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#this was in response to something but I don't remember what
mionemymind · 3 days
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Don't Say Something Stupid
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Summary: Wanda is unable to commit yet unable to admit she's wrong. (Part Two of Don't Ask Stupid Questions)
Warnings: Pure Angst, No Happy Ending, Maybe Part Three?
A/n: Wanted to hurt y'all more, so here y'all go :) Gif credits go to @thedorkphoenix
Word Count: 662
Masterlist
Part One | Part Two
“Y/n, your new partner is Emma.” Wanda turned her attention from Vision to Steve at the mention of Emma. Trying to hold back her offense, Wanda commented, “Y/n is my partner.”
Wanda looked back at Y/n, but their eyes hadn’t met as Y/n continued to stare at Emma’s file. “We believe their powers work better together, Wanda. Plus, your new assigned partner is Vision as your mind stones should help with increased efficiency and communication.”
Wanda held back the comment on the tip of her tongue. It wasn’t appropriate to say stupid things like, “But she’s always been my partner.”
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“You dumped Vision?” Natasha asked surprisingly. Wanda looked away as she could tell Y/n had heard the comment with the way her shoulders tensed. 
“He kept wanting more and honeslty…” Wanda sighed, feeling more guilty of the additional person she led on, “…and I couldn’t give him that.”
Natasha nodded in understatement as she squeezed Wanda’s shoulder. “Was it because y’all didn’t have the connection?” Wanda shook her head, feeling lost as to why she even did it in the first place. 
“Honestly, I’m not too sure…I rather admit that before saying something stupid.” Wanda tried her best not to look at Y/n’s slumped shoulders as she proceeded to get up from the coach and walk to her room. 
And as Natasha continued to talk, Wanda didn’t dare to remember how much Y/n hated feeling stupid. 
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“Why did you get in my way?” Emma was held back by Y/n as she aggressively questioned Wanda. “You almost got Y/n and I hurt with that stunt you pulled.”
Wanda rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Had it not been for my quick thinking, Y/n would’ve got hurt and you would’ve been swarmed.” 
“We had it handled,” Emma bit back. And before Wanda could get another word, Y/n locked eyes with her, and silently pleaded to stop. Seeing Wanda’s stance falter, Y/n pulled Emma back and mumbled, “Let’s not fight anymore. We’ll figure it out a different day so come on.”
While Y/n tugged on Emma’s hand, Wanda mind couldn’t stop thinking of stupid things. The main one being, “Were you even on my side?” 
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“Are you ignoring me?” Wanda caught Y/n in the hallway, almost close to the spot where they used to secretly make out. The red head could tell that Y/n had wanted to be anywhere else but there with her. Although it stung, Wanda wanted answers.
“Wanda - I - let’s just be cordial.” Feeling even more confused, Wanda backed Y/n into the wall with her arms crossed. 
“Cordial? You don’t even speak to me anymore.” Y/n still didn’t look at Wanda’s eyes. The girl was absolutely frustrated at how dense Wanda could be as if she couldn’t read the room.
“Well…” Y/n swallowed her anxiety and pain and finally looked into Wanda’s eyes, “…rules are rules. I broke them so this is me moving on from it.”
Wanda stepped back, feeling slapped and shocked at the confession. “Moving on? Are you seriously unable to continue without having feelings involved?” The red head didn’t know where this fierceness came from. It certainly didn’t explain what she truly meant. But she was always too stubborn to think it through. 
Y/n scoffed, not surprised that Wanda could barely understand her place. “You ‘re right, I seriously don’t know why I ever fell for you.” The smug look on Wanda’s face fell. She’s had many people admit their feelings for her but none have ever admitted to regretting them.
Y/n didn’t wait for Wanda’s response and started to walk away but Wanda’s hand stopped her from going. Not wanting to hear anything more, Y/n blurted, “Don’t say anything stupid now, Wanda.”
Snatching her hand out of Wanda’s grip, Y/n declared, “You might get your heart broken if you do.”
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Taglist: @halobaby  @arelyitsherec8 @blackxwidowsxwife @cristin-rjd @madamevirgo @trikruismybitch @paradiselost916 @mmmmokdok @morbid-gaymer @dailyavengering @itsnottilly @helloalycia @randomshyperson @tomy5girls @daenerys713 @ensorcellme @lezzzbehonesthere @imagine-reblog
@sighsam @olsensnpm @tquick99 @feolok @emilyprentisslittlewhore @mvddison99 @iamapotato @yuhloversxx @mjaudrey @upsidedowndanvers @somewhatgreatexpectations @wandavixen @magicallymaximoff @username23345 @coollemonsaresour @littlewinchester15 @aimezvousbrahms @afuckingshituniverse @am-just-a-cosmic-joke-to-me 
@ohmygooddamnbisexualmood @diaryoflife @s7uts @newyork1432 @the-anxious-stargazer @hello-mtf @marvelousbelladonna @ima-gi–na-tion @obsessed-with-wandamaximoff @the-camilucha 
@itsnottilly @171611 @kaitlynroseb @daisybri7 @drpepperobsessed @bemyvitamin @musicinourlips @marvelousbelladonna @gingerbreadcookieforlife @xastrydx @chasethemoon @naixia00 @lostandsearching @stupidsapphicsstuff @haechanana @the-camilucha @severepeanutartisanhands @owloftheshadows @somewhatgreatexpectations @ywuen @mixed-fandom-mess @loomontoia @ilovemarvelwomen @coxmicbabygirl  @cyanide-mustard @mrs-avenger3000 @prentisshoe @andrea-stark @simpforwandanat @abimess @randomshyperson @yourtaletotell @magically-queer-stuff 
@imapotatao @iliketozoneout @maximoffbrossupremacy​@olsensnpm​ @psychadelichues​ @whitelotus00 @taliiiaasteria @tynix @autorasexy @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @hiiraya @reginassweetheart @milkeeteaa
@msmothermaximoff @unicorniusfallapatorius @cakechan123 @anniedanvers @oh-thats-cute @ielliesitcheyereposts @how-to-disappearrr @justyourwritter69 @canvascoloredin (Wanted to tag y'all because I think y'all wanted a part two, but I won't add y'all to future taglists unless you want me to)
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psychelis-new · 2 days
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pick a pile: "What a beautiful flower you are"
take a breath and choose the photo or number that calls you the most to read a few words reminding you of how strong, worthy and important you are through every step of your journey. remind yourself of how flower can stand up in the rain and how they may grow through concrete. no matter what is going on, remember that at the end of the day you are always the best, strongest and most valuable flower around at any given time. you can't compare with anyone else, cause you're unique.
don’t take the reading too seriously. only take what resonates with you and leave the rest. if you're not called by any pile, let this reading slid as it may not hold messages for you. if you're called by more than one pile, there may be messages in each of those piles. remember that is a general reading and some things may not resonate with you. energies can change and readings are based on present ones (as you read); you're always in charge of your life. readings do not substitute real life experience nor professionals/doctors advices.
(photos found on unsplash)
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1 2 3 - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ - ’ -
pile 1
You make beautiful things grow around whatever negative may happen. You find the positive side in anything that happens and know how to start all over again from anything, trying to make it better. You welcome and nurture what hurts, you transform it in seeds that one day will give life to beautiful flowers just like you. I think you help a lot especially people around you in this process of seeing and finding a positive side, a different side from which to look at what happens and what has happened. You give new povs and new life to scraps and past (it could also be something you like to do creatively/practically, btw). I think those coming in touch with you are deeply changed and inspired by you. You probably forget to use this beautiful habit of yours for yourself too. Please, include yourself into this. You're as deserving of beautiful things as others. Nurture your own pain too, and do anything you can to make it grow into something beautiful and bright as you. And don't close off from others, don't hide your pain from those who'd love to help you. Let them do it for you. You deserve as much as you give away.
song: obsessed | mariah carey (don't be overly obsessed in helping others to the point of codependency, help yourself as well)
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pile 2
You may have experienced some difficult relationships (eg. family, love, friends, colleagues...) and now you kind of buildt a multi-layered wall around your heart so that people won't be able to make you suffer/betray you again. And yes it's hard for people to get in and hurt you but also to love you. And yes it may make you feel strong and in control but I think you may be also struggling a lot because of this. Being so overprotective of yourself, despite ofc understandable (it's a defense mechanism), is making you feel lonely too because it's blocking your connections from growing. You've been through a lot and you're still here but it's not because of your walls that you made it through. It's because of the love that pulse inside of you. Have a talk with your emotions, with your wounded ego, and realize that not everyone is here to hurt you. You're very much hurting yourself first by not letting others in in fear of something that may never happen. You can survive anything, you can defend yourself, you can call people out or ask for clarifications. It's not you the naive/"wrong" person if you trust others and they let you down or betray you. You cannot control what others do with what you give them, nor you're responsible of/guilty for that. Come back to you, master your emotions.
song: pure shores | all saints
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pile 3
I think at times you're confident and well but other times you let your self doubt come in between and make you fear you're saying or doing something bad? Ruining something or the day of someone else? Like you end up falling easily and fast into this negative mental pattern of being useless and inherently "bad" (guilty? unworthy?). I think it's a matter of growing acquainted with your boundaries, setting some healthy ones and not fear being judged (it may have happened a lot in your life) for them or not being appreciated anymore or abandoned if you stopped pleasing others. We need to respect ourselves too, not just others (and pleasing them is not the same as respecting them anyway: you can disagree/say no and still be respectful). It's like you forget about your worth (it doesn't depend on how good you perform) all of a sudden in fear of being left out. You may feel unsafe in setting your boundaries especially when stressed out (or it just may stress you as said), like you may fear being perceived as rude and left alone. It may be that you got manipulated or gaslighted into feeling always wrong, guilty or bad if you didn't acted as "expected of you". I'm sorry about this: remember you are inherently good and worthy, and you have the right to stand up for yourself. You won't end up alone. Find your inner balance and peace, go slow. You're already perfect.
song: underdog | you me at six
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writersdrug · 3 days
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You and Konig spend the night drinking and wake up to each other <3
Unsure if we’re hung over or still drunk
König and you being drunk homebodies
Warnings: vomiting/emetophobia trigger warning!! Mentions of sex, drunk reader and König, fluff, König being the caring partner we all crave
A/N: I know exactly who requested this and I'm sorry it took so long 😭 I don't even have an excuse, it just say on the back burner, but here you go! Enjoy~
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Photo credit to 661ave
You don't remember much from the night before: just glimpses of this and that.
You and König dressed up for the awards ceremony, a glass of wine in each of your hands, managing to convince him to dance with you... holding some bronze, dark cocktail in your hands as König insists it's the best thing Germany ever made. From there, it only gets worse.
You remember laughter and giggles, promises whispered into your ear, making you blush... König pulling you outside of the event, nearly tripping over your own feet as he dragged you into a taxi... watching as he threw a wad of cash at the angry driver as you both shamelessly made out in the backseat of the car... continuing the fiasco on the loveseat in your home...
And then it goes black.
Last night, you felt like a couple of teenagers escaping a party. Now, you felt like you'd just finished a triathlon.
You groaned. The sunlight peering through the blinds was too bright, your stomach churned, your head was pounding, and there was something heavy and warm draped over your middle. You tried to push it off, to no avail - König made a sound, and his fingers twitched against your side.
"König..."
"... mm..."
"Get off..."
"... m... mh-mm..."
You sighed. You needed water - your mouth was drier than a desert, and every cell in your body screamed for hydration. You could stand to take a bath, too.
You tried turning your head to look at König - which was a mistake. The entire room spun dangerously, and your stomach threatened to empty its contents then and there. You slapped a hand over your mouth and threw Königs arm off of your body with all your might. You stumbled into the bathroom, crashing into the door frame and collapsing on your knees. You barely made it to the toilet in time to spill last night's dinner, gripping the edge of the bowl like it was your lifeline.
God, you thought, when was the last time I was hungover like this? Highschool?
As you were emptying your stomach, you felt a hand scoop your hair back and away from your face. You saw König out of the corner of your eye - he was only in his boxers, sliding down the edge of the tub to sit next to you, his legs splayed out before him. He held his other hand over his eyes as you finished your business.
You panted, pulling the handle to flush and squeezing your eyes shut. Your stomach felt better, but your head was pounding, like you were being stoned. "Thanks..." You mumbled to König, and he grunted in response.
"Better?" He asked, still shielding his eyes from the bathroom light.
You groaned. "Yeah." You sat back on the cool tile, leaning against his chest. "Never trusting any of your recommendations again, by the way."
He exhaled, possibly meant to be a laugh. He let go of your hair and rested his hand on your thigh. Watching his thumb rub soothing circles into your skin made you feel dizzy. To be honest, you couldn't be sure that you weren't still drunk. Between the spinning room and the lightness in your chest, there may have been a bit of drunkenness left in your mind - but that could have also been from vomiting.
"Let's not do that again..." You mumbled.
"Mhm..." he said, his voice hoarse from dehydration. "What was it we did?"
"Idunno. You told me to try a drink - I think I had three- no, four..."
"Jägermeister..." he mumbled in a pained voice.
You both sat there for a few minutes, eyes squeezed shut as you focused on breathing. The feeling of König's breath washing over the crown of your head was soothing, even in your half-dead state. You would have been content to stay like that, sat up against him on the cold, bathroom floor as you recovered from your hangover.
Eventually, König threaded his hands under your armpits and helped you stand, guiding you into the bathrub behind you. He murmured something in your ear about "need to get something", before he turned on the shower and let the cold water hit you. You griped and tried to change it to a warmer setting, but he told you to let it run for a few minutes. "It'll feel better, schatz."
He left the bathroom door open as he trudged - stumbling was a better word - into the living room. Despite the constant fogginess in his mind, and the ache in his legs, he was a man on a mission to take care of his partner (and afterwards, himself). He began picking up all the clothes that he had torn off of you and himself in a hasty desire for drunken sex. He would have gotten hard at the memory of him plowing you into the sofa, and at the sound of your drunken moans and giggles as he struggled to hold himself above you - but his hangover prevented him from having any sort of reaction to said memories. The most he could do was laugh and snatch your panties that were hanging off the corner of the TV.
He piled the clothes next to the washer and dryer, then moved into the kitchen. He fixed two thermouses of water for the both of you, and grabbed an extra glass and an Alka seltzer for him. He carried the items back to the bedroom, peeking into the bathroom as he passed.
You stood in the shower as the freezing water hit your back, hugging yourself and shivering at that point. You eventually gave up waiting for König and turned the knob to the left; you sighed in relief as the warmth seeped into your bones, melting away some of the fogginess in your head and making you feel less grimy. You leaned your forehead against the tile in front of you - your stomach lurched a bit, but you knew there was nothing else to come up.
You heard König slide into the shower behind you, but you kept your head against the tile. He whispered something in German that you were too exhausted to decipher. His hand gently slid onto your forehead as he pulled you back against him. You leaned there, eyes closed as you let his scent wash over you.
"Mein liebling..." he murmured, massaging his fingers into your shoulder muscles.
"Don't call me that." You spoke softly. "You tried to poison me last night."
He chuckled, rubbing a warm, wet cloth over your neck and shoulders. "Almost took myself out, too, didn't I?"
After a moment of standing in the silence with him, feeling drag the cloth softly over your face, you realized that he was replicating your nighttime skincare routine. Except, it was currently one in the afternoon, and you normally don't do it in the shower. You would have told him that he was using the wrong kind of cloth to clean your face, but you decided to keep your mouth shut. Both out of gratitude and the comfort of his touch.
He carefully finished washing your face, then your body, making sure to be gentle and slow. He whispered unintelligible phrases against your scalp as he turned off the water. He pulled you into the center of the bathroom and wiped you down with a towel - you were practically asleep standing up, but he made sure to hold you steady.
After you both brushed your teeth together, he helped you pull on some clothes, before letting you crawl back into the bed. He then went back into the bathroom to finish drying himself off. You kept your eyes closed, listening to the ambiance of König's movements, combined with the sound of the breeze outside.
You looked towards the window and noticed he had cracked it open. You also noticed there was a thermos and a sleeve of crackers on the nightstand, right within your reach. You felt a sudden onslaught of emotions and tears forming in the corners of your eyes; maybe it was because you were hungover (or at this point, possibly still drunk, you couldn't tell), but it finally broke the damn, and you began to cry, quiet sobs and sniffles breaking the near silence in the bedroom.
Instantaneously, you heard König nearly breaking his legs as he floundered over to you. The towel he had held had yet to hit the floor by the time he was kneeling by your side.
"Was? Was ist falsch? Are you ok?" He said, placing a hand on your forehead with a worried expression.
You let out a sob. "Nothing, it's stupid- you're too good to me... you're hungover too- and you- you did all this shit for me- 'n here I am, not doing anything at all for you-" your words melded with your sobs, which had taken over the conversation.
He sighed with relief, petting the crown of your head and planting a kiss there. "Liebling... I'll always take care of you- even when I don't feel gut." he murmured. "You always come first - but I promise I'll take care of myself too, ok? Just for you."
You sniffled again and nodded. "M'kay..." You mumbled, squeezing your eyes shut and trying to stop the flow of tears - you needed all the hydration you could get.
"Although, promise me one thing-"
"Hmm?"
"Let's not to do this again. It's not good for you, and I can't take care of you properly when I'm like this."
You nodded again. You'd rather be in hell than have this bad of a hangover. "Promise."
König placed a satisfied kiss to your forehead again, muttering a quick "Geh schlafen, süßes Mädchen..." into your scalp. He stood back up and headed back to the bathroom, picking up the discarded towel and rubbing it over his hair. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, scoffing at the bags under his eyes. Not what I used to be, eh? He thought.
He headed back into the room and grabbed a pair of sweatpants from the dresser, and lazily tugged them on. He thought about putting on a shirt, but the idea of it made him cringe. He felt overstimulated enough as it was - the shirt would just feel suffocating. He then shuffled over to the bed and climbed in, pulling you against him with an arm wrapped around your waist. He sighed, tucking your head underneath his chin.
"At least we have all weekend, ja?" He said quietly.
You didn't respond, making him crane his neck to look down at you. "Schatz?" He said, holding his hand in front of your nostrils. He knew you were alive, of course - but the feeling of your warm, slow breaths against his fingers granted him peace of mind.
He chuckled, tucking his hand back around your waist as you slumbered on. "Süße Träume, mein liebe." He whispered, curling around you and letting his eyes fall shut.
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Bleh I wasn't too confident with this one, but I'm trying to clear out my drafts so I pushed it out. Hope yall like it! Comments and reblogs are always appreciated! 🥰
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lqveharrington · 2 days
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Take A Break | V.
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summary: it’s your daughter’s birthday, but Vox isn’t able to spare anytime for her.
pairing: Vox x Overlord!reader
includes: Vox has a normal head guys, fluff, HEAVY angst, family issues, arguing, mentions of sex tapes, Valentino being a weird ass uncle, over protective parents, cursing, mentions of murder (i think that’s it, tell me if i missed any!)
a/n: honestly, this request made me think of hamilton the musical, hence the title of the one-shot. 🤷‍♀️ (also full credits to the artist on X!)
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As an Overlord in Hell, your life was somewhat easier than normal sinners. You had their souls under your belt for your own use and powers that only those ranked attained. You attended boring meetings with the other Overlords, but you didn’t think you would meet your other half during these meetings, nonetheless, marry him. As a result of the marriage, both your powers grew stronger, along with the power of his company since a new face joined.
Down the line, you somehow ended up pregnant. Was it highly impossible to have a child as a sinner? Absolutely. So the thought that you were to bear Vox’s child in Hell panicked you. However, he talked you through the entire process, ending with a healthy baby girl. She looked exactly like her father, except for the eyes. Her eyes resembled her mother’s in every shape and form.
Despite the phenomenon, you both cared for her. Well, mostly. You were the one staying in your penthouse in the Vee tower while Vox tended to his company’s needs. He worked endlessly and missed important events such as your daughter’s first steps, words, and laughter. You supposed he tried his best as he came back to you with gifts and kisses, but it never felt… right.
When your daughter’s thirteenth birthday came up, you expected him to stay home because it was a special birthday. It seemed like thirteen was your little family’s lucky number, so you thought it was an important event in his life for his only child to turn thirteen. Moreover, she finally became a teenager, which Vox deemed was old enough for him to take her out to watch the stars when she was younger.
“Happy Birthday, Vee.” You take your fingers through her black and red hair, kissing her temple. She smiled brightly up at you, pearly whites on display. “I know you’re excited, but you still have lessons to attend to.”
“I know.” She groaned, eyes flashing red for a second before settling. “Is Dad still up there?”
Your loving gaze faltered at the mention of her father, passing her the chocolate chip pancakes you made. “He’s at work already, baby. I’m sure he has something prepared for you when you get home.” You press another kiss to her head as you pull your phone out, squinting at the message Vox sent.
“Is it Dad?” Veronica murmured, twisting the fork in between her fingers.
“Don’t worry about it, yeah? It’s your birthday.” You slide your phone inside your pocket. “I’ll see you after your lessons?”
She hummed softly as you frowned, rubbing your temple. This was an important day for your daughter, and if Vox couldn’t remember the promise he made to her years ago, you weren’t prepared for the breakdown that was going to come from your new teenage daughter.
“Vox?” You enter his monitor room, blue light glasses steady on your face.
“My love?” He called back, eyes focusing on the rising and falling stocks in the industry. “What’s wrong?”
You ran your fingers through his hair, massaging when he pulled you down into his lap. You pressed a kiss to his jaw when he glared at the screen, “Do you know what day it is?”
“Uh,” He glanced back at you before muttering a curse at the stocks, aggressively typing something out on his computer. “Tax day?”
You let out a sigh, “Love, it’s Veronica’s birthday.” You tilt your head when you don't get a response. “Vox.”
“What?” He whipped his head toward you, his blue eyes swirling black and red. You steady the glasses on your face, frowning at his tone. His eyes scan your face before rubbing his forehead, “Darling, I’m sorry. But I’m really busy today. All of our shareholders decided to be assholes today and Carmilla wants a meeting about Angelic Security.”
You cup his face and press a soft kiss to his lips, “I know, I got your text message about a twelve-hour workday.” Your gaze flickered over toward the frame displayed on his desk, “But it’s our baby’s thirteenth birthday. She was looking for her dad earlier, and she didn’t—“
His phone rang out into the intensely large monitor room, causing you to look back over to him. “Look, I’ll see if I can get out of the meeting and schedule it another day. I’ll be back before the day’s over.”
“Do you promise?” You lift your pinky, the blue and red chain appearing from your wedding band connecting to his.
He lifted his pinky, locking it with yours. “I promise, gorgeous.” His phone rang out again as you leaned in to give him a kiss, raising a brow at the device. Vox chuckled at your reaction, rubbing his thumb over your lip. “I love you, but I have people to yell at, so kindly leave.” He tapped your thigh before answering his phone.
You pressed one last kiss to his cheek before stepping away from him, humming a tune while he yelled at whoever was on the other line. The link of chains connecting the two wedding bands never meant a deal was brought up, it merely signified the marriage. However, that promise meant more than just canceling a meeting and heading back home. It meant actually showing up for his daughter, saying that he didn’t forget about his promise from years ago.
“Hi, baby.” You kiss Veronica’s temple as she passes the kitchen with bags in her arms. “What’s all that?”
“Uncle Val and Aunt Velvette gave me presents.” She grinned, shoving them down on the kitchen counter.
You raise a brow at the size difference of the gifts, “And what did Aunt Vel get you?”
“She got me every single new item on her new line before she drops it.” She pulled out a t-shirt that you thought was inappropriate for a girl her age. Neatly folding it, she pulled out another article of clothing, a short skirt that would have you and Vox murdering people left and right.
“Right…” You gently take away the clothes and set them to the side, nodding your head toward the box. “What did Uncle Val get you?”
“He told me to give you this before opening the gift.” She handed you a card decorated with intricate details.
You unfold the card, eyes widening at the contents. “Can I take the movies Uncle Val gave you? I don’t think they’re for you, baby.”
“Wait what? Why not?”
“Because it’s not… don’t worry about it.” You snap your fingers, sending the box of movies to your shared bedroom with Vox. Your face was flushed from Valentino handing your daughter physical copies of the videos that were personal to you and Vox. It would have been chaos if you watched the videos together with no warning. “Never mind about that, how were your lessons?”
“Boring as usual.” She rested her head on her hand, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “Did you talk to dad?”
“Yes,” You set down the dinner you were preparing, wiping your hands on a hand towel. “He’ll be back soon. He had… stuff to do.” You waved your hand in the air, face contorting in tension. “Can you set up the dining table for dinner? I’ll call your dad to see where he is.”
Veronica groaned before begrudgingly moving away, grabbing the plates and utensils. You watched her leave before leaning your arms against the counter, head tilting down in exhaustion. Not only were you running around the tower checking in on your business, but you also prepared the gifts for your daughter while checking in on your husband’s vitals once in a while. Everything was rushed and disorganized, and the only thing your daughter wanted was for her father to be there for her birthday and fulfill his promise.
“Fuck.” You quickly wipe the tear slipping down your face, pulling out your phone. Clicking on Vox’s contact, you rub the ring on your finger, anxiously waiting for an answer.
“Yes?” His voice came through your phone, more agitated than usual.
“Vox, can you take a break and come up to us?” You start pacing, not realizing your daughter was behind the wall listening to you.
He muttered something as you heard the clicking of his keyboard through your speaker, “I’ll be there in a minute, can you save me a plate?”
“Vox, can you just—“ You run your hand through your hair as your eyes flash red, the same red consuming the items surrounding you. “I understand you’re busy, but your daughter hasn’t seen you all day.”
“Gorgeous, I heard you, but I have a very important deal I need to finish making then I’m all yours, okay?” He spoke with impatience, sighing when he heard silence from your end. “In a minute.”
“Fine.” You roll your eyes and end the call, dropping your phone onto the counter. You blink a few times to get rid of the red, everything around you falling back to its original placement.
“Mom, we can just celebrate with the two of us.” Veronica came around the doorway, fiddling with her fingers. “If dad is busy, I don’t want to—“
“Baby, it’s your birthday.” You push your hair back and pull a strained smile. The look you gave your daughter was almost dangerous, reverting back to your Overlord setting. “If your dad doesn’t show up before the day is over, I will physically go down to his office and remove him from this Hell.”
Her eyes widened at your words, “Mom—“
“Let’s go eat dinner, yes?” You leave a kiss on the top of her head.
Eventually, Vox did appear, but only for a few minutes before his phone began to ring again. He sighed, pressing his lips in a thin line, and got up, squeezing your shoulder and giving his daughter an apologetic look. The worst part about meeting his daughter’s eyes was the similar feeling of knowing how she felt.
Veronica projected a recognizable emotion through her eyes, something he could tell from miles away because it was the exact same look you gave him when it was just the two of you.
Disappointment.
“Vox, what the hell are you still doing here?” Valentino entered the monitor room, pink smoke billowing from his cigarette.
“Better question, what the fuck were you going to do in here?” Vox rolled his neck as he filed another claim against older companies.
Valentino chuckled, “Don’t worry about that… If I were you, I would be worried about your daughter. Velvette and I already sang Happy Birthday to your precious girl over cake. I'm sure she would have been happier if her daddy was there.”
Vox slouched in his chair, “Val, I’m almost done with these files then I’ll head up.”
“Oh, I would be careful.” He blew pink smoke across Vox’s face. “Your wife has her Overlord filter on tonight. It’s worse than before.”
“What do you mean?” Vox submitted the file to the HR department, taking his blazer and tossing it across his shoulder.
“She’s going to murder you, Voxy.” He bared his teeth at him. “You have a lot to make up tonight.”
Vox squinted his eyes at the moth before sighing, “Get the fuck out of my room or I’m having my wife come and murder you herself instead of me.”
“Scary.” Valentino grinned maliciously before leaving, a trail of pink smoke following.
Oh, Vox knew how much shit he was in when he returned home. After all, it was already 11:26 PM and he doubted that neither you nor Veronica were still awake. He teleported into the kitchen, setting the blazer on top of the counter before following the noise to the living area. He caught a movie on the television screen as he approached the couch, gaze softening at the sight. You were holding Veronica in your arms as she slept sprawled along the couch.
He caught your gaze a few seconds later, watching your tired eyes harden. “Do you know what time it is?”
“I know, but a lot was happening downstairs with VoxTek and—“
“You couldn’t hold that off for one day?” You whisper-shout in his direction as your daughter shifts around. “Vee was waiting all day for you to take her to see the constellations of Hell, and you broke it, Vox! I don’t understand how you could just leave her with a broken promise—“
“Gorgeous, it’s not the end of the day. I can still make it up to her.”
“And what? Wake her up from the day she’s had? Vox, she’s been waiting for this moment since she was five, and you couldn’t spare one second?” You feel your eyes flare red before realizing what's going on. Vox knew you had to calm down, and typically he would help, but it was clear you wanted nothing to do with him just yet. “You didn’t even say happy birthday this morning because you already left for work.” You carefully adjust Veronica in your arms, glaring at your husband. “I understand that the company is important for our image, but destroying a relationship with your own daughter for the company is never something you should do.”
Slowly, you carry your daughter in your arms, using some of your wisps to help carry her. Vox reaches out to help but you deny him, causing him to purse his lips. “Seriously?”
“I’m dead serious.” You crease your brows. “If you can’t understand how fucking important it is for our daughter to have both her parents present during important days, I promise you that I will make your life worse than living in Hell.” As you ascend the stairs leading up to Veronica’s room, you feel the burn of his stare hitting you. “And for the sake of your mental and physical health, please take a break from work. Your vitals have been dropping.”
The life you held in Hell seemed easier to those outside of the Tower, but the three of you knew that there was never a moment in time where you could be free of the constraints you were given, not allowing a single break of freedom or contentment.
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©lqveharrington - all rights reserved. do not copy, translate or share my work on other media platforms
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foone · 1 day
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weird thought: I think if I was a teenager now (or anytime in the last decade or so) I think I would have written (and read!) a lot more fanfic than I did in reality, where I was a teenager in the 90s.
See, I've never been hugely into fanfic. Never had anything against it exactly, but it just wasn't something I was into. But I think that has to do with an interesting combination of how my brain works and what time I was first really getting into being a fan.
I've got a "librarian" brain (I'm literally typing this from within a library, WHERE I WORK). It wants to know things like "what are all the works in this series/by this creator?" and "are they all accessible?" and "what info is available about how it was made?"
I'm the kind of person who will watch a show then go look it up on wikipedia to see how many seasons it has, who made it, if they're still making it, check tvtropes for any more info, etc. Or I hear a song I like by a band I've never heard of, so I go listen to their entire discography while researching them. I just focus on things I'm into that way, you know? I don't half-ass my interest. (this is probably related to my autism, of course)
So what does this have to do with fanfic? like, do I go read some fanfics as part of this process? No, and I think the reason for it is when I specifically first got into fandom, as a teen.
See, this sort of fandom-librarian was harder to do in 1997, you know? You couldn't just pull up the wikipedia for that new show and see how many episodes it had. You also couldn't just listen to the whole discography of that band! Forget Spotify or Google Music, even Napster didn't exist yet.
So my interest in fandom focused a lot more on very basic questions: How many episodes/albums/books/whatever are there? Where can I see/hear them all? Like, I remember getting excited because I found some fan magazine that had a list of all the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Just a list! Not even descriptions or anything. I finally could take that list and see how many I'd seen, so I'd know when I saw them all in late-night reruns.
So I'm focusing on these very basic parts of being a fandom-librarian and I stumble across some fanfic. I'm like "oh, is this a transcript of an episode I haven't seen yet?" and I realize it's not, it's a story written by a fan, and I get a knee-jerk reaction of "that's not helpful to my quest to know and find all the episodes". It's like I am on a quest for the holy grail and I found a fake cup. It's not helpful to me, and at worst it's a distraction from my goal.
And the thing is, I think the fact I had that reaction is entirely due to the time and situation in which I first encountered fanfic. It was in that environment of "I can't even find a list of the episodes, let alone a way to watch them all!" and that anxiety that colored my response to finding fanfic.
I think if I instead was first introduced to fanfic NOW, where those fandom-librarian drives aren't so difficult to fulfill, I'd be way more positive about fanfic. If I could get a list of episodes with a quick google search, and watch them easily on netflix/prime/whatever, I'd be less "THIS DOESN'T HELP! I AM STRUGGLING WITH THE BASICS HERE!" and more "yay, more content for the fandom I'm obsessed with!"
Like I said, I'm not anti-fanfic, I never have been, I just never got into it. From the beginning I had this reaction that was "this is not useful" and I never developed any real interest in it. Which is a shame, honestly. Fanfic is great. It just never became one of my interests, and while I've written it and read it from time to time, I imagine I'd be way more into it if I didn't have the weird reaction to it due to the worries of the time in which I first encountered it.
I don't know how many other people have brains that work anything like mine, but if they exist, I'm glad they're now growing up in a world where they won't have these problems. They can get into fanfic without this weird baggage caused by a lack of information.
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violetasteracademic · 8 hours
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On Mate Behavior: Elriel (Part Two- Scent)
Another day of an SJM Instagram jump scare with more stories and no book accouncement (though I am HAPPILY celebrating indie bookstore day with you all!)- So it's another day to be on my Elriel shit. Will we still want posts like this once the announcement is out and we are done fighting for our lives? I feel like the announcement is coming soon so I need to sneak in all my thoughts!
In my previous analysis, I highlighted a moment that would have been perfect for Azriel to display some mate-like behavior towards Gwyn, and it was sorely lacking. You can catch up on that post here!
Today I would like to discuss another area lacking in mate behavior in the BC between Azriel and Gwyn, but present for... drumroll... Elriel. And that is scent.
Bringing back Nessian's bonus chapter to start the parallels, because I do think an additional bonus lends itself to the fairest basis for comparison (also if I used book examples from ToG to CC regarding romantic parings/mates and scent I'd be here for several hundred years):
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Cassian is so lost in Nesta's scent that he had to stop himself from letting his eyes roll back into his head while breathing her in. This... sounds familiar:
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Azriel's eyes also nearly rolled into the back of his head because of Elain's scent.
As previously mentioned, scent plays a huge role in mates/romantic pairings. I was chatting with my friend @faeprincesswarrior when I first started thinking about the scent thing, and she remembered that Rhys could smell Feyre's scent before they even met. He would wake up with her scent in his nose. Cassian and Azriel both can hardly control themselves when they take in the scents of Nesta and Elain.
Scent plays an important role in romantic pairings, and is honestly probably one of the things SJM lays on the thickest throughout the entirety of her multiverse and she has a tendency to drop it early on, often as an initial indicator. Yes, sometimes scenting is platonic, but Gwyn and Az don't even have that on page. There is simply no mention of scent in their portion of the chapter, but it is heavy in Elain's section.
*Crescent City 3 Spoiler* Even when Ithan is done with all his side quests and spends just a few moments with Perry, he's suddenly like mmm... strawberries and cinnamon. No other indicator of mate behavior there but MANY readers only needed that little nugget to be like- something's cooking here.
Again, in addition to Azriel's lack of response to directly recalling Gwyn's assault from his POV on page- something I would have liked to see to indicate feelings could be brewing there- there is also zero mention or indication that Azriel experiences Gwyn's scent at all. Even something small, like "a shift in her scent" at his arrival, or noticing a change in her scent from her flash of memory as well (as it happened between Nesta and Cassian.)
Azriel lost his mind over Elain's scent in their bonus chapter, just as Cassian lost his mind over Nesta's scent in theirs.
Azriel makes no mention of Gwyn's scent in the BC. It's as if to him, she doesn't even have one.
I want Azriel and Elain to be together because Azriel and Elain want to be together. They experience what romantic pairings experience together, and it is delicious.
I love Gwyn, which is why I think if she is going to have a romance in the future, she deserves more than a regifted necklace and a male who is drowning in the scent of another female's kitty and doesn't even notice what Gwyn smells like. This is really what we want for her?
Hoping for a book announcement soon. Do you guys like seeing Sarah post more? I have mixed feelings. Part of me thinks it is gearing up for an announcement which is exciting. Part of me also is tired of the jump scares and wants complete silence unless it is a book announcement. Judge me if you must!
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q-gorgeous · 3 days
Text
Wing-Bully
fanfiction
ao3
word count: 5267
No one knows au except dash baxter @xscarletsakurax
this is a rework of something that was gonna go write some other writing i did but then i split them into two different fics because the halves didnt vibe with each other kjhgvcf
hidey hey
“Dash, you’re here so we can work on our project for Lancer’s class. We’re not supposed to be down here.” 
“Come on, ghosts aren’t even real. How dangerous can it be down here?”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Dangerous enough that we should really be wearing jumpsuits to protect us from ecto-contamination.”
He walked over to the closet that was down there and pulled out his jumpsuit while Dash laughed at him. 
“Matching outfits with your parents? Lame.”
“Don’t complain to me if you get ectoplasm poisoning then.” 
Danny pulled on his jumpsuit and groaned at the sticker on his chest. He pulled it off and tossed it away. 
“What’s this?” Dash pointed at the deep hole in the wall. Danny walked over to him.
“That’s my parent’s ghost portal. It didn’t end up working though.” 
Dash pushed him towards the portal. “Why don’t you go check it out?”
Danny frowned at him and tried to catch his footing. “No. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. I can’t-” 
“Haha, go in.”
“Dash, stopping pushing me-”
Danny tripped backwards over the threshold of the portal. He tried to catch himself on something on the wall but all he ended up doing was pressing a button that for some godforsaken reason was on the inside of the portal. It hummed around him and after a few moments everything went green. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Glad to see you’re not dead, nerd.” 
Danny looked up to see Dash. It was too early in the morning to deal with him after yesterday. 
“You already knew I wasn’t dead.” 
“A man can dream.” Danny rolled his eyes at Dash’s comment.
“I remember someone crying a lot of tears yesterday when they thought I was dead.” 
A blush rose on Dash’s cheeks. “My adrenaline was running like crazy! It’s not my fault your screams triggered some kind of primal response in my brain!”
“Crying is a primal response now?”
Dash rolled his eyes back at him and crossed his arms. “Have you figured out your whole ghost thing yet?”
“It’s literally been one day.” Danny stared at him. “How could I have figured anything out yet?”
Dash leaned in close to Danny and he glanced at Dash’s lips for a moment before his gaze darted back to Dash’s. “Maybe your parents have some sort of cure. Or maybe it was a one time thing. I don’t know.” 
“Why do you care so much? It’s literally your fault this is happening.”
Dash raised a hand and looked like he was reaching to place it on Danny’s shoulder. “I just-”
Dash was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind them. They turned around and were met with Sam and Tucker. She was glaring at Dash with her arms crossed. 
“What are you friends with him now?” Sam asked, angrily gesturing at Dash.
“Woah, so what if he wants to be friends with me?” He asked, stepping towards her.
She barked out a laugh. “Come on! You’ve been bullying him the entire time I’ve known both of you. Why would he want to be friends with you? You must be blackmailing him or something.”
“Sam, he’s not blackmailing me.”
“How can we trust that? You could be lying because he’s blackmailing you.” Tucker frowned at him and reached out a hand, placing it on Danny’s shoulder. “I don't want what happened in elementary school to happen again.”
Danny shrugged it off. “That’s not what’s going on. Why can’t you just trust me on this?”
“Because this isn’t smart.” Sam said. “Why do you guys need to be friends?”
Danny threw his hands into the air. “Why are you getting so defensive about this? You’ve literally only seen us have this one conversation and you’re already mad at me. For all you know we could have been assigned a project together or he’s asking about his tutoring sessions with Jazz. Maybe he had to reschedule and wanted me to tell Jazz.”
Tucker shuffled where he stood but Sam still stared at him with crossed arms. 
“Yeah but are you going to tell us the real reason?”
“Does it matter, Sam?” 
Out of the corner of his eye Dash saw Danny start slowly sinking. He panickingly grabbed Danny’s arm to prevent him from sinking any further into the ground. Danny tried to keep his expression neutral but Dash could tell he was shaken. 
“Oh. Is that what’s happening?” Sam looked between the two of them. 
“Is what happening?” Danny asked, frowning at her. 
“What kind of enemies to lovers bullshit is this?” Dash’s eyes widened at her outburst. What was she talking about? What did she think was happening?
His gaze landed on where his hand was still wrapped around Danny’s upper arm and he pulled it back like he’d been burned. Sam scoffed. 
“Sam-” Tucker started but she interrupted him.
“Do you even realize how toxic that kind of relationship can be? He’s just going to hurt you.”
Danny recoiled at her words. “What are you even talking about?”
“The fact that you two seem to be getting real cozy with each other? Are you dating or something?” 
Dash stepped in front of Danny. “How shallow do you have to assume the only reason I’d be talking to him now is if we’re dating? For your information, we used to be friends as kids.” Dash frowned at her and watched as she backed up. “Just because you’re self conscious about your major crush on Fenton doesn’t mean you have to take it out on us because we’re having a simple conversation.”
A blush appeared on Sam’s cheeks before she angrily stormed away. 
“Sorry.” Tucker said as he looked between them again before he followed after her.
Danny watched them as they walked into the school. He was quiet for a few moments before he turned his gaze back to Dash.
“Sam has a crush on me?”
Dash groaned. “That is what you’re focused on?” He started walking towards the school.
Danny followed next to him. “But I didn’t know that! How did you know that?”
“You’re just about the only person who didn’t know, Fenton.”
Dash pushed through the front doors of the school. Danny had a dazed look on his face. 
“Is that why everyone calls me clueless?” He whispered. 
“Clueless strikes again.”
Danny frowned up at him. “Oh what, you’re so observant, are you?”
Dash pushed open the front door of the school. It swung closed behind them. “More than you. I’m not even friends with Manson and I could see the blackened heart eyes she was giving you.” 
Danny shuffled his backpack on his shoulders as they walked down the hall. “I’ve just never seen her that way. I don’t like her like that.”
Dash’s brows shot up on his forehead. “You don’t?”
Danny shook his head. He veered off to the right and Dash followed him to his locker. “She's just a friend to me.” 
Dash leaned against the lockers while Danny tried to open his but his hand just ended up passing through the dial lock. He groaned.
“Maybe you should tell her that, then. Get it over with so she doesn’t try to kill anyone that even thinks to get close to you.”
Danny rolled his eyes. He finally got his locker open. “She wouldn’t kill anyone for getting close to me.”
“I don’t know.” Dash drawled. “She looked like she was gonna claw my eyes out back there. Like a creepy bat girl.”
Danny slammed his locker shut and turned to look at Dash. “You know, if we’re going to be doing whatever this is, I would appreciate you not making comments about my friends like that.” 
“But she can talk to me like that?”
Danny frowned. “No. I literally told her there was no reason for her to be talking to you like that for having a simple conversation with me.”
“But she’s allowed to not like me?”
“That’s your own fault.” Danny rolled his eyes. “She has every right not to like you.”
Dash huffed. He was about to say something but then Danny started sinking into the floor again. Danny panickingly grabbed Dash’s forearm to prevent himself from sinking any further in. Dash pulled him up and when he set him back down, his feet were solid again. Dash looked around them and miraculously no one else in the hall saw what happened. 
“I’m already over this.” Danny mumbled as he let go of Dash. 
“Do you think you’ll get control over it eventually?” Dash asked him. 
“Hopefully. Otherwise I’ll probably have no choice but to ask my parents for help. I really don’t want to do that though.” 
“Maybe we could do some training? Or practice? You won’t get used to your powers if you just try to ignore them. If you try to do it, then maybe you’ll understand how to not do it.”
Danny nodded. “That makes sense. I guess that’s what we’ll have to do.” 
They came to a split in the hallway. Danny looked up at him.
“Well, I’m going this way.” Danny hooked a thumb over his shoulder as he turned to face Dash.”
Dash nodded. “See you later. Hopefully you don’t drop anything today.”
“Hopefully. We’ll see.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
Thirty four beakers. 
Danny was finally getting ahold of his powers and all it took was thirty four dropped beakers and a lifetime ban from handling anything fragile while he was at school. 
Aside from the frequent ghost sighting, things were starting to look up.
“Manson!” 
If only Dash could learn to keep his thoughts to himself when it came to his friends. 
“What is this garbage?” 
He stomped up to where the three of them were sitting at their table in the cafeteria. Sam frowned at him. 
“It’s not garbage! It’s recyclable organic matter.”
“It’s garbage.” Danny and Tucker said together. 
Danny gasped out a breath of cold air. He looked around him. He saw a lunch lady ghost behind the food counter. 
Dash followed his gaze to where the ghost was. He saw it just as she walked behind the wall. 
Dash looked back at Sam and held up his plate of mud, pushing himself between Danny and his friends. “When I asked for a mud pie, I thought I was gonna get a mud pie. Not a literal mud pie!” 
“Actually, it’s topsoil.” 
“Whatever. Are you going to actually eat this garbage?”
Danny slipped away while Dash argued with his friends. Maybe Dash arguing with his friends could actually be useful for something for once. 
He found somewhere to hide and transformed. He flew invisibly back to the cafeteria to the room the lunch ladies worked in. She was floating there looking around and the food and the lunch trays. She kind of looked like Tucker’s grandma. 
She caught sight of him. Danny was ready to bolt as she floated up to him, but she wasn’t making any moves to attack him.
“Hello.” She said sweetly. “Can you help me? Today’s lunch should be meatloaf, but there’s not any here. Did someone change the menu?”
“Oh. Uh, yeah. They’re trying something new this week.” 
Danny jumped back as her hair suddenly flamed up with her anger.
“The menu has been the same for fifty years!” She shouted at him. 
“Wait-”
She levitated some plates and shot them at him. Danny dodged and caught them, avoiding getting hit. What was up with this lady? Why was the menu so important? 
“The menu is sacred! Lunch is sacred!” She spoke in her sickly sweet voice again. “Would you like some cake?”
Danny looked at her, confused. “If you’re offering-”
“No one gets cake until the menu is changed back!” 
She held her arms up and meat started flying towards her from every direction. It engulfed her and turned her into a meat monster.
“Meat is the most important food group! Without meat, you’ll remain puny and muscle-less!” 
“I’m not arguing with you there.” Danny mumbled. He geared up for a kick but she grabbed his ankle and sent him flying across the room. 
“I will restore the sanctity of the lunch menu! As soon as I find out who changed it!”
She disappeared in a tornado of meat.
The ghost was gone for now. Danny flew through the wall of the school and collapsed onto the ground. He transformed back and tried to push himself up. He was so tired. He’d never used his powers like that before. He groaned. 
“Hey.”
Danny opened his eyes and looked up. Dash was standing there with his hand outstretched to Danny. He looked at it for a second before he reached up and grabbed it, pulling himself up with Dash’s help. 
“Thanks. That ghost wiped me out.”
“No problem. I wanted to make sure that ghost didn’t kill you. I was trying to find you when I saw you fly through the wall and hit the ground out here.”
Danny nodded. “Yeah that wasn’t fun.” He looked down and saw that he was still holding onto Dash’s hand. He pulled it away and coughed. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I should go check on Sam and Tucker though. I want to make sure they’re okay.”
“The ghost attack was pretty contained.” Dash said. “I’m sure they’re fine.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Ah.” Dash said. “That’s fair. Sorry about dragging out that argument with her.”
Danny shrugged and started walking away. “It distracted them long enough to let me slip away for a bit so. No harm done. At least not to me.”
“Good luck. Hopefully she doesn’t chew your head off.” 
Danny pulled the door Dash had walked out open and stepped back inside the school, shaking the hand that had been holding Dash’s. He made his way through the hallways to find Sam and Tucker. 
Sam slammed open the cafeteria doors as Danny stumbled down the hallway. 
“I still can’t believe you’re talking to that meathead.” She shot at him with no preamble. “He literally antagonizes all of us. And then you ditch us to go meet up with him? I saw you two outside.”
“Sam-” 
“What can you say to defend him?” She turned to look at him. “He beats you up all the time.”
“Not anymore.” Danny said.
“What?” Sam stopped walking.
“He doesn’t beat me up anymore.”
She didn’t say anything to that for a few moments. She shook her head. “I still don’t trust him. I don’t get how you could forgive him so easily.”
“I-” He stopped. Had he forgiven Dash?
Sam shook his head. “Let’s just get to class.”
Danny looked around them. “Where’s Tucker?”
She rolled her eyes. “He said he smelt meat so he went to track it down through the hallways. I don’t know if he’s found it yet.” 
Danny scrunched up his nose. He knew exactly what meat Tucker was smelling. “He’s just gonna go eat whatever random mystery meat he finds?”
“Apparently.”
Danny didn’t respond after her last stilted reply. He followed behind her to their next class. When they walked in she went straight to her seat but he looked up and made eye contact with Dash. Dash gave him a questioning look and Danny just shrugged at him before sitting back down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dash walked into the Nasty Burger. Football had just ended and he was hungry. 
As he was walking to the counter he saw Danny sitting at a table with his friends. Dash smirked and walked over to them.
“Hey, nerds.” He placed a hand on the table and leaned his weight into it. 
Sam rolled her eyes. “What do you want?” 
“I just came to say hi to my favorite nerds. Is there a problem with that?” 
“If we’re your favorite does that mean you’ll stop making fun of us?” Tucker asked thoughtfully. “Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, Sam.”
“He’s not going to stop making fun of us, Tucker. The two of them are over there ‘trying to be friends.’” She said with air quotes. “And he still picks on us all the time.” 
“I’ve tried talking to him about it, Sam, but he has a hard time with it.” 
She shot Danny a look. “So why be friends with him? Why give him a chance? What do you see in him?”
“Just because he doesn’t like you-”
Sam scoffed. “Maybe you’re too insecure about your own crush on Danny.” 
Danny whipped his head to look at her. 
“What?” Dash laughed it off. “What are you talking about, Manson?” 
“Yeah, Sam, what are you talking about?” Danny stared at her. 
“Isn’t that what’s been happening this whole time?” She shot back at them. “He’s got some kind of weird feelings for you, he’s trying to get into your pants. Get on your good side. The pulling the girl’s pigtails because you like her bullshit? Don’t you see how weird his sudden change in actions towards you is?” 
“What about your sudden change in actions?” Danny shot at her. “Do you realize how much of an asshole you’ve been lately?”
“Well, maybe if you weren’t friends with-”
Danny threw his hands up in the air. “God forbid if I make new friends! Or try to get along with someone instead of fighting! Or even make decisions for myself.” 
“Danny-”
He cut her off and stood up. “No I’m-” He gasped and Dash saw his ghost sense fog out of his mouth. He frowned. “I’m going home. I need some time alone.” He turned and started walking towards the door. 
“Danny!” Dash followed behind Danny out of the Nasty Burger. 
The ghost was flying above the parking lot shooting ecto-blasts every which way. 
The door slammed behind Dash and Danny turned his head to look at him. 
“I need some time to think. Please just go back inside.” 
He called on his transformation rings. Once they passed across his body he jumped up and flew into the air towards the ghost. 
He watched Danny fight the ghost. He could tell he was angry. He was sloppy today. 
Danny missed a dodge and got hit through the air by the ghost. He ended up turned facing the opposite direction so he didn’t see it start to charge at him. 
Dash’s heart raced as he watched the ghost fly up to Danny. His heart stirred with feelings he wanted to push down. He didn’t need to put himself in danger for Danny. He didn’t feel that way. Danny didn’t feel that way about him.
But as the ghost got closer, Dash couldn’t help as the anxiety skyrocketed. His resolve broke and he picked up a big piece of asphalt off the ground and chucked it at the ghost. It turned to look at him. 
Dash froze when the ghost’s eyes landed on him. What was he doing? Was Danny really that important to him now?
The ghost’s mouth filled up with ectoplasm and shot it towards.
He wouldn’t be able to move in-
Danny knocked Dash out of the way of the ecto-blast just in time. His arms wrapped around Dash’s chest and he flew back. The blast hit the ground where he’d been standing just a moment before. 
Dash wrapped his arms around Danny as they slammed into the ground. He groaned as his back slid across the pavement and Danny looked down at him. He started feeling the back of Dash’s head, running his fingers through his hair. 
Dash opened his eyes and looked up at Danny. He looked panicked. Like something was wrong, but he literally just prevented anything from being wrong.
“Dash, are you okay?”
He nodded. “Back hurts. Head’s fine.”
Danny leaned down and lay his head on Dash’s chest. Dash’s hands slid down Danny’s back and rested at his side and he closed his eyes again. He really didn’t like this whole ghost hunting thing. 
The ghost roared behind them and Dash felt Danny’s head shoot back up. 
“Shit! How did I forget about the ghost?”
Dash waved his hand above him. “Go. I’m fine. I’m just gonna get my bearings on the ground here.” 
Dash listened as Danny finished fighting the ghost. It ended quickly and he could hear Danny’s footsteps as he walked to stand over Dash. Dash opened his eyes and his heart jumped at the way the sun shone on Danny’s white hair. 
Danny held his hand out to Dash and he slowly reached up and grabbed it. Danny pulled him to his feet and looked at their hands. He let go a moment later. 
“I think we need a new rule. No interfering with ghost attacks.”
“What?” Dash frowned at him. “That thing was about to gobble you.” 
Danny crossed his arms. “Yeah, but if I didn’t get to you on time you could've gotten very badly hurt. I thought I knocked your head on the ground when I knocked you out of the way.” 
Dash shrugged. “But you didn’t.” 
“We can’t rely on that.” Danny looked away from him. “Just promise you won’t interfere like that again?”
Dash wasn’t sure if that was something he could actually do. But one look at the expression on Danny’s face told Dash he should at least try. 
“Yeah. I promise.” 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Danny was nodding off in the middle of class. They were given time to work on their homework today but all Danny wanted to do was sleep. Having to fight all these ghosts all the time was making his life way too stressful. He wasn’t to sleep or get his homework done or even get to class on time. It was starting to get to him. 
He yawned. While his eyes were shut he heard someone sit down next to him. He opened his eyes and saw Dash in the next seat over. 
“You look tired.”
“Thanks, captain obvious. I didn’t realize.” 
Dash shrugged. He slouched back in his seat. “Your friends are whispering about you back there.” 
Danny turned and looked over his shoulder at where Sam and Tucker sat at the table in the back of the classroom. When they saw him looking Sam turned back around. Tucker just waved at him awkwardly. 
Danny waved back at him. “I wish they’d just sit over here with me.” 
Dash waved them off. “Who needs ‘em if they’re going to be treating you like that.” 
Sam snorted behind them. Dash turned to look at her. “You got something to say Manson?”
“As if we could treat him any worse than anything you’ve ever done to him.” 
Dash shrugged as he faced back towards the front of the classroom. “Hey, at least my character arc is positive. I’ve made amends.” 
“You’ve hardly even done anything. What kind of character arc have you actually had?”
“I-” Dash started but then he stopped. His brows dropped down and he looked at Danny. 
It hit Danny then that the only thing that really changed with Dash’s behavior was how he treated Danny. He didn’t pick on him anymore and he had cared about him, but he immediately resumed the same habits with both of Danny’s friends. Any time that Dash covered for Danny’s whereabouts during ghost fights, the only thing he could think to do was antagonize Sam and Tucker. He could never think up any actual excuses that wouldn’t cause more problems. 
Danny missed part of the conversation. By the time he tuned back in, Sam was glaring at Dash from across the room. 
“Just because he’d rather spend time with me than you-”
Danny’s ghost sense picked that moment to go off and he couldn’t think of a more convenient time for it to have happened. He stood up sharply and made his way out of the classroom quickly. The door slammed behind him as it closed and he was a couple steps down the hallway when the door opened behind him again.
“Danny, wait-” 
“Why do you do that?” Danny turned and frowned at him. 
“What?” Dash’s brows furrowed.
“Why do you dig at them like that? Make them feel bad about what’s going on?”
“Manson-” Dash started but Danny interrupted him. 
“No. Sam and Tucker are mad at me because of you. They think I’m always ditching them to go hang out with you instead.” 
“That’s not my fault!” Dash shouted back at him. “That’s the ghost’s fault!” 
“But they don’t know that!” Danny stared at him. “All they know is that I’m on good terms with you now and I disappear all the time. They know something is up.” 
Dash shuffled where he stood. He knew he was causing a rift between Danny and his friends. No matter how much he liked to antagonize them, he wasn’t proud of it. He wasn’t trying to put distance between them. 
Danny sighed. “She keeps making jabs about us being together like it would be crazy. Like it would be the worst thing in the world.” Danny looked up at Dash. “I would like it if it wasn’t the craziest thing in the world. If it could actually be true. But with the way you treat my friends-” He shook his head. 
Everything around Dash stopped. What? 
“Danny-”
A blue mist came out of Danny’s mouth again. He shook his head.
“I gotta go.”
“Wait-”
Danny ran around the corner away from Dash.
“What did you do to him?” 
Dash looked down the hallway to see Sam glaring at him. Tucker stood next to her. 
“What?” He asked. 
“He just ran away from you? What did you do to him?” She stomped her way over to him.
“Nothing!” Dash held his hands up in a surrendering motion. “We were just talking and he had to go-”
“We’re in the middle of class. What else would he need to be doing right now?”
“Yeah. Why would he be leaving?” Tucker asked. 
“He, uh, went to-”
Sam ran past him and around the corner Danny went down, Tucker close on her heels. Dash followed behind them knowing Danny would already be gone but they didn’t stop there. They ran down the hallway and out the door leading outside. 
“Danny?” She shouted. “Where are you?”
Dash was the only one that noticed Danny floating in the sky. He was fighting an animal type ghost.
“Uh, guys, I think we should probably go back inside.” 
He pointed up at the sky and Sam and Tucker followed his finger. Sam’s eyes widened and she looked around the front of the school again. 
“Danny!” 
Phantom must’ve heard that one because he turned his head to look down at them. The ghost took that moment to hit Phantom, sending him flying through the air. Now he was much closer to them. 
This ghost looked horrifying. It was animalistic but it looked uncannily like a person. Stringy, hair looking fur and teeth curved into a creepy smile. 
“Get to safety! Now!” Phantom shouted down at them. He shot another ectoblast at the ghost. 
“We have to find Danny first!” Sam shouted in a panic. 
“He’s not out here.” Dash turned to go back inside the school. “Let’s just listen to Phantom and get somewhere safe.”
“That hallway doesn’t lead anywhere except outside! Where else could he be?” Sam asked, still turning around looking for Danny. 
“He didn’t-” 
“Danny!” Tucker shouted. 
Dash growled. Why didn’t they just listen to him? 
The ghost let out a shriek and Dash squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears. 
“Go inside, now!” 
Dash’s eyes opened at Phantom’s shout. He looked back up into the air. 
Dash stared at the ghost that was hovering in the air in front of them. It was cackling, its head thrown back into the air. It looked back at the ground directly at Sam and promptly shot an ectoblast out of its mouth. Dash saw Sam’s mouth open the slightest bit and everything slowed down. Danny turned, following the path of the blast but when he tried to fly towards her the ghost grabbed onto him, trapping him. 
This was one of Danny’s best friends. She might hate Dash’s guts but Danny cared for her more than she hated him. 
Without another thought, he pushed himself into a run and sprinted his way across the grass. He put himself between her and the ghost and grabbed her just as the blast hit him in the back.
He could hear Sam scream as they fell to the ground. Tucker was shouting from somewhere else but Dash couldn’t make much out past the ringing in his ears. He could hear scuffling in the air above him but it was muffled. The pain in his back radiated out and he could feel it in every jostle as someone shook his body. 
Everything started fading away and Dash hoped he wasn’t dying. Distantly, he wondered if this is how Danny felt when he died in the portal. 
The voices fell away and so did Dash.
~~~~~~~~~~
Slowly, the world came back to him. The first thing he noticed was the steady beeping nearby. The second thing was how bright the lights were against his eyelids. 
He groaned and he heard some shuffling to his left. Someone placed a hand on his arm. 
“Dash?”
His heart skipped a beat and he slowly pried his eyes open. He was laying in a bed in the hospital and Danny was standing to his left. 
“Danny?” Dash croaked out. He tried to sit up but Danny pushed him back down against his pillows. 
“You shouldn’t move too much. You got hit pretty bad.” 
“You got the ghost though?” Dash asked. 
“Yeah, he got the ghost.”
Sam and Tucker walked into the room and stood next to Danny. 
“Uh, no I asked if Phantom got the-” Dash fumbled, trying to cover it up.
“It’s okay, Dash.” Danny said. “I told them. I thought it might be better if they knew.”
Dash looked at Danny’s two friends. They didn’t look like they were mad at him anymore. Or like they hated him. It was relieving that they knew. Danny didn’t have to keep avoiding them or keep secrets anymore. 
“If we’d known in the first place we could’ve helped, you know.” Sam said, shooting both of them a look. 
“Yeah. A team always needs a tech guy.” Tucker crossed his arms in mock frustration.
“But we do understand why you guys have been acting weird for the past couple months.” Sam turned to look at Dash. “Thank you for helping him even though you didn’t have to.”
Dash nodded, dumbfounded.
She stared at him a moment longer and pulled her gaze away. “And thank you for knocking me out of the way of that hit. Sorry it landed you here.”
Dash shook his head. “You’re Danny’s friends. You’re important to him. I didn’t want you to get hurt because of all this ghost stuff.” 
“That’s a nice thought, but you should also try not to get yourself hurt.” Sam said. 
“Yeah.” Danny frowned. “You promised.” 
Dash shrugged. “We can call it karma.” 
Tucker stepped forward. “We need a name.”
“A name?” Danny looked up at Tucker.
“Yeah, like a cool ghost hunting team name.” He waved his hands in the air. “What about Team Phantom?”
Sam snorted. “That sounds dumb.”
Tucker planted his hands on his hips. “Well, do you have any better ideas then?”
Danny’s hand slowly made his way down from his arm to his hand as they talked. He entwined his fingers with Dash’s and gave him a squeeze. Dash squeezed his hand back. 
Everything would be okay. Everything was okay. 
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Text
Integration
Bayverse Donatello x Reader imagine
Info + Warnings: Donatello finds himself all over your life. No gendered language, pronouns, or Y.N used for Reader, but they use Spotify. Friends-to-lovers type beat. Set a few years after OOTS.
Commentary: While it's not strictly necessary reading, this is the sequel to Glow in the Dark, and is set to this playlist.
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Donatello has always prided himself on his observational skills.
He notices things other people don't. He recognizes patterns, he collects data, he observes.
It's why Leo turns to him first for mission analysis.
It's why April sends him documents to proof-read.
It's how he fixes codes that refuse to work and reverse engineers biological weapons and is able to turn scraps into functioning gear.
He sees.
Especially when he's already interested in what he's looking at.
Which is why, in the middle of the night, he glances at your activity in his Spotify sidebar.
It's just in his nature.
He does it every now and again- well, okay, every time he opens Spotify- and it's become a bit of a game for him, to try and hone in on your music taste and then casually send you very casually considered recommendations.
He's the most casual turtle alive, everyone knows that.
Sometimes, he spots you playing a song he's given you, and he gets a dorky little smile on his face as he alt-tabs his way back to work.
This time, it's a song he'd given you months back- StarWaves, off of the Oblivion soundtrack, by M83- and just as his lips quirk up and his fingers find his keyboard, he notices something else.
Just below the song, he spots the playlist title.
It's a purple heart emoji.
He hesitates, hand over keys, eyes lingering on his screen.
His timing is fantastic, because the song changes. Little Dark Age by MGMT, which he'd sent you when he last updated the surveillance system- still on purple heart emoji.
This is why science is such a comfort to him- it ties all of those constant observations to something concrete, makes them matter. Observation alone means nothing; study gives him structure.
This means nothing.
But further study- tabbing back and forth between his latest project and Spotify every three-or-so minutes, noting song after song that he remembers giving you- suggests that the purple heart emoji means him.
It makes his heart do something dizzy in his chest, to think that you've tucked his suggestions somewhere safe. That you've taken them with open hands and set them in a display case.
That you make use of them.
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It's not even a week later when you come into the lair with a smile and your computer bag over your shoulders and bags of take out in your hands. You set your phone and keys on his desk, both tangled in your headphones, and head off to dole out food, and he can hear a Phantogram song heavy in the earbuds.
Another one of his, he notes happily.
You come back a few minutes later, a tired and amused expression on your face as you offer him his food.
"I take it Mikey found you," Donnie says in wry, fond amusement, and he's rewarded by a little snort of laughter.
"He did," You respond, setting your own food on the desk- next to your things- and shimmying your bag off your shoulder. "I swear, it's like you all let that guy starve when I'm not here."
"He does a lot of things when you're not here. Starve is not one of them."
He almost misses your response- "Tell that to him, he nearly tackled me for his lo mein!"- because something green catches the light of his computer and, in turn, catches his eye.
It's a little piece of circuit board.
One you'd helped him pull out of a haul of scrap tech, and once he'd deemed that piece useless you'd made a joke about it making a cute keychain.
He'd taken an old soldering iron and melted a hole in the corner, threading a keyring through it, and passed it to you before you left.
It was mostly a joke. You'd been joking. He'd just tapped in and taken the bit to the next level.
And the joke was somehow still in one piece, hanging off your computer bag.
It makes his heart do something fluttery in his chest, to think that you carried that silly (warm, safe, delightful) memory around with you.
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It's nearly two weeks after that when he climbs in your window in the early part of the night, a little earlier than he should probably be out, with a bag of snacks hanging from his elbow.
You're in front of your TV, flicking through movie options, and he intentionally scuffs his shoe in the doorway to make sure you know he's there.
He somehow still isn't prepared for the way you tilt your head back to smile at him in greeting.
"I know it's kinda warm out, but I made hot cocoa," You say sweetly. "I got marshmallows on sale, so..."
"I brought those chips you like," He responds, slipping the bag to his palm and holding it up as though you can see through it.
"You're the best!" You chirp, slipping off the couch and leading him to the kitchen.
You already have two mugs set out, filled to the brim with marshmallows- he assumes there's cocoa beneath them somewhere, but has little proof from just looking at them.
One mug is your favorite, the one you've been using as long as he's known you.
The other is new.
It's dark purple and large, with an oversized handle. About the same size as the one he probably left on his desk when he left the lair. Large enough to comfortably fit his hand, he suspects.
It nearly stops him in his tracks.
"What is it?" You ask.
"Is this new?" He asks in place of an answer, nodding at the drinks.
"The mug?" You're using that carefully nonchalant voice you use whenever you do something nice. The one that usually obscures a lot of time and effort. "Yeah, found it at that antiques place I told you about. The one with the iron giraffe by the door?"
He remembers.
"It's- pretty," He says haltingly, trying to keep himself in a logical, reasonable headspace.
It isn't a big deal. It's a mug.
(It feels big. Feels huge. Feels like he's going to suddenly collapse under his own emotional weight and leave a black hole in your kitchen where he had been.)
(It's you adapting to his- and his brothers', he reminds himself sharply, trying to stay in the realm of reasonable and unimpacted- quirks and needs. It's you accommodating him in your own home. It's his color. He thinks his unwieldy feelings for you grow a size right here, standing in your kitchen.)
"I thought so," You agree lightly, your back to him as you grab bowls. "Thought you might like it. Thought maybe it would be nice to have one here. For you."
Reasonable is rapidly becoming less and less realistic as his heart skips a beat. There's weight in your words, despite your best efforts- he's more sure than ever than you'd set out to find this mug, that this had been a mission for you.
You never act this casually about something you're actually casual about.
"Vank- er, very nice," He stumbles over his words, slowing down to enunciate. "Thank you."
You shrug, turning to him with the bowls, eyes trained on them. "Since I like having you here, might as well, like, make it easier for you, huh?"
He's glad, in a way, that he's green. When he blushes, it's a lot more subtle on him than it is on somebody like Casey.
(He hopes you're not feeling particularly observant.)
"Being here is easy," He says quickly, a confession he hadn't really meant to make.
It's simultaneously huge and just-the-surface.
Being around you is easy.
You look up now, eyes meeting his with a searching look, and you smile. "I'm glad," You say, that weight still in your voice, some extra, unknown thing just beyond his ability to figure out. Then it shifts, and you're more smirking than smiling, and the air shifts from uncertain warmth to a familiar playfulness. "That means you can easily pick a movie. I'm sick of looking."
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He stays long after the credits roll, listening as you look up tidbits about the movie and the cast and how the effects were done. He's on your couch, one leg crossed beneath the other as he angles his body to you and rests an arm over the back (staying very carefully on his side, thank you).
He chimes in as you read out trivia ("I'm pretty sure that should be lucis, but my Latin's a little rusty." "You're right, according to this. Wonder if that was an error or a stylistic choice?") and laughs as you stop mid-sentence to re-read twice because something is so littered with typos that you can't immediately tell what it's saying.
Neither of you look at the clock.
You finish the chips he brought, and you make popcorn, and the two of you finish that, too.
The movie trivia gives way to a story about your friend's dog, and the laughter from that flows into him telling a similar story about Mikey as a child- because apparently, chewing on skateboards is a more common behavior than he'd thought- which shifts into you showing him the meme Mikey had sent you earlier in the day.
Mikey'd sent it to him, too, but he didn't mention it. He let himself lean into your bubble to half-look at your phone, just to be near you.
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When he finally gets home- late, very late, the sun's already planning its ascent- he's grateful that everyone seems to be asleep.
Until he hears a throat clear behind him and he winces.
"Hi, Donnie," Leo says, knowing and smug and making Donnie stifle a groan.
Leo asks how you are.
"Good," He says simply, turning and holding his oldest brother's gaze. "We had lots to catch up on."
"Clearly," Leo says, a clear undertone of teasing.
Donnie resists the urge to roll his eyes.
"I'm glad you had a good time," Leo says, teasing fading from his voice, leaving an earnest tone in its place as he bumps a fist into Donnie's shoulder. "Just let me know next time movie night turns four movies long, yeah? Keeping your dinner safe from Mikey isn't my idea of a good time."
Don can feel the blood in his cheeks again. He hadn't meant to stay so long- disrupting your sleep schedule isn't his idea of a good time- but it just... was easy. "Yeah. Will do."
Leo nods and smiles and takes his mug- strong green tea, if Don's nose is to be believed- towards his room.
Donatello exhales softly. He'd expected worse-
"Oh, Donnie," Leo calls playfully, "Mike's come up with several new songs including "k-i-s-s-i-n-g", so I'd brace myself for a musical breakfast."
This time, Donnie does groan, not bothering to respond as Leo chuckles and leaves.
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He eats the dinner Leo'd kept guarded- pasta with meatballs, cold, because Donnie thinks that if the microwave wakes either of his other brothers and he has to deal with them before he sleeps he's going to ask you if he can just live on your couch- before shuffling into his lab and flopping into the chair at his workbench.
He leans back into the chair, stretching his neck out with a soft groan before his eyes land on the little glass sun hanging above him.
He watches it for a moment, a soft smile creeping onto his face.
Then he stretches out- too lazy, too tired to get up- and flicks the lights off.
The sun glows, and it looks almost as bright as his heart feels, and he feels himself sink fully into the chair and memories of you and the unwieldy, bright feelings you spark in his chest.
After a few minutes in comfortable, sweet silence, he shifts forwards and boots his computer up.
Just for some music.
Work will have to wait until he gets some sleep. You'd be livid if he jumps in now.
He pulls up Spotify and his eyes go to the sidebar out of muscle memory more than conscious effort.
Your username is the first on the list, right above a purple heart.
He lets out a little laugh, a you-shaped feeling turning bubbly and warm behind his ribs.
Deciding you have the right idea, he pulls up Random Access Memories and hits play on his favorite track, letting the bass softly fill the room and enjoying the feeling of it beneath his fingers as he quickly types out the few ideas he'd had while at your place.
He's asleep before the song ends, face buried in his forearms on the desk.
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archiveikemen · 20 hours
Text
Ellis Twilight Main Story: Chapter 3
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This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection. I do not own any of the original content. Please support CYBIRD by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.
Warnings and FAQ
Ellis: Bodyguards?
At breakfast, Victor was talking about the unexpected incident that occured during my first job as the “fairytale keeper”.
Victor: That’s right! If Jude and Ellis protect Kate, our secrets will be kept safe too.
Victor: At the same time, Kate will also be able to observe the two of you up close and write everything down in her records…
Victor: It’s like killing two birds with one stone!
Victor: What do you think, Ellis?
Ellis: I’m fine with it if Kate is.
Ellis: Just because no one was hurt yesterday doesn't mean that sort of thing won't happen again… I want to be by Kate's side in case.
Victor smiled in response to Ellis and turned to Jude.
Victor: Of course you'll take this new responsibility seriously, right, Jude? You hate doing favours, don't you?
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Jude: Tch…
(I feel safe being near Ellis, but…)
Ever since having my life threatened because I was with Ellis and being mistaken for “Jude Jazza’s woman”, I couldn't help but feel wary of Jude.
Jude: Don’t you start wailing when you get caught in a scary situation, princess.
(He’s so intimidating… but this was a good suggestion from Victor, so I mustn't chicken out.)
Kate: I’ll be fine. I’m surprisingly tough!
Jude: … Hah.
Jude snorted and went back to reading the newspaper.
Ellis: Then it’s decided. I’m looking forward to working with you, Kate.
Kate: I look forward to working with you too.
Unlike Jude, Ellis returned a soft smile.
Ellis: By the way, you can be more casual with me.
Kate: Huh…?
Ellis: You could say “yeah, me too” or something.
Kate: Y-Yeah… me too.
Ellis: Mm, much better.
I felt comforted by Ellis’ warm vibes.
Victor: Administrative matters aside, now let’s talk about your mission.
I straightened my back and listened attentively to Victor’s words.
(This will be my first real job as the fairytale keeper.)
I bear in mind that this was important in helping me gain their trust.
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Victor: — Truth is, there is something I want you to collect information on.
Victor: It’s regarding the series of kidnapping cases happening all over London.
Kate: Kidnapping…?
That dangerous word brought back the same anxiousness I felt when I met the members of Crown for the first time.
Victor: Correct. The victims’ ages ranged from infants, to adolescents, and even grown adults.
Victor: One thing they have in common is that the adults were either prostitutes or street performers.
Victor: Popular songstresses from taverns have gone missing… many of them lived unstable lives without proper residential addresses.
Jude: Because the victims weren't people of high importance and mostly didn't have fixed addresses, no one reported them missing.
Jude: As usual, the police aren’t going to do anything about it either.
Unfortunately, like Jude mentioned, people who worked in the entertainment district were often looked down upon.
In that world of glitz and glamour, they were treated like pieces of trash in a garbage dump.
Victor: So, about the mission…
Victor: Have you heard about the ongoing art fair in London, the one with a few performers gathered there?
Kate: Yes. The scale of the event is not as big as the social season, but it’s rather crowded.
Victor: I want Jude and Ellis to go to that art fair and collect the necessary information.
Victor: These people may be vagrants, but they’re more bonded than you think.
Jude: Why do I have to go? This is useless.
Victor: Remember the human traffickers you dealt with in private? They might be connected to this case.
Victor: This has gone too far, don’t you think? Besides… today's your first day off in a long time.
That sounded like information Victor wouldn't be aware of, unless someone told him. Jude shot a glare at someone…
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Jude: … Ellis.
Ellis: He asked, so I answered honestly. Sorry.
(The power balance between these two might surprisingly be of equal level…)
Victor: See you!
Victor sent us off with his cheerful voice and we headed for our mission.
(The fair is even more crowded this time round…!)
Colourfully decorated stalls lined the venue of the art fair and delicious aromas wafted through the air.
The people were entertained by not only the food, but also the street artists painting and performers showcasing their talents on stages around the city.
Walking around the fair, I couldn't help feeling immersed in the lively atmosphere.
(Oh no, I’m getting too carried away… I must focus on our mission.)
(Right. I should ask him now.)
Kate: Ellis. Jude. Could you tell me about your curses?
Ellis: We haven't told you yet?
Ellis: I have the curse of the “Briar Bushes”, and Jude has the curse of the “13th Fairy”.
Ellis: They’re based on a motif called “The Thorn Princess (Sleeping Beauty)”.
(Curse of the briar bushes and the curse of a fairy…)
The 13th fairy was an antagonist who placed a deadly curse on the princess out of spite for not being invited to her birthday party.
(I know that's the fairy’s sin, but…)
(What sin did the briar bushes commit?)
As I thought hard about it, Jude suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around languidly.
Jude: We don’t need a party of three. You go in the other direction to search for information.
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Ellis: What about protecting Kate?
Jude: You’ll be fine doing that alone.
Without another word, Jude disappeared into the sea of people.
Kate: … Does he hate me, by any chance?
Ellis: I don’t think so, he treats everyone like that.
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Ellis: His intention was probably to protect you from danger by avoiding being seen with you.
(Hmm, I don't really think so…)
I swallowed those words that I almost blurted out.
Kate: … If that’s the case, he’s actually rather kind-hearted, isn't he?
Ellis: I wouldn't say that. He loves hearing the people he hates scream in pain.
Kate: …
(It scares me how easy it is to imagine that…)
Ellis was the total opposite of him, showing kindness to everyone he met.
As though to prove me right, people all around us started approaching him the moment Jude left.
Flushed Man: Oh, you over there! Thanks for taking care of me that day!
Ellis: You’re welcome. Remember to drink in moderation today.
Kate: This is…?
Ellis: I found him passed out on the streets the other day, so I piggybacked him home. I don't know his name.
Kate: Eh!?
(You brought a random stranger home and nursed him back to health!?)
That wasn’t the only thing that left me in shock—.
Furniture Artisan: Business has been booming thanks to Ellis promoting my works to people!
Bespectacled Student: I’m so glad to run into you again! Um, I’d like to repay you for helping me fix my bike, could I have your contact information…
Cat: Nyaa.
(Even a CAT thanked him…!?)
(Or should I say, judging from the number of people who thanked him as we passed by…)
I could tell that Ellis did many good deeds on a daily basis.
Kate: I’m a postwoman, and yet you’re even more well-known than I am…!
Ellis: Really? I think this is pretty normal, though.
Ellis smiled gleefully as he watched the people smiling around him.
(Everything Ellis did for me yesterday is without a doubt just a usual thing for him.)
Someone who spreads joy.
Watching Ellis’ interactions with the people in town brought those words to my mind.
(Does someone like him even have any “sins” I can record down…?)
(Rather—)
(Why would someone this kind-hearted work for an assassination organisation or with Jude?)
Despite having personally witnessed his kindness… that question surfaced in my mind.
Ellis: Kate, Kate.
Kate: … Oh, I’m so sorry! I got lost in thought.
I came back to my senses and noticed Ellis peering into my face up close with his head tilted in puzzlement…
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Ellis: Were you thinking about me?
Kate: …!?
Our eyes met at a close distance like a pair of lovers gazing at each other, sending my heart into a frenzy.
(Ellis doesn't seem to be conscious of it, but… this is too close.)
The situation was the same as when he went to see me in my room the morning after I came to Crown’s castle.
It was the second time seeing his twilight coloured eyes up close.
Feeling my cheeks turn red from the embarrassment, I turned my eyes away from him.
Ellis: Ah, hit the nail on the head.
Kate: How did you know?
Ellis: Hmm… just a hunch, I guess?
Ellis handed me a steaming mug with a smile.
Ellis: Here, I bought this milk tea from that shop over there while you were lost in thought about me.
Ellis: This is to thank you for helping me with my mail the other day.
(... Ellis is awesome…)
Ellis’ eyelashes lowered and he lightly blew on the cup of milk tea before taking a sip.
Ellis: If there’s anything you want to ask me, feel free to.
Kate: … Understood.
Ellis: Just “okay” is good.
Kate: … Ellis, why did you join Crown?
Ellis: Victor recruited Jude to join Crown, then Jude said OK and I joined too, I guess?
(You joined just because Jude did…?)
Kate: Why are you always with Jude?
Ellis: You have many questions, huh.
Ellis smiled and held his mug in both hands.
Ellis: My life was a mess before I met Jude. I moved from place to place, never having anywhere to settle down.
Ellis: When I came to London, I met Jude by coincidence.
Ellis: Some stuff happened, and we made a deal.
Kate: A deal…?
Ellis: That I’ll work for Jude, and he’ll comply with my request in return.
Ellis: So… we’ll be sticking together until the time comes when he fulfils his side of the deal.
My next question gave me a feeling that something might happen if I heard the answer, causing a stir in my chest.
Kate: What request did you make…?
Ellis: It's—
Performer with Flashy Hat: What is going on!?
(...!?)
The sudden yelling made me jump in shock and look in its direction.
Behind us, in the back of a temporary stage, a performer was scratching his head in distress.
Performer with Flashy Hat: Two people can’t make it for the performance… this is a DISASTER…!
(Two people… two performers… could it be?)
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Kate: Ellis.
Ellie: … Yeah.
— “The victims of the serial kidnappings were often prostitutes or street performers”.
We exchanged looks and headed towards the distressed performer.
Kate: Um, excuse me.
Flashy Hat: Hm? Oh. My apologies, Miss, but my show has been postponed by another 10 minutes!
Ellis: We heard you saying just now that two people can’t make it to the show…
Flashy Hat: My buddy who is supposed to perform with me has gone missing without a word.
Flashy Hat: Geez, lots of people have been disappearing into thin air lately… it’s starting to get suspicious.
(Multiple people… going missing…)
(If we ask this person more about the disappearances, we might find something.)
Ellis: If it's alright with you, could you please tell us more?
Flashy Hat: Sorry, but I really don't have the time for that right now! Even if I have to do it alone, I must think of what to perform up on stage.
The performer shooed us away… but stopped and looked at us again as though he had just gotten an idea.
Flashy Hat: If you guys help me out with the show, that’ll be a whole other story.
Flashy Hat: Haha! I’m just kidding. Being short-handed is one thing, but it's a strict rule to never allow amateurs on stage.
He shook his head, seemingly to dismiss his suggestion as an impulsive one.
Ellis took a step closer.
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Ellis: Help? What kind?
Flashy Hat: Haha! You’re serious about this? I was merely joking.
Ellis: But you said that you’ll tell us the details if we help you, didn't you?
Flashy Hat: … What? Hey man, you guys got a problem or something?
His friendly face twisted.
Flashy Hat: Giving out information about my buddies puts them in danger.
Flashy Hat: I can’t guarantee that you two don't have ill intentions. We're strangers that just met.
Kate: How can we earn your trust?
Flashy Hat: Let me think…
Flashy Hat: If you guys are willing to be used as a target for knife throwing, or tied up and thrown into a tank…
Flashy Hat: I’ll trust you.
(Target for knife throwing…!?)
Ellis: Okay. I’m good at that stuff.
Ellis unhesitatingly proceeded with the negotiations while I stood there, baffled.
(Ellis is so confident when it comes to negotiations. It must’ve come from his experience in working with Jude…)
Ellis agreed to help the performer with the show, but negotiations didn't go as we expected.
Flashy Hat: Tch tch tch… you alone isn’t going to be enough. That lady has to help out too.
Kate: Wha…!?
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Ellis: … Why?
Flashy Hat: Perform, of course!
Flashy Hat: Just think of it. A tragic story about lovers being torn apart, building up and coming to a tear-jerking finale! The audience will definitely love it.
(... Knife throwing… being tied up in a tank…)
Ellis looked at me worriedly when he noticed my face turning pale.
Ellis: Kate, you don’t have to do it if you don't want to.
(Victor has done this knife throwing thing before, so Ellis will be fine with that.)
My physical abilities were nowhere nearly as good as Ellis’, and yet…
Whether or not we would get information from that person depended on me.
(I have to trust them and just go for it…)
Kate: V-Very well. I’ll help.
Letter
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oh-allie · 23 hours
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shakespeare and swooning
alhaitham x g/n reader
synopsis; you read one shakespeare play and now you want to impress your "buddy" alhaitham with your newfound knowledge !! what could go wrong?
fluff, g/n reader, TOTAL CRACKFIC, prick alhaitham, SWEARING, kind of a modern au ???? i mention "ringing tighnari" but that could just be imagined as using the akasha terminal !!!! didnt write this with a modern au in mind
warning ‼️ PLEASE dont expect this to be accurate, if youre a big classic literature fan then dont attack me for not being a NERD ☹️ just imagine a poser using their fancy words (because they think its cool)
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you know how libraries are supposed to be a place of study and tranquility? no the fuck you don't, or at least you don't care, because running through the house of daena with shakespeares, "romeo and juliet," in your hands is NOT very tranquil.
multiple poor akademiya students look at you, PISSED OFF because your shoes are going clu-clonk on the marble floors, which wouldn't be an issue if you weren't scurrying through the library.
is that kaveh ?? he's giving you the same look he gives alhaitham every day ..
... but this is IMPORTANT !! you're on a MISSION right now !! you just finished reading the first act of "romeo and juliet," and you're convinced your brain has expanded tenfold in size.
you're now rushing to your good pal haitham to share your knowledge! how kind and gracious!
you're stopped before his house, you've known him for long enough and gotten close enough for him to let you come in whenever. you know kaveh isn't home, and haitham would never purposefully work overtime, so you're certain you can get his attention and show off in peace.
why are you so adamant about showing off to alhaitham? is it REALLY showing off, or are you trying to, heehee, impress him?? its too late to be flustered at this thought because you already unlocked the door with the spare key kaveh leaves behind one of haithams ugly ass decorative plants and you've taken off your shoes and oh god hes right there and the sunlight from the door is lighting up his face in that way that only happens to him and hes looking at you with a suprised, slightly annoyed, but incredibly fond look and oh no what was your plan again?
"greetings, alhaitham! ☝️🤓" you say, finding a surge of confidence remembering the story you read.
"... hey. what are you doing here?" his response is quick but before you respond he continues, "did you just say greetings?"
"indubidibdibdly! hath you be surprised?" you pretentious hipster. you think youre SO cool, but unfortunately your little crush doesn't seem very impressed either.
"okay, what are you doing? you're being weird." he's not even looking at you, and he's back in his chair before you can rush over and sit on the couch. "is something wrong? should i get tighnari to give you a checkup?"
you'd be touched by the care of the suggestion if he wasn't so cheeky in his tone.
"wha, what, no?! no what the hell- stop ringing tighnari."
"are thou o'er wrought with admiration?" you grin, somehow still under the impression that you sound cool.
he gives an eyebrow raise to that. not bothering to mark his place in his book, he stands up.
"i lie testy in why you act so unpregnant, my dear."
"what"
HUH ? what did bro just say ? testy ???? unpregnant ?? MY DEAR ??? backtrack again, UN-WHAT ??
"be still my beating heart, thou hast taken mine with absolute cunning." is he making fun of you i genuinely can't tell ... its like hes speaking in moon runes right now.
"haitham, heheh, WHAT are you DOING ??" you can't help but laugh at his funny little words, magic man. even if you're clueless to what he just said to you.
"whatever doth thou mean?" he's totally making fun of you !! after ALL your effort to impress him too?
"well, usually i do all the ranting and you sit pretty and listen, so it's weird that you're talking so much, especially like THAT?" fym sit pretty ....
"when words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain." that sounds familiar, but you can't think about it longer before he continues, "shall i compare thee to a summers day?"
"ALRIGHT, i recognize that one, dummy." you laugh, "were you really not impressed by me?" you whisper, the rush of embarrassment you shouldve felt in that library is finally catching up with you.
he stares at you for a second. you just wish you could find out what hes thinking up there, if you could even understand it.
and then he lets you into his mind, with a simple "i love you." as if alhaitham, renowned scribe of the akademiya, top student, couldn't find the words to describe how he felt for you.
or maybe that was what he felt for you. he loved you.
"... you called me unpregnant."
a/n; i read romeo and juliet like... 3 years ago.... so.. uam... 😇😇 totally accurate! hope this crackfic style of writing isnt too niche so this doesnt flop because EMBARRASSING....... do people even like al haitham anymore like guys lets go back to the good old days before the FRENCH came in..... (this is just me projecting cause i havent played genshin in a while and i still lovelove sumeru)
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Watching the She-ra reboot after 5-6 years
Hey remember that show in 2018 that came out on Netflix during Tumblr's Twitter era and stirred up enough toxicity to turn you into Dave the Skeleton in the highschool science classroom?
Well BUCKLE IN for a RIDE cause I recently watched that show for the first time after avoiding it for YEARS, after seeing the fans and the haters be so devoted to either the fans praising it like a godsent deity or haters devoting their whole life to finding something wrong with every aspect of the show that it makes you wonder if they realized that they've become the Catra that they sought to destroy, I decided to avoid even touching the show and went about my life in other fandoms.
Well years have passed and like a Hallmark movie time abruptly went on and the drama soon faded, the tides have settled, the war has ended, and neither side remains the same. The fans have grown up, matured and enjoy the show as it is and the haters have lost all that sweet sustenance back in 2019 and have went the ways of the DoDo. With everything finally settled, I joined in on the rush of new fans recently that started rewatching the series and wanted to display my thoughts as well as a first time watcher ^^
I went in well aware of all the criticisms in mind, and having seen the original She-ra, and I just gotta say that my worrisome thoughts on watching it was completely washed away from the start of the show. I was worried of Adora being that one marysue character that is from the bad guys side but is actually a good a guy with the personality of white bread and with flaws of just being "a little bit QuiRkY" but she completely shooed away those fears. She is a well balanced character with a unique and well done backstory, her character breaking away from the steriotypical chosen ones and her having flaws that don't take away her being a good person but instead have their own charm and relatability that makes her very fun and down to earth. She is so golden retriever coded and I love it. What I like most though is that she wasn't "random main character comes in to lead everyone to victory out of nowhere" , instead of making her the unsaid leader, they made her the main character who is the muscle of the group and part of the heart and has to learn overtime and understand their ways instead of making her the leader. It makes way for her to pave and earn her way as being the main character instead of it being given by default by making her the leader and I love that break away. And that break away also helps to counter the fears I heard about the white savior trope by making Adora the way she was and making Glimmer and Glimmer's mom the queen the actual leaders of the rebellion that they helped start.
Love the best friends squad, I love Glimmer's growth and her bond with Adora, I like how she went downhill and built herself back up again as a person as it was very realistic with her being so young and having to replace her mom as queen. Bow is my spirit animal, period, but I really want to know more about his huge family. I imagine that because they are all historians they must go to the academy or similar academies that Bow was meant to go to and I can see why they wouldn't question him not being there as 12 siblings is A LOT to keep track of. Swiftwind is great but he shall always be known as Horsie and the queen's sacrifice hurts everytime I see it, I love how she owned up to her own flaws. Shadowweaver messed up being a mother figure 3 times, she needs parenting classes fr, 'nough said. I love all the princesses but Mermista is my personal favorite. Also why is aunt cast named Castaspella, I can't even say it without dying of laughter ���🖐️
Now I know some of you are sitting at your computer with 5 monsters in hand and sweat anxiously dripping from your forehead as you dramatically hover over the keys just WAITING to write a five page essay response if I even dare to utter the name Catra and her relationship with Adora. So, I'ma give you my opinion.
Honestly, their romance was the end goal since the beginning and the story made that clear and honestly I like Catra's growth as a character from her knowing she has anger issues and actively working on it to better herself, helping to save others and helping to save Adora in the end. Her realizing that pushing others away to protect herself only harms her and everyone around her in the end and her realistically taking it slow and steady to better herself as a person for herself and for Adora is something a really like. Yes their relationship was hella toxic, especially in the middle (but I do like how Adora recognized that and punched Catra when they were in the portal). The build up was great, the middle ground of her doubling down was great, and I think her growth at the end was great and that the two are happy and not in a toxic relationship with eachother anymore at the end. I think what truly makes it odd is although the redemption was great the time constraints made it so they couldn't flesh it out to help answer and address the past actions that were caused by her, they did so great with her slowly becoming better and better, and so it wouldn't have come off as bad as it did if they had just a bit more time to address everything with that instead of being forced to dive right into it which definitely left a- well- less than good impression to it's audience. But they tried their best with what they could do and honestly for a show as surprisingly dark as this I'm just glad they aren't in a toxic relationship anymore and are happy in the end and that Catra got redeemed. It definitely wasn't trying to romanize abuse, however it came off as such due to constraints and them rushing the ending which gave plenty of ammo to people who already hated the show to have a reason to hate it more. In my opinion if you don't like it that's valid, if you do like it that's valid, me personally I'm not a romance person so I couldn't care enough either way.
Now to address some things I know some people are waiting for, but in speed run fashion. Mara's She-ra design was the fault of the designers not agreeing on what they wanted her to look like, I was expecting her to have brown flowing hair not blonde, I get the stripping of individuality message they tried to go with, it just needed better designers and better execution but that's as deep as it goes. It's not that they are racist, they are more along the lines of "you need a more organized team cause her design changes every five seconds like wtf" kind of situation. I'm glad they didn't automatically forgive Hordak or accept him but I'm glad he was changed enough to not be a killer that's mass murdering people anymore and as long no one is dying by his hands anymore and people don't automatically forgive him then that's fine by me, whatever keeps others from dying a horrible unnecessary death.
Overall, in conclusion, love the show, great depth, great characters, love the humor and amazing magical girl transformations, awesome rep, stronk princess punching things, would most definitely recommend, especially now with all the wave of chaos it's initial release sucked in now evaporated. (Seriously there are full tags and blogs deticated to hating a show about glowing princesses fighting aliens, it's okay to not like a show but come on people there is more to life than that 💀) Enjoy it, have fun, and I hope you have a great day/night! ^^
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cloudinterlude · 9 months
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I get to dump all my Steve Rogers takes here!
I barely know where to start! I guess in general, Steve's character arc in the MCU is straight up depressing. Like, I didn't fully realize until I re-watched the movies how tragic his story is. I mean, the end of his first movie is him sacrificing himself for the world, freezing to death and waking up 70 years later where his entire world is completely gone and everyone he knows is dead and only TWO WEEKS LATER he has to suck it up and lead the Avengers into battle in Avengers 1. That's insane! We don't really get a lot of superhero character-centered movies with such hopeless endings like that. His last lines are "I think I missed a date" - That's dark when you really think about what it was like in that very moment to realize what's happening to him.
And going into his second movie, his current world is tilted once again. He's been unknowingly working for HYDRA who he lost his life fighting against, who he hates more than anything and everything quickly goes to shit when he realizes that his absolute best friend was alive but being tortured for the 70 years he was asleep. The only person in the entire world who could possibly relate to him a little bit - the only person who knew him before he was "worth" knowing doesn't even remember him because Steve dropped him. All that guilt and horror is way too hard to imagine. There's a lot more to say about TWS but God...yeah, horrific.
And Civil War...His world is tilted AGAIN. I cannot explain to you or anyone else how absolutely gobsmacked I was when I came out of that movie loving Steve Rogers just to find out everyone fucking hated him. I am very obviously team Cap, but only because I agree with his position, his actions and his morals. Imagine you just found out the government is HYDRA and now some rando (Ross) walks in with your teammate in tow to tell you to sign over all your civil rights to the government that will not only put you in danger but also set a dangerous standard for how enhanced people can be treated. I read what was in the Accords (and Steve was the only character on-screen looking over it). It's beyond reprehensible. I wouldn't sign it either especially since it was sprung up on the whole team with only 3 days to review it. Despite that, Steve was open to the idea of signing it as long as safeguards were put into place (he explicitly states this)...until he found out that they were somehow already enforcing the damn thing by keeping Wanda in internment. So, since the only two options are sign this or retire - he leaves. During all this he learns that Peggy dies, goes to her funeral, deals with Bucky being framed.
[I just found this deep in my drafts and realized I'm never finishing this jkdshfkjsdf, so here y'all go! <3 TLDR Steve's life is a big ball of pain and he deals with it better than any other character or person would and honestly, I don't blame him for any of the deicions he decided to take because he deserves the space, time, and freedom to do whatever tf he wants after his tragedy we call a life.]
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uncanny-tranny · 4 months
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If somebody in your life offers to knit or crochet or, really, create anything for you, please be an active participant in the creation of the piece they are making. I adore making and gifting things, but nothing bums me out quicker than a person who passively just goes "okay," to my ideas about what I'm making them - it can send the message that they won't like it, or that they don't care, even if they're happy about my offering. The back-and-forth feedback is a great way to make sure that you are being gifted something that was truly worth the time, effort, expertise, and money that will inevitably go into the gift!
I know it's really hard to be an active participant, believe me, I'm an anxious ball of horror, but it will only do good for both parties to interact in this situation. It is a big deal to be offered a hand-crafted gift, but it's also something we want you to love and use, and that can only happen if you tell us what would make you fall in love with what we create.
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seriousbrat · 1 month
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im literally so obsessed with the post saying peter pettigrew would never be a traitor… that’s like basically The first thing we truly discover about him. right there from book three. like that is The Basis of his role in the narrative, that he was the traitor and sirius was not. that he was willing to bow to the winning power rather than risk dying for his friends and values (which is. the one issue the narrative never flinches on. doing the right thing rather than the easy.) like these aren’t real people, they are characters with narrative functions. peter is everything harry doesn’t respect, everything characters like ron and neville defy, when they doubt their places among their friends and still fight for what they believe in, and a foil to snape — snape’s love for lily causes him to make a good choice, peter’s lack of dedication to his friends causes him to make a bad choice. a bad choice that KICKS OFF THE ENTIRE PREMISE. like. yes these are characters and you can choose to play with them like dolls. but hp is a very tight narrative, and it’s silly to claim they are somehow at heart the antithesis of the space they fill.
I know like... if there's ONE detail about him then that's it. It showed up as a recommended post on my dash and I was so baffled for a moment haha. I could understand an attempt to defend his reasoning (I certainly like to understand it) but like... his character is nothing without that moment, it literally defines him as a character, so to say it's bad writing is so silly.
It's like if I made an impassioned post claiming that Voldemort would NEVER kill Lily and James. It moves past headcanon into just... outright denial of the basic facts of the characters and the story. Harry would NEVER have green eyes!!!! Tbh though Peter Defence Movement in general is the last thing I'd have expected a few years ago.
Recently just before I really started getting back into marauders fandom on tumblr, I posted in a discord asking for people's views on Peter, explaining my own interpretation and wanting input. And I was legitimately SO confused when EVERYONE replied in the vein of "hmm well that's not how I see him but ok. he actually was a poor little meow meow who took care of his friends and rubbed their shoulders after a battle, he was a scared little boy and he couldnt help it."
I was VERY taken aback by the complete 180 that peoples views on Peter seemed to have done, since I assumed my portrayal was controversially sympathetic. Fandom used to largely just ignore him, and when he wasn't ignored he was reviled. It once would have been heresy for me to imply Peter had any sympathetic qualities at all lol, whereas here I was pretty solidly shouted down for saying he had the unsavory characteristics we're shown in canon, such as enjoying watching James and Sirius bully others.
It's honestly so fascinating, like when did this happen lmao
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brittlebutch · 3 months
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a lot of people seem to use Entry #60 as 'proof' for the crux of the "Brian didn't care about Tim, he was Taking Advantage of Tim's conditions and Forcing him to work as part of totheark" thing, but honestly when you think about it there's no possible way Brian could have possibly orchestrated that series of events, like you almost have to interpret that as a baffling group of coincidences
#N posts stuff#mh lb#it's not like Brian has loads of mutual friends that he could ask to call Tim out one night; Tim's departure right as Brian showed up#just has to be a coincidence ; second yes. Brian does steal Tim's meds & that's a dick move but it's almost safe to assume#that Tim and Brian had been sharing prescriptions back in S1 - that's why the pills were at Brian's house that time Jay broke in#even if Tim no longer remembers that agreement it's not like Brian is brimming with other options so i can see the throughline of it#but there's NO way that Brian knew that 1) Tim was going to immediately turn around and come back home OR#2) be in the throes of an attack when he did so ; there's no Possible way he planned for that -- even if you Could assume that like. what#Brian 'knows' the operator is following him & Somehow orchestrated an encounter 1) no that doesn't make any sense and#2) that Still doesn't make any sense bc Tim has been Plenty Close to the Operator before w/ almost no negative effects (like in#Entry 17 when it's Right behind him) so there's no possible way Brian could have predicted that would unfold this way#sure it's weird he sets up the camera in the closet before Tim comes back but that Could Have been something unrelated#after all sometimes Brian DOES deliberately put himself on camera so someone knows he's responsible for something#or maybe he even planned to leave the camera there for later but it doesn't make Sense to interpret that as him Knowing what would happen#like don't get me wrong i'm not trying to say Brian is a pinnacle of ethics and moral behavior lmfao but also it's like#a kind of incomprehensible argument to make that he was Responsible for Triggering Tim's seizure that night when for all the#information Brian had on hand when he broke in he'd think Tim probably wouldn't be back home until much later#(''but the Creators Clearly intended'' yeah sure but since the creators also failed to establish a coherent series of events that SHOW#it then like. the intent doesn't matter anymore; sure they scripted the events in close succession but that doesn't mean they#scripted Intent & if they meant to then they did a bad job portraying it to the point the supposed intent is meaningless sorry lmao)#and EVEN IF you get this far and you're Still like 'but tim went after Jay and Brian would've Known he'd do that' like. no he wouldn't#because in Entry 18 when we see Tim have a seizure the first thing he does when jay approaches him after it is Run Away#so Again there's no consistent throughline of behaviors that Brian could have Possibly known about to orchestrate jack shit
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chappellrroan · 3 months
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i am feeling emotions
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