to shade it a bit. I like it a lot, I like Marie and Simon very much, who will appear as a couple in canonical SATIM, but actually became a couple in Sammy the Sandwich. Yes, their being together was born on the pages of my sick pornfic X"D The turns and fates of my characters are strange... By the way, someone might ask: if Marie and Simon were together before the curse was lifted and wanted a child, why didn't they stay in the human world? Well, that's a good question, and I'll give you a clue: Marie was fed up with shaving every morning...

The plot of "Samdy Kids" takes place after Joey's death and the release of all the people from the Workshop. Bendy, together with his children and all the toons (Borises, members of the Butcher Gang), are forced to stay in the Workshop - which, however, doesn't turn out to be a bad thing, when Sammy returns to his family and begins to build New Workshop, an utopian underground country where everyone can live peacefully and happily.

Link to rules of the Ink Demonth.

#The Ink Demonth #Bendy and the Ink Machine #BATIM #Samdy Kids #Simon #Marie #Eliza #Ink People #yep Marie in the meat human world is a guy

[izzy-b-hands]

"Alright, that's another vote for something arson-related," Stede says. "Does anyone else have any suggestions?"

Izzy watches as Alma, sat between him and Louis on the deck, tentatively raises her hand.

Stede's eyes light up. "Sweetheart! Yes, what are you thinking we ought to do to that Dutch ship?"

"The arson ideas are all very good," Alma begins.

"I'd like to set something on fire," Louis interrupts with a grumble. "Alma, they have to do the fire!"

"I didn't say they shouldn't! Shut up and let me talk!"

"You shut up!"

"Dad called on me!"

"Enough!" Izzy interjects. "Alma, go on. Louis, do pirates interrupt like that?"

"No," Louis grumbles and pulls his knees up to hide his face in them. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Izzy says, only to realize the discussion has gone dead. "What?"

"How did you do that?" Stede asks. "With the kids."

"Talk to them?!"

"Think he means the discipline," Ed suggests.

"That's..." Izzy splutters. "You just heard and watched it! That was the talking!"

"Anyway!" Alma shouts over him. "I think I should get stab someone."

"I second that!" Jim calls.

"Bit young for stabbing," Stede winces. "What would Mum think?"

Alma shrugs. "That I'm a really good pirate for my age."

Stede seems to ponder it, then nods. "Izzy, Jim, can you keep an eye out and help her with that?"

Ed scoffs. "Izzy, you aren't really going to help her stab-"

"I stabbed my first person at sixteen and I was fine," Izzy reminds him. "She'll be fine as well."

"Dunno about any of us being 'fine' after stabbing people," Olu offers. "That said, I support Alma's right to stab someone if she wants."

"What about me?" Louis wails. "I'm not going to sit in Dad's room like the last raid. I won't and you can't make me!"

Izzy smirks. "Or what? You'll stab someone?"

He forgets that kids can move quickly, but he expects a punch or an angry stomp from Louis.

Not the knife now sticking out of his shoulder.

"Louis!" Stede gasps. "Where did you get that?"

"They're all over!" Louis replies. "I figured no one would mind if I took one."

"I already took four," Alma admits. "Thought the same."

"We could do better cleaning them up while the kids visit," Ed says. "Most homes with kids tend to keep an eye on the knives I think."

"We'll find them," Alma scoffs.

"Oh, will you?" Ed asks sarcastically. "You won't be able to reach them. I'll make sure of it. I'm way taller than you."

"I'll find a chair."

"I'll have Izzy take the chair away."

"Izzy wouldn't do that!"

"I did just get stabbed by this one," Izzy gestures to Louis, then to Alma. "And she's made very clear she's all for stabbing, Ed. I think it would be in my best interest to actually find her a taller chair at that point."

"Speaking of," Roach interjects. "Iz, shall I do something about that stab wound? Like, we can brainstorm and do first aid at the same time."

"I wouldn't mind that," Izzy admits.

"I'm really sorry," Louis mumbles. "Shouldn't have stabbed you."

He wraps Izzy in a hug, accidentally sinking the knife slightly deeper as he does, but Izzy hugs back regardless.

"Consider it your practice for the raid," Izzy says.

"Seriously?" Louis lets him go only to try and shake him by the shoulders. "You aren't lying? I get to be in the raid?!"

Stede raises a brow.

"Yes, but you stay by me," Izzy replies. "I think Dad would rather you at least be supervised during it."

"Izzy is one of our most competent, so yes, please stay by him," Stede agrees. "Izzy, I presume you don't mind?"

"Your ex-wife terrifies me," he shrugs. "Think that's where Alma gets it from. I'd prefer to keep your kids alive, because if anything happened, after she was done killing you? She'd go after me."

"Yeah, she would," Stede says. "Well, alright then! They are nearly in sight, so let's get ready! Arson and stabbing are the main plan, but as always, do not be afraid to be creative! Make the raid your own!"

"Can we set whoever we stab on fire?" Louis whispers to Izzy. "Alma, you want to, right?"

Her eyes light up, and Izzy ponders if maybe they played pirates a bit too seriously in the past. Then again, he can admit he's encouraging it now, but they're not playing anymore. If they're going to be in a real raid, then they need to act like real pirates.

"What about those sticks of dynamite we found?" Alma suggests.

"When are you two searching the ship like this?" Izzy asks.

"You all have to sleep sometime," Alma says.

"True," Izzy says. "Slightly intimidating too. Good raid energy. Shall we get the knife out of my back before we reach those Dutch bastards and make them regret sailing anywhere near us?"

#text post #ofmd ficlet #I will always be team Stede's kids might eventually want to be pirates too for a time and i support it #let alma stab whoever she wants #ultimately as long as the kids are safe i think skewer handling mary would be fine with them learning a little pirate self defense #... dynamite might be a bit of overkill admittedly but they're having fun!!! #also i so badly want to do something else that's mostly alma sassing ed the entire time #Because u know he'll playfully throw it right back while Stede bursts a blood vessel trying so hard not to laugh at the scene #i know louis seems Rough here but like. i based him somewhat off how my cousins acted at that age #and even the best kid has their moments and wants to be included ya know?