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desktop-writes · 2 months

Text

Static on the Screen | 01

--A Lack of Backup--

<|AO3|Gala Au|SotS|>

(<- Part 2 of 14 ->)

[_|2|3|4|5|6]

{TW: N/A}

[Words : 1,736]

*Note: For any overarching triggers, please click on the Gala Au tab at the top. For warnings regarding this specific fic, please click on the SotS tab.*

Sometimes there’s a moment where you know things will never be the same. A turning point in a person’s life, if you will. It could be as monumental as the moment of the wrongful death of a loved one, leading to an obsession to right the wrong that had happened. It could also be something as trivial as bumping into a person at a coffee shop, leading to finding the love of one’s life. For Barbara Gordon, it was a simple click on a link.

It had started a week ago. Three meta-humans had attacked Jason, Cass, and Damian while on patrol. Seeing as all three family members had some connection to the League of Assassins, the first idea was that they were assassins. The fact that they seemed to glow a Lazarus Green color only provided more evidence for that theory. But as soon as someone verbally confronted them, the theory crumbled under its weight.

“They had called themselves Ghosts,” Cass had signed with their face screwed in confusion. They had emphasized the last word, marking it as important. The rest of the night hadn’t given her much besides debunking the Assassin theory. While she couldn’t do groundwork anymore, she is still one of the if not the best, digital detective on the team. She had made a file and labeled it accordingly, then she had started her search with the keyword ‘Ghost’.

It had taken her 2 days between her day job and getting roughly 3 hours of sleep to find what might have been a lead. A self-published research paper by the Drs. Fenton titled ‘Effective Warding Techniques Against Ghosts’. Barbara had spent 3 hours reading the paper, scanning every detail for information. She could barely find anything useful at the end of those three hours. A lot of it was opinions worded through a scientific lens and not actual scientific facts.

Spurred on by the lack of information, she searched for other papers in their names. Yet, the majority of it was filled with the same content. Descriptions of creatures in agony while being remarked as'manipulative' and ‘non-feeling’ by the two doctors. She knew this needed to be brought up to Bruce and the Justice League as a whole, but she needed more information for the presentation. Thankfully, she had the next day off, and she began a more detailed search of the doctors.

They had documents claiming them to be doctors, with Madeline and Jack both holding doctorates in biology and master's in engineering with minors in Supernatural Studies, but she couldn't find any records of their college days. A handful of papers referenced in the other self-published research papers had Vlad Masters as another co-author, but that dropped after Vlad’s accident. That set off alarm bells in her detective sense, allowing her to dive deeper into her research.

She was nearing the end of her research binge on the doctors and was gearing towards Vlad Masters when she spotted a weirdly named Web link on the last page of her search engine of choice. Thinking it was something similar to the doctor’s papers, she clicked on the link. While it wasn’t another research paper, it was something that grabbed her attention. A halfway-done website wouldn’t have been published unless they were hiding something, so she opened the source code, hoping to easily crack the passcode and start snooping around in whatever was hidden.

The code was surprising, to say the least. The code itself was the same Lazarus Green color as the Ghosts, changing languages every 7 seconds - yes, she had timed it -, and moving in a scattered pattern. The code fought back as soon as the cursor was placed in the text box, with the creator not far behind. With her getting little sleep and the surprise of the abnormalities in the code, she ended up losing against the person on the other side of the screen. With her loss, her screen turned black with a green I-beam in the left-hand corner. A message was written behind it.

Barbara looked at the question before checking on the burner phone she had bought for this reason. They hadn’t touched any files, even though they had full access to her civilian computer. She went the complement route and hoped to get more information on what lay ahead.

Barbara’s hope of the other hackers’ pride getting to them and spilling what they’re hiding diminished with their quick response. She debated her options mentally. She could lean on luck, tell the truth, and hope the person on the other side is an ally in her search. She could also make up a lie and hope they won’t see through it. While she was debating, a new message appeared.

It seemed the decision was made for her. Even if she were to call their slightly plausible bluff, there were way too many important files on her computer, including the one she was building against the Fentons. Plus, she had yet to receive a notification on her burner phone about a breach.

It was a fair request, one she would make in their situation. From their perspective, she was an outsider wanting to look at something personal to them. She could handle a little monitoring if she could find a crack in this case.

<Deal.>

When the black screen disappeared, a light gray followed behind it, giving the website an industrial feel. Black text filled the tabs across the top of the screen, listing labels like 'Ghost Basics’, ‘Rouge Abilities’, and one with a lock emoji, among others. This was a hero database, given the mentions of rouges.

The database belonged to a group of small-town vigilantes, with the person she was conversing with filling in the guy in the chair role. She could tell they were young, with mentions of having to skip class or needing to find an excuse for the team’s main hero, Phantom. Just reading their rouge descriptions, as sloppy as they are compared to the bat’s, she could tell a lot about their team and how they worked.

She kept reading on about the rouges themselves. Even though the pictures were a blurry mess -similar to the stills she had asked Tim to try and clean up -, she could get some information through the written portion of the reports. Everything thing she was learning was leaving her increasingly shaken.

Needing a break from the rouges list, she looks to the Phantom tab to see if the Justice League needs to extend a hand or if they have it under control. She hovered her mouse over Phantom’s tab, only a tab away from the locked emoji. Right before she was about to click, her screen turned black again. Their previous conversation looked back at her, and a slight weight settled on her shoulders. On the other side of the screen was a child.

A child.

A child on an entire team of children being attacked by beings with the power levels of gods; who are being hindered by the very people they protect. At the very least, Robin had Batman, or even their junior teams, if something happened. She looks at the new message.

She needed to keep the connection. Something is happening in Amity Park. Something big. She can feel it in her bones. Racking her brain for ways to keep the connection, she thought back to how unorganized and messy their reports seemed. Mentorship seemed like a good way to go with the kid.

The next message was apprehensive, much like talking to an Alley kid. She should’ve expected this. She was a stranger who had attempted to hack into their database and then offered help with nothing in return. It had caught their attention, though, which was good enough for her.

<What’s the catch? Nobody would do that for free.>

It took a few minutes to get a reply, but that was okay. It gave her time to clear off her desk and start getting the papers strewed about in order.

She continued cleaning up her apartment while she waited. While it wasn’t trashed, it wasn’t clean either. Taking empty snack bags and water bottles from the top of overflowing trashcans and putting them in a separate bag was repetitive and mind-numbing enough to pass the time. She set the filled bags by the door and rolled back to her desk, pushing the desk chair out of her way. It would be stupid to go out this late. She was finishing organizing the paper notes she took over the three days when she got a response.

Her screen returned to normal; the same gray greeted her back. The only change was a small, lime-green chat bubble in the bottom left corner. She spent the next three hours getting a feel for Pharaoh’s setup while gathering more information on the team for her reports. She still had to collect information for the Justice League for them to look at what's happening ground-level. After three hours, she closed the database.

She told the bats, via group chat, that she had found answers to their meta case that needed to be discussed in person tomorrow. After closing the group chat, she checked the locks on the door for the second time that day. Assuring herself it was locked, she wheeled to her bedroom, locked her chair by the bed, and then pulled herself into bed. She went to sleep relatively easy, unknowing of the bombshell that would be dropped tomorrow night.

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

Chapter 2 should be out by the end of next month at the latest.

#dc x dp #dpxdc #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dp x dc fanfic #GalaAU

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laufeysodinson · 2 years

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Simps and Riddles

Pairing: Chris Evans x Actress!Reader

Rating: G

Warning/s: none??? too much fluff?? too cheesy?

Summary: reader is asked the question, “how did you know chris was the one?”

A/n: i read after i do by taylor jenkins reid and was inspired. i haven’t written in a year, please be kind! 🥹🫶🏼 also not proofread!

also!!!!! inspired by @astranva’s pe universe but is not related in any way to her series. the pe universe has inspired me to write and get in touch with the creative part of my brain once again. thank you for sharing your brilliant ideas and writing with us! 🥺💖

“i know in this film your character is in love and married to someone whom she instantly thought to be her other half… now i know you don’t usually answer questions like this, but i’m taking my chances. so….” the interviewer smiled and put her hands together.

“you’re married to chris evans. how did you know he was the one? what moment made you think, ‘this is it. this is the man i’m going to marry’?” you were never one to talk about your personal life during interviews. but just this once, you figured you’d humor them because you were tired and bored of the same questions you’d answered repeatedly. as if it was another script you’d memorized for a film.

“well it wasn’t like in the movies where one thing happens and then you have this profound realization or some sort of epiphany… it was a collection—i guess a supercut.” you laughed, thinking about how cliché it could be to use this term related to movies as a metaphor.

looking at a spot next to the interviewer, thinking deeply you continued, “there was him saying ‘what can i do? how can i help?’ there was him sending a text that said ‘this made me think of you.’”

you looked back at her, seeing her listening intently with a small smile on her face. you chuckled, remembering a moment which you were sure the entirety of the internet also knew. “and—and there was the time when he was trimming dodger’s fur and accidentally shaved a bald spot on the side of his body. he sent me the picture with a message that just said ‘i think i did something wrong. send help’ and i could remember looking at it and laughing so hard.”

of course there were the more intimate moments—ones which you’d like to keep just to yourself and hold onto so tightly with the memories in your hands. these were the quiet nights where you both couldn’t sleep and end up in the kitchen at 2 in the morning to eat taco bell leftovers from the other night just for your stomachs to regret it a few hours later.

times when you’d both be reading a book in the living room, seated on opposite ends of the sofa with your legs right next to each other and asking him, “if you woke up one day and i turned into a worm, would you still love me?” he’d look up from siddharta—reading it for the thousandth time—smile at you with a twinkle in his eye and say, “of course, honey.” then his head would tilt to the side, “would you still love me if i turned into a worm?” you would smirk and say, “ew. no.” he’d tackle you and put you over his shoulder with his other hand tickling your side, you squealing “fine! i would—i still would! chris!”

realizing that you’re getting lost in your thoughts, you snapped back into the present. breathing out you said, “these moments are what made it all click together like a riddle i’ve been trying so hard to figure out my whole life.”

“and it doesn’t stop there. i think everyday there are still moments that add onto this supercut in my head. there are still moments that solidify or kind of—i don’t know… like… emphasize this thought in my head that says ‘hey! this is the one, dude!’”

another core memory popped into your mind, your hand about to go to your belly but remembering that the world doesn’t know and you’re not ready to share the most special one just yet.

you shrugged and smiled sheepishly, “sorry for rambling! i hope that made sense.”

“no i absolutely loved your answer!” the interviewer gushed—no doubt more than glad about the insider scoop she received from you that others didn’t.

once the interview aired, it went absolutely viral. everyone in your family and friends (both from yours and chris’ side) teased you about it, not used to you getting really personal during interviews. sending screenshots of headlines that say “who knew y/n would be a simp for chris evans?” to group chats where you and chris were both in.

fans on twitter going absolutely wild, with tweets that became a topic of conversation between you and chris during breakfast or when you’d both walk dodger together.

@/cevansfan: i want them to adopt me PLS

@y/nchris: THEY BETTER END UP TOGETHER FOREVER

@y/nforlife: wow what a great day to lie down on the highway 🥰

and a few months later, you were finally ready to share one special moment from your supercut with the world.

chrisevans

Liked by imsebastianstan and others

chrisevans The answer to all riddles✔️

Worm❓

Love of my life✔️

Wife✔️

And just a few weeks ago… Baby mama✔️

What else could I ask for? 💙 @/yourusername

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octaviaspencer I cannot wait to see you guys soon!!!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

y/nchris WAS THAT IN REFERENC ETO Y/N’S INTERVIEW A few mONTHs AGO I’M CRYinG

scottevansgram Feels like yesterday when you were my father in a play 😂😂😂 now I get to see you as an actual dad. Love you guys!!!

pic by henrygolding on ig! i love him and liv and their little baby so much ❤️

#chris evans #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x actress!reader #I HAVEN’T WRITTEN ANYTHING IN SO LONG

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hunnythebee · 1 year

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Jealousy

Recent events between Phee and Tech have you feeling... well to put it bluntly, have you feeling jealous.

2.4k words - first person - gender neutral

Tags: Reader x Tech, GN Reader (let me know if I used anything gender specific and I will edit it out), Jealous!Reader, Best Friend!Hunter, mild spoilers for Season 2 Episode 13, pining, angst, fluff, love confessions, kissing

I would like to preface this by stating for the record, I am in no way against the direction they are going with Tech and Phee. I love that they are leading toward a canon romance (or at the very least hinting at it). However, posts made by people voicing their own opinions have inspired me to write this because I've never written a jealous!reader before and it sounded fun. Now that that’s out of the way, enjoy!

I had been cordial, friendly even with Phee. She was decent… for a pirate. Not that we had been much better in recent times, so who was I to judge? But what had me sucking at my teeth while I glared from my seat behind Tech was the way she was touching him. So familiar. And this nickname she had for him always made my stomach twist. ‘Brown eyes.’ How creative of her. I shouldn’t be so mad at her. She was going to help us afterall. Stars I just… I can’t figure out why she rubs the wrong way so hard.

I was silent as the dead the whole trip to wherever she was taking us. I hadn’t realized I was clenching my jaw until it unclenched. My whole mouth fell slack at the sight of this small island civilization. Beautiful blue waters surrounded a mountain dotted with small white huts. It looked so peaceful, so serene. Tech landed the Maurauder at the peak of the mountain, where there stood a tall tree and an even taller temple-like structure. As I stepped out of the ship the warm sun hit my skin and I sighed in relief. My seething anger melted away from me almost instantly.

A man, whom Phee referred to as Shep appeared on the platform, along with a young girl. She hugged the man, which made my anger melt even more. Maybe this was her husband and child? Maybe she’s just really friendly by nature. Then I overheard Wrecker make a joking comment towards Tech.

“Looks like you’ve got some competition.” He nudged Tech with his elbow to emphasize the remark. I bit my cheek and rolled my eyes, a gesture Hunter couldn’t help but notice. I relaxed a little when I took notice of Tech’s utter confusion towards Wrecker’s remark as he lowered his datapad. Phee then introduced Shep to us as the mayor of this island, Pabu, and his daughter Lyanna. Phee proceeded to list us off by name, Omega, myself, Hunter, Wrecker, and then Tech. My anger flared back up just a little when she saved Tech’s name for last, but I quickly attempted to stomp out the internal flame. Hunter was giving me a side eye, which meant I wasn’t quick enough about it.

After the introductions were made, Shep invited us all to eat with them at his home. As we were leaving the platform, Phee stated that she would catch up. Tech lingered behind the group, she said something to him and left. He turned around smiling and proceeded to catch up. I noticed his grin and his body language when they were talking, and I felt twinge. It wasn’t anger or hatred. This was something else entirely. I was so lost in thought I hadn’t realized that I was becoming a straggler, lingering so far behind the group that I couldn’t hear what any of them were saying. It didn’t matter. My heart pounded in my ears and I could feel a lump forming in my throat. I didn’t want to feel like this, not when everyone else was so happy. Yet here I was, turning green with jealousy. Worse yet, I couldn’t understand why. I turned my head to look out at the water as I walked, hoping the view would calm me as it had before. I was so focused that I didn’t notice Hunter blocking my path until it was too late.

I would have walked square into his chest if he hadn’t grabbed me by the shoulder with a gentle, yet firm hand. The contact startled me and I let out a small yell and clutched my chest.

“Hunter! You nerf-herder nearly gave me a heart attack,” I exclaimed.

He was silent for a moment and then responded with a simple, “Your heart’s fine. Your head is what I’m concerned about.”

I tried to feign confusion. I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I was hoping if I acted dumb he wouldn’t pry. As usual, it didn’t work. He shouted up to the rest of the group that we would catch up in a minute, then turned his attention back to me.

“Talk to me. What’s going on? You’ve been off all day.” He was looking at me with that sincere concerned look he gets, and I knew I couldn’t hide what was bothering me. I sighed and fell against the wall to my right.

“It’s… Phee.” I started, struggling to get the words out.

“I figured out that much,” he stood in front of me, folding his arms over his chest. “The question is why does she make you so angry?”

I froze. My heart dropped into my stomach. I knew why. I had figured it out moments before the collision with Hunter. I wasn’t ready to say yet. Not fully.

“Because…” I hesitated, looking everywhere but Hunter’s eyes.

“Because?” He echoed.

I sighed heavily. I couldn’t say it. I physically couldn’t make the words take form, despite them being right on the tip of my tongue. I was struggling and he could tell. He stepped closer to me and I felt a caloused hand touch my cheek carefully. I finally let myself look at him. He had this knowing look on his face.

“Do you need me to say it for you?” He asked. I bit my lip and shook my head in agreement. There was no way of knowing if he actually knew what was running through my mind, but it did always kind of feel like he could read minds sometimes.

“You’re in love with Tech.”

He stated it so easily. Like it wasn’t the most planet shattering phrase in the galaxy. Tears welled in my eyes and I whispered a barely audible, “Yes.”

Hunter pulled me into a tight hug as the tears began to fall, and then the verbal floodgates released.

“I can’t stand it, Hunter. Seeing the two of them together. She’s always flirting with him. Touching him or calling ‘Brown Eyes.” What kind of kriffing nickname is that anyways? ‘Brown Eyes’? You all have brown eyes! At least be more original than that! But that’s not even the worst part. The worst part is the way he looks at her. He would never look at me like that…”

“That you’ve seen…” Hunter mutters under his breath. I pull away and stare at him with a furrowed brow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I questioned.

“Nothing. I think you should talk to Tech. Tell him how you feel. If he feels the same then you can stop feeling so jealous. If he doesn’t… then at least you have closure.” He grabs my shoulder one last time and gives it a squeeze. “Think about it over dinner, okay?”

“Okay…” I responded.

I gathered myself and we headed toward the home of the Mayor. Dinner felt… long. Scratch that. It felt like an eternity. Phee was her usual self, and Tech seemed to actually be enjoying it. I felt sick. I couldn’t eat anymore. I stood up from the table abruptly and excused myself. I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, but I needed to get away from there. I decided to go back to the ship. I raced up the steps as fast as my legs would carry me. I don’t even think I was halfway there before I got winded and had to stop for breath. I felt far enough away that I could at least take my time now. I decided to take a break to watch the sunset, hoping that it would make me feel better. It was sort of working to calm my nerves, until I heard my name being called by a familiar voice. I turned my head to catch a glimpse of Tech, running up the steps towards me. His long legs carried him up two or three steps at a time. My heart raced and I panicked. I couldn’t face him like this. I turned quickly from him and began sprinting back up the steps, with him in tow and gaining. I was already exhausted from booking it up the steps before and my endurance was nothing compared to a clone’s, so it was a given that he was going to eventually catch up to me. I at least managed to get to the landing second to the top before he got to me. He caught my hand in his and my heart leapt inside my chest.

He was breathing hard from the exertion, “What…is…going…on?” He spoke, panting between his words.

“Just…leave…me…alone.” I panted back. I pulled my hand from his, despite wanting to keep it there forever. I tried to move to continue my climb, but I was too slow. His hands pressed into my shoulders and shoved me against the wall. My eyes widened at the show of brute force he was exhibiting. It wasn’t like him to use his strength like this. I had almost forgotten that, despite his differing physique, he was meant to be as strong as any other clone. There was escaping now, but I could still refuse to look in his eyes. If I did, I was sure I would break.

“Why are you running from me?” He still sounded exhausted, but his voice was like music to me. I sighed deeply and looked up at the sky, anything but his eyes. He lowered his head and continued to speak.

“Hunter…said I should be the one to come after you,” he admitted.

“That mud-scuffer…” I muttered.

Tech laughed, it was dry and tired, but it gave me chills. I was breaking already and I wasn’t even looking at him.

“Why didn’t he want me to catch you? Why are you running? And why… why won’t you look at me?” I could hear pain in his voice. I didn’t want to cause him pain. That was the last thing I wanted. I bit into my lower lip and finally met his stare. His eyes were filled with worry. He was looking straight into mine and I felt it. I was breaking. There was nothing stopping it.

“Please…” I pleaded with him in one last feeble attempt. “Please Tech… don’t.”

“I know something is wrong…” He ignored my pleas. “You can tell me anything. You know that.”

He was right. I am usually so open with him, so why should this be any different. Just tell him how I feel, be rejected and move on. Like Hunter said.

“I…” I start, but lose my train of thought when I look into his eyes. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall. Just say it already.

“I love you.”

My heart was pounding so loudly I wasn’t sure if he had responded and I couldn’t hear him, or if he was being unusually silent. I couldn’t bear to look at him. I didn’t want to see his eyes, the look of betrayal over my confession. Or the confusion. I couldn’t take it. I just wanted him to tell me doesn’t feel the same way so this could all be over. Finally I felt movement, his hands left my shoulders. I still didn’t dare look at him, keeping my eyes shut tight and my head against the wall. Still nothing from him. Maybe he left. I finally decided to open my eyes, to see if he truly had just walked away. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

He was standing in front of me, looking magnificent with the sunset behind him. His hands were limp at his sides. I took my time working my way to his eyes. Wanting to avoid the moment for just a little longer. His mouth hung open slightly in shock. Finally I made it to his eyes, but they didn’t have the look I had been expecting. There was shock, which was to be expected, but something else. Something… contemplative.

“Tech, I–” I began, but the moment I spoke he moved in towards me. His hands found my neck and jaw, much softer than Hunter’s were, and fitting there perfectly as if they were made to hold me. Tech’s body was pressed completely against mine, with one of his legs tucked between mine. His face wasn’t even an inch from mine, as he nuzzled my nose with his own. My breath hitched in my throat as he spoke. His voice was still familiar, but the tone was foreign. He spoke low and with a heat I had never heard come from him before.

“Say it again,” he requested.

“I– I love you, Tech,” I confessed once more, as I leaned into his hand. And then his lips were on mine. Soft and gentle, patiently waiting for me to confirm that this action was okay. I kissed him back, pressing into him and reveling in this moment. He hummed happily and deepened the kiss. We continued like this till the sun had set completely. Finally we broke apart for air and he pressed his forehead to mine.

I needed to hear him say the words. So I leaned back, wanting to see him say it. Then I breathlessly asked, “Do you love me?”

“Emotions are a complex concept, and I don’t fully believe that words can be utilized to sum up one's feelings at any given point. But… if I had to put a word to what I am feeling, then… yes. Love is about as close to explaining how I feel about you.” He responded, making even that absurdly roundabout ‘yes’ sound sexy.

I laughed, “I wouldn’t have expected you to say you love me in any other way.”

“Am I truly that predictable?” He looked a little offended.

“Hmm… occasionally.” I responded. “For example, I didn’t know what to expect from you when I confessed. But I do know what you’re going to say next.”

“Do you now?” He cocked his head in amusement.

“Mmhm. You’re going to say we should head back before the others begin to worry,” I replied.

His eyes widened slightly, “How did yo–”

“I know you,” I shrugged, grabbing him by the arm. “So, let’s head back. There’s plenty of time for… this, later.”

He blushed a little at the thought, and agreed to head back down to the Mayor’s home. I finally felt at ease. I hope the rest of the night is more relaxing.

Masterlist

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jeanette-luminia · 1 year

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𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 (𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮) || 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐒

PART TWO OF WOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE

TW: Abuse, stalking? manipulative, controlling, swearing, hurt, heavy angst<3

A/N: taking a break after this, requests will be on the waitlist. this is a full 5.7k words and my whole left arm hurts. Can be read as a solo fic? I'm not sure. tell me if there's more to add in tw!

A perfect marriage was all you asked for. Being married to now your so-called husband, Desmond, you thought it would make you forget about the things from the past, more specifically, someone from your past.

But of course, love is cruel, your fate is cruel.

You gather the courage to leave the house as he asked. Well… more like demanded. You wore a long sleeve turtleneck to cover up the bruises and marks that your so-called husband had left. Grabbing a jacket on the way and stepping out of the house for the first time in a while. It almost made you squint with the amount of sunlight shining through your vision. You hesitated to step out of his house — you were too afraid. He has eyes everywhere. Everywhere you go, he will follow you.

But you perceived it. Put your hands in your pocket before going to Weathervane for coffee. Oh, how you’ve missed their coffee. The smell of freshly brewed coffee immediately made you feel homey. You waited for your coffee to be done, the usual coffee you used to have ever since before being married. The thought of you flew by. What if you hadn’t married him? You’ve imagined each scenario carefully, what would your day be like, or if you’d be with someone again.

Of course, it wasn’t possible.

You were pulled out of your reverie when a ding from a bell rang through your ear, indicating that your order is done. You politely thanked the barista and picked up the coffee from the counter and sipped through it. It's almost like your whole problem vanished away. To others, it’s a simple coffee to go by, yet to you, it feels like you were living once again.

Heading out of Wethervane, you almost forgot that someone could be watching you. Everything felt like it was normal. You thought about going to a flower shop nearby. The vases you have at home feel a little lonely and lifeless. Yes, there were flowers there, but it was always those plastic flowers that brought no life into your home whatsoever. A thought pulled you away when someone called you.

Your blood ran cold, thinking it was one of your husband’s henchmen or whatnot. Turning around, it was a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Aera.

“Y/N! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it is you.” She held her hand out, emphasizing her words. While her face is practically beaming with excitement, almost as if she has been longing to see you. You can’t remember the last time you did see her, the past few years have been a blur. You were happy for a moment, but in the corner of your eye, you see someone staring at you. It was almost innocent. It made you sick. Desmond was a powerful man, a controlling one. Defying him would cause catastrophe in your life.

You hated the man.

Aera stopped, noticing your distant daze. “Y/N?”

“It’s great to see you, but I have to go. I can’t talk to you, I’m sorry,” you said almost too quickly. You didn’t give her a chance to respond to what you just said before running in fear. It was a mistake going out. You should have never gone out of the house. You go away from the scene realizing you had dropped your coffee. Damn it.

You stayed in the study, reading a book you have yet to finish to distract you from the event that occurred earlier. How you wished you could stay, and catch up on how she’s been, even a hug would be nice. You have been longing for a touch that screams love. If a person asked what you wished for right now, you’d wish for a pair of arms to hold you close, and love you.

You have been daydreaming that you didn’t even realize you’ve stopped marking the book where you’ve left off.

However, your butler, Simon, had interrupted your quiet time with a piece of horrendous news you wished to not hear. “Mrs. Salvatore, your husband has arrived.” his flat tone didn’t hide the fact that he is worried for you. The staff has been fond of you ever since you arrived. It was like a sun had shone through the endless void of this horrible house. You always wondered how much they’d endured Desmond’s wrath before you came into the picture.

Before you could reply to Simon, the door opened. Your hands become clammy, trembling a little at the sight of him. He closed the door gently, and it scared you. He never closed the door gently, he usually slammed the door. He slowly loosens his tie before grabbing a whiskey bottle and a glass as you watch him pour the whiskey without saying anything. you silently signaled Simon to leave you two be, but he hesitated before granting your wishes. When he set down his glass too roughly, you knew he was mad.

“I heard you met up with Aera.” He kept his flat tone.

You tried your hardest to be composed. “Yes.” Matching his tone, you almost surprised yourself. The lack of emotions scares you.

"I also heard you left in a frantic, panicking even." He slowly rolled up his sleeves before you heard the heel of his shoes gradually come closer to you. you kept your head low, clutching the book in hand. you feared the way he looked at you.

His finger made an appearance in your vision, grabbing your chin harshly, and forcing you to look at him. "I never said you can't talk to her, now did it?"

you simply nod, afraid that your voice will betray you. He wasn't satisfied, he needed a verbal answer.

"Use your words, woman."

"Yes." Your voice cracked, tears gathering in the corner of your eye. He smiled.

"Good, I was beginning to think that it was because you feared me." he chuckled, letting go of your chin. You quickly hung my head low, slipping a few tears before wiping them away. God, how could someone be cruel?

"Well, Of course, you should fear me." he paused, drinking his whiskey from the glass he once set earlier. "After all, you are indebted to me." His cold tone made you shiver, effectively making you freeze.

You could feel his eyes boring into you. "Remember who you should fear." you didn't want to look at him. No, you could never look at him, especially in this state. He will use your fear against you, to manipulate you. That's the kind of man Desmond is.

This was a loveless marriage you wished to get away from.

You heard his shoe clank on the floor, before hearing the door open and shut. Upon looking around the study, you took a breath you once held. Your hands are now sweaty with anxiety, and your forehead has a thin layer of sweat. You allowed yourself to slouch onto the chair, putting your hands on your face, masking away the tears forming in your eyes.

You hated this.

Aera didn’t think she could do it. It honestly surprised her that she managed to drag her feet willingly to Larissa’s house. She was initially thinking about going through her office, but making a scene will cause her trouble.

Her fingertip came in contact with the doorbell and patiently waited for the older woman to show up. As soon as she heard the rattling sound of the door hinge, she braced herself for her appearance. They haven't seen each other for four years, ever since you and Larissa broke up. Seeing her again brought back a bittersweet taste on her tongue.

When Larissa opened the door, she saw Aera standing there, clutching the strap of her bag so hard that it’ll leave a wrinkle. She hasn’t had visitors in a while, and her appearance didn’t suit her liking. She knows that she holds a grudge for what she did, she couldn’t blame her. She would too if she were in her position.

“Aera.” She stated.

“We need to discuss something.” She said, narrowing her eyes at her. “Can I come in?”

“Of course.” she stepped aside, letting the shorter woman enter her home before closing the doors. “Do you want coffee or tea?” She offered. She knew she was still mad at her, but she at least wanted her to feel comfortable, even for a moment.

“No thanks, I don’t plan to stay for long.” She said it sternly, but her actions hinted that she was getting impatient and wanted to get straight to the point. She made herself comfortable on the couch as Larissa followed her, sitting across the agitated woman.

“Okay then, What do you want to talk about?” She shifted in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position for her. Larissa’s head hung low, keeping her eyes on her hands as she fiddled with them.

Aera noticed. The way she fidgets with her hands, the way she looks more tired and frail over the years, the bags under her eyes become visible, the way that stupid necklace is still locked inside her neck with that stupid ring of hers. Not wanting to beat around the bush, she cleared her throat.

“Help Y/N.” As soon as she heard your name, she perked up. She wishes she didn’t but her body betrayed her will. “What do you mean?”

“Help Y/N get out of that loveless marriage she is having with that bastard.” she gritted her teeth, gripping the cushion she is sitting on right now. She didn’t want to ask for her help, but she knew Desmond is a powerful man, and between him and her, she could end up losing the life she had built for herself. While she was powerless, she knew Larissa had some power in her status. She hated herself for reaching out, but she had no choice. The way you looked afraid after meeting up with her, afraid of his wrath. She had no choice but to seek help.

Hearing her words, her head snapped forward, finally facing Aera. A sea of emotions flood through her. She thought you were finally happy with someone, and that you finally found someone to love. Her heart breaks, never in those four years of being separated removed you from her mind. Every day, she had always thought of you. Think about what you are doing, how have you been, or if you already have a child. She didn’t expect you to get hurt again, not after she had hurt you. She felt her eyes swell up with tears.

“Ever since she’s been married to Desmond Salvatore, Desmond practically isolated her in his home. He manipulated her to push everyone — even me.” Her eyes stung with tears as she pointed at herself. “It’s been almost a year since I last saw her. And upon seeing her again today, she was beyond scared, almost as if Desmond is following every step she makes.” She wiped the tears she shed as she hid in her hand.

“So for the love of God, help her then maybe it’ll atone for the pain you’ve caused.” she flinched at the harsh tone she used. Deep down, she desperately wants to see you, to know if you are still okay.

“I will.” Larissa narrowed her eyes at her, keeping an uncomfortable time staring at each other. She was determined to save you from that jerk, the jerk she believed will treat you with everything you deserve. She hated herself for putting you in this situation. Because to be frank, it was her fault for neglecting you and driving you away.

“Where does she live?”

She’ll make things right. She promised.

You heard the doorbell ring, you looked up curiously. It was unusual to receive visitors, especially since your husband is away. Pushing away the thought one of the maids ran to the door and opened it to see who it was.

As the maid opened the door, she was met with an unfamiliar yet familiar woman. She knew her as the Headmistress of the Nevermore Academy, but she knew the Man in the house did not have any business with an outcast like her. She also familiarizes her with one of the stories you’ve told, about a particularly tall woman with blonde, almost white hair and that charming smile.

“Can I help you with anything?” she asked cautiously.

Larissa tensely smiled. “Yes, I believe Y/N Salvatore lives here?” She asked, even though she knew the answer.

You got curious, wondering why the maid is taking so long. Curiosity gets the best of you, it gets you in a lot of trouble. Upon close inspection, you saw the maid in front of the door. The familiar dress made you pause, hoping this isn’t true, wishing that this is just a dream. This is a dream. This. Is. A. Dream.

You finally looked up at the person, and you finally saw her. After years without seeing each other, it made you yearn for her. You hated how much she still affects you, you hated how much she could just show up after the torment she had put you. You hated how beautiful she is after all these years. You wanted to scream, to throw a tantrum at her. You wanted to hurt her. You want to hurt her as she hurt you. This is unfair.

“Y/N…” Her voice is laced with concern, seeing you again made her feel something, something familiar.

“Y/N, can we talk?” She asked.

The maid in the middle of the both of you debated whether she should get rid of the woman, or let her in. she looked at you, practically asking you to give her some sort of order. You stood still, this is now a one-time opportunity that you worry if you reject, you’d regret for the rest of your life. You sighed deeply, finally looking at the maid.

“Please leave us be, Bella.” You gave the older woman a tired smile. You could tell she was conflicted, you walked over to her and placed your hand on top of hers before nodding slightly. It gave enough reassurance before leaving the both of you.

When the maid left, your eyes were now glued to the floor. “Come in.” your voice was a mere whisper and insisted she follows you. She gently closes the door and soon follows you into the corridor. She looked around the walls, the picture frames, and the paintings. She noticed the states that the maids had given her, it was like they were judging her severely.

Once both of you entered the study, her eyes fell on the big picture frame in the middle above the fireplace. It was you in one of your fancy dresses, she guessed your Desmond bought it for you. You sat still in the chair while Desmond stood, hand behind your back. It made her sick.

“Why are you here?” Your voice is laced with anger, turning around to the woman who is still staring at the photo that you loathed.

She then looked at you. Seeing what's inside of you, what you hide, what you seek, what you’ve been longing for. That's how she looked at you. It made you feel exposed.

“Leave him.”

“Leave who?”

“Don’t play dumb Y/N. Leave that bastard. That bastard you now call husband.” Her anger is spilling, she looked at you more with determination. You’ve never seen her like this, you’ve never seen her so worked up. She was getting furious, not to you, but to him.

“I cannot leave my husband.” you weakly said, keeping your eyes on her.

She scoffed at your blindness. She knows you can see the terrible things Desmond has done, but she doesn’t understand why you’d choose to stay. Just tell me, she thought. Tell me what you need.

She hits you with a question that makes you tear up, almost wanting to hunch back and sob. “Do you love him?” she asked.

You do not love him. You would never love him. He loathes you, you hated him. Nothing in this marriage is fair. This is a loveless, hateful marriage. You hated him. You wanted to tell her that you hated him, that you wanted to run away.

“I love him…” Your voice betrayed you, wanting to kick yourself mentally. You never wished to hesitate, but it was all too much. You hated how much you are showing to the woman you once loved. But then again, did you really stop loving her? You wanted to love him, you really tried. But he made it clear from the start. You were nothing but a nuisance.

“You’re lying.”

“I am not.”

“Leave him.” she insists. She never once raised her voice, or accused you of anything, it made you think about what changed her. “I cannot leave.” You emphasized. It was getting harder to breathe. She can see it, the way you clutched your chest, the way she saw the glisten of a thin layer of sweat on your forehead.

“Please tell me why.” She pleads. She wants to hold you, embrace you and protect you. But knowing you, it’ll only feel like she’s caging you.

“Because I am indebted to him.” You silently sobbed, holding everything in was all too much. You sobbed your heart out whilst keeping your voice inside. Ever since being with Desmond, you learned to cry silently. It became a habit.

You hugged yourself as you gripped your shoulders too hard. Surely it’ll leave a mark. “My father loaned money for me to live. Now that he is gone, I am now indebted to him.” You finally meet her gaze, and finally, notice her changes. Her face suddenly got thin, emphasizing the hollow space in her cheeks. Her clothes look slightly bigger to her. The bags under the eyes were now visible. Even her lipstick has changed, going for a darker red rather than the red she usually wore. Your eyes landed on her neck, specifically, the ring on her necklace. You wondered if it had always been there before, or that she found another woman to love. It confused you. You hated how much of an effect she had on you.

“Do you get it now? I cannot leave—”

A beat. It made you freeze. “And you never will.”

You looked at him with wide eyes, fearing him. He heard you, he heard your conversation. What's worse is that he had caught you talking with your ex. “Leave us, Simon.” As much as your butler hated it, he left the three of you to unfold what’s gonna happen.

“Now.” his voice laced with venom, making you flinch. You clenched your fist together and bit your lower lip which will surely bruise later on. “Why on earth are you here, Weems?” Your instinct was said to protect her. You don’t know why. It was like your heart decided for you, and not your head.

“–She was just about to leave!” You interrupted Larissa before she managed to utter a word. Before she can interject, you manage to grab her hand and lead her through the door. You pushed Larissa away from your study, and with your frantic movement and teary gaze, you plead for her to leave. “Leave now. Please leave.” you plead before hearing your husband call your name.

“I need a word with my wife.” He suddenly appeared beside you, hand firmly gripping your waist, making you wince in pain. Avoiding her protest, Desmond roughly guided you back into the study.

She hesitated, before seeing the man called Simon from earlier. She noticed his worried feature. She now noticed how the house seemed tense, almost as if they knew what was gonna happen. He paced around, his hands fiddled in anticipation, but he couldn’t do anything other than hear the moment unfold.

Suddenly, he was broken out of his reverie when the tall woman he once saw beside you walked up to her with haste. He gathered his composure quickly and bowed to the taller woman. “Call the police.” He froze at her words, he looked at her and saw how watery her eyes are. He saw how desperate she was to save the lady in this house. He felt a sense of respect for her.

“Understood.” He quickly fled the corridor, sprinting as he look for a phone to make a call. Larissa stood there, thinking about what she should do next. Should she waits for the police to arrive? Or Should she barge into the doors? Her thoughts racked her mind, standing in the middle of the halls. But the sound of the glass shatter in the study room, where you and Desmond are, made her snap out of her reverie. Without thinking, her feet dragged her towards the study and busted open the door.

She couldn’t forget the look on your face, crawling backward to get away from Desmond. The fear plastered in your eyes was unbearable to look at, the way you shook your head continuously, making up words she can’t even hear anymore. Desmond holds a broken red wine bottle, dripping with leftover red wine. If someone saw this scene, you’d think it's blood. If she was to wait for the police, it would all be too late, and she would break the promise she made to herself.

So, she chose the latter.

“You are a disgrace. Choosing the woman who once hurt you. Are you that much of a whore?” His laughter bombarded the whole study. His voice was loud enough for at least someone to hear him. That was her last straw. She couldn’t take it anymore, the insults, the death stares, and now this. She grabbed the nearby vase on the pedestal and ran toward where Desmond slowly inched away from you. Desmond was too focused on you that he didn’t notice Larissa with a vase in hand.

She lifted the vase. Then, Desmond sensed her presence, she looked behind him. The look she gave him made Desmond… afraid. It made his knees weak, it was a look that no one dared to give him up until now, it almost looks like a killer look. Larissa looked at him with pure spite, pure hatred. She gripped the vase hard, almost cracking it. Before Desmon could even react, Larissa had smashed the vase on his head, breaking it into pieces as he fall onto his knees.

He couldn’t comprehend what happened, his head pounded so loudly, it made his ears bleed. He was on his knees as he gripped his head where he was hit, he felt something wet and thick. Looking at his hand, he saw his own blood painting his hand. While Desmond was preoccupied with himself, Larissa had run onto your shaking figure, whispering nothing but pleas and mercy.

“Darling, come with me, I’ll get you out of here.” She changed her whole demeanor as if she was now a different person to you. You trembled upon seeing that just happened, you were afraid, but not to her. Something about her made you lose your fear, maybe the way she used her voice? The tone? Her gentle eyes? Her soft hands? You don’t know anymore. You don’t want to know anymore.

You want to take her hand, but you were too paralyzed to do so. But she was patient, it was something you were glad she hasn’t changed about herself. You nearly missed the way Desmond picked himself up, grabbing the broken wine bottle beside him. You felt your fear spike up again, the urge to push this woman away from this. This is your problem, she shouldn’t be here, she shouldn’t be in this mess to begin with. This is your problem, yours only.

She should have just left you alone, then maybe, she won’t witness you like this.

You pushed her away, creating a gap between you as Desmond swung the wine bottle in between you. You missed the way your heart skipped a beat, you nearly stopped breathing. You crawled away before he could swing it again, now facing you. But before it could hit you, Simon grabbed his wrist, twisting it at an unusual angle, while he grabbed his other wrist and put it behind his back. Desmond screamed in pain, dropping the wine bottle right before you.

You heard the siren from the police nearby gradually getting louder and louder. “What is the meaning of this, Simon?” He yelled demandingly, screaming like a maniac. His eyes grew wide. He was livid, mad. You feared that Simon would get hurt, or anyone for that matter. You never want anyone to go through this. “Simon!” You yelled.

“That’s enough torment to lady Y/N.” He said. This was the side you never saw in him. He was kind, always with a smile. This side was something different. Before Desmond could do any more damage, the police finally rounded him. When the police pointed the gun at him, telling him to put his hand up, you felt a wave of relief wash over you. You finally allowed yourself to breathe freely. You know that it is not truly over, but you wanted to feel free, at least for a moment.

“Desmond Salvatore, you are under arrest.” You recognize the voice. Looking up where you sat, Sheriff Galpin emerged through the door, holding his gun up and a handcuff in his other hand. Simon let go of him as the police took over, putting the handcuffs behind Desmond. “No, this isn’t right, the real lunatic here is her!” he pointed at Larissa, who, at the time, was gathering the strength to stand up. She didn’t dare to speak, not because she was guilty of the wound she gave Desmond. She only stared at him, she was calm — almost too calm. It was unsettling, even for you. Desmond clicked his tongue as she stared at Larissa for too long, towering at her height. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he felt intimidated by her.

He snapped his neck toward your frail figure, and he ran toward you but failed to do so. Fortunately, Sheriff Galpin had caught him in the act and pulled him back immediately, not only that, Larissa had stepped between the space you had between him. “Tell them, Y/N! Tell them that she’s the fucking lunatic.” His remarks made you jolt, flinching at his harsh words. The Sheriff had pushed him out of the study, nodding at Larissa before sending Desmond away for a long time. She finally sighed as she felt the room become more spacious, finally able to breathe for a while.

Turning around to see you still on the floor, long lost in your reverie. She hunched down, eyeing your eyes. She only sees fear, it was somehow the same fear you had when she had lashed out four years ago. Using her fingernails to tap on the floor, making her presence noticeable. “Can you stand?” You only shook your head, feeling the adrenaline rush through you, you were afraid that if you tried to stand up, you’d just fall.

“Allow me.” Simon butted in, gently taking your hands and lifting you up. You were shaken up at this point, not knowing what to do. “Let’s take you to your bedroom.” His soft gentle voice made you ease your racing heart, following him as he guided you into your bedroom. Larissa stayed behind, watching closely your interaction with him. She watched in awe, awe at how much people care for you. As soon as the three of you had stepped out of the study, a horde of maids gathered around, checking up on your condition.

“Oh, Mrs. Y/N.” Bella’s voice managed to get through the crowd, looking at the damage that Desmond has caused right before her eyes. “Let her through.” She said irritatedly. Once those words left her mouth, the maid made way for you to get through. You thanked them silently, but you wished you could have worded it better.

Just before Larissa could join you upstairs to your bedroom, Bella had called her in. “Ms. Weems.”

Larissa turned around. She noticed that she held out a tray with the first aid kit box, A jar of water, and a glass. Her expressions were something Larissa couldn’t read. She drew her lips thin as the older woman inched closer the tray towards her, indicating that she should take it. “It seems like Mrs. Y/N needs you more than us.” Then, Larissa saw a small, yet kind smile from the older woman, her worries ease. She slowly took the tray. She glanced at the woman who have this… relief on her face. Or was it something else? She couldn’t decipher.

“Thank you.” She excused herself, making her way up the stairs to go to your room. In the corner of her eye, she saw Simon entering one of the rooms down the hall through the left, she guessed it was your room and headed towards it. The first sight she sees is the big window illuminating the dark red curtains. She noticed how your bed was made, the same way you made your bed every time she visits. She sees you sitting on the edge of the bed, back facing toward her. Simon had draped the curtains on the side, letting the sunlight shines. As Simon turned around, he saw Larissa holding a tray with the first aid kit needed and water.

He smiled in her direction before leaving the room.

Larissa slowly made her way toward you, fear and anxiety slowly creeping up on her body. She set the tray on your bedside table and grabbed the nearby chair to face you. “... Can I see your face?” She hesitated, looking into your hands fidgeting. Right before she could say something again, you had shown your face to her, now staring at her eyes. She couldn’t form any words, she only stared at you.

She searched your face, neck, and neck for any clear signs of injury. She did, however, found a few bleeding cuts on your arm and legs, guessing from when Desmond had shattered the glass. She quickly cleaned each cut gently, putting petroleum jelly and covering it with a bandaid whilst looking at you, silently asking for your consent.

She finally looked up, finishing covering the wound you have on your knee when she noticed your eyes drifting away from somewhere, staring at something. She followed your eyes, only to find that you’d been staring at the ring she has on her neck. She felt her shoulder stiff, unconsciously grabbing the right and fiddling with it whilst you continue to stare at it.

“What’s with the ring?” you murmured, pointing out the right from her neck before looking at her with hesitant eyes. Did she really find someone better? But if she did, where are they?

“Your thoughts are quite loud.” She breathlessly chuckled, already knowing what was going through your mind by reading your eyes change. The way your pupils change, or when you subtly bit the bottom lip of yours. You chuckled alongside her, finding it amusing how she can still read you. “This is…” She hesitated before looking at you. Taking a deep breath and gathered the courage to say it.

It’s now or never.

This is supposedly the ring I was gonna propose to you.” She muttered the last part, she thought you didn’t hear it, but the way your eyes widen by surprise, jaw slacked, almost open — she knew you had heard her. “I’m sorry.” She said, taking your hand.

“I’m so sorry that I hurt you.” Her voice cracked, tears gathering in her eyes, and gently caressed your thumb. You had your head low, meaning she couldn’t see your face. Part of her wants to know how you reacted, how you comprehend it. But, another part of her wants to keep your face hidden within her reach, she doesn’t want the same thing to repeat over again. She noticed how your chest rises up rapidly while trying to maintain it at the same time, and your shoulder is rigid, trembling every time you breathe.

“I can’t…” you said. “I can’t trust you anymore.” you cried out, waves of emotions hits you like an ocean, trying to get to the surface to breathe only to be hit with another large wave, pulling you away from the surface. “I just can’t.”

“... Will you let me?”

“Let you what?” You asked, barely a whisper anymore.

“Will you let me show you that you can trust me?” She let her tears slip.

You shook your head, retracting the hand that once held hers, “I don’t trust myself enough to pull away when I needed to.” you explained as best as you can without your hiccups breaking off what you were saying.

She understands. If she was in your shoes, she wouldn’t either. But she was deeply, madly crazy for you. She wanted to try again. She wants to wait for you, at least for you to trust her once more. She will try again and again. She wants to give you the life you have deserved once more. She does not want to fuck up as she did.

“I'm not demanding you to trust me, I am asking you. I want you to know that you have a choice in this. Then, will you let me show you that you can trust me again?”

Maybe some part of you wished she’d keep pushing. Pushing the thought of trusting her again — of course, it’ll take time. She knew that. She knew that there will be a chance when you’d trust her again, and there will be one where you won’t — leaving her. She was willing to make that chance. It was her decision.

You didn’t say anything for the rest of the day. You let Larissa take care of you, nurture you back. You didn’t say anything, you knew deep inside, you were willing you let her show you.

#☕: writes #larissa weems x reader #gwendoline christie x reader #larissa x reader #larissa weems #gwendoline christie

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artheresy · 5 months

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Yingxing Appreciation 🎉🎉

hi, hello, it's Yingxing appreciation time and I'm dragging you into it bc he is my baby and I need more ppl to talk about him

Y'know I see a lot of people like in awe and hyping up DF and just giving him tons of appreciation while analyzing him specifically as an individual which is all so so valid, DF is amazing and very intriguing as a character and I love him sm, but I sadly don't see the same for Yingxing despite him I think also being so interesting. I also see him more so dismissed in the "literally God and some guy" kind of fashion sometimes

So I'm here to rant just a little bit about Yingxing, why I love him, why he's epic and why he ruins my day every single time I think about him! This is for any of my fellow Yingxing lovers who are also starved of any content of him

Firstly, this man is a genuine genius, like lest we forget this is from Baiheng's travelogue in which she met a young Yingxing who was still a child by this point.

He was a young boy but had already become a craftsman, a sign of his ability to learn exceedingly quick under Huaiyans tutelage. And his ability to work and progress incredible fast continues into his time as a young man on the Luofu.

We know he arrived probably somewhere around 18-21 (in my personal estimate) and by the time he saw Jingliu again (which itself was likely early into his stay on the Luofu given HCQ ages and timing), he had already impressed the Master Craftsmen of the Luofu's Artisanship Commission and earned himself a title.

There are also multiple things in game that emphasize his achievements and creations he crafted, some offhandedly mentioned in a readable or item while others are emphasized with importance.

Casually mentioned in the Discarded Ingenium Parts is his feat in the Great Trial of the Furnace (perhaps that trial is for gaining the furnace master title? Once again signifying an earlier achievement in his legacy) where it took him only a day and night to create a whole mechanical lion that moved and looked just like a real live lion from a bunch of defective parts and waste.

More recently in 1.5, they released a readable, the Ten-Lords Criminal Directory, which mentions an imprisonment method designed by Yingxing that keeps “Mirage” in a perpetual state trapped within a hallucination of their own making. Utilizing it’s own powers in order to keep it imprisoned. Something that with proper maintenance seems to have lasted for around 700 years so far.

And of course, how can we forget his most famous creations

The beautifully crafted weapons of the High Cloud Quintet, from Jingliu’s incredibly heavy sword remarked as being as heavy as three thousand catties, to Dan Feng’s Cloud Piercer with the ability to even cut through dragon scales, and the Devastator Glaive as well as Baiheng’s recurve bow. Each impressive in their own ways and seemingly crafted pretty early as well into his time on the Luofu with the HCQ given the distinction of Jing Yuan who (even if he likely was more a teen than a boy) still wasn’t an exact adult yet. So once again, let me emphasize this man’s skill here. With how many things he managed to do so so early into his time on the Luofu. A genius craftsman who deserved all of the praise he had garnered with his works.

Additionally, I know they keep harping about “ugh arrogant craftsman, ugh he’s so full of himself” but every single time we’ve seen his personality, he just seems like a genuine joy to be around. Bright, charismatic, sure he’s cocky but he also gives the impression of being incredibly fun and a bit silly if you ask me.

His behavior as mirrored by the mirage echo in Scalegorge Waterscape is distinctly playful even in what might be a more tense situation, lightly bantering with Dan Feng and even chuckling in certain languages.

In Jingliu’s character stories, it even furthers this bright, playful attitude he gives off with his distinct cheekiness shining through especially with that “toothy grin” of his. And if you listen to Jingliu’s (at least her English) voice lines during Clouds Leave No Trace when she speaks about Yingxing before getting into his transformation, there is a distinct fondness or amusement in her voice as she speaks of him especially that cocky nature of his despite her distaste for it at first.

While Baiheng is hailed as this kind figure in the High Cloud Quintet, perhaps their sun even casting light upon them, it doesn’t seem too far off to say Yingxing was a shining star among them in his own right. His easy going nature with them bringing about a bubbly playfulness similar to Baiheng given their closeness from when he was young. I could go into way more especially in regards to the casualness at which Yingxing seems to speak and treat others allowing for a more equal formation of relationships especially with Dan Feng but I’m saving that for another rant.

And all of this about him especially how expressive he seems at certain points he’s been mentioned, really just makes me so incredibly sad when thinking about Blade now. How severely separated he is from this identity. A division that exists from not only his death but from the way his mental state has been severely warped from his time with Jingliu and being affected afterwards by the mara.

The sheer dehumanization and lack of a personal identity in place of seeing himself as a solely a weapon when put next to Yingxing, with such a clear bold individual identity, really makes the transformation of one into the other all the more jarring and tragic. Especially with the emphasis on how Yingxing hated the abominations of Abundance only to become one himself, something that is still implied to have not been by his own hand. Blade is an immensely tragic character, but that tragedy only holds weight because of the life and identity Yingxing had. It is only with Yingxing’s light which shined despite the circumstances of his life that his descent into darkness hits harder, and it makes me so sad that I haven’t found many others talking or expanding upon this despite my searches because he really is such a well written character with so many details in his story that are both interesting and utterly heartbreaking.

And additionally, I want to say that I think there is a lost potential in examining the Xianzhou through Yingxing. Specifically in the way he is treated as a short life species. We know how the relationship between the Vidyadhara and the Natives, especially as it’s changed after Dan Feng, but there is a very interesting relationship to be explored between the Xianzhou and the Short Life Species the end up there, especially through Yingxing’s relationship to the different Artisans guilds whether on the Luofu or the Zhuming.

In the end, it becomes another sad element to Yingxing’s story. Yingxing managed to change his attitude regarding how the Zhuming masters treated him and even grew more of a confidence, but even in the Luofu's Artisanship Commission, he can never truly get as far as he deserves. Just as Jingliu says

Even with his work impressing the master craftsmen of the Luofu, even after more than showing his skill and earning the title of Furnace Master for that skill, he still would be denied higher positions and could only prove his true worth by the High Cloud Quintet.

And just let me say it again, him being a short life species allows for such an interesting examination of the world and people around him based upon that. While we don't know exactly how they met, we do know that Yingxing was Huaiyan's personal disciple and the only one he mentions of the celestial masters to treat him with respect and believe in his capabilities despite knowing he's a short life species. Through his treatment of Yingxing, we learn quite a bit about him. Through Baiheng's treatment of him as well, we learn a lot about her, more than anywhere else.

He's just UGH I need more exploration from Yingxing's perspective, the lack of it feels as if I'm being starved. He's so interesting, he's so fun, he's incredibly tragic, and he makes me cry every single time he crosses my mind. Please do yourselves a favor and think more about his character so you'll end up as sad about him as me. Or don't maybe. I dunno. All I know for sure is that you absolutely need to read Views of the Universe From a Starskiff: The Zhuming if you haven't. Anyways bye, thanks for listening to this rant, I gotta go cry over him.

Peep the tags also for a rant about my own characterization of YX if you wish to witness my insanity

#Let me rant about my own personal characterization of Yingxing based on this and its OVER #It's OVER #Firsy off We need to acknowledge before we get into anything that YX is severely traumatized #Before becoming a teen (we don't know exactly how long he was at the Zhuming before he met BH so he could have been p young)#He had already lost his entirely family in an incredibly brutal fashion to the Borisin #His home planet was conquered destroyed and turned into a weapons nursery for the Borisin #And he ended up somehow on the Zhuming (it's my hc that Huaiyan himself found him but we don't know the canon details)#And on top of that seemingly only Huaiyan his master was kind to him as the rest of the celestial masters on Zhuming degraded him for being #A shortlife species to the point he A CHILD tells BH he doesn't know if he'll live to see his parents avenged #So yeah he's gone through some shit #And we know his arrogance begins after Baiheng says kind words to him but ngl I don't think he switched up so fast from a few kind gestures #I think that arrogance of his begins as a coping method inspired by her especially given the exaggerated nature of it as jingliu describes #When he was a child #Kind of a fake it til you make it #And by the time he ends up on the Luofu I think it's half genuine confident half fake it til you make it #Specifically in that he does really see the people around him as equals no matter their status or species including someone like HE IL #And in that he's probably pretty judgemental all things considered #But I think the more exaggerated parts especially his outward declarations are played up a bit by him to give off a certain facade or image #In order to garner respect when paired with his actual genuine skill and talent #That's just a reduced summary of my characterization of him tho with his relationship to his confidence I have more to say but #ALSO YINGXING WITH SURVIVORS GUILT #WHERE IS MY YX WITH SURVIVORS GUILT CONTENT *bangs my fist against the floor*#That 100% plays into my personal characterization of his relationship with his confidence #Also I view YX as being AuDHD for so many reasons but esp with what we know in canon of his obsession with crafting and his #Overworking himself tendencies regarding it #Yingxing #Hsr blade #Hsr #Honkai star rail #Don't let me mention how this affects his relationships I'll be even more annoying than I already am

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faintingheroine · 3 months

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I really like this Turkish YouTuber who is an actual historian of early Ottoman period. She did a video about her opinions on Magnificent Century nearly two years ago. It is unfortunately in Turkish so you can’t understand it, but I did send it to illusorybeing (who was Albanian but learned Turkish) back then.

I don’t remember every single point she made and I won’t rewatch it but things she said that I remember:

- This video is only about the first three seasons of Magnificent Century. She hadn’t watched MC Season 4 then, I don’t know if she watched it since.

- She actually liked MC and found it to be a successful and enjoyable show! (She later found MC:K unwatchable and boring though).

- Starting in Season 2, she paid special attention to historical details and actually appreciated how accurate they could be when it comes to the non-Harem/war side of things.

- She loved the inclusion of Gül Ağa since she is a fan of the actor.

- She LOVED Matrakçı.

- She is not a romance person but she found Süleyman/Hürrem tolerable and even sweet. She didn’t like all the rest of the love scenes: Ibrahim/Hatice, Ibrahim/Nigar, Bali/Armin, Bali/Aybige, Mustafa/Everyone are the ones she counted as not liking that I remember.

- She found Hatice to be a crybaby.

- She wondered how anyone could enjoy Ibrahim/Hatice scenes.

- She found Ibrahim overly proud and pathological, generally wasn’t a fan of him.

- She liked Hürrem as a strong female character but doesn’t like it when she is lauded for “keeping her man”. She says that we should like her for her resilience not for her being able to “keep her man”.

- She thinks that Nigar and Ibrahim are very suitable for each other, as they are both slimy lowlifes with no principles who wronged her poor Matrakçı in an awful disgusting way. She doesn’t like Hatice but thinks that she still deserves much better than Ibrahim. I agree 🙂.

- She generally liked how the show emphasized that sons-in-law can’t cheat on dynastic Sultanas though, that part is very much historically accurate.

- She hated Mustafa for tricking Helena into being in his Harem in Episode 72.

- She is no fan of Bali Bey’s romance arcs but loves the guy in general. She thinks he rejected Mihrimah in an awesome respectful but firm way.

- She hates Mihrimah. Also thinks she is unattractive. Her mother Hürrem is beautiful but Mihrimah is not beautiful at all. (This is the only time in the video where she insulted looks).

- She thinks Şah is the most honest character in the whole show because she is extremely upfront about everyone needing to serve the dynasty.

- She wasn’t a huge Şah fan but loved it when she shouted at Lütfi in Episode 100.

I haven’t watched this video in two years, yet I still remember a lot from it! Wasn’t expecting to remember this much.

@desmoonl @hurremhasckis @minetteskvareninova

#magnificent century #muhteşem yüzyıl #tarih obası

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justkending · 1 year

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Finding Memories. Chapter 3.

Series Summary: Waking up with little to no memory of her past, and being saved by a group of individuals who call themselves heroes, sends a long time captive for a whirlwind trying to find some form of grounding in this world she quickly learns runs on chaos. But she’s not the only one trying to figure out her forgotten backstory. Bucky Barnes, along with the other Avengers, can’t help but sense that there is a lot more to the whole situation than a diagnosis of amnesia. Her background slowly starts to come forward in pieces of her past and hidden information discovered. Who is she? And why was she in the room they were meant to destroy?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 3900+

TW: Torture, cussing, and blood.

Chapter 3:

Though he didn’t want to leave her, he wanted to be briefed on the new findings. Lucky enough, Y/N was tired from the long afternoon and the little amount of sleep she had the night before, so she excused herself to her room to rest.

After walking her to her room, he quickly made his way to Tony’s lab where he knew the new information was waiting.

“I’ve seen her Tony,” he overheard Nat. “I’ve talked with her and I’ve helped her settle here. She’s not a threat.”

“We can’t be a hundred percent certain,” Tony sighed in frustration.

“Before you make any rash decisions, get Barnes in here. He has been with her more than anyone else. He would know if she-”

“If she what?” Bucky interrupted, stepping into the room seeing Steve also there, but quietly processing on the side lines. “What’s going on?”

When he made eye contact with Steve, he could tell the information found was not something they planned on coming across.

Ignoring the intrusion, Tony continued talking to Nat.

“She was in that room, was she not?”

“That doesn’t mean-,” Nat continued to argue.

“Was she in the room or not?” Stark’s words showed impatience.

There was a pause as Nat glared at him. “You know she was.”

“Then she’s exactly what we went in for. And instead of destroying the weapon, we brought it home,” Stark concluded.

“We aren’t going to destroy an innocent,” Steve spoke up, emphasizing on his use of destroy. “She was strapped to a table and incapacitated. If she was the weapon we thought she was, she would have done away with Barnes and I the second she saw us.”

“Weapon?” Bucky questioned, knowing who they were talking about. “You can’t possibly expect her to be the weapon we went in for,” his laugh had no humor behind it. Stark rolled his eyes. “That weapon you’re talking of was labeled as carcinogenic and inexterminable. Exact words from the case file. I don’t know if you noticed, but she’s on edge at a pen dropping and she got a black eye from sleeping last night. It’s hard to list that type of person as harmful, let alone lethal.”

He made a decent argument. So much so that the room stayed silent as his teammates allowed Tony to process the accusations he had made.

“How long have you known her for, Barnes?” Tony eventually spoke up.

Now it was Bucky’s turn to roll his eyes.

“That doesn’t matter,” he answered in a low voice. “I know evil, and that girl is far from it.”

“We don’t know her enough to make that definite of a decision,” Tony countered. “We can’t let our walls down just because a beaten and broken, yet innocent looking girl, happened to need rescuing. You’ve been in the business long enough to know all the ways this could end for us.”

“But it’s exactly that, Tony,” Steve sided with Bucky. “We know from experience that just because someone is handled by the wrong people, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are at a point of no return.”

The example he was meaning, was standing behind him ready to fight for this girl just as Steve had for him.

Tony sighed, seeing that his perspective on this case wasn’t going to be heard from this group.

“I didn’t bring all this up to start a fight,” he said in a deep breath, moving around the table he was positioned behind. “I brought it up to give us new insight on the case. If, and I stress the if on this,” he pointed to Steve. “If she is on our side, we need to figure out what all she’s capable of.”

“And if not?” Nat asked, knowing he was going to say it either way.

“If not,” he continued. “Then we still need to know what we’re up against.”

“What do you mean by that?” Bucky pushed.

“I mean, if you’re so hellbent on this girl-”

“Y/N,” he corrected.

Tony stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Y/N,” he repeated. “Being one of the good guys... Until we can get solid answers from Banner on what all her blood can tell us, we need to try our best and get some of that information from her.”

“She didn’t know her name before breakfast this morning,” Nat gave him a look. “Hell, she chose her name from a baby name list while on a walk earlier today. It wasn’t even a memory of hers. What kind of information do you expect us to get from her?”

“I never said it would be easy,” Tony sassed. “And I never said to beat it out of her either, so stop acting like I’m a sadist.” His frustration was growing just as much as the three against him, but for other reasons. “I’m not trying to be the doomsday prepper of the group, but like you, I’ve seen enough hell-fire rain down on this world in my lifetime to be crazy not to try and get ahead of it when the opportunity shows itself.”

Though he may have been right, the other three were skilled enough not to show on their face their agreement.

Tony leaned against the metal table and crossed his arms before relaxing his posture slightly.

“Look, for the record, I hope I’m wrong and you’re right. This is one of the few times I’ll allow myself to be wrong be it as it may. But I have a family to protect. I have a universe that counts on me, and you, to keep its best intentions in mind… Because of that, we have to consider worst case scenario and treat it as such until give the hard facts that this is all just a fucked up situation and we actually saved, this girl,” he cut himself off and revised his comment. “Y/N, from a horrible fate. One that we got her out of in the nick of time.”

When there was no response, he lowered his head and then looked back at the team in front of him.

“Please tell me you’re on my side in that aspect,” he waited for a response.

There was a second of silent communication between the three before Bucky spoke up.

“I’m working on her memory loss, but I can’t promise that it’ll happen overnight. If it’s anything like I know, she doesn’t necessarily want to think back to those moments in her past.”

“Do what you can,” Tony folded. “Doesn’t matter what I tell you anyway, you’ll go about it your own way either way.” He threw his hands up in defeat and went back to work on what he had been before.

______________________

He wasn’t wrong. Bucky wasn’t going to interrogate her until she spilled her guts. The best way to go about this was to continue to make her comfortable and help her retrieve the memories in a natural way.

He hung out in the living space the rest of the day. Going over the new files and waiting for Y/N to leave her room again.

In the files, all that had been disclosed was a subject number to her and a list of types of experiments they had performed on her. He was sickened at the things they injected her with. List of viruses and illnesses to see if her healing power would be effective.

For the most part, she healed from them, but some took longer and more excruciating recoveries than others.

They would throw her into a cell and leave her fetal position as her body worked overtime to heal her. Each time, she came out the other side somehow, but not ever long enough to fully heal from the last round of illnesses before already pumping her full of the next one.

The dates seemed to go back about 5 years of that kind of treatment. It reported solely on the healing process of her power for all those years before they started to push for different types of experimental drugs.

Ones Bucky had never heard of, or recognized, as they proved to be drugs and serums of their own makeup.

That’s where he noticed the similarities of his past. Ones where they had seen and recorded all the types of things he had survived, only to make new poisons to test if they were survivable as well.

The reports of her body's reactions were terrifying and sickening. He couldn’t look at the notes and casual reports they had summarized with each form of torture. He had to put it down and distract himself from it all. Because although he’s had time to process his own trauma and past, it didn’t make seeing someone else who went through the same thing any easier.

As if manifested from his thoughts, he heard shuffling of socks on the concrete floor from the hallway. Turning the corner was a tired eye version of Y/N. Her eyelids still hung low as if she had just got out of bed.

She had on a pair of sweats that were slightly big and the same sweatshirt that was rolled up to her elbows now.

“Looks like you finally got some much needed rest,” Bucky announced, making it clear he was in the room.

She turned to the noise and looked to him.

“I tried, but I’m not sure how much sleep I actually got,” she replied with a raspy voice. “Are there water bottles in the fridge?”

Bucky nodded, standing and going to get it for her even though she was on her way to do it herself.

“I’m not sure if you’ve considered this, but we can get a doctor to prescribe some sleeping pills for you. Maybe some decent sleep will help with your recovery.”

She took the water bottle with a quiet thanks and carefully twisted the cap off. Before sipping it, she looked up at him.

“How well do those work with nightmares?” she asked.

“I guess it depends on the person,” he shrugged. “I took them for a while when my insomnia was bad. Some nights were worse than others, but it did help me get a few more hours of REM.”

She swallowed the drink, put the lid back on, and contemplated it.

“I’ll think about it,” she concluded. “I’m just worried that I won’t wake up from the…” When she didn’t continue, Bucky finished it in his head knowing she was referring to previously mentioned nightmares.

“Yeah, I was worried about that too.”

She gave a sad smile, glad someone understood, but saddened at the same time that he could relate.

He noticed her empathy toward him, but didn’t want to harp on the past.

“If it makes you feel any better, I can monitor how it affects you the first time you take it. That way if you do have a nightmare, I can wake you up.”

She turned her head to the side at that.

“Monitor me?” she quoted.

“Sorry, no,” he quickly covered. “I’m not saying I’m going to watch you sleep, I mean-”

“It’s fine,” she chuckled. “I understand what you meant.” He eased at her calm demeanor. “I might take you up on that offer. I’ll see how tonight goes first,” she yawned. Placing the bottle on the marble island, she looked to the living room Bucky was in before. “What was that show Sam was talking about yesterday?”

It was random, but he was glad to hear that her thoughts weren’t solely on the hell she had been through.

“Oh, um, Forrest Gump,” Bucky answered. “It’s actually a pretty good movie.”

“Can we watch it?” she asked, looking back at him.

“I don’t see why not,” he shrugged. “Are you hungry or anything? I can make some popcorn.”

She agreed and Bucky grabbed a few snacks, including popcorn, and they made themselves comfortable in the movie room.

Not that Tony didn’t have room to splurge on things, but when it came to rooms whose purpose was for relaxing and trying to forget about how the world rested on their shoulders a majority of the time, he made sure that the team had luxurious amenities.

The couch was a huge sectional that could be rearranged for a giant sleepover if need be. The ottomans sat in the middle making the couch more like a bed in its depth and softness.

Once the movie started, Y/N was absorbed in the storyline. Anyone with good taste could find interest in a Tom Hanks movie.

On top of that, it was an interesting and decent way to mention pieces of history and invoke questions for Y/N.

“Wait, that’s a famous person?” Y/N had asked when Bucky mentioned the hint at Elvis during the younger Forest scene.

“Yeah, he was a famous singer back in the 50’s,” Bucky answered.

“1950’s?” she asked, looking at him.

“Yeah, I think he was born in the 30’s. He was one of those ladies men that most teenage girls went crazy for,” Bucky chuckled, thinking back to when Wanda had brushed up his limited knowledge of the popstar.

“Hm,” she hummed. A few minutes passed and she spoke up again. “Earlier at lunch, Sam mentioned your manners from the 40’s. What did he mean by that?”

“Oh, um,” he cleared his throat and sat up. “I’m a little older than I look,” he answered, carefully turning to her curious gaze. When she didn’t respond and waited for further details, he fidgeted in his seat some. “I was born in 1917.”

He was worried that that type of information would confuse her and make things more unsettling as she adjusted to this normal world she was slowly learning about. And hearing that a man that was over a hundred years old and looked to be in his thirties, would be alarming to most.

She tilted her head at the fact and looked at him as if studying him in a new light. But in the end, she seemed unphased and went back to the movie.

He was slightly shocked at the reaction, but decided it was a good thing that it didn’t freak her out.

They continued on with the movie as she would ask questions sprinkled in here and there when someone from history came up and she wanted to clear up her knowledge on them.

“So John F. Kennedy was assassinated?”

“Shot in the head.”

“But he never actually met Forrest Gump?”

“Nope.”

“Cause Forest is fictional… But they used real public figures for context in the story?”

“Makes it a little more personal I guess for the watcher. That and it tells a lot about his character,” Bucky answered.

“I see…”

Once the movie was over, Y/N had asked if there was a place she could look up all the people that had been mentioned. Bucky found his laptop and showed her how to search and maneuver through the internet for backgrounds and stories.

As she watched him search and find articles about random celebrities and the black hole that was the world wide web, Bucky’s phone began to ring.

He excused himself when he saw Banner’s name on the screen. He passed the computer over and let her search her interest while he took it.

Just outside the room and still keeping an eye on her as he answered the phone, he heard Banner clear his throat.

“Hey, Bruce,” he spoke up.

“Hey Bucky,” he replied quickly. “Tony said to contact you when I got some results back from our new guest’s blood draw. He said you were the lead on this case.”

“I wouldn’t say the lead, but I’m pretty close to the situation,” he responded, seeing Y/N’s eyebrows raise in surprise at something new on the screen. “What did you find?”

“Well, it’s complicated. Would you mind coming down to the lab?”

Bucky wasn’t sure how to take that news. It wasn’t clear on whether it leaned on the good or bad part of the scale.

“Yeah, um,” he turned back to Y/N seeing her actively reading an article. The rest of the world closed off as she brushed up on new facts. “Give me a minute and I’ll be down there.”

Banner said his goodbye and Bucky went back into the room.

“Hey, I need to go see some updates on something real fast. Will you be ok on your own?” he asked her.

“I should be fine…” Her attention was hard to pull from the screen, but when she did she looked up at him with a weird look. “Who are the Kardashians and why do these commercials keep showing them yelling at each other about posting pictures of each other on… Instagram? What’s instagram?”

“You know, I think that’s a question we all have,” he laughed. “I’ll come back hopefully before you fall too far in that hole.”

He excused himself after suggesting maybe looking up another movie she’d want to watch instead. Less likely to fall into the horrors of social media.

——-———--------------------

Bruce was looking into a microscope and writing down his findings quickly before going back to his research.

“Bruce,” Bucky announced his presence.

Bruce instantly looked up and shared a quick smile before putting his work to the side and moving to the table behind him.

“You got here quicker than I expected,” he said, grabbing a manila folder and opening it to make sure it was the right information. “Where’s our guest?”

“I figured I should see it before her in case it’s too much for her at the moment,” he answered, crossing his arms and watching the scientist scramble for other files.

“Right. She has transient global amnesia,” he noted. In other words, temporary loss of memories. “Which brings me to her blood work.”

He found the two folders he had come up with and handed them off to Bucky. The brunette took them and started scanning through them as Banner summarized his findings.

“Her blood isn’t normal, though we aren’t shocked by that. When you find people in underground labs and experimentation facilities, the likelihood of them being normal civilians with normal health conditions are pretty low.” He adjusted his glasses before taking a seat back at his stool. “Anyway, I found that her blood was an anomaly. It looks as though she’s what we would classify as a mutant.”

“Which means she had the gene,” Bucky said as he read.

“Yes, and from what we know, a track of trauma is what usually causes the gene to come forward,” he nodded. “However, it seems as though they used her healing to embed her with other mutations in an attempt to add multiple alterations to her gene pool.”

Bucky paused putting it together.

“So they were trying to give her more powers?”

“That’s where it gets complicated. Since we don’t have the data to back it up, we can only make assumptions that that was the case. The reasoning behind this type of experiment would make sense to try and add to her list of powers, but it all depends on if her body accepts it.”

“And if it doesn’t, then she heals and they try again,” Bucky added it up.

“After looking at her blood work, it looks like her regeneration of cells for when she has a sickness or virus are a lot faster than they seem now. My only deduction is that they had done it so often that her body is trying to mend from healing itself too much,” Banner sighed as Bucky looked at him with a straight face. He knew what he meant, but Bruce broke it down anyway. “They had experimented on her, tortured her, and injected her with so many formulas, drugs, and viruses, her capability to heal is having to regenerate itself. They were doing it so often without time to restore her immunity that her body has taken a big step back in the rehabilitation system her body is otherwise overly efficient in.”

“Her body is overworked,” he concluded. “Makes sense why she’s exhausted a majority of the time.”

“And probably will be for a while,” Banner agreed. “Which leads me to my next point.” Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed at that. “Due to the type of experimenting she has undergone, I’m finding traces of other mutations. But they aren’t like anything I’ve seen.”

“Which means?”

“I think she has more mutations, or powers, than we know of,” he said with a distressed look.

“Then we know of? How many are you thinking?” Bucky strayed from the file as Bruce was telling him the same information that was written in front of him.

“That’s the thing. I can’t necessarily tell. I know it’s more than just her healing variation, of which itself is impressive, but I couldn’t tell you what it entails or how many she could have. And we can’t necessarily ask her since she barely knows anything outside of the day you all saved her.”

“Right…” Bucky sighed, running a hand through his hair.

There was a moment of silence where Bruce let all these new facts and information process before adding yet another thing for him to worry about.

“I hate to ask, but Tony makes a good point in this area…”

“What do you mean Tony?” Bucky was quick to send an annoyed tone.

“We don’t know what she’s capable of,” Bruce replied. “Now I’m not one to say they’re a bad person just because we don’t know about them, but we do need to keep an eye on her. First off because amnesia can be a scary and troubling thing to fight through. You add in the trauma she’s gone through and you have a whole other beast to fight.” He paused, seeing frustration grow on the soldier's face. “But I know that you have a well-experienced understanding of this type of situation. With that being said, I think if we monitor and go about this the right way, we can come out the other side unscathed.”

“I really don’t think she’s capable of hurting anyone, Bruce.”

“I didn’t say she was… But we do know for a fact she was the only thing in the room that was labeled as holding the weapon we had gone in for initially.”

“She’s not a weapon.” He was firm in his belief of that.

“I know you know better than me in that area,” Bruce nodded, seeing Bucky’s tensed shoulders relax as he remembered he wasn’t arguing with Tony this time. “Just be careful. If she really is as lost and confused as we are, then it’s only a matter of time before something comes forward and we have to deal with it. Which means we have to help her come to understand it all as well.”

He wasn’t wrong. If there were more mutations, ones the highly decorated scientist couldn’t distinguish, they needed to monitor her as much as possible.

Both for her safety and the safety of those around them. Because people can still get hurt no matter the intentions.

Bucky sighed and thanked Bruce for the information, before taking the files to discern further.

But it seemed maybe it was time for some memory searching. He needed a peaceful way to find out her past without stirring up too much.

They needed to find some of those memories she had been running from.

If you would like to be tagged in this upcoming series, please comment on this chapter! Thank you:)

Finding Memories Taglist: (some would not let me tag. so if you see your name but didn’t get the notification, double check if your blog allows tags:)

@tinkerbelle67 @a-beaverhausen @caruhleener @fanfictionjunkie1112 @sjsmith56 @nancymcl

Marvel Tags:

@thejourneyneverendsx @death-unbecomes-you @mythos-writes @srrymydood @xa-dia @redhairedfeistynerd @morganclaire4 @connie326 @captain-asguard @mollygetssherlockcoffee @teenagedreams-bucky @shower-me-with-roses @livstilinski @basicallylool @starryeyeseunbyul

My Lovelies forever:

@natura1phenomenon @lauravicente @kakakatey @traceyaudette @notyourtypicalrose @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @sandlee44 @thorne93 @thefaithfulwriter1 @essie1876 @greyeyedsmile14 @capsiclehan @xostephanie @averyrogers83 @awesomenursingstudent @gh0stgurl @cs-please @jjlevin @rainbowkisses31 @deannotmoose @their-bibliophile @kitkatd7 @willowbleedsonpaper @mariaenchanted @snffbeebee @couldabeenamermaid @rebekahdawkins @alyispunk @billyseye @hallecarey1

Bucky Barnes Tags:

@chloe-skywalker @charmedbysarge @jbarness @bellamy-barnes @katiaw2 @aikeia @stopjustlovethemcu @enchantedbarnes

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader series #finding memories #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes x enhanced reader #justkending #marvel series #mcu series #reader insert #bucky barnes x reader insert

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0shewrites0 · 11 months

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Hi! So I recently replayed both Lucas and Henrik routes in a really long time and there's something that makes me think.

We all know it goes Henrik wanted to pick Priya at the Disaster Recouping and Lucas was Hope. But, Henrik also likes Lottie, somehow he doesn't even glance at her? And you have Lucas suddenly worried about Priya who barely showed interest in. What happened there?

Now the guy who returns saying they would have chosen MC if they had the chance is a whole other thing. But the part that gets to me is the fact they'd make Lucas emphasize more than once that it's MC he was after. Yet, for some reason seemed to put more effort into how "disappointed" he was and how he doesn't like MC much, to the point he comes off as fake and Henrik comes off as more genuine. Does that make sense?

Like what is "You read things wrong" supposed to mean and why are you talking about a "spark" when you were dissing me five seconds ago?

I do think it had more to do with FB's cluelessness and laziness that seemed like an extra effort to emphasize no one is supposed to be happy they don't get who they want, but then go and insert "I knew you were the one I wanted" into his dialogue.

Like not to be biased, but you're making the man say it more than once and if that was his supposed "initial choice" then I don't see why the "no one is happy" was forced onto him as well, especially if you've been nothing but nice. He just ends up looking like he has a split personality.

Hey there!

So I just replayed s2 and I made Lucas get dumped before Casa Amor. I told him on the night it was announced that he was up for dumping along with Rahim and Rocco that I would’ve wanted him to stay. Then when he got dumped a day later I stayed with him (I took the gem choice) and made it clear that I would’ve coupled up with him if I’d had the chance. But I didn’t kiss him or did anything else that would be considered cheating.

I came back single from Casa Amor while Henrik had obvs switched to Blake, then saved Elijah for Chelsea and Henrik and Blake got dumped.

I’m currently coupled up with Bobby so when Lucas re-enters the villa on day 24 I’m acting really happy to see him again. He kissed me on the cheek and made it very clear that he would’ve chosen me to couple up with if he had stayed in the villa. Then he asked me how it’s going with Bobby and I answered that I was still waiting to be swept off my feet. When the date ended, I pecked him on the cheek and he did too and then we went back.

I did take the roof terrace gem choice later on but - again - didn’t cheat on him and later at night during the party I met him up there as well. He told me he really wanted me but didn’t want to put me on the spot and because I STILL didn’t want to cheat I told him I just wanted to chill, so that’s what we did.

Honestly, I really don’t know where he says stuff like “You read things wrong” or tells MC that he’s disappointed/that he doesn’t like her that much. Maybe you can clarify that? Because it never happened on my route.

Now, here are my thoughts/opinions on everything else. I said it in another post but I’ll repeat it here:

We were always supposed to participate in Operation Nope and kiss Noah so that he’d couple up with us during the disaster recoupling

IF it’s Lucas who’s still in the villa while Henrik’s gone, it really makes a lot of sense for Lucas to pick Priya because Hope is coupled up with Jakub and MC is coupled up with Noah by then. Marisol never interested him and don’t even start with Lottie

BUT I honestly think Lucas’s route wasn’t supposed to go like this in the first place. He was supposed to be “the one that got away” and that’s why they make him emphasise multiple times how he’s come back for MC and for MC alone and that he remembers what she told him the night he was voted to get dumped and whatnot

People are always complaining how it doesn’t make sense for Lucas to be so “pushy” about being intimate with MC when they’re forgetting that 1) he’s not pushy because he accepts your “no” without being pissy or sarcastic about it and without trying to persuade you to do something you don’t want to do and 2) he’s watched the woman of his desire crack on with the boys in the villa for two weeks while he was stuck at home having to WATCH her without being able to do anything more. He’s ACHING to kiss her and act out all his fantasies. And that’s so fucking hot, please.

Remember how he tells Gary on day 5 that he “doesn’t bed everything that walks”? And that still stands true. EVEN at this point. That’s exactly why he later on breaks up with MC, too, if she decides to cheat with him. Because MC knew that and she still let him get his way EVEN THOUGH she was coupled up with someone else at that point. Cheating is such a huge red flag in his eyes. And yes, maybe he’s testing MC here who knows? Maybe it’s bad writing or maybe it’s a mix of all three, i don’t know

Now with Henrik, it’s different. Because Lucas - unlike Henrik - will almost always say that MC is his type while you have to put in effort to get Henrik to say your name. You basically have to reject Lucas all the time. That tells me that Henrik wasn’t supposed to re-enter the villa on day 24. Henrik’s route was meant to be more of a slow burn I reckon. But maybe that’s just my opinion.

Also, why is he picking Priya without so much as a glance at Lottie? Well, that’s crystal clear. HE is actually the one to ask Lottie “trouble in paradise?” the day the dumping on day 7 happens. Lucas, Henrik, MC and Lottie are chilling on the lawn when Gary joins them and Lottie asks him to get her and MC the cuppas he had promised, then proceeds to say “I can’t put my finger on him”. Henrik is highly empathetic and he knows there’s unfinished business between her and Gary; and not just from watching the show (he saw their kiss the night Hannah was dumped, don’t forget that!) He probably also realised that Lottie wasn’t an option BECAUSE she was so hung up on Gary. So why would he force someone into a couple who doesn’t want to be there? Henrik is the opposite of selfish so that would be highly ooc for him. That’s why he then chooses Priya if we’re already in a couple with Noah.

Does that make sense for you? If not, my inbox is always open! It might take me a while to respond to your ask tho <3

#litg #litg s2 #litg lucas #litg henrik #lucas koh #lucas koh supremacy #anon aks #litg headcanons #rae answers

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haziel-luz · 4 months

Text

His Priority {Donnie x Reader}

(Who's fault is it really?)

Chapter 2: The One at Fault

“What do you mean Donnie isn’t with her?” Leo asks, surprised that his nerdy brother would act this way.

“Our big brain brother lied to her to help April, even used us to make her think that we’re resting. Enough info for ya?” Raph’s sarcastic attitude was enough to show Leo that he was furious. He can be short-tempered in general, but this was personal.

“Shouldn’t we check on her instead of confronting Donnie?” Mikey was more worried about you, he even knew your change in emotion whenever Donnie left. This problem wasn’t really hidden from them, they all knew how much Donnie would run to April. Although they know he was loyal to you at heart, yet it didn’t erase the fact that he always ran to April no matter what.

None of them understand why, except they suspect that he still has some feelings for her. Of course they kept their mouths shut in case it wasn’t true. They didn’t want you hurting more than you already are now.

“There’s the little prick.” Raph finally spotted him walking alongside April.

“Raph. Before you start-” Leo was ignored by his furious brother, no surprise there.

“Well there he goes, should we just watch?” Mikey stood next to his eldest. Leo sighed and nodded to his little brother. They both followed towards the oncoming disaster.

_____________

“Thanks a lot Don, you always have my back.” April smiles up at him.

“That’s what friends are for. Think you got what you needed?” Donnie chuckles and looks down at his phone for the time. He was wondering if you were home right now.

“Worried about her?” April tilts her head with a smirk.

“Well-” Donnie was cut off by a sai landing close to his feet. He jumped back quickly with April.

“If it isn’t the twerp who bailed on us, what gives.” Raph landed in front of them and straightened himself up. Donnie frowned at his brother’s entrance.

“First off, that was uncalled for. Second, I was just helping April get home.” Donnie lowered his staff and rolled his eyes.

“And before that?” Raph emphasized the question with a frown. Leo and Mikey landed alongside him before he got too testy.

“I was trying to get some intel on the illegal drugs being used on women who want to look younger. There was an advertisement for a syringe doctors can use for their patients. Reports have been made on this syringe, apparently some of these women are experiencing heart failures.” April explains the situation before Raph got the bad idea.

“As horrible as that is, wouldn’t the FDA ban that product after those serious reports?” Leo chimed in before Raph could.

“That’s what I’ve been thinking, but I had a feeling that someone in the FDA was bought to keep their mouth shut. That’s where I came from actually. Thanks to Donnie I got out without suspicion or detection.” She smiles victoriously and bumps Donnie’s shoulder.

“It’s good that you’re alright April, but next time try to include us in.” Leo was happy for her, he just couldn’t help himself to lecture her a little.

“Especially since someone had to leave in the middle of the date to help.” Raph glared at Donnie, and he flinched a little.

“Wait, you had a date today? And you left anyway?!” April was shocked and hit his arm.

“I had to, you were digging up dangerous material that could’ve gotten you into some real trouble.” Donnie rubbed his arm explaining himself.

“Don’t you think we could’ve handled it, instead of you ditching her?” Raph poked at his actions.

“I didn’t ditch her, I explained why I had to leave, and I promised to make it up to her. She was fine with it.” He looked at everyone like they were the jury. He didn’t understand what the whole problem was.

“Is 'fine' the definition of her crying on the phone call when she realized you lied to her? And used us as part of your lie?” Raph squared up to him, his eyes flaring with anger.

“She was? I…I didn’t think that was that bad of a lie. I thought that was the only way to calm her down. You were all out on patrol already and I was closest to April’s location.” Donnie’s sudden realization was slowly hitting him.

“Donnie, if that was the case, why didn’t you say that to her in the first place?” Leo questioned him calmly.

“...I don’t know..” Donnie tried to come up with an explanation but nothing came to mind. He thought lying to you was reasonable, however there wasn’t a need for that.

“You don’t know?! Do you have any idea how this looks to her?!” Raph growled at him with tight fists. Leo got in between them while Mikey swiftly took his sai’s away.

“Alright, let’s calm down. How about I talk to her and explain the misunderstanding?” April tries to calm him down with the suggestion, she acknowledges his anger comes from how protective he is of you.

“I’m sorry April, but you're not exactly her favorite person, no thanks to this one here.” Raph rolled his eyes and gestured to Donnie, he glared in return.

“She’s been hurting for a while now D, have you ever noticed how sad she gets when you leave like that?” Mikey hesitantly enters himself into the conversation.

“I agree with Mikey on this. Don if you're serious about your relationship with her then this should stop. April if you need any help with anything, you can contact the rest of us at any time.” Leo steps in, hopefully to diffuse the conversation.

“Hold on, you guys make it sound like I’m the homewrecker.” April frowns, offended by her friends' statements.

“We know your not April-” The eldest was once again cut off.

“Does Casey even know you're here? Little birdy told me you go out frequently without explaining why.” Raph retorted, with a raised non-existent brow.

“Excuse me? Casey has a lot to worry about, now that he’s in law enforcement. I can’t worry him more about what I’m doing to cover this story!” April protested.

“Alright that’s enough! Look, we’re all tired so let’s get some shut eye and cool down. We shouldn’t argue with each other just because Donnie messed up his relationship.” Leo got in between them and gave them stern looks. “No offense.” He blandly told the brainiac brother, who was silent in thought.

“Fine.” Raph and April both grumbled while glaring at each other.

“I’ll be going first then, see you guys later.” April adjusted herself and walked away from the boys.

The three brothers turned away from April’s departure and stared at Donnie. He looked at the rest of them and became frustrated.

“I’m not cheating on her. In fact, I’m gonna go straight back to my girlfriend, and explain myself.” Donnie sneered at them, he turned to make his way back to you. But before he even tried, Raph had some more news for him.

“Don’t even bother. She told me to tell you specifically, that she doesn’t want you to make up the date. She’d rather be alone tonight.” Raph spoke out, and he froze in place. Donnie couldn’t even look back at them. He only turned his head to the side so they could hear him.

“Maybe she does, but I still want to make things right with her. She can kick me out of her place herself if she wants to, but I want to at least talk to her.” Without waiting a second longer, he leaped off to make his way to you. He didn’t understand why he did lie to you, and he wasn’t sure how long his brothers assumed the worst from him. All he really knows is that he loves you, and even if most don’t believe him, he’s hoping you did.

-----------

Next => Chapter 3: Figure It Out

Previous <= Chapter 1: Ignore It

#tmnt fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #tmnt donatello #angst #donnie x reader #x reader

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yooniesim · 2 years

Note

Is there like a link I can go to to see what is going on with all this drama? I see so many people posting about it but no one seems to lay out the whole story, just the bits and pieces they feel are pertinent.

Okay, buckle up for this one, kids. I can’t give my personal perspective for all of it, since a lot of this happened while I was on hiatus, but I’ll do my best to link what I can. I’ll split between past and present, because Mack constantly likes to say that people only bring up her past and “old views”, when there’s definitely more concerning details than that.

The “Past” (within the last two years at most):

You can find all the receipts for Mack’s previous transgressions on the blog @mackisakaren. It includes the voting for Trump twice and then defending it incidents, as well as perspectives from Mack’s former friends. Almost everyone that comes into contact with her winds up denouncing her, either because of her past actions or how she conducts herself to them later. One of her former friends came into my inbox recently to explain a little more about that. I’ve had at least 10+ anons from black simmers that said she’s displayed microaggressions and talked over them, not acknowledged their concerns and blocked them for disagreeing with her, etc. I haven’t posted them all yet, but you can check my anonymous and mack3030 tags if you’d like to find some.

But for the account I linked, the highlights include:

the aforementioned voting record

laughing at harrie being called “shiny wig” (anti-black sentiment)

defending voting for trump a second time because biden “creeps on little kids” (alt-right rhetoric ripped straight from pizza gate 4chan conspiracies) and doesn’t have it together mentally (as if Trump isn’t a self-admitted rapist with more than a few screws loose- Mack called him a “playboy”)

saying that she only regretted voting for Trump after the Jan 6 insurrection

claiming that people putting “labels” on each other is the reason we have so many “-isms and -phobias”

You can also take a look at this post by @/anachrosims, who was previously a good friend to Mack. Mack claims that she hates politics and “both sides”, which is often the route that previously conservative, educated white people take when they feel being Republican isn’t socially acceptable but they still agree with those types of ideals (either “fiscally” or socially). Her friend Texas also claims that she voted for neither Trump or Biden and that both sides are the same, which first pinged my radar as a clue that Mack truly hasn’t changed. Having a neutral or enlightened centrist mindset is unacceptable in an environment where entire groups of people are losing their human rights, being imprisoned, or killed. As anachrosims says, there is no seeing the “other side” when that side wants minorities to disappear. People that use this talking points are immediate red flags for me, because it’s often a cover for their true nature. I also want to make note that the post where Mack tried to “both sides” the issue was only from 3 months ago.

Anachrosims also made another post about how she and the others that were anti-paywall denounced Mack for her past and response to the criticism. I want to emphasize this because all the people claiming that Mack has done all the work for the “movement” and is the only reason it exists are wrong. Although I wasn’t here to witness it, everything I’ve seen indicates that it has always been a collaborative effort within those in the community, and there is no reason to hold Mack up on a pedestal without acknowledging the hard work of everyone else involved. Also, the person Anachrosims took the statement from there, Bucky? That publicly denounced Mack for her voting record and behavior? I’m pretty sure that’s the same Bucky she constantly refers to as the person that was attacked by perma-paywallers with transphobia and was pushed to suicide attempts twice. The fact that she constantly mentions this in her posts while the person involved is no longer online here and publicly made a post against her disgusts me. How dare she blast that all over the internet constantly when the person involved wants nothing to do with her. It’s gross and no doubt triggering and extremely performative.

But let’s move on now.

The Present (within the last month):

Now, my limited interactions with Mack started when I tagged her in this post as a reference for someone that had been doxxed by perma-paywallers. Promptly after, a user started replying on my miiko post about Mack being racist. I asked for receipts because I had no idea who Mack was at this point other than being a person that was doxxed. Mack had come into my DMs at some point to ask me a question, and later on I had messaged her about Miiko in order to have her added to Mack’s red flag creator list. So, when I posted this, Mack defended herself in the replies of the post and came to me to chat about it more. I showed sympathy to her because the person in my replies was very aggressive, and as someone that also grew up in the South surrounded by racism and brainwashing tactics at every turn, I wanted to believe that she had changed. We exchanged stories related to the election and I tried to be as kind as possible.

After talking to Mack and considering the receipts carefully, I decided not to interact with Mack as a precaution (and courtesy to anyone that had been hurt by her) and removed any reference from her from my blog. I wanted to give her a chance to show that she had changed, but I didn’t trust her either. I was going to organize my thoughts better in another post, but EA’s policy update happened then and everything blew up. So, I didn’t really think about it again until the next incident.

I made this post denouncing Mack because I witnessed the harassment of @/gyarutrait and @/saruin by Mack’s friend @/texasthegreatdestroyer. Texas was harassing them because they had blocked Mack because of her past racism, all of it was 100% in her defense. Previous to this post, I had DM’d Mack asking her to get Texas to back off because it was unacceptable for her friend (who she was still DMing and associating with) to be saying ableist and transphobic things to defend her and it needed to stop. Mack told me that she needed more time to think of what to say in a post about it, and to give her time to do so. Over a week passed, and although Mack was active and making posts throughout, she still said nothing. Texas was still harassing @/gyarutrait, to the point where she had to make multiple posts about it, and so I made my post about it. Notably, @/gyarutrait was given proof by Texas that Mack had told Texas her username, knowing Texas’ way of “handling conflict”, more or less sending her after her. Mack made a throwaway post about not being responsible for Texas’ actions and posted a screenshot of Texas in her block list. Nothing else was said or addressed.

At this point, Texas continued to make long, aggressive rant posts about myself and Dreamie. Dreamie had to make another post asking for people to please report Texas’ posts. It wasn’t anything I couldn’t deal with, but I noticed very quickly that Texas (on anon) was making disgusting references to my terminally ill family member that I had only spoken about in DMs to Mack and nowhere else on this site. The only way Texas could have known that is if Mack told her about it, and the only people the anon could be was Texas or Mack herself. This gave even more weight to the theory that Mack was sending her friend after people purposefully while sharing DMs with her. Texas continued sending me anons until I made this reply saying that she wasn’t shit and I wasn’t going to reply to her lame attempts anymore. Take note that through all of this, Mack was silent. And yet...

Mack made a post chastising the community for staying silent over her own harassment by perma-paywallers. She emphasized people’s mental health being attacked and that people could die. I responded that she had no right to lecture anyone on being silent about bullying when she herself said nothing about her friend that is still harassing and stalking people to this day. After all, how did she know that no one was going to attempt to hurt themselves because of that constant and violating harassment in her name? Mack then quickly... ran to Twitter to call me a clout chaser and manipulator that she had lost respect for as a friend... because I called her out for her hypocrisy. She still hasn’t responded to me directly or done anything besides victimize herself. Apparently she’s still talking about me on Twitter and reblogging from people that agree with her, but I have no interest in chasing her vague posts.

I want to emphasis that I chose to give Mack a very limited chance that she was not entitled to. I wanted to give her the opportunity to show with her actions whether she had changed, since I had not been in the community to see her previous actions for myself, and she made it very clear very quickly in the last few weeks that she has not. I would advise anyone reading to not make the same mistake, regardless of your stance on the paywall debate. Because what I’ve experienced is truly the tip of the iceberg if everyone that has come to me to testify about Mack is any evidence at all. I’ve barely even interacted with her and this is the shit show that resulted.

I hope this answers your question, nonny.

#asks #anonymous #ceci speaks #the patreon issue #mack3030 #long post #ceci speaks a lot more #politics tw #suicide mention #reference #i hope this is enough bc this is my last think piece on this lol #if anyone gets pissed that i wrote more than two paragraphs on this #please proceed to block me and then go fuck yourself #thanks

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giveamadeuschohisownmovie · 2 years

Text

“Where the Crawdads Sing” (2022) movie review:

Short review:

It’s fine, I guess, if you can ignore the huge leaps in logic, story inconsistency, forced melodrama, and the twist ending that felt like a “subversion of your expectations” but only for the sake of doing so.

Letter grade of D+ / C-

Long review:

DISCLAIMER: I did not read the book, so this will be solely a discussion about the movie.

So...yeah. This may be one of the few times where I fully agree with the Rotten Tomatoes score. When I saw that it was sitting at 36%, I wasn’t convinced since the movie looked like it had a lot going for it. Murder mystery, strong female lead, based on a best-selling novel, and tackling heavy themes like abuse. This movie LOOKED good. It was only after watching the movie did I realize that maybe the trailer did too good of a job selling people on the story.

Maybe the problems I’m about to discuss are a result of the movie being an adaptation, which means a lot of material from the books may have been cut. At it sits right now, it feels like there is a lot missing from the movie.

First off, what the focus of the movie was supposed to be on. The trailers make it seem like the story is about a young woman dealing with being ostracized by the town she’s living in. To the people around her, she is the “marsh girl”, this boogeyman-like person who is the subject of many ghost stories and rumors. But, that’s not what the movie is actually about. There’s only one real scene where Kya Clark deals with the town’s bullying (when she ran away from school). Other than that, the REAL movie is about her whirlwind romances with Tate and Chase.

This is a huge problem for me because the closing argument of the movie doesn’t feel representative of the movie as a whole. The defense attorney talks about how the town feared her and didn’t understand her, but you never really see the town do that except for one scene near the beginning. Sure, the prosecution’s witnesses said bad things about Kya, but that’s expected, especially since they were close to Chase. Maybe this is just me but family members bad-mouthing the suspected killer isn’t the same as shunning a girl just for her lifestyle.

It’s not enough to say Kya is shunned by the town, we need to see it. Emphasize that point because it’s literally the closing argument of the movie.

But okay, so the movie is actually a melodrama about two, failed romances. Sure, that’s fine, I can deal with that. Except the romances feel so contrived that I felt like I was watching the first draft of a cheesy, young adult romance novel.

Let’s start with Tate.

Tate’s romance storyline...hurt my brain. I guess there was chemistry there, but it was the type of chemistry where two gorgeous people just stare at each other and you’re supposed to assume they like one another. Because aside from looks, how their relationship progressed didn’t make sense to me. Their first kiss literally happened because Tate talked about the tragic deaths of his mother and sister, which was immediately followed up by them frolicking through some leaves in the wind. And then, they nearly had sex for the first time because they saw some geese flying in (were they geese? That’s just my guess). I guess people are turned on by birds on a creek/marsh/swamp/lake.

But what truly bothered me about Tate’s storyline is that this man left her for years WITHOUT an explanation. I would’ve been fine if his excuse was that he had been drafted for Vietnam since the war was during this decade, but the character’s actual excuse was that he thought Kya would never leave the marsh. So, after promising to never abandon her...he abandons her. And yet, they still get married at the end.

Was I supposed to like Tate? If so, his abandonment of Kya was so egregious that it essentially ruined his character in the second half of the movie. Even leaving Kya for one year would’ve been bad enough, but the movie makes it clear that it was for several years. And the thing is, I think the audience is supposed to be pro-Tate since he’s part of Kya’s happy ending. I’m not saying any of this because I’m #TeamTate, I’m saying this because Tate’s inexplicable abandonment of Kya actually hurt the storyline.

Alright, let’s move onto Chase.

For the most part, I thought the movie did a decent job at setting up Chase. He’s the “nice guy” who starts off great, but then is revealed to be a violent abuser who Kya must escape from. You’re not supposed to like Chase (unlike Tate) and the movie made it clear with its portrayal of the character.

My complaint about Chase’s storyline is more indicative of the movie’s problems as a whole. This whole movie feels like cheap, forced melodrama, like a soap opera but with a higher budget (so...the CW). For example, the scene where Chase is outed as having a secret fiancee. The revelation was so sudden and forced that it was unintentionally hilarious. It’s not enough that Chase is an abuser, no, he has to have a secret lover who Kya never knew about.

The fiancee doesn’t come back up in the movie, if I recall correctly. So...if this character is only there to serve as a “shock” reveal...maybe...cut the character? The fiancee reveal isn’t necessary to show that Chase is an abuser, that point is already made when he smacks Kya. Yes, I am aware that it was the fiancee reveal that led to Chase becoming violent, but the movie could’ve done Chase’s heel turn in a much more natural way.

Maybe Chase turns into a violent drunk like Kya’s father? You see him drink beer several times in the movie, that could’ve been a subtle way of showing that Chase was becoming an alcoholic. Or maybe Chase learns about Tate and becomes a jealous monster when Tate comes back. There are several ways to do Chase’s storyline without having to resort to the forced twist of “I had a secret lover this whole time”.

Now...the ending.

I’m actually not opposed to the “accused protagonist was actually the killer” twist...in theory. This type of twist can work, but it’s usually done when the author is portraying the protagonist as the TRUE VILLAIN of the story. For example (SPOILERS FOR TWO OTHER MOVIES):

1) Primal Fear: Edward Norton’s character reveals he faked his personality disorder in order to escape a guilty verdict.

2) Body of Evidence: Madonna’s character was guilty the whole time and is actually the kind of person everyone thought she was (a gold digger who murders her lovers)

So, what is the movie trying to say here? That Kya is the boogeyman that the town made her out to be? “Oh, but she needed to kill Chase because he’s evil!” Sure, I get that, but the twist hurts the story since it validates the town’s perception of Kya as an unrepentant murderer when most of the movie is centered on portraying Kya as this misunderstood person.

If this is the angle that the story was trying to take, why not just have Kya admit to the killing? Have her claim it was either 1) self-defense or 2) she needed to do it because Chase left her no choice. The attorney can argue that, under the circumstances, Kya killed Chase “in the heat of passion” (voluntary manslaughter). At the very least, Kya could avoid facing the full wrath of the judge and jury, especially since Kya’s story could make her look sympathetic.

This ending really left a bad taste in my mouth. In addition, it was another example of the forced melodrama that was prevalent throughout the movie. What did Kya killing Chase add to the movie? Aside from casting Kya in a negative light, it felt unnecessary, especially since the ending already felt stretched out.

Aside from the story, the leaps in logic were pretty hard to take in. Now, I’m someone who watches Marvel movies, plays games like Persona, and watches shows like Stranger Things. I can suspend my disbelief just fine. But somehow, this movie was pushing it, especially since the story took place in the real world:

1) So I guess Social Services doesn’t know how to do their job? It’s not like Kya was moving around like Jason Bourne, she’s literally living in the same house throughout the whole movie. No one bothered to investigate the house for more than five minutes? Also, she sends out mail from where she lives. The government can’t track her down that way? (my girlfriend, who does social work, was frustrated by this as well)

2) Speaking as a law school student, the courtroom scenes ranged from “Okay, not so bad” to “Please god, make it stop”. Every time the lawyers approached the jurors, I wanted to punch something in the room.

3) This feral swamp girl looks surprisingly good, like she’s a Hollywood actress or something. But seriously, Kya did not look like someone who was surviving alone in the wild. Yes, she had a house, but it was still her alone against the wilderness. She looked like someone living in the town, which goes against her whole story.

4) Kya, the feral swamp girl, becomes a best-selling author...sure. I feel like I’d be more accepting of this plot point if we had actually seen more examples of her poetry. Instead, the movie just assumes that the audience will accept that Kya is an amazing writer.

5) Kya, who was a murder suspect, somehow got away with hiding evidence within her books. You’re telling me the police wouldn’t put her books into evidence? It’s not like there was a secret compartment either, she just taped Chase’s necklace on one of the pages.

6) The defense attorney making it seem like Kya murdering Chase was too ridiculous worked a little too well. So many things had to go right in order for Kya’s murder scheme to work.

Okay, I’m exhausted. My advice, just go watch “Top Gun: Maverick” again. Or “Thor: Love and Thunder”, that’s a fun movie. Oh heck, even “Minions - The Rise of Gru”, people seem to like that movie.

Other nitpicky complaints:

1) It’s not a good look that Delia Owens, who is wanted for murder, wrote a story where a young woman gets away with murder.

2) The army (marine?) brother coming back didn’t really add to the movie. I know he tells Kya that their mother died, but the character doesn’t actually do anything in the main story. Kya could’ve easily learned her mother died through the newspaper or something.

3) What was the point of the cat in the courtroom? They showed the cat sitting on a chair like it was significant or symbolic of something.

4) Kya and Tate never moved from that one spot in the marshes. Sure, let’s just stay in the area where the townsfolk hate my very existence and is the area where all my traumas occurred. You’d think that Tate would’ve convinced Kya to move at some point, especially since he’s a college graduate.

#negative reviews #where the crawdads sing #wtcs #2022 movies #2022 films #films 2022 #movies 2022 #movie review #film review #delia owens #olivia newman #kya clark #tate walker #chase andrews

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star-going-supernova · 1 year

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STAR! STAR I LOVE IT I LOVE IT! Gosh that fic was amazing body and soul whole once more tell me your thoughts of the game! Your ideas! I NEED ANGRY DAD HENRY WITH AN AXE CHASING AFTER WILSON FOR WHAT HE DID TO HIS INK DEMON SON PLEASE!!!

Joey you lost dad rights Audrey and bendy are Henry’s kids now

Friend! Thank you!! I’m glad you enjoyed it, I had an absolute blast writing it. Saw the art and was like, “WOW, I need to write something like that right now immediately.”

I think the game is awesome! They outdid themselves! I’m in the middle of a second watch-through with a more in-depth exploration of the game, and I’m really enjoying seeing it all again. I originally just breezed through a no-commentary video from someone who had clearly finished it before and did everything very quickly, because! I had no intention of falling back in the fandom! A friend asked if I was going to watch it and that she was going to, so I figured I’d just check it out for the sake of it!

(spoilers below, if you missed the spoiler tag)

But then Henry was in it?? HECK. But even beyond Henry’s inclusion, I really like Audrey, I love baby Bendy, and the visuals are incredible. I don’t even mind that it was the same “animator gets trapped in the studio, needs to survive and escape” premise because I felt that the differences built on the original rather than copied it.

My only complaints, therefore, are extremely minor. One, I don’t love that they made the Lost Ones hostile. They were my shivering, skeletal, mostly silent, tragic babies in the first game! The deep despair they exuded just really hit me hard, so I’m kinda meh that they have a mindless sort of violence now. That’s what the Searchers are for. That being said, I did like that some had personalities.

Two, the Ink Demon. “Bendy.” Whatever you want to call him. His wandering in the original was probably one of my favorite parts, so I wasn’t a huge fan of how he only seemed to appear for scripted events, and even then, you didn’t really even see him most of the time, just heard him growling. And c’mon… “The Ink Demon is coming. Hide.” Really? What happened to the player needing to pay attention, listening for the heartbeat and watching out for his inky wall shadows? And then hearing the heart-attack inducing music when he spotted you? I think it would have been cool if they just had that darkness and the warmth being drained out of the color, and preferably, that heartbeat. I did like his voice, though, it’s a good choice for him with the emphasized demonic appearance.

Still unsure about his new design, to be honest. I really liked his tall skeletal form and the way he sort of trudged around. I don’t hate it or anything, I just don’t know if I like it, lol.

Now on to my ideas!! Angry dad Henry is actually one of the other stories I’m working on! Along with one where everything is nice and nothing hurts and Joey just one day says to Henry “I want to make a child with the Ink Machine” and Henry has to take several very deep breaths before choking out “I’ll get right on that.” There’s another I haven’t started yet but the premise is that Allison actually remembers pre-Wilson stuff like Henry does and she breaks him out (inspired specifically by a shot in Rockit Music’s song “Revive My Soul”) so it’s her, Henry, and Tom running around the studio pre- and during Audrey.

I also want to do something with either Audrey asking Henry about Joey or Henry meeting Joey’s memory ghost thing. Maybe both.

But yes, Joey has lost all dad rights and Henry will be calling dibs! Sorry, them’s the rules!

#i answered a thing #flippythegodzilla #batdr spoilers #star's thoughts about stuff #star's feelin' the love #life and times of star

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ralalalsblog · 1 year

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i like season 2 of shadow and bone!!

…but i also hated it. listen shadow and bone season 2 was an amazing experience like i LOVED tolya and tamar’s entrance and seeing 5 of our crows together warmed my heart but it was too not shadow and bone for me to absolutely love it. my memory might serve me wrong but in siege and storm the death of the sea whip was emphasized a LOT more in comparison to the show which i feel kind of dimmed the significance and ‘greatness’ of this mighty amplifier the sea whip. also am i wrong or did sturmhond or nikolai have different faces in the books? because i know that also highlighted how different these two personas are to nikolai like he views sturmhond as a whole other person who has freedom and everything he wants but can never attain but in the show there was very little emphasis on this. this whole nikolai and sturmhond being different thing also added on to nikolai’s personality and development as a character in the books which is why i feel that it not being as significant in the show would rlly not do nikolai’s character good in the long term. another thing is i wished there was more emphasis on genya and her whole ruined thing because the fandom absolutely ate up that line where genya said she wasn’t ruined she was ruin and that line came from a place of insecurity and pain from her being called ruin yet if that same place isn’t as developed in the shows we won’t get to see the same strong genya we love emerge from people calling her ‘ruined’ and getting over her insecurities. i absolutely HATED how in the last few episodes everything changed leigh and the writers might have wanted to give the readers a nice surprise with this change which is cute but we were expecting to see all the iconic scenes we had pictured a million times in our heads actually happen in the show for us to actually SEE instead of imagining like i personally was so excited to see some moments come to life. plus why did they kill david off so early and changed the triumvirate?? that just told me that they were gonna either change or not go with at all the plot of king of scars because the plot of that duology was heavily based on the idea of the triumvirate which consisted of genya, david and zoya. it also gave the whole idea of alina obtaining her peace more development cause she didn’t need to be in power or fight anymore yet alina staying in ravka with nikolai and being a part of the triumvirate has changed her entire character for me. i also wished we got to see more of wylan and jesper being introduced instead of them immediately knowing each other because now we won’t get to hear the iconic ‘not just girls line’ in show. anyways i liked it a lot but season 2 will not hold as special of a place in my heart as the books did because season 2 has just made me see the show and the books as two separate plots with the same characters.

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone season 2

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gothamstreetcat · 1 year

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Putting under the cut what ended up being such a long sad/angry rant about Wesley and how he was treated on the show. I just want to say how I feel. A lot of this is personal and I apologize.

I’ve been thinking a lot over the past few days about how it really boils my blood that I feel there was so much pressure for Wesley to be in love with Fred. If he was not "in love" (I really don't even want to say that) with her he had to be a creep and if not that he had to be obsessed (based off of how the show was really portraying him at points). It’s almost as if he had no value unless he was in love with her or his entire being didn’t revolve around her. Like, if he wasn’t the bumbling fool for everyone to make fun off he just had to be so obsessed to the points it made him look bad. Almost as though the writers took his little "crush" from one fucking episode and decided to run a train without the tracks.

It's such a shame because this idea of Wesley being infatuated with Fred came across as though it had to be his whole personality as though Wesley himself couldn't be loved for anything else (like being smart or funny). And the entirety surrounding Fred was also used as a foil for his relationship with Lilah, which in my opinion is so stupid, because this crush with Fred was -again- so fleeting and ended so badly, yet at the same time it consumes Wesley's being.

And I know I’ve said this in the past, but Wesley during Billy was not him; and I really believe it has everything to do with his father and how he was raised and someone he was scared to become. Wesley does not come off to me as the kind of person to feel that was towards women or have monstrous/evil thoughts. Even for "dark" Wesley that's really pushing it. He's just the kind of guy "that makes the tough decisions even if he's making them alone." Not only that but Wesley constantly has moments where you know he's been abused, and for me, I see that as he's not going to be an abuser because he's already the abused, even as an adult. Even when his not-dad showed up he fell back into his old self and was suddenly never good enough. So, going back Billy it just seems hard for me to imagine Wesley ever trying again after the traumatic events that ensued for him - that also had him struggling with himself as a person. Having him be so infatuated with Fred after this - to me - is just so disrespectful to his character, especially if only to hurt him in the end and further isolate him. Wesley is not a perfect person, I know that but some of the shit he went though on the show just seemed over the top.

I don't actually know or personally understand why people even want Wesley and Fred to be together but let me say how I've been feeling that Fred is just a more loved version of Wesley - another thing that really makes me upset/uncomfortable. They were both smart but somehow Fred was smarter (during that episode when those demons came and wanted her brain instead of Wesley's) yet, at the same time everyone needed Wesley's help when he wasn't part of the team anymore. Which, of course there are different ways to smart and should be recognized but at the same time Fred was just seen as so cute and quirky for everything she did while other times Wesley was not appreciated. Anytime Fred became upset or triggered over what happened to her she was comforted and emphasized with. When she was rescued from Pylea she was given space and everyone worked with her and tried to help her. Anytime Wesley talked about his dad he was looked at as strange or talked to in such a casual manor (because the characters were so bluntly blind to his abuse (i.e when he killed his not-dad in season five). Even when he was clearly feeling a certain way after the events in “Lineage” Angel and Spike treated it as if it was no big deal and I get the assumption that when Wesley killed his not-dad it was more about protecting Fred rather then freeing himself (which is what it should have fucking been about. This man literally stood in front of him and said “don’t make me shoot you,” and I wonder how many threats were made on Wesley’s life for him to not be stunned by that.)

I will however say that when Wesley got shot he was well loved and cared for. This was, of course pre-Fred and pre-Conner but was looked after during this time (by this two best friends I might add who ended up fucking losing completely to the mess that is season 3).

Another thing I've gathered from the grapevine is that it appears losing Fred was somehow a breaking point for Wesley (but also everyone else too) and I would really like to fucking understand why. Fred is beloved, I get that but at the same time they also lost Cordelia who was very loved and had some so far as a person - and as for Wesley that man has been through some fucking shit, but why is losing Winifred some make or break for him?? Wesley literally lost his entire family because of what happened, he had his throat cut and was literally fucking dying as some homeless man dragged him into the bushes before stealing his money. He was so cut off from everyone and pretty much had the metaphorical door slammed in his face - unless of course he was needed - and I know I talk about the park scene a lot, and I know fans get mad over what Wesley did they're entitled to feel that way, of course, but at the same time - no one is going to be more mad at Wesley then the self-loathing man himself. He knows he screewed up.

On top of that, Angel, everyone's literal champion, went to the hospital and tried to fucking kill him. And a lot of people point out how Wesley never apologized for what he did, but when Angel apologized for what he did it was literally only because he needed something. And everyone was so wrapped around Angel's dick and what he wanted so nothing could be mended, mind you, this was also the man that signed them off to work for the literal Devil without their consent. Now, I get he was doing it for his son and that's admirable- he's just a tired dad trying to do his very best - but you literally didn't have to drag everyone else with you (especially since the only reason Wesley was there in the first place was to give Lilah peace he believed she deserved for her suffering. Show me a greater act of true love and I'll shut the fuck up.)

Wesley lost his best friend to the higher powers (his friendship with Gunn was so long gone at this point) and the love of his life (because the only time Wesley wasn't so wrapped up in Fred was when he was grieving Lilah) but somehow Fred had to be the be all end all. Even in his death he couldn't escape it and it still had to be about Fred and being lied to and being with her. I see a lot of fans talk about how he was in love with the idea of Fred and being a hero and getting the girl and finally being loved but in reality all those things Wesley thinks heroes get in the end are a fantasy. He's not going to be loved, Angel is not going to get over Conner and his dad is never going to love and respect him as a human being. In fact, I feel like the only thing Wesley had to resemble being a hero was the fact that he died in the end. I mean, of course he was a good person and did his best and he did help people and save them - but at the same time he went through so much shit just to die in the very end and he couldn't even have that to himself.

The Writers liked to put on this face of Wesley being happy when he sees Fred doing her little speech, and it could have easily been about missing his friends and missing people he was close to but we know that's not the case. Not only that, but Wesley went through something so traumatic and you can't always some back from that. He was literally so changed from what happened to him and he was never the same (he literally reminds me of Bruce Wayne in so many ways with the trauma and the turtlenecks and the stone facial expressions; they literally are the same person only Bruce hates guns). Even when he came back into the group or went to work for W&H and everything was erased. Yet somehow Fred just has to be what keeps him connected to something more human... and I really can't understand why when The Writers (I mean, obviously to hurt Wesley because they don't value him) would even want Wesley to be with someone who is so nasty to him.

Fred was understanding when her and Gunn were ransacking Wesley's apartment (which they didn't even clean up by the way) yet, to his face she told him never to come back and also didn't even look at him when she talked about the prophecy being false and everything being a waste of time. Telling Wesley how wrong he was but literally everyone makes mistakes (Angel literally said Conner had been smelling like food and fucking told no one until he had a meltdown). Wesley during that time was just mentally going through it and he didn't think he could tell anyone and did everything he thought he could do - and then for Fred to be upset with him for fucking being with Lilah when he was literally so alone and she was the only one to give him a crumb of human decency. She really only bothered him about the job once and every time they talked you could tell how much they really bounced off one another.

Fred was also the only one who was so mean to him after Lilah's death when he was being vulnerable and trying to open up to her. Now again, this is partly The Writers who think it's okay to compare Wesley's consensual relationship with Lilah to Not-Cordelia sleeping with Conner (which was basically Conner being raped by his unborn woman child using his mother's body), which is disgusting, but also for Fred to fucking roll her eyes and try to gaslight Wesley and his emotions when he's being vulnerable. Again, something I bitch about a lot but it's only because I know what it's like to be that person being vulnerable to their friends, only to have said friends literally roll their eyes and dismiss my feelings - it's disgusting. Wesley had literally just lost Lilah and had no one to talk to about it but he tried *twice* with two people who used to be his closest friends. But I guess that is just more of a way to affirm how Lilah is for Wesley (despite the fact that she is literally perfect for him but I don't know if I want to get into that now).

I feel like Angel never got over Conner (it being mentioned in season five) and that is what it is - I get it, but at the same time I'm also so bothered by the fact that Wesley is always going to have this big terrible thing hung over him. Gunn also made a huge mistake but that was what is was, a mistake and okay because "Gunn is a good person" (and I'm okay with that, I'm in no way trying to shit on Gunn but I am aware there was controversy surround this back when the show was on). However, I have an issue with Wesley having to be so punished for his mistake when others are empathized with. And I know what happened with Holtz was about Angelus and that Angel has a soul and he is good - but this is also the vampire with a soul who tried to fucking suffocate Wesley to death. It doesn't feel fair to entirely blame Angel for Angelus's actions against Holtz's family's, However, that's still a huge part of his past, and not everyone is going to have empathy and compassion for you just because you have a soul. I'm not trying to say that as a way to excuse Wesley's mistake but I feel that so much is always put on Wesley and him alone.

I'm sorry this post is so long and messy. I was going to spend a little bit of time talking about his relationship with Lilah, however, I want this to be more about Wesley as an individual - so I'll shut up here and save that conversation for the tags.

This was four pages long in google docs, why can't I write my fanfiction like that?

#me rambling messily and angry #not sure if I should post this or not #but here we are #i just want to say how i feel. can't seem to do anything else unless i sit with this\#also. off topic but i read this fanfic recently (honestly one of my favs)#and it was written so well character wise as well as writing wise and it was written during season three #i'm going going to go into detail bc it's awful but basically something really terrible happened to wes and in another version of events in #the fic anther wesley had the same terrible thing happen but with different results and in the end he went crazy and had to be reverted to #a child-like state and it was so awful because the wesley in the main universe was treated well but there were times when the characters #were happy to have him because he wasn't crazy and was useful to them. in my opinion (and i could be very wrong) it felt like they only #loved him because this terrible thing happened to him and there were other times everyone was so overbearing it bothered me #again. nothing to do with the writer or the story because they were both written so Perfectly but just in general it was sad to me #wesley should not have to be useful to be loved #but that is me taking this train off the tracks #angel the series #wesley wyndam pryce

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