#Sharing is caring and in this ship we share blame

[the-dragon-hearted]

Eurylochus: I opened the windbag while you were asleep ~

*record scratch*

Odysseus: Wait... hold on. Let me get this straight: you're responsible for about 550 of our dead friends.

Eury: Yes 👉👈

Ody:

Ody: Okay. Cool. So, hypothetically, if you could choose six more crewmates to sacrifice here...

Eury: wait a minute -

Ody: No, no, listen, I'll forgive you, but I need you to choose six guys. Not 500, just six. You don't even have to open a bag to kill these guys -

Eury: First of all, rude. Second, NO! I don't want to do that!

Ody:

Ody: Well, maybe you should've thought about that BEFORE YOU OPENED THE BAG. NOW HAND OUT THE GLOW STICKS, EURYLOCHUS, IT'S SCYLLA'S SNACK TIME

[colouredbyd]

Broken Vases

poly!moonwater x fem!reader

Summary: When a vase slips from your hands, it’s not just glass that shatters — it’s years of fear, buried under a childhood that taught mistakes meant pain. Remus and Regulus are left trying to show you that love is gentle.

Warnings: Mentions of abusive childhood, abuse, hitting, scarring, broken vases, graphic mention of blood, mention of injuries, childhood truama, victim blaming, manipulative parents, overall graphic and has very intense mentions of an abusive childhood. read with caution!!!

Word count: 4.0k

Authors note: moonwater is my new fav ship idc what anyone says.

masterlist

You loved Remus and Regulus before you even understood what love was meant to feel like. It crept up on you slow and careful, the way sunlight softens a frozen field. Regulus and Remus held pieces of you long before you realized you had given them away. You trusted them because something in you recognized something in them — a bruised sort of knowing, a gentleness that came not from a life of safety but from surviving things no one should ever have to survive.

Regulus understood in a way that frightened you sometimes. His childhood had been lined with gold and knives, beautiful from a distance and lethal up close. Love in his house was something to be earned with obedience and silence, something sharp-edged and glittering that left more wounds than comfort. The Black name carried weight, and it had pressed down on his small shoulders until he learned to carry it without ever showing the cracks. He had clawed his way free of it, but the scars still clung to him, quiet and furious just beneath his skin.

Remus was softer where Regulus was sharp, but the softness had been carved out of him by loss, not given freely. He had known hunger and loneliness, fear and shame, but somewhere in the hollow spaces of his life there had been hands that cradled rather than struck. His mother’s touch, a father’s murmured apologies — flawed, yes, but real, and for all the ways the world had been cruel to him, he had tasted love enough to know it was supposed to be kind.

You had not. You had been born to a house where love was something shouted or withheld, where silence was a punishment and affection was a prize dangled just out of reach.

You did not come from grand halls or ancient bloodlines like Regulus, nor from hidden cottages and worn sweaters like Remus. All you had known was that whatever you received came with conditions, and you learned early that need was dangerous, that wanting too much could be used against you.

But you did not know it was wrong. Not really. Not the way they knew.

You had built a life out of survival, brick by brick, teaching yourself that pain was normal and loneliness was inevitable. You thought everyone grew up like you did. You thought every home was a battlefield stitched together with brittle apologies. You thought every child learned to walk quietly, to measure the weight of footsteps, to make themselves small and silent when anger crept through the walls.

It was not cruelty that kept you from seeing it. It was simply what you had always known.

There were things you said that should have been warning signs, sirens screaming into the hush between you, but you spoke them so lightly, so carelessly, that it broke something inside them every time.

You would laugh, thinking you were sharing something small and harmless, and you would not understand why Remus’s smile would falter or why Regulus’s hands would clench into fists small enough to leave half-moon scars on his palms.

You did not know. But they did. And they loved you too much to let you stay in the dark forever.

It slipped out in the way you laughed, head tipped back against the couch cushions, utterly unguarded, when you said, "Yeah, when we used to get locked outside, Mum said it built character." The words fluttered into the air so casually, so lightly, as if they weighed nothing at all.

Regulus stiffened where he sat beside you, the book he had been lazily flipping through falling forgotten into his lap. The soft thud of it hitting the cushion barely registered over the way the room seemed to tilt, the way the light seemed to dim.

Across from you, Remus's hand froze midair, the steaming mug he had been about to offer you tipping precariously in his fingers, a slow spiral of tea unwinding into the air.

But you only smiled, unaware, bright and easy, as if the memory was nothing more than a harmless anecdote.

As if it were a badge of survival you didn’t even realize you were wearing, the blood beneath it invisible to your own eyes. As if it wasn’t a wound at all, but a joke.

It kept happening, slipping from your lips like water through cupped hands, so small at first that they almost managed to convince themselves it was nothing. Almost.

"Dad said crying was for cowards, so he made us stay out in the snow till he eventually got bored and let us in." you said once, almost laughing, as if it were a funny little story instead of something that hollowed out Remus’s chest until he could hardly breathe. His knuckles went white around the spine of his book, holding it like an anchor, like if he could just grip hard enough the whole world wouldn’t split apart.

Another time you shrugged and said, "One time I forgot to say ‘good morning’ and had to sleep in the garage. It was funny, actually. I made friends with a spider," and Regulus, who had suffered the cold precision of a pureblood upbringing, felt his throat close like he was swallowing broken glass, sharp and merciless.

You didn’t notice. You only grinned, eyes bright, as though loneliness and punishment were things that built fairy tales instead of scars.

You laughed, light and unconcerned, when you said, "Everyone gets hit every few days. It's not a big deal," and missed the way Remus’s mouth tightened into a thin, colorless line, missed the way Regulus reached for you without thinking, fingers ghosting your sleeve like he could shield you from memories that had already happened.

Every word you dropped was another stone sinking into the river of you, another crack spidering through the foundation of what they thought they knew.

Another shard they had to pretend not to see, because you didn’t see it. You didn’t know. You had never known anything else. You had been too busy surviving. You had always been too busy surviving.

And then it all cracked open.

It started so stupidly, with Quidditch and pride.

You were stretched out lazily on the couch, bare feet tucked comfortably under you, a chipped mug cradled between your hands as you took slow sips from it. The faint scent of tea lingered in the air, mixing with the soft warmth of the evening.

Regulus and Remus were on opposite sides of the room, their voices rising and falling in playful debate, each word sparking the kind of heated exchange only they could have. You listened with half attention, smiling softly as their banter filled the space around you, a rhythm that felt almost like home.

The sun had long since disappeared behind the horizon, leaving behind the coolness of the night, but the warmth inside the house was a sharp contrast. The only light was the golden spill of the lamps, casting shadows on the walls that seemed to pulse with life. The house, the three of you, the rhythm of familiar voices, was like a second skin—protective, comforting, real. This was home.

"I am telling you," Regulus said, tossing a Quidditch paper onto the table with a soft thud, "if the Harpies had just switched Seekers at the start of the season, they would have wiped the floor with the Cannons."

"You cannot just swap out a Seeker," Remus said, half-laughing, arms folded stubbornly across his chest. "It is not a chess piece, Reg."

Regulus gave a soft, scoffing noise, a glint of something teasing in his grey eyes. "You Gryffindors are all sentiment. Sometimes you have to cut your losses."

"And sometimes loyalty wins games, not betrayal," Remus shot back, rolling his eyes and pushing off from the doorframe. He crossed the room in two easy strides, standing toe-to-toe with Regulus now, their words heating up, not cruel, just stupid and bright with old affection.

You smiled to yourself, watching them with a kind of fondness that warmed your bones. You loved them like this, alive and careless, sparking off one another like dry tinder. It was the kind of playfulness that had become second nature between the two of them, something you'd witnessed a thousand times and always adored. A safe, familiar rhythm of back-and-forth that filled the space between them, the unspoken bond of shared history and love.

You didn’t even register the way your heart started to beat harder, the way your muscles tensed, the way old instincts uncoiled themselves slowly from where they slept inside you.

"You are insufferable," Regulus said, jabbing a finger lightly at Remus’s chest, the action teasing but laced with warmth.

"And you are infuriating," Remus answered, swatting at his hand with a laugh that was more tired than amused, the spark between them alive but the edges worn down from time.

You hummed softly to yourself, feeling the weight of the quiet contentment that had settled around you. It was easy to feel at ease when the world was just these moments, when the only thing that mattered was the teasing back and forth of the two people you loved the most.

Then it happened.

You weren’t sure how, exactly. It was like a spark that ignited the room, and suddenly everything felt sharper, colder. You had been so used to this—Regulus’s dry humor, Remus’s playful frustration. It had always been just noise, a part of the air you breathed. But this time, it was different. There was a weight behind it now, something you couldn’t ignore.

It was Remus, laughing just a little too loud at Regulus’s remark, his voice cutting through the air with that familiar edge of mockery. "Sometimes you have to let go of the idea of being right," he said with a grin, eyes dancing with mischief.

But there was a flicker in Regulus’s eyes, something hard beneath the surface, and suddenly the tension between them seemed to snap tighter.

"Maybe you should stop assuming you know everything," Regulus bit out, his voice low but cutting, something raw edging into the words.

It was sharp. Too sharp. And the way Regulus’s eyes flashed made it feel like the laughter had been sucked out of the room.

Remus’s smile faltered, his hand falling away from his chest, his posture shifting as if he was sensing something in the air that had shifted.

"I’m not assuming," Remus replied, voice quieter now, just a touch of strain in the edges. "I’m just saying, not everything is as simple as you make it out to be."

Your breath caught, your chest tightening, the conversation somehow too close, too sharp for comfort. Your fingers curled slightly into the cushion beneath you, the urge to interrupt rising up from some deep place inside of you. But you didn’t. You stayed silent, watching, feeling the invisible line stretching tighter and tighter between them.

"You always have an answer, don’t you?" Regulus’s words were laced with something harder now, something that flickered just beneath the surface of their usual dynamic. "Maybe not everything is meant to be solved. Maybe some things are just the way they are."

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, there was nothing but the pulse of the tension, heavy and thick, wrapping around you.

Regulus stepped closer, his movements sharp, pointing his finger at Remus with a precision that was meant to be theatrical, to emphasize his argument. The action was calculated, meant to be playful, to incite a laugh, to turn the moment into another shared joke between them.

But then Remus, always ready to match Regulus’s energy, raised his hand in a gesture of exaggerated defense, an act that was supposed to keep the air light, to stop the rising tension before it could break through.

You couldn’t breathe. The warmth that had once wrapped itself so securely around your chest suddenly felt suffocating, a weight pressing down, trapping you in a moment that had shifted so subtly, but so violently, that you couldn’t reconcile the warmth of the room with the chill crawling down your spine.

It was a blur then. You stumbled backward, your feet suddenly unsteady as your heart pounded too quickly in your chest, the world spinning just slightly too fast. Your hip slammed into the side table, the impact jarring, but you barely registered the pain.

The only thing you could focus on was the vase—the one Remus had given you for your birthday, the one that Regulus had looked at and said reminded him of some ancient art piece he saw in a muggle movie that Sirius used to make him watch.

The vase wobbled once, twice, each movement of the fragile porcelain making the world feel slower, as though everything had fallen into a brief moment of suspension. You could see the way it teetered at the edge of the table, teetered at the edge of disaster.

The world seemed to stretch, just for a heartbeat, and in that stretch, you could almost believe you could catch it, could stop it from falling. But it did.

The sound it made when it shattered was deafening, louder than anything you had ever heard before. It rang in your ears, a crash that felt like gunfire, sharp and cutting, as though the noise itself had torn through the fabric of the room.

Time seemed to hold its breath, the shattered pieces of the vase scattered across the floor like broken dreams, the wildflowers that it had once held now lost in the jagged shards.

Your hands flew to the pieces, trembling and frantic, moving in a blur of desperation.

The shards of the broken vase littered the floor, their sharp edges gleaming menacingly in the dim light. You tried to piece them together, each movement a frantic attempt to make it whole again, to make the world stop spinning, to put everything back into its perfect place before the inevitable consequence arrived.

You couldn’t let it stay broken, not like this. You couldn’t let it be your fault, couldn’t bear the thought of their anger, their disappointment, the crushing weight of whatever punishment you were certain would follow.

"I will fix it," you gasped, the words spilling out in a high, thin tremor, your voice cracking under the strain of the panic rising in your chest. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I swear. Please, please don’t be mad, I’ll fix it, I’ll fix it. Just give me a second, i'll fix it. I promise,"

You didn’t know who you were pleading with—Regulus, Remus, yourself—but you couldn’t stop.

Your hands shook as you gathered the jagged pieces of ceramic, your fingers too clumsy, too frantic, trying to make sense of the broken fragments scattered around you. The panic rushed through your veins like fire, sharp and unforgiving, and all you could think was that you had to fix this.

You had to make the brokenness disappear. You had to undo the mess you had made before they could get angry, before the shouting escalated, before it turned into something worse.

Your hand closed around a jagged edge, the sharp ceramic biting into your skin, the sting of it so sudden and intense that you flinched. A large line of blood bloomed across your palm, the red quickly darkening, but you hardly felt it.

The pain of the cut was nothing compared to the chaos spiraling in your mind, the frantic need to make everything right. You didn’t even register the blood at first, didn’t stop to assess the damage. It didn’t matter. You didn't even notice how the pieces of the once white and blue vase turned a deep crimson red.

Nothing mattered but the pieces of the vase in front of you, scattered like your thoughts, like everything you had ever been told to fix or endure or hold together.

"I’ll fix it," you whispered again, this time more to yourself than anyone else. The words were a mantra, an echo of the things you had been forced to say in other times, in other places, when things broke, when things were shattered, and you were left to pick up the pieces, no matter the cost.

You didn’t know how to stop. You didn’t know how to make yourself stop scrambling, stop trying to make the mess disappear, as though your very worth depended on it. All you knew was that the shards were too sharp, the blood too bright, the panic too thick in your chest. You had to make it right. You had to make it stop hurting.

The world felt like it was slipping away from you, the edges blurring and twisting as you kept reaching for the shards, gathering them up, trying to fit them together, trying to turn them into something whole.

But nothing fit. Nothing was whole. Nothing could be fixed.

Regulus’s voice reached you, soft at first, but thick with concern. "Stop, please stop," he said, his tone gentle but firm. "You're hurting yourself, amour,"

But it was too much. It was all too much. The shattered pieces, the blood, the suffocating pressure to make everything okay—it was all too much for you to bear. And the tears finally spilled over, hot and fast, as your chest heaved with the force of them.

Remus was beside you then, kneeling down in front of you, his hands catching yours gently, pulling them away from the shards. "Love, no, no, no, stop," He said sharply, horror strangling the words.

"Darling, please," Regulus said, his voice cracking down the middle.

They were both on their knees beside you, not caring about the broken shards cutting into their own hands, reaching for you with such tenderness it made the room tilt.

"Look at me," Remus said, reaching out slowly, palms up, voice gentler than you had ever heard. "You are not in trouble. You are not in trouble."

"You did nothing wrong," Regulus said, crouching low, his eyes wide and wet. "It is just a vase. It does not matter. You matter."

But you were still shaking, your hands red with blood and fear, your chest heaving with little broken sobs you could not swallow down. You tried to gather the larger pieces anyway, tried to fit them together with trembling fingers, crying harder when they refused to become whole again.

"I am sorry," you whispered over and over. "I did not mean to. I swear I will be better. Please, please do not leave."

Regulus made a sound then, a wounded, helpless noise. Because had he been that bad at loving you that you thought he would leave you over a vase?

Remus caught your wrists before you could hurt yourself again, holding them lightly, not restraining, just there, solid and warm and unmovable.

"Sweetheart, no," Remus whispered, his voice a soft caress that wrapped around you like a blanket. "We are not angry. We could never be angry with you, baby." His words were so tender, so filled with warmth, that they made your chest ache in a way you didn't know you could feel. His thumb brushed over your arm in slow, calming strokes, grounding you to the moment, to them.

"You are safe," Regulus breathed, cupping your bleeding hand with such care that it made you want to crumble, to sob harder, as if his touch could undo the years of fear and hurt that had clung to you for so long.

"You are safe, you are safe, you are safe." Each repetition was like a gentle promise, a lullaby meant to ease you, but you couldn’t breathe easy just yet. Your heart raced, a flutter of panic that was impossible to still, not when the shadows of your past still lingered, pressing against the edges of every moment.

You shook your head, trying to pull away, trying to slip out of their reach, lost somewhere deep inside, somewhere where love had always meant pain and mistakes had always meant loneliness. Somewhere where you had learned to protect yourself by pushing others away, never letting anyone get too close.

You didn’t know how to let anyone in—not like this, not with such tenderness. But Remus, with his steady grip, only tightened his hands on you, a quiet insistence that you didn’t have to run anymore.

"You do not have to fix anything," Remus said softly, his voice full of such conviction that it almost made you stop and listen. "You are not broken. There is nothing to fix." His words, so simple yet profound, hung in the air between you like a promise.

For the first time, someone was telling you that you were enough, as you were, and that feeling—such an unfamiliar one—made your throat tighten.

Regulus, always the quieter one, brushed the hair from your face with hands that shook just a little, as if afraid to hurt you, even in the smallest way. "Let us take care of you, please," he murmured, his voice raw, like it was a prayer whispered into the night, fragile and desperate.

The tenderness in his tone wrapped around your heart, pulling at something deep within you. His touch felt like a balm, soothing, even when it made your pulse quicken in fear.

Slowly, as if they were afraid to move too fast, they guided you away from the blood and the glass.

Regulus cradled your injured hand against his chest, holding it like it was the most precious thing in the world, fragile and tender. Remus gathered you into his arms with such gentle strength that it left you gasping. His embrace was safe, unyielding, but kind.

You didn’t know how to let go, how to lean into that kind of love, but somehow, in the silence that followed, you found yourself doing just that.

They sat you on the couch, close together, their presence wrapping around you like a shield. Still, they whispered to you, murmuring words you could hardly understand but felt deep in your bones.

Remus pressed a soft cloth to your palm, the cool fabric a contrast to the warmth of his hands, as he worked to stop the bleeding. Regulus, as if every movement had to be slow and deliberate, wiped away the tears that had escaped your eyes, his sweater sleeve gentle against your skin, as if trying to erase the hurt you hadn't meant to show.

"You are alright," Remus said over and over, his voice rhythmic, like a lullaby meant to bring calm. Each repetition was in time with the frantic beat of your heart, which was struggling to steady itself, to accept the safety they were offering you. "You are alright."

Regulus pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, lingering for a moment, then another, his lips brushing against your hair, the air near your temple. His touch was so careful, as if you might break if he held you too tightly. "We love you," he said, his voice barely a whisper, but filled with a certainty that settled deep into your chest. "We love you more than anything. No broken thing will ever change that."

The floor was still littered with shards of glass, the blood a reminder of what had just happened, but none of it mattered. Not anymore.

The only thing that mattered was the way they looked at you. It was a look that made you feel seen, truly seen, in a way you had never known before. Like you were something sacred, something worth every broken part of you, even the ones you didn’t know how to heal.

They didn’t see your scars as flaws, they saw them as pieces of you—the person they loved, the person they wanted to protect.

And for the first time, you let yourself believe it.

You let yourself believe that you could be loved like this—completely, unconditionally, without fear. It was terrifying, but it was also beautiful in a way that made the tears feel like they were washing away everything you’d ever known, making space for something new. Something good.

[cherry-pop-elf]

Kiss it Better Pt:2

Curly x Reader

AN: Holy shit I did NOT expect all the love and support from the original like god damn! People begging for a part 2 and everything (I’ll make sure to tag those who asked for one at the bottom) Like oh my god thank you guys so much! This means the WORLD to me! As a disabled person trying to make his medical issues more accurate it means so much that yall love it and how I write in general! Thank you!

SUM: You and Anya were busy dealing with changing Curly’s wrappings together. Sharing stories, and just trying to stay positive. That’s when you just had to ask. What’s going on between her and Jimmy?

Warnings: Jimmy, sexual assault, Anya sharing her trauma so pls take care of yourself, medical gore, medical situations, light violence,

“Thank you again for handling Curly’s medication. I’m sorry I just-“ Anya would try to explain again how sorry she was that she was struggling to do her job. A job you could never blame her for. She’s been through a traumatic event of the ship crashing, and already had to try and save a near corpse. She deserves to breathe.

“Anya it’s fine, really. I’m his romantic partner as well. It be weird if I didn’t pick up some responsibility and tried to take care of him. You also deserve time to rest. You’ve done so much for him, and saved his life. Give yourself more credit. It’s not a sin to ask for help.” You would try and comfort her, as you would grab the fresh bandages for Curly.

He needed a lot of them, and they had to be changed out relatively often. He’s basically just exposed meat after all. The risk of infection was high, which you were wondering how he didn’t even catch any yet, so he needed alot of attention and care.

If only Pony Express had packed more, because the med bay was running out of them fast. Very very fast. Might be only able to maybe re wrap him a few more times now. Had you terrified because as much as you wanted to take care of him you had to leave some bandages for the rest of the crew. In case of another emergency.

You wish you could be doing more.

“We’re going to undress you. Is that alright?” Anya would ask Curly, who in return would give two blinks to indicate that he consented to being stripped. Was gonna have to be done but it was still so kind of Anya to still ask before hand.

The two of you would soon get to work on changing out his bandages. A very slow, careful, tedious job. One that normally took over a hour to do properly. So it’s time to kill some of that empty space.

“Ya know, this isn’t the first time over had to wrap up a certain someone because they got hurt. I remember a time when we were at a Ski resort with his family. Someone wanted to try a path that was meant for experts and before you know it someone’s returning to the lodge with his leg bone sticking out of his pants.”

Anya gave a little ‘oh my’ as you just laughed at the memory. Curly just adored sports. Especially the winter variety. You felt so blessed that he had a job that paid so well. Well enough that the two of you, and his own family sometimes, could go and enjoy vacations like that.

You wonder if the two of you will ever see the snow again.

“That sounds rather nice, minus the whole breaking his leg. To share a cabin together with someone. Cuddle for warmth together by the fire place. Sounds really nice.” She would speak dreamily. As if she knew it was simply that. A dream. Something that will never happen again. No matter how hard she tried.

Like something was wrong with her.

“I bet you’ll get that moment. When we escape here you’ll have a flooding of men and women coming your way. The brilliant woman who managed to fight death and win. Again and again. The most brilliant woman to ever live.” You would praise her, as you were very mindful of Curly’s catheter. As if that needed to be messed with.

“Yeah…..Maybe……” Anya didn’t really seem to actually respond. Was like she was just saying words for the sake of words. Had you wondering.

Even before the crash she had just started acting off one day. From being a cheerful woman who was gentle and full of smiles, to being so quiet and scared by the littlest of sounds. Like she expected someone to jump from around the corner and attack her. Any feeling of safety and comfort vanished.

You were worried.

“Say, Anya-“ You began to speak, while disposing the bandages safely into the bio hazard bag. “-Is everything ok? I mean duh we’re not doing to hot with being, ya know, crashed and all. But besides that. You just seem…..different.”

Anya seemed to not hear you. She simply worked on checking over Curly’s body. Hunting down any infections, looking for possible bed sores, monitoring his healing, and getting ready to do the ever so gentlest of sponge baths.

Anya did always get in the zone whenever someone was hurt. You figured she didn’t catch what you said because of it.

So repeated yourself, as you stood next to her. Impossible to miss what you were asking, as you would help Curly sit up and just move his joints to better reach with the sponge.

The only sounds in that room were Curly’s whines of discomfort. Whines to indicate truly how much pain he was in when even the pain killers can numb it.

“Anya….I know you can hear me. Is everything alright? Not to be rude but I’m kinda asking you a question.” You would be gentle, but she still couldn’t help but looked distressed.

“Anya what’s-“ You would reach a hand out, to comfort her, but the second it was raised towards her she would immediately flinch. Her startled reaction ended up even making her drop Curly’s leg on the table.

Oh that’s gotta hurt.

For a fleeting moment you put Anya on the back burner, and just focused your attention on comforting Curly. How he gave a weak sob from the intense pain.

“Shhhh I know Curly Fry. I know. It’s gonna be ok. It was an accident. You know she didn’t mean it. Shhh.” You would kiss his forehead, as Curly had a muscle spasm through his body from the intense shock to his system. So exhausted and in so much pain.

“It’s gonna be ok. I promise. I love you so much. Just think about our future. How we will get off this ship, and have that family. Have our own baby-“

The moment you said baby, that’s when Anya finally cracked.

Her hands were now covering her face, as she just broke down into sobs. Sobs that sounded so hoarse. Like she’s done it so many times that her body was just abused from it. Left you so worried and confused.

What the hell is going on here?

“Anya, what’s wrong? What did I say?” You would gently guide her to a chair, and worked on stroking her hair. Giving her as much comfort as you would to Curly. The same gentle love as he would get. Love she deserved.

It took a while for her to catch her breathe, and you didn’t rush it because it really seemed she needed it, but her own trembling body was finally able to quite down.

“I need to tell you something. I need to tell you something about Jimmy-“

You were quick to kneel down infront of her, and was ready to take in every last word she was going to say. Maybe what secrets she held could finally explain why the hell you all were crashed here. Why Jimmy crashed you all.

“Jimmy ra-“

That’s when the door opened.

As if that bastard had a sixth sense for whenever people were talking about him. That same annoyed expression, same sneer, same empty eyes.

All three of you kinda froze in time now. Looking at him, as he looked back at you all. Scanning you. As if judging to figure out what was being said before entering.

“Hey….Captain….” You swallowed, as you would return to standing. Anya herself remained in her chair, with her head down. Didn’t seem she trusted herself in showing any expressions right now.

“What were you guys talking about?” He asked, as he seemed slightly on edge. Like he hasn’t been sleeping well or had too much caffeine. Just this tension of paranoia was in the air. Like he was worried about something.

“Just about the bandages. We’re starting to run low, and Anya is just getting worried about having enough.” Wasn’t a complete lie. The best lies were the ones with truth sprinkled in.

“Of course he’s wasting our supplies.” He scoffed, before walking over to the table. You were trying to give Curly some respect with grabbing something to cover him up with, but it was like Jimmy wouldn’t let you. The stare he gave you, when you grabbed the clean hospital gown, made you just freeze in place.

It was just so full of hate.

It was just so full of disgust.

It was just cruelty in dark eyes.

It was just focused on you. As if Anya didn’t even exist right now. Like she meant nothing to him. Nothing but the wind in the air. Something you don’t even bother in registering every day. Like how you breathe in air in your lungs.

You don’t notice until it’s gone.

“Has he been given his medication?” He would ask you, as his hands would be firm on the bed side. Just seeming to assert his dominance with standing over the man. Like some got over the little people.

“Yes Jimmy. He’s been medicated. We are actually in the middle of washing him. It would be nice if there was some privacy-“ You tried to gently hint at, only for it yo fall on deaf ears.

"The crash really did do a number on you. You don’t even have a dick anymore. Just holes huh-?” Jimmy would scoff, as that was your final straw. You would give Jimmy a hard hip bump, and quickly covered Curly up. To give him dignity and respect.

“Hey-! Watch it! Don’t think because you are Curly’s little eye candy doesn’t mean you can go pushing people around-“ Jimmy would bark at you.

You didn’t feel fear.

Jimmy was messing with YOUR man now. Curly deserved dignity and respect. He doesn’t deserve to be called a ‘set of holes’ no way in hell. No one deserved that and ESPECIALLY not Curly.

“Will you just shut up?! What the hell are you even doing here?! Aren’t you the Captain now? Captains are suppose to be doing whatever it takes to help the crew. All you’ve been doing is walking around and insulting everyone! It’s like you don’t want us to be saved. Be a Captain and take some responsibility already-!”

The anger that he had for you was terrifying. You swore it was like a switch. He suddenly seemed taller, bigger, angrier, more intense. You felt like you were shrinking more and more. Like you would melt into a puddle under that heated stare.

But you refused to.

For Curly.

“Listen here you-“

SLAP

You smacked him across the face. Was like the world went mute. No one was so much as breathing. Just the stares of shock from Anya and Curly.

“Get. Back. To. WORK.”

You ordered, and he listened.

He would hold his red cheek, and walked away like a dog with its tail between its legs. As if he was all talk and no bite. That he couldn’t bring himself to be more than an angry voice.

Someone needed to keep him in his place.

“Can this damn ship get any more hectic?” You sighed with your fingers to the bridge of your nose. Just trying to think clearly.

That’s when Anya found her voice.

“I’m pregnant.”

You opened your eyes wide, and was frozen in place.

Did you hear that right? No no. No way. Why would she be pregnant? How would she get pregnant? Who would get her…

“Oh my god.”

You slowly turned around to Anya with the puzzle pieces falling into place. You finally realized what had happened.

Jimmy never was a responsible man.

@meheheasasa @letmebedelutional @trashcansally @balanahala562

Prev 2 Next

[aoflameandco]

Netflix DanteLady: in depth analysis

I ship Dante and Lady. And it makes really hard to miss a big controversy, surrounding the Netflix version of characters. There's a lot of negativity out there, and while I see some valid points, my shipper heart absolutely disagrees with the harsh takes on DanLady's development. So let's break it down and highlight some nice things about this particular interpretation of our beloved ship.

Warning:

1) This post treats the Netflix anime as its own thing. I'm not comparing the show's DanLady to the game's DanLady maybe some references aside bc imho it would request another big meta and a couple more Seasons to make a fair judgment.

2) The analysis mainly focuses on the scenes that Dante and Lady share together. The show also likes to draw parallels between them, but once again, I'd need another big meta to cover that. maybe one day

3) I call Lady "Mary", bc that's who she is from her POV right now. I like Lady better too and know the dmc3 nuances, but the show didn't reach the point yet.

Starting from the bottom

She hated demons with a passion. He exterminated them with joy. So much in common and yet — a shared distaste for the demonkind caused an all-time-low first impression.

But things looked fun at first! At least from Dante's POV. Just when the party seemed to be almost over, another pretty guest flew through his window. There's no doubt that Dante was having a blast, dominating the entire battlefield, so he accepted his new challenger eagerly, his wild grins don't lie.

Too bad, Mary was a woman with a mission. Careful calculation behind every move. Strategy instead of brute force. If her theory is correct, it's the only way she can win. And she succeeds, securing the amulet. The soldier's cold mask falls for a second, revealing how much she enjoys being in control after Dante carelessly underestimated her.

Jokes are over, Dante is pissed and Enzo's suggestive remarks the og captain of the ship don't help either. He doesn't care about the pretty thief, all he wants is to keep his sacred promise and return his precious necklace.

And so the battle for dominance begins. The episode emphasizes that Dante and Mary are birds of a feather. Both smirk when they think they have situation under control, about to catch their prey. It's not a sweet kind of smirk, they're serious and even manage to cause minor damage, but Mary wins this round by introducing an anti-demon weapon Dante never saw before.

Time to test the demon theory. Which completely takes Dante by surprise. No wonder, the whole animation looks rather suggestive, if we ignore Mary's gun pointed right at him. But that's not what confuses Dante the most, it's Mary's words. A mere thought of him being a demon is quite insulting, so he immediately laughs at her failure, hiding his own stupor behind cheeky jokes.

But this lady is too smart for her own good. She continues her musings, so deep in thought that she loses her grip, and Dante is quick to use it against her. His ruthlessness gives another hint that she has touched on a sensitive topic, triggering him further.

Mary immediately retreats, most likely blaming herself for relaxing in front of such a cunning foe. Her jumps and blasts are more uncoordinated than usual, she clearly panics and Dante has to save her at the last second from his own counterattack.

And he's still mad and demanding answers. Although the scene clearly references "my type of rain" this Dante is in no mood for flirting. The gentleman dies: he slams Mary's wrists against the wall, ignoring the close proximity he created, yanking her body like a rag doll, when she touches his nerve.

To Mary's honor, she keeps her cool even cornered, this time determined to overpower her opponent mentally. Dante's anger makes it easier, yet her cocky pocker face falls under his touch. That's really not her type of "getting personal", though he walked right into her trap.

The whole scene radiates the hateful tension that is clearly mutual. Both are a bit too petty. For example, Dante takes offense at Mary's implication that he's a brainless demon and he immediately rubs her current helpless situation in her face. Only for Mary to strike back a minute later. A great uno-game, what to say.

Slightly touching on the topic of power scaling: nope, the show doesn't make Mary stronger than Dante. Even though currently she's way down on his favorite people list, Dante has no intention to kill her, because: A) He got his morals and B) He seeks information, which she processes. And Mary thanks to the extra ammo and lack of moral limits takes full advantage of it.

Dante's hot anger subsides the next morning. Maybe because he's had time to calm down, maybe bacause Enzo's presence provides him sort of comfort their bond is truly wholesome. Either way, he decides to stand his ground, calmly denying all the demon allegations.

Meanwhile Mary's cold hatred has grown. After nearly failing the exam she did her homework — this damn hellblood won't ever get the upper hand over her. Mary demonstratively ignores Dante's small talks, turns away whenever he opens his mouth, takes every opportunity to punish him for his silly escape tactics, bluntly dehumanizes him referring to him as a "thing".

While, yeah, Mary is being a bitch in this episode, the reason behind it isn't just a sore victory. Dante is ruining her simple world. Demons are bad. But Dante is acting like a deviant, so human-like, Mary can't help but think that he's up to something. She doesn't believe in his ignorance, she tries to warn Baines that even a half-demon is a demon and doesn't deserve any special treatment. And she surely is annoyed that Dante denies his blood and has a sad backstory, quite similar to her own. Nope, she won't succumb to this demon's manipulations.

Yet, despite her cold facade, Mary isn’t as heartless as she pretends to be. After Rabbit's attack she pauses for a second to make sure her prisoners are in fact fine, before running to her teammates. And for someone who was so enthusiastic about the bomb in Dante's neck, she certainly seems a little too concerned when she realizes he’s crossed the one-mile radius.

Still at this point of story DanLady are bitter strangers. Dante isn't one to hold long grudges (given his dynamic with Enzo), but Mary's hostility doesn't help his insecurity about his origins. Meanwhile her prejudice prevents her from seeing him for who he is. They both value the amulet above all else, so they spare no extra though for each other, before diving into their own separate arcs. Which change their perception of demons forever.

Change of heart

Next reunion highlights the progress both Dante and Mary have made. She has realized that the world isn't black and white, there're different types of demons out there, even those she can't consider her enemies. And he has faced the truth, came to terms with his father's heritage and been forced to see the world through the eyes of a demon himself.

The character's journey greatly affects their dynamic. Mary doesn't hesitate to save Dante from Rudra. And Dante immediately confesses that she was right about him all along. Burying the hatchet of their first disagreement, they slowly learn to compromise.

Mary lowers her gun once Dante confirms that he won't transform again. Given how wary she was of his human form before, the new info about his power-up would naturally raise her alertness, but she trusts his words now. Besides, she isn't afraid of him, she's pretty comfortable with his harsh truths duh, she already figured it out And that means a lot to Dante, who's still struggling with self-acceptance.

Still having his head blown up might be quite a painful experience, and Dante can't help but tease about her change of approach. Mary simply rolls her eyes, but still accepts him as a reluctant ally, untill the amulet tears them apart.

The first sort of teamwork estabilishes who's the braines and who's the brawn. Dante certainly prefers a direct confrontation while Mary engages in a battle of wits with Rabbit. Still, it's impossible not to notice her distressed state, and even though Dante feels awkward witnessing it, he doesn't walk away as soon as he is instructed to work solo. In fact, he pays attention to the smallest shifts of her mood.

His attentiveness and demonic instincts save Mary's life. He cradles her close to his chest, shielding from the blast. Mary certainly has no time to react when he jumps through the window with her in his arms. Looking very mad. No wonder, his strength keeps being tested, but he's determined not to let anyone die on his watch.

Mary wakes up to find herself in a rather compromising position. Dante groans beneath her, for the first time she sees his face so close. And she's mesmerized, his soft surprised gaze doesn't help either. It's a very short lived moment of vulnerability between them, where they're stripped of their confident, smug demeanor. A blush covers her cheeks, and Mary rushes to break the magic, too afraid of the unspoken feeling that has arisen between them.

While this scene surely echoes the classic tsundere trope, Mary's reaction is easy to understand. She's a soldier, a tough one, who can't afford the luxury of weakness. Dante's existence was already confusing enough, and she'd just come to terms with his not-so-bad demon side — but feeling something for him? No, no, no, that's taboo! And so she lashes out at him in frustration.

Dante's reaction is slower. To his credit, he took the brunt of the fall on his own back, which hurts even with his healing, but the grimace of pain magically disappears when he meets her eyes. Unfortunately, he gets no time to enjoy the view, because his face meets her palm too quickly. There she's, the lady he knows, brutal and rather ungrateful, not that he expected a thank you. Well, his pout might tell other story.

Still, his soft spot for Mary is clear as day when he tries to console her about the fallen soldiers. She is also a good listener and Dante confides in her so easily, telling her about his father and the mission he intends to inherit from him. Too bad, she has other plans.

Another disagreement emerges between the pair. Both believe that Rabbit is their personal nemesis, while the other party should stay away from him. The truth is that both are wrong, bc the Rabbit's heart is big enough to hate both Darkcom and Sparda.

Anyway, while Mary's "courtesy" is definitely not for every court, she doesn't knock Dante down, even though it would've been more convenient for her plan. But at this point, she definitely sees him a person. A person she struggles to reason with, heck, the "demonic dumbass".

Dante, who just can't catch a break with his lady, is very unamused by the following development. But instead of anger, his expression is closer to despair. As if it's not just a matter of a stolen fight, but also the fear that someone will die in his place. Again. Eventually, he'll be able to break free from the truck, but who knows, if Mary will be alive by then.

In this end, this small arc points the growing attachment between the two. Mary's presence and honest approach help Dante grapple with his own insecurities, and it's clear how much he needs someone to lean on in his vulnerable moments. Meanwhile, Mary realizes that the guy in front of her is too pure for his own good, far from the cunning demon she imagined. His kindness and relatable family values keep messing with her head, but she shields her heart, knowing full well that his careless actions put the entire world in danger.

Back to back

Mary's change of heart doesn't escape Rabbit's attention. No matter how indifferent she tries to sound, using Dante's life as a bargain, her opponent calls her bluff. Without even realizing it, Mary lets it slip by using Dante's name and considering him a part of both species. The fact that she never planned to detonate the real truck adds to the point. Even though from her POV the human world would have been saved without Dante around he'd have probably survived it though and she was never into Baines' idea of using him as a weapon, she just can't. He's no longer a "thing," not an evil demon to her.

Mary's plan was quite self-destructive from the start, but lucky her, her knight in the red armor is punctual. Once again Dante saves her, giving her a cocky grin, a silent "told ya". Instead of gratutude he gets a groan from the paralyzed Mary. Of course, she's furious because he ignored her warnings again and walked right into a trap.

Mary hates being helpless, but she underestimates how much her mere presence helps Dante. He remembers Eva's words about Sparda just by looking at her. In this moment, Lady embodies the world he wants to protect. Her voice of reason is his wake up call, she drives his doubts away, leaving Rabbit no chance to use Dante's insecurities against him.

Mary does her best to be useful. She warns Dante about the poisoned blades and breaks through her paralysis to join the fight. But she still isn't strong enough, causing Dante to worry sick about her. Since this episode his protectiveness reaches a new level.

After the fight Mary reaches him, noticing, that he's again troubled by Rabbit's words. And she talks about his mother's necklace. It's a small thing, but she doesn't call it an "amulet" — instead, she understands and points out the special meaning this victory has for Dante personally.

Given this, it is no wonder that Dante looks extremely happy when Mary confirms that she will not take his amulet anymore. Too bad, both misunderstood each other. Dante is full of hope, that Lady has accepted him as the best protector. Mary — confident that Dante has understood the danger and will cooperate willingly from now on.

That's where their third conflict blossoms. But unlike the previous ones — about the demon nature or the Rabbit fight — this one lacks the edge and feels like a flirting banter. Especially if you watch their body language and face expressions closely, both are challenging each other, clearly enjoying the tension. The changes Enzo the og captain of the ship immediately notices and points bluntly. Funnily enough, none of the two try to beat allegations.

At this point Dante uses "we" heavily, viewing himself and Mary as an inseparable team, after everything they went through. His childishness is contagious and Mary finds herself engaging in his silly points, arguing about their saving score. Still, she reminds him that's she is a part of Darkcom and that's not just a matter between them two.

Dante's sympathy for Lady doesn't apply to her organization at all, and their opinions on Baines' methods clash. Ironically enough, Baines decides to play a harsh boss right afer Mary defends his honor. But Dante isn't one to watch how his lady get reprimanded in front of him. Besides, he realizes that he's the main cause of her struggles, and quickly covers for them both with a lie. Mary, still visibly torn, agrees and doesn't reveal that the amulet is in fact in his pocket.

However, Baines sets the stage to make the choice between heart and duty even more difficult. Once again the Lieutenant Mary Ann Arkham is acting out of character, questioning orders and hesitating to take the "demon" in custody. For someone who teased Dante about blusting his haircut a minute ago, Mary looks terribly hurt when she actually gets an opportunity to do so.

The inevitable confrontation gets cancelled by the mutated Rabbit, who gives DanLady a chance to show the best of their teamwork. Without hesitation Mary entrusts Dante with her gun, but his unholy strength quickly breaks her gear. They even find time to bicker about it, between the shooting and strategizing. Dante's face doesn't look very remorseful though, it seems he enjoys being scolded by her.

But his confident smirk vanishes immediately when his partner gets hurt. Once again, Dante can't hide his fear of losing Lady. Her life has skyrocketed to the top of his priorities: after the helicopter crash the first thing he does is checking on her, rather than securing his precious necklace.

Mary is hard to kill though. Not only does she always rise up, but also comes to Dante's aid at the most critical moments. She pays her debts, saving him twice. Finding the strength to pilot a helicopter and fire the last anti-demon bullet, when Dante is cornered. His influence on her is hard to deny when she adapts his famous catchphrase for her final shot.

The way they look at each other after the enemy is defeated speaks volumes. They won and saved the world, working together. Quite a solid foundation for a bond.

Sunrise finds them together on the bridge, the shortest distance between them. Mary consoles Dante over Enzo's death, at this point perfectly understanding how much the loss affects him. She sees right through his cheerful facade and when Dante tries to escape with another joke, she opens up to him too. The honesty is mutual and Dante tells her of his latest discovery: his brother may be alive. Finding Vergil becomes his primary goal. But suddenly Dante, the former lone wolf Dante, who didn't want anyone to pry into his family's affairs — invites Lady to come with him.

This is not something Mary ever expected, her expression softening, surprise evident in her eyes. Dante doesn't give her a break, immediately coming up with the name for their future duo. It all makes sense from his perspective, they fight great together, they complement each other, they share similar regrets, they'll make it work. The only snag is the order of their names and Dante laughs heartily, looking genuinely happy for once.

Little did he know about the turmoil his Lady was going through at that moment. Her weak smile dies with their silly argument and shifts into a somber expression. And she does what her duty requires, looking absolutely heartbroken.

The disbelief on Dante's face doesn't make Mary's explanation any easier. Yet, as he falls, we see Lady from his slowly blurring POV — and it's not the face of a traitor, but the small lost figure of someone who regrets this outcome deeply. Her guilt echoes in her apologize, which, sadly, he can no longer hear.

Their last crucial disagreement finally comes to light. Mary has witnessed the danger of a demon invasion first-hand, so she can't let Dante and his amulet go on another risky adventure, especially knowing how unstoppable he'll be with his newfound motivation. And even though Mary the person clearly sympathizes with Dante's passion, Mary the soldier makes the final decision. However, it immediately backfires, because it's Baines who throws the safety of their world into the trashcan.

Well, long story short, it's hard to deny how much the bond between Dante and Mary has changed over the course of the first season. From bitter enemies to reluctant allies to ride-or-die comrades. All with a tension in the air that the show isn't shy about calling romantic. And yet, Netflix DanLady takes a complicated, but realistic route.

Lady doesn't join Dante at the end of the day, and they don't walk into sunrise hand in hand. After all, they've only known each other barely more than a day. That was enough to develop a great sense of understanding and care for each other, but not enough to give up their old lives. Both still in the middle of their character arcs. Mary isn't ready to be Dante's Lady yet, but her trust in Darkcom is clearly crumbling. Dante's straightforward approach would've result in the world's collapse if Mary hadn't cover for him, he still needs to learn to be less reckless. And the next Season looks very promising for both of their arcs, which will clearly collide at some point and take their relationship to the next level.

Thanks for reading till the end! Of course, this analysis is nothing but my personal interpretation. I'd love to hear your thoughts too! What do you love about Netflix DanteLady? Are you looking forward to Lady's "redemption"? What do you expect from Tony Redgrave? Please, let me know 😌

[findingcrow]

"Halt and Will" this, "Will and Horace" that, I'm a little insane recently so can we please. please can we talk about Gilan and Will because I'm being driven up the WALLS about them

Gilan first meets Will at the Gathering and he's like, "oh, this dude is tiny. but he's polite and Halt trusts him, so I do, too." and then they find out the Kalkara have been released and that Halt wants him- which is cool, whatever- and Will to go and help him track it. And he's completely fine to put his own life at risk, because he knows Halt and the kingdom and himself, but the moment it processes that Will is going to be walking into danger, he completely stops. I mean sure, he comes around to the plan, but one of the first things he says is, "But he's only a boy!" He barely knows this kid and wants him far away from any kind of danger. And when he listens to Halt, when he sees that Will is fully capable of taking care of himself, he even places trust in him, allowing him to ride Blaze to Redmont and beyond.

And then he takes him on a mission in the Burning Bridge. Can we just. Really process that. Like we all talk about Halt grieving Will after watching him be shipped away, but think about Gilan, who had left Will in charge and the next time he hears about him, he's probably not alive. The guilt would tear him apart. That was his brother, that was the boy he joked with and gave advice to and watched grow, and he left him for only a few days and suddenly he was gone. Not only did he have to grieve, he had to grieve on his own- Halt was spiraling, Crowley was trying to keep Halt in control, and the Rangers still had work to do. He couldn't react like Halt because someone still needed to help search for the convicts. He could only stand by, knowing it was his fault, blaming himself for leaving, unsure if his brother was alive or dead, watching his father become closed-off and wreckless.

When the time comes, he can't even search for Will. Halt goes, losing his title- the way he had even met Gilan, his shared aspect with the man, the part that had initially made him family- to find his brother without him. Gilan has to wait for a year, now without two family members rather than one, unsure if either of them were okay. He didn't even know if they would come home. And still, he has to blame himself, because if he had just taken Will with him back to the kingdom, if he had waited a little while longer, none of this would have happened.

And then Will comes back. The bright boy he had known so long ago is now even smaller than when Gilan had first met him. He has a hard time remembering things and gets cold too easily for a boy his age. His skin is pale and his eyes are tired, and deep down Gilan thinks that he did this. Will went through things no Ranger, especially no Ranger's apprentice, should go through, because of one careless mistake on Gilan. He doesn't know what even happened to him! All he knows is that Will and Halt have changed and Gilan hasn't. He tries to bond with him again, and everyone tells him not to blame himself, but holy shit it all went so wrong and Gilan barely had the chance to know.

And they end up okay, of course. Gilan works to give Will advice in his last year of training, as the mocking-older-brother he is, he makes fun of him when the younger apprentices model themselves after him. But I really think, deep down, Gilan still thinks about what could have happened if Halt hadn't been faster. He thinks about what might have happened if he had been smarter. Gilan wakes up in a cold sweat knowing that he ruined anything and was lucky for it all to be okay.

Anyway, I think we should have more bonding scenes for Gilan and Will and I want them back and I miss them and they mean so much to me and htey're brothers and and

[tammyjackson50-blog]

No so secret anymore || G.C

George x reader

1/2

Summary: You and George have been dating for a few months, but you weren't as careful as you thought, and fans started to suspect, and your friends weren't helping either...

(Pictures are not mine)

You'd think that keeping a relationship secertly among a group of friends who are also YouTubers would be pretty easy because they will understand how things are going right?

Think again.

Today, you were all set to film a reaction video, each from your own setups.

The plan was simple: watch some TikToks, have a laugh, and entertain the fans.

But with the recent surge of fan edits shipping you and George in the last few weeks, you had a feeling this session would be anything but simple.

As you joined the call, George's familiar grin filled your screen. "Alright, lads and lasses, ready to dive into the abyss of TikTok cringe?"

Arthur (Hill) chuckled. "Always, mate. But before we start, have you seen this?" He shared his screen, showing a TikTok compilation titled "George and Y/N: A Love Story."

You closed your eyes. "Oh, for the love of-"

Chris smirked. "The fans have been busy. Look at this one." He played another edit, this time highlighting every time you and George had shared a look or laughed together in past videos.

George laughed, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "They're really reaching, aren't they?"

Max raised an eyebrow. "Reaching? Mate, even Stevie Wonder could see there's something going on."

George laughed. " Oh man, are we that obvious?"

You felt your cheeks heat up. "Guys, we're supposed to be filming."

Chris leaned back, feigning innocence. "Oh, we're just getting started. The fans ship it, Y/N. Who are we to deny them?"

You groaned, rubbing your temples. "Look, if you keep this up while we're recording, half of this is gonna have to be cut,either because I'll be laughing and getting red too much or because you idiots are gonna make it too obvious."

Despite your best efforts, the teasing continued.

Every shared laugh, every accidental overlap in speech, every mirrored reaction was met with exaggerated "oohs" and "aahs" from the boys.

As you prepared to sign off, Arthur grinned mischievously. "So, when's the official announcement? You know that there is no way that the fans would stop this shipping thing anytime soon."

George smirked, "Guess they'll just have to keep watching and find out."

You rolled your eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. Keeping this secret was proving harder by the day, especially with friends like these.

As soon as the recording ended and the others kept chatting, you and George signed off.

"Alright, lads, enjoy talking shit. I’m out," George said, stretching.

"Yeah, same," you added. "Try not to plan our wedding while we’re gone."

Arthur snickered. "No promises, Mrs. Clarkey."

You laugh and shut off Discord, flopping onto your bed with a deep sigh.

The teasing had been nonstop, and while it was funny, it was also a bit exhausting in some way.

You knew the boys weren’t gonna let up anytime soon.

You barely had a second to collect yourself when your bedroom door creaked open.

And there he was.

"Mrs. Clarkey, " George grinned, stepping inside like it's his room.

You groaned, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at him. "No, give me a break."

He caught it with ease, laughing.

"What? I thought you liked me."

"Not when you've spent the last hour making me look red like a freaking tomato."

"Oi, don’t blame me! They started it."

He closed the door behind him and climbed onto the bed, lying on his side to face you. "Besides, you gotta admit,it was funny."

You rolled onto your back and turned your head to look at him. "They’re getting worse, you know."

"They’re just having fun," he said, nudging your side. "We did throw this on them outta nowhere."

"Yeah, and now they think it’s their life's mission to make me feel embarrassed like a little girl every time we’re on camera together."

George laughed, draping an arm over your stomach. "Would it be so bad if they did? You look cute when you’re flustered."

You pushed him not seriously "You love pissing me off, don’t you?"

"Absolutely." He leaned in, "But you love me anyway."

You sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately."

He grinned and kissed you, "Lucky me, then."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have another part for this, tell me it you like it:)

[a-fangirltrash]

"Ford treated Fiddleford so bad!!" As if him treating Fidds like shit wasn't directly a product of being constantly gaslighted and abused by Bill.

I'm genuinely getting tired of people flaming Ford, but in a serious tone. Like people are acting like he's a toxic selfish man that used to put Fidd down... and... no he never did???

Ford ADMIRED Fiddleford, he TRUSTED his friend for what he described as "the project of his life" and Ford, being the most prideful man in the world, decided to ask for help because he knew how CAPABLE Fiddleford was.

When Fiddleford arrived Ford let him know how thankful he was that he was there with him, the man even took a bath and made sure to make him feel like he was at home. Ford even remembered his favorite bean brand?

When Fidd got traumatized by the gremoblin, Ford TRIED to help with what he knew. He tried to help him meditate, took days off for him, decided that they could go out and have some good time. Be mindful that this might've been the total OPPOSITE of what Bill wanted, and he still did for his friend sanity. Bill would make Ford work like CRAZY.

Also, for him it wasn't "putting him in danger!!" For him it was sharing adventures with his friend! Just like hi did with *cofcofSTANLEYcofcof*. That's love language all around.

Fiddleford could abandon the project anytime, but he didn't because he liked being there. And Ford is NOT the guilty one for Fidds creatinf the gun :/ it's nor his fault that fidd interpreted "using his creativity" in that way. Ford NEVER approved that gun.

Also, Ford noticed that RUBIK THING, HE APPREACITE HIM SO MUCH HE KNEW HIS HABITS. AND GOT CONCERNED RIGHT AHEAD.

"B-but he free Frilliam!" The portal was close, did you all READ how much gaslighted Ford was at that point? He didn't free it because "ugh i don't care about this shitty axolotl" but because Bill started to freak out and yell at him to get rid of it. Ford wrote "A friend" with a heart in the title??? Wdym he didn't appreciate it aaaagh

If Stanley took the diaries (i don't like this universe because...stanley:() he WOULD have looked for Fiddleford, they'd have made the Institute of Oddology, he'd have shared his success... with the man that helped him the most.

TBOB SPOILERS AHEAD

He got sad when Fiddleford told him he was gonna get back home to spent time with his family, he PLANNED holidays with him. Even if he DIDN'T like holidays.

He took a day off just to make him happy after his atrocious christmas party, he USED RESOURCES that as you know ford is the most practical mam in the world JUST to decorate the portal as a tree and make Fiddleford happy.

And that atuff of "h-he doesn't appreaciated Fiddleford gifts!" IS SO DUMB OMG, he wore the gloves in the snow and was incredibly thankful about them. When BILL that dumbass triangle pretty much LACERATED his hands, he used Fiddleford gloves as a way to hide those scars, and in a sense, probably to comfort himself because he was ALONE.

I think that was the reason of Fiddleford fast forgiveness, not only because he's a sweet heart, but because after fighting with Bill i think he noticed how BIG was the monster torturing his "partner".

And after all of this i'm not trying to excuse Ford treating him poorly and not listening to him in time

BUT FORD IS NOT A PERFECT VICTIM

Even if i believe he wasn't "the" (at least only) reason of Fiddleford becoming crazy, i know it could have been better for him and he could have avoided so much trauma. But can we please stop seeing Ford as a selfish, evil mad scientist and start seing him as a victim... of a terribly abusive relationship that checks in for all types of domestic abuse... please!!! Ford is not a perfect VICTIM Can we blame Bill!!!

All this rant is because there's certain ship... which i kinda like, but i just HATE HATE HATE the interpretation and how much they put Ford as a villian on it omg

Edit: fixed the use of word narcissism, since it might've been ableist! Replaced with words that actually relate to what i intended to say, instead of referencing a personality disorder

[thedivinetarot]

General astro observation | Placements + Synastry Edition

This is general/ self made observations. It does not have to resonate with anyone.

☆ Having your venus/sun/moon in the 12th house can make you feel like an outsider to other people. You feel like you don't mesh well with people.

☆ Another manifestation to the 12th house stallium or placements, is it make you LITERALLY feel like the other woman/friend. You may notice that you are the other friend that other people go to when their favourite person is absent. You also might feel like the side chick too.

☆ Another manifestation to the 12th house venus is you feel like you love someone from afar and you do not truly dare to go and tell them how you feel. It feels like unrequited love from your side and it hurts so bad.

☆ In synastry chart, having your mars square your partners mars is not that good. You two may compete with each other or your ego may clash with them (take what resonates/ it depends on the other aspects and the sign the square happen to be in).

☆ The WORST (there’s nothing good or bad every relationship had its advantages and disadvantages) aspect is venus square venus and moon square moon and venus square moon. You two could have different love languages, different emotional needs or simply you two does not know how to prioritize each other in stressful situations.

☆ Usually (in my pov) the opposition is way more easier than square. Why? Because in the opposition case both partners realize that they have differences and they respect that. But in the square case it feels like navigating a ship through storm and thinking that your partner know how to lead the ship were they think that you know too but both of you are clueless.

☆ I've seen this many times in the married couples charts. Your future spouse will have the placements of your midpoint. How so? Calculate your chart using astro-seek and look at the midpoint zodiac sign. Like for example my mother have her midpoint in virgo and my father is virgo moon.

☆ Moon square saturn in synastry is not a nice aspect to have with anyone. It make the moon feels abused emotionally where the saturn think what they do is normal. In other words the saturn person can be dry with the moon person (check other aspects to know the influence this will have on you two).

☆ I know I'm going to get hate for this but.... Composite charts are NOT THAT IMPORTANT! who cares if it worked or not(the chart). The best thing is to analyze your synastry with them to see the points of power/ weaknesses that both partners hold for each other.

☆ Another thing I hate seeing in the astrology community is the amount of bias to specific placements and the amount of false information that is being shared between people.

☆ There's nothing and I mean NOTHING that is called UNDERDEVELOPED placements. We are humans we learn, we evolve. So, if you see someone defending other placements and justifying their bad behavior blaming it on UNDERDEVELOPMENT block them they are not worthy of the fight honestly. You are human; you should be damn aware of yourself and your own actions.

☆ Libra ascendant are not that extroverted honestly. I've seen many of them are introverts especially if they have earth or water sun. But they are easy to talk to though. You can enjoy a nice chat with them.

☆ Earth placements are very helpful and generous honestly. You won't find anyone who can support you like them, especially virgo or taurus. Capricorn can be selfish unless they have fire placements (not sagittarius).

☆ Sun in cancer with gemini placements are emotionally manipulative. Yes, they are sweet and caring but they know how to baffle you when they want.

☆ Mercury square pluto are manipulative too. But their manipulation tactics tend to be more subtle and smooth. You won't realize they are manipulating you (Pls check other aspects too).

☆ Aries mercury are one of the BEST and smartest people I've ever met. They have that sharp mind and they memories so fast too.

☆ One of the best people you can have a relationship with are people who have a stallium in your 12th house. Especially with positive aspects to inner planets. They just get you. And no one do like them.

☆ Earth Mercuries are quite stubborn and judgemental. Especially virgo Mercury. Taurus is stubborn and tend to stick to their own opinion rather than actually understanding why. Capricorn Mercury are very material and tend to withdraw when things get sensitive or emotional (pls check other aspects for influence).

☆ Your Mercury DOES NOT give any indication of your IQ level. If our Mercury influenced our IQ level then Isaac Newton would be dumb (his Mercury is in sagittarius).

☆ Mercury that is ruled by jupiter (pisces and sagittarius) tend to accumulate knowledge and have lots of information, because this Mercury is ruled by the planet of expansion.

☆ A lot of Mars influence in synastry DOES NOT spice things up. It's true that it rules sexual instinct and attraction but too many aspects make both partners irritable and aggressive towards each other. Especially the planet person. Mars is the one that provoke the planet person.

☆ The conjunction is not GOOD or BAD it blends BOTH together (Unfortunately).

Post Date: 28th of Jan Tue

* what do you think?

[fuckyeahimafangirl]

I come here late to give my opinion on what Nicole Maines said in her book about the Supercorp fandom (go to Twitter for more info, but she basically gave her point of view of things as a queer actor on the show having expected things from the queer fans, confirmed we were being queerbaited while also blaming us for some actors getting fired). I appreciate her side of things and feel for her. But reading that I felt that A LOT was overlooked, especially the context of it all. So sit back if you care enough to read this and come with me as I go on a rant and we go down memory lane to give some context into what it was like to watch Supergirl live as a Supercorp fan.

The first season of Supergirl had its fair share of ships. People liked Kara/Cat, Kara/James, Kara/Win maybe anyone? I don't remember that one but I'm sure there were people out there who liked them. Some people even liked Alex/Kara (a conversation for another time). Kara/Cat shippers could also like Kara/James, because both ships had some strong foundations in the narrative, they were undeniably good ships, regardless of how you feel about age-difference relationships or straight relationships lol. There wasn't mostly an issue, except with the ones that liked Kara/Alex.

In between the first and second season of Supergirl it was announced that a main character would be gay. They didn't say who, though. Speculation began, of course. They did say that Maggie Sawyer was coming to the show but it was not confirmed that she was going to be a lesbian and even less whose love interest. 

Then the second season premiered. And in the very first episode Kara Danvers meets Lena Luthor. Their scenes together were filled with sexual tension from the very beginning, look at their meeting scene without context and a bit of an open mind and most people will see their chemistry and think that maybe Kara was meeting her soulmate. And the first scene of Supergirl meeting Lena Luthor? It was already drawing a parallel between them and Lois/Clark, one of most iconic, recognizable and undeniable canon ships of all time. Drawing parallels between these two ships was the creators of the show's favorite pastime and it started from day one, before the ship had any fans because we hadn't met Lena just yet.

But in that episode we did meet her. And we fell in love fast. Because their interactions and the interest concept of Lena's character were good. Could it really be that Kara was the main gay character? Could it really be that they were going to give us an epic love story with Supergirl and a family member of her family's historically known enemy? Could they dare to make the famous superhero anything other than straight?

It wasn't just a delusion on our part at that time. It was a real possibility based on real facts. Kara had suddenly dropped the guy she spent the entire previous season chasing after. She got him and dumped him for no good reason (the writers didn't bother to give it a good excuse) and in the same episode she meets this woman, at the start of the season we were going to discover a main gay character.

These are all facts.

A few episodes later Maggie Sawyer makes her debut and it's clear that she's Alex's love interest from the first moment. Cool. It's not Kara but at least it's Alex (because, at the time, we know, WE KNOW, that they don't have two lesbian/queer women characters in the same show unless they're dating each other. How could we think that gay people will surround themselves with other gay people? silly us), that was the reaction: We still LOVED that it was Alex, because it still made sense. And it was difficult to find Sanvers fanfic without it having Supercorp in it because we were all the same people, of course most of us liked both ships. 

Now, I obviously don't know her, but I seriously don't think that Chyler can say she felt overlooked by the fans that season. Alex's coming out scenes were some of the best we had seen in our entire lives up until that point, and we made that known. Not all of us might have been on board with Sanvers (some storyline choices could've been questionable) but with Alex? No one loved her more than the queer Supergirl fans. And in the meantime Supercorp kept getting screen time, their friendship progressing in a Clois kind of way that was beautiful to witness. While Maggie and Alex's relationship advanced pretty quickly from an "I'm not gay" to a rejection to a proper first kiss, Supercorp was building a bit more organically as Supergirl kept saving Lena's life, as Lena opened up only to Kara, trusting her all the while Kara was keeping this huge secret from her. We ate that shit up, of course we did.

After season two was over we got the news that Floriana Lima (Maggie) was going to leave the show. I remember Chyler saying that she wanted to do right by us and whoever came next was gonna stay. And I'm not faulting Chyler for what came next, at all. Chyler was and always will be one of the best things on Supergirl and she has always treated the fandom with the utmost respect and love. And I hope she only received the same treatment back (and I hate to know she got those letters from people threatening to kill themselves, but let's have a little compassion for those people and their mental health, I hope they're doing well).

So Maggie left. And while some fans were not coping well with that, most fans understood it was the actress' decision. That was fine. What wasn't fine was the decision the writers made by making the breakup about not wanting babies when they were about to get married. How on Earth (any Earth) a couple don't talk about that particular issue BEFORE deciding to get married? It was an easy way out. But okay, it's just a TV show, I don't write it, we can move on from that... In the same season, at the same time this whole discussion and breakup occurs, the very same person who wanted to have kids has a meet-cute with a SINGLE MOTHER, Sam. The story was full of promise, she had a kid already with whom Alex got along amazingly, there was great chemistry between all three of them, Sam also had a dark secret being basically her sister's most powerful enemy, their relationship was mostly well built throughout the entire season. But guess what? She wasn't her new love interest, and left at the end of it. 

A lot of Supercorp fans LOVED AgentReign (Sam/Alex), by the way. A lot of Supercorp fans also loved ReignCorp (Sam/Lena) and a few even loved AgentCorp (Lena/Alex) and SuperReign (lol what was the name of this ship? I don't remember but Kara/Sam). And guess what? There wasn't a war between us. We were mostly the same people multishipping because it's fun and because these were interesting characters with interesting relationships created by the writers. We were inventing and wishing for stuff, but the foundations were laid for us, some (most) things were there and most of us were just screaming that we liked what we were being given and wanted more of that.

And that's why come season 4, some people were having a hard time accepting Dansen. Because we were mourning the loss of Sam and her relationship with Alex, the what ifs are always the worst, no matter the situation.  But most Supercorp fans embraced Kelly (and Azie, we love Azie and what we got to see of her relationship with Chyler, and Katie and Nicole), the vast majority of us ended up loving Dansen despite the writers not always doing a great job at writing their arcs. And it's awful that some fans treated her and other members of the cast horribly, but that was by far a small portion of the Supergirl fandom in general, and especially the Supercorp fandom. And, by the way, as a side note because racism was part of the problem for a minority of the fandom, A LOT of us in the Supercorp side of it are not white people from the US, A LOT of us are from other countries/races/cultures (that can be racist too of course, but the point is we don't know the races and motives of everyone behind a keyboard).

And that season most of us also embraced Nia because she was the first trans superhero, because of her queerness, because she was an awesome fun character, because she was relatable and geeky like most of us. We embraced her, her relationship with Kara and her relationship with Brainy. And we showed that by trending Nia related things, by adding Nia to our fanfics and fanarts. Nia was a Supercorp ally for most of us and we didn't exclude her from the art because we loved her as much as we love some of the other characters in the show.

Now, if Kara would have had, after the first season, one male love interest that was decent enough, we would have still love and wanted Supercorp, that's true (especially when it had been years of build-up) but most of us probably would have liked the pairing anyway, because we loved Kara Danvers and wanted her to be happy and to have the love she wanted at the beginning of the show (which she didn't get, by the way).

But the writers decided to give her, instead, another man who didn't treat her well. And I couldn't honestly tell you half of William's storyline because I couldn't care less. The creators of the show didn't make me care. Hell, I didn't even see Kara cared enough about that character. The writers should know their audience and should know that the audience needs moments to make them care about the characters, the writers have the power to make that happen. Many times I've seen a fandom hate a character one episode and love them by the next one, because sometimes all it takes is one good scene, or one good arc. William never had that. And now we have confirmation of what we knew all along, that maybe they were writing half-assed storylines for their love interests because they were too busy trying to figure out new ways to queerbait us. If they would have put a quarter of that effort into creating good love interests for Kara and/or Lena (but especially Kara), most of this conversation wouldn't still be happening 3 years later.

We embraced Andrea Rojas, we embraced her so much that we shipped her with Lena. Most of us weren't the blind Supercorp-or-nothing crazy fans a lot of people to this day make us out to be. When things were good, we mostly liked them. But please, please, let's be honest here, a lot of the time Supergirl was not a great-written show. And I get that those are Nicole's friends but a little objectivity, especially after all these years, would have come a long way.

These past few days I've read a couple of people saying Supercorp was the only good thing about the show. Those kinds of people were and still are a very very minority. A lot of us started the show before Supercorp existed and LOVED (still love) the Danvers sisters with all of our hearts. And the writers, at times, didn't know how to keep up with that relationship, the one that at first was the very center of the show, all that well either.

Most Supercorp fans didn't actually like that the 100th episode revolved all around Supercorp. 1) Because it was queerbaiting at its finest. 2) because it should've been about the Danvers sisters. Or at least about all Supergirl's most important relationships in equal measure. Yes, Lena was a big part of her, but ALEX EVEN MORE SO. The fandom didn't make that happen, we didn't fire any actor either. These were decisions made by the people who had the power to make anything in the show happen. If we would have had our way we all know what we would have done, and no, it definitely was not p**n (the most used AO3 tags for our ship speak for themselves).

I didn't see Nicole's last paragraph on the subject shared much. A lot of people didn't see that she acknowledged a small portion of the good the Supercorp fandom did.

But by the time you get to it, you already have a bad taste in your mouth. Because it still reads as if she's talking about us all without a care that "the toxic fans" were just a loud minority. Not to say that the good guys weren't louder, because Supercorp is still what it is to this day because we're still loud. So why is there very little mention of that? The way we supported Nia's episode? The way we supported Kelly's?

And because we were having fun and we were loud about our love for two fictional characters, WE WERE ALSO RECEIVING THREATS from some toxic fans, hell, the day before yesterday some fans were receiving death threats like it's 2017. Everything she says the cast and crew were dealing with, the Supercorp fans were dealing with it as well, and more so because the toxic people felt validated by the choices the creators made. Validated by some writers on Twitter making it worse. Validated by some of the actors who were also mocking us. We were all called delusional, and that was the most chill thing you could be called.

I understand her point of view, and I imagine that was not a great first experience in that kind of set, and I would love to have the opportunity to talk to actors about this topic that fascinates me (relationship between fandoms and cast/crew). But context is important, to see other people's point of views is important when having these conversations. She felt her own community wasn't supporting her when most of us were and that didn't come across at all. Not even with her final words. 

The fact is, they were hurt by a small part of their own fandom (which, by the way, they have no idea how old those toxic fans were. Not to say that adults are not toxic. But we, as the non-toxic adults, should also think of the demographic and react accordingly). And most of us, the queer Supercorp shippers, were also hurt by the toxic part of the fandom and by some of the people she's trying to defend. Let's be clear, there's not "mayyyybe," they were 100% wrong in queerbaiting the hell out of us from day one and mocking us for believing the bait. Make no mistake, most of this is a consequence of THAT. 

[maxinehufflepuffprincess]

King of Clubs

Chishiya Shuntaro x Reader x Niragi Suguru

(So this has been a long time coming, but here it is. I hope it lives up to expectations. It's like four in the morning for me, so if there are typos or spelling mistakes, Imma blame it on the tiredness.)

Taglist. Masterlist. Progress Update. Love Line Collection.

Warnings: Death, blood, swearing.

Summary: You, your boyfriends and your friends play against the King of Clubs and his team.

You let out a small sigh as you and your boyfriends waited for more people to show up for the next game. It was the King of Clubs, and the game required seven players. 

The sound of a car brought your attention away from your boys. The three of you made your way to where the sound came from. Only to find Kuina, Arisu, Usagi and Tatta in front of the table with the bracelets. 

“It says we need seven players.” Usgai stated as she looked at the three. 

“But we’re only four.” Kuina replied with a small huff.

“Seven, actually.” Niragi spoke up. The group turned to see the three of you standing in front of the car. 

“Niragi? Chishiya?” Arisu asked, not expecting to see the three of you there. Especially not Niragi. 

“It’s been a while.” Niragi smirked. He knew that Arisu and Usgai didn’t trust him after he beat Arisu up. He knew they were still slowly trying to figure out where they stood with Chishiya after he had tricked them. 

“Kuina!” You called out, running over to your best friend. Kuina met you in the middle, and the two of you shared a tight hug. You pulled away after a moment, and the two of you looked each other over. “I missed you. You’re not hurt, are you?” You asked her.

Kuina shook her head. “I’m fine. Are you three okay?” She asked as you walked with her over to your boys. The two each shared a hug with her. “We’re good. We’ve been looking for you all everywhere since we got separated. Thank goodness we trusted Niragi when he said he wanted to do this game.”

“I don’t think we should team up with them. Niragi will sabotage us for sure.” Tatta spoke, his voice full of distrust. “I bet he’s got a plan to screw us over already.” 

Chishiya shook his head at that as Niragi stepped forward and raised his arm. “The bracelet isn't coming off now. All I wanna do is enjoy the game and make sure these two– and now Kuina are safe. If you’re not interested in playing, then you’d better get outta here, huh?”

Usagi let out a breath before turning and walking over to the table. She picked up a bracelet. “I don’t care what he wants.” She put the bracelet on. “If we don’t join the game, we’ll be gunned down. And that’s it.” She said, turning to face everyone. “I’d rather fight here than die like an animal.” God, she was awesome. 

“Me too.” Arisu agreed. “I wanna know why.” He stepped forward and put on a bracelet. Kuina followed after Arisu and put on a bracelet as well. Tatta let out a sigh before turning to Niragi. “Don’t slow us down. This game is about working together.” 

Niragi scoffed. “I’m pretty sure you’re the slow one.” He shot back. Causing Chishiya to snort from his left. Chishiya stepped forward. His hands were in his jacket pockets. The seven of you turned to look at the gate as it opened. 

“Registration is now closed.”

“The game will now commence.”

The seven of you stood there for a moment before Arisu led everyone inside. The gate closed behind you all as you continued to walk. You came to a big open space that had a pole thing in the centre. There was also a screen that you could see. There were shipping containers everywhere. 

“What is this place?” Tatta asked. 

The screen turned on. 

“The King of Clubs’ team is now entering the field.”

Rock music suddenly played, and the members of the King’s team walked out from different spots of the arena. Then from the centre came a man. 

“Welcome to our game field.” He said as he walked closer to you all. “I am the King of Clubs, Kyuma.” He was butt naked. Like full on nothing. Your eyes went wide. Niragi smiled to himself before looking at you and Chishiya, who had an eyebrow raised. Niragi quickly slapped a hand over your eyes. 

The King began to introduce his team (Shitara, Uta, Goken, Maki, Kaito and Emi) as Chishiya pushed Niragi’s hand off your eyes. He gave him a look which caused Niragi to scoff. 

“Pleasure.” Kyuma said after introducing his team. 

“Pleasures all mine.” You couldn’t help but say. You didn’t mean to say it. You definitely didn’t mean for it to come out so…thirsty. You blushed seeing Kyuma smirk. You heard Kuina snort at your words. A sudden gasp left your lips as Chishiya pinched your arm. 

“What the fuck, babe?” You asked him as you rubbed your arm. 

“You know what you did.” He replied, crossing his arms over his chest. 

You let out a scoff. “Oh, please, like you two weren’t just ogling him. Man looks like he was sculpted by the gods themselves. Tell me you disagree.” You challenged as you looked between your boyfriends. 

But neither could disagree because you were right. They had both checked the King of Clubs out.

“Well, thank you, at least one of you likes me.” 

“I think you’re weirding them out.” Uta told him with a small shrug, her hands shoved in her pants pockets.

“Put some pants on.” Shitara commented, hands on his hips. 

“What? Not a chance! Nudism is an upstanding practice. A social movement with hundreds of years of history! Clothing is a social construct. No biological necessity. Humans should be bare and raw. After all, it’s only natural.”

“What’s the deal with this guy?” Tatta asked.

Kuina spoke up. “So this is the King of Clubs?”

“Out of his damn mind.” Niragi added.

“Listen, we don’t care about that. Just tell us who you are.” Arisu spoke, causing Kyuma to turn back to face you all. 

“Who are we? We are the citizens of this country.”

“Citizens?” Arisu asked in confusion. 

“Sure. citizens.”

“What do you mean?” Kuina asked in confusion. “We’re all living here, right?”

“Who can say?” Kyuma asked her as he raised an eyebrow. Kyuma then began to walk in front of you all, pacing as he spoke. “I’m the leader in this place. We created this game. That man, Shitata? All his idea.” He gestured to his friend as he turned to face Shitata.

Shitata raised a hand. “Well, to be fair, this is a brand-new experience for us. We haven’t played a game of it yet as a team.” He explained. 

“What does that mean? We’re competing against citizens now? Us against the seven of you.” Usagi asked. 

“Yeah. When you play a face card game, you’re competing against citizens fighting for their lives. Anyone who loses is killed. So… these are games of life or death for us citizens as well. It’s time to begin. The game we’ll be playing is…”Kyuma gestured towards the big screen.

‘Difficulty, King of Clubs.’

‘Game: Osmosis.’

“Osmosis…’ Arisu repeated. 

“Now, the rules are simple. The game lasts two hours. Both teams try to collect points. The team with the highest total at the end of the game wins. Each team begins with 14,000 points. Players divide these points amongst themselves before the game begins. The minimum amount is 100 points. You’re free to divide them up anyway you want. Talk it over as a team and decide. Point distribution is a key element of strategy in this game.” Kyuma turned back to face you all. 

“How does one earn points? There are three ways you can do so in this game. Battle, items and base.” He counted them off on his fingers.”

Kuina raised her hand and sighed. “Hold on!”

“Yeah, you got a question?” Kyuma asked as he gestured at Kuina, a small smile on his face. 

“How do we remember all this?” She asked.

Shitata laughed, but Kyuma took her question seriously. “Okay. I guess it’s easier once you do it, huh? A demonstration. You’ve got random points for now. Your bracelet shows your individual point. Let’s try to battle.” 

You looked down at your bracelet to see 2000 points. “A battle’s outcome depends entirely on your current points. To initiate one, all you need to do is touch your opponent.” Kyuma walked over to you and your boyfriends. He reached out and grabbed Niragi’s shoulder.

“Hey!” Niragi shrugged his hand off. His bracelet chimed, causing you and Chishiya to gather on either side of him to see his bracelet. 

‘Niragi 2,000. Lose.’

‘Kyuma 3,500. Win.’

“Whoever has more points wins. The winner steals 500 points from the loser.” 

You let out a gasp, seeing the points changing on Niragi’s bracelet. 

‘The scores have been updated. The King of Clubs team is now leading by 1,000 points.’

Arisu walked over to the three of you. He stood beside you to look at Niragi’s bracelet. 

‘‘Niragi 1,500.’

‘Kyuma 4,000.’

Then Kyuma’s name and points vanished. Niragi put his arm down. Arisu looked down at his own bracelet to see his own points. “So you don’t know your opponent’s score until you battle.”

“No. You know what that means, right? It means these battles are a huge gamble, where you’re unable to see your opponent’s strength. Something else you can try is to pair up with a teammate. For example..” He looked at Usagi and Arisu. “You two, try holding hands.” He said, pointing between the two. 

Both were silent. Both stayed still and hesitated.”Oh wow, what’s this?” Kyuma chuckled. “A bit nervous, are ya?”

You looked between the two of you. “If you don’t hold his hand, Niragi will.” You told the two. You grinned, hearing Niragi scoff next to you. Chishiya let out a chuckle. 

“I’d never hold his hand.” Your taller boyfriend grunted out.

Chishiya shrugged. “I think you’ve been dying to hold his hand since he came to the beach.” You laughed at Chishiya’s words. The two of you looked at each other. 

“I was just thinking the same thing.” You told the blonde. The two of you smiled at each other before letting out a laugh. 

You let out a sudden yelp as you were both smacked on the back of the head. “Ow.” You rubbed the back of your head and turned to see Chishiya glaring at Niragi.

“You two are begging for a spanking.” You let out a gasp at his words, but before you could say anything, Chishiya spoke up. “You can’t keep saying stuff like that in front of people.” 

Niragi scoffed. “I can say whatever I want when my girlfriend and my boyfriend are being brats.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Aguni literally caught on last time.” You told Niragi, sass filled your voice. Chishiya nodded in agreement. “Oh please, Aguni knew something was going on long before that fucking meeting.” Niragi told the two of you.

“He did?” You asked in confusion as you looked between the two. 

Chishiya sighed and licked his bottom lip. “The point is, you can't keep just blurting shit like that out in public.”

This made Niragi smirk. “Public humiliation looks good on you, Kitten.” 

Chishiya practically turned red as he turned to Niragi. “I will light you on fire.”

“Not if I drown you first.” Niragi fired back, the flirtation clear in his voice.

“Honestly, you two. Stop flirting whilst we're in the middle of a death game. Do you have no shame? So unprofessional.” You spoke with a mocking tone of embarrassment and disappointment. As if you weren't the one to kick the whole conversation off. The two turned to look at you.

Before the three of you could continue, a laugh brought your attention to Kyuma. He looked very amused. “You three are adorable together. Very entertaining.” This made your cheeks turn red as you beamed with pride. “Thank you.” You said with a sweet voice. 

Kyuma chuckled and shook his head. “Back to the game.” Usagi walked over and grabbed Arisu’s hand. “Would you look at that? Cute couple.” He sighed. “All right. If teammates hold hands like this, they’re able to battle using their combined points, allowing them to beat an opponent they couldn’t defeat on their own.” Kyuma stepped forward and grabbed Arisu’s shoulder. “The winners get the 500 divided between them.” Kyuma watched Arisu and Usagi check their bracelet. “Cuties.” He walked away.

“On to the items. There are items for you to find, six of them, hidden among the containers.”

Kuina scoffed. “This place is huge. There are only six items in all these shipping containers?”

Chishiya nodded his head. “Interesting.” He was already thinking. 

“Touching an item will earn your team some points.” He walked over to the pole. “And finally, we come to these poles. Bases are a big part of the game.” He placed a hand on it. “They can turn the tide. This pole is your base. Ours is on the other side. If you manage to touch your opponent's base, 10,000 points are yours.”

“10,000 points? Don’t both teams start with that?” Kuina asked. 

“Exactly why you need to keep someone back to protect your base. But while a player is touching their own base, they have infinite points.”

“Infinite?” Usagi asked. 

Arisu walked forward, stepping closer to Kyuma. “How do you battle someone with infinite points?” 

Kyuma gestured him over. “Come here.” So Arisu did. He walked over to Kyuma. Once he was close enough, Kyuma placed a hand on Arisu’s shoulder. “I was touching my base, so you lose 10,000 points. And I gain 10,000 points.”

“Hand on.” Usgasi walked over to Arisu’s side. “So what would happen to him? His score would have dropped below zero.”

Kyuma placed two fingers under his chin and tilted his head back a little. “Pyeeow. Shot down.” 

Usagi frowned. “If you try to touch the other team’s base and their goalie manages to touch you, you lose 10,000 points. You die, and the opposing team gains 10,000 points?”

Tatta stepped forward. “That’s way too risky.”

Niragi chuckled and licked his bottom lip. “If you pull it off, you can change everything.” 

“Something else. After completing a battle or touching the other team’s base, players are temporarily out of commission. Inactive. During this time, their points are frozen. They’re immune. If you touch an opponent while they’re out of commission, your wristband will give you an electric shock. Enough to knock you out, so be careful. Once you touch your own base, your status is reset, and you can resume play. So, you know the rules. Split up your points now, then the game begins.” And with that, the King and his team walked away.

“Hold on.” Arisu called out, walking forward. “I’m Arisu. Kyuma… tell me something, before we fight. If we beat all the games here, will we go back to our world?”

“Your world?” Kyuma asked. “What is your world? The way that you’re speaking about it, you’re making it sound like your world must be the real one.”

“Isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?” You and Arisu asked at the same time. 

“Tell me something. How many real conversations did you have? How many heart-to-hearts did you have? Our flaws, our pride. Those are exposed here, in this world. When we look death in the eyes, we face true human nature and reality.” Kyuma turned to face you all. “This world is more real than any you left behind. These games are conversations. Let’s really talk, you and I. Let us expose our true hearts. Arisu. You want the truth, yeah? Face me with everything you have.” Kyuma and his friends walked away, leaving the seven of you behind.

—-----

“Is it just me, or was that Kyuma guy being nice to us? Like a normal guy?” Tatta asked the group. 

“Buck naked and crazy. Yeah, real normal.” Niragi said from his spot, leaning against the pole. “This game’ll be a bloodbath, just like all the others.”

“I think he just really liked Arisu.” You said with a cheeky smile on your face, causing Arisu to groan. 

Kuina stepped forward. “Okay. Let’s distribute the points. How many do we each get? Got any ideas?” She asked, looking at Arisu and then everyone else.

“What if we split them seven ways?” Tatta asked curiously. 

“We’re not going to win splitting them evenly between us.” Usagi replied. 

Arisu nodded in agreement. “It’s like Kyuma said. It’s an important decision for the game. The initial point split is crucial.” He said as he looked at everyone. 

Niragi sighed and pushed off the pole. “I might have an idea.” He said with a shrug. This made you smile. 

Arisu, Usagi and Tatta frowned at Niragi. “Why would we trust anything to have to say?” Arisu asked him. 

Chishiya scoffed. “Just hear him out. No one else has a plan.” He was defensive. He understood why the three didn’t like Niragi, but now was not time for that bullshit. 

You nodded in agreement. “We get you three, don’t trust him. But Chishiya, Kuina and I do. We’ve actually played games with Niragi before. He’s more than just a gun, you know.” 

The three looked at each other and then at Kuina. Arisu sighed but nodded. “Alright, Niragi. Tell us your plan.”

“Here’s the plan. The faster runners will get fewer points. That’s Kuina and Usagi. So 300 points each. Slower runners get more. Arisu will get 4600, I’ll get 4700 since I’m the slowest out of the two of us. Baby, you’ll get 3,900 points. Not fast but not slow. The guard at the base gets the least number of points possible. 100. We got in one pair and one trio. One fast runner with one slow runner. Baby, you can bounce between the two groups as you see fit. We’ll keep Tatta and Chishiya at base to protect it. That way, if whilst we’re gone, the King’s team decide to attack the base, we’ll have two chances to stop them. Pairing up for battles has many advantages, but one of the biggest is that they can only see your combined points. They won’t know how many points you each have.” 

Everyone was quiet. Because what the actual fuck? That actually kind of sounded smart and good. Chishiya nodded at Niragi. He was proud of him, and that was clear by the small smile on his lips and the twinkle in his eyes. 

“So, how are we doing the teams then?” You asked curiously. 

—-----

‘Game Start.’

You found yourself running alongside Niragi and Usagi. You had originally expected to be paired with Niragi and Kuina. But Usagi and Arisu seemed determined not to be paired together. 

“Why'd you pair with us, anyway?” Niragi asked as he ran. 

“Because I won't care if you die in front of me.” Usagi replied as she focused on the goal of looking for items. This made Niragi laugh.

You scoffed. “Geez, no need to be so rude.” 

The three of you continued to run until you came across one of the King's players. The three of you stopped in place, trying to figure out what to do.

“How do you want to do this? Between you two, you have just over 4,000 points. Between us, we have 5,000, and between my girl and me, we have over 7,000.” Niragi spoke as he looked between the two of you.

“He can't have more than that. They'd be crazy to give one person half their points. Let's get him.” Usagi replied as she turned to look at you. She grabbed your hand in yours. The two of you began to run at the man.

“Oh no.” The two of you slowed to a stop as you watched him run away. Niragi came up behind you both.

“Guess he didn't have that many after all.” He chuckled as he separated your hand from Usagi's.

The three of you got back to searching for items, though you didn't find any. Your team's points went up by 2,000 and then by 500. So you guessed that Kuina and Arisu must've found an item and won a battle. You just hoped that Kuina got 2,000 points since she only had 300 at the moment. 

Usagi and Niragi waited around a corner as you opened up some of the containers to look for any items. You turned to see Usagi luring one of the King's teammates into a little trap. You watched as the two cornered him, and the male tried to run off, but Usagi grabbed his ankle. Causing 500 more points to be added to the team, though the points were evenly split between Niragi and Usagi.

‘The player team is now leading by 4,000 points.’

And suddenly another 500 were added.

“I think it's time to regroup.”

—-----

The five runners all met back up and walked back to the pole. 

“All right, you guys!” Tatta called out with a grin as you all came into view.

“This is a King game? Don't make me laugh.” Niragi high-fived Kuina as he spoke. He then took your hand and led you over to Chishiya, who was playing with the cards he had collected. However, before the two of you could get far, Arisu stopped you both.

“You did well. I actually forgot that you were a bad guy, Niragi.” He raised a hand, and the two high-fived. Arisu turned to you, and you both high-fived as well. 

You turned to Niragi, seeing a small smile on his lips. He felt…accepted. You gently pulled him to the pole where you both recharged before sitting down next to Chishiya. The blonde looked between the two of you.

You grabbed one of his hands. “I'm surprised you still have those.” 

Chishiya looked and shrugged. “We went through a lot to get these. I'm not about to just lose them all of a sudden.” He told you with a small nod. He then turned to you both with a smirk. “Did you enjoy running?” 

You let out a huff. “I hate running. It's ridiculous. Why can't any of these games involve walking or sitting down…or sleeping? I'd win in a sleeping game.” You spoke proudly. 

Niragi let out a laugh. He shook his head as he took the moment to watch you both. He was happy that the plan he had made was working. He'd have you by his side, safe. Whilst Chishiya was at base, safe, where he could end up with infinite points if needed. His main priority was keeping you two alive. His second priority was keeping Kuina alive. He hated to admit it, but Kuina had become an important person in his life. 

Kuina walked over and sat with the three of you, making a little circle. With you and Niragi on either side of Chishiya and Kuina, between the two of you. The four of you were silent for a moment.

“I’ve missed this.” You spoke softly. “The four of us.” You all cared deeply for each other. Kuia was like a sister to you.

“Me too. I was worried about you three when we got separated. I knew you’d be okay, though. Now I’m worried about Ann. We got separated from her as well. If we survive this game, I need to find her.” Kuina stated as she picked at her nails. 

Niragi nodded lightly before looking at Chishiya. “You’re plotting.” He stated, he knew that look. That was Chishiya’s thinking face. The one he used when he had a good idea. 

“I think we should leave an extra few people here.” Chishiya spoke, loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Arisu shook his head. “Why would we do that?” He asked as he looked between the four of you sitting on the ground. 

“Because, their losing by a lot. So they’ll probably come to our base. We need enough people here to defend it.”

“How could you possibly know that? Maybe they’ll just look for items.” Usagi was confused because there was no way to know what the King’s team would do. 

“It would be risky only having some of us looking for the items.” Arisu added. 

Niragi let out a scoff.  “Why do you always have to shoot us down? You know we’re trying to save ourselves, right? If you lot lose, then so do we. We four have played so many games together, we know each other’s ticks. That face, is one he makes when he has a damn good idea. So just listen.” Niragi knew it was hard for Arisu and Usagi to trust them. Niragi had beaten Arisu, whilst Chishiya had lured them into a trap.

Arisu and Usagi looked at each other for a moment. Usagi shook her head before Arisu turned back to you all. “I’m sorry, but it’s too risky. We should stick to what we were doing before. Chishiya and Tatta stay here whilst the rest of us continue looking for the items.”

Niragi let out a growl as he shook his head. He looked at Chishiya and kissed him lightly before he pulled away. “It’s a good plan.” He stood up, taking your hand in his. You gently kissed Chishiya before getting up. “We’ll be back soon.”

You waved to Chishiya, and you and Niragi walked up to Arisu and Usagi. “Let’s move.” You began to walk towards one route, only stopping to watch Niragi as he stayed in front of the duo. 

“If we end up losing because you two don’t know how to put your pride aside for a game, I’ll kill you both before the leasers even appear.”

—-----

‘The player team has secured an item.’ 

Tatta grinned from his spot on the floor. He had tried making conversation with Chishiya, but the quiet male had basically blanked him. Tatta felt a small amount of guilt having not saying anything after the earlier disagreement. 

Chishiya was in his own thoughts, hoping that you and Niragi were okay. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a gasp from Tatta. He turned to see the King as some of his team members. “Fuck.” He stood up and turned to Kyuma.

“Hey.” Kyuma said as he came to a stop. 

“Why are you all here?” Tatta asked, making Chishiya let out a scoff. 

“We’re here so we can win, man.” Kyuma stated like it was obvious. And it was. Chishiya had said this would happen.  

Chishiya finally stood up and placed a hand on the pole. He looked at Tatta. “Touch it so we can get this over with.” So, Tatta did as he was told. “I’ll take the left, you take the right.” 

“We have infinite points. You get tagged here and you’ll die.” Tatta’s voice was shaky. He was scared. 

Kyuma looked up at the sky as he let out a breath. He then looked at the two males at the base. “You’re right. And since it’s a game of life or death, why don’t you tell us who dies by your hand?”

“What? But you’ll be killed!” Tatta was shocked. How were they all so calm? “You’ll die! Stay back!” He hated that he was in this position. 

Chishiya let out a sigh. ���Tatta, just pick one. If they die, it’s their own fault.” 

Then it happened. Kyuma and his team rushed towards the pole.

‘The scores have been updated. The King of Club team is now leading by 4,000 points.’

‘Two players on the King of Clubs team have had their score fall below zero.”

—-----

You, Niragi and Usagi watched the score bored in shock. “Shiya was right.” You said as you shook your head. You grabbed Niragi’s hand, both of you running back to base with Usagi following behind you both.

—-----

Chishiya had managed to touch one of the players, as had Tatta. Tatta’s hand had landed on Shitara. Where has Chishiya had chosen one of the players that he hadn’t really remembered the name of. 

Kyuma, Maki, Goken and Kaito looked on at their two friends. Shitara and Emi. They were sad at the thought of losing the two of them.

Shitara breathed heavily, as Emi stood with tears filling her eyes, though she put on a brave face. 

“You picked me?” The male asked Tatta. He stepped back, panting. “You better use this to win.” He said, looking at his team. “If I die in vain, I’m gonna beat the shit out of you in the afterlife, man.” He let out a sob as Emi walked over and hugged him. 

‘It is game over for two players.’

“Shitara, Emi. You were my good friend. I’ll never forget what you did for us.” Kyuma spoke. He didn’t want to lose two of his friends. But they had all agreed to the plan. They all knew the risks. Though it didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Later, man.” Shitara spoke, accepting his fate.

“You guys better cry hard.” Emi spoke up with a small smile on her lips. Then two lasers came down, killing them instantly. 

Kyuma and his team walked over to the fallen two. All shedding tears. Kyuma, Maki and Goken all picked up Shitara whilst Kaito lifted Emi into his arms, and they then walked their way back to their base. 

Tatta sat on the ground, crying. He felt guilty. He had taken a life, and he knew it was part of the game to help them win. But he still felt so incredibly guilty.

“Crying won’t change anything Tatta.” Chishiya told him as he shoved his hand into his pockets. He ignored the shocked look on Tatta’s face. He didn’t feel bad about this. Why would he? 

—-----

“They sacrificed two members of their team. Now, four of them have 10,000 points each.” Arisu spoke as he leaned against the pole, near where Tatta was sitting on the floor, still. 

“Couldn’t even guard one pole, huh?” Niragi was angry, and he was taking it out on Tatta. He crouched down in front of the male and flicked his hat. “You’re fucking useless.”

“Lay off of him. He did the best he could.” Usagi spoke. 

“The best he could? You get a chance to kill one of them, you kill Kyuma!” Niragi came to stand by you and Chishiya. 

“You’re boyfriend didn’t kill him either.” Usagi stated, her voice was almost challenging. 

“It’s not that. We underestermed them.” Arisu stated, trying to put an end to the argument. “He was nice and we got sucked in, so we forgot the most important thing. “Kyuma is the King of Clubs.”

“We forgot that we’re gambling with our lives.” Niragi scoffed at Usagi’s words. 

“They’re prepared to die. They’ve just shown us that. If we don’t do something, we’re finished. Only one hour left on the clock.” Arisu stated as he walked forward.

“I think we should attack their base.” Chishiya spoke, loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Arisu shook his head. “No. We can’t, it’s too risky.”

“Exactly. They wouldn’t be expecting us to attack their base so soon after they attacked us. They know we’ll be playing this safe and that we’d be too scared to get them back. So it’s best to take the risk now before they win.” Chishiya’s voice was calm but clear. He had thought this through. 

“No.” Arisu licked his bottom lip. He was worried about taking risks. “We need to stick with what we are doing. Going for the items is the safest choice. Avoid their base and fights.”

You let out a sigh. “But he’s right. If we attack them now and do it right, we could easily take back the win. We’d be in the lead and they wouldn’t be able to touch us.” 

“Especially not if we all go.” Chishiya added with a small shrug.

Arisu thought it over for a moment before shaking his head. “The risk is too high, and we can’t leave the base unprotected.”

Niragi huffed. “They won’t come back. They have no reason to.” He stated.

“And you three thought we were going to be the problem.” Chishiya added, his arms now crossed over his chest. The three of you stood side by side. Once again a plan had been shot down. 

—-----

‘The King of Clubs team has secured an item.’ ‘The King of Clubs team is now leading by 4,500 points.’

“Well, that ain’t good.” Niragi scoffed. Everyone had split up, an idea that Niragi hated. He didn’t know where you were. Sure, Chishiya was back at base, making him safe. But both males were worried about where you were. They knew you could handle yourself, but it didn’t stop the fear. 

‘The scores have been updated. The King of Clubs team is now leading by 5,500 points.’ “The King of Clubs team has secured an item. The King of clubs team is now leading by 7,000 points.’

‘The scores have been updated. The King of Clubs team is now leading by 8,000 points.”

You rounded a corner to see Arisu walking into a container. You walked over. 

“Arisu, did you find an item?” You asked as you stepped inside. Though Arisu wasn’t alone. Uta was there too. 

“You snooze, you lose.” She spoke before tapping the button. “Yes! 3,000.” 

“The most valuable item.” A voice came from right behind you, causing you to jump and yelp in surprise. Arisu grabbed your arm and pulled you close to him.

Kyuma stepped into the container. 

“Wait. If you’re both here, then… no one is guarding your base?” Arisu asked. 

“Nope. We figured that you wouldn’t have the guys to invade ours. And we were right, weren’t we?” Kyuma stated.

You clenched your fists, your nails digging into your palms. 

“I can’t believe this.” Arisu looked defeated. 

“You told me you wanted answers, Arisu. These games are cruel. You know that. The value of a single life is meaningless here. Look at me. I just lost my best friend and a close friend.”

Everything else came out fuzzy as your anger grew. Maybe you all should have fought harder about Chishiya’s idea. Maybe things would be different now. You turned to see Kyuma’s hand on Arisu’s shoulder. You grabbed Arisu’s wrist and pulled him away. 

“Arisu, you must not forget this is a game of life and death. The losers will die. Show me what you’re made of, Arisu.” Kyuma spoke before Uta took a step towards you.

“Don’t even fucking think about it.” You snapped at her. This took the three by surprise. You were angry, that was clear. You pushed Arisu against the wall. “We should have listened to him. To Chishiya. You shot down two of his plans, and it led us to failure. What the hell is your problem? I get it, okay. We all understand why you don’t trust Chishiya and Niragi. I get that they tricked you. And maybe they should have gone after someone else. But we were running out of time. I understand you hate that Niragi for beating you and almost getting you killed during the ten of hearts game. I wouldn’t forgive them either if I were in your position. But-” You let a small sob. “You know their smart. You know their lives are on the line here, too. You know they’d fight for each other and me to be safe. Why couldn’t you have just listened to us? I’m going to lose the loves of my life because you, Usagi and Tatta didn’t want to listen.” Arisu watched as you dropped to the floor, tears freely running down your cheeks as you sobbed. 

“We talked about it you kow.” You told him, your voice broken and shaky. 

“About what?” Arisu asked in confusion as he sat down next to you, tears filled his own eyes.

“Our future together. We talked about it on the roof, during the ten of hearts game. We wanted to go home, to try being together, but in our world. Niragi is a Game Engineer. Chishiya is a Doctor, but he said he wants to be a better one. They’ve both made mistakes, so have I. But together, we’re better. We planned to move in together. A nice apartment or a cute little house to start with. We talked about getting a pet. Niragi wants a dog. Chishiya was leaning towards getting a cat. I think a bunny would be cute. We talked about maybe starting a family. I don’t want to die when the best part of my life is happening. Not when my future actually looks like it can be filled with happiness and laughter. I can’t lose that, Arisu. I can’t lose them. I don’t want to watch them die.” You covered your face with your hands as you sobbed. Arisu pulled you into his arms, letting you sob into his chest, and he rubbed your back. Neither of you was sure when Kyuma and Uta had left.

Arisu decided then and there, he wasn’t going to give up. He needed to keep fighting. All needed to. Their had to be a way to win.

—-----

‘Thirty minutes remaining.’

‘The King of Cubs team is currently leading by 12,000 points.’

Everyone was gathered around the pole. You were cuddled in between Niragi and Chishiya, both had been worried when they saw you return with Arisu, hiccuping and a face full of tear. Niragi had threaten Arisu until you stopped him.

‘Only 30 minutes left.’ Kuina spoke as she placed a hand on the pole. 

“And they’re up by 12,000 points.” Niragi added as he ran his fingers through your hair. 

“We can’t give up yet!” Usagi said as she looked at everyone. 

“We’ve got to find more items.” Kuina crossed her arms over her chest. 

“It’s not worth it.” Arisu said from his spot. He was crouched down, one hand on his knee, the other holding his head. ”There’s only a few left.”

Kuina frowned. “We have to do something! I’m not sitting here waiting to die.” She wasn’t happy, they needed to do something. 

Usagi let out a small sigh as she thought things over. “Tatta and Chishiya still had over 10,000 point each. We could pair up and battle–” She was cut off as Niragi spoke up.

“Fuck that! Whose fault is it we’re in this poostion now?” He asked as he glared at Tatta. “I’m not trusting this bitch to do anything after he fucked us!”

“Chishiya was there too, You can’t just blame everything on Tatta!” Kuina turned to Niragi. She thought it was ridiculous that he was only blaming Tatta.

Niragi stood up, walking over to Kuina. “Are you being serious right now?” He asked her in disbelief. 

“I’m just saying, there were two people protecting the base, not just Tatta. Chishiya was there too. You’re not ripping his head off are you? No. You’re angry and you’re taking it out on Tatta. Leave him alone. He feels bad enough.” Kuina tried to keep her voice steady, but she was annoyed and it was getting to her. 

Chishiya rubbed his thumb over your knuckled before pressing a small kiss to the back of your hand. “She’s right. If you’re going to blame Tatta, might as well throw some blame at me.” 

Niragi huffed. “It doesn’t matter. We can’t make up 12,000 points with little 500-point battles.”

With a sigh, you got up and walked over to the base, ready to recharge. 

Arisu slowly stood up and began walking towards the pole. “If I was Kyuma, what would I…” He trailed off as his hand hovered inches away from the pole. Then he smiled. “We have to attack their base.” He quickly grabbed your wirst, stopping you from touching the base.

“Fucking finaly.” Chishiya muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

“What?” Kuina asked in confusion, since Arisu had been so againt the idea before.

“If three of us get 30,000 points from their base. We can still win.” Arisu stated as he turned to face the group, still smiling. 

“No we can’t, man. I was there when they attacked us. It’s impoosible. What makes you think we can pull it off?” Tatta asked, clearly not liking the idea. 

“That’s just it. We have to stop being afraid. Believe in the plan.” Arisu replied, his smile never faded once though he did let go of your wrist, allowing you to walk back to your boyfriends and sit back down beside Chishiya. 

“What are you talking about?” Kuina asked him in confusion.

“The difference between us and them is whether we let our fear stop us. We break free, and we push the fear out!” Arisu spoke as he walked closer to the group.

It was silent for a moment. You looked at Arisu with a cheeky grin on your face. “You just wanna see Kyuma again.” You spoke teasingly, causing Arisu to sigh at you but smiled softly. 

“Nothing gets past your keen senses.” You were happy that he had joked back. 

“You’ll invite us to the wedding right?” You asked him curiously. 

Arisu chuckled and nodded his head. “Front row is all yours.” 

“I can’t do it. It’s too risky.” Ugasi said, drawing Arisu’s attention to her. “I won’t throw our lives away like that.”

Chishiya rolled his eyes. “You all need to stop being so scared and sentimentlal. If we don’t go and atleast try, then we’re dead anyway. That’s it. At least this way we have a fighting chance.” Everyone turned to look at him. 

Arisu walked over to you, Chishiya and Niragi. “Chishiya, you were right this entire time. We should have been taking risks but I woudn’t let us. That stops now. I’m sorry. If we want to win, we have to take risks. You’re my teammates and my friends. I don’t want any of us to die. But I would risk my life to able to save yours.” 

“Well, I’m in.” Niragi said as he grabbed your and Chishiya’s hands, pulling you both up. “Not because of all this mushy shit. It’s more. I’m not the kind of guy to ever let fear get in my way.” The group smiled. 

“Oh please, you just wanna see Kyuma’s ass one last time.” You spoke with a giggle before letting out a whine. Niragi had pulled your hair. 

“Way to ruin the moment, baby girl.” Your taller boyfriend spoke. 

Chishiya smirked beside you. “Read the room, sweetheart. It’s not Kyuma he wants to see. He needs his last few minutes with Arisu to make up and finally kiss.” That had the both of you and Kuina cackling. 

Niragi sighed. “Why am I dating you two? Why am I friends with you?” He ran his hands over his face. 

Arisu couldn’t help but let out a laugh as well. Watching the three of you was really entertaining. “Look, is we win, I’ll give you that kiss, Niragi.” 

Niragi pulled a look of disgust. “Don’t even joke about that. No. Just don’t. What happened to teasing him about being in love with Kyuma? Pick on him, not me.”

“I want to win.” Usagi let out a small gasp before she spoke, cutting through the laughter, bringing you all back to reality.  “I can’t stand aside. I want to win this.”

Kuina let out a sigh as she calmed down. “Then it’s settled. I can’t let you take all the glory.” She said looking at Niragi, causing him to chuckle. 

“I..” Tatta was scared to go to the other base. It didn’t feel right. 

“Tatta, you protect the base.” Arisu said, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

Tatta nodded. “Okay.”

“We need a plan.” You said. 

“I have one.” Chishiya and Arisu spoke at the same time. 

—-----

The group had decided to combined the plans. Usgai had lured away one of the King’s players. Tatta was staying at base. The rest of you emerged from different spots around the King’s base. All ready to run. 

“Are you bored yet?” Kuina asked Kyuma and his team. “You must be craving some fun. You’re looking for a rush, aren’t you?”

“You know us so well. Isn’t that right, Arisu?” Kyuma spoke as he locked eyes with Arisu.

You coudn’t help but smile. “Gosh, you two would have been adorable together in another life.”

You watched as Kyuma and his team touched their base. It buzzed to life. 

“It’ll never work.” Uta spoke as she looked at your all. 

“We’d still like to try though.” You told her with a bright smile. Fear be damned. 

“All set?!” Kuina asked. 

“Uh-huh.”

You all took off running towards the pole. Kuina managed to dodge Maki’s attacks and caused him to pull away from the pole. 

You and Arisu ran in syn straight at Kyuma and Kaito. Arisu reached out to touch the pole only for Kyuma to grab his wrist, causing an electic shock to to go through both men, knocking them to the men. 

Kaito realised to late what was happening as you danced around his first attack only for him to touch your shoulder. You were both elecrocuted and fell to the ground. 

As the two went down, Niragi distracted Uta, he had bit his lip enough to bleed before spitting the blood in her face, allowing, him and Chishiya to grab the pole. Chisiya had calmly walked though the chaos, with everyone distracted, it was easy for him to slip past with no issues.

‘The scores have been updated.’ 

“Yes!” Arisu shouted happily. 

“Fuck yeah!” Niragi cheered as he cupped Chishiya’s face and kissing him deeply. The two pulled away after a few moments. Chishiya made his way over to you, quickly asking if you were okay.

“Niragi!” Arisu called out, causing him to run at Maki and electrocute himself and the male.

“Kuina!” Niragi shouting causing her to start running. However, Kuina didn’t make it to the pole as Maki had gotten up and kicked her to the ground.

Uta let out a laugh. “Congrats on 20,000! Too bade it’s not enough.” She grinned. 

“Well done, Arisu.” Kyuma spoke, laying on his side, one hand supporting his head as he looked at Arisu. “You’re team had a good go. But your plan has failed you. You could get the remaining items, of course, but it won’t be enough.” Kyuma streched out and laid on his back. 

“Oh my gosh! Just kiss already. You two are obsessed!” You stated, causing Kaito to chuckle from beside you. 

“And we’re not giving you a chance to win now.” Uta added almost gleefully. “We’re guarding the base with everything we’ve got till time runs out. You better accept it.” She spoke as she leaned against the pole. 

—-----

“I’m sorry.” Kuina spoke as she bowed to you all. “This is all my fault.”

You gently squeezed her hand. “Kuina, no one blames you.” 

“We gave it all we had. The plan just wasn’t good enough. I’m sorry.” Arisu looked down in defeat. 

“So… so, what? That’s it?” Nitagi asked. He turned to look at you as a small sob escaped you. You pulled you into his arms. “I’m not spending my last minutes here. Come on.” He held you close, one arms wrapped around your waist, the other grabbing Chishiya’s hand as the three of you walked away. 

The three of you came to a pretty spot where you could see the water clearly. It was gorcous. The three of you sat together, Niragi on your left, Chishiya on your right. You were snugged up to Niragi’s side. Chishiya sat close, his hand in yours. You sat in silence for a while, ecvept for the sobs. 

‘The King of Clubs team is now leading by 500 points.” 

That had you all confused. “I guess they found an item.” You spoke quietly. “I can’t believe this, it. After everything we’ve been through. All the games. All the nights spent cuddling. All the shared stories and early morning swims in the pool. And it ends like this?” You asked with a frown. It hurt, it hurt your heart and broke it apart. 

Neither male knew what to say, because they felt it too. Every moment had been a beautiful git to them. Only for the future to be ripped from right under them. 

“You three really are adorable.” The three of you turned to see Kyuma stood not to far away, also looking at the ocean. 

“Can you not right now?” Niragi asked as he blinked away his tears. 

Chishiya sighed. “If you’re looking for Arisu, he’s probably doing something dumb.” 

You licked your bottom lip. “He had just started to accept you both. God, and Kuina. What about her mum? What about our future together?” You asked.

Kyuma let out a sigh as he faced the three of you. “You shouldn’t regret what you havn’t experienced. Appreciate the time the three of you had together. Finding one person who completes and loves you is something not everyone gets. You three got lucky finding two people.”

The words hung in the air for a while. 

“I love you both.” You said softly with a small smile. Tears still falling freely  “I don’t regret anything. That first night together in my room, I’m so happy it happened. I’m so grateful you both decided to give us a chance.” You then gently kissed them both. 

Niragi stroked your hair. “I’m glad I said yes. You two helped me to feel like more than just a monster. And I’m grateful that you both anoyed me into spending time with Kuina. She’s actually really cool.” He and Chishiya shared a kiss. 

Chishiya squeezed your hand gently. “I’ve smiled with you two more here, in the Borderlands than I have in my whole life. If this is it. At least we go together, because I don’t want to live in a world where neither of you exist.” 

The kisses have all been the same. Deep, passionate, full of love and want. Expressing all the thank yous, all the wants for the future. The kisses were a sealed promise to find each other in your next lives.

—-----

“You decided to come.” Kyuma’s voice came causing the three of you to turn, there stood Arisu. 

“Something told me that I would find you here.” Arisu replied. 

“Gosh, you two just always seem to find each other. Seriously though, when’s the wedding?” You asked, cusing Arisu to chucke. 

Kyuma looked at the four of you in confusion. “Wedding?” He asked in amusement. 

“Mhm, your and Arisu’s wedding. You were are a little too obsessed with each other. So your either going to kiss or kill each other.” You told him, causing the man to sowly nod. 

“You have such a fun brain.” He told you, causing you to preen at the complement. 

Arisu walked towards Kyuma. “I wanted to see if you might be waiting for me here.” He ignored your muttering comment of ‘they are so in love. You don’t just say that to people.’ However, he did turn to Chishiya. “Tatta is looking for you. You should go find him.”

That left the three of you in confusion. Though Chishiya caught the look in Arisu’s eyes. He stood up and walked away. 

“The ocean is wide. That’s why we’re drawn to it. We want to commune with something bigger than we are.” Kyuma spoke as he looked back at the ocean. 

Arisu walked closer to the edge, seeing the view. It was nice. Really nice. “You and your team beat us.” He looked down at his shoes. 

Kyuma turned to him. “So, do you have any regrets?” He asked curiously. 

Arisu nodded his hea lightly. “I’m a bit disappointed. Tell me Kyuma. I need to know the answer. Before I die.”

“You know I can’t.” Kyuma told him. “You’ve given up.”

“I thought you’d say that. Well, then…what about one last handshake before I go? What would you say to that?” Arisu asked.

“A handshake? The game isn’t over yet.” Kyuma stated. “If we shake hands now…” He trailed off, letting the unspoken linger in the air. 

Niragi kissed your temple and got up. “I’m gonna go find Chishiya and Kuina. I’l bring them back here.” He said before walking off. It didn’t feel right not having you all together for your last moments. 

“I finally realised something about myself, because of what you said. I should have been ready to listen. I should have waited for them to come to me. Let them know they could depend on me. And maybe we could’ve understood each other a little better then. I know we’re enemies. You’re my opponent. And I know it might seem like i’m being crazy. But I still want to say thank you.” Arisu took a step with every word he spoke, getting closer and closer to Kyuma. 

“Thank you for helping me realize those things. I know that… I don’t have much time left to do anything else. I know I’m gonna die. So please, let me shake the hand of the one who showed me my true self.” Arisu smiled softly as he spoke. 

Kyuma let out a sigh before nodding. “Alright. Since it’s my opponent’s dying wish. I’d be honored to grant it to you.” The male walked towards Arisu who smiled at him. 

“Thank you, Kyuma.”

“Arisu. Getting to battle with you was a great pleasure.” Kyuma held his hand out.

Arisu took in a creath as he placed a hand in his pocket and shook Kyuma’s hand with his other. 

‘The scores havebeen updated. The player team is leading by 500 points.’

“Oh my Gosh. Arisu.” You waked over to him. “How did you do that?”

“Tatta.” He told you as he took Tatta’s bracelet from his pocket. “It’s why I told Chishiya he was looking for him.” 

You kissed his cheek and smiled. “Thank you, Arisu.” You then looked at Kyuma. “It was nice meeting you. Thank you for being a great King.” With that, you turned and ran to look for your boyfriends. 

‘There is no time remaining. It is game over for the King of Clubs team, as they ended with fewer points.’

—-----

The blimp had fallen. You had won the game. 

“Tatta are you alright? Hang on, Tatta!” Arisu spoke as knelt beside Tatta. 

Chishiya sighed. “He’s lost way to much blood.” 

Arisu didn’t want to accept that. “Tatta, please you have to hold on.”

“You see, when I try I can be great.” Tatta spoke. He was tired, he was in shock. He was glad the team had won but a part of him knew that he was dying. Chishiya had tried to help, but Tatta had lost too much blood by the time Chishiya had gotten to him. So Chishiya had focused on making him comfortable and taking to stop anymore blood lost.

“Yeah. You are great.” Arisu replied, smiling sadly at Tatta. “We won because of you Tatta. Thank you.” With that, Tatta was able to rest. His eyes closed and he took his final breath. 

The group was devisated at the loss.

—-----

The group stood at the burial sight that had chosen for Tatta. A pole sticking out the the ground to show where he was. Arisu placed Tatta’s hat on the pole. Kuina placed some flowers on his grace. 

“It’s a pretty view.” Kuina spoke as she took a step back. “This is a nice place to rest.”

“Yeah.” Usagi quietly agreed. 

“We can’t let his death be for nothing. We need to keep going, to keep Tatta’s memory alive.”

“I’m grateful i’m alive, and it’s because of it. So, thank you.” Niragi tried to keep his voice low and quiet. But the group heard, no one said anything. But you and Chishiya squeezed his hands. 

“We need to go.” Chishiya spoke. Causing Niragi to nod. 

Kuina turned in confusion. “Where are we going?” She asked curiously. 

“Kuina. You need to stay with Arisu and Usagi. Find Ann. Niragi and I promised Chishiya we’d play the Jack of Hearts game if it was still here once the King of Clubs game was complete. So that’s where the three of us are going.” You told her softly as the two of you walked over to each other.

“But we just found each other.” Kuina pouted slightly. 

“I know. And we will again. In a game or in the cenrte. Where we were waiting for the games to start. Where the King of Spades started. Give it a day and we’ll all find each other again.” The two of you shared a teary hug before pulling away. 

Kuina turned to the two males. “You two better look after my girl or i’ll kick your asses.” She said as hugged them both, they hugged her back. 

As they hugged, you hugged Arisu and the Usagi. “Thank you for giving us a chance.” 

Arisu nodded. “We’ll see you three in a day.” He said. “Good luck, be safe.” 

Usagi gave you a small smile. “We’ll be waiting for you all.” 

You walked back to your boys. Niragi wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close, his other arm went around Chishiya’s shoulders, allowing you and Chishiya to entwine your hands behind his back. The three of you walked, heading towards the next game. The Jack of Hearts.

—-----

Everything Taglist: Thank you for supporting me.

@thecheshireprincess @potato-vagina @spanish-delulu-23 @deliciousmagazinequeen @myblovedjyh @alex--awesome--22

Love Line Collection Taglist: Thank you for supporting me.

@thecheshireprincess @potato-vagina @spanish-delulu-23 @mocchii-writes @moonchild323232 @monkey4lifer @kimsrie @so-dramatic1 @28361573 @onceinablueberrymoon @louissst28 @psychobitchsthings @stopcallingmeimovedon @yukiclipse @stopcallingmeimovedon

[cynthiav06]

A big part of the fandom doesn't deserve to have Percy as a protagonist because of how they treat him and mischaracterize them to make their own favorite characters "better", more sympathetic or more tragic. Can they stop blaming Percy for Bianca's death? No offense to her stans but what was Percy to do when SHE was the one who stole from a fucking junkyard where they were specifically warned not to touch/take anything? Plus isn't she the one who basically abandoned her brother and joined the Huntresses? Can they stop acting as if Percy is stupid when he is actually better at coming up with strategies where no one gets hurts or killed *cough*unlike a certain blonde*cough*? Can they stop excusing Annabeth for being such a shitty person to Percy and anyone interested in him romantically or platonically? Can they fucking understand that her "cute nickname" to her boyfriend "Seaweed brain" is actually an insult and not a cutesy little token of love? Can they understand that judo flipping him, punching/hitting/etc him and liking to make him anxious is what typical toxic and abusive partners do? I don't care that she was abused and neglected as a child, having been abused is an explanation never an excuse. Percy was also abused by his stepdad and yet he doesn't act like her. Also another thing (and this one might be heavily controversial but) Sally Jackson is a loving mom, she tried her best for her kid but she is not a good mom, she was selfish in her love and got herself and her kid stuck with an abusive bastard for years despite the fact that she had safer options. At this point I feel like we didn't even read the same books or that these people didn't even read the series they just watch youtube and tiktok videos that are mostly filled with misinformation and headcanons.

I know I am extremely late in my response but hopefully not 'late to your own funeral' level of late. It was partly due to health problems and back to back exams I had and partly due to my procrastination habits. Which is why now that I am considerably free, I am trying to answer all the asks in my inbox.

I absolutely agree with most of the things you have said. I myself am extremely tired of repeating the same things over and over again to the fandom but I am under no delusions that any posts debunking biased takes, character assassination headcanons and absolutely baseless assumptions will actually stop anything or even change anyone's opinions.

These posts are just for people with similar mindset to interact with something that finally meets with their pov and aren't led to feeling isolated in the fandom due to monopoly canon ships and other such topics have in fandom posts. Sort of to create a safe space cause I myself was spared of the worst of the fandom's wrath due to there already being an established anti percabeth community, small but reliable and supportive. I even had to the fortune of never receiving a single death threat, at least in this fandom, and I want to make sure that any new mutuals I have get the same experience.

For the whole Percy being blamed for no absolute reason and for completely made-up reasons for the Nico-Bianca situation, I have already made a post here.

Percy being more strategic than Annabeth was something I have stated in multiple posts but mostly here. And Rick himself did give us proof, too, both about Percy getting better grades than Annabeth and how Seaweed brain is, in fact, an insult.

I really believe that Percy and Annabeth's lack of nuanced emotional interactions, contrasting goals, and really conflicting fatal flaws all make up for a doomed relationship scenario. Percy finds himself unable to share about any of his trauma with Annabeth, and he also seems very insecure about their relationship and believes he can't live up to Annabeth's expectations or is being a bad boyfriend. Annabeth doesn't seem to be able to pick up on any of this, and without proper conversation, they are both chafing. Not to mention, Annabeth's toxic habits are not something Percy will ever address, and eventually, they will both just end up resenting each other. I had an idea about Percabeth break up and why and how it would occur, and I have posted about it here, and that's all I really want to say on that matter.

As for the Sally Jackson bit, I am actually planning on a Sally centric post. I have read so many takes on her and Percy's relationship and I am in the process of making it. Will definitely tag you in that.

Though what I will say is that, while Sally's love for Percy was very selfish, I think it was realistically rooted in her own trauma, the two way abandonment issues between both her and Percy and a mother's desperation.

Because for all the trauma Percy suffered under Gabe, you have to remember Sally suffered twice as much. She sent Percy off to boarding schools to spare him most of Gabe's influence while she suffered both physical and mental abuse throughout the six years she was with Gabe. The fact that Sally was willing put herself and Percy through the trauma of Gabe's abuse should highlight just how desperate she was to keep Percy with herself. And how despite all of Gabe's abuse he would face at home if he stayed, Percy resented Sally for sending him away to boarding school.

There's such an intricate codependency and deep-rooted trauma, maybe even generational trauma there. I really want to explore all of that cause I think Sally had very simple motivations and put herself and Percy through such complex methods to try and achieve those motivations permanently.

So yeah, there will be a post on that soon. I will tag you in that one, and there's another one I have to get to just before that. It's a Frank and Percy centric post, and I really loved that idea and I think I have most of my thoughts ready for both these posts. So expect them by the end of the week for sure.

[v88sy]

Lmao but for real. Idk if it's bts drama with Ryan or something but it's getting more and more obvious. Bobby, his captain just died and the guy is just over there offering a cookie to Ravi in these trying times like an extra on set with a blank expression on his face.

I refuse to feel bad for enjoying this situation. Bvddie shippers have made their own bed. I don't like Ryan at all, but even I can admit there's only so much toxicity an actor can take. Buck was at least allowed to exist in his own right in their eyes even if they couldn't stand him canonically dating a man (so much for being LGBT warriors and caring for representation!). But the way they're obsessed with Eddie and try to bring every plot he has back to him being "gay" is exhausting and weird as fuck.

Imagine being an actor and being excited for the storyline your character is getting that season and your fans are just like "we don't care, when are Buck and Eddie going to fuck on screen tho?" Not saying Eddie's plots have always been exciting at all, lord knows they've done some stupid shit with the character, but still. Eddie arguably had the most interesting SL in years while trying to mend his relationship with Chris and they could not have cared less because it meant he was in Texas and not bending over for Buck. I wouldn't blame Ryan if he wants out, if his acting in this ep is any indication, his heart just isn't in it anymore.

I didn't mind Eddie at first, I really didn't. But, it kind of feels like after Shannon died, the writers just...didn't know what to do with him. His entire existence became about grief without any real action to address it or deal with it. I get it, grief never really goes away, but you can't just Fight Club your way out of it either.

I often wonder if the writers intended to write him as insufferable and selfish as they have. He says things to hurt others and never reflects or takes accountability. It's been talked about ad nauseum here, but his friendship with Buck is incredibly one sided. Again, I don't know what's more scary...to think this was all by design...or that it wasn't.

And, since we're just going for it here, Ryandrew Tateman absolutely hasn't done himself any favors here. I know what he did. You know he did. And I wish I could say that was the only thing, or even the most recent.

On a personal note, I've worked in healthcare for 20 years, including the height of covid, so being an anti vaxx/anti covid vaxx is an instant 'fuck off' from me.

And the memes he's been sharing about Pete/Bobby? Salty edgelord.

You make excellent points about anything and everything being boiled down to Gay Eddie™ in some people's minds. Not even bi or demi, or any other shade of queer. It has to be gay, and Buck has to serve as the trad wife self insert surrogate. Which, really makes me question their motives, because it ain't representation. We already got that, and have since day one. Not that they'd ever know.

Look, it's very clear by now that I'm not his biggest fan by a long shot, but it's absolutely disgusting that people want to disregard his body autonomy by saying things like "it doesn't matter what he wants, they're gonna force him to do bddie anyways because it's what the people want".

No, they don't, and honestly, that makes me wonder about your views on consent. The role would involve, at the very least, kissing Oliver, (not that I'd mind myself, but that's another topic for another day) so...yes. It absolutely is his choice, as it should always be when engaging in contact with someone, acting job or not.

And yeah, I'll give it to you that he's probably tired as fuck about being reduced to nothing more than "the guy who absolutely must be gay because *insert harmful stereotype here.*"

And that's in addition to having every. single. interview. harp on the ship that he has said repeatedly that he doesn't want to do, for actually valid reasons, assuming those are the real reasons and he's not just blowing smoke up our ass.

So, yeah, I don't blame him for wanting an out, but I also don't think we should be blamed for wanting to be able to enjoy our show and the fandom as a whole once again.

All that being said...are you trying to put me in jail, katey 😂

[chsopnk]

「 ✦ MY COFFEE BLACK… ✦ 」

☆. # SHIP — satosugu x m!reader

☆. # AUTHOR’S NOTE — you work at a cat café and two guys keep coming back—but not for the coffee… or the cats. ;; requested.

☆. # WARNINGS — none! (cut bc its quite long and i dont want to clutter someones dash!)

The gentle hum of conversation and the quiet purring of cats filled the cozy atmosphere of Neko Haven, a small cat cafe tucked away in a quiet corner of Shibuya. It wasn't flashy or well-known, but for Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, it had become a regular haunt over the past few months. Every Thursday, without fail, they would slip into the cafe after work, sinking into their usual corner by the window, sipping lattes while the cats curled up around their feet.

But it wasn't the cats or the coffee that kept them coming back.

It was you.

From behind the counter, you moved with practiced ease, serving drinks with a quiet smile and a soft "thank you" as you took their orders. You were different from the hustle and bustle of the outside world-calm, collected, and gentle in a way that drew them in without effort.

"You know," Satoru murmured one Thursday evening, watching as you expertly frothed milk for a cappuccino, "I'm starting to think this place might be my new favorite. Best coffee l've ever had."

Suguru, who was longing beside him, snorted softly. "It's not the coffee, and you know it.”

Satoru leaned back in his chair, long legs stretched out under the table, a teasing smile pulling at his lips. "You think so? Maybe it's the cats. I do have a soft spot for them."

"Sure," Suguru replied, eyes flicking over to you as you handed a cup to a customer with that same warm smile. "The cats."

The two of them had known each other long enough to recognize the tension that had been building over the past few weeks. The shared glances, the way Satoru would straighten up whenever you approached their table, the slight shift in Suguru's expression when you laughed at one of his dry remarks.

They didn't talk about it, but it was there, unspoken but understood.

It had been Suguru who noticed you first, the quiet bartender who seemed to carry a sense of peace in every movement. Satoru had followed suit not long after, his curiosity piqued by your composed nature, so different from his own chaotic energy. What had started as friendly teasing between them quickly became something more complicated.

The bell above the door chimed as the last customer left for the evening. You were wiping down the counter when Satoru stood up, slipping off his sunglasses and tucking them into his pocket. Suguru followed him, quieter, more thoughtful, but his dark eyes flicked over to you with a warmth he rarely showed to anyone else.

"You're here pretty late tonight," you said, smiling as they approached the counter.

Satoru shrugged. "We like the quiet."

"And the company," Suguru added, his voice low but sincere.

Your cheeks warmed slightly, but you didn't look away, meeting their gazes with a soft chuckle. "You two are flattering me again."

"Can you blame us?" Satoru leaned against the counter, his bright blue eyes glinting mischievously. "We wouldn't keep coming back if you weren't the best bartender in Shibuya."

"Second best," Suguru corrected with a small smile. "But only because you refuse to let us help."

You laughed, the sound light and genuine, and they couldn't help but share a look. The tension that had hung between them for weeks felt like it was about to snap, but neither of them was sure what would happen when it did.

"You're here enough," you teased, setting a clean cup aside. "Maybe I should put you two to work."

"Careful," Satoru said, leaning in slightly. "We might take you up on that."

Suguru glanced at him, then back at you.

There was something different tonight, something in the air that hadn't been there before. He felt it, and judging by the way Satoru's smile softened at the edges, so did he.

Your hands stilled for a moment, eyes flicking between the two of them. You could feel the weight of their attention, the unspoken question in their gaze. It wasn't just about the café, and you knew it.

"I like the company too," you admitted softly, a small smile playing on your lips. "It's nice to see familiar faces. Especially when they’re as interesting as yours.”

Satoru grinned, but it wasn't his usual teasing smirk. It was softer, warmer.

"Interesting, huh?"

You shrugged, leaning against the counter now, close enough to catch the warmth in Suguru's eyes and the way Satoru's fingers drummed lightly on the wood between you.

"You're good company. Both of you."

Suguru's gaze lingered on you, something unspoken passing between the three of you.

There was an understanding in the quiet, a shift in the easy banter that had marked your conversations before. It was something deeper now, something real.

Sator broke the silence, his voice gentle in a way that was rare for him. "We were thinking... maybe next time, you could join us. After your shift."

Your eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across your face. "Join you?"

Suguru nodded, his voice calm and sure. "For coffee. Or something else. We don't mind."

You felt the warmth spread through your chest at the invitation, your heart beating a little faster. It wasn't just coffee they were offering, and you understood that. There was a connection here, something that had grown between the three of you in the past weeks.

Suguru nodded, his voice calm and sure. "For coffee. Or something else. We don't mind."

You felt the warmth spread through your chest at the invitation, your heart beating a little faster. It wasn't just coffee they were offering, and you understood that. There was a connection here, something that had grown between the three of you over the past weeks, something that felt more solid now, more real.

"I'd like that," you said softly, meeting their eyes.

Satoru's grin widened, and Suguru's lips curved into a rare, genuine smile.

"Good," Satoru said, stepping back from the counter with a wink. "It's a date, then."

As they left the cafe, the bell chiming softly behind them, you couldn't help the way your heart fluttered in your chest. The two of them had been regulars for weeks now, but this felt different. The cafe was still, the cats curled up in their usual spots, and for the first time in a long while, you found yourself looking forward to something more than just another quiet evening behind the counter.

And when Thursday came around again, you knew they would be there, waiting. For you.

[cherry-pop-elf]

Kiss It Better Pt: 5

Curly x Reader

SUM: You had been sleeping in the med bay when Daisuke came to find you. Nearly stabbed him, but despite the scare he shared with you some good news! Jimmy managed to open the shipment bay. Now you all can finally get more resources to survive. Right…..?

Warnings: Jimmy, and uh. Actually that’s it. Hmph! Chapter breather again! No real trigger I can tell. Just ya know “it’s a mouthwashing fic” awareness stuff!

Your sleep was miserable. You swore you didn’t even sleep at all. You had just laid there all night, listening to Curly’s painful breathing and flinching at whatever noise the ship caused. No real rest. Only restlessness.

You even heard someone coming down the hallway. Your heart raced, as you gripped your knife tighter under the pillow. There was someone coming, and you had to be prepared. Sure it could be Anya, since she is the nurse.

But what if it’s not?

You would hear the door open, and you tried to look relaxed. Look like you were still fast asleep, and not waiting. Waiting for any sign of proof that it wasn’t Jimmy. Just praying it’s Anya.

So far it didn’t seem so. The foot steps were heavy, like wearing boots. There was also the fact Anya would speak to herself often. Just saying the quietest of things. Just whatever she was thinking. Didn’t hear a an expected ‘oh my-‘ that was gentle and soothing. None of that.

Just heavy foot steps that stood infront of you. Could even feel the body heat coming closer. Made you sweat in fear. The hell was Jimmy going to do? Did he think you were too tired to notice a touch?

Like hell you’ll be next.

You swung the blade right out of the pillow, and was quick to sit up. Panting in a blend of anger and fear.

To your horror it was not Jimmy.

It was Daisuke.

He had managed to fall on his ass just in time. You had been so terrifyingly close to nailing him. You had ghosted his cheek so close you nicked some of his hair right off his head. The small strands now on the floor.

“Oh god, I am so sorry-! I thought you were Jimmy. Fuck, Suke I am so sorry-“ You left the knife on your pillow, as you looked at your hands in disgust. How you were so close to almost seriously hurting your friend.

Typical Daisuke fashion, he laughed it off.

“Don’t worry about it Nakama! I totally get it. You are Curly’s Koibito! Course you were get defensive. I don’t blame you a lick! Pretty impressive, gotta admit. I would even say cool if I wasn’t on the other end of it.” He would laugh away, as he understood the situation.

Strange….He didn’t question you on why you said Jimmy…..

“Oh-! I came in here to tell you something! I figured you were in here, since I knocked on your bedroom door and nothing was responded back. So here’s the deal, Jimmy managed to unlock the shipment door. He told me to round everyone up so we can meet there and enter together.” He explained to you, as he would help you stand up.

He managed to open the door? Finally. His ass was finally being useful. Maybe there was finally something to make these remaining days less terrifying, and maybe extra in case of delays. It was to ideal to expect them to arrive exactly 28 days from now. Never hurts to have extra. Maybe there were better medical supplies! Yeah, also over optimistic but what else did you have left?

“Thanks. I’ll be out in a minute. Need to check over Curly first and all-“ You explain, as Daisuke gave a nod of understanding. Was also going to be used to help collect your thoughts. Damn you needed some proper sleep, but you were too worried for Curly and Anya. Suppose as the spouse of the captain you felt some kind of responsibility.

You don’t even have a role and you still had more respect and nerve to take care of everyone over the new captain.

How peculier.

“I’ll wait outside the door. Give ya privacy and all that.” He said, before stepping out of the door. He even was whistling to make some noise to give you two somewhat of privacy. Damn that guy was such a sweetheart. Even after so much.

Such a ray of sunshine.

You would run through his routine, and used it to help ground yourself. Just things that were familiar and automatic. Just had to get your brain in the game. Wake up a little bit more.

“I’ll be back soon. I promise. I love you, and remember. Just a few more weeks. You can do this. We can return back to those snowy mountains together. You and me. Have your siblings join us even, and watch them face plant over and over from their shitty balance.” You tried to give him hope, and his broken laugh said it worked.

You would kiss his forehead, before tucking away the knife into your robe pocket. Your card ID was in the other, so you didn’t risk damaging it or losing it when pulling the blade out. You also would lay Curly’s head on your pillow, in some kind of hope it could help him get some sleep.

For once he actually seemed to finally rest his eye. Suppose knowing it was your pillow, and having the faintest scent of you, was soothing something in his brain. That special little button to over run certain factors.

Some rest.

With one more Love You, you would now join Daisuke with heading over to the shipment bay. There with Anya and Swansea. Luckily Anya was standing next to Swansea, so that gave you some relief. Did feel a little guilty you didn’t hurry over sooner.

“About damn time you two. What took you so long? Actually, I don’t care. Let’s just get these doors open and finally see what the hell was so important for us to ship over a year’s time frame.” You glared at the nerve he had to talk to you, AND Daisuke, like that.

Even Swansea was shooting him an annoyed look.

“Just open the damn door, kid-“ The eldest of the group warned. “You got it unlocked, go on and open it already! No point in waiting any longer. Let’s see what the hell was so important they had to have it locked down so hard.” He added on.

Jimmy would give an eye roll, before listening to him. With the scanner triggering the override, the doors would finally click themselves to unlock. Sounded like they haven’t opened in years compared to months. Had you a bit worried.

The doors would slide themselves open, and you all were greater to a massive hall. Was just endless boxes. All about the same size, but it was looking into a sky full of stars. Felt like it went on forever. Was so high you swore you could catch a wisp of a cloud.

“Damn….” Swansea muttered, as you all would walk into the shortage volt. A strong stench of mint was quick to hit you all as well. Good to make the eyes water. Had you cough a bit by such an intense flavor overload.

“Smells like someone threw like a mint bomb in here. Phew-!” Daisuke would wave at his face, as Anya seemed to be the only one not really bothered. Suppose years of disinfect use makes you kinda nose blind.

“Wonder why it’s so minty in here.” You pondered, as Jimmy went to grab one of the boxes. Seemed to have some heft, given the weight lifter had to put in some effort to get it down.

Everyone was soon surrounding the box. Just wondering whatever could be inside. What could have been so important to ship, why there is so many, and why the hell the shipment was taking so long to get. Maybe it’s something important so no matter what people would have come for them? That would be nice.

Seems like thank god you found that transmitter.

“Is….is this-?”

“Mouthwash-?!”

Everyone was left kinda speechless. Just there infront of you was a box stuffed with mouthwashing bottles. Just simple, easy to make, mouthwash. Nothing special at all. Just dental hygiene.

Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of mouth wash bottles.

Left you all rather speechless. The hell does someone say? It’s just a bottle of liquid you are meant to spit out. It’s not even useful! And this ship was stuffed with it!

Anya would pick up a bottle, and read off the ingredients. Just trying to find some kinda of use for it. Meanwhile the rest of you were kinda having a crisis.

You on the fact Curly went through all this abuse for something that is not worth dying for. Made your ears ring, and nothing could really get through your head. You just had to process this insanity before you. That this was what would have been your final mission call, and what Curly lost his limbs for.

What pulled you away from the cocktail of mixed emotions was Anya panicking.

You quickly looked over, and say Swansea uncorking a bottle. Just out right drinking it.

“Hey hey-! Stop that-!” You ran over, and managed to get him to stop. Half the bottle was empty though. Was it dangerous to drink that stuff? You knew he had been sober for years, but was he really going to be that desperate for a fix?

People were falling apart fast. You needed to bring everyone back into control again. You wish it could be as easy as telling them the truth, but if Jimmy caught scent that help will come he might do something drastic. Maybe go on a killing spree and say he was the last survivor. Maybe something worse? What could be worse?

You didn’t want to know.

“Swansea, please. We still have plenty of rations, right? We aren’t empty on supplies just yet-“ You would take on the position of leader, since Jimmy sure was doing a shit job of it. Didnt say a damn thing when poor Swansea started chugging.

You would jump up on one of the crates, and used it as a stand to get everyone’s attention. Get everyone to focus on you and listen closely. You had to make a plan. Get gears turning in the right directions.

“We are going to be ok. Like I said, we still have supplies left. Curly can afford to stay in his bandages a little longer than normal with how we keep the med bay clean. He can afford to slow down his pain killer usage. We can stretch the food out longer if we make sure to not waste our energy on things that aren’t absolutely needed. We can afford to wait. We can wait. We will wait. At the very least try and give this another month before you guys all go crazy and say mutiny. Ok? We will be ok. Trust me. Curly and I had been victims of a crashed ship before. We will be ok.”

That was a lie.

Curly never crashed a ship in all his years. Never even crashed a damn bike, but sometimes you need to create fake hope to keep people from eating each other alive. That’s what a captain does. You try and take care of your crew by all means possible. You try, at least.

Something Jimmy hasn’t done at all.

“You are right-“ Anya said, before joining you on the box. She was anxious to speak up, because it made Jimmy focus on her, but she wanted to take care of everyone the best she could as well. She wanted to become a doctor for a reason. To help people. Now was her time to shine.

“We just need to remain calm. Panicking and doing things like chugging mouthwash isn’t going to do any of us good. We are still stable right now. Maybe there IS something useful here. We will look through here, while Swansea and Daisuke keep working on trying to repair what they can.”

You were proud of Anya. Having two calm voices was going to have a heavier impact than just one. Seemed to work on Swansea at least. To see you two up there, holding each other for support.

Just like his girls.

“Fine fine. But ONE month. That’s all you’ll get out of me-“ He warned, before whistling for Daisuke to follow him back to the lower decks. Suke didn’t really want to. Not with the fact Jimmy remained so silent during all this, and just glared at the two on the box.

“Jimmy? Your thoughts-?” Daisuke tried to get him to speak. Everyone now looked to the ‘Captain’ now. All he had to do was scoff.

“You heard them. Not like we have any better shit to do.” He narrowed his eyes at you, being suspicious on how you seemed so damn calm about this realization. You hope he thinks you are just good at playing it cool.

“I’m going to see if I can dig my way through some of the foam in the rooms to find any more supplies we can use.” Finally. Something actually useful from him.

That was when the team split up, and you would join Anya in trying to hunt down possible supplies through the thousands of boxes of mouthwash. Maybe something an employee left behind, or other materials stuffed away.

Once you were damn near the back of the storage vault, and any possible sounds of extra footsteps could be heard miles away, you finally pulled her aside.

You told her everything.

She sobbed into your shoulder in pure relief. Things were going to actually be ok indeed. She just had to let it all out. Probably some mixture of that crying was about Curly as well. You had to tell her that part. She’s a nurse. She needed to know for medical purposes. Such as infection risks and what wounds were reopened.

Didn’t know how long she cried, but it was long enough for Jimmy to get suspicious. Ended up hunting you two down in the vault. Fortunately his foot steps were easy to hear from so far away.

You couldn’t help but feel such a heavy dread come your way. That maybe it was better to hide. You didn’t know why. Something just sounded so off about his foot steps. They were heavier…and faster.

“Shhhh-“ You hushed, and she would wipe her eyes clean. Now she heard it to, and it was making her anxious as well. The two of you looked at each other, before to the shelves.

Time to put that ice mountain training with curly to use.

You climbed up the shelves, and tried to get as high as you could. Anya did her best to follow after you. She would directly follow the path you took, but her foot ended up slipping. She managed to grab your robe, and now you were holding on to dear life to the top shelf, while she tried to get her grip again.

“I swear I heard her crying back here. I know I did. I know her crying better than anyone-“ Jimmy muttered, as he was just under you both. Oh how you were trying so hard to keep your grip. You needed to move so bad, but if you did you risked making noise. You just had to hang on. Hang on long enough for him to leave.

Felt like an eternity, but you could hear him walking. That was until Anya’s sandal slipped off from her trying to get her footing.

The echo it made froze your blood.

You could feel him turning around, and you swore it was all over.

“JIMMY! SWANSEA AND I FOUND SOMETHING!” You could hear Daisuke call.

Thank you Ray of sunshine.

You would hear his footsteps fade away, and now you were finally able to help her up to the top shelf. The two of you just hiding there for a while. Catching your breaths, and shaking.

“Will Curly be ok stationed out in our bedroom?” You asked her, when you two were able to breathe.

“Yes….Yes he should. Just need to make sure he remains on clean fabric, a place to hang his IV, and things like that.” She swallowed, as you would stroke her hair.

“And a standby nurse?” You asked, as her eyes stared up at you with such a relief. A real place to hide. To finally get real sleep.

“Never hurts to have extra help.” She consented, as you two kept holding each other. Deep breaths of that painful mint, and the sounds of the ever creaking ship.

You couldn’t help but swear you could hear your husbands groans from the medbay. Maybe it was your imagination or maybe……

Jimmy was taking his anger out on someone.

You closed your eyes, and prayed it wasn’t the latter.

Just twenty eight more days.

Just…….

28 more days until rescue…..

Tag list: @meheheasasa @letmebedelutional @trashcansally @balanahala562 @dinkyzoop @danart501 @spudfromspace @niyamamiya @silas-222 @lil-writer-523 @ratkidcalledallie @vainillacookie @gumycandyyy @kawliflo @mikeyswifie @sc4rrc @infl1cted @sakui1 @justsomereaderwholikesanime @strawbrysapphic @bittersw33t-lotus @emmathecouchpotato4583 @crysta4rtist @luvsymai @mythraendir @dietcokeandlana @teenie-beanie @chewbrry @letmebedelutional

Like I say, it depends on when you ask and the fact tumblr doesn’t like me tagging certain usernames. Like they don’t even register. So do a solid and reblog to help people I’m unable to tag to see this post! Thank you!

Prev 5 Next

[n0rmal-cat]

Out of the blue, but??

Storytime, reader sitting them down, curious how they fell in love

Was it an arranged marriage? Childhood friends, love at first sight? We're they... Roommates?? (The most romantic form of lovers) Who asked who out?? Did they have a big wedding! Any rough patches??

What are their anniversaries like? Ik they celebrate

What made them adopt reader? Did they want kids but settled for a furless child they found on the side of the, metaphorical, road?

Alien couple-backstory

[this is kinda long be warned]

Ok so the story goes that like many many hundreds of years ago space was having territorial fights and stuff a lot of it was undiscovered even to the aliens and it was a fight for who got what.

Our alien didn’t really care however but they were in a program to stop other aliens from taking over planets that were already being lived on.

The aliens were put on a team together because of the skills they both have in their respective fields it was supposed to be theoretical the best team.

Only thing is both of them hate to be one upped and thought the other was annoying and full of themselves. It got so bad with them sometimes failing missions that they were both threatened with being permanently pulled out of the program.

Both blamed the other for what happened but either way a big fight ensues inside the ship, they end up stranded floating in space control pad broken.

Finally with them being forced to be in the same place they actually talk, they both realize how important the other actually is to their mission.

I think they would both stare out into space and just talk somewhere in their minds knowing that this is probably it, it being no one’s fault but their own.

But they don’t get together there, they would get rescued after their freak accident with a new look on life, and afterwards they finally became the team they always were supposed to be.

(So in a way yes they were roommates I guess, they had to share the same ship so yeah)

I see garden being the one to ask the other out first, I can see them having a passionate training session were they both get a little to into it and in the heat of the moment garden just says “I love you”

Safe to say the main reason they won the training fight was because watermelon was frozen in shock.

However I see them not getting married for a really long time, they both are still on the field and no matter how much they love each other the there’s always the possibility of one of them just being gone one day.

So right after both of them retire they start planing, it’s not big but it’s full of everyone they love and they thought it was very special.

As for reader!

Basically garden found reader space ship floating around one day in the void they thought it was just scraps until they brought it in. There were three astronauts including reader in total, it actually isn’t uncommon for aliens to keep humans as pets and stuff but they knew they couldn’t keep them all.

They send the other two to either friends or people they trust (reader still gets to visit and talk to them don’t worry)

Funny enough watermelon didn’t want reader at all at first, reader looks very weak to him, no claws, no fur how the hell are you supposed to protect yourself….guess he has to do everything himself huh.

They never really thought about having kids but for right now reader is all they need, they live reader and what to put their full attention on them at the moment.

As for anniversary’s the two love to get each other gifts and cook each we other separate special dinners, then they’ll stay up the rest of the night and talk until they both pass out. <3

[blackbullet99]

Kataang is Objectively NOT One-Sided

Get Ready For A Long One!

Contrary to what some people might believe Kataang (the relationship between Katara and Aang) is NOT one-sided, and not to sound a pretentious egomaniac, but this is a literally indisputable fact.

For starters, Aang and Katara, always had a strong connection and were literally each others best friends. It’s not exactly like they immediately started fawning over each other, but, to quote @thethiefandtheairbender

“In the first two days she knows him, aang is cheerful and receptive katara's friendship, is the first other bender she's ever met and volunteers to personally fly her to the north pole, partakes in customs of her people (penguin sledding is clearly common), is respectful to her elders and is fantastic with the younger kids, isn't deterred by sokka's surliness, takes the blame for going on the ship, refuses to come between katara and her family and leaves of his own accord, comes back to save her village and faces the fire nation head on, then gives himself up to keep her people safe, all while also literally sweeping her off her feet at one point, and some people think the tiniest hint of a crush didn't start that day?”

It was made abundantly clear that Aang had a crush on Katara, starting explicitly from “The Fortuneteller”. Aang constantly tries to get her attention, after hearing she’ll marry a powerful bender, but to no avail. However Aang ultimately realizes that desperately seeking attention through aloofness and other crazy schemes is meaningless, and without full realizing, it’s through the simple yet heroic act of saving a village that Katara comes to realize, maybe Aang could be that powerful bender she marries.

I like how in later episodes, even though Aang still has a crush on Katara it’s rarely the central focus, and whenever their feelings are the focus, it’s more tailored to the primary conflict of the ongoing war. Additionally (to quote @katarathinker on Twitter) “Aang's crush on Katara was never a hindrance to their friendship.

They cared about each other, they communicated with one another, they cheered each other on, they helped each other with their shared element, they protected & defended one another”. Even if you don’t ship Kataang, you cannot deny that the two have deep bond unlike any other.

Anyhow, we all know about Aang’s feelings for Katara, I’m not gonna discuss how Aang would literally support Katara all the way, how he not only loves her, but truly respects her as a waterbender, a hero and a friend, or how his love for Katara is as strong as the love for the nation he lost. Let’s look at Katara’s feelings for Aang.

Some say we never see Katara’s POV, and while it isn’t as obvious or blatantly said out loud exactly like Aang’s POV, it’s undeniably that Katara truly loves Aang deeply if you actually seen the show.

Katara clearly has strong feelings about Aang and doesn’t want to lose him, not for the sake of the world, but because of herself.

We see Katara, had feelings for Jet because he was a strong, kind-hearted, heroic leader who fought for what was right. In Jet’s debut Katara believes Aang emobies at least some of these traits as she vouches he be the leader of their group, and Aang does have and grow to embody many of the traits. Not to mention when  both Jet and Aang are accused (Aang in “The Storm”) Katara immediately steps in to defend them, Katara has no problem making fun of others, but she will not let you badmouth anyone she has feelings for, those two guys in “The Blind Bandit” learned that the hard way. Not to mention, Aang is literally wearing the hat Katara made for Jet. 

Katara is overjoyed when Aang finds her necklace, seeing as it belonged to her mother, it clearly meant a lot and Aang knew this. She also kisses him.

Katara outright says in “The Avatar State”, “for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary”. She basically was taking about herself and her feelings for Aang.

“The Cave of Two Lovers”, need I say more, Katara clearly wanted an excuse to kiss Aang, she was extremely indignant when Aang suggested otherwise, and she was blushing thinking about it, even when they were out of the cave.

When Aang enters The Avatar State in “The Desert”, she without any hesitation goes towards Aang to comfort him, with no fear, she spends the next episode deeply concerned for his wellbeing, and literally cries tears of joy and embraces Aang after he opens up to her saying “Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it's reminded me how I feel about Appa ... and how I feel about you”.

She literally looks ecstatic when Aang calls her beautiful in “City of Walls and Secrets”.

When she’s in tears over Jet’s death, the simple act of Aang comforting her, is enough to make her smile.

She completely dismisses Sokka’s idea of finding The Earth King and only agrees to the idea once Aang vouches for Sokka’s idea.

When Aang was about to confess his feelings to Katara, she’s annoyed when Sokka interrupts and kisses Aang before he departs.

When Aang saves her in “The Crossroads of Destiny” she runs into his arms, completely having faith in him. When Aang dies she’s completely heartbroken and when she revives him she smiles like she’s seen The Sun for the first time.

All throughout “The Awakening” she’s concerned about Aang. She’s overjoyed when he wakes up, in tears when he departs, and runs straight to him and embraces him when she finds him.

“The Headband”, again do I need to say it. The Dance! Everything about it. 

Not to mention Katara was mad jealous when Aang was dancing with another girl, and again she kisses him.

Katara appreciates Aang calling her a secret hero in “The Painted Lady” and then they commit eco-terrorism like the power-couple they are.

In “The Invasion” both are struggling to find the right things to say. Katara mentions how she’s proud of how much Aang has matured. When Aang kisses her she fully leans in, she’s obviously concerned given how Aang is leaving to face The Fire Lord, but looks on even after Aang glides away.

When Zuko wants to join the team, Aang ask Katara if she’s okay with it, she don’t want Zuko there, but trusts Aang’s judgement, but straight up threatens Zuko’s life should he harm him.

Aang empathizes with Katara’s situation in “The Southern Raiders”, even though Katara is dead-set on finding the man who killed her mother, Aang accepts this and Katara even thanks Aang for understanding before she leaves.

Everyone brings up “The Ember Island Players” as “proof” that Kataang is either toxic or one-sided. But let’s go over what happens, Aang at this point believes he and Katara have mutual feelings, he has some pretty valid reason to believe that, he asks Katara how she feels, he doesn’t demand she returns his feelings he just wants to know. Katara makes it clear she doesn’t view him as a brother like the play suggests, but doesn’t want to pursue a relationship with Aang at the moment because of the war, it’s a heavy situation, Katara’s concerned she might lose Aang like she did before, Aang wants to let everything out in the open before the final battle, should something happen. He kisses Katara on a whim, it was wrong, it was stupid, but Katara knows this and rightly leave the situation and Aang clearly reprimands himself for this, admittedly it would’ve been nice to see Aang apologize to Katara, but he never does anything like this again.

While Aang and Katara don’t interact a lot in the finale, when the war is over and peace is restored, Katara goes to Aang wanting to be by his side, the two mutually embrace as the lifelong friends they’ve always been, Katara is the one to initiate the kiss, the two are both ready to enter a mutual romantic relationship now the the fighting’s over. Harmony’s restored and life goes on. 

This was a lot longer than I expected. But the point is both Aang and Katara started as strong friends and they grew to develop deep romantic bonds with each other. It was never one-sided, and if anyone watches the show, they would see the strong bond these two share.