#i don’t like. blame her because she had really limited options

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I was a bit surprised to see that mhj specifically said that newjeans had approved the statement saying that belift had copied newjeans' concept with illit. I'm not the type of person that thinks that you're a bitch for asserting position or your value, so this isn't where I'm coming from, but, especially in an industry where it's so rare to see groups say anything negative about other groups, particular junior groups I would think, it was quite the strong, swift position to take. Do you foresee newjeans continuing to engage publicly with this scandal, and how would you think taking an active part in this would affect their brand?

*

Ask 2:

bp in your opinion is there any chance that in this Hybe/MHJ situation there's a buried kind of double-blind motivation?

Like the kind i've seen attributed to E|on Musk, where he creates a big scandal to provide cover when he's doing something much shadier (and then maybe it gets out of hand, like the TwiX thing lol)

You've said you're pretty familar with the corporate side machinations - could Hybe be purposefully airing all this, sure to stick it to MHJ, but also to temporarily drive down stock prices for idk easy shares-repurchasing? Or even allowing a mess they can blame for having to report lower numbers to shareholders for whatever reason: boycott actually impacting profit, hedging against lower-than-predicted bts returning numbers, etc.

Or is this too convoluted of conspiracy thinking and BPD/HYBE/MHJ, and by extension from your recent posts basically 'corporate kpop' entire, are really just that transparent and petty?

*

Ask 3:

Might be a stupid question because I honestly don't have any clue about corporate businesses and how they work. But in the light of this scandal and how BigHit/Hybe developed over the last years: would you say this is what you get when you become too greedy instead of concentrating on what you were good at?

*

Ask 4:

in your opinion, is mhj truly an indispensable part of newjeans creative output? Also, do you see any way that hybe would let newjeans leave with its name and discography if they try to break their contract to go with mhj like some people are saying?

*

Ask 5:

I’m seeing a lot of discussion about whether newjeans will try to leave with mhj and break their contract with hybe, but I don’t see this as a realistic scenario, and I especially don’t see hybe letting them leave with their name and discography. You mentioned that there are a limited set of options now, but is this even one of them? In my mind, newjeans as a concept either stays at hybe, with or without mhj in whatever capacity, or can’t really exist legally

*

Ask 6:

Also this has given everyone (kpop stans, ARMYs, journalists) the go ahead to drag Newjeans in order to "defend" Illit, BTS, Riize, etc by throwing (again) dozens of plagiarism accusations and trying to discredit everything the group has done and achieved. And it was started by Hybe themselves... I have no words, bpp

***

I think these six asks capture most of the talking points in the asks I've received since yesterday, so I'll use these to answer your questions.

The sheer amount of spin happening in the media right now is ridiculous lmaoo. With the mention of BTS in the "escape files", ARMYs have predictably moved from shady bystanders to actively joining in the negative spin, spreading rumor articles and many are now attacking the girls themselves. But honestly, this is nothing less than what I expected. NewJeans is the most popular group in Korea, the 2nd most valuable IP only behind BTS, and Min Heejin is the brains behind the operation - an achievement she's insisted on taking full credit for since inception. Leaving the only option for whoever is masterminding this from within and outside HYBE, to destroy her reputation as an executive completely to diminish her value to outside investors, and weaken the fan support for NewJeans given how closely they are already associated with MHJ. And that's what is happening. It impacts every group at HYBE and nearly obliterates the viability of NewJeans.

For HYBE, it's a tolerable loss given there's only one year left before BTS returns and closes that earnings gap in mere months. Whoever took this action sees it simply as resulting in a numerical loss that can be soon corrected, but personally, I disagree, for the same reasons I objected to HYBE's acquisition of SM even though on paper it made numerical sense.

Anon in ask 1: I can understand your surprise but sad as it is to say, I expected that response from MHJ. She's a creative, not a PR exec or an MBA-credentialled suit. I'm not sure how familiar you are with ADOR's press releases in general, but anybody who reads them can tell there's almost no corporate doublespeak, no vague allusions, nothing that shows it's written by a typical media-trained PR person. Which is why most people, including you, take that statement to mean NewJeans agrees with MHJ that Illit copied them (it's a possibility), when in reality the language shows it could refer to them agreeing with MHJ's assertion that HYBE hasn't duly responded to her requests about inter-label discrimination, or other related matters. That's the kind of detail a trained PR person would be sure to include, to minimize the fallout to NJ, but just as with the press release on Cookie, the one on Minji's rival sasaeng, the response to Hyein's veneer rumours, and practically every press release ADOR has put out, the language is unsophisticated.

"Do you foresee newjeans continuing to engage publicly with this scandal, and how would you think taking an active part in this would affect their brand?"

NewJeans has so far not engaged publicly with this scandal. MHJ has mentioned them to signal any separation between them will likely be contested. It's leverage. If they do take an active part in this scandal, it will completely destroy their brand. Like, it's already on life support. Anything more and we might as well say their last rites.

*

Anon in ask 2: I'd say that's not a conspiracy exactly but it is kinda pushing it. Anytime there's a stock dip it's a buying opportunity, and HYBE is always guaranteed to be a Buy so long as BTS is slated to return within 12 months of the stock event. But we simply don't have any clear indications that's the case now given the timing doesn't quite line up. If anything, that is more like the 4th order side-effect.

And yeah, people on the corporate side, not just in k-pop, are many times just that petty. But it's also true this case has been sensationalized in particular ways to appeal to k-pop stans specifically.

*

Anons in ask 4 & 5: The options available are:

MHJ leaves HYBE and NewJeans stays in HYBE

MHJ leaves HYBE and NewJeans leaves with her

MHJ stays in HYBE but is demoted from her exec role and NewJeans stays in HYBE

MHJ stays in HYBE and keeps her exec role and NewJeans stays in HYBE

None of these options are good, but the worst of these evils is option 2. If the members attempt to leave with her, there's no pretty way to say this, but they'll be done. I'm not even going to waste time writing all the ways HYBE and k-pop stans as a whole will rip them to shreds, all I'll say is that whoever is attached to these girls should consider taking a 6 months sabbatical away from k-pop entirely once that news breaks. The law is not on their side and public opinion, especially after all the 'leaks' and spin from HYBE in the last 72 hours, certainly isn't on their side either. It would be career suicide.

"in your opinion, is mhj truly an indispensable part of newjeans creative output?"

Personally, I think yes. Every label at HYBE had similar initial monetary investment as NewJeans and ADOR had, and other groups from the Big 3 have had even bigger investments and resources at their disposal. There isn't a single group, both within HYBE and outside HYBE, that has yielded the same results as NewJeans in the same period of time. Illit comes close, but even with their achievements they haven't reached the same (positive) notoriety as NewJeans did at debut. All HYBE groups have access to HYBE's youtube channel, connections and resources, and yet the achievements of BOYNEXTDOOR, LE SSERAFIM, ENHYPEN, and even ILLIT, are nowhere near comparable to that of NewJeans. And I agree with MHJ that she's the primary reason why. Having access to resources is only one part of the equation. How you allocate those resources and what you do with it is far more important, and this is where MHJ and ADOR excels relative to other sub-labels.

NewJeans without MHJ will not be nearly as threatening to everyone else in k-pop, and I suspect this is one reason there have been calls for her to be removed from managing the group since their debut.

*

Anons in ask 3 & 6: Yeah there's a fair bit of greed on show here. Generally, for a lot of people in this industry, greed is good... unless the greedy person is a woman. Because the only thing more central to nasty corporate tussles like this, more than greed, is ego.

I'm not trying to play the gender card, but sometimes I do wonder why there are no articles like this about people like Jaden Jeong and Simon Jakob given the reputation those men have in corporate circles, where top officials (in this case, within HYBE) are saying they cannot possibly work with MHJ because she is "overly and excessively opinionated". I'm highlighting this article because despite the initial paragraphs of spin, that bit is the only thing consistent with MHJ's claim that this attack from HYBE started because she'd filed a whistleblowing report on toxic inter-label competition and followed up an email that said quote:

"..is this deliberate obtuseness and unapologetic behaviour consistent with HYBE's founding philosophy of rebelling against unfair practices in the entertainment industry?"

I mean... in corporate Korea, I can see how they were sick of her shit and it was only a matter of time before she got the boot.

The insidious thing about spin is that it mixes the truth with lies, making it easy for people to accept it wholly. It's entirely possible that MHJ wants more compensation, more autonomy and independence, feels that Belift and other companies borrowed her ideas without full credit, and that she was unsupported by HYBE HQ. It's entirely possible that she took actions such as monitoring fan feedback of the group(s) she suspects and filing a whistleblowing report to build a case - according to both MHJ and others at HYBE, these are complaints she's apparently had since last year, but none of those things would justify HYBE's response nor is it enough to turn people against her.

What I find particularly interesting about this case, is that everything that decisively incriminates her of the more sensational and sinister allegations, comes from the person of VP L or CEO A - a person who only joined ADOR in January 2024, shortly after which HYBE received their first tip-off that MHJ was planning to escape. It's VP L who titles documents with the equivalent of "TOP SECRET DO NOT TOUCH" on company computers... the same guy that's supposedly a double agent working in favour of MHJ and ADOR but is situated within ADOR, not HYBE, where simple logic shows he'd be most useful. Unless he's situated right where he's supposed to be.

Anyway...

HYBE has requested for a shareholder meeting on April 30th where they'll likely table the motion for MHJ to resign regardless of what's found in the audit. Far as I know, she's completed the audit questionnaire but not surrendered her laptop as HYBE has requested. Given the play is for HYBE to kick her out while continuing to manage NJ, I can see how she'd rather die than surrender her laptop and hand over her ideas (and potentially incriminating info) to HYBE on a silver platter for them to use in her wake.

Every way this shakes out is bad news for HYBE groups IMO. So long as NewJeans keeps quiet and sides with HYBE, they'll be somewhat okay. But regardless of the fallout from HYBE cannibalizing itself, all HYBE groups have no choice but to take it on the chin and bide their time until BTS comes back to capture the attention back to them.

I hope I answered all your questions. IMO there's really no point talking more about this until there's a firm conclusion.

#min heejin #newjeans #ador #hybe #bang pd #kpop #kpop industry #kpop business #belift

[sourwolf-sterek32]

10 Things I Hate About You

Summary: Jason Carver cannot date Chrissy until her anti-social sister, Y/N, has a boyfriend. So, Jason pays Eddie Munson to charm her.

Or

Basically an Eddie Munson fic based on the movie 10 Things I Hate About You that nobody asked for.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: language

Previous Chapter

Chapter 5-

You took your usual seat in English class and pulled out the latest book you were reading while the rest of the students slowly started to trickle inside.

"Bad luck boys, her shirt isn't see-through anymore." One of the guys shouted as a group of jocks walked into the room.

You didn't give them the satisfaction of replying, instead you kept your head down while you continued to read, waiting for the teacher to show up and start the class.

"Y/N, babe, what do we owe you for the table dance?" Jason's voice suddenly called out as he appeared beside your desk.

"Suck my dick, Carver." You snapped, still not looking up from the book.

"Cool it, girl. At least you've covered your back, those scars are not flattering."

You bit your tongue, knowing that if you said anything it would be bad and the last thing you wanted was to get detention and give your mother another reason to be angry.

"Good morning class. How was everybody's weekends?" Ms. O'Donnell asked as she walked into the room.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe we should ask Y/N." Jason replied causing the class to all laugh.

"Easy, Jason." Eddie's voice suddenly warned and you glanced over your shoulder to find him walking into the room, glaring at the man still hovering by your desk. "Just because she drank you under the table doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it."

The class all laughed again causing Jason to huff in annoyance before taking his usual seat behind you and you quickly turned back to the front of class, not wanting to see Eddie, despite feeling his eyes watching you.

The rest of English went by with limited shit talking from Jason and his goons and before long it was lunch. You found yourself sitting at you usual table at the far end of the cafeteria munching on your food while reading a book.

"Hey."

You looked up to find Robin Buckley sitting down opposite you with her tray of food and a bright smile.

"Uh, hey." You replied, putting your book down and looking at her in confusion. "Umm, are you lost?"

"Me? Oh, no. I just came to say hi and see how you were doing after the, uh, the incident at the party."

Now you were even more confused. Why did Robin care? She didn't even know you and you were pretty sure this was the first interaction the two of you have ever had, hell, you didn't even realise she was at the party Friday night.

"I'm fine. You can go back to your friends now." You brushed off, reaching for your book again before she continued to talk.

"I want to believe that. I really do, but I know that's a lie. I mean, I don't blame you, that was a shitty situation with the drink and white shirt and I heard the comments Jason and the other bozos were saying in English earlier. But, um, if you ever need a friend or want someone to talk to our table is always open, we're right over there." She said, pointing across the room.

You followed her line of sight to find the table of Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers all chatting away and eating together before you looked back at Robin.

"Thanks, but seriously, I'm fine."

Robin nodded, but didn't say anything for a minute like she was debating whether to get up and leave or continue talking. You were hoping for the first option, but then she started to talk again.

"I was surprised to see you at Steve's party. Didn't think it was your scene."

You shrugged your shoulders, "I didn't have a choice. I was doing Chrissy a favour... and it kind of backfired."

"Backfired?"

"I got stupidly drunk. I puked and I got rejected. It was an eventful night."

"Ouch, that blows." Robin responded, looking at you sadly and you nodded.

"Hey, Y/N, can we talk?" Eddie's voice suddenly asked and you looked up to find him walking towards you.

Great, your day just kept getting better and better.

"We have nothing to talk about." You responded, shoving your book into your backpack before walking off, leaving your food and a very confused Robin at the table.

-

"What was that about?" Robin asked, watching Y/N walk off before turning back to Eddie.

He sighed, "I didn't do anything. She would've been too drunk to remember."

Robin stood up from the table, collecting her tray of food in one hand before patting his shoulder with the other, "she thinks you rejected her, dingus. Just apologise to her and-"

"How do I apologise to her when she won't even look at me?" He asked, cutting her off.

Robin just shrugged her shoulders, "I'm sure you'll figure something out."

With that, she started to walk off back to her usual lunch table and Eddie sighed. That was really no help at all.

He spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to apologise to her. He thought he was doing the right thing, he didn't want to take advantage of her when she was drunk. But, he didn't realise that his actions would make her think that he had rejected her. God, he was such an idiot.

He began to make his way across the cafeteria to where the other members of Hellfire were sitting at their usual table before Jason Carver suddenly stepped in front of him, holding out a bundle of cash.

"I need you to take Y/N to prom." He whispered, handing him the money. "This should take care of the flowers, the limo, the lux, everything, Just make sure she gets to the prom."

Eddie looked down at the money, not surprised to find a couple hundred dollars worth of notes in his hand. This would literally pay for Uncle Wayne's gas and electricity bill, but Eddie shook his head and handed it back to Jason.

"Do you know what? I'm sick of playing your little game."

Jason glared at him, but pulled out more money from his wallet and held it out.

"You sick of, let's say, 300?"

Eddie hated himself for it, but he took the money without a word causing Jason to smirk happily before he walked off. The money burned in his hand and he shoved the notes aggressively into the pocket of his jeans before storming off, straight past the Hellfire Club who all called out to him in confusion, but Eddie needed some air and a smoke to calm himself down.

Once the bell rang signalling the end of class, he tried to track Y/N down, but by the time he reached the carpark, he saw the tail lights of the Dodge Challenger speeding off out the gate.

He ended up driving up and down the main streets of Hawkins like a creep until he spotted the Challenger parked out in front of the music studio of all places. He stopped the van on the side of the road, looking through the front glass window of the store, instantly spotting Y/N inside admiring the guitars hanging on the wall.

She ended up grabbing an ice blue guitar off the mounts before sitting down and plucking at the strings. He found himself smiling as he watched her, not realising that she knew how to play before she stood back up and hung the instrument back on the wall and started making her way out the store.

Eddie quickly ducked down behind the dash of the van, not wanting to seem like a total stalker for watching her, even though that was exactly what he had been doing.

To his relief, Y/N didn't notice him as she walked further down the street before ducking into the town library and he knew this was his chance to try and talk to her.

It was the first and last time he would ever willingly walk into the library. It wasn't that he didn't like reading, he actually thoroughly enjoyed it, when it was the right book, but the town library was always full of old women who tended to judge him like a book cover by the way he dressed and made him feel unwelcome.

He had actually sent Uncle Wayne into the library last time he wanted a new book. His uncle didn't want to at first, also hating the old women inside, but eventually went and returned with the entire Lord of the Rings series of novels as an early birthday present.

Eddie could feel the looks the old lady behind the reception desk was giving him, but he ignored her and began to search up and down every aisle until he finally found Y/N browsing one of the shelves.

"Excuse me, have you see the Feminine Mystique? I 've lost my copy." He said by a way of announcing his presence.

Y/N sighed heavily and turned to face him with a pissed off expression plastered over her face.

"What are you doing here?" She asked bluntly.

"I heard there was a poetry reading." He joked, immediately regretting his words when she somehow looked even more pissed off.

"You're so-"

"Charming?" He said, cutting her off because he never knew when to shut his damn mouth as he watched Y/N walk away. "Wholesome?" He continued.

"Unwelcome." She shot back, turning around to face him.

He should apologise to her now. There was no need to keep this up. She was a spitfire and was baiting him into this, he should be the bigger person and just stop and apologise, but he couldn't help it.

"You're not as mean as you think you are, you know that?" He ended up saying instead as he walked back over to her.

She raised her eyebrows, giving him a levelled look and if he didn't know her any better, he would've thought he was about to get punched. No wonder most the kids at school thought she was scary. That look could seriously kill someone.

"And you're not as badass as you think you are." She said before shoving a book into his chest, snapping him out of his thoughts as she pushed past him and out the door.

Well, that could have went a whole lot better.

Eddie sighed, looking down at the book he was holding to his chest and started to laugh when he realised it was Feminine Mystique.

-

As suspected, Y/N was still avoiding him like the plague at school and as the days past, he was starting to run out of ideas on how to make it up to her.

"Eddie, dude, you're not even listening." Gareth said, snapping his fingers in front of his face from where he was sitting at the cafeteria table beside him. "What is going on with you lately?"

"Nothing. Nothing." He insisted, rubbing his face with his hands.

"This got anything to do with that new chick?" Jeff asked.

Eddie groaned into his hands, hating that his friends knew him too well.

"Seriously, what happened between you guys? Wait, did you fuck her?" Grant questioned with wide eyes.

"Dude." Gareth said, whacking Grants shoulder.

"I think the problem is that I didn't fuck her?" He answered, but it was more of a question than anything causing his friends to look at him in confusion before he elaborated. "She was drunk at the party and tried to kiss me, I pulled away and then left... now that I'm saying it out loud, it sounds shitty. But, I just didn't want to take advantage over her when she was drunk."

"So, she thinks you like rejected her or something and now she's pissed at you?" Jeff asked and Eddie nodded, snatching his juice and taking a drink. "Since when did you like her anyway? I'm in her Biology class and she's got an attitude, man. Plus, she's kinda mean and have you heard the rumours about her back being covered in scars? People are guessing what caused it, my bets on a car accident. She's always speeding in that stupid car and-"

"Don't talk about her like that." Eddie said, not letting him finish.

He hated that the rumour about her scars was getting around school. She didn't want anyone to know about it, he knew that without her having to say anything. Her reaction when it all happened was enough of an indication, let alone the fact that she was definitely crying in the bathroom when he gave her his jacket... shit, she still had his leather jacket. Oh, he was so never getting that back.

"Sorry, dude. But, what do you see in her? I get she's Chrissy's sister, but she is definitely not like Chrissy." Grant continued to say.

Eddie shrugged his shoulders, "she's just different, you know? She doesn't take anyone's shit and stands up for herself. She's the only chick in this stupid town that has a decent taste in music and when she's not in public, she can be sweet and kinda funny. She's warm and she's- and she's caring and she's selfless and it's real."

"Oh my god. You're in love with her." Gareth said in realisation.

"Nope. Nope. Nope." He quickly said, shaking his head in denial because he couldn't be in love with her. He had only known her for a couple of weeks, he couldn't be in love with her. "I'm not. I'm not... I just... I like her. That's it. But, i don't know how to make it up to her after what I did."

None of his friends said anything for a few seconds as they stared at him, clearly not expecting him to say all of that before Jeff finally broke the silence.

"Well, you clearly embarrassed her. Maybe sacrifice yourself on the alter of dignity and even the score."

He opened his mouth to ask what he could possibly do to embarrass himself enough to even the score and get her to accept his apology, when suddenly an idea suddenly hit him.

"Hey, Harrington!" Eddie shouted, leaning back in his chair just as the other guy walked past with his tray of food.

"Yeah? What's up?" Steve asked, stopping in his tracks and looking over at him.

"You're friend, Robin. She's in band, right?"

Steve frowned a little, but nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"I'm gonna need to ask her for a favour."

-

The gym teacher decided today was the perfect day to play girls verses boys basketball and you were hating every second of it. The guys all thought they were top shit by showing off, but even the popular girls who were their friends seemed to be getting annoyed with them.

But, there was only like 10 minutes before the bell and then you could go home for the weekend and not see these assholes for two whole days. There was light at the end of this shitty basketball filled tunnel.

Billy Hargrove just scored another goal. It was now 23-2. How you girls even managed to score 2 points was beyond you. It wasn't even that you girls were bad, it was just that your gym class was filled with most the schools basketball team, so it was an highly unfair match to begin with.

The school band were setting up their gear across the gym while you continued to play. They must have practice after school or something because you were pretty sure Music class mainly took place the music class room.

Steve Harrington now had the ball and was dribbling it down the court. A few of your teammates tried to get it off him, but Steve easily side stepped them until you blocked his path.

"What's Nancy doing here?" You asked, pretending to look over his shoulder.

Steve frowned in confusion, "Nance is here?" He said, following your line of sight, giving you a chance to grab the ball from him.

Within a blink of an eye, the ball was in your hands and Steve yelped in surprise, but there was nothing he could do before you passed it to one your teammates who threw it at the backboard and the ball fell through the hoop.

"Focus, Harrington!" Billy shouted from across the court.

Steve sighed, giving you an annoyed look, but there was no heat behind it and you opened your mouth to say something sarcastic before a voice suddenly started to sing through the gyms speakers.

"you're just too good to be true can't take my eyes off of you you'd be like heaven to touch I wanna hold you so much."

You whipped your head around so quickly, instantly recognising that voice just as Eddie walked into the gym with a cordless microphone, his eyes instantly finding you as he continued to sing.

"at long last love has arrived and I thank God I'm alive you're just too good to be true can't take my eyes off of you."

He pointed at you as the sang the last few words before the band across the gym suddenly started to play to the tune of the beat. Robin gave you a wink as she played her trumpet and your jaw dropped.

You covered your mouth with your hands in shock, unable to believe what was happening while Eddie continued to sing.

"I love you, baby and if it's quite alright I need you, baby to warm the lonely night I love you, baby trust in me when I say'

Eddie leant against the wall with one hand, his eyes never leaving yours before he suddenly pushed himself off the wall and jumped up onto the bleachers.

He started to prance along to the bands music making a quite a sarcastic show of it causing you to laugh before he bought the microphone back to his lips and sung;

'oh, pretty baby don't bring me down, I pray oh, pretty baby now that I found you stay and let me love you, baby let me love youuuuuuuu'

He dragged out the last word with a bright smile as he finished the verse before the entire gym class, including yourself started to clap and cheer.

The cheering was short lived though because your gym teacher looked absolutely livid, his hands on his hips as he glared at Eddie.

"Mr. Munson, get out of this gym, right now. I have an important lesson to teach!" Mr. Daniels shouted.

Eddie nodded at the teacher, switching the microphone in his hand off before he caught your eye across the room and you gave him a small smile which he returned before he walked out the gym.

"Okay, now back to-" Mr. Daniels started to say before the school bell rang and you all rushed off the court and into the lockers, ready to grab your stuff and go home.

You hurriedly collected your school bag before rushing out the building in hopes of finding Eddie before he left and to your relief his van was still in the carpark.

Detouring via the Challenger, you threw your backpack inside before walking over to Eddie's van and leaning against the side of it, waiting for him to come out, but as the minutes ticked by, the carpark began to get less and less full and you began to wonder were Eddie was.

You waited a few more minutes before giving up and walking back towards the school to try and find him when you spotted Steve Harrington talking with a bunch of Middle School kids by the bike rack.

"Hey, Steve?" You called out, jogging over to him.

The kids all stared at you in confusion, probably wondering who the fuck you were. Which was fine, because you were kinda wondering who the fuck they were too and why Steve Harrington was talking to a bunch of kids, but you decided it wasn't any of your business.

"Everything okay?" He asked, turning towards you.

"I think so, but have you seen Eddie? I was waiting for him, but he hasn't shown up."

"Oh, you didn't know? He got detention for that little performance earlier."

"What?" You asked in shock, he got detention for something that he did for you? That wasn't fair.

"He knew what he was getting into." Steve said as if he could read your mind. "When he approached me about the idea, I warned him, but he insisted that it would be worth it."

"Wait, you were in on it?"

"Well, yeah, why else did you think I convinced the guys to talk the teacher into playing basketball in the gym instead of hockey outside like Mr. Daniels originally planned to do?"

You didn't say anything for a few seconds as you processed all that information. The kids Steve had been talking to awkwardly left on their bikes and road off down the street before you found your voice again.

"I can't believe Eddie put so much effort into something like that for me." You whispered in utter shock.

Steve smiled, "despite what a lot of people say and think about him, Eddie is actually a good guy. You should give him a chance, he really likes you."

-

Next Chapter 

#eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #joseph quinn #joseph quinn fanfiction

[whatisreggieshortfor]

Cinderella Snapped (Before Finding a Prince)

Hamish x MC

Will this hold up when Fusebox introduces him? Probably hell no. But it’s for @rebelrayne so here we go 😂

Her father had been so convinced it was a good deal.

She had been raised to be well groomed, university educated- a proper lady.

Her appearance was always tailored, never a hair out of place, make up never smudged.

Her friends required her father’s approval to be seen in public together, restrictions meant to prevent unsavory rumors spreading.

And it was all meant to ensure this business deal- this political marriage- was the best move for both families.

But her… fiancé had other plans.

Georgina’s father blamed her as the tabloids ran rampant with the story- Jasper Ramsden had run away with his mistress.

Georgina didn’t consider Allegra to fit the title she was given- the two of them had fallen in love, something she didn’t share with him.

What poisoned her feeling of friendship- camaraderie- that she shared with Jasper, was the fact that the day before he ran away with Allgre, he accused Georgie of being high maintenance. Claimed she was expecting him to be the Prince Charming to her Cinderella.

She had snapped, feeling disregarded and unseen.

So the engagement had fallen apart.

Her father had tried to play it off- push out the idea that the engagement had never been and that there was only meant to be business dealings between the family businesses. He still tried to find her another ‘suitable’ match- only to be shut down by the prominent families he approached. Jasper’s family had tried to reach out again, make a new arrangement when Allegra abandoned him at the altar to run off with the wedding planner, but he refused to allow him a second chance to embarrass them.

And it left her feeling like a dirt speck in his otherwise perfect reputation.

Tom was her best mate, their families had also been close. He was never an option for her father’s candidates list- not since he met Summer- but Tom was still there for her. One of her few approved friends.

“The guy was no good for you anyway,” Summer was blunt in her comfort, but it was refreshing for Georgina to have someone like that when everyone treated her with politeness or kid gloves. “It isn’t your fault the guy was a slimeball that couldn’t have the decency to tell you to your face he wasn’t going to follow through with it. And to come at you like he wasn’t getting more of the deal than he was? It’s bullshit.”

Tom rubbed her shoulder, calming the annoyed tirade, “Georgie isn’t upset he left her-“

“She’s embarrassed!”

“-they weren’t together in any romantic sense.”

“Guys,” Georgina cut in, “You know I’m still here, right?” She raised an eyebrow, half hanging off the stupidly large canopy bed in her room to look at where they sat on her unbelievably uncomfortable sofa across the annoyingly marble floor. She always hated that the plush carpets and normal furniture were off limits because her father deemed them for ‘commoners’. “I don’t care that he wanted someone else- I don’t care that the engagement fell apart. I care that my father blames me- that all he sees is a failure of a daughter. It’s not my fault I can’t control someone’s whims! Is it really not enough to be top of my class every year since primary school? To graduate from uni with honors and Suma Cum Laude??”

Tom hummed, “You’ve essentially been running the company for him anyway, bringing in more clients than he had in years.”

“Exactly! I’m a goddamn CEO!” She huffed, slumping further on the bed until her head was almost resting on the annoyingly marble floor. “Why am I just not good enough?”

Summer stood up, her heels clicking harshly at the floor, “That’s it, let’s go.”

“Go where?” Georgina questioned, finally shifting upright- her eyes swimming in stars as the blood she’d pooled in her head rushed back to the proper parts of her body.

“A club. A friend of mine always assured me the owner is a stand up gent- no worries about tabloids or paps getting any unsavory pictures.” She grabbed hold of Georgina’s arm, heaving her up and onto her feet, “To your… honestly, I’m jealous of it, but- to your stupidly large walk in closet!” Tom chuckled as they disappeared through the door, knowing how much his best mate hated growing up surrounded by luxury. She gave more money away than she spent, invested in helping people that couldn’t afford simple things.

How Jasper ever thought she was high maintenance he didn’t understand.

The club was bustling when they arrived, the bouncer greeted Summer by name, letting the three of them in with relatively no fuss- excluding the surprised few seconds after he recognized Tom and Georgina- and the owner was waiting to greet them inside.

“Ciaran!” Summer gave him a brief hug, “Tommy, you remember Ciaran. No fada on the A. Ciaran, this is Georgie.”

“Pleasure to meet ya,” the red headed man greeted, “James is tendin’ the bar tonight, he’ll take care of ya. Any issues, feel free to find me.”

He was gone as quickly as he appeared in front of them, greeting new guests as Summer dragged them over to the bar and ordered drinks.

It wasn’t long before they were finally enjoying themselves, Georgie broke away from them on the dance floor to get another drink- only to stumble in her heels and run into someone as she made her way to the bar. “Oh! I’m so sorry, did I spill anything on you?”

“No worries, lass,” the man in question offered his arm, helping her regain her balance.

Holy shit, he was handsome.

“Can I buy you a drink or something?” When did she gets this bold? “As an apology, of course.”

His smile was warm, like they were longtime friends instead of strangers on a night out, and his brown eyes held nothing but sincerity, “I believe I should be buying a lady as lovely as you one. Do me the honor of joining me for a drink, and I will accept your apology.”

Georgie laughed, maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was how familiar he felt, but she never felt like she could really laugh around anyone but Tom and Summer before. “Yeah, okay. Might I ask your name?”

“Hamish.” He offered easily, “Yours?”

“You can call me Georgie.”

Waking up the next morning, she was kind she hand let Summer talk her into going even more overboard. Her head felt like someone was trying to give her a lobotomy, but she still remembered everything- from the drink to dancing with a stranger all night. He moved surprisingly gracefully for someone in the club scene, leading her more through fast paced slow dancing or swing dance type moves than the customary body grind. It ended when he kissed her hand and bud her fair well at the end of the night.

A heavy knock on her door made her groan silently, “Yes?”

“Georgina, please come downstairs. I’ve finally found you a new fiancé. His family returned my call this morning, he will be here within the hour.”

Oh, god, she groaned quietly again.

She had actually managed to forget about that last night.

Just imagine her surprise when, after downing her lovable cook’s hangover special and fitting into her socially accepted attire, she found herself seated next to her father and across from her new fiancé.

A certain Hamish Ross.

The wedding was scheduled right away, a year from their ‘meeting’ date, and Georgie had been curious as the months went on as to why Hamish agreed.

He was attractive, there was no denying that she had been interested in him when they met. He was well off. He was polite and kind.

There was no reason he shouldn’t have found someone before her.

He told her a story, something about meeting a rich girl as his parents dragged him to their company. She had been playing with kids from a neighborhood, they clearly didn’t know her but she didn’t care. Even as her father yelled at her that they were beneath, all she wanted was to be a kid. To be friendly.

Something about the story stuck with her, like it was familiar but not.

But as the months went on, she got something from him she hadn’t expected.

Love.

So the day of their wedding, she was nervous. It wasn’t cold feet, she didn’t want to run away.

She was afraid she’d end up hurt if she allowed herself to believe this was more than it was.

But he made her want to, with the way he looked at her as she walked toward him.

The softness in his eyes, the tears that filled his lash line with the affection that radiated through his smile.

She was too caught up in the whirlwind of her own emotions to listen to the minister.

Until…

“If anyone has any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“Yeah, I object!”

Her jaw dropped open, staring in horror as Jasper confidently sauntered his way through the pews and up the aisle, “You have no say here!” She snapped at him, “You’ve made your feelings clear.”

He just smirked, “Doesn’t matter. See, I have this contract, signed by you, agreeing to be my wife in exchange for our companies working together.”

She almost saw red, almost tore him apart in front of their guests, but Hamish stepped between them, “Ah, I’ve been waiting for you.”

Jasper rolled his eyes, “I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to my fiancé.”

Hamish tsked, shaking his head, “Except she isn’t your fiancé.” He waved to a gentleman sitting just a few rows back, who stepped and reached into his briefcase, handing her groom a set of documents, “This contract- the one you both signed- well, my firm has torn it apart. Usually we work on slumlord cases pro bono for the tenants, or other types of things where people just need help. But I took special interest in this. Nowhere in there does it say she actually needs to perform the marriage. It’s entirely about the joining of your companies. Which you voided with your infidelity.”

Jasper’s eyes widened, hands flying to flip through the pages in his hands. He worked finance, he didn’t understand all the legal jargon. “No- that’s- you must be mistaken.”

“I am not.” Hamish gave him a genial smile, “I have a lot of year trying to find the friendly little girl that left an imprint on my heart, made me want to be there for people that needed me rather than wanted me. And I’m not going to let you take her away.” He waved his hands, two bodyguards emerging from the back of the church and hauling Jasper away in disgrace, but Georgie was focused on Hamish.

“That story… that was-“

“You.” He shrugged, giving her the same smile that had been making her heart melt for months. “It was why I agreed to your father’s proposal. I had also been looking for you.”

She didn’t care that it wasn’t time yet.

The bride kissed the groom.

#litg #litg season 6 #litg double trouble #litg jasper #litg Hamish #litg hamish x mc #hamish x mc #litg mc #litg tom #no villa au

[itsclydebitches]

i totally get having to leave Cinder with her step-family. my only concern with rhodes is that he took out his wea-PONS to fight a child and told her running from an abusive situation is bad, actually. like why is that always regarded as the coward's way out in this show? also what could Cinder now be metaphorically running from? a sense of inferiority?

1,000% agree that the whole "Running from abuse is #bad because you must face every problem head on like a Real Hero!" we sometimes see in storytelling is a terrible message packed with all sorts of problems, but in Cinder's case I think fans forget that Rhodes is specifically talking about running in the context of killing the Madame:

Rhodes: I’ve seen you around and I think it’s safe to say you’re not getting the most fair treatment, yeah? I can’t really blame you for what you’re thinking.

Cinder: You don’t know what I’m--

Rhodes: But hurting them isn’t going to make your life any better. You can run, but you’re going to be running for the rest of your life. Or you could find another way to handle it.

Rhodes isn't just saying the metaphorical, "Don't run from your abuse," he's also saying the literal, "Don't murder someone and then be on the run." Cinder has stolen his weapon and he knows she plans to kill with it. The question isn't whether Cinder should run away, the question is whether Cinder should commit murder and then run away. THAT'S how she's trying to solve the problem of her abuse. Not just by running, but by killing, which is the part Rhodes wants to avoid, helping her to find "another way." And as a huntsmen who has a very limited view of this situation (I also think fans forget that Rhodes doesn't see everything that the audience does. He frames this as "not getting the most fair treatment" because all he's seen is what the Madame is willing to do in public. AKA, nothing too terrible), he's obviously in camp Don't Kill People That's Very Bad.

The second part of this conversation is equally important:

Cinder: Like you? You can do whatever you want, go wherever you want.

Rhodes: Ah... how old are you?

Cinder: Ten.

Rhodes: And you want to be like us? You want to be a Huntress?

[Cinder nods]

Rhodes: Then we’ve got about seven years.

The fandom, both through just legit faulty memory as well as a desire to paint every character they dislike as black and white Bad, has inarticulately boiled the situation down to something it wasn't. The fandom remembers this as Cinder wanting to run away, Rhodes totally having the ability to sweep her off to safety, but he refuses and instead forces Cinder to endure seven more years of torture for the hell of it. In reality though, Cinder wanted to kill her family, Rhodes stopped her, he gives no indication that he can/is willing to essentially kidnap this child whose situation, based on dialogue, he doesn't realize is as horrific as it actually is, Cinder expresses a desire to leave but she also dictates the limitation that's stopping her (she can't go wherever she wants like a huntsmen can because she has no power. AKA combat ability), so Rhodes provides the solution: I'll make you a huntsmen. I'll give you that power.

That's what it boils down to. Cinder goes, 'I wish I had the freedom of a huntsmen' to which Rhodes responds, 'Cool, I'll make you a huntress.' Cinder never asks him to help her run away and Rhodes never tells her that's bad outside the specific context of murdering to get there. Cinder recognizes that flight isn't an option without resources, so Rhodes provides the resource: his training.

So yeah, as said and agreed upon there are reasons he left her there. But there are also reasons why he cautions against running, ones that exist specifically within the context of Cinder solving her abuse with murder. I mean, people will never agree on whether that's justified or not - personally, it's too complex an issue for me to make any blanket claims - but the important thing here is that Rhodes believes that killing people, even in self-defense against abuse, is both morally wrong and, as he emphasizes, bad for the victim too. That's why when Cinder claims she doesn't have to run anymore now that her abusers are dead, Rhodes disagrees and says that's "all you'll ever do." Taking those lives might have freed Cinder from their physical hold on her, but emotionally/spiritually/morally/soul-y/whatever it's harmed her in a way she'll never fully recover from. Which, again, we might not agree with that message, some people might go, "Fuck that, killing your abusers is great and I'd be just fine afterwards!", but that's not the message RWBY is interested in upholding. This is a show that's trying to send a message of peace and cooperation (no matter how badly it's messed that up recently), so of course RWBY isn't going to be team Killing is Fine, Actually. The show isn't self-aware enough to realize when it's fumbled that message, but that doesn't mean it's not upholding it elsewhere, and if that's a message the audience doesn't like... they're watching the wrong kind of show. I don't mean that as an insult, just as a simple statement of fact. Some shows grapple with the complexities of killing. Others do not. It's not wrong for a show to take a moral position and maintain it even through extreme situations. Insert the similar, "I can't believe Steven Universe had him forgive literal, genocidal dictators. What do you mean this is a kid's show? What do you mean there's a moral code driving the entire series that is not beholden to the messiness of real world, ethical dilemmas because it's a fiction about magical space rocks? What do you mean this is all built on generations of storytelling where the Pure-Hearted Hero (or the simple soul...) forgives even the most heinous of crimes to instill an ethical perspective that, while not literally applicable to daily life, helps teach viewers to approach others with an open mind and the benefit of the doubt?"

So RWBY says that killing is bad and, lo and behold, when the villain kills people things get worse. Cinder does not heal after murdering her abusers. It does not bring her peace. She is not free. Metaphorically and literally, she never stops running. She becomes a career criminal, is incapable of forming any true relationships, and most importantly, walks back into an abusive relationship (with Salem) because that's all she knows. Rhodes tries, however messily and fraught with mistakes, to lead Cinder away from that path, encouraging her to become a huntress who leaves her abuse without taking life and instead devotes herself to helping others, allowing herself to heal in turn. Instead, Cinder chooses violence - or more accurately, chooses power - and it's done nothing to serve her in the way she hoped it would. In the real world we'll always continue to debate whether it's justified/morally right/healthy/etc. for an abuse victim to kill their abusers in self-defense, but in RWBY's world, in this fictional world, taking that action is framed as a massive mistake.

Which is why Rhodes pulls his weapons on Cinder. Honestly, I don't have a problem with that like so many others do. Firstly because she's fully trained now. She wins. This isn't a fighter attacking a child anymore, it's a fighter facing off against another who, plot twist because power scaling doesn't exist in this show, is somehow better. If we can accept hero Ruby at 15 leading huntsmen in battle, we can accept 15-ish Cinder defending herself for her crime. This has always been a problem with RWBY: accepting the characters' ages for one thing, but not another. Either we run with the idea of child fighters or we don't. If Cinder is a child who Rhodes shouldn't fight then, sorry, but our title protagonist shouldn't be out fighting either.

Second, it's by no means unprovoked. Again, so much of this comes down to whether we think Cinder's murders were justified, but Rhode's moral code as a huntsmen says he needs to take her in. It's the same sort of situation Clover faced: follow an arrest order, or let the (potential) criminal go free because you have a bond with them? For me, given that RWBY is a world FILLED with villainy and subterfuge, I can't ever fault a character for playing it safe. Clover doesn't know who's working with Salem. Rhodes doesn't know if Cinder is going to hurt anyone else. Neither of them are trying to kill the person in question, just get them into the justice system, and too often fans map our own flawed systems onto RWBY's world and assume that an arrest equals police brutality, or a rigged sentencing, or the person disappearing into some black hole of the government. All Rhodes did though was look at someone who'd just murdered three people and went, "I can't let you walk away from that" and... yeah. Hard agree.

Especially because third, Cinder killed two innocents. The sisters were not her abusers, they were her bullies. It's an important distinction (and I say that as someone who suffered a LOT of bullying as a kid). They're shown to be roughly, if not exactly the same age. They've grown up modeling their mother's behavior with no one to teach them differently. Their attacks on Cinder consist of meanly eating strawberries and leaving muddy footprints for her to clean. That's in no way comparable to a shock collar. I might have a different opinion of Rhodes going into full arrest mode if Cinder had only killed the Madame, especially if it still happened in the heat of her torture with that collar. As it stands though, Cinder started with the sisters. To me, that's a crime in a way killing the Madame is arguably not. RWBY could have framed this as Cinder only killing someone who truly deserved it and being tragically punished for her self-defense. However, RWBY instead went the route of Cinder being eager to kill from the get-go, taking out her abuser, and those around her who were never a true threat to her. Oh, and then when the consequences show up, Cinder decides to kill her mentor too. She could have laid down her weapon and allowed herself to be arrested (flashback to Ruby fighting the Ace Ops...) If this was really just about freeing herself from the abuse, Cinder could have taken the Madame's life, thrown the sword aside, and accepted whatever her life would be now because at least it's not the horror she was living. Instead, Cinder chose to kill the one person who had ever been kind to her. That's not Tragic Abused Child Making Ethically Dubious Decisions territory, that's Classic Villain in the Making territory. Which we obviously know given that Cinder is a villain who loves killing for the hell of it, but Rhodes was getting a glimpse of that too when he walked in on a massacre. Actually, it's kinda funny how audience knowledge tends to inform fan readings except when it's supposed to. Idk, but I'm not sure how anyone can look at future Burned Beacon, Killed Pyrrha, Stabbed Weiss, Serves RWBY's Devil Equivalent in Her Efforts to Destroy the World, and Successfully Helped to Perma-Kill Penny + 'Kill' the Title Team Cinder Fall and go, "I can't believe a huntsmen would try to fight her!" She's the bad guy. Literally our first episode is a soon-to-be huntress fighting her. The fact that Rhodes fought her early is just a way for him to thematically recognize what she'd become. Because she stole his weapon and wanted to #murder with it. And then she did that. And then she killed him. RWBY gave Cinder her expected, tragic backstory, but she's still the villain. The villain does villainous things and the good guys (huntsmen like Rhodes) try to stop her. That's the story.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

[reallydumbdannyphantomaus]

Switch

Spectra sucks. Dunno what else to tell you. (ao3) (masterpost)

Part 3: Chapter 1

“So,” Danny said as they approached Casper High, “today's the first day with the shrink?”

Kwan groaned, then clutched at his side as his rib ached. He’d been cleared to return to school, but was supposed to limit his activity. No gym, or stairs, and Danny was carrying his backpack for now. It was more annoying than regular school. “Don't remind me,” he said. “Let's talk about your creepy half-ghost uncle again instead.”

“Low blow, dude. Also, definitely not my uncle.”

“That's right, he's your future stepdad!”

Danny shoved lightly at him, careful to avoid his bad side. “How did you manage to go even lower?”

“It's a talent,” he said. “Besides, there is at least some good news from the whole Vlad-thing.”

“Oh yeah? What?”

“You probably aren't going to destabilize and dissolve any time soon!”

“Well, gee, thanks for reminding me of that possibility.”

“Always happy to help.”

They lapsed into silence as they crested the hill. Kwan's appointment was scheduled for immediately after school; his detentions with Lancer had been postponed on account of both the other teacher's continued hospital stay and Tyson dying. Thus, Principal Ishiyama had said he could use that time instead for his therapy.

Ugh. Therapy.

“So how long are you gonna see her for?”

“Who?”

“The shrink.”

“Right,” Kwan said. “I convinced my mom to let me have just a thirty minute appointment to start.”

“Cool,” Danny said. “I'll be waiting? At the big oak?”

Something warm bloomed in Kwan's chest. Dash would never have waited for him, even if he'd asked. Danny always waited, after detention and now with this stupid counseling. Maybe it was because they were both each other's only friends, but still. It was... nice. “Yeah,” he said, voice breaking in a way that he could only hope Danny hadn't noticed. “I'll find you after.”

Walking into first period gym with a doctor’s note, Kwan still couldn’t help but smile.

-----

“You're in a good mood,” Valerie said at their lab table, measuring out the baking soda.

Kwan startled, twinging his still-healing rib, then looked around to see who she was talking to.

“I'm talking to you, dumbass.”

“Since when?”

“I can always stop.”

Kwan raised an eyebrow. “Then why start at all?”

“Well, with... recent events—I don't know.” Valerie stared at her hands and dropped her voice. “Paulina lost it on Dash. For crying at Tyson's thing.”

“Yeah,” Kwan said with a wince. “I kinda figured.”

“Yeah, me too. But then, I started thinking... what the fuck kind of relationship do we have where that was expected?” Valerie sniffed. “She wouldn't even let me talk, y'know? I had a lot to say.”

“Val...” Kwan reached for her hand.

She jerked it back. “I'm not saying you're right or anything. Just—you knew him. And her. And you're not dating her. So.”

“So I was your best option to complain to?”

“I guess. I'm not gonna abandon her. Them.” The like you did was blessedly unspoken. “But, I don't know. Maybe—maybe I don't really blame you anymore.”

“Okay,” Kwan said. “But you can't talk to me if you want to stay her friend. You know that, right?”

“Obviously.” Valerie rolled her eyes. “But we're lab partners. We have to talk sometimes. For class.”

Kwan hid a grin. “Of course.”

“Of course.”

Valerie finished measuring out the materials and passed them to Kwan. “So,” she said, “what’s got you in a good mood?”

“Nothing!” Kwan squeaked. He could feel the heat rising to his face.

“Oh?” Valerie leaned toward him, a teasing smile dancing around her lips. “Did you finally boink Fenton?”

“Boink?”

“So you did.”

“No!” Kwan waved his hands around desperately. “We’re just friends.”

Valerie gave him a calculating stare. “Hm,” she said. “Too bad.”

“You want us to—”

“Me? I don’t care. You, however, clearly do.”

Somehow, his face got even hotter. “I don’t!”

“Kwan,” Valerie said, “you are somehow even more obvious about this than you were about your crush on Dash, and I watched you give him a massage once just because he mentioned his shoulders were a little stiff.”

“What—I didn’t—”

“Kwan. Kwan, look at me.” Valerie leaned down and made sure that she was looking Kwan in the eyes. “Did you… not know you had a crush on Dash?”

“I—” Kwan stopped himself and thought back to the way his eyes had always sought out Dash first and foremost whenever he entered a room. The way he reached for Dash’s hands and his arms whenever he could get away with it. The beating of his heart when Dash smiled.

“Fuck,” he said. “I liked Dash?”

Valerie bent over with laughter. “Congratulations!” she said, gasping for breath. “You’re officially the last to know. Well, aside from Dash.”

Kwan buried his head in his hands. “Oh my god. I had a crush on Dash.”

He felt an awkward patting on his back. “Yeah. You sure did.”

“And… you think I have one on Danny?”

“Dude. You should see your face when you look at him. Or think about him. It’s disgusting.” She fished out her phone and turned on the front facing camera, shoving it in his face. “You’re literally making it right now, look.”

The Kwan on the camera mostly looked confused at having a camera shoved in his face.

“Okay, so you look constipated now,” Valerie said. “Whatever. Just trust me. You looked soft as hell like two seconds ago.”

Kwan thought about it. He thought about long nights, staying up and trying to finish homework except they kept getting distracted by trying to one-up each other’s jokes. He thought about how Danny watched football with him even though he didn’t understand it, how he tried to play Doomed even though he sucked because it made Danny happy. He thought about Danny, saving his life from the ectopus, from the Lunch Lady, from the shapeshifting gorilla ghost.

He thought about Danny smiling. He thought about Danny laughing. He thought about the warmth in his chest whenever he saw Danny.

Well. Shit.

“There it is again!” Valerie pulled back out her phone just as Kwan buried his face back in his hands. “Dammit, are you conspiring against me getting a picture of your smitten face?”

“Valerie,” Kwan said through his hands, “I’ve got a crush on Danny.”

“Once again,” Valerie said, “congrats on being the last to know.”

“As glad as I am to see you two talking again,” Ms. Okorafor said, startling Kwan and Valerie, who had both missed her approach, “I do need you to do the lab today.”

“Right,” Kwan said.

“Yeah, sure,” Valerie said.

Like a spell had been broken, they went back to doing their lab in silence. Still, Kwan caught Valerie’s eye from across the table and she smiled, just a little.

It felt like progress.

-----

Kwan hadn’t expected to wait to see Dr. Spectra, but the student before him had still been inside when he arrived in her office. So he was stuck in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs right outside, with an odd little man with gray hair and green eyes staring him down.

Kwan shifted in his seat, then groaned as his rib ached again. Right. Keep his torso steady.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door opened and out stepped… Dash.

Dash spotted Kwan, then turned his nose up. Dash wasn’t having doubts like Valerie, then.

Still, with Dash pointedly ignoring him, Kwan had the opportunity to study his face. He’d had most of the day to come to terms with his old crush on Dash, but now he wanted to see if those feelings were still there or not. He didn’t think they were, but he hadn’t known about them to begin with, so his judgment was clearly not the best.

But instead of renewed feelings, he found tear tracks on Dash’s cheek.

Right. Of course. Dash was here to talk about Tyson. That made sense, because the two were still friends. Unlike Kwan and Tyson, who hadn’t spoken in over a month.

Kwan bit back a sigh of frustration. Why had Mom insisted he be here, instead of letting someone else who actually needed it take this time slot? He didn’t really understand why she was so insistent that something had to be wrong.

Whatever. He was here, and he’d promised, so he’d do it. He just didn’t have to be happy about it, was all.

He stood up as Dash walked out, waved on by the odd secretary. He knocked on the door twice and a voice called out, “Come in, please!”

The room itself looked like any other office. He’d half-expected to see one of those long couches designed for lying down like he’d seen in movies, but this was a public school. They would never be able to afford that. Instead, there were two more of those uncomfortable plastic chairs right in front of Dr. Spectra’s desk, which was scrupulously clean. The walls were covered in generic motivational posters. The one right behind Dr. Spectra’s head had a picture of a young oak tree with BELEAF IN YOURSELF written on the bottom.

And, of course, Dr. Spectra herself sat at the desk in a high-backed office chair. Her hair was bright red and her eyes the same shade of green as her assistant. Maybe they were related somehow?

“Hi there,” Dr. Spectra said, gesturing for Kwan to sit down. “You’re Kwan, right?”

Kwan dropped in the chair in front of her desk, barely restraining from rolling his eyes. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s my name.”

“Lovely to meet you, honey.” Dr. Spectra looked at him from over her glasses. “Now, why are you here today?”

“Because my mom thinks I have problems.”

“Do you?”

Kwan shrugged. “Doesn’t everyone? Mine aren’t any worse than anyone else’s though, so I don’t get the point of this.”

Dr. Spectra hummed. “Well, therapy doesn’t have to be just about feeling better. It can be about being better, too.”

“What do you—”

“I mean, I’ve heard from your classmates who’ve come to see me that you recently lost all your friends? Had a fight with them?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“Including the poor student that passed recently?”

Kwan flinched. “I guess you could say that.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Dr. Spectra cooed. “I don’t mean anything by it. Just mentioning it because I thought you might have some… regrets.”

Regrets? Sure, he had plenty. Mostly about being a dick since the start of middle school. But he didn’t regret dumping his old friends. They deserved it, and he needed to be better.

“My friends sucked,” he said after a long moment. “I wanted to be better. They were the ones who chose not to change. That’s on them, not me.”

“Of course, of course,” Dr. Spectra said. “You’re on a journey of self-discovery! Very commendable.” Her smile stretched across her teeth.

Kwan bit his lip to keep from sighing. So far, this grief counselor wasn’t impressing him much.

“I just thought that maybe,” she said, “you felt like you could have done something to stop this tragedy from happening.”

Kwan stiffened. “Why—what makes you say that?”

“Oh, it’s very common. Survivor’s guilt. I thought you might feel like since you stopped being friends with poor Tyson, you weren’t there with him the day he died. Maybe you could’ve saved him if you were.”

“Why would I think that?!” Kwan’s fingers dug into his arms. If possible, Dr. Spectra’s smile stretched even wider.

“Oh dear, of course it isn’t true. I just thought it would be a reasonable response to a horrible situation. That’s all.”

Could Kwan have done more? He was at the mall that day, after all. He had advance warning. He’d gone along with his mom, and let her take Danny away, instead of letting Danny help. He hadn’t just not saved Tyson, he’d helped prevent the only person who could have saved Tyson. Mom hadn’t seen for herself how useless the Fentons were, but Kwan had. Kwan knew that Danny was their best chance, and Kwan had packed him away in the car anyway.

Acid burbled from his stomach into his throat. He lurched forward and vomited into the trash can at the side of Dr. Spectra’s desk. His rib burned.

A hand rubbed at his back. “That’s it, dear,” Dr. Spectra said. “You’re okay.”

Kwan coughed and spat out the remnants of bile. The taste was almost bad enough to make him barf again, so he poured some water in his mouth and swished it around before spitting it into the trash along with his vomit.

“Oh,” Dr. Spectra said. “I wish you hadn't—I mean, I feel bad for the janitor who has to clean that up.” She laughed and waved her hand as though waving that idea off. “Of course, not your fault, dearie.”

Mom was so stressed now, because he'd brought this whole thing upon them. Him, not Danny. He'd dared Danny to go into the portal and all of this had happened. Danny kept getting hurt. Mom was about to collapse under the pressure of keeping them both safe. Even now, he was making Danny wait on him while he worked on his own problems.

How selfish could he be?

No, no, he'd done nice things for Danny, too. Comforted him. Helped keep his secret. Destroyed his only other friendships.

Fuck.

“Am I—am I ruining people's lives?”

“Of course not, sweetie. What on earth makes you think that?”

“I just—I was a jerk before, and I'm trying to be better, but maybe I'm not as good as I think I am. Maybe I'm only being better because it gets me what I want.”

He did have a crush on Danny, after all. Being nice to Danny was a way to get him to like Kwan more. This whole time, he'd probably been trying to get Danny's attention. He was taking up his time because he craved it, just like he'd craved whatever Dash had been willing to give him. If he really wanted what was best for Danny, he'd try to fix his actual friendships, with Manson and Foley, not hoard him all to himself.

Dr. Spectra hummed. “Well, I suppose that's possible, but it's nothing we can't fix!”

“Really?” If this was all his fault... well, of course it was. How stupid of him to think that just dumping his friends was enough to make up for anything. Instead, here he was focusing on his own happiness and making everything worse.

“Of course. I'm here to help.”

“You said, at the beginning...”

“Yes?”

“You said this didn't have to be about feeling better.” Maybe he didn't deserve to feel better. Not yet. He thought he'd gotten better, but here he was making everything worse for everyone around him. “You said it could be about being better.”

“Of course!” Dr. Spectra's smile stretched impossibly wider. “Is that something you'd like? A self-improvement focus?”

“I—yeah. Yeah, I'd like that.” He couldn't be a problem for his mom or for Danny anymore. He needed to start being a solution. If Dr. Spectra could help...

“Excellent!” She tied off the garbage bag, but Kwan could still smell the sour stench of his vomit. “Let's get started, then, shall we?”

#dp switch #danny phantom #kwantent #spectra time baby #bug posts #she's just so fucking mean wtf #my fic #my writing

[artemiseamoon]

Pt 1: It wasn’t supposed to be this

A narcos mx one shot | Calderoni x Slate f agent*

Words: 6,200 | read on A03

Fic info | pt 2 | pt 3 | pt 4 -finale

An: I made an exception and posted this in full. Anyway, I’m going back to my system after this, just previews on tumblr.

Warnings: violence, mention of injuries and blood, drinking, vague sexual content, drug traffickers, character deaths, lots of angst

Narcos disclaimer: I fully understand how sensitive all this is, which is why I struggled with writing for the show or not. But, I do, and I enjoy it so don’t plan to stop anytime soon. The show is naturally a very real trigger, so off the bat, you are triggered, block the narcos tag. I’m only one of many who write for this show (I blame the actors, it’s their fault, they charmed us). Filter the tag and save yourself and the writers unnecessary exchanges. Criminals, drug traffickers, drugs, really bad people who hurt so many are talked about in this show. In writing these little stories I’m not trying to erase that or gloss it over. Now that I’ve said my peace, remember it’s fully your choice if you continue and your fault if you get upset not mine. Last, if you don’t like the fic/story just move on. Plenty of other things to read. Don’t waste my time. Plenty of other fics around.

The full realization of what happened last night hit during the shower. She drank a lot; this job is stressful, and she usually limited herself to one beer or one drink as a calming agent for a few reasons; to keep in control and to avoid letting her defenses down.

Last night, she lost both those battles and ended up in bed with the Calderoni. Slate couldn't put her finger on why she was drawn to him. They didn’t trust him, she didn’t either he’s not even her usual type but there was something about him.

As they worked with him over the last four weeks, she shoved her curiosity away and denied it was real. She chalked it up to horniness, it had been a very long time since she got laid; a full two months before she came down on this mission. And hooking up locally was out of the question, with anyone in her team? An absolute no, a completely bad idea.  Living in abandoned warehouse with a bunch of dudes really limited her private time, so self-pleasure was also not an option.

Maybe all the drinking, combined with a need to get laid led to this. Still, Calderoni didn’t seem like the type to just end up in someone's bed. The man was like a fucking wall; he said what he had to say, made his point, and wasn’t trying to make friends. So maybe the curiosity was mutual, had to be.

Calderoni never outright flirted with Slate, in fact, she was sure he was pretty indifferent to her at first. But then she caught it, the briefest lingering stares, the short, well-hidden glances when he thought she wasn’t looking. At the time, she didn’t know if the attention excited her, scared her, or a little of both.

Slate was thankful he was gone upon waking, seeing him in the light of day, would make all of this worse and she was pretty sure Walt was likely losing his shit because she hadn’t checked in yet. To be fair, she wasn’t that late, just 10 minutes or so. But he already wasn’t a fan of her leaving the place for the night, no matter what bullshit reason she gave him.

...

Walking into the warehouse after a night in a real bed and a decent hotel made it feel gritter than usual. With her shades still on, Slate found the guys gathered into one room.

“Look who decided to join us.” Ossie commented with a grin.

Slate flipped him off and he chuckled. She sat on the edge of the L shaped countertop and sipped her coffee.

Though she felt Walt's stare, she didn’t make eye contact. “I needed a night away from all you stinky boys and a damn shower.”

The reply seems good enough for most, except Walt, who continued to observe her.

She's not too worried though, she's known him a long time. “So, fill me in, what's going on.” She sets the coffee cup aside.

Walt took out a cigarette, lit it, then caught her up with the few minutes she missed.

-The Next day-

Back pressed against the wall, Slate crossed her arms and listened intently as Calderoni addressed the room. It took some work, but she was able to shift the events from a day ago to the back of her mind.

“Felix was in Panama last month, meeting with members of the Cali Cartel.” He walked into the center of the room, hands in his pockets. His profile was still facing the group.

“What was on the agenda?” Walt asked. Calderoni made eye contact with him and stopped walking.

Calderoni responded, “Not sure, but it ended with Felix committing to move more weight. Lots more.”

“Why now?”

"El Padrino’s feeling the pressure.” Calderoni switched to Spanish at this point.

With the tension between the plazas, this intel could be a big win; it had to be connected. Slate and Ossie look at each other, then back at Calderoni.

Calderoni rested his palms flat against the table. “There’s been talk of major construction somewhere outside of Juarez.”

“Construction of what?” Daryl asked.

“Runways.” Calderoni responded. He flipped open the folder he previously placed on the table. Everyone moved closer, including Slate. Walt remained on the opposite side of the table, beside Calderoni.

Calderoni continued, “Amado Carrillo Fuentes. Used to be some kind of pilot, among other things.” Walt examined the file as Calderoni addressed at the group, “Now, Felix has him buying up passenger planes.”

Slate doesn’t hold his gaze for too long, she breaks away first and leans over the table to view the file. This is weird. Just play it cool.  

Gaining control of her thoughts again, Slate’s eyes moved to Walt as he spoke. “Federation’s building their own air fleet.”

“And running it out of Juarez.” It’s the first comment she’s made since the meeting started; her voice almost felt unfamiliar to her ears.

Walt adds, “Yeah, if we can pin down Felix’s distribution hub, then we can unlock his entire route network.” Walt hands the file over to Danilo.

Daryl spoke next, “Track shipments across the border, pick them up one by one.”

“That’s right,” Walt nodded, “bleed the motherfucker.”

Done with the file, Danilo passed it to Slate who looked it over before passing it to Ossie and Amat.

Walt leaned over the table. “Starve him of his cash until the government cuts him off.” His eyes met Daryl's. “You know, hang him out to dry.”

“Now, we need to track Amado and the purchase of planes. Especially in large numbers. Maybe discount sales.” Slate said.

Calderoni made eye contact with her, before addressing the group again, “well, Amado just bought a one-way ticket to Belmopan, Belize.”

“What the fuck for?” Ossie asked.

Slate looked at him, then Walt, “Let me guess, an out of business airline getting rid of planes?”

Impressed, Calderoni raised a brow. “That’s where Aero Tropical is based. It’s an airline. It used to be. They just declared bankruptcy. They’re liquidating their entire fleet at an auction next week.”

Walt’s eyes scanned the group, “Looks like we're going to Belize.”

-One week later, Belize-

This might be a win, and it feels damn good.

At the same time. Slate doesn’t get her hopes up. Wins were rare in this work, it's something one just got used to and had to find a reason to keep pushing, to keep trying to make some kind of difference. Some days it was easier than others. But right now, she feels glad she said yes when Walt asked, maybe all this could amount to something useful.

Though they’re here for work, it feels good being in a different setting, like a breath of fresh air. Not just because of the dusty ass warehouse, but because of the whole Calderoni situation.

What happened that night, when she grabbed a drink at the same bar he happened to be at, was never discussed. She went about her job like nothing happened, and even after the meeting last, he didn’t say anything extra to her; just spoke to her as needed according to the situation.

It seemed like that was the end of things. One messy ass slip up. One very wrong but sensual one night stand. Just as Slate was making amends with that fact, she found a little envelope slipped into her jacket pocket after he left.

She stepped away to the broken-down bathroom for privacy. Inside the small envelope was a room key, she recognized it from the other night, same hotel. They had eyes on him the whole time, how he got it in here? She wasn’t sure. On the back of the little envelope was some kind of code, but once she figured it out, she deciphered it as a time and a vague date.

One of the things about being on this crew is most of their time was spent sitting around, talking, coming up with plans, going over information for the 1000th time. Action was few and far in between. Now with this trip to plan, she knew she couldn't get away in the coming days, but from the code on the back, Calderoni was aware of that too.

She didn’t use the key until 5 days later, once all the travel plans were set and all their new equipment arrived. She didn't know if it was pure curiosity, or if she really wanted to see him again; but something led her to that room.

Upon stepping in, she was gently swept inside. Once the door was closed, and locked, his lips met hers. There was no talking, no conversation, just two people swept up in desire and need.

-Flashback-

After drying off with the towel, Slate started to get dressed. Calderoni was still in bed. Though her back was to him, she felt his eyes on her, but didn’t turn around.

“Being seen together once at the bar was dangerous enough, we need to be careful.” She slid her jeans back on and pulled the zipper up.

He sighed behind her, but it had a more relaxed tone to it.” Neither of us knew the other would be there.”

“Because it’s so out of the way.” She glanced at him over her shoulder with a smirk,” that was my hidden spot. Now I have to find another.”

“No,” he sat up against the headboard, “it was mine, then you showed up.”

She turned to face him, “I barely leave the safe house, except a couple of times to get a drink there. Now, I don’t even have that.” She poked his arm playfully.

Calderoni shrugged,” shit happens.”

“Asshole.” Slate chuckled and glanced at her watch. “I need to get back. And, if this happens again, we cannot come to his hotel.”

He didn’t respond right away. Instead, he inched closer and gently caressed her bare back with his fingers. “Relax, there won't be any issue with this place. Trust me.”

Calderoni moved his fingers from her back to her arm, making feather light strokes over her soft skin.

“We’ll have to end this.” He said, his fingers wrapping around her arm with a tight grip before pulling her closer to him.

“I know.” Slate steadied herself with one hand as he drew her into another kiss. Her other hand cupped the side of his face. In between kisses, she whispered, “last time?”

“Last time, or” he slid one of his hands behind her head, “second to last time? Third to last?”

Slate smiled and kissed him once more before breaking away. “I guess we’ll see where the cards fall.” With her lips still tasting of him, she finished getting dressed and grabbed her things.

“I’ll have one of my guys drive you back, drop you off a block away.” He pushed the sheet off and started gathering his clothes. He stopped to look back at her, “Be careful.”

Slate tapped her holstered pistol then moved toward the door, “I usually am.”

-Flashback over-

Belize is beautiful, Slate reminds herself to come back some time, after all this is over and long in the past.

Glancing to her left, she sees Walt using the binoculars. To his left is Ossie, Danilo, then her. Amat, Daryl and Sal are taking care of the other end of things in Juarez.

The auctioneer: Next we have a 1779 Boeing 727, registration number N-1779. Featuring forward and rear galleys. Currently featuring 12 first class seats and 136 coach seats and this aircraft is ready, willing, and able…”  

Her eyes drop to Danilo’s hands and his notes.

“We can get in through the north side of the fence. Bad sight line for security,” Ossie said quietly to Walt. They are in the furthest row from the auction, nosebleed seats with no one sitting directly next to them. But there are a few people in the row before them.

Walt replied, “Cut through. Two in, two outside for lookout.” He hands the binoculars over until they make it Slate. She takes a look and listens as they continue to talk.

Ossie, “We need radios. A ladder too.” he paused, chewing his gum. “We can get in through the rear airstairs, under the fuselage.”

“You figure it’s open? Can you even lock up a fucking 727?”

Ossie grinned.” Either way, I can pop the lock.”

“Of course, you can. Troublemaker” Slate commented with a smile. And for a fleeting second, a tiny grin flashed on Danilo's stoic expression too.

Ossie continued grinning for a little longer. Light banter is exchanged between the guys, with little interjection by Danilo.

“I definitely went astray somewhere,” Ossie stared straight ahead, “end up sitting here with you three broke motherfuckers.”

Danila makes a micro expression in response, Slate chuckled, and Walt turned to him,

“I got an amen to that.”

Slate adjusted her shades, while holding her grin a little longer, "You mean four broke motherfuckers.”

-Later that night-

The night sky was dark and starless; the only light is coming from the airstrip, the guard center, and the city in the distance.

Slate took a ground position, on the other side of where Danilo is in the jeep. Covering both angles was a good idea, and so far, everything was going as planned. With the mics, they could all hear and communicate with each other.

Carefully concealed, with a good vantage point, Slate continued watching through the binoculars.

Walt over the mic, “okay talk to me. Are we clear?”

“He’s still there.” Slate answered.

Danilo is watching the same thing she is. “Okay, hold on…"Up ahead the guard left the center and stepped outside. “Guard moving”

Slate and Danilo watch him enter this vehicle and head for the landing strip.

“He’s making his rounds.” She said,

Danilo waited a moment, then gave them the signal, “All clear. You’ve got three minutes. Go!”

Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she waited. Her eyes dropped down to her watch, 2 minutes and 55 seconds to go.

55 seconds later, Danilo’s voice met their ears, “2 minutes, get a move in it.”

Two seconds passed by.

“Heads up. Security on the move.” She leaned forward, following the guards' movements. A nervous flutter filled her stomach. “Fuck, come on guys, hurry up.” She muttered under her breath. The guard's jeep is getting closer to where the guys are.

“Walt - " Danilo warned.

“Yeah, yeah.  We see him. We see him.”

Ossie and Walt exchanged a few words, as Ossie worked on the lock.

Danilo, growing increasingly concerned, spoke again, “Walt, you’re running out of time.”

Slate watched closely with bated breath as the guys finally made it inside the plane. She continued holding her breath until the craft door closed. The guard drove by almost immensely after.  “Thank fucking god,” she exhaled.

Everything fell quiet for a moment. The guard was now headed to Danilo's view and was out of hers.

Danilo's voice was next over the mic, “He’s going out again. You’ve got three minutes. Move!”

If Slate smoked, she would have a cigarette right now. She hated the things too much to ever indulge.

-Minutes later-

Danilo drove as Walt slipped a cigarette between his lips. His expression full of pride as he glanced back at Ossie. “Six for six baby. He’s a goddamned artist.”

Danilo glanced back through the rear-view mirror, “nice work”

A closed mouth smile grew on Ossie's face. “Thanks man.”

Sitting there, next to him, it almost feels like a proud father kind of moment, in both the way Danilo speaks and holds himself, and Ossie’s response.

Slate gently nudged him, “Nice job, that shit’s impressive as hell.”

Ossie’s smile grew a little wider, “thank you.”

Slate settled her eyes on the landscape through the window again. It’s been a while since everything felt so hopeful, and she hoped this is a feeling they can hold on to a little longer.

-Juarez - Early morning, Chiapas airfield-

Standing on the rocky dry edge, the group waited as Walt viewed the plane and its inhabitants, which included Amado.

Walt lowered the binoculars and turned to his team. “Alright. Find a spot to set up surveillance. Two teams. Sal, me and Amat work the first rotation.” he handed the binoculars to Sal. “This is it.” Walt paused. “Fuckin’ A.”

- Flashback, the day before -

The coffee was still too hot to drink, Slate placed it on the floor and fixed her eyes on Walt. The team is in a half circle, some sitting, some standing, all facing Walt the evidence board.

The room is fuller than usual, there are 4 more guys present, Slate didn’t know them, but she assumed they were working with Walt too, just in a less direct way up until this point. But, if they were about to do what she thinks Walt is going to suggest, they need all the help they can get. The odds are far out of their favor.

“We’ve been over the risks.” Walt takes his time, making eye contact with each one of them. “But I want to be really clear on something. This is no longer the same job you’ve been hired for.” he moved into the center of the circle, “We have no support on this. Shit goes south, it’s on us. Believe me, this is not worth the shitty stipend you’ve been getting paid. Some of you have kids and families.”

Walt continued, his eyes on the other guys now, “Just because you’ve been helping us run surveillance and have known this asshole your whole life, doesn’t mean you're locked in, so if any of you are feeling any hesitation or nervousness, you need to tell me now.”

The room falls dead silent.

Slate stared down at the ground as her mind worked overtime. If they were lucky, a few of them would make it out, but not all, and she didn’t know what side she’d be on. A lifetime of trying to make a difference and help, just to die on some floor like so many others. It’s not what she wanted, but it’s a realistic outcome to all this.

Or, she could go home, pack her bags and head back to the states. It felt like the easy way out, especially after everything, even if it was the safest option. Though her answer scares her, she’s not a quitter, or a runner; she's seeing this through, no matter how terrifying that thought is.

Ossie was the first to speak, he asked “We do this, we cripple Felix’s entire operation?”

From where Slate is sitting, she could see the serious look in his eyes, the determination, she knows his answer too.

“Si.” Walt answered with a nod.

“Fuck being nervous.” Ossie said with more umph to his words. “We’ll never get this chance again.” He flashed a half smile, then looked at Daryl, “come on, let’s do this shit.” Ossie kept his eyes on Daryl and extended his hand.

Never a man of many words, Daryl leaned in and affirmed his answer with a brief slap to Ossie's hand. He then set his eyes on Walt. Slate glanced at Danilo whose eyes were cast down, his left brow slightly raised. With a small head nod, Danilo confirmed his answer, yes.

In short succession, Amat and Sal also say yes, followed by Slate and the remaining guys.

Walt proceeded. “Okay, let’s fucking cripple it.”

-Flashback over-

-Now -

“All right, everybody be safe out there.  I’ll be in your ear. Stay alert, stay alive.”  

Slate’s original station was on the high point, back at the jeep with Daryl, until shit hit the fan. It started with the overhead lights of the airstrip coming on, followed by yelling. She didn’t know it at the time, but Danilo was shot dead then.

“Fuck!” Slate grabbed a rifle and ran for the trees.

“Slate!”

“I’m going to help!” She called back at Daryl before disappearing into the trees. Running as fast as her legs would take her, she made it down the side of the ridge.

Eventually she made it to the guys and ducked behind the red flatbed truck where Amat and Sal were, both firing from either side, she announced herself as he approached, to avoid getting shot by one of her guys.

With a quick glance to her left, she saw Walt pulling a badly wounded Ossie to the side of the yellow truck, Danilo was nowhere in sight; neither were the extra four guys. Bodies are already piling up in the airstrip.

“Ossie! “She called out,” are you okay?”

“No! We’re fucking pinned!” Walt yelled back. “We gotta move!”

Amat takes cover behind driver's seat door and aims his rifle, then fires, “And fucking go where!”

Sal stayed low to the ground on the other side of the truck, “let’s head to the mountains!”

“We’ll never make it!”

Slate could barely hear Amat over the shattering glass and bullets. What's left of the truck's windows are gone, she lowers her head and shields her face from shards of glass before taking fire again.

Two tires of the truck get shot , the truck titles with a slant. Walt kneeled to the ground and shields Ossie from the continuous gunfire.

Sal was behind the truck now, with Slate, “what the fuck else are we gonna do?”

Slate’s eyes jumped to Ossie again, she needed to get to him. She takes a few more shots and makes a run to the yellow truck, then ducks behind it. “We have to do somethin, or we’re going to fuckin die!”

Staying low to the ground, Slate made her way over to Ossie and Walt. She covered them, continuing to fire as Walt turned Ossie over.

Ossie was in bad shape, her eyes jumped from him and Walt, and back to the caret ahead. Walt kneeled on the ground, over Ossie,

Ossie gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain, "Walt, wait. The keys are in the truck, right?”

Walt continued checking his injury, “the fuck are you talking about?”

“I’m fucking dying, man!”  

Slate continued to fire back while trying to hear what Ossie is saying to Walt. A heavy feeling of dread washed over her.

“Hang on Ossie! You can make it dammit!” She yelled, her eyes trained ahead; she's working twice as hard to take out as many as she could.

Ossie’s voice was strained when he responded, “no I, won’t Slate.” Even with his hand in the way, they could see the blood pouring out of his gunshot wound. Its fatal, the organs, right under the hem of the fucking vest.

She looked down to find his wet eyes on her. Above him, Walt was still. Slate cursed under her breath and lowered to the ground, by Ossie and Walt.

“Don’t die on me asshole, we have rock concerts to see.”

“Rock out for me,” he forced a grin then looked at Walt, “Please, Walt. Let me fuckin' do this!” he grunted.

The cartel pressed forward, Slate rose back to her feet and returned fire. Walt joined in, then returned to Ossie.

“I can help you get out. Get me in the truck.”

Amat, Sal, and Slate continued to fire. She catches sight of Walt helping Ossie into the truck.

Part of her wanted to run to them, to convince Ossie not to do whatever he’s going to do; but they were dangerously outnumbered, and the cartel continued to get closer and closer.

“Walt, what the fuck are you doing!” Amat called out.

Once Ossie was in the truck, Walt stood on the driver's side door, “cover me!”

Walt made his way to the passenger side where Slate was. Before she could ask a question or, think a thought, Ossie was already moving, driving the truck head on into the cartel as they littered it with bullets. In seconds, he ran over some of the cartel and ran the truck into the gas tank. A huge red-orange fire erupted with black smoke.

With feet hitting the ground hard, Slate, Walt, Amat and Sal ran for the woods, returning fire over their shoulders as they sped away. They had no idea how many the explosion killed, but it did what Ossie said it would, it gave them cover to run.

Walt and Sal reached the tree line first. Amat and Slate stop to take out a few more guys. Slate is first back on her feet, Amat just steps behind her until she heard a body drop. Taking a fearful glance back, she saw Amat was down and continued to zig zag as she ran.

Finally reaching the trees, Slate looked around for Walt and Sal as her heart banged in her chest. Spotting them to her left, she limped over, careful to stay in the shadows.

Walk grabbed her arm and pulled her deeper into the shadows, his eyes moving from her to Sal.

“This is on me.” He pushed Sal forward, “get the fuck back the safe out, both of you, Go!”

Sal looked ahead where Amat was, hesitated then turned to run.

“Get the fuck out of there Slate!”

“I’m not leaving you out here alone!” She walked past him and crouched down, “we’re both making it out of this!”

“Fuck!” Walt crouched down too, the both of them peering through the trees. He would drag her back if he could, make her leave; but there’s no time for it right now, and there’s no way he's going to leave one of his alone out here.

A car pulled up, even in the dark of the night, the sight of it makes Slate’s heart drop. She knows that fucking car; it’s a black Cadillac. Her grip tightened on her pistol; her throat was closing up.

An ill feeling washed over her as Amat laid on his back ahead, a guy on either side of him, rifles trained on his body. Each time their fallen friend groaned, the sicker she felt. Slate shut her eyes quickly then opened them, she hoped the person getting out of that car is a stranger, maybe he just has the same car as -

“You guys got one?”

It’s his voice. His fucking voice.  

“Fuckers still alive.”

Calderoni came into full view, the car lights on him like a spotlight, his right hand raised; gun in hand and ready to shoot. Calderoni then shoots both the cartel guys, each one a kill shot to the head.

He kneeled down beside Amat, Slate and Walt were too far away to hear what Amat was trying to say as he spit up blood. Slate narrowed her eyes and saw Amat motion back to them with his head, followed by Calderoni looking that way.

It seemed he was helping Amat up when four guys came running in the near distance. Calderoni dropped Amat, looked back at the guys, then fired once, killing Amat. Walt shut his eyes and lowered his head.

Slate gripped the tree tighter and closed her eyes, tears fell down her cheeks. Her eyes were still closed when Calderoni addressed the men.

“One went that way, and the other went that way.” She opened her eyes to see him pointing in the opposite direction, then another wrong one. “Run, you can still catch them.” The smaller group quickly broke off, leaving Calderoni alone again.

“Stay behind me.” Walt orders as he aims his pistol at Calderoni.

“You out there Walt?” Calderoni takes a step closer, also ready to fire. Then another, the two men inched forward. “There’s nowhere to go.”

“What the fuck did you do?” Walt asked, his eyes glued on him.

“What you made me.” He paused. “If you hadn’t cut me off, I could have warned you this would happen. They found the transponders two days ago. You walked into a trap. But you wanted to go your own way.” Another pause. "He deserved to walk away Walt, they all did. But they were never going to. You made sure of it.”

Slate moved over slightly; a sliver of her face came into Calderoni's view.  

Calderoni raised his chin, his brows tensed as he looked at her. He released a heavy sigh, then shifted his eyes back to Walt.

“You should have been the one to die tonight, Walt. But I’m going to let you live.” His eyes moved back to Slate. “Get the fuck out of here and don’t stop walking until you hear them speak English.”

Slate took a step back and gently placed a hand on Walt's arm. They had to get the fuck out here, there was no winning. Even if they could get a shot at Calderoni, dozens of men would descend upon them, and they had no chance of surviving that.

Walt slowly stepped back, his face eventually disappearing from Calderoni’s view.

Late that night at the warehouse

Slate trudged up the dark staircase behind Walt. With the rush of adrenaline gone, the pain in her leg came back full force. Her skin is coated in dirt, sweat, blood; hers and others.

“Who else made it out?”

Daryl appeared first; Walt walked right past him. Slate stopped in place and made eye contact but couldn’t find the words to speak. Her eyes then darted to Sal, who stepped into the room next.

Daryl’s eyes landed on Slate again, then Walt.

“Walt! Who else made it out?”

Walt pulled out a chair at the desk and sunk down into it with a silent breath. He looked broken, completely broken and more fragile than she’s ever seen him before, even counting the times she was around him back home.

Slate sniffled and shook her head, no, to Daryl.

Walt put the gun down, and when he finally spoke his voice was shaky and low, “ eveyones gone.”

Daryl paced, hands on his hips, shaking his head in disbelief. Sal sat on a nearby bench, slouched over and lowered his head, his hands clasped together.

Slate leaned against the nearby wall and looked up at the ceiling, swallowing the lump in her throat and trying to will the tears in her eyes to stop.

-Five days later-

Slate tapped the rim of the glass and watched as the bartender refilled the drink.

“Thanks.”

She quickly knocked it back and lowered the glass to the counter. They were out of Mexico in less than a day. Since being back, it’s been meetings and other bullshit, but to a lesser extent than whatever Walt had to do, since this was his operation. After her last meeting, Slate put in her request for extended leave; she turned down her reassignment papers.

It felt wrong, being back. Maybe she was supposed to die out there. She hasn’t slept much because all she sees is dead friends, especially Amat and Ossie. Then there’s another ghost haunting her waking and sleeping hours. The man she shared a bed with and later watched as he shot her friend and teammate dead. A man she snuck off to see two more times before the trip to Belize and Juarez, a man she had a weird comfort with she could never describe or explain away. A man she now hated with every bone in her body.

She felt betrayed by him. Even if he had a point, even if playing both sides was the only way to get shit done there. Even with that understanding, she still felt angry, and hurt.

Though they all knew death was a possibility when they didn’t walk about that room, none of them deserved that. Not even the ones who had to do sketchy shit in the past. They did not deserve to die; not Ossie, not Amat, not Danilo. From the brief conversation she had with Walt, Ossie and Amat were denied what he promised them, and written off as criminals.

Three weeks later

Slate got out of the elevator and turned left to her new apartment. She wasn’t sure how much it would help, a new city and a new place, but she was desperate at this point to shake the events of Mexico.

Two doors away from her own, she stopped cold in her tracks. A familiar face stared back at her, dark brown eyes, hair combed back, his arms crossed.

The moment their eyes met, he uncrossed his arms and stepped forward, using a calming tone to speak, “you’re a hard woman to find.”

Slates heart rate sped up with each step toward Calderoni. “Get the fuck out of here!”

He called her by her real name and raised a hand, in an attempt to calm her down. “Take it easy.”

“Take it easy! Take it easy!” She rushed toward him and shoved him hard in the chest, he barely budged, and remained rooted on the ground.

Slate shoved him again, this time tears coming to her eyes. He grabbed her shoulders and lowered his eyes to hers.

“Calm down. Can we talk? Inside?”

She wants to shoot him, to take every bad feeling in her body and mind out on him. Down the hall, a door opened, someone stepped out.

Slate cursed under her breath and tore herself away from his strong grip. After fumbling with her keys, she got the door open, went inside, then slammed it in his face.

Distraught, she headed to the Livingroom and sat on the couch, covering her face with her hands. When the door opened, she jumped to her feet and retrieved the gun she kept hidden behind a desk.

Calderoni didn’t budge at the sight; or show any signs of worry.

“I can’t stay long. Put the gun away.”

“No! You set us up!”

Calderoni stood directly in front of her and pried the gun from her hands. He clicked the safety back on and put it aside.

“Listen to me, “he lowered voice, “I did not set you up.”

Slate stared at him; he could see her mind going a mile a minute. She was also trying to decide if she believed him or not.

“It’s not as simple as you, Walt, and those agents who try to help think it is. Everyone, even the good guys, need to be bad and make some grey calls. It’s the only way. You’re smart, you know that Slate.”

She pulled her eyes from his and sat on the couch again.

“Those guys didn’t deserve that, I meant what I said.”

She shook her head and pressed her palms into her knees. “Why didn’t you warn us? Me?” She raised her eyes to his.

“I would have, you heard what I said out there. I was telling the truth.”

Slate rounded her shoulders, getting smaller on the couch. She shrugged weakly and stared at the floor.

“Hey,” Calderoni took a seat next to her on the couch, “I hoped you weren’t there. That you were smart enough to say no and go home.”

She turned her head to shoot him a dark look, “and abandoned the team? What kind of person do you think I am?”

Calderoni started to speak, then stopped himself. It was properly for the better, Slate was nearly shaking with anger now.

“We’ll talk about this, if not now, later, when you’re ready.”

She clenched her jaw, speaking through gritted teeth, “I never want to see you again.”

Calderoni lowered his gaze. He reached out and carefully placed a hand on her thigh. Her eyes dropped down to his hand, but she didn’t move it.

“Tell me to fuck off in the morning, but for now, “he raised his eyes to hers, “let me be here for you, even if it’s in silence.” he forces a small smile. “Keep the gun close if you want.”

Slate scoffed and stared at the table before them. Calderoni stood, retrieved the gun, and put it in her hands before sitting back down.

He watched as she looked it over, turning it, then placed it on the table.

Shooting him could feel cathartic, or it could make her feel worse.  

Slate exhaled and closed her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper, “I don’t want to look at a fucking gun again for a while. I’m so fucking tired - I’m tired - “she let her head hang low.

A moment later she felt his hand on her back, caressing her in a slow circular motion. At first, she stilled to his touch, then, she relaxed into it. With his right hand, he slid two fingers under her chin, angling her face to his. She opened her eyes.

Slate wanted to scream, to yell, to kick him, to use a time machine and take saying yes to this job back; but she couldn't. She couldn’t do anything but sit here right now, as her body felt everything at once, anger, rage, disappointment, grief, loneliness.

Maybe she would yell at him tomorrow, tell him all the things she wanted to say, but for now, she doesn’t have the energy. Calderoni wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

Slate leaned against him with a sigh and let her eyes fall closed.

Next

More Narcos

Masterlist

#Commander Guillermo Calderoni #not the real guy #the show! #narcos Mexico #Calderoni narcos Mexico #Guillermo Calderoni #my longest oneshot ever #Ossie Mejia #Amat narcos #Daryl narcos #Danilo Narcos #sal orozco

[ashacadence]

Baldur’s Gate 3

This is just my impression so far and why I’ve been not so active. Yes I like the game and having fun with it. Or at least to a degree. I can see the replay ability with it but I’ll get to that in a second.

The game in on itself is addicting. I get the itch and I just fall into that hypnotic grind of wanting to explore, look through stuff and bring the maps to life the more pockets and paths I find. It’s nice and there’s neat fights or really cool places to see. All very beautiful scenery. The environment stuff and the interactions of discovering hidden treasures or characters noticing something as filler info. Super cool. I’ll find myself just trying to look for hidden paths to navigate or spot something that catches my eye to go and look.

The fucking camera is annoying. Also the movement/pathing tracking or whatever can sometimes be it’s own worst enemy. I dunno if it’s better to play on the controller or not but I doubt it with how complex and easier it is to simply stick with mouse and keyboard. I just wish the camera pan and zoom was better instead of fighting it.

The characters in on themselves are entertaining and each are unique in their own special ways. Now, I’ve only been limited to the main three with mine but I’ll get to that in a sec. Lae’zel I’m still ehhhhhh on. I get why she’s prickly but oh boy she tests my patience some times. Also she hit on me at some point that had me sputtering and cackling.

I didn’t choose option 3. I chose 2. The screenshot had my mouse at that third one.

But y’all should have heard me laughing. Even if she was turned down she took it well but still with that confidence of “pssh you’re missing out.”

Girl…I’m trying to bang the vampire man okay. Maybe Halsin. Dunno yet. Haven’t gotten that far.

Shadowheart and I are good friends. She’s a little cinnamon roll but oh so blinded by her religion. Shadow babe hun you are so much more if you let yourself be more.

Astarion, I love his sass. We will either be best buds or friends with benefits or more. Don’t care. Happy to chat with him and have him around. His sass is great.

I would love to talk about more but here’s the thing. This is all the active people I have besides wyll who just doesn’t have enough for me to engage all that much with and I blame the writing for the game. He’s a very nice guy who’s in a bad situation but just doesn’t have that oomf for me personally just yet. Halsin I’m just now starting on his quest so I can get him in my party.

I missed my chance to get gale and karlach. This is where the start of my frustrations go where the game is unforgivable in making it obvious or segues on hey you should find this person like gale for one. Didn’t realize he was a random thing that’s seemingly dangerous and my instinct was oh let’s avoid this. Like come on. Karlach apparently was timed and I couldn’t get her after wyll gets his first punishment. Very unfair I thought. I been hearing karlach is an amazing character but nope. Won’t get that chance unless I restart back to wherever and/or replay the game entirely. BS

I’m trying to be vague as possible from spoiling and not giving too much big story info away so forgive me on the wyll part but that made me irritated. Because I wanted the whole deck of characters and be in on the know.

Also I think it’s BS of the game to only be four members when traveling. Should be 5-6 at least. Dunno if it’s just game coding and all that where that can be potentially be harder to process the different character AI and whatnot but man.

Extra members would be super helpful especially in big fights that are literally meant to beat the shit out of you. Some fights I had to redo two-four times. Some I had to weasel around and not just go in. Don’t care as this may be a subjective debate on how you play the game or how the game is but honestly it’s a bit counter intuitive. One of the big boss fights I won’t say I spent nearly three hours on. I was thinking omg am I even going to be able to continue because the game is that big of a jerk to players. I’m playing on balanced. Medium essentially or normal. Not that it matters but I also heard story teller or previous difficulty is not that much different either. There have been moments of progress I would make only to get knocked back an hour’s worth some times that makes me head desk. I try to save as often as I can.

But ya some of the fighting I just dread knowing it’s somehow going to be ass in some way because there’s hardly much of a means to prepare for everything unless you do. Then of course you retry with a different set up and the game may still be a absolute dick. It’s a matter of luck in a fight.

Like common sense at least to me hits with up close combat. Lot of the times my characters will miss on some swings that’s completely dumb in my book. You have this giant monster three feet in front of you and you miss a arc swing?? How?? I get that’s just how the spirit of dnd is but this is where computer vs tabletop comes into play on this scenario. It’s just how it’s coded and gotta live with it. Save a lot. Retry.

But ya some of the scenarios in or out of combat and just even the dice rolls will sometimes be absolute garbage on occasion. That’s just how it is on that too.

It’s a love hate with this game and there’s just some cases and things above like I wish the game was a bit more straightforward on like gathering more members and where and how to find them and time frames. Hell even one part in act one to do a certain something was on a time frame that I didn’t know about. So I’m just always anxious that everything is pretty much timed.

I do enjoy the game but I just have criticisms on it. I’m not hating on the game don’t raise pitchforks at me. It’s very entertaining and taking up my time because I’m fixated on it.

#ashascadence #bg3 #baldur's gate iii #baldur's gate 3 #gaming #just let me meet Karlach #game please I beg of you

[coraniaid]

For the director's commentary: Sending a ⭐

Thanks!

One thing I feel I haven’t talked about much before is Chapter 8, which is the chapter where …

Well, spoilers for Coexist below the cut (for Chapter 8, but also right up to the end).

This is the chapter where Diana Dormer dies.

(It’s also the chapter where Spike dies, of course, but – within the context of this AU – Spike is not particularly important.  It’s important that Faith’s Watcher is killed by a vampire that Buffy had the chance to stop earlier, which limits the options quite a bit.  And I think it’s necessary for the plot that the vampire who kills her doesn’t survive – or I felt it would be hard to justify Faith not leaving town to chase after him – but this isn’t really a story about Spike.) 

But Diana’s death is of course a big turning point in the story.  This was probably the chapter I was most nervous about posting, and – while it’s a little hard to be sure, given how AO3’s feedback systems and culture of commenting work – I’m pretty sure quite a few people stopped reading the story at this point. And that’s a shame: I feel sorry that I wasted those people’s time.  I’m glad that most people who made it this far seem to have liked it, but I realize that to some readers it might seem like a nasty surprise.  An unlooked-for twist purely for shock value.

Part of me wishes I could make it clearer at the start that the Major Character Death warning isn’t just for the characters who die before the story begins.  Maybe I could have been more explicit in the tags. But equally that feels a bit manipulative, because this isn’t really an Anyone Can Die affair.  The point specifically is that Faith and Buffy are the same, so Diana has to die to parallel the fact that Giles died.  Both Buffy and Faith have to go through the same experience of losing a Watcher and blaming themselves for the loss.  (Also, Diana’s death lets the Cruciamentum and Allan Finch’s death play out in ways I don’t think they could otherwise.)

Actually, over the course of the story, fewer people die than in canon.  One of the rules I gave myself for this AU, very early on in drafting/planning it, was that (other than Giles and Angel), nobody human was allowed to die if in canon they survived the season.  And moreover, I knew I wanted Harmony and Larry to survive Graduation Day, and I knew I wanted Debbie and Mr. Platt to survive Beauty and the Beasts.

There are a couple of reasons for that: one is that … well, I guess I’ve always been a bit irritated by the fact that these characters die in canon, and nobody ever really seems to care.  But the other is that I wanted to have Faith not working with the Mayor to actually have positive consequences for people other than her and Buffy.  I wanted the fact that Faith is there alongside Buffy on Graduation Day to mean that things go better than they did in the show.

For me, the appeal of this sort of alternate continuity is to create a situation where neither this version of Buffy or the canon version would particularly want to trade places with one another.  So yes, this Buffy loses Giles and Angel, but she gets to save Jenny and Mr. Platt..  This version of Buffy gets to go to Northwestern, but that means she doesn’t get to stay in Sunnydale with Willow and Xander.  This version of Buffy doesn’t have to try to kill Faith, but that’s (in part) because she’s the one to accidentally kill Allan Finch.  Is this version of Buffy happier than the Buffy of canon?  I don’t know. I just know I don't want the answer to be obvious.

And if Diana is going to die, I don’t think it could happen much earlier than this.  Diana is … well, pretty much the closest thing to an original character in this story.  (Even her name, which comes from the tie-in novel Go Ask Malice, isn’t really canon, as I understand it.)  All we know about Faith’s Watcher, in the show, is that she was a woman and (implicitly, maybe, if we take Faith literally) that she was older than Giles.  We know Faith saw her die, but after Faith, Hope & Trick, she’s never mentioned again.  

So while we can infer that losing her Watcher when she did is a big part of why Faith is the way she is, we can’t really care about her Watcher’s death.  (Indeed, as far as some of the show's writers are concerned later, Faith only ever had Wesley as a Watcher.) But I wanted Diana’s death to have some more impact this time around, which meant she had to be alive long enough to be missed.  By Faith, but hopefully by the reader as well.

#btvs #asks #my writing #thanks! #(I'm not kidding about the spoiler by the way)

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Rage Fire Institution

Movement. 11.

“You have heard of resting, haven’t you? You’ve been in estrus again, and you’re still recovering. When’s the last time you’ve been home to see mother?”

Nursing the drink he’d had for the last half hour, Tatsumi had indeed heard of this mythical resting thing. And he had indeed been through estrus with the help of medical technology. The sleep pod took care of everything. From deification, feeding, pheromone release, breathing capabilities through to the mess of release. Everything was handled by the self contained unit once he’d shown up at the omega only clinic. The omega wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep until the end of the year, yet that was completely unacceptable. He’d woken up to dozens of messages from other students, even a couple from Doctor Poaw and Skylark, both filling him in on Maki as if that was the first question on his mind post-estrus.

Glaring slightly at Samara, it hadn’t been Tatsumi’s idea to go straight from the clinic to the cafe. He’d had other plans, only he’d gotten his timing wrong and bumped right into Samara when dealing with other business

“That’s where I was headed next”

“Nonsense, you would have gotten caught up then returned to the institution. When’s the last time you visited your poor mother?”

“I took a month off. She’s still the same”

“Ah, maybe I’ll take her some flowers. You really ought to be thinking about a prospective mate. Even if it’s only physical, it’d do you the world of good”

“I’m…”

“You’re busy with work. I can get you a deal on the optics you need, you don’t need to keep suffering this way”

Tatsumi sighed. Samara knew too much. Too much about him. Coming out of estrus and bumping into him had been a serious stroke of misfortune

“It’s fine. The pod works for me”

“It’s still not the same. Generic alpha pheromones, tricks to make your body think you’ve been knotted, pheromones to deal with a lack of conception…”

“My mental health is better than it was. I would have been fine had someone not stuck his nose in”

“Hardly. Any alpha would take one look at you and know you’d just come out of estrus”

“It’s fine. I appreciate your concern but it’s not needed”

Samara gave a light laugh. As someone who’d dealt with his estrus on his own terms, Tatsumi didn’t see the need to go changing things this late in the game

“Alright. Finish your drink, I’ll run you home after”

“I’m going back to the school”

“You need rest”

“And I can rest in my quarters there. Blame it on omegas needing familiar grounds or whatever you want, but I’m going back there”

“I expect you to stay there. If I hear any word that you’ve turned up at the club…”

“You won’t because I won’t. You ruined that. I only went to notify Donny”

“Yeah, yeah. I know what that means. You can’t keep living like this. I don’t want to see you this way. They wouldn’t…”

Anger flashed over Tatsumi’s face. For half a moment he had the desire to throw his drink on Samara’s face then storm out, but that would only prove Samara right. He had no right to bring any of that up, not now and not ever

“Don’t. I like where I am. I like the other students. It’s not what it was, but that doesn’t make my life bad. Everyone who comes back has to find a way to move forwards again. This is mine. Now, I’d appreciate the lift, but I’m not sticking around for a long winded lecture about how I choose to spend the rest of my days”

Samara raised his hands in defeat. Tatsumi could understand his friend too well. All the government campaigns were total bullshit and the moment you became a burden to them they ceased seeing you as anything remotely human. An unmated, unwed, unbonded omega with psychological scars could only expect their government payment and maybe a few medical perks in the first few years. His government payments went to the upkeep of his family home, leaving him limited option on that sense. He couldn’t say he was happy all of the time, but being around people forced him not to withdraw further, that alone should have been seen as a win. But not to Samara… Samara who had a long term partner and soon would have kids… something so out of reach of Tatsumi that it felt like an insult.

“Alright. You win this round. But don’t think I won’t keep trying to recruit you. I don’t want to see you left rotting when there’s something more out there. Take your time, I’ll get you some food, space knows that fridge of yours will be empty”

“I don’t need you too”

“Relax, if I don’t then how will be able to face my misses? She’s going to pick up your pheromones the moment I get home”

“That’s not my problem. You shouldn’t give her reasons to be upset”

“Just finish your damn drink already”

Taken back to the institution by capsule car, Tatsumi made a show of waving until Samara left. He’d bought him far too much food. With classes in session, Tatsumi’s plan was to head straight back to his quarters and crawl right into bed. He’d nearly succeeded too when a knock came on his door. There was only one bastard who’d come bothering him within the walls of the institution the day he came back, and that was Skylark.

Dragging himself back up, Tatsumi crossed to the door, counting to three before opening it. Skylark standing there as if ready to barking orders at him, the man seriously never knew how to relax. Casually, Tatsumi leant against the door frame, counting off the coming conversation points on his fingers

“I’m fine. I have food. I’m not going back to work until next week”

“You look like shit”

“And you look ready to blow up. Come in then, you can get it all off your chest. I’ll get us some food”

Food turned the omega’s sensitive stomach. Lighter food would have been easier to digest, yet Samara had bought mostly heavy pastry and noodles. Plating himself up some noodles, Tatsumi half hearted pulled out a few meat pastries, before bringing the two plates over to the sitting area. Taking the plate when offered, Skylark raised an eyebrow

“I didn’t think you’d get this fancy”

“Samara stuck his nose in. Is this about Maki, what’s he done this time?”

Skylark shook his head

“You don’t know the concept of rest, do you? Off having a date straight out of estrus…”

Skylark was as delusional as Samara, Tatsumi tiredly correcting him

“You know it’s not that way. I’m struggling to see what was so urgent you had to come the moment I got back”

“That kid, he been out lately?”

So it was about Maki. His username might be “MakingGood”, but right now he was “MakingAHeadache”. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Tatsumi sat across from Skylark

“I wouldn’t know. I was intercepted before I could see Donny. Did he sneak out again?”

“No. That’s the damn problem. The little bastard hasn’t done anything”

“That’s supposed to be a good thing”

“Not when it comes to him. He and that mate of his came to see me, pissing themselves as they did. You didn’t tell you’d cleared their project already”

“I wasn’t exactly thinking about the pair of them. Did you sign off?”

“I did. The little shit’s managed to pull off something half decent. I get you want to help them all, but you can’t be giving them projects like this”

Tatsumi sighed at implication

“I didn’t. You know I want to keep my head down. He thought that up with Poaw while I was sleeping. Though it does seem I gave him the idea”

“Now, you know…”

Tatsumi knew what was coming next. He was pilot who was stuck in research and Maki was a researcher stuck on the pilot track

“No. You knew the kid was smart, that’s why you wanted someone keeping him out of trouble”

“I didn’t think it’d actually work”

Maki wouldn’t be curbed so easily from seeking out what he wanted in his life. If the young alpha wasn’t going out, he’d have a good reason. Probably so Skylark wouldn’t deny him and Li access to the student mechs. Tatsumi expected more from Skylark as he spelled it out

“You should know some of the worst kids have a way of coming around in the end. Though I doubt he’ll give up his freedom any time soon. I’d place money that once this project is over, he’ll be going out again”

“The little bastard’s going to get himself hurt if he keep this up”

“You can’t stop a curious mind. Anything else happen I should know about?”

“No. Not particularly. He’s been going to classes and been seen over at the research wing. You had to go stick your nose in, didn’t you?”

“If all you’re going to do is complain about your plan working, then what’s the point?”

“Who else am I going to bitch too? Those little shits piss themselves when I come round”

Tatsumi knew Skylark was only bitching to prolong checking in on him. He knew Skylark well enough to know he felt superior to the students… even to him. Drawing his knees up, he made himself comfortable

“You can take that to go if you want. I’m not rushing anywhere”

“You should be. You know you can’t let your pheromones out on campus”

“They’re only a problem because you showed up. Don’t go sniffing me without permission”

“Then learn to take a shower before you come back. I’ll take this to go, like you said, but only because I don’t want your stink on me”

“Sure, sure. Next time, don’t come racing to me when the kid doesn’t mess up. It’s not my job to care about him”

“See that you don’t. That kid’s got a career a mile long in front of him if he doesn’t fuck it up now. I don’t want to be bailing him out in five years time down the road”

Leaving the conversation at that, Skylark left. Tatsumi poking at his noodles without any desire to actually eat them. If only Skylark would give a little. No. He’d never break face and tell Maki to pull his head in because he’d seen too many good people die. The man was a bundle of contradictions that made the omega’s aching head throb harder. Maybe it was better to forget eating and simply shower before someone else decided to darken his doorstep?

***

“Dude, did you hear, the prodigal Professor has returned. He walked right through the front gates like it was nothing. Man, I wish I had the balls to do that”

Humming, Maki didn’t look up from his data pad. Li sliding into his seat next to him, before pulling out his own data pad. Maki has hoped to finish what he was reading before his best friend arrived, but from the buzzing next to his ear, he’d run out of time. Li disliking the hum he’d gotten in reply

“Are you listening to me?”

“Not really”

“I’m telling you the Professor’s back and you don’t even care”

Maki didn’t have time to care. Annoyingly, his curious mind had locked onto the research student project and he’d been able to get it out of his head. He knew he’d let his friendship slide as he hadn’t told Li about the research group, but no one had ever called him a social butterfly

“Hurray? It’s not like we needed him”

“Aren’t you curious? Skylark said the end of the week, not 7 days with change and no explanation. He didn’t even tell us he was back”

“And? How do you know he’s actually back?”

“It’s on the school forum. What’s for you so interested you don’t have time for me?”

Before Li could lean over, Maki turned the data pad screen off, then placing it down and looking to Li

“I was reading. It’s not that important. The Professor totally bailed on us. He didn’t even bother explaining, why should we be the ones to make the effort of caring?”

Li rolled his eyes so hard that there should have been sound effects. Part of Maki was curious, yet the bigger part of him was angry that Tatsumi had first pushed his way onto the project, then left as if he didn’t have some form of responsibility as to whether the project passed. Li sassing him

“You should care because he’s our friend. You know what a friend is still, right?”

Ouch. Okay. Maki could see why he deserved that

“I said I was sorry. Cut me some slack, I’ve been working on our project”

“You said that, but you haven’t changed anything that I can see. How can you be working on it still?”

“So I can remember what’s in the presentation”

Li gave him a good hard look before burying his face in his hands

“You’re right. I’m no good at this stuff. What if we totally fail because of me?”

“And what if we don’t? If that prick turns up and slides by on our work, I’m not going to be happy”

“But if he doesn’t pass we won’t either. Can you message him? Ask him to meet with us?”

His best friend cared too much. He was faithful to a fault when it came to friendship and he seemed genuinely worried

“Li, you’re too kind hearted for this world. I’ll message him later”

“Thank you, I’m sure he’ll reply if it’s you”

“Don’t go saying weird things”

***

Skylark was a strange man, Maki decided that on the spot seeing his ban from piloting had been lifted suddenly. Taking pity on him, Fleur matched up with him for the hand to hand drills, their comms open with each other as they both pondered and speculated about why. Given his suit wasn’t against school rules, he’d swapped from his trainee pilot suit to the one produced by Doctor Poaw, the effects of which raised his synchronisation by 2%. In an actual battle a 2% raise was huge. Even to him the extra 2% felt huge. The cut of the fabric, and the feel of the fabric, felt far nicer too. There was no rubbing on his glands, and it had excellent sweat absorption.

Once the warm up was done, the entire training hall was converted. The floor moving to take the shape of a simulated battlefield so two teams of three could take part in mock battle, working to capture the flag in the middle. Student mechs lacked any actual firepower. The limiters on what they had were lifted by Andes in the control room. First years only had access to lasers and tiny smoke bombs. The lasers signified a hit provided a pilot could hold the target longer than 10 seconds. In the second year that became 5 and they also had small energy chargers that would spread across the point of combat like paint, then vanish with instruction from Andes. As shields didn’t fall into direct attack weaponry, they were one of the first things pilots learned about before even getting into a mech and allowed to be openly used. Still, they took a large amount of focus.

The days simulation was a jungle type environment. Technology making it so real around them that was it hard to think of the environment simply as generated pixels. Nature sounds accompanied, to the point where should a tree be bit, the sound of cracking and falling was authentic, as was taking fake damage if hit by the falling tree.

Thanks to his stupid reputation, Maki wanted to do what he usually did, recklessly charge the flag and get it all over with. Thanks to his new suit, Maki also wanted to make the most of it. He didn’t care if the other students saw it as an unfair advantage. They should have picked a similar concept for their own projects instead of modding mechs that meant unmodding them after. The research students had been working on a mod system for mech barriers, which also helped him in situations such as these. Without their own private mech and team of pilots, data had came from the piloting classes of past years. His mind a whirl of figures that he’d crammed into his brain, trying to assess the project from every possible angle to predict battle techniques.

With the same system for everyone, everyone knew what their mechs could do. Melee combat a given, yet Maki’s eyes had been opened. Even in melee combat, if he could shape his barrier, the barrier edge could be used effectively to subdue a mech while staying mostly protected.

“Sato, what are you doing? The match has already started”

“Leave him out of it. He always goes for the flag, everyone knows it”

“That doesn’t mean anything if he doesn’t move. Andes is going to be all over us if he stands there the whole time”

Flexing his mechs hand, Maki bit back a snappy retort. His team mates would have been the same if they had new suits. He and Li had tried hand to hand combat, but that wasn’t with the terrain in place. Maybe if he asked Skylark again, he’d let them try suit to suit combat with terrain activated… then again, the sky just might fall down if he asked too many questions

“Give it a rest. I’m thinking”

“Forget it. He’s thinking. Great. Let’s go without him”

If his team mates were going to do as they pleased, he may as well as do as he pleased. Activating his barrier, Maki slowly drew it out between both hands, watching the edges rather than the shimmering middle. It brought up new ideas and a new need to ask Li a favour. Being inside the mech meant he couldn’t be outside checking how the suit did against the barrier or how thick it was. If the research students could get permission to observe it’d do a lot for their project. Not that he cared about them… they simply provided an interesting idea.

“Sato! Stop messing around and get moving! They’ve already advanced!”

Scowling at the overhead voice of Andes, Maki had to admit now was not the time to be intrigued. Now was the time to be his labelled self and charge the damn flag as they all expected. If he kept dawdling he’d be benched again, and how could he test his new theories if he was?

“Yes, sir”

Following his teammates route through the dense jungle, Maki was the last one there. The melee had already started, three against two, with all five mechs around the central flag. Despite the dislike his teammates had for him, he couldn’t simply leave them that way. If this was a street brawl he also wouldn’t have been able to leave two against three and keep a clean conscious.

Plowing straight into the battle, Maki activated his smoke bombs as he went, using his barrier to keep his vision of immediate area in front of him cleared. Cursing him, it didn’t stop the alpha as he manoeuvred behind his teammates, pulling the first one back from the blindly swinging opponent. It was a total rookie move. If the smoke was in the way, the only thing you could do was back out the space

“What the hell, Sato? What are you trying to pull?”

“Activate your barriers and use the space to clear your footing. When I’ve got their attention again, go for the flag, you’ll be fine”

“You arsehole, what are you trying to pull?”

“I’m trying to win. It’s not my fault you didn’t use your own smoke bombs to put distance between you”

If his teammates didn’t like him before, they certainly didn’t like him now. Both cursing as Maki jumped backwards to move around the smoke field. Activating his laser weapon, Maki charged the opponent mech ground from the side, with no other plan of forcing them into to the smoke and hoping they’d swing at each other in the confusion.

Unfortunately things didn’t go that smoothly. As soon as one mech cleared the smoke, the others followed. Annoyed at the cockiness of dropping smoke bombs, all three mechs teamed up against him… while his two teammates focused on the flag. If only he could weaponise his barrier. If he could have modded the barrier to form how he desired a lance would have been good, or even a whip. Instead, alarms started going off as the three mechs started firing at him. The best he could do was return fire.

But his best wasn’t good enough. Three mechs acting independently meant three opponents, all with different thoughts. As he barrelled into the closest mech, the alarms in his cockpit suddenly stopped, the word “Eliminated” popping up on the display. The defeat was bitter, yet it would be unseemly to fight after being disqualified, even if his mech had more to give.

Reluctantly, Maki was forced to sit back as he watched his team lose. He’d not gotten to fight, nor had he gotten to test his suit’s capabilities further. It stung.

#omegaverse #mpreg #mech #mecha #pilot x pilot #older uke younger seme #rfi #rage fire #rage fire institute

[seven--secrets]

Tentacruel || Shigure || Trial 5.2 || Re: Riley, Kaneko

A lot more to lose if they didn’t figure it out? Hmmm, maybe that was true, but everything still seemed so unclear about it. Their options were limited, but it was true that Kaz and Rei were treating this situation with some semblance of urgency. It stood to reason that they did need to solve this, but Shigure still got the feeling that this wasn’t going to end so smoothly.

“Mimi, Ricchan, you both keep saying you want to protect this person, but Kaneko is right. I don’t think anyone is going to just be honest about this, because...” She glanced at Kaz out of the corner of her eye and just sighed. “Don’t you think Kazoo has been really purposely vague about what ‘deciding what to do with the onryo’ will entail? I can’t help but feel like there’s a reason for that, since we probably won’t like the choices. Back after the dungeon, he still didn’t explain, but it sounds like the Rite will result in the person’s death. I can’t imagine anyone just be openly honest when their fate is so uncertain, but also when at least one option ends in them dying, right?”

Because in the end, it didn’t matter if Sibyl and Riley, and hell, everyone else promised to protect the broken soul. Things weren’t going to end so sweetly, but perhaps that was just her cynical nature to see it all that way. But regardless of who it was, it was their duty to continue seeking out the truth. To see it all through to the end, and make sure that no one else could be hurt.

With Riley’s question, Shigure placed her hands over her stomach and considered Riley’s words. It seemed that was true. The onryo had attacked multiple people through the stomach with its tentacles. And it would figure that Riley would ask her about it, all things considered, although…Shigure didn’t particularly remember ever mentioning that detail of her past to Riley. But now that Riley said it, she couldn’t very well stay silent, even if talking about it was painful and scary. Even if it was a part of her past she didn’t want to relive.

“I just assumed that the onryo attacked me through the stomach as a way to force me to relive my trauma,” Shigure explained. "I don’t really like talking about this, but I’d rather be the one to bring it up over anyone else who knows. Plus I don’t want to put Yuyu or Kaneko in a difficult spot by making them choose between mentioning something potentially important and keeping my trust, so…“

Ugh, she really, really hated this.

“Yeah, I have been stabbed before. By some creepy ass stalker who snuck into the practice building, but it was hardly life threatening. I mean, the idiot used a boxcutter. I dunno what he was expecting. It was just a cosmetic wound, but obviously it was a huge pain in the ass to get covered up and my manager wasn’t happy about it. That bitch even blamed me for it happening. It’s…really not something I like talking about, so can we not focus on that too much?”

#ran #chapter 5 #trial 5 #submission

[phoenixyfriend]

Commander Buir

Follow-up to this post. Not in any particular order, just spitballing ideas, with contributions from several friends on discord.

Like presumably it takes long enough for them all to meet up again that Anakin and Cody do, in fact, end up treating each other like family, just so I can have that good good "well, guess I'm Dad now" energy. Shmi isn't entirely sure what's going on but she's not a slave anymore and her kid seems to like this rando mando, so.

Anakin gets to have a mom and two dads, though one of the dads is arguably younger than him.

Also when they all meet up again and Cody explains the "General Skywalker got shrunk" thing, there are three reactions: (General) Obi-Wan: Oh, Anakin. Obi-Wan: [gestures to take him, ends up with an armful of clingy padatoddler] Anakin: You can't blame this on me, Obi. Obi-Wan, a little teary, because babies cause emotions: Of course I can, you absurd human being. ------ Rex: That's... my general. Anakin: I am, Captain. Rex: Cool cool cool I'm gonna go stand where I can't, uh, break you. Anakin: I'm not THAT fragile! ------ Ahsoka: [gasp] Skyguy is SKYKID! Anakin: Padawan, this is-- Ahsoka, grabbing him and cuddling: Oh my goodness you're adorable this is the best day ever. Anakin: This is humiliating, Snips, put me down. Ahsoka: Never.

Anakin hates being a toddler because of the lack of independence but Cody keeps picking him up when he's cranky and just holding him until he falls asleep and that's... nice.......

- The brain limitations aren't quite as bad as the situation with Sokanth and Ylliben in the other AU, but - Even if his brain is mostly adjusted he’s still got a tiny body with different needs that he’s not used to. Like, he needs to sleep more but he’s got more energy than usual when he’s awake and it’s all weird.

Cody carrying around toddler Anakin like "God you give me ulcers but you're adorable, you little shit."

Inconveniently tiny body aside, Anakin has a pretty great time in this au. His family are all together and safe and within reach. His wife isn't around, but toddler brain means he doesn't have the Romance Drive, so that's not as bad as it could be It could be significantly worse.

@atagotiak asked: Does Anakin get annoyed about being called cute? - To which I say, He bites the first few times but Shmi tells him that's Naughty so he stops. - Babies are cute so you packbond with them before they’re annoying, Anakin is cute as a self defense mechanism - He’s extra annoying so he needs to be extra cute

You know how you need to keep an eye on toddlers so they don't, like, fall down the stairs or put something toxic in their mouth? - They need to keep an eye on Anakin specifically so he doesn't rewire the ship they're in while they're in hyperspace. - He has less self control on account of being smol. He still has all the mechanical knowledge! Just less comprehension of y’know, consequences.

Anakin, with a sippy cup: This is demeaning. Ahsoka: Your hands don't work great enough to avoid accidents yet. Anakin: It's still embarrassing.

General Kenobi can't just kill Maul, not when Maul is baby right now (sixteen, which is baby enough) so he just. Kinda. Kidnaps a baby Sith. (It's fine. He's fine.)

General Kenobi (not to be confused with Padawan Kenobi) decides to declare Maul his new padawan because someone has to deal with this teenager, and Plo already claimed the rest of Ahsoka's training. And Anakin's three, so.

"What do we do with Maul?" "Eh, I can handle him. I dealt with teenage Anakin getting arrested for illegal pod-racing twice a month, I can work with this."

Maul bites, but only slightly more often than Anakin, it's fine

Ahsoka definitely bullies Maul whenever possible

Consider: Rex holding very still because Anakin wanted to be tall, so he climbed Rex. Being unexpectedly climbed is better than being unexpectedly yeeted. It's still extremely nerve-wracking. - Cody is perfectly capable of running around with a backpacking toddler General, but Rex freezes like a statue. - Ahsoka finds this hilarious

You know how little kids like to be thrown around and swung in circles and stuff like that? This must get even more ridiculous with force users. Can throw a child real high and catch them safely. - Rex panics whenever Ahsoka throws her chibified Master

Literally everyone except Rex loves being yeeted. Even Maul can appreciate a good tactical yeet no shut up he's not having fun this is TRAINING - Rex is Suffering - Cody, a very Tired Dad, deserves to mock his vod'ika a little, as stress relief - Rex, a certified Little Brother, shoves Cody off something tall. Jokes on him, Cody thinks freefall is fun too.

Tia asked: So the people who didn’t exist yet got flung bodily back in time and Anakin did the mental time travel. Why did Obi-Wan not become Padawan Kenobi? (I mean “because I want it that way” is def a good enough answer I’m just wondering if there’s any reason.) - Which, well, it really was mostly "I want to" but here's two options, both of which come down to Blame Daughter and Father. 1. They figured a responsible adult Jedi Master was needed to convince people. 2. Nobody was supposed to get de-aged but Daughter figured they needed to make Anakin less liable to kill things for a few years. - Also IDK the Force God-Manifestations also took away any risk of rapid aging and early death from the clones because uhhhhhhhhhhh I said so

Rex and Ahsoka are fumbling their way through a relationship where ages are just really confusing and awkward, so they're keeping it to just kisses and cuddles for a bit.

Cody is so tired he doesn't even realize anyone's hitting on him until it's been three years of co-parenting with Shmi and his General. - Somehow Anakin knows Cody is in a relationship before Cody does. Cody has never been so embarrassed. - How did he manage to be less observant than Skywalker? -- it was sabotage; all his brain cells were taken up in managing said Skywalker -- Because Skywalker was up at three in the morning whacking a training droid with a stick so he didn't have the energy for Relationships

Also Shmi's come-ons are super subtle, while the General's are... well, Cody's gotten very used to ignoring anything ambiguous on that end because fraternization rules, and also because Obi-Wan flirts a lot with everyone. So.

Please imagine Cody and General Kenobi walking around with Anakin tucked into a toddler sling while they do whatever work they've ended up with at the Temple. - Yes, Cody is helping the Jedi figure out the best plan of attack to take down this slave ring because his grasp on tactics is phenomenal and he knows how to deploy people at greatest efficiency, but also he's got a nosy toddler on his hip who keeps offering his own insane-but-competent ideas. - General Kenobi ends up with a Council Seat just on account of, like, being the kind of person he is. As often as not, he's got Anakin tucked into his robes, chewing on the ear of a stuffed tooka or something.

IDK what Shmi's doing but apparently Legends had it that some of the administrative and support positions in the Temple were held by non-Jedi civilians? So probably something like that.

GENERAL KENOBI LECTURING PADAWAN MAUL WHILE ANAKIN'S BALANCED ON HIS HIP AND GLARING AT MAUL FOR STEALING HIS DAD

General Kenobi: Ahsoka's babysitting. Anakin: I'm her master, I don't need babysitting, this is-- General Kenobi: Fine, then you need supervision, so that you don't blow up a training salle again. Anakin: And you think Ahsoka would stop me? General Kenobi, eye twitching: Fine, I'm leaving you with Plo.

Even if he’s mentally an adult Anakin always needs supervision Look at canon! Anakin was left without supervision for like two days and he became a Sith

Quinlan gets distracted by how attractive General Kenobi is and tells Obi-Wan "dude, you're gonna be so hot once you can get rid of the stupid haircut" and Obi-Wan pushes him into the nearest pond.

They end up with this weird "Uncle Jango" situation (uncle to Anakin, via weird brotherhood-ish to Cody) because Rex and Cody are just like "Uhhhhhhhhh yeah okay" about him eventually, and Jango just like. Drops by. Trying to Earn Affection Of Blood Kin by bringing weird gifts for them and their (ugh) Jedi.

"Okay, Rex'ika, I stopped by Shili--" "What?" "--and apparently this is a delicacy there, so just... your girlfriend will like it." "She's not my girlfriend." "..." "Okay, I can't call her my girlfriend. Jedi have rules about that sort of thing, and--" "This will make your Jedi happy, probably. Just take it, kid."

Baby Anakin got his arm back but for some inexplicable reason still has The Eye Scar. He matches Buir.

#disaster lineage #Anakin Skywalker #CodyWan #Commander Cody #Obi Wan Kenobi #Ahsoka Tano #Captain Rex #Shmi Skywalker #Maul #Darth Maul #Rexsoka #time travel #de aging #baby characters #Quinlan Vos #Phoenix Posts #Commander Buir

[jackoshadows]

It really pisses me off when I see justifications for Catelyn’s treatment of Jon Snow. Like just straight up abuse apologia.

Cat was not Jon’s mother, so it was not abuse.

Cat did not kill Jon like Cersei killed Robert’s bastards and so it was not abuse.

She did not have him beaten so not abuse

Jon was fed and clothed, so it was not abuse

Jon did not fear for his life like Theon, so it’s not abuse

Cat was not obligated to treat a little child with kindness and basic decency, so it’s not abuse.

Jon does not show any visible signs of trauma, so it’s not abuse

Making a child feel like he is should not eat their food, making him feel isolated and unwanted, never calling him by name, treating him different to his siblings - all not abuse, just Jon being oversensitive.

There is a difference between understanding why Catelyn acted that way towards Jon and justifying her actions towards him.

Was Catelyn a victim of Ned’s actions? Yes. Was Ned wrong in how he treated Catelyn? Yes. Does she have reasons to think her children’s right to Winterfell would be endangered by Jon Snow’s presence? Yes. Did Catelyn have reasons to be angry, frustrated, helpless and bitter about Jon? Yes. Was it an insult to Catelyn and house Tully that Ned brought up Jon at WF? Yes. Was it easier for Catelyn to take out her frustrations on Jon rather than Ned? Yes.

Is it okay and right for Catelyn to then take out those frustrations on a child? NO.

I can understand why she treated him that way. Catelyn is flawed and human. She was married to Ned Stark. She can’t divorce him, she can’t fight with him. To have love and stability in her marriage she has to go along with Ned’s decision and bring no animosity to the table.

So what does she do? She takes out her anger about that entire situation on a child. She transfers all that anger and negativity to Jon as a way to deal with this situation. Ned brings up Jon at Winterfell? It’s Jon’s fault. Jon looks like Ned? It’s Jon’s fault.

Was Catelyn particularly cruel to Jon? No. No one expects Catelyn to be a mother to Jon. But Jon was a child. An innocent baby. Of the three of them - Ned, Catelyn, Jon - he was the least responsible and had the least power to do anything. 

Imagine, as a child, one sees the rest of one’s siblings get love and affection and at the same time be ostracized and not even called by one’s name. Imagine being a child and looked at with hate and anger. Being begrudged one’s food.

He reached the landing and stood for a long moment, afraid. Ghost nuzzled at his hand. He took courage from that. He straightened, and entered the room.

He stood in the door for a moment, afraid to speak, afraid to come closer.

Part of him wanted only to flee, but he knew that if he did he might never see Bran again. He took a nervous step into the room. “Please,” he said.

Something cold moved in her eyes. “I told you to leave,” she said. “We don’t want you here.” Once that would have sent him running. Once that might even have made him cry.

He was at the door when she called out to him. “Jon,” she said. He should have kept going, but she had never called him by his name before. He turned to find her looking at his face, as if she were seeing it for the first time. “Yes?” he said. “It should have been you,” she told him.

“You Starks are hard to kill,” Jon agreed. His voice was flat and tired. The visit had taken al the strength from him. Robb knew something was wrong. “My mother... “ “She was... very kind,” Jon told him. Robb looked relieved.

Jon wondered how Lady Catelyn’s sister would feel about feeding Ned Stark’s bastard. As a boy, he often felt as if the lady grudged him every bite.

It was Lady Catelyn’s. With her deep blue eyes and hard cold mouth, she looked a bit like Stannis. Iron, he thought, but brittle. She was looking at him the way she used to look at him at Winterfell, whenever he had bested Robb at swords or sums or most anything. Who are you? that look had always seemed to say. This is not your place. Why are you here?

Imagine reading the above and thinking that Jon is being whiny and oversensitive because of his reaction to emotional abuse. That he should just ‘man up’ and not be bothered, to discount and undermine his narrative and experience because the smallfolk have it worse. Why then consider the experiences of any of the main characters in this series? They ALL have it better than the smallfolk.

What does it matter if Jon never feared for his life unlike Theon? Is that the line at which we define what abuse is? That a child must fear for his life for it to be abuse? What does it matter if Catelyn was not like Cersei and did not murder him? Is that where we draw the line? To have it really bad as a bastard, one must be murdered?

And it’s not like Jon does not blame Ned for his situation or that Ned is entirely exonerated in his eyes. His bastardy and Ned’s actions are what complicates his relationship with Ygritte.

Benjen Stark stood up. “More’s the pity.” He put a hand on Jon’s shoulder. “Come back to me after you’ve fathered a few bastards of your own, and we’ll see how you feel.” Jon trembled. “I will never father a bastard,” he said carefully. “Never!” He spat it out like venom.

And again, I have noticed that it’s only Jon’s pain at being a bastard that’s undermined again and again because he had it better than others.

Sansa had it better than Jeyne Poole because Sansa was a Stark and Jeyne was just a steward’s daughter. Jeyne was send to LF’s brothel, send to Ramsay Bolton, raped and tortured. Does it mean that the abuse Sansa suffered in KL does not count?  But it’s these same folks, who play the oppression olympics of how Sansa suffered the most of all the characters and hence deserves a fairy tale ending, writing essays about how Catelyn was totally justified in her treatment of Jon and it was really Cat who is the victim in that situation because she was ‘rightfully putting her children’s inheritance above the feelings of her husband’s bastard child’.

It’s easy to understand that Catelyn is a flawed and human character, who was as trapped in this situation as Ned and Jon, who had limited options on how to respond and at the same time acknowledge that she was wrong to ostracize, isolate and treat with cruel anger a little child, who was not responsible for the situation they found themselves in.

#Catelyn Stark #Jon Snow #Ned Stark #Fandom nonsense #I observe that it's always the Sansa stans who downplay the experiences and abuse of other character #It's all no big deal #Only Sansa suffered in the entire series #But this idea that Catelyn did no wrong is also pervasive in the wider fandom #For some reason when it comes to Catelyn there is a kneejerk reaction to defend justify and excuse abuse #Emotional abuse is still abuse #Especially when a little child is subjected to it #asoiaf

[softcallofdutyimagines]

any safehouse crew x bell!reader headcanons? can be fluffy or angsty, whichever you prefer to write 🥺 i adore your work!

Aw, thank you!! Yeah, I'd love to share to some headcannons! These are sort of a mixed bag regarding fluff/angst, but I think they're mostly nicey-nicey :)

Sorry for your wait, but I hope you enjoy 💖

Adler

His relationship with you is such a tangled mess

He shouldn't even be doing this, not after all he's done to you and is still doing, but...

He just can't help but fall for you

Your memories of being with him during the war may be fake, but to you they're all too real

You know him better then anyone else, maybe even more then Sims

This whole thing started because you wanted to get to know him, to fill in the gaps and to continue growing the bond that only exists in your mind

Every day he struggles with the knowledge that what he's doing is wrong, along with the constant badgering about it from Hudson, Sims, and Park

But he's never felt this close, let alone wanted, by someone in his entire life

There'll come a day when the lid blows right off all this and explodes in his face for sure

Just... Not yet, he hopes

Hudson

If there's one person here who should not be getting involved with you... It's him

Adler and Park may be your handlers, but he's the one overseeing the entire operation

You wouldn't even be here if he hadn't passed down the orders from the higher ups

If there's nothing else you take away from this, he would have you know that there is much, much more at risk here then his mere job if he was found messing around with you

Hudson tried everything to resist you

You and your charming voice

You and your beguiling looks

You and your kindness and patient soul

His will was strong, but the flesh is oh so weak

No one has ever treated him like you do

Just an ounce of respect and a surprising, never ending stream of kindness...

What else is a lonely man to do?

Adler and Park know nothing, this is a term you both agreed on

And they never will, because as soon as your work here is done...

He will stop at nothing to keep you safe

Lazar

He knows, he knows...

He should be doing this

But damn it if you aren't just so... Loveable

Lazar has a big heart that just bursting at the seams with love to give

You'd think such a friendly fellow would be popular in the dating pools, but...

It would seem not so

He'll be honest, he was going to make moves towards Park...

Mostly because, between the two of you, she wasn't strictly off limits

But you were his first choice

And when Helen shut him down, well...

Why not at least try?

He never expected you to actually take to him

He deals with constant reprimands, but he dismisses them every time

No one knows what it's like to be so full of love and have no one to give it too

And now that he has you...

He'll be damned if anyone tries to take you away from him

Mason

Geez... All Mason wants is a stable relationship with someone who loves him and has the grit to see past his flaws

He's been taking his meds and seeing his psych, but the numbers and mind jacking still bother him

In fact, they very well might for the rest of his life

He feels so broken

So unlovable and far too damaged to even be an option for anyone else out there

So... Why are you so interested in him?

At first he brushes it off as a star struck kid, and maybe, at first it was, but then...

Things start to get serious

He meet up with you after work hours

You both get to talking and relating to one another through your memories of warfare and the current mission

You tell him you've seen plenty of things just as crazy as what's going on with him, and people that are twice that bad

He doesn't scare you, not one bit

Acceptance is all he's ever wanted, and to have found it in you feels better then anything he ever could've dreamed of

He falls for you so hard, he rarely let's you out of his sight and tries to get on as many of your missions as possible

Park

This whole op is a well oiled machine and she's the one driving it

Hudson and Adler may act like they're in charge, but they'd be nothing without her helping to hold them and you in line

She's a woman of rules, decorum, and conduct

There's a way to do things and a way not to, simple as that

And yet for all that, she still cannot understand how she's fallen in with you

She should be holding you at arms length at best, and yet here she is stealing kisses and playing with your hair when no one is looking

Maybe she's too much of a sucker for a good forbidden romance story

Or maybe there's always been something in you that's spoken to her from the beginning

A certain way you carry and conduct yourself

So brave and strong...

The kind of person she aspires to be, deep down...

Soon she starts saying things like "what's the worst that could happen" and "no one has to know"

And before long, she knows she could never let you go

When this mission is over, she swears to set you free from the mental prison and living hell she helped put you in, no matter the outcome for your relationship

She loves you too much to see you suffer

Sims

He has the exact same problem as Adler

You know him too damn well

Except... You don't really know him at all, huh?

It takes him so long to wrap his mind around that one...

But the more and more you keep coming to him, asking about things like 'Nam and his time in the war...

The more and more that line becomes muddled

How much have you been programmed to know, and how much did you learn naturally, just from getting to know him?

It's hard being a Vietnam vet you know...

Everyone blames you for the loss of the war, and no one wants much to do with a soldier in general, he guesses

Too much of a headache when you could just get a nice, normal person, right?

But old Vietnam vets get lonely too you know...

So you know what? Who gives a damn

This whole thing with you and mk ultra was screwed from the start, and who knows where the end will take you

If nothing else, if not even for his own benefit, he may as well give you the respect enough to enjoy a little fling

He treats it seriously. Very seriously.

He even grows to truly love you

Maybe that's why he's so scared for you

Woods

Here's a man who'd go his whole life proclaiming he'll never settle down and had no interest in doing so

He's a lone wolf, a life long solider, and far too fucked up for a stable relationship anyhow

At least... That's what he'll say

The truth is he yearns for what Mason and Hudson have

A happy little family and cozy home to protect and care for

He wants to feel needed, wanted even

And he'll never get that from long hours at the practice range and lonely weekend nights spent in his living room

He takes the same approach as Mason would at first

He brushes you off as a starry eyed fan and nothing more

But you know... He's never had anyone care enough to be a "fan" before

Alex laughs at him and keeps saying he's letting his ego get to his head, but what the fuck does he know?

He's got all that shit with the numbers and reznov stuck in his head, and yet he still has someone to go home to each night

So he does it, he gets involved with you

And it's the best damn feeling in the whole world

He loves you relentlessly and soon finds he can't bear to be away from you for too long

Mason will never let him life it down, but you know what?

He's just fine with that

#black ops cold war #call of duty #russell adler x reader #jason hudson x reader #lazar x reader #eleazar azoulay x reader #alex mason x reader #helen park x reader #lawrence sims x reader #frank woods x reader #bell!reader

[robininthelabyrinth]

Spilled Pearls Extra 2

- ao3 -

“Jingyi?” Lan Qiren repeated, looking down at the child tucked into his arms. “A good name.”

“Isn’t it?” Lan Yueheng said, beaming. “A-Xin thought of it!”

“You don’t say,” Lan Qiren said dryly. “Just the way your wife named all the last six?”

Lan Yueheng grinned bashfully. “She’s better at it!”

Lan Qiren shook his head, amused, and tried to offer the child back to his father.

“No, no, you should hold him longer. Babies are calming, and you’ve been having bad dreams recently, right?”

“Babies are not calming,” Lan Qiren said. There was a limit to how many times someone could play the same joke on him, and yes, he was mentally glaring at Wen Ruohan, Lao Nie, and Cangse Sanren as well while he thought that. “You’ve had six already, you should know that. Can we at least agree that this is the last one?”

Lan Yueheng and Zhang Xin had put off having children to help Lan Qiren raise Lan Xichen and then Lan Wangji, once he’d come around, no matter how much Lan Qiren had argued with them to the contrary. They’d laughed him off, saying it was nothing, but he’d been terribly afraid that they’d miss the window for it and end up childless, with no one to sweep their graves on Qingming except his nephews, and that in the end they’d blame him for it.

Naturally, despite his fears, it turned out in the end that they hadn’t had any trouble at all. Their first had been born when Lan Wangji had been three and Lan Xichen six, and they’d had six more after that, one after another like a bunch of maniacs – a girl, two boys, another girl, and then the twins a few years later, at the very end, just when everyone had thought they were already done. Lan Wangji had already been nearly fifteen, then.

Of course, the whole bit about ‘just when everyone had thought they were already done’ being about the twins was rather outdated: that was before the arrival of little Jingyi.

Nearly ten years after all the rest, even the twins; a belated and extremely unexpected child, as if Zhang Xin and Lan Yueheng and the heavens had all conspired to make fun of Lan Qiren for his previous worries. Zhang Xin had already been in her forties, yet she’d gotten through the entire process with a smile and no apparent discomfort, puttering around in her garden and managing her storehouses and scolding her children without any disruption. Not even the pain of labor would bring her down, even if she did have a tendency to mangle Lan Qiren’s hand and shout his ears to deafness in the process.

Lan Qiren’s ears and hand, because he’d helped oversee the births of his nephews – Han Kexin had resolutely refused the aid of any competent doctor, male or female, mockingly reminding him that she was supposed to be in seclusion, so he’d learned up on the basics himself while retaining the option to call in a proper doctor if something went wrong – and since he’d managed it well enough, naturally Zhang Xin wanted the same, impertinent brat that she was. And of course, she wasn’t going to hurt her husband’s precious hands in the process, never mind that he’d been the one to cause it in the first place.

At least they’d all been more or less easy births.

Little Lan Jingyi had been the easiest of the whole lot. Zhang Xin had barely made herself comfortable before he was coming, and before Lan Qiren had even really accepted that he was coming, he was already here.

Look at the rush to get going, as if he’s afraid to miss out on all the fun if he’s not here! Zhang Xin had laughed. He’s going to want to be part of part of everything!

“Last one, I swear!” Lan Yueheng promised cheerfully. “Anyway, we needed one around that age – that way he can be friends with Wangji’s boy! You know, the one he’s raising with Wei Wuxian, the one who used to be Wen sect.”

Lan Qiren snorted. As if he didn’t know the one in question. Wen Ruohan had been altogether too pleased to offer up some of his own blood to join the Lan sect when it turned out that Wei Wuxian had gotten attached to the orphan child of Wen Ruohan’s kinsman – eager as he ever was, really, to entangle himself irrevocably into Lan Qiren’s life, as if he still thought there was a chance, however remote, that Lan Qiren would find some reason to reject him or cut him out of his life once again. And never mind that it’d been years and years since anything like that had even come closer to happening!

“Yueheng-xiong,” he said patiently. “Mathematics are one of your favorite subjects, so I know you know that that means that your son will be friends with my grandnephew.”

Lan Yueheng scratched his nose. “Not your grandnephew yet,” he said, grinning; he didn’t look even remotely ashamed of it. “Wei Wuxian’s the one that adopted him, and Wangji’s not married him yet!”

“He’s working on it.”

Wen Ruohan’s “help” – in the sense of agreeing to let the Lan sect adopt little A-Yuan and not allowing Wei Wuxian to do it on his own – was probably doing more to impede it than anything else.

Lan Yueheng sniggered. “Should I offer to help?”

“Most certainly not. Save your fireworks and flares for the actual marriage.” Lan Qiren rubbed his forehead. “Cangse Sanren is being deliberately obnoxious about negotiations over it, I swear.”

“Cangse Sanren is always obnoxious, Qiren-xiong,” Lan Yueheng reminded him. “Always – and it’s only gotten worse since she had her doom stolen away by Lao Nie.”

“Don’t remind me,” Lan Qiren grumbled. He didn’t even want to know how the two of them had managed to swap fates, or what the consequences of it would be in the end. For some reason, Wen Ruohan seemed oddly insistent about blaming Lao Nie’s second wife, despite her having been perfectly nice as far as Lan Qiren could tell, if somewhat strangely obsessed with food. Possibly he was just annoyed that poor Wen Zhulio had saved Cangse Sanren’s life a dozen times over so far and yet Lao Nie was getting the credit.

At any rate, neither of them had died so far, which was all to the good.

“I’m getting to the point that I think looking for her master and asking her for permission might be the easier course,” he added irritably. “The boys want to get married! What’s the point of tormenting them over the details?”

“Please don’t go out looking for an immortal mountain, Qiren-xiong,” Lan Yueheng said, laughing, and finally condescended to pluck little Lan Jingyi out of his arms. “I’m going to put him to bed. You should rest, too. No more work today! And only good dreams!”

Lan Qiren shook his head and watched him walk away.

For a moment, the image was replaced with another, a remnant from the terrible dream he had been having the past few nights, the one that still lingered: Lan Yueheng, still laughing but walking with a limp, his right foot gone from beneath the knee – the one he’d lost when the Cloud Recesses had burned, and because of the mess that had ensued it hadn’t been treated for far too long, becoming infected; every year thereafter he had gotten sick from a recurrent and worsening illness, driving Lan Qiren and Zhang Xin both crazy with worry.

Lan Qiren’s chest hurt just thinking about it, his own injuries aching, the remnants of the vicious wounds from the terrible beating Wen Xu had ordered with his eyes curved in a mean smile as he watched them try to break Lan Qiren’s meridians out of sheer spite; one day, in that horrible future foretold by the dream, Zhang Xin would worry too much and fail to pay attention, walking on something she shouldn’t and poisoning her blood, and when she went Lan Yueheng would follow her away, the two of them going side-by-side into the next world as they had gone through this one, leaving Lan Qiren to raise their youngest child the rest of the way himself. No matter how tired he was, he wouldn’t put that burden on their other children, all of them abruptly orphaned, the final belated victims of the desperate war against the Wen sect to stop their tyrannical conquest…

Lan Qiren shook his head abruptly, clearing it.

What am I thinking, he wondered. There’s no war against the Wen sect – if da-ge ever got something like a war of conquest into his head, I’d scold him until my face turned blue. Anyway, even if he did do something like that, A-Xu would never dream of ordering someone to beat me! Didn’t I half-raise him and his little brother both, taught them swordsmanship and music and ethics even as Wen Ruohan taught Xichen and Wangji arrays and talismans and how to understand people?

Anyway, A-Xu’s a sweet boy, underneath his superficial arrogance; he knows better than to put on a face like that in front of me…nor is there anything wrong with Lan Yueheng’s foot, or Zhang Xin’s blood, for that matter. Lan Jingyi’s going to grow up in a large family, loud and screeching and thoroughly inappropriate, and unlike my dream his parents will be at the head of the table to oversee the whole thing.

It was just a bad dream.

Lan Qiren shook his head once again.

Maybe Lan Yueheng was right, he reflect. He ought to get some rest – and not just today. After all, he was already half-retired, with Lan Xichen taking over more and more of the tasks of sect leader and excelling in them; Lan Qiren already spent one month out of every three out of the Cloud Recesses, whether wandering around the cultivation world playing his music or visiting with friends and acquaintances, pretending all the while to ignore the Wen sect and Lan sect and Nie sect guards being too busy socializing with each other to remember that they were supposed to be hidden guards.

He could go again now, even. Wen Ruohan had said something about Lao Nie visiting the Nightless City, the grin on his face leaving little question as to how he planned to spend the time with him; by now they should have worn each other out and were probably capable of something resembling human speech.

Yes, he should go visit them, he thought, and realized once again that he was happy – truly happy, not just content. He would go visit them, and complain about the prospect of yet another of Lan Yueheng’s brood running rampage through his classrooms for however long it took to educate them.

It seemed like each one was louder than the next, but at least little Lan Jingyi, whether in a rush or otherwise, and even in conjunction with Wei Wuxian’s little A-Yuan or Jin Zixuan’s little A-Ling, couldn’t possibly be more disruptive than the twins.

That was simply impossible.

Right?

#mdzs #lan qiren #lan jingyi #my fic #my fics #spilled pearls

[blindtaleteller]

Marvel Comic moments and character points that deeply inspire my MCU-flavored Lokiverse, followed by some of the exerpts that result from that influence. Because someone in my discords asked, and said I should.

LISTEN (Vestibule HVRA-0616.04.03 - Door/Universe 3)

  " They all are; the last safe pieces of me left; that none of them, or the ones they left me in the hands of to torture.. to be made to give it up just to survive because they knew, and they saw; and.. " that sharp breath in and the slow breath out: audible. Reaching for control when that and his words had sped up with the edges of anger was forced to drop off. " They left me there. Watched through Heimdall's eyes and did nothing, nothing to stop it. That's how valuable a son I was as what I am. What they lied and told me I wasn't, for all my life. How loved a brother. A year of .. all, that. Left to be tortured and definitely killed without that deal, once he was done with me. "

           Oh.. god Thor. You big stupid idiot. That had better not be true. He had better be lying..

      " If you don't wanna talk about-- " Tony, badly wanting to backtrack. Natasha wanted him to too, just hearing the way, never mind the words coming out of his mouth.

                " I say the summary of it now or I won't get through saying any of it again any time soon. " was just as quick and .. a little defiant. " I refuse. And refuse to refuse this to you especially, if those words are real. " was almost clipped. And she got it.Nat almost wished she didn't. " Do you love this me. Aaron? "

 " I love you. "

       " You love the last pieces of me that still matter then. The man still left that took that deal with every, malicious, vindictive intent to kick it back in his face and steal everything that bastard wanted as repayment; and keep what was left of me, and all of you who had the memory whether you knew it or not, safe. Or as much as I could under the stone's influence, with Ultron still running around inside it. Or the Other constantly in my head as a reminder and near constant watch. A few hundred, for a few billion lives. The whole of everything left I loved here, to keep that alive? Stay me regardless of him? Or of Odin? Or of any of the rest? Worth it. Always, forever; worth it. No matter how much I missed coming here the way I used to. At least it's here still to keep growing. Even if it's a few people short, it's a few heroes greater too after I pushed you. It's all I could manage. "

     Cue Clint rushing the back door. Cue the bang of it being all but kicked open as that registered. She only looked up and after him stomping and kicking at the gravel on the side of the road when he stopped to snap a particularly hard kick of gravel across the grass in the ditch. Because what else was there to do, but rage, and squat down like that with your back to the road? How could you not, grip at the back of your head when you learned that the man you had been blaming for the blackest marks there were in your recent history; had been tortured and left to it and dying that way by his much more capable intergalactic family to force him into it, and doing what his torturer wanted?

     Who was there left in reach to blame now?

          What was there to ask? Why he hadn't chosen to just die? In a way they didn't understand, for people who had all but abandoned him to that, and from the sounds of it more?

GROUNDED (Vestibule HVRA-0616.01.08 - Door/Universe 8) Book 2: Chapter  11

When the clash came, Bucky barely caught it. The pressure grinding their blades against each other. He’d have to sharpen his again after this. “ There are times when the faces beyond that particular threshold are all we have, and all we can have. “ Loki was stronger, but Buck noticed the control too. It wasn’t that he was holding back; it was that he was measuring a limit to set himself to; when Buck was half pushed back by the shove. “ For some of me, I am better family to myself than any other in our own worlds. “

           “ Is that how it is for Gin? “ Not even a nod when they clashed again; Loki wrestling by half with his prosthetic arm; the even catch of their calves wrestling below for the imbalance turning into a stalemate. “ You’ll know it anyway on your own, but aside from one particular person; yes.  His world is  ..far  harsher. Things did not go as planned.  Many more died. He bears the brunt of it. The rest, you should find mostly on your own if you want it. “

              “ You think of him like a brother… a  real brother. “ surprised him a little bit as those tones registered and they conceded that draw, a step back for both of them. Adjusting grips, assessing movement; potential strikes.

                      “ Yes. You’ll  probably  understand why before long. It’s rare he takes to  anyone  not one of us. And he  never  claims as much outright, even in the  exceedingly rare  occasions when he does. “

Roll Call - Vestibule HVRA0616.01 (aka The Inbetween [platovember prompts FINAL BONUS ENTRY])

       " I think I heard enough.. " was the bile rising with that last one. Tony didn't think he could do that, even if Loge looked at Gin's door fondly. His eyes ended up on his mug.

              " Have you really? " in that tone, oddly sympathetic; tugged his browns up to silvery, too-blues quicker than he thought he should like. And put a pause on the thoughts he had there for the expression. " The point is.. all of us are different, but all of us are the same man, somewhere. "

    " Yeah, I know. Same Loki.. different choices. "

           " The same Anthony Edward Stark, before you choose differently; too. " was what cocked his head back a little. Knocked the breath out of most of the downward thoughts. More so when he slid the point of that finger fully around the room looking right at him. " Twenty one of you. And every single one a champion. Perhaps not always on our side. Perhaps not always finding themselves with the option to choose to step into this room or not. But still you, the same way every one of those who opens the door in the first place is still me. Every single one.. " pointed still, along the turn of the walls to land on him. " Could have been you, but wasn't. Just as easily as you could have been any single one of them; but you aren't. Very few of them, have the balls or desire to face this room and what it is and what it means; and what it represents. This is why we call our others Mirrors. And why the universes connected are also called shards. These are the stories of your life, and our lives too yes; that you were never able to tell. The pieces you missed catching; and the pieces you have caught. The care, and passion, and handsome defiance still remains. You are you and separate. But you are also much more than what anyone sees, that doesn't come into this room; peek into it's doors: and see or hear for themselves. "

    " ..so basically; Fate has the ball: so you may as well roll along with it? "

            " Or learn her habits so you can shift her direction. " came with a soft huff of a laugh before Loki finished off his coffee. " I'm saying; whatever brought you in here to take my usual stance and sit against the door frame to sulk, or distract yourself from eyes that know you better -- " made Tony look at this one differently, but then : he was pretty sure that was the point. " -- will still be there when you go back. But; if you must come in here to steal my internal drama time: at least make certain that while you do you take note that whatever it is that brought you here, it could as easily be worse rather than better. "

#Loki #Lokiverse #Lokiverse (Mixology) #Lokiverse inspiration #Lokiverse feels #Multiverse #GROUNDED #ESCAPE #FARTHER #EXTENSION #LISTEN #our Multiverse #images not mine #images provided through discord #thanks to graive for scans & cleanup #comic references #character references #the pieces we keep #one multiverse; one loki; in all his forms